Kedryn tried, and failed, to roll himself out of his recessed bunk, a loud groan escaping him as his body protested his every move. Everything hurt. His arms ached. His legs barely functioned. Even his nostrils burned from snorting out all the sea water he had ingested after swimming what felt like the length of Manhattan island.
Pain had been his constant companion for the last two days, even after Riya’s liberal application of healing magic. Glade had pushed him well beyond his physical breaking point that first day and had built upon his pyre of anguish with every passing hour. When they weren’t running, they were swimming. When they weren’t swimming, they were doing mobility drills with rocks. When they weren’t doing that, they were climbing. Then they had gone back to running, endlessly going through the cycle again and again until Kedryn couldn’t move.
If that had been the end to Glade’s thinly disguised training regimen that was in reality hell spawned suffering personified, Kedryn would have likely been thrilled with his accomplishment. But the moment he collapsed, Riya swooped in with her healing magic quickly followed by Croon who had proven how effective having a ranked cooking skill could be. The Verser would shove something that could be loosely interpreted as food down his throat that would immediately provide endurance and strength bonuses that were just enough to get him going again.
Sure, Glade had allowed rest breaks, if one would call bleeding out from a school of razor backed minnows attacking him mid swim a break. So, what if Glade had let him rest for a full thirty minutes that time. Blackouts shouldn’t count as rest!
The second day had been more of the same, the only exception being that Kedryn had gone much, much slower than the previous day. Sure, he sacrificed speed, but being able to regulate his stamina not only allowed him to maintain his energy levels but he was able to maintain basic mental reasoning instead of floundering through the circuit training.
Who knew that Glade of all people could be so sadistic?
“Good work out there,” Glade said as he bent himself into one of those impossible body stretches. The gentle rocking of the ship as it crested wave after wave didn’t help Kedryn’s mood any, only adding to his suffering. “Do you need me to get Riya? Maybe another round of healing is in order.”
Kedryn really didn’t want to ask Riya for help, not that he didn’t think the elf’s magic wouldn’t help. It was just that he really didn’t want her to see him in such a sad state. Gritting his teeth, he again forced his muscles to contract so he could maneuver himself out of the recessed bed and onto the hard wood floor so he could begin stretching on his own.
Pure, unrelenting agony coursed up and down his body. He had barely kept his jaw clamped shut long enough to stifle a cry of pain.
“Yeah, I’ll go get Riya” Glade said with a knowing smile, rubbing the back of his head with what looked to be embarrassment. “I may have pushed you a bit too hard the past couple of days. Sorry about that. I wanted to push you as far and as fast as I could while we were in a relatively safe place. Still, it was nice to get out and stretch the legs, you know?”
Kedryn stared at his commanding officer with incredulity. What, exactly, constituted a safe training environment to this man? Glade alone had killed three large ocean predators and stunned at least half a dozen more as they swam the bay. Then there were the mud boars in the marshes, the rock vipers in the ravines, and, his personal picks for nightmare fuel, the foot long grass centipedes that always seemed to find a way to get under his clothes. Apparently, they were attracted to the salt on his body from the sweat and sea water. That little tidbit of knowledge did absolute squat in comforting him as fresh memories of razor sharp pincers scraping the saltier regions of his body assailed him.
“We’ll go over what you learned when you’re more awake,” Glade continued talking as he opened the door of their shared cabin, presumably to get Riya. Before stepping out, he turned to face Kedryn with a querying gaze. “Was it worth it?”
Kedryn barely refrained from lashing out with a sarcastic comment about Glade’s questionable skills of observation but reigned in his tongue at the last moment. Not only would the comment not do any good, but it was out of character for him to be this upset in front of leadership. The pain must really be getting to him if his decorum had slipped this badly.
Recentering his thoughts, Kedryn asked himself - what he had really learned from this exercise in physical and mental anguish? If all he was going off of was the pain and his sense of unfairness, then no, the training hadn’t been worth it. But those feelings were literally at the forefront of his mind because he couldn’t get away from the pain. And if he was being honest with himself, the humiliation.
Glade had outswum, outrun, and out did Kedryn at literally every task, even those tasks that he should have dominated because of his higher dexterity. If Glade had done this to prove how unprepared Kedryn was to do special forces type missions, then he had accomplished his goal.
But Kedryn knew for a fact that his commanding officer didn’t think that way. At least, he didn’t think so. If he did, the man wouldn’t have offered to get Riya to help heal him.
No, he couldn’t judge this event on the pain and unfairness of the training. And why did he think it was unfair? Because Glade hadn’t disclosed what the training would entail beforehand? While that would have been nice, he doubted it would have helped. In fact, it probably would have had the opposite effect. Kedryn likely wouldn’t have undergone the training to begin with.
Looking past the pain and his perception of the unfairness of the training, Kedryn found that he felt... surprised. Surprised that he had persevered as well as he had. And proud. And comforted.
That last feeling caught him off guard, but it rang true. In fact, it was a similar feeling he had when he graduated basic training. His understanding of what he was capable of had increased by leaps and bounds. He had been forced to confront his self-imposed limitations of both his body and mind and, to his surprise, had surpassed them time and time again.
Realization dawned on him as he saw his accomplishments in a new light. No, that wasn’t right. He didn’t see his accomplishments differently. He saw himself differently.
He, Kedryn, was a new person. All because he had been tried and tested and come out the other end stronger for having endured it.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Reflection. Masters of this skill transform every experience into genuine learning in both the spirit and body! Others may stumble about the journey of life, barely understanding the meaning of the word Advancement. Not you. Through reflection, you can grasp the hidden meaning of all things. +1 to Wisdom. +2% skill advancement to any skill through the use of reflection.
Kedryn stood open mouthed at the notification. He had tried to learn this skill from Glade at least a dozen times before. An here it was…
“Looks like it was worth it,” Glade said with a knowing smile. Before he closed the door to get Riya, he gave Kedryn the kind of look he had hungered for his entire life. “For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you, Kid.”
Then he was gone.
Kedryn stared at the door for several long seconds before pulling up his unread notifications. He told himself his blurry prompts was nothing more than the horrific Gnoll stench that still hung in the air. Yes, that’s what it was. The Gnolls.
Congratulations! From the self-inflicted pain of Glade’s so called ‘training,’ you have increased the following attributes:
+ 2 Endurance
+1 Strength
+1 Constitution
A smile crept slowly across his face as he readily accepted the hard-won attributes. The smile would have spread faster, but his facial muscles were complaining just as loudly as every other muscle group. He suspected it was from all the screaming he had done while running through the high grass while simultaneously stripping off centipedes.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Climbing. Why do mountains, trees, buildings, and tall objects exist? Why, to test your climbing skills of course! +2% stamina reduction while climbing. +2% grip strength. +2% desire to climb the tallest object around regardless of existing laws or common sense.
You have gained skill level 1, 2, 3… and 8 in Climbing!
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Swimming. Ignore what anyone else says, you were born for the water! Like a manatee, or a darling little sea cucumber! Someday, if you continue to work hard, you may even graduate up to urchin level! +2% stamina reduction when swimming per skill level; +2% lung capacity.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
You have gained skill level 1, 2, 3… and 8 in Swimming!
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Running. Those who like to run for running’s sake are the worst kind of masochists, especially for those rare few who run toward danger. You’re one of those idiots, aren’t you? +2% stamina reduction when running per skill level.
You have gained skill level 1, 2, 3… and 8 in Running!
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Endure Pain. The label of masochist was a bit premature. Who willingly follows someone into unknown, self-inflicted torment under the auspices of ‘training?’ You, that’s who. A masochist. Still, you did it with style, so kudos to you. +2% ability to ignore pain per skill level.
You have gained skill level 1, 2, 3… and 5 in Endure Pain!
Note: Special kudos granted for purposefully going through with, and completing, Glade’s insane training plan – Pain Transference Gained
Kedryn would have laughed at some of the comments, but again, the pain radiating from his body prevented him from acting on the impulse. But that didn’t stop him from excitedly pulling up his new ability.
Congratulations! You have gained the ability Pain Transference. Transfer any percentage of pain to, or from, a target. This ability is based on your Wisdom attribute. The higher your wisdom, the longer you can transfer your pain. Target must be connected through touch. 1 min of transference for every point of Wisdom. Fully regenerates every hour.
Note: Feel free to target any fully Branded you may wish revenge upon.
Kedryn’s mouth fell open, or it would have, if he could have relaxed his jaw muscles. This was an insanely powerful ability! He could already imagine a half dozen scenarios where he could use it to his benefit.
A fellow trooper who was suffering from a grievous wound and going into shock? Kedryn could take some of the pain away so they could treat him. Fighting an enemy while injured? All he needed to do was touch whomever he was fighting and transfer his pain and BAM! Instant distraction!
He was even considering using it to get back at Glade. Of course, that only lasted a moment. The man would probably just grunt and shrug it off.
Of course, the ability had a huge downside. No matter how you looked at it, he would have to deal with pain in one form or another. But one bright spot was that he could likely mitigate the effects of his new ability if he increased his endure pain skill.
Kedryn was in the process of working out how he could synergize his ability to power level his new skill when there was a knock at the door.
Before he could answer, Glade, Riya, and Bragden came in. It was a tight fit with everyone in the room, but that didn’t seem to deter anyone. Briefly, he regretted their decision to give Crixus the Captains quarters after they freed him and the crew. It had made sense at the time, but the larger room would have been nice.
“Is there a reason why everyone has decided to join us?” Kedryn whispered hoarsely.
“Don’t mind me,” Bragden said, squirming his way past Glade to place some random objects onto the small, bolted down table.
“Let’s see if we can get you feeling better,” Riya said with a smile that was one part humor and three parts you brought this on yourself and I’m going to laugh at you because of it. Kedryn was sorely tempted to test out his skill on the girl, but the age old saying, ‘never piss off your healer,’ stayed his hand.
A moment later, the golden glow of celestial magic flooded through him, relaxing his muscles and easing his pains.
“Thank you,” Kedryn sighed, moving to pull himself out of his recessed bed, but thought better of it at the last moment. There simply wasn’t enough room.
Before he could ask again why the group was hiding out in the room, Gent popped his head around the door.
“The coast be clear if’n you’re gonna cast your spell,” he said, then closed the door.
“Cast the what now?” Kedryn asked, feeling awkward the moment the words left his mouth. Not so much because he was lacking information, but more so because he was still laying inside his coffin like bunk. He could barely make out what the others were doing.
“Bragden brought all of our unidentified items with him back to the ship,” Glade explained, giving the surly dwarf as much space as he could in the cramped room. “He wanted to use one of the more powerful identify scrolls to see what we had on hand.”
“Aye,” Bragden drawled, opening a jade box to reveal a stone vial. He carefully set it on the table next to two familiar looking rings, a large platinum coin, and a pile of notes in an unknown language. “I think it best that we identify these things afore we get to where we’re going. I don’t fancy trying to trade wares with a specialized merchant when we don’t know exactly what it is we’re trading. Besides, we may want to keep these things as secret as the weave of the me own wedding braid, if ye catch me meaning.”
Glade and Kedryn gave the dwarf an odd look before Riya chimed in.
“Dwarven wedding braids are a sacred thing, with each braided layer having very intimate and significant meanings. Take Bragden’s cross weave style mixed with knotted…”
“That be enough!” Bragden snapped, his cheeks going bright red before awkwardly pulling out a scroll. “How’d a slagging elf in the middle o’ the grasslands get their hands on a book detailing dwarven marriage braids?” he muttered to himself. In a much louder voice, he said, “The scroll has an area of effect of about three feet or one targeted item, so we can use one scroll for this whole lot.”
“What if the items aren’t magical in nature?” Kedryn asked. He and Glade had confirmed that the notes weren’t magical at all, thought everything else had some mana woven into them. “Will the spell fail?”
“Common misconception,” Bragden rattled off, the color of his cheeks returning to normal. It was obvious he was more comfortable talking about magical items than the intricacies of his own marriage braid. He would have to ask Riya in more detail about it later. The subject sounded… interesting. “Most identify spells act like yer skills, but have a great deal more capability behind them. Like those papers with gibberish on ‘em. This tier 8 scroll should at least identify the language. That should help us narrow down where we should go for a translation at least. Now, are there any other questions before I cast the slagging spell? No? Good.”
The last was said without a pause, the dwarf pressing forward regardless if there was a question. It took a minute or two, but after Bragden read the scroll there was a flash of light before the scroll crumbled to dust. Information immediately populated his notifications.
You have found a Minor Ring of Mana Wielding. Artificially increases the bearer’s mana channels from level 1 to level 2. The bearer of this ring must declare which mana channel they will be artificially increasing before equipping the ring.
Durability: 41/50
Grade: Well Crafted
Rarity: Rare
Weight: .2 lbs
Value: 83 Gold 6 Silver 4 Copper
You have found a Ring of Major Health (Cursed). Artificially increases the bearer’s health by 74 HP.
Warning! This item is cursed! If not worn by a Shadow Attuned Shaman, the bearer will permanently lose 74 HP until the curse is broken.
Durability: 43/50
Grade: Well Crafted
Rarity: Rare
Weight: .2 lbs
Value: 103 Gold 2 Silver 9 Copper
Kedryn’s stomach dropped as he read the prompts about the rings. He couldn’t use the mana wielding ring, seeing as he just increased his fire mana channels to level 2. But that wasn’t what made his stomach squirm. Several days ago, Riya had stopped him from simply equipping the rings to see what they did. Yes, it would have been a risk, but it was a measured one in his opinion. The Shaman was pretty low level after all.
He was so very glad to have listened! Losing 74 health would have proven fatal in so many ways.
“I think Riya could use the mana ring,” he found himself saying, his brain on autopilot. “But I don’t know what to do about the cursed ring.”
“Most merchants have spell scrolls or other ways to remove curses,” Riya said, picking up the mana ring to give it a cursory look. “They’re expensive, but I think buying one would be more than worth it.”
“I don’t know which merchants you treeless associate with, but I wouldn’t say most of ‘em have those items just lying about,” Bragden said, eyeing Riya skeptically. “But the lass is right, I’d say this here be worth it to keep if’n we can find a way to remove the curse.”
“Have you three looked at the prompts detailing the platinum coin or the notes?” Glade interjected.
Kedryn pulled those up next.
You have found a Bankers Marker (Platinum Grade) for the Obsidian Bank. The Obsidian Bank has been around almost as long as most sentient races, its roots and branches having delved into nearly every empire, kingdom, and city state. Even Royal Elves tread lightly when dealing with this ancient foe. Visit a local branch of the Obsidian Bank to learn more.
Durability: 95/95
Grade: Superb
Rarity: Rare
Weight: 1.5 lbs
Value: NA
You have found unknown papers written in Truan, a lost language that belonged to a lost people. Not much is known of this people’s origins, much less its language. No known skills or magic have been able to penetrate the depths of this secretive tongue.
“The marker might be helpful, but we might as well give up on translating the papers,” Bragden sighed. “I’ve read about the mystery of the Truan before. No less than a dozen scholars have gone mad trying to unravel those mysteries. Legends say they opposed the royal elves at the bonding of the first silverthread, which was bloody well at the start o’ life itself if’n ye believe the elves. No one knows for certain. All that is known is that the language be lost, though some o’ their works are found time to time.”
Kedryn gave Glade a questioning look, but the man just shook his head. The cost in will power points was likely too expensive to make it feasible. Something to look into later. Or not. He was all for adventure and figuring out lost secrets, but if the smartest people in this world had gone mad over trying to uncover its secrets, then maybe it wasn’t meant to be solved.
He was beginning to wonder if they should have saved the scroll.
“Has anyone taken a look at the potion?” Riya asked, a hint of hesitation in her voice. Or was that longing?
Kedryn glanced through the notification, his eyebrows raising of their own accord with every word.
You have found a draft of the Heavens Breath Elixir. Crafted by the Grandmaster Alchemist Geren’Kel, of the Fre’miah House, one drop of this potent elixir of Air can take any sentient from a mundane, attunementless being to a powerful practitioner in the Magical Sphere of Air.
One dose will carve air channels into a person if they do not already exist. A second dose will open the air channels and bring the recipient’s attunement past Spark and to the Sympathetic level. Each dose thereafter will heighten the recipient’s attunement.
Durability: 75/75
Grade: Masterwork
Doses: 2/6
Rarity: Mythic
Weight: 3 lbs
Value: 1,500 Gold per dose