After several moments of awkward silence, a chuckle finally escaped from Glade's pursed lips, which in turn was answered with a corresponding laugh from Kedryn. And like that, the dam holding back the accumulated stress of the last few days of flight and battle broke, each escalating the other’s response with louder laughter until tears streamed down their faces.
“Why are we laughing,” Kedryn gasped after they had calmed down enough to breathe. “That wasn’t even that funny.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Glade said, wiping tears away with his sleeve. “It happens. Thank the heaven’s it happens. I’d have gone mad long ago if it didn’t.”
Kedryn nodded, an easy smile plastered to his face.
“By the way, you did great back there,” Glade said, catching his breath.
“Really? I thought I screwed up the conversation with Krazzik,” Kedryn admitted.
“Oh, you’re right. You really botched that one,” Glade snorted. “I thought Krazzik’s eyes were about to pop out of his head when you mentioned Army of Darkness.”
“No, what I was referring to was your timing during the various battles with the Gnoll’s. I can honestly say we couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Thank you, sir.” Kedryn said. And that was it. No gushing of emotion. No beaming with pride. Just a simple thank you. The Kid really had grown.
“Get some rest,” Glade said, slapping the Kid’s knee. “I can see your stamina and mana are low. I’d like you and Riya to join myself and Krazzik when we head out.”
“Yes sir,” he said, closing his eyes. He was asleep within moments. Riya too had drifted off at some point and was sleeping soundly.
They were close enough together that Glade threw his overly large blanket over the two. Then he pulled up his long list of notifications
Congratulations, you have gained skill levels 2 and 3 in the skill Tactician! +6% to attack, defense, and unit cohesiveness within your area of influence. Area of influence has increased to 15 feet. +3% to XP gained.
Now that he had time to think about the skill, he realized he must have acquired it after he had shown the dwarves how to make a simple pike and shot formation, effectively making a death trap for the advancing Gnoll’s.
The bonus to attack and defense that came with the skill were great, but Glade still didn’t understand how those bonuses came into play. There was still so much he didn’t understand.
But what really caught his attention was the note about enhancing unit cohesion. One of the greatest challenges for any leader was ensuring their team was in sync with one another. If the strange mechanics of this world did that for you, it would be a significant game changer. The extra XP was just an added bonus.
Glade shook his head as he realized he was already thinking like a gamer. What was this world doing to him?
Congratulations, you have gained skill level 2 in Leadership! +2% to Charisma. Pending: 1 x synergistic skill of your choosing to pair with Leadership.
Ignoring the charisma bonus for now, Glade focused on the synergistic skill bonus.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than another prompt appeared.
Synergistic Skills: Some skills, like Leadership, grant the ability to synergize with others. The tier of skill determines the amount of skills that can be synergized; typically 1 synergistic connection per tier. Skills remain separate, allowing growth in both areas, but the synergistic bond that is created may forever change one or both paired skills. Be wary, as choices are irrevocable and may impact not only yourself, but those around you.
Existing synergistic skills pairable with Leadership are as follows:
*Astral: Grants title of Astral Mystic. Allows the user the ability to touch the very minds and spirits of those you lead. Subordinates gain increased ability to open their Astral mana channels and can attune themselves to the Astral sphere at a faster rate. Increases ability to teach others spells within the Astral sphere. More can be unlocked at higher levels. (Currently blocked due to damaged mana channels)
*Cooking: Evolves Cooking skill to Culinary Arts and grants the title of Chef. Increases the ability of the user to unlock the hidden powers within food in order to enrich and empower themselves and those they feed. More can be unlocked at higher levels.
*Reflection: Grants the title of Wiseman. Growth and learning come through the steady application of knowledge through measured experience. Grants bonuses to intellect and wisdom to self and followers. More can be unlocked at higher levels.
*Tactician: Grants the title of Strategist. Anyone can learn tactics, but it takes someone with both leadership qualities and a firm grasp of tactical applications to create impact on a grander scale. Grants bonuses to fighting abilities to self and those they lead. Grants authority to promote others into leadership roles. Grants diplomatic bonuses to self and those they appoint. Can unlock additional synergistic connections at higher levels.
*Telepathy: Grants the ability Hive Mind. Creates an unbreakable bond between you and your followers, imprinting your will, desires, and instructions onto their very souls. Grants bonuses to cohesion, work ethic, and loyalty. (Currently blocked due to damaged mana channels)
Glade couldn’t keep his jaw from dropping. Any of these skills, paired with his newly acquired leadership skill, could have significant impacts not only for himself, but others. And if he was reading the description correctly, Leadership would allow him to pair with other skills later on.
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Riya’s voice came unbidden to his mind that he needed to wait to talk with one of her elders. But for once, he didn’t feel that waiting was the best option.
Glade immediately ruled out cooking. Not that being a chef was bad, it just wasn’t for him.
Reflection was tempting, but he didn’t see an immediate application. If he had to choose something, he wanted to ensure it would be something helpful in the near term.
Congratulations, you have gained skill level 4 in Reflection! +8% skill advancement to any skill while actively using reflection.
Glade stared at the new prompt. Did the universe, or whatever was managing these prompts, just reward him for pondering about reflection?
Not wanting to think too deeply about who, or what, might be watching him that closely, Glade continued reviewing his options.
He dismissed the telepathy skill. Hive mind sounded just plain wrong.
Unfortunately, Astral wasn’t available due to his damaged mana channels. He felt blind, unable to see the inner workings of the world or detect the minds of whatever was around him.
Shoving the unexpected emotions of loss aside, Glade focused on the Tactician ability. It made the most sense and provided an immediate benefit to himself and those in his care. Any edge, however small, could mean the difference between life and death on this planet.
Congratulations! You have paired your Leadership skill with that of Tactician, synergizing the two. You have been granted the title Strategist! You gain the following abilities. +10% growth to martial skills per tier in leadership for self and those under your command. Grants the skill Perception. +10% growth to the skill Perception per tier in leadership for self and those under your command. +10% XP gains when fighting in a party led by you (total of 12% combined with level 2 of Tactician). Ability to grant 1 x promotion to the rank of Lieutenant and 2 x promotions to the rank of Corporal. May appoint one representative to act on your behalf.
Note: As your Leadership Skill is now synergized with that of Tactician, they both grow together, forever tied to one another.
Congratulations! You have gained skill level 3 in Leadership! +3% to Charisma per level.
“Awesome,” Glade whispered.
“What was that?” Kedryn mumbled.
“Nothing,” he muttered, pulling up the remainder of his prompts. “You can go back to sleep.”
The Kid rolled over and was back to sleep in moments.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Archery (Crossbows)! The tools of hunters and rangers. -1% stamina burn when using crossbows. +1% accuracy and damage dealt.
Your party has defeated 3 x level 5, 2 x level 6, and 1 x level 8 Gnoll Slavers and have been awarded 112 XP (3,080 / 38 party members + (3,080 x .1 Tactician Bonus).
Through your actions, howbeit unknowingly, you have defeated 3 x level 5 and 3 x level 6 slavers and 1 x level 14 Gnoll Beta by unleashing the astral spider threat, You have been awarded 1,124 XP ((6,360 base / 3 party members) x .5 penalty + (6,360 x .01)).
Note: Your actions have resulted in sharing 50% of the experience gained with the force used to defeat your enemies.
Congratulations! You are now level 7! Through hard work and sacrifice you have advanced along your path. Let the knowledge of who you are and what you stand for guide you throughout your journey.
As an Enlightened Human you gain 5 attribute points to allocate, with an additional point auto allocated to the attribute most used since the last level gained.
Note: One attribute point has been auto allocated to Charisma.
Glade shuddered, the feeling of leveling washed over him.
He pulled up his last prompt.
Congratulations, through your continued efforts in personal advancement, training, and experiences, you have been granted the following attribute gains: +1 Endurance
Glade pulled up his status page, feeling an overwhelming sense of accomplishment at what he saw.
Name: Glade (Enlightened Human)
Age 26 Level: 7
Experience: 8570 Next Level: 11,000
Health: 110 Stamina: 120 Mana: 120
Attributes
Strength: 12 Dexterity: 12 Constitution: 11
Endurance: 13 Intelligence: 12 Wisdom: 22
Charisma: 13 Chance: 13 Willpower: 15 (Base: 14)
Brands
Courage Honor Perseverance Creation
Intellect Sacrifice Passion Meekness
Titles
Sah’eld to Da'Riya Ki'Loshere
Strategist: +10% growth to martial skills and perception; +10% XP
Royally Bonded (Bei'Kedryn Ri'Serevilir)
Languages
Elvish (Plains Dialect) English Dwarfen
Skills
Archery (Crossbows): Lvl 1: 1% stamina reduction. +1% damage/accuracy.
Astral Magic: Lvl 4: +2% mana efficiency in Astral Magic
Aura Sense: Lvl 2: Identify through use of aura reading. Cost: 5 MP.
Cooking (Amateur): Lvl 1: +1% to enhance flavor. +2% to identify edible foods
Leadership: Lvl 3: +3% to Charisma
Mana Processing Technique (Twin Root and Branch - Unique): Lvl 3: +24% mana absorption
Meditation (Basic): Lvl 3: +1.5% to mana regen/+1.5% to attunement absorption.
Perception: Lvl 1: +2% to perception
Reflection: Lvl 4: +1 to Wisdom. +8% skill advancement.
Tactician: Lvl 3: +6% to attack, defense, and unit cohesiveness; +3% to XP
Telepathy: Lvl 8: 1 x Target. 80 ft radius. Costs: 10 MP + 5 SP per 10 seconds
Small Blades: Lvl 1: 1% stamina reduction. +1% damage/accuracy.
Spears and Polearms: Lvl 1: 1% stamina reduction. +1% damage/accuracy.
Abilities
Will (Will Points: 1/15)
Specializations: None
Attunements:
Air: 0% Water: 0% Earth: 0% Fire: 0%
Light: 0% Shadow: 0% Astral: 13%(Sympathetic) Corporeal: 0%
Not only had he gained a level, but he had increased his base willpower by another point.
After studying the page, Glade closed his eyes and focused on the twin root and branch technique. For once, he had plenty of time.
From a distance, Krazzik and Bragden argued in low whispers, glancing every other minute toward the human and his strange companions that had crashed head first into their lives.
Even from this distance, they could tell that Captain Glade hadn’t fallen asleep like the others. Instead, the man looked to be processing mana with damaged channels, which had to be excruciating.
Except, the human didn’t look in pain. Instead, he was smiling contentedly.