CALEN
Calen’s heart raced as he sprinted after Lyeneru, weaving between the trees dotted around the dark cavern above the library. He was fast compared to his friends, but the Night Elf effortlessly traversed the cool forest pathways outpacing him with such ease that he knew she was holding back for his benefit.
Lyeneru Silverleaf. He had dreamed of meeting her so many times that he scarcely believed she was real. Yet, there she was, the living legend, in the flesh. The power she emitted was palpable; it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Even in the simple act of running, she looked deadly.
They darted out of the cavern through the narrow passage leading into the mountains high up above Myrin’s Keep to the north; coincidentally, the same passage Calen had used to reach Lirasia and save her from the spectral wolves.
Emerging into the brisk mountain air of the box canyon, Calen leaned over, grasping his knees to catch his breath.
“Do you have a flight skill?” Lyeneru asked, her eyes scanning the mountains and trees in the distance.
“Yes,” he answered, quickly summoning his ethereal Azrael’s Wings.
“Good,” she said brusquely. “Try to keep up. Keep an eye on that Death Knight’s location and let me know when it moves.”
“Ok.”
Heat rolled off her as large wings of fire, laced with lightning sprang from her back and she took off at high speed.
I hope she’s not upset I asked to accompany her, he thought, launching himself into the air after her. Calen’s worries only grew as he pushed his flight speed to its limit, trying in vain to catch up. Fuck, she’s slowing down. I should have leveled my flying more, he thought, berating himself for his lax discipline applied to training his skills. I hope she doesn’t send me home. As they hurtled southward, he downed a mana potion and focused his attention on sorting through his notifications from the battle with Alexander Gray, more as a way to distract himself than anything.
Archer of Light has reached level 39 (+3).
+30 attribute points.
Radiant Archery has reached level 25.
Arrows of Brilliance has reached level 28.
Explorer has reached level 24.
Blessing of the Dawn has reached level 20.
Eclipse has reached level 19.
Eyes of the Archon has reached level 23.
Righteous Fury has reached level 12.
Azrael's Wings has reached level 6.
And with his notifications, came a flood of further disappointment. Malika got five levels for this. Even Ali and Mato had both earned four in the fight against the necromancer; he had come in last with only three levels. I’m so far behind. Grimacing, he dumped eight points each into dexterity, perception, and intelligence, experiencing a distinct increase in his flight speed as his attributes improved. He divided the remainder, placing two points each into vitality, endurance, and wisdom.
The problem is my class. I always run out of mana. He could do enormous amounts of damage with his bow and his enchantments – especially when he used Righteous Fury – but he was always short on mana, and that limited his sustained damage over a long fight. As if on cue, he felt his mana sputtering and quickly spiraled downward to alight in a rocky clearing. It would do Lyeneru no good to have him crater because he ran out of mana in midair. Even his Azrael’s Wings skill consumed mana faster than he could regenerate it despite guzzling the best mana potions he could buy.
Lyeneru turned, pulled a tight circle in the air, and then landed beside him with enviable grace.
“Your flight skill is channeled?” she asked. It was not really a question, more like an observation, so he just nodded sadly.
“I’m holding you back. I shouldn’t have come,” Calen said. He had been so excited at the time he had failed to think it all the way through. “You have a Death Knight to hunt.”
“Is it on the move?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow.
He checked with his tracking skill, finding the sense of the undead pulling him in the same direction. Unless it was moving nearer or closer on exactly the same line, he was certain it was holed up somewhere. “Not since last time.”
“I’ve been hunting this one for months. It will keep for a bit. Show me your status and skills,” Lyeneru said, breaking his downward thought spiral with an abrupt and rather brazen request.
“Uh…” He just stared at her in confusion.
“I need to know how to keep you alive,” she said, finally glancing at him. “That Death Knight is close to level two hundred.”
Two… hundred? His brain stuttered over the figure. “Oh… ok,” he managed. He was really messing this up – she had explicitly told him to obey her without question if he wanted to come. He scrambled to share his class and skills with her, anxiously worrying about what was going on behind her unnerving lack of clear expression or emotion.
Name: Calen Avery
Race: Half-Elf
Active Buffs: Blessing of the Dawn
Class: Archer of Light – level 39
- Radiant Archery – level 25
- Arrows of Brilliance – level 28
- Motes of Light – level 14
- Explorer – level 24
- Blessing of the Dawn – level 20
- Eclipse – level 19
- Eyes of the Archon – level 23
- Righteous Fury – level 12
- Azrael's Wings – level 6
- [Locked]
General Skills
- Bowcraft – level 7
- Wood Carving – level 3
- Cartography – level 10
Aptitudes
- Languages: Common
- Mana (Affinity): Light
- Perceptive (Racial): +11 to Perception
- Quick (Racial): +5 to Dexterity
- Timing (Class): You have an innate sense of timing
Patrons & Tithes
- Deity: The Wanderer
Attributes
- Vitality: 42
- Strength: 12
- Endurance: 28
- Dexterity: 250 (+111)
- Perception: 182 (+75)
- Intelligence: 171 (+70)
- Wisdom: 47
Equipment
- Weapon: Hunter's Bow – level 30
- Body: Leather Armor – level 20
- Hands: Bracers of Accuracy – level 10
- Feet: Simple Boots of Swiftness – level 15
- Ring: Silver Guild Ring – level 30
Evasion: 240
Dodge: 18.01%
+5% to Accuracy rating.
+5% to Movement speed.
Health: 420/420
Stamina: 238/280
Mana: 23/470 (94 Reserved)
Lyeneru remained silent long enough for the tight bands of anxiety to begin closing around Calen’s throat, heightening his sense of exposure and vulnerability. All his choices and decisions since earning his class lay exposed before her, ready for judgment. His face grew warmer the longer she studied his status without comment.
Eventually, she broke the silence. “Uncommonly smart choices for a novice. Your attribute allocation is effective for your class. My only critique is that your strength is too low. As you level up, you’ll find the best bows have a minimum strength requirement to draw. You have a high-damage class but will struggle with long, sustained fights. Light affinity is unusual, but you have a good mix of damage and utility among your skills. Your skill levels are a little bit low for your class level, and you have weak gear. You must have been fighting above your level for a while without training your skills explicitly.”
She paused again while Calen digested her blunt, unemotional feedback. He glowed at the compliment, but the implication that he’d neglected his training deepened his embarrassed blush.
Suddenly, she raised an eyebrow, and her careful control cracked a little. “You found the Wanderer and passed her trial?”
“I did,” he answered awkwardly, not certain if she was looking for him to elaborate.
“Well, that’s really something. I haven’t seen one of those in a very long time,” she said, pausing in thought for a few moments. “It’s a good fit. Is that where you got your tracking skill?”
“Yes, it advanced when I completed the trial.”
“You have two skills that look like they might be near advancement, and you are one level shy of forty. Your defensive skills are nonexistent –” she glanced at Calen as he made to speak, but then interrupted him “– I don’t count boosting your dexterity so you can run faster. All you have is your flight skill for escape.”
“I have a couple of recall potions too,” Calen said, morosely. She was tearing his class and choices to shreds. It went without saying that if he were forced to recall to Myrin’s Keep, the hunt would be over for him – Lyeneru was unlikely to want to return to town to retrieve him.
“Good,” Lyeneru said, nodding her approval. “Regardless, we should level you up and see if you can earn a decent advancement or skill unlock. Your Motes of Light skill is underpowered. If you don’t get something strong on the next advancement, I recommend dropping it for a better skill. Right now, I think our best choice is to have you demonstrate your tracking but step out and hide when we reach the Death Knight – your chances of surviving direct combat are nonexistent.”
“Thank you,” Calen managed, digesting the feedback she had given for free, his blush deepening with the shame of being found too weak to even participate in the battle. His Motes of Light magic was certainly not helping his damage but, considering how terrified Ali was of stealth and Rogues, he was reluctant to remove it.
“I’m going to grant you my mentorship for this hunt. It’s temporary, so don’t get used to it. It’s your best chance of getting an effective upgrade in the short time we have,” she said.
Lyeneru Silverleaf offers her patronage.
Mentor Patronage – Lyeneru Silverleaf
Traits: Fire, Lightning, Dexterity, Perception, Intelligence, Ranged, Haste, Stealth, Movement, Critical Damage, Evasion.
Experience gain is increased for actions aligned with your mentor, or under their supervision.
Gain additional skill unlocks and advances aligned with your mentor’s traits and experience.
A portion of your increased experience is awarded to your mentor, increasing their reputation.
Enchantment – Tithe
Accept this patronage?
He gulped, staring at the sudden searing white text notifications appearing in his mind. Never would he have imagined he might have the patronage of Lyeneru Silverleaf herself, even for just a short while, and yet, the temporary arrangement came with a sharp pinch of disappointment. Once she removed it, he would never be able to receive it again.
Showing no acknowledgment of his inner struggle, Lyeneru pointed into the shadowed forest where something large seemed to be lurking. “Let’s see you fight, go kill that.”
Even for a single hunt, it’s worth it. Taking solace in that thought, he summoned his resolve and accepted her incredible offer. Using Explorer, he identified the giant beast she had pointed out.
Bristletusk Boar – Beast – Level 42
[Explorer]
A monstrous boar commonly found in forested regions.
Category: Monster
Threat Level: Normal
Monster Type: Beast
Damage: Physical
“Ok,” he said. Simple enough.
“No flying, unless it’s an emergency,” she said as he was retrieving his bow.
Calen gulped as she turned a potentially easy fight into something significantly harder.
“Use your stealth, it looks like it might advance soon,” she said, adding a second condition. “Hopefully, you can unlock Vanish or something else that improves your survivability.”
Calen nodded and turned toward his prey. As the massive boar snuffled around in the dirt for food, he activated Eclipse and moved forward, darting from shadow to shadow until he reached his maximum bow range downwind of the monster. The intense scrutiny of her eyes prickled the skin down his back between his shoulder blades. Even though he was under the cover of his stealth skill, he knew she was watching.
I will probably have to deal with a charge and some sort of enhanced physical attacks, he thought, forcing himself to focus on his quarry. Tusks, maybe? He consulted his inner mental map of the terrain he had observed from the air and picked a dense thicket he could run around.
As soon as he reached his maximum range, he raised his bow, sighting the boar by zooming in with his Eyes of the Archon skill. He could pick out the details of the monster’s matted black fur and heavy tusks even from this far away. Wow, this one is huge. Don’t get trampled, Calen. Drawing his bow, he released an arrow enhanced with extra range and, at the moment before it struck, he added his light magic damage. The arrow sank deep into its flank, seeking the heart. The boar let out a squeal of pain, spun about, and charged him, making dirt and grass fly as its skill accelerated its mass to a terrifying speed.
Most Charge or Rush abilities were fairly limited: straight lines only, because of the extreme momentum. His best chance to dodge was perpendicular to the attack.
Calen darted sideways at the last moment like a rogue evading a spear as the nearly one-ton beast barreled past him close enough for him to feel the wind of its passage and catch a whiff of the fresh dirt on its snout.
As the monster tore past him, still squealing loudly, he leaped over a fallen trunk, spinning backward in midair and unleashing his grappling shot, timing it to hit when the beast’s charge skill ended. Thin glowing chains lit up the underbrush as they wrapped around the boar’s fat body, pinning it to the ground and giving Calen a few precious seconds to gain distance before it broke free of the bindings. Taking the opportunity, he fired several shots into its flank while sprinting away on the diagonal, heading towards the thicket he had picked.
I’ll have to watch my mana. Lyeneru hadn’t given him enough time to fully regenerate and he was already running low.
Calen led the angry boar on a frantic chase around the thicket while he counted the seconds in his mind. He performed his spin-jump trick several times to get in a shot without losing ground. Nothing he did seemed to sap its strength. A minute later, the boar activated its charge skill again and Calen darted sideways to dodge the high-speed thundering mass of furiously squealing pig. All too aware that one slice of those tusks would carve him open like a butcher’s cleaver, he fired his Grappling Shot once again, wincing inwardly at the mana cost while sprinting for the edge of the thicket to resume his kiting strategy.
He continued to count the seconds while running, and when it was close to a minute, he dodged out from the thicket early. Right on cue, the boar charged, diverted from the thicket by Calen’s fake. He ducked back towards the thicket and fired an arrow trailing his chains of light, pinning the boar out in the open. He retrieved a mana potion and downed it and activated Righteous Fury, a burning rush within him. His chains binding the boar wouldn’t give him a whole lot more than several seconds – even with the increased spell power gained from his ignited mana. In the small window of time he had created, he unleashed his arrows, burning through his mana at a precipitous rate to fuel the most potent assault he could muster, aiming for the upper left flank and shoulder. The monster was too big for his arrows to reach the heart, but piercing the lung or wounding the leg would slow it down for a safer kill. A stream of glowing arrows smashed into the struggling boar until it broke the bindings using sheer brute strength. Calen fired three more shots, judging the distance and the speed of the boar using the remaining duration of Righteous Fury to boost his running speed. Behind him, he heard a thunderous crash, and a soft chime, and then silence descended on the forest.
Breathing hard, Calen watched as Lyeneru descended, landing beside the corpse. I’m glad I practiced this strategy with Ali in the jungle.
“Good,” Lyeneru said, producing a slender, gleaming blade and rapidly skinning and butchering the pig, storing everything. She straightened up and rolled her shoulders. “Alright, let’s go.” And she took off.
Calen scrambled to follow her, and they repeated the pattern again and again. Whenever he ran low on mana, they would land and, with a woefully inadequate amount of time to rest and recover mana, she would make him fight again.
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For the remainder of the daylight hours, she pushed him harder than he had ever been pushed before. Exhaustion and continuous fighting burned through his supply of mana potions at a precipitous rate, but at long last, his notification chime sounded. Anxious for something she would approve of, he checked.
Arrows of Brilliance has reached level 29.
Eclipse has reached level 20.
Righteous Fury has reached level 13 (+2).
Azrael’s Wings has reached 10 (+4)
Requirements met for skill advancement.
Eclipse has reached level 20.
Mentor: Lyeneru Silverleaf.
Got the drop on more than 50 monsters, striking first unseen.
Delivered critical damage undetected from the cover of stealth more than 5 times.
Eclipse gains Ambush.
Eclipse – level 20
Mana: You have stealth in shadowy or dark places. (This effect ends when you take an action that draws attention to yourself.)
Stamina: Ambush your enemies from stealth, your first undetected attack gains + [40 + skill / 2] % critical strike chance and + [80 + skill] % critical damage.
Light, Stealth, Illusion, Intelligence
Accept this advancement?
Ambush! His heart skipped a beat as he saw the advancement he had been trying to unlock for so long. But it was not the survivability advancement she wanted. Still breathing heavily from the fight, he shared the details with her anyway.
“Take it,” she said immediately.
“But…”
“You don’t want it?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
“I do… I really do,” he said. “But you said I need something to help with survivability against the Death Knight?”
“You can’t pass up Ambush without hamstringing your build permanently,” she said. “Even if it doesn’t help us for this hunt, you must take it.”
Relieved, he nodded and accepted the advancement and then summoned his wings and followed her as she led the way onward, her eyes constantly scanning the brush for his next test.
She’s right, just because it’s not what I need right now doesn’t mean it’s not great. He had wanted Ambush for a long time, and finally, he had it. Critical strikes were devastating attacks, and the version he had unlocked would apply to his magic enhancements, too. If I could just find a way to use it with Righteous Fury…
“Where did you learn that trick?” Lyeneru asked him, suddenly.
“I read the chapter in your book about kiting, and I had a fight with Ali where I was forced to practice it because Mato and Malika were knocked unconscious by Dreamcloud spores,” Calen answered.
“No, not the kiting. You delayed your skill till the point of impact.”
Oh, that. “Ali told me it was possible, and then it was simply a matter of practicing a whole lot,” Calen answered. “Why?” He shut his mouth quickly, anxious that she would be upset with his presumption.
“We teach it in one of the Pathfinder training classes at the guild,” she answered. “Typically, it’s only mastered by advanced trainees who have been working with us for some time.”
His heart soared as he realized she had offered him a great compliment.
Suddenly, his notification chime sounded again. Eh, what’s this? I’m not even doing anything? Eagerly, he scanned the text.
Requirements met for skill advancement.
Azrael’s Wings has reached level 10.
Patron deity: The Wanderer.
Mentor: Lyeneru Silverleaf.
Used flight to save your life in combat.
Used more than 20 times maximum mana for flight in one day.
Scouted the Lirasian Forest from the air.
Azrael’s Wings gains Sustained Flight.
Azrael’s Wings – level 10
Stamina: Create ethereal wings made of light magic. You can fly. Reserve: 20%
Mana: Boost your flight speed. Channeled.
Light, Movement, Dexterity
Accept this advancement?
Oh! Quickly, he shared his second advancement with Lyeneru, but he knew she would make him take it before she even saw it. The change didn’t simply add to his previous ability, but it seemed to modify it.
“Double influence advancement, very nice,” she said. “That’s probably why you got such a good flight advancement at such a low skill level. Now we should be able to make some ground on that Death Knight.”
“I should take it, then?”
“I would recommend it.”
Was that actual humor from the dour Pathfinder?
At once, he accepted the advancement and found his old method of channeling his mana still allowed him the same freedom of flight. Calen turned it off and instead activated his skill with stamina. His familiar ethereal light wings appeared from his back, and he found himself flying without using mana.
So much better! And, according to the skill description… He pulsed mana into the second part of the skill to boost his flight speed. Immediately, a second set of wings appeared, and his speed accelerated dramatically. Obviously, it wasn’t sustainable, but he now could move in bursts of high speed, returning to his normal speed to recover mana while flying indefinitely.
“There’s still light,” Lyeneru said. “Let’s put your new wings to good use.”
ALIANDRA
Ali’s eyes fluttered open and she rolled over to check on Malika, but her friend was still sleeping restlessly on the couch. A twitch and a low groan made her heart plummet, but double-checking only showed her friend was not awake.
Dreaming? Or pain? I should let her sleep. It was odd to wake and not find Malika meditating, but presumably, she needed to sleep off whatever had caused her pain. Ali got up and crept past her sleeping friends, seating herself at the table with the small pile of books Ryn had left for her, and threw herself wholeheartedly into the task of duplicating them.
While Malika tossed and turned fitfully on the couch, Ali recalled how painful and disorienting her Arcane Insight had been when she had first used it. Her new skill is also a passive perception skill. She probably just needs time to adjust.
Leaving Malika to rest and recover, Ali flew herself up through the atrium and out into Lira’s Forest. There were several things she had been putting off, and now that Lyeneru had so clearly highlighted her shortcomings she was motivated to end her procrastination. It wasn’t like she was being lazy – there just always seemed to be more important things to take care of. The Town Council, for instance. Or evil necromancers targeting her specifically. She sighed.
Why can’t I just live here in peace?
First things first, she thought, glancing at the Forest Guardian she had to roam among the trees up here. It had not provided the wisdom attribute she wanted for her Empowered Summoner skill, but if she needed strength, it was certainly the right choice. And her skill’s hour-long recharge had long since expired.
“What are your highest attributes?” she asked, turning to study the two Kobolds that had followed her up into the forest.
“Intelligence, Ancient Mistress,” answered the gruff Kobold mage. No surprises here, the highest attribute of the Fire Mage was obvious, given that she was currently using him to boost her intelligence.
“Wisdom, Mistress.” The soft voice of her Acolyte of Azryet confirmed what she had suspected. Healing magic users seemed to typically favor wisdom over intelligence for their magic, and although her healers were monsters, they seemed to follow similar rules to the clergy.
“Perfect,” she replied, triggering a delighted smile on the face of her Kobold. It’s handy that the Kobolds can just tell me. It wasn’t nearly so easy for her other monster types. She selected the golden-scaled Acolyte for her second Empowered Summoner target, and her wisdom instantly jumped by eighty-six points.
Wow! Immediately, she realized two important things. Her mana had just jumped by two thousand five hundred and eighty due to the wisdom increase, and the stacked effects of her Magical and Domain aptitudes. It was a dramatic increase and something she really couldn’t afford to ignore. But that brought her to the second realization; the increase in strength she had gained from choosing the Forest Guardian had been way more than double, likely due to its significantly higher level.
If I can find a higher-level wisdom-based monster… She decided to start a list in her notebook, channeling Calen’s obsession with his notes. ‘Find higher-level monsters with wisdom,’ she wrote. Perhaps I can ask Lira for suggestions?
Now for the defenses. She had little experience in making a cavern defensible, but she flew over and checked the tunnel entrance that led to the mountains anyway. No lack of motivation! Ali told herself, looking it over with a doubly critical eye. She made a few minor adjustments to the rock formations to make it a little less obvious, but it was already quite well concealed.
Next, she checked every stream or trickle of water entering the cavern through the rocky walls. She was pretty sure they must be overflows from the myriad Myrin River tributaries that trickled down from high up in the mountains. For each channel she carefully reinforced the rock, making sure that although the water could flow in freely, there wasn’t any excess space or weakness. When she was done, the water flow had increased substantially. Oh, hmm, this must be where the fish are getting in, she thought, observing several fleeting flashes of sleek silvery shapes darting past.
She considered the problem for a moment before she flexed her domain mastery again, this time shaping a substantial hollow in the center of the cavern. She filled the depression with her aquatic mushrooms, sprouting them in large patches, pausing only to replenish her mana with Inspiration. And then finally, she rerouted all the streams into the hollow and sent the outflow of her newly created lake into the larger stream that flowed into her other cavern.
That looks much better, she thought, inspecting her work. But although the pristine clear water was pretty, it wasn’t going to help defend her dungeon. Especially not if a water-type monster snuck in, but she had ensured the inlets were at least limited in size. For all that Lira was enormously powerful, she had no combat skills with which to defend herself and Ali was loath to leave her to defend herself against whatever new assassins might show up. Hmm, maybe I should check the outlets can also handle the extra flow I just–
“Monster!”
The warning shout of her Kobold Fire Mage snapped her gaze around, and she found herself staring up at the largest bear she had ever seen, deep-set red eyes glowing as it voiced a thunderous growl. It towered over her menacingly, easily half again as big as Mato, and it had heavy ridges of hide or bone sticking out from its fur, protecting its head and shoulders.
Dire Bear – Beast – level 57
Her golden shield snapped into place around her instantaneously. “Come!” she said, calling for her Forest Guardian, and the bear instantly looked up at the sound of the ground shaking from her enormous elemental’s charge.
With a surge of emerald-green mana, the tree beside her rippled and warped, and Lira stepped out from the trunk.
“She is family,” Lira said, resting a hand on the giant monster’s shoulder.
To Ali’s amazement, the bear stopped growling and simply sniffed at her before lowering its head again and turning to amble off into the forest.
“What…” How did I miss that?
“I’m sorry about that,” Lira said. “He is a good bear, but he didn’t know who you were.”
“You have a bear?” When did she get a bear? I didn’t think she could summon monsters…
“Aliandra, we need to talk. I fear, in my selfishness, I have put you in grave danger.”
“What do you mean?” Ali had no idea what Lira was getting at. The necromancer was dead, and the danger was a thing of the past. Then she glanced at the retreating bear as her own Forest Guardian hovered protectively over her and got an inkling of what Lira might mean.
“When I made the Elder Tree, I did not anticipate it would boost your mana density to such a degree. Dungeon mana, in particular – but really, any domain mana when it is dense enough – is notorious for drawing in monsters from great distances. That Dire Bear showed up yesterday. I was fortunate to be able to charm it, but there will be more, and so we will need to be better prepared.”
“Aah, hmm… What can we do?” Ali glanced back toward the library and the towering pillar of dense mana that was visible like a corona around the immense tree. One approach was to deconstruct it, but she couldn’t do that to Lira. She didn’t even want to voice that suggestion aloud; it would be traumatic for her aunt – especially after all she had been through already. She had always read that dungeons attracted not only adventurers and delvers, but monsters too. She had simply not connected that to the fact that she was a dungeon herself. She glanced worriedly again at the level fifty-seven Dire Bear.
“Long term, you must simply become stronger.”
“Lyeneru said much the same,” Ali muttered, looking down at her feet. People and monsters would come whether she liked it or not; all she could do was be ready. “I just hoped… I had more time.”
“There is some time, dear,” Lira said. “No need to look so glum. And you’re not alone.”
Tears suddenly pricked at Ali’s eyes. What she would not have given to hear her mother say just that one word, ‘dear’. Maybe to tell her off. Lira was being so sweet, it hurt… in a good way. Having her aunt around was such a gift!
Cautiously, she asked, “What can we do now?” One thing was certain, Lira did not have a combat class, and she had limited avenues with which to defend herself. Ali’s defenses would have to work doubly hard for both of them.
“Perhaps you could give me some of your monsters?” she said, looking up at the Forest Guardian that still hovered protectively beside her.
“I don’t have enough mana to fill this area with monsters,” Ali said, even with her sudden influx from choosing her Acolyte to boost her wisdom. “You can’t make any creatures of your own, can you?” She had used almost her entire mana pool making the six Forest Guardians to face Alexander Gray, and now she had to divide her forces between monsters to protect, and ones she could take with her on quests and jobs.
“No, that is not the way of my class. I can influence and charm some monsters – beasts and elementals of nature or plant magic. But for any others, humanoids, undead, and the like, we need ways to defend ourselves.”
“I can leave this one here for you,” Ali said, patting the giant bark-covered leg beside her.
“Can you release it?”
“Release it? They become wild and aggressive when I release my mana from them,” Ali answered, not quite certain if she had understood Lira correctly. She had no idea what exactly was happening when she released her mana from her creatures, but the only time she had done it so far had seemed traumatic, resulting in extreme violence, and aggression bordering on madness from the monster.
Exactly how dungeon-break monsters are often described, she suddenly realized. While she knew her monsters were merely summons, she was loath to cause any unnecessary suffering if she could avoid it. Yes. Not good. Don’t–
“Yes, release it,” Lira confirmed. “I will soothe its spirit.”
Oh, she really wants it released… for taming? Anxious for what would happen when the giant Elemental went berserk, she backed up and erected a barrier preemptively between them and the monster.
“Ready?” she asked. I hope this is not a bad idea. But Lira seemed calm and confident, nodding and smiling. On second thoughts, she backed up a couple more steps and bit her lip to keep herself from saying something thoughtless at her aunt’s serene smile.
Ali released her mana reservation, feeling it snap back with a stinging recoil, and immediately the Guardian let out a deafening roar, shaking its head back and forth, and stamping the ground. It turned eyes filled with glowing madness on them as if to attack, but Lira simply stepped around the barrier and extended a hand toward it, and Ali felt a heavy pressure in the surge of mana Lira was emitting. The enormous Forest Guardian stopped and lowered its head toward her.
It's trembling! Ali stared at it in amazement. The creature dwarfed Lira, towering over her. But her mere presence had quietened the monster. Lira reached out and placed her hand on its lowered broad armored head and whispered something to the creature and it began to emit a low-pitched rumbling sound from deep within its chest. Bright emerald-green mana flowed from her hand into the monster, taking up residence in its chest as a glowing kernel, similar to the green and gold knots that still rested within her Kobolds’ chests.
“Why don’t you help us by guarding the forest?” Lira asked it gently. Raising its head, it moved off with a purpose, a little spring in its gait.
It looks like a puppy that just got a treat. A giant, deadly puppy that weighs several tons.
“You just tamed it?” Ali asked incredulously. While she had seen no overt magic, what had just happened had been just as amazing as some powerful sorcery.
“I think my magic is more like making friends,” Lira said. “It will help to protect us.”
“How does it work?” Ali asked. “I mean, what exactly is happening when I release them?”
“Nobody is entirely certain,” Lira answered, gazing thoughtfully at the now-freed Forest Guardian walking through the forest. She looked at Ali. “I believe that when a summoner creates a creature, they are simply creating an empty living vessel. The mana you leave inside it is your soul or energy – obviously, the metaphysical implications of that have been debated for millennia without resolution. It’s what animates the creature.”
“Why doesn’t it die when I release it, then?”
“It is still a living vessel, and nature cannot tolerate an imbalance like that. I believe in a soul or a spirit, independent of the will or ego or the physical being itself. Summoned monsters do not have that, and in many ways can be considered as an extension of your own will or mana.”
“So I’m just talking to myself when I converse with my Kobolds?” Ali asked.
“In a manner of speaking,” Lira answered. “They still may have their own intelligence and memories, but your mana is what gives them life. When you release them, they still have your mana, but it’s severed, and will eventually run out and they will die.”
“But…” Something didn’t quite add up. “You put your mana into the Guardian,” Ali said.
“Yes, I replaced your mana with mana from my domain,” Lira said. “The Guardian is now my summoned monster, even though I do not have the skill to summon creatures as you do.”
“But the bear is different?” That kernel of emerald-green had not been present – Ali would definitely have noticed it.
“The bear and I had a chat, and he agreed to reside in my domain and protect it in exchange for a home in a mana-dense environment,” Lira answered. “He also likes it when I scratch him behind his ears.”
Ali mimed a severe case of dangly jaw. “So he has a soul?”
“Yes,” Lira chuckled. “If you believe in that. He has his own independent will and chooses to be here. In that regard, my skill is similar to a Beast Tamer. I can facilitate a mutually beneficial partnership with monsters and creatures that live within my forest. If a soulless vessel is supplied with mana for long enough using a skill like that, they can spontaneously develop their own spirit or soul – it is the way Beast Tamers gain companions from dungeon spawns.”
“That’s complicated,” Ali said, nodding thoughtfully. She wasn’t sure if Lira was right, but what she had said seemed to fit – her creatures did seem to be an extension of her own will, and even she found it suddenly unsettling to have her mana ripped away. Certainly, the dungeon-spawned Goblins that had laid siege to Myrin’s Keep had behaved nothing like her guildmate Havok. But there were some obvious questions – why had the undead survived the death of Alexander Gray? They were not living vessels. She put the idea to the side for now, resolving to go read her necromancy book now that she had some notion of what to look for – it was the closest thing she had to a reference on summoning unless Ryn could find something better in the library.
Her former minion, the Forest Guardian, seemed to be happily exploring the forest now. He probably thinks Lira is the queen of the forest. But as she studied its behavior, she could find no trace of the trauma and aggression she had been worried about. The transfer to her mana seemed to have solved that problem. She remained with Lira for a while, chatting and creating a few more Guardians, Timber Wolves, and wyverns to populate her forest to help her defend against incursions.
“That’s enough dear, and thank you,” Lira said after she had created a little more than a dozen monsters. “I do not have a large enough domain to support more. I will guard this cavern for both of us.”
At least Lira will be well protected. Ali could still hear the harsh words of the Night Elf criticizing her dungeon for having no creatures to protect it. But now, at least, she could see a couple of wyverns swooping among the trees and roosting on the huge oak branches. For the rest of her domain, though, she would need to spend a lot of mana.
Thinking of Lyeneru, she headed back down to the library, intent on getting through some of the dungeon delves in her book. She wouldn’t be caught unprepared again.
But when she got to the camp area and the couches, she immediately knew something was wrong. Malika was curled up in a tight ball, holding her head and gasping in pain, her body and face drenched with sweat. She looked, in a word, terrible – almost gray of cast, the veins openly pulsing on her neck.
“Malika!” Ali cried as she flew over to her friend.
“I tried to remove my skill,” Malika got out through teeth clenched in agony.
“What? Why?”
MALIKA
Malika jolted upright, abruptly ripped from her sleep by the sudden jolt of pain crashing through her body and mind.
Your bloodline has become unstable.
Your bloodline has deteriorated. -3% to maximum health.
She gasped, unable to do anything other than hold her head and hope for the pain to subside. Her mind recoiled, battered by repeated jarring bolts of pain until the frequency slowed and the intensity abated a bit.
Unstable? The notification filled her with a cold fearful premonition. With her brow prickling with pain-induced sweat, she pulled up her aptitudes and looked at her bloodline, desperately hoping she would not find what she knew would be there.
Aptitudes
- Bloodline (Ahn Khen): Unstable.
As a child back in Bakahn Village, she had heard the horror stories of folks whose bloodline went awry, tearing their souls and minds apart. Often, these unfortunate souls had to be killed by their own families after they lost control and tried to kill everything around them. She had never understood what caused the problem, but now she knew she was facing it personally. And the pain… it felt as if someone were literally stabbing her mind and soul.
There must be something wrong with my skill. She knew with a chilling certainty that her bloodline skills were destroying her. But knowing that was no defense against the rising terror and pain.
Malika had always dreamed of earning a skill like Soul Sight. Eye magic, in particular, had always inspired her, and as a child, she had demanded every story be retold countless times. There it was, the final skill on her fully unlocked skill list, staring at her.
Killing me.
With a heavy heart, she pulled up her discarded skills and picked one at random from the list, barely able to even read the blurry descriptions.
No free skill slots available, choose a skill to replace.
Soul Sight will be replaced with Flurry of Blows, all skill levels will be lost.
She paused, looking at the choice. Maybe I’m not meant to be strong. Blinking back her tears, she confirmed the choice.
Skill replacement failed. Bloodline is unstable.
Your bloodline has deteriorated. -6% to maximum mana.
Your bloodline has deteriorated. -2% to maximum health.
Your bloodline has deteriorated. -3% to maximum stamina.
What the heck? That’s so… wrong! Her vision dimmed and flickered to black as the pain shattered through her mind once more, driving her to a twitching and spasming fetal ball. It was all she could do to prevent herself from passing out again as she lay groaning on the couch holding her head.
“Malika!” she heard Ali’s voice cry out.
She must be so worried. Malika clenched her jaw against the agony and managed, “I tried to remove my skill.” She could vaguely make out the forms of Ali and Mato hovering nearby and sense the warmth of holy magic attempting to heal her while a Kobold chirped softly in the background.
But it had no effect.
“Something is wrong with my bloodline,” she managed to rasp. Admitting the pain was not nearly as shameful as admitting her weakness.
“I’m trying,” Mato reassured her, but his voice was full of doubt. He knew it was no good.
“What can we do?” Ali asked.
“I don’t know,” Malika answered, holding back against another jolt of pain. As it subsided, she sat up. The respite seemed like pure bliss in comparison to the pain. “The only people who might know are the Ahn Khen elders.”
“Let’s go, then,” Mato said immediately.
“Go?” Malika whispered.
The only elder she had ever seen was the one who had lived at Bakahn, her former hometown. And Malika was certain she had not survived the devastation of that night.
What will happen if we can’t find help? The thought filled her with a dread more powerful than her shame.
She had to speak. Slowly, she forced words out past her clenched teeth, “I doubt we can find one, there aren’t many left. We would have to travel to each village.”
“Then we do that,” Ali said, getting up. “Mato, you help Malika and meet me at the Novaspark Academy building. I’ll go find Ryn and get a map and some gold – we’re going to need to buy a teleport. Fast.”
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