12. Ice Giants_Candlelit Lives {Serial Reincarnation LitRPG}

> Ding!

> You have caught an [Arctic Breem]! You have earned 7 XP (1 Base * 7.06 XP Multiplier)!

As the fish wiggled on the end of his line in the freezing air, Kazuhiro reconsidered his last life’s tantrums about losing his ridiculous 16x XP base multiplier. I mean, yes, I would have gotten 20 XP rather than 7, but ultimately, it’s a geometric progression against an exponential challenge. And, I suppose, Level 44 at seven years old is ridiculous enough.

When the fish stopped moving, Kazuhiro began packing it and his fishing kit into the small sled he had brought with himself besides the hole in the sea ice. The sun was already low in the southwestern sky, and Kazuhiro had to hurry back to his tribe’s camp before dark. Strapping the harness across his hips, avoiding it pinching his fluffy white tail sticking out from the heavy furs he wore, Kazuhiro began a slow loping jog back with the sled pulled behind him.

Alia ◐ and Riviera ◮ had been reborn as Kazuhiro ◐ and Ryoko ◮, [Snow Kitsune], a (rare) variant of the more common [Kitsune]. Whereas [Kitsune] appeared mostly [Human]—furless, except for their canidae ears and tail—the [Snow Kitsune] had a short layer of downy fur all over, except for their bare face. By itself, this light fur was not enough to stave off the bitter cold of the Everwinter Flats, the sea ice north of the Slanemore continent where they lived, but it certainly helped.

Kazuhiro would have been thankful for [Cold Resistance] Traits, if not that the tribe’s attitudes embittered him to the issue. The initial problem was that the environment of the sea ice was an XP poor area. The animals and monsters which could be hunted were few and far between, and intersapient conflict was exceedingly rare. The land was inhospitable to plant life, and thus there was no XP to be earned from agriculture or the plants that could be harvested from the wild. And in so much as crafting materials were limited to animal products, snow, and ice, the XP gain from crafting was measly.

Non-hunters were limited to the paltry XP—perhaps 500 XP annually—to be gained from fishing, domestic activities, active Skills, and preparing and crafting from the bodies of the few animals hunted. And it truly was a poor harvest. While XP was earned from accomplishment, for whatever reason, the System looked down on the day to day necessities of just getting by. On the other hand, the relatively rich bounty from hunting animals and monsters was concentrated in the hunters, though at perhaps 800 XP annually, even they were worse-off than the average person from a hunter-gatherer society in a temperate climate. At best, the once-a-generation hunter who could hit 900 or 1000 XP annually became the tribal chief.

On top of that, while [Snow Kitsune] should have lived as long as [Humans], the harsh environment and animal heavy diet meant that few lived past forty. Together with the low XP rates, this meant that the average nonhunter only got to Level 26 (with 29 SKP), the average hunter to Level 33 (with 41 SKP), and the chieftain or other elder to Level 36 (with 45 SKP) before they died. Other than oral legends, they had no knowledge of their Racial evolutions.

This XP poverty was something that Kazuhiro could forgive. But the [Snow Kitsune] tribes’ culture to spending SKP was a terribly unproductive distribution of scarce resources. Universally, all children spent their first 12 SKP on [Cold Resistance I & II]. Given the environment, this was perfectly understandable.

And that’s where it goes downhill. If you managed to get [Cold Resistance II] before you turned 11—which only about a quarter of the children did—then you were apprenticed as a hunter and enjoyed the fruits of higher XP yield for the rest of your life. The late-bloomers became non-hunters. Even this was somewhat understandable, as the hunters had to be the powerfulest adults which, in so much as XP and XP gain equaled power and powergain, made sense for separating the powerfulest children from the rest. The non-hunters would, over the 25-odd remaining years of their lives, learn what Skills that could be taught (such as [Butchering], [Child Rearing], [Fishing], [Cooking], [Cleaning], [Grooming]), and purchasing those that could not (such as [Improved Butchering I & II], [Digestion], [Eating], [Bone Crafting], [Fur Crafting], [Improved Grooming]). On occasion, a non-hunter would be designated by the chief to save up SKP to purchase an expensive, but necessary, specialized Skill, such as [Cold Weather Forecasting], [Efficient Oil Extraction], [Salt Condensation] or [Ice Manipulation].

Actually, the non-hunters’ approach to Skill Points was commendably productive, and they were only limited due to the XP poor environment.

The problem was the hunters’ approach to Skill Points. The hunters—male and female—had a machismo culture centered around power, not showing weakness, braving the cold and fierce monsters, and—worse of all—not spending any SKP until they earned enough (16!) to buy [Cold Resistance III] so that they could strut around topless, flexing their muscles and “elevated” position in society. For most hunters, this took until their late twenties, or over two-thirds of their career as hunters. Heck, even the once-a-generation genius would only do it by 23 or 24. Actually, if you got [Cold Resistance III] before 25, you were more or less automatically elevated to chief and the current chief would step back as a mere elder.

Which meant that hunters, by and large, spent the majority of their career with no additional purchased Skills, blew their load on a marginally useful—i.e., mostly useless—Skill based mostly on price, and then spent the remaining decade of their career and the maybe dozen SKP they would earn on slightly more productive Skills.

It was a flagrant misuse of resources by the institutional cornerstone of the [Snow Kitsune] tribes. Admittedly, the tribe wasn’t starving, but there never seemed to be enough to eat, no matter how much they caught. Occasionally, Kazuhiro's [Budgeting] Skill acted up, but given the lack of a written language, he hadn’t quite figured out what was happening yet.

Not that any of these difficulties affected Kazuhiro or Ryoko. For starters, Kazuhiro already had [Cold Resistance III], not that he was keen on being chief. And both were perfectly nourished thanks to their eating Skills. On top of that, active Skills would, through the first few hundred uses, earn perhaps a thousand XP. Because the average [Snow Kitsune] only had a few active Skills, they were only able to earn a meager amount of XP. Kazuhiro and Ryoko on the other hand had hundreds of Skills—I really ought to look into a Skill consolidating Skill—by which to juice their childhoods with extra XP gain. Curiously, while the difficulty in leveling Skills seemed to carry over between lives, the initial XP gain from initial Skill use reset every life. And so, they could, and did, just spam Skills to gain XP.

Finally, while all cultures developed rather good understandings of how to earn XP, the hundreds of years of experience and multiple childhoods the duo had gave them an especially nuanced view on how to grease the gears of the System in childhood. And so, for the first 7 years of their new lives, the intrepid partnership had been earning about 1500 XP annually. Each. Base. And while the [Goblin’s Share] didn’t come in play much this life—what, with the lack of life to kill around them—their other combined XP multipliers of 7x and 6x meant that Kazuhiro and Ryoko were the highest ranked [Kitsune] in the tribe, if not the entire Everwinter Flats.

Now if only they could grow up a little faster and Class in. Alas, they had another 7 years to go before that happened, unless they wanted to use [Magic Growth]. Heck, they would both probably tier up their Race before that.

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As Kazuhiro ◐ approached the village, he could already sense that something was wrong for he saw no one out and about on his approach.

Kazuhiro sent with [Speak with Elves].

Ryoko ◮ sent back. she said sweetly, pleading for him to stay far away.

he responded with a mental smirk.

Several moments of mental silence passed.

Ryoko sighed.

By this point in the monologue, Kazuhiro had dropped off his sled at the edge of the village and was sneaking into the village, past the tents and snow structures constructed. He found the entire tribe kneeling in a group, half-encircled by a dozen heavily armed warriors. Their leader was talking to the tribal chief, though even with his senses, Kazuhiro could not hear anything. He shot off an [Identify]—a new, but terribly expensive guard-related Skill he had picked up—at the leader.

> Throllvuff [Vurst Human] (Ra) (L42) [Swordsman] (Re) (L42)

So, the blue-skinned ones are [Vurst Humans]. Another dozen [Identify], and Kazuhiro confirmed another seven [Vurst Humans], a [Dwarf], and three [Sealkins], mid-to-high 30s, mostly (uncommon) melee Classes.

Ryoko interrupted his pondering.

Glancing around, Kazuhiro noticed that he had indeed inadvertently crept out from cover and that he was the center of more attention than he cared for. The leading [Vurst Human] was pointing at him, making gestures and jabbering at the chief, who finally turned and called to him in their local tongue, “Kazuhiro, come here.”

The element of surprise lost, and resistance perhaps being a poor move until he understood more, Kazuhiro hopped down from his hiding place, and ran over at a quick-for-a-seven-year-old-but-not-himself pace. “Yes, chief?” he asked as he approached the two men.

“Why weren’t you with the rest of the tribe?” the [Vurst Human] Throllvuff interjected.

“I was fishing at an ice hole about ten klicks away. I’ve been there all day.”

“Catch anything good?”

“Just the usual. Mostly [Breem].”

“Good, good,” Throllvuff nodded to himself, then side-eyed the chief. “Let this be a lesson to you about respect,” he said to the chief, then kicked Kazuhiro in the stomach, sending him flying back over twenty meters. As Kazuhiro was mid-air, he thought, Damn! 260 HP of damage. That would have killed most seven-year olds. And for all that Kazuhiro had thirty-thousand HP, he still only weighed maybe 25 kilograms.

He slid along the ice surface for another ten meters before coming to rest against a small pile of slush. Deciding to play [Possum], he sent to Ryoko,

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The crowd broke up shortly thereafter, and Kazuhiro’s mother rushed over to check on him. He feigned injury for her, and allowed himself to be helped back to their snow shelter, where he rested on a bed of furs to “recover.” His mother left soon thereafter, and Kazuhiro snuck out to find Ryoko. Despite their ability to communicate with their minds and the secrecy it ensured, some things remained best discussed in person.

“So, what’d I miss?” Kazuhiro ◐ asked as they settled down out of sight of the village.

“The tribe has to entertain the Jarl’s tax collectors tonight before they leave in the morning. With food, drink and… women.”

“Eww. That’s—”

“I know. I’ve been chewing over our options,” Ryoko ◮’s face scrunched up.

“And?”

Ryoko sighed. “Basically, we need to wait and see. What happens tonight happens. We could kill this entire group, but we can’t fight off the Jarl’s army, and that would just be worse off for our people.” Much was left unsaid between the two as both grasped the nature of the intersocial conflict.

“So, re-evaluate at Classing?”

“Right. Given our streak, we’ll both end up with a (very rare) Class that’ll triple our power. (Ultra rare) would quintuple. Not sure if we could expect anything higher.”

Though they spoke in bare whispers, their body language—the eyes, face, hands, and tail—added much to their conversation. This was not going to be pleasant.

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Kazuhiro’s survival and rapid recovery were praised as a miracle by the tribe and then, as the entire tribe moved to their next hunting location the following week, quickly forgotten.

Over the next five years, the tribe continued its never ending cycling between hunting grounds, preserving and storing half of their meat for the eventual return of the Jarl’s men.

Meanwhile, Kazuhiro ◐ and Ryoko ◮ continued to grow up. Given that they needed maximum flexibility, they decided to continue to feign weakness and be treated as non-hunters, so that if they had to leave, their absence would not be felt so sorely. Though Kazuhiro developed a bit of a reputation as a [Fishing] genius.

> Ding!

> [Fishing] has reached rank 32.

Which was true.

As Kazuhiro once predicted, he was going to hit his Racial tier up before his Classing, with Ryoko not far behind. However, when he pushed for Level 51, he ran into a problem:

> Congratulations! You have reached the level cap as a [Snow Kitsune] (rare) and are eligible to evolve your Race into a higher tier. Your Race represents what you are, and will help define the rest of your life. Your Race can provide extra attribute points, Traits, Skills, and Skill Points. Your Race may be leveled using experience.

> Based on your Race, Class, Level, Traits, Skills, geography, society, and prior experience, you are eligible to evolve into one of the following Races (inspect for more information):

> * [High Snow Kitsune] (ultra rare)

> * [Many-Tailed Kitsune] (fantastic)

> Choose carefully! This change is permanent and irreversible.

Not the evolution screen, though it apparently had been revamped and now read similarly to the initial Class selection screen. The description for [High Snow Kitsune] implied that there was some change in appearance (though the fact that it was only (ultra rare) showed there must be [Snow Kitsune] in XP-rich areas of the world), and [Many-Tailed Kitsune] was explicit in there being a physical change. Under other circumstances, he might have gone with the former and tried to hide the changes under his clothing. But given the apparent need for power this life, he couldn’t simply forgo a (fantastic) Race. The issue though was that the tribe left their tails uncovered outside their clothing so any physical change could be a problem.

With that, Kazuhiro and later Ryoko deferred the tier up, and banked the XP until either it was time to reveal themselves to their tribe or leave.

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The tax collectors had returned. In anticipation of this, Kazuhiro ◐ and Ryoko ◮ had both juiced their growth by two years using [Magical Growth] so that they were ready to Class if need be.

It was a different group this time. And it went surprisingly smoothly. Apparently Kazuhiro’s absence and punishment really had been out of the norm for a practice that had persisted for centuries. Still, the tax collectors were more than eager to be “entertained,” and after much debate, Kazuhiro and Ryoko decided to Class in, double-tier up, and stalk the group back to the Jarldom.

For his first Class, Kazuhiro ◐ was finally going to expand his spellcasting significantly outside fire:

> * [Ice Fisherman] (uncommon)

> * [Yeti Hunter] (remarkable)

> * [Orcan Spearfisher] (remarkable)

> * [Ice Mage] (rare)

> * [Blizzard Mage] (very rare)

His tier up though presented some very interesting options.

> * [High Blizzard Mage] (very rare)

> * [Permafrost Mage] (ultra rare)

> * [Everwinter Mage] (ultra rare)

> * [Arctic Trickster] (fantastic)

While [High Blizzard Mage] was a straight tier up, [Permafrost Mage] was a combined ice and stone mage, while [Everwinter Mage] was focused on perpetual—or at least very long lasting—area of effect spells. As much as either really called to him, [Arctic Trickster] was impossible to pass up. It seemed likely that his Race was one of the prerequisites of the Class, and while the description was a little vague, it strongly implied that it was a magic-type deception Class using ice and light. Despite the strong shift away from “normal” magic (as he saw it), he did end up choosing it for its sheer power, reassuring himself that he could still pluck ice and wind spells out of the [Blizzard Mage] store.

While Ryoko ◮’s initial Class selection was not nearly as impressive:

> * [High Butcher] (remarkable)

> * [Ice Butcher] (rare)

> * [Snowhomemaker] (rare)

> * [Ice Rogue] (rare)

Again, it seemed that [Snow Kitsune] was again giving some very interesting Class evolutions.

> * [Charming Seductress] (very rare)

> * [Blizzard Rogue] (ultra rare)

> * [Shapeshifter Assassin] (fantastic)

While Ryoko had never been much of a spellcaster, the idea of an ice-wind spellcasting rogue was appealing. But, given that their initial mission was stalking and likely to be followed by infiltration into the Jarldom and who knows what else, she couldn’t give up on [Shapeshifter Assassin]. Moreover, the sheer power boost of a (fantastic) Class—even over an (ultra rare) Class just one step lower—could not be discounted. The Class also automatically came with a [Shapeshifter] Skill.

[Multi-Tailed Kitsune] was … unsettling. On top of each of them growing additional tails—Kazuhiro now had four, while Ryoko had three—they both felt their bodies shifting in other slight ways, giving them a subtly inhuman appearance. Their muscles were tauter, their joints sharper, their face more v-shaped, sinister, and predatory. And despite their eyes remaining in the fronts of their heads, they now seemed to have a preternatural sense of their surroundings.

Kazuhiro (L104), [Many-Tailed Kitsune] (F) (L52), [Arctic Trickster] (F) (L52)

Ryoko (L102), [Many-Tailed Kitsune] (F) (L51), [Shapeshifter Assassin] (F) (L51)

HP:

340,321/340,321

263,680/263,680

(8,300 / hour)

(6,535 / hour)

MP:

552,781/552,781

202,088/202,088

(6,650 / hour)

(3,838 / hour)

CON:

165

174

STR:

165

357

DEX:

165

333

INT:

500

210

WIS:

500

114

CHA:

165

119

Free:

v.1.17

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Over the next week, the two [Multi-Tailed Kitsune] trailed the tax collector’s caravan—the twelve strongmen and their dozen sleds, pulled by heavily-furred quadrupeds. As they did so, Ryoko came to two conclusions: First, assuming that each tribe contributed the same amount, the caravan could have only visited perhaps four tribes at most before making the trip back. And second, the strongmen—or perhaps the beasts of burden—had Skills to move faster across ice than should have been possible.

Nonetheless, both kept up easily through raw stats.

On the morning of the last day, the arctic haze broke enough for the group to come within sight of the mountains squeezing the shore up against the frozen sea. And, nestled between two of the larger mountains lay a terraced city of granite, iron, and wood. A few klicks out, Kazuhiro ◐ and Ryoko ◮ stepped onto solid land for the first time in this life. And, as they approached in the fading light of dusk, the city came alight with the familiar warm glow of torches, braziers, and bonfires.

In addition to their caravan, a few others were returning as well with their own strong-armed sources of food. Other groups on foot, as well: [Lumbermen] and [Hunters] from the forests squeezed between the mountains and the sea ice; [Miners] and [Quarryists] from deeper into the mountain range; and the occasional patrolling squad of soldiers.

As it darkened and the caravan they followed went through the gates, Kazuhiro and Ryoko scaled the walls and snuck into the City, which they soon learned was simply called Jarlkeep.

The streets were a riot of activity notwithstanding the bitter cold wind racing off the Everwinter Flats. Merchants and mercenaries abounded. Nightwalkers plying their trade. Criers spreading news. The chatter was astounding. Most of the population appeared to be [Vurst Humans], though there was a sizeable proportion of [Dwarves] and [Sealkins], with a smattering of regular [Humans], [Snow Kitsune], [Kitsune], [Tundra Catkin], [Shaggy Minotaurs], [Snow Rabbitkin], and at least one [Moon Elf]. It was without a doubt the most diverse population of sapients either had ever seen.

They spent their first week understanding the layout, infrastructure, and strategic sites throughout the City. They had little need for food or sleep, though were quick to steal both either from a stall or a warm attic, and quickly learned what they sought.

The Jarl and his forces took a light touch to Jarlkeep. Other than food storage and distribution—which seemed to be the functional reason for their existence—Jarlkeep’s forces did little other than guard the gates and ensure any brawls did not cause excess property damage. And brawls there were many, given the general lack of law enforcement. Curiously, nearly a third of the adult population appeared to be mercenaries or fighters of one sort or another. They were generally belligerent and, given their free drinking in the frigid climate, prone to act on it.

And, yet, they could find no fault with the Jarl’s rule over the City. Well, they had some nits to pick for sure, but none so egregious as to deserve violence served by the pair. The City was well-governed.

And so they went to the man himself. They began by infiltrating the Jarl’s meadhouse, initially by disguising themselves and attending when the Jarl held court. The Jarl was a giant of a man. Nearly 240 centimeters, 150 kilograms, with dark blue skin. Bushy, bright white beard. His long white hair in a knot of braids draped across his shoulders. A deep bass of a voice that rumbled like the sea ice cracking. They pinged [Identify] on him: Theronstoff [High Vurst Human] (VR) (L53) [Jarl of the North] (UR) (L53). After the XP changes, he was certainly the strongest humanoid they had run across, other than a few really old [Elves]. But given who he was ruling, that perhaps was expected.

Despite the Jarl’s barbaric appearance, the court sessions were surprisingly reasonable. Well, reasonable for a city that was nearly a third mercenaries to begin with. There were still a few cracked skulls, but petitioners could freely approach and most people got to get their say in. All in all though, the Jarl’s public appearances were without reproach.

So, they expanded their observations. They went in when the Jarl had parties. They snuck in when the Jarl held private sessions of court not open to the public. They observed the Jarl in his study whiling away the midnight oil. They perused through his books and records. They eavesdropped on servants.

And he still seemed like a decent ruler. Drank too much, had rowdy underlings, and had far too large a list of ladies of the night that he received services from. But he always paid his bills, he cracked down on the real hotheads, and he always tipped the ladies extra. Other than the trouble with the tribes, there wasn’t anything damning against him that warranted execution.

And because Jarl was a non-hereditary position—not that the Jarl had any heirs he recognized—the next Jarl would likely come from a long list of the strongest persons in the City. So simply removing him wasn’t going to change anything because why would the successor change a policy in place for centuries? And while they could decapitate the entire upper leadership, then what? Yes, the [Kitsune] tribes may not have to pay tribute anymore, but were they willing to condemn the City to starvation? Or in the worst case, when the Jarldom eventually stabilized, would they risk the new Jarl taking a more aggressive position with the tribes?

Two months in, and for all their experience, Kazuhiro and Ryoko were stumped. The troubles between the tribes and Jarlkeep was an economic problem, one to be solved through greater food production or alternative food sources, if any were to be found in the Everwinter Flats. It could not be solved with violence without condemning large populations that were largely blameless. It wasn’t like the City was in collaboration with cultists trying to summon the [Eldritch].

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The following day, Kazuhiro ◐ was observing the Jarl’s men offloading crates from a caravan that had risked passage through the mountains when Ryoko ◮ pinged him.

Kazuhiro blinked in surprise several times before scratching his right ear on top of his head.

Several seconds passed, the sounds of crates being dropped clattering in the background. Kazuhiro finally acknowledged.

Ryoko insisted.

<[Identify] said his name was Keejee [Human] (UC) (L39) [Eldritch Cultist] (UR) (L39).>

<…I feel you should have led with that.>

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Ryoko ◮ was still waiting for Kazuhiro ◐ to catch up with her when the Jarl and the cultists concluded their meeting. From what she overheard, the cultists had promised that they could grant the Jarl extended life and were planning to sacrifice prisoners to do so. With the Jarl gone, she learned that the cultists actually intended to summon an [Eldritch] and destroy the City. At that point, she couldn’t wait any longer for Kazuhiro and insta-killed the cultist with a [Backstab] stacked with a half dozen other Skills.

> Ding!

> You have killed a [Human] (UC) (L39) [Eldritch Cultists] (UR) (L39).

> You have earned 20 XP (750 Base * 2.06 XP Multiplier * 0.82 Level Penalty * 0.03 Race Rarity Penalty * 0.50 Class Rarity Penalty * 1.00 Contribution).

> For killing an [Eldritch Cultist], the System sees fit to award you 49,179 XP. May the blessings of the Pantheon shine upon you.

Oh? Ryoko thought, then did some calculations in her head. When she was done,