[Minor Boon (Speed)] = Boon (Minor, Untuned) + 3 Cores (Monster, level 10-20) + Cocoa Leaves (1kg) + Sugarcane (2kg) + Quartz (5kg) + [Hammer] (Stone+1) + [Bowl] (Any)
----------------------------------------
Snap.
Jay’s gloves crumbled to dust where the cutlass slipped through. He winced in pain and tried to retreat further. To no avail. The impenetrable wall of the cairn was to his back. His enemy closed the distance, turtle-shield raised.
More attacks came. Jay slipped into [Track] to keep them from landing, but that was all he could afford. By the time he moved to counter, the lizardfolk had retracted a beat. He exhaled, his body frayed after utilizing the power of his stance.
This Guardian wasn’t a normal enemy. It was an experienced swordsman compared to the monsters Jay had fought until now. He couldn’t just hack his way to safety. Not against an opponent who understood the value of superior tactics.
“Any chance I could get a hand?” Jay called out.
Desmond shrugged his shoulders. “And break the Rules again? I reckon I’ve done enough of that for one day, fam.”
More swings from the cutlass came. Again, Jay retreated, his guard raised. As the lizardfolk got within arm’s reach, he stabbed down low where his enemy was most vulnerable.
No effect. The lizardfolk parried his sword away with ease, then rushed forth again. The air caught in Jay’s lungs as its shield rammed into him like a battering ram. His bones buckled against the force.
Jay gripped his hilt and [Power Attacked]. His sword bounced harmlessly against the oversized shell. The lizardfolk beamed, undeterred.
If I could just get past that shield… That was the real problem. This Guardian didn’t seem all that difficult without the giant turtle shell it carried. Its attacks were relatively weak, and couldn’t destroy him in a few small hits. Even if those cutlass swings could penetrate his armor, his copper-banded roundshield was holding its own in this fight.
But how would Jay be able to hit its flesh? How could he break the guard of a real swordsman?
Oh, you’re an idiot. Yes, this was the perfect moment to test that new skill out. As the lizardfolk twirled the cutlass in hand and licked its teeth, Jay inched forth, his shield ready.
[Break].
An upward thrust from his shield knocked the lip of his opponent’s away, exposing the unarmored body beneath. Jay stabbed forth before the moment could get lost. The lizardfolk lunged to the side, but was a beat too slow. Blood welled where the copper blade tore through. It lowered its shield again with a hiss and unleashed another burst of attacks.
Too slow.
Jay had entered [Waterform]. Even as the monster unleashed a devastating set of swings, they were all so easy to avoid. His limbs moved on their own as he slipped side-to-side with a speed that bordered inhumanly. The cutlass struck nothing but air.
Jay [Broke] again, this time following with a [Power Attack]. The lizardfolk gasped, the scales in its torso mangled.
But another whip of its tail came, knocking Jay off-balance. Fangs sank into his arm before he could react.
Blurs clung to the edge of his vision at once. His limbs grew heavy. He swung again, only to be parried with ease. His enemy grinned.
Dammit. Jay didn’t need to see his Stats to recognize that he’d been poisoned. And even though he always kept some basic antitoxin on his toolbelt, there wasn’t enough time to reach it. The moment he lowered his guard, the lizardfolk launched a fresh attack.
Snap.
His helmet crumbled to dust this time, blood trickling down his forehead. This wasn’t good. His enemy was smart enough to exploit this advantage.
Again, Jay entered [Track] to buy more time. The lizardfolk pressed forth, now swinging with a speed that was hard to match. His shield rocked against the cutlass.
Jay needed another advantage… Something to give him the edge to end this fight before it was too late. [Waterform] wouldn’t work at this reduced speed, and he wouldn’t be able to [Recover] the energy spent to keep [Track] active.
The world slowed as he thought this combat through, imagining himself overlooking the fight like a video game avatar.
Skills alone weren’t alone. His weapons and armor weren’t either. Not unless he pulled the gun. Bad idea with Desmond around.
But what else did he have? What tool could equalize the fight?
Jay grit his teeth, seeing the answer. As [Track] ran out, he activated [Break] to knock the lizardfolk’s shield aside, dropped his own to the ground, and snapped his best tool free from his belt.
Burning red light exploded as the flare came to life. The lizardfolk’s pupils narrowed into tiny beads, blinded by the sudden burst of light. Jay flexed his wrist and [Power Attacked], diving straight for the now-exposed head of his opponent.
Blood-coated scales shattered on hit. The Guardian fell.
Desmond clapped behind with a laugh. “Not too bad, fam.”
“Were you really going to let me die!?” Jay snapped.
“Ah, you were fine. Like I said. Piece of piss.”
Jay groaned. “At least warn me next time.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” He pointed the flashlight at the end of the chamber with a grin. Right onto the cache. “Now, let’s see what you got for a reward, laddie.”
Jay licked his lips. As much as he wanted to scold Desmond for putting his life in jeopardy, he could not deny the result. Now that he’d gotten the kill without assistance, he’d get to keep everything the Guardian dropped and the cache itself, and his guide seemed none too bothered to claim anything for himself.
Not too shabby. The cache contained much similar loot as before. Canned food, bottled water, modern medicine, some batteries for his radio…
There was even a smoke grenade, and a–
Oh, shit! He hadn’t seen the extra light with the flare burning strong, and only after he reached the base of the cache that this new gift presented itself. Shaped like a monster core but with a golden, pulsating energy that was a beauty to behold!
“Got a Boon, did you?” Desmond asked.
Jay gleamed. “I’ve been looking for another one of these for so long.”
“Well, best get going then. We still gotta leg it before the whole cairn collapses.”
With a nod, Jay went to work. Hacking apart the lizardfolk, collecting his new monster core, putting its scales and bones in his Bag ‘a Mats. The cache loot proved a different issue. Because it was all crafted, his Bag couldn’t accept it. But his shield was big enough, and so long as he used both hands, he could carry everything else like a tray back up.
The Boon went straight to his ripped cargo shorts, however. He wasn’t about to lose track of that for a second.
Not after what it would bring.
* * *
What a glorious day.
Birds chirped through the trees, monkeys cackled in the mountain above, and fish leapt for the surface of the nearby lake, munching on insects. The island proper beyond this plateau, its emerald landscape and mist-filled valleys an elegant display. Even the wandering voidstorms and pillars of cairn smoke could not offset the glory of this land. If anything, the clash complemented itself.
Annwyn was a realm of dreams and nightmares, of beauty and hideousness, and only here could both be displayed as one.
Jay flipped through the Guide, his loot sitting beside him as he sipped concentrated lifeberry tea. After this morning’s deadly encounter, it was good to finally sit back and breathe easy.
There was plenty of time to do this right.
Jay held the Boon up, the description open in his Inventory page in front.
Boon (Minor) – A magical core containing the soul of a fallen champion. Can be used crafted and absorbed by an Expat for a permanent Stat buff.
This was just the tool he needed for long-term character development. The type to give him an edge in this harsh wasteland. The sort of boost that could never be taken away.
There was only one problem…
[Minor Boon (Vitality)] = Boon (Minor, Untuned) + 3 Cores (Monster, level 10-20) + Blood (Monster, level 10-20, 1.5L) + Lifeberry (2.5kg) + Quartz (5kg) + [Hammer] (Stone) + [Bowl] (Any)
[Minor Boon (Hunger)] = Boon (Minor, Untuned) + 3 Cores (Monster, level 10-20) + Meat (Monster, level 10-20, 20kg) + Quartz (5kg) +…
[Minor Boon (Energy)] = Boon (Minor, Untuned) + 3 Cores (Monster, level 10-20) +…
[Minor Boon (Thirst)] = Boon (Minor, Untuned) +…
[Minor Boon (Speed)] =…
[Minor Boon…]
On and on, the list of possibilities continued. Not only could Jay’s Stats get buffed directly with a higher pool and lower degradation, but he could increase his hidden physical attributes as well. There were options for movement speed, strength, skill energy, even boosts for general crafting speed or research reduction… All able to stack with whatever modifies his gear provided and – if the Guide was to be believed – this stack could continue, perhaps indefinitely.
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He studied his Stats next.
Name: Jay Reis (Copper Age)
Vitality – 42/42
Hunger – 69/72
Thirst – 24/24
Fatigue – 42/48
Sanity – 100/100
Thus, Jay was left with another unfortunate conundrum. After all the time it took to gain a single one of these blessings, where would be the best place to provide it?
He started by considering raw Stats. The vitality Boon was a flat modifier that would grow and wane with his diet, but everything else increased the total cap while decreasing the loss inflicted. That could mean anything from getting more work done during the day to fighting off the madness of a Wyrm through extra willpower alone. It would also make his survival even easier. Despite finding his sea legs in this chaotic world, Jay knew that he was always a single mishap away from being an inch away from death. Would it do to ignore those choices?
But the other, hidden physical attributes could provide just as much utility. Movement speed would let him cover distances further while making him harder to hit. Strength would not only allow him to carry more loot, but deliver stronger punches, whenever his weapons inevitably broke in a fight. Skill energy proved his lifeblood in combat, and crafting speed would feed into everything else.
The last stood out most. Research gated everything that would allow him to move up all branches in the Crafting tree. Because he lacked an Expat core, he could never grind efficiently into a specific class like the others. But he also lacked the detriment it inflicted by specializing along one branch, which meant that any research boost applied to the entire tree in a substantive way. What could possibly be better?
Jay stared at the ingredients and considered the prospect. Yes, there was no denying that he’d need to stack research Boons for long-term development, especially if he never found a way to gain a class of his own.
Then again, another thought came to mind. Jay set the Boon aside and went back into his hardwood cabin. Sunlight tore through the blinds, falling onto the crude shelves still lined with loot. The latest tool glinted strongest, its sharp edge a terror to behold.
[Pig Iron Cutlass] (Sharpened), (Affinity+1) – A cutlass made out of impure iron. This [Pig Iron Cutlass] has been modified for extra damage and skill affinity.
This was the first weapon he’d looted from an enemy, a prospect he’d taken for granted. As he discovered, looted weapons could be modified and repaired like any other, but because Jay had not crafted it himself, he could learn little from how it was built. That path still required that he went through the Crafting tree like everyone else.
But seeing the new sword along with the unknown properties it possessed, Jay resolved to test another theory first.
He went to his workbench and set his copper sword on top. The iridescent sheen of his level 23 monster core glowed bright, ready to be infused within. Sparks flew as he hammered it into the hilt.
Buzz.
Level Up! Swords 5 → 7
New Skill available.
Crafted sword armor penetration increased.
Perfect. Jay kept the level he’d missed by not capping off his hardwood sword. That’s one question out of the way.
That still left the skill gained though. He’d forgotten, having been so wrapped up with the Boon…
[Whirlwind] – Extend your blade and spin your whole body, inflicting area damage wherever you pass.
[Stab, Basic] – Stab your blade forth, delivering precise damage.
[Lunge] – Combine an attack with a powerful lunge, extending weapon range beyond normal.
[Parry, Basic] – Deflect an incoming attack.
[Rend] – Take a second to concentrate your strength into a single attack, zipping forth and inflicting a critical slash.
Ugh, even more options now? The first skills he ignored remained, but he’d gained two more. [Whirlwind] was an extension of [Slash] which he hadn’t seen before, while [Rend] came from the third two, and seemed to combine elements from [Slash] and [Power Attack] with an extra step of mobility.
Jay stroked his chin. With his weapon understanding greater and the Skill tree expanding, he was starting to see even more synergies than before. It seemed that the further he advanced, the more the options spread out, and therefore, the more valuable it would be to plan in advance, especially since these levels came in so slower. He’d have to spend more time “Investigating Skills” during research to fully understand the tree.
Which to choose? All had some utility or other at this point. He contemplated the possibilities before finally landing on one: [Rend]. He could not miss the chance to use a combination move in action, and his armor skills already provided enough mobility.
Now, onto the real test.
Jay dismantled his new copper sword+1, recovered the level 23 monster core, and brought back the lizardfolk’s cutlass. Its sharp blade stood thirsty for this next experiment.
Whack. Whack. Whack.
Jay pounded the core into the hilt, now that it had been tuned to swords. He watched with glee as it sunk deeper within at each strike until it disappeared completely. The Guide adjusted to match.
[Pig Iron Cutlass+1] (Sharpened), (Affinity+1) – A cutlass made out of impure iron.
This [Pig Iron Cutlass] has been modified for extra damage and skill affinity.
Though Jay couldn’t replicate the cutlass on its own because it fell under a Sub-Craft, it was still a sword at its base, and he could still infuse a related tuned core in without having to ever figure it out. Just as his copper sword received a +1 buff, so too could this adjacent weapon function under those same rules. Part of him could regret being stuck with the core in here until his new weapon broke, but the knowledge gained made everything worthwhile.
He marched outside, cutlass in hand. Many nearby trees had been cleared, but one thin elm remained nearby. He held his cutlass tight and bowed low, concentrating on his latest skill.
Like [Power Attack], [Rend] took a second to take effect. Jay instinctively brought his blade further down his midsection in that time, like a batter winding up before making a swing.
But then it happened in a flash. Step forth. Wide arc swing. Silver tracing through the air.
The elm slid and fell a second later. The cut had been perfect along its length.
Not bad. Between the power of the monster core alone, the strength of a different metal, and its innate affinity to his skills, the power compounded to a level he’d never seen before. He hacked into lower into the elm, but the effect was far less.
Another mystery unraveled. Now that Jay had advanced beyond Primal Age gear, not only were his options expanding, but how they played out was more diverse. Copper granted raw strength, but pig iron enhanced the power of his skills, suffering a decrease in damage when used without them. Just as stone and bone had offered alternatives to flint gear, so too did the same apply here. What would silver give me next?
Jay went back to his Guide, considering the information gained. Like everything else, his experience had proved more valuable than whatever could have been learned by staying put.
Again, he considered the different choices for Boons. Again, he felt conflicted. All provided benefits, but which were the best?
It took hours of gathering before Jay made his decision, stuffing his Bag ‘a Mats with whatever he could find in the hopes that the choice could be resolved on its own. But like everything else, this was up to him, and him alone.
Nobody else would save him.
With his choice made, Jay dove into his craft. Three monster cores were needed to be mixed with his Boon in a bowl, along with five kilograms of ground-up quartz to act as a catalyst. This was uniform in every recipe, and his hammer pounded down until the quartz was a fine grain.
But it was the last step that mattered most. Jay mixed in the herbs and leaves, the sweat building as he pounded these together too. The cores slowly dimmed and melded, and the Boon changed color as everything else leached into the shell. Little by little, the untapped gold evolved into something else…
Jay wiped the sweat away and grinned.
Minor Boon (Speed) – A magical core that provides a minor buff movement and attack speed upon consumption.
He admired its design. A solid cobalt had replaced the incandescent gold, but its essence still flared to life within. Shifting. Dancing. A form of magical chaos that could be harnessed into something more splended, so long as he used the chance.
He crushed the Minor Boon in his fist. Its glowing, ethereal light snaked around his palm before fusing inside. His body adjusted at once, now filled with an energy he’d never possessed before.
Jay jabbed his fist. It cut through the air like a bullet.
He beamed. Crafting, research, and general survival could all wait now that he’d established a foothold in this world. If he lacked anything right now, it was his ability to explore this island and all it contained.
And no better way to get that than with a faster speed.
Name: Jay Reis (Copper Age)
Vitality – 43/43
Hunger – 68/72
Thirst – 21/24
Fatigue – 40/48
Sanity – 91/100
Main Crafts: Alchemy 1, Armor Crafting 2, Base Building 2, Cooking 1, Medicine 1, Tailoring 1, Tool Crafting 2, Weapon Crafting 2.
Weapon Crafts: Axes 3, Bows 4, Clubs 3, Daggers 3, Spears 5, Swords 7.
Armor Crafts: Heavy Armor 5, Light Armor 2, Medium Armor 6, Shields 6.
Character Skills:
[Forbidden Knowledge]
Armor Skills:
Heavy Armor: [Push], [Stampede]
Medium Armor: [Recover], [Leap], [Waterform]
Light Armor: [Dash]
Shield: [Brace], [Track], [Break]
Weapon Skills:
Axes: [Chop]
Bows: [Sharpshooter], [Longshot]
Clubs: [Bash]
Daggers: [Slice]
Spears: [Thrust], [Sweep]
Swords: [Power Attack], [Slash], [Rend]
Cursed Items:
[Bag ‘a Mats]
Armor:
[Copperplate Hat]
[Copperplate Coat]
[Copperplate Leggings]
[Copperplate Shoes]
[Copperplate Gloves]
[Copper-banded Roundshield]
Weapons:
[Pig Iron Cutlass+1] (Sharpened), (Affinity+1)
[Wooden Bow+3] (Reinforced+2)
[Basic Leather Quiver]: Contains 20 [Flinthead Arrows]
[9mm Semi-Automatic Pistol] (Accurate+2), (Quick): Contains 4 [9mm Cartridge] (JHP)
Tools:
[Copper Knife]
[Copper Axe]
[Copper Hammer]
[Copper Pickaxe]
Boons:
[Minor (Speed)]