Ding! Level up! +10 Attribute points! +3 Command, Strength, Recovery and Regeneration Attributes, +1 Power and Resilience Attributes!
“Yeah but it could have been more,” I grumbled. I tried to indulge in a little childish petulance at not receiving any real benefits for the achievement I had spent ten days hunting but the results were too incredible. In the time since my last level up, I had doubled my attribute gain per level from twelve to twenty four attribute points each time I broke the barrier.
It was also clear, as I left the mass of corpses behind, that it was taking me much longer to level up than it had before. I felt that the difference wasn’t as simple as larger energy requirements between levels, but that the amount of attributes I now gained were a factor also. Someone without an Aspect or any of my achievements would probably rise in level five times faster than me over the same level. Not that I would actually complain. The feeling of this level up was like nothing I had ever experienced. Even before using the ten free points, I felt wonderfully infused with power.
Character Window
Name
Grant Kaeron
Race
Earth Human
Title
Dragon Slayer
Level
18
Health
90/90
Mana
145/145
Attribute Window
FP:10
Strength
16
Recovery
18
Resilience
14
Dexterity
12
Agility
19
Perception
14
Power
26
Regeneration
24
Command
29
Health
90/90
1.8 per minute
Mana
145/145
24 per minute
Now I was almost spoilt for choice with what to do with the rest. Despite not gaining any levels for over a full day and night cycle, I had grown stronger. The Spirit Well skill added a general boost to anything I expended its power on, though I was careful. I could never be too sure a sudden random occurrence wouldn’t demand my full pool of Spirit. A larger pool than before, thanks to the achievements. With a few coming at once, it was clear that the “weight of the soul” which some of my titles and achievements mentioned was connected to this strange power source.
The heat of the desert was still making me feel anaemic, so I placed six points into Resilience. Under the hot sun, it was noticeable how much more comfortable the additional attribute points made me. To keep the numbers clean, I added one to Command to bring it to thirty, and so my health pool was full at 120 and mana pool held 150. The final three, I added to Perception. I was having a hard time spotting the scorpions before they attacked. As with each level up, I had to calm down my overconfidence. I felt like I could take on the world.
Beyond using Spirit to influence my skills, which I did sparingly, I had finally faced actual enemies and so the skills themselves had begun to grow again. More experience with each added to my ability in more subtle ways than the effects of a skill level. No levels yet, but I was getting very close. Almost more exciting, the act of collecting my skills into constellations in my mind had changed the System interface. I had suspected it might work like that, but it was nice to see confirmation and a slightly cleaner display.
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Mana Skills
Spirit Well (Max)
Unique
Mana Savant (Max)
Legendary
Heavy Blow (Level 3)
Common
Haste (Level 1)
Common
Mana Bolt (Level 3)
Common
Manasight (Level 3)
Common
Dragonburn (Level 1)
Rare
Auxiliary Skills
Party Leader (Max)
Epic
Meditate (Level 5)
Common
Mental Fortress (Level 1)
Uncommon
Stealth (Level 3)
Common
Tracking (Level 3)
Common
While my combat skills had seen a decent amount of use, Stealth and Tracking were next to useless against the senses and ambushes in the desert. I quickly reconfirmed my hate of the desert and its sandy bunkers full of scorpions. They were good for crafting materials, if I ever figured out a way to make a use of chitin. That train of thought brought storm clouds as I remembered Clive’s was now a pile of rubble.
Merownis was hanging back to clear up some of the debris in case anything was usable. After claiming the Jingu Bang, I was buzzing with anticipation to head into the desert, but I offered the Sundercat a chance to join me. Merownis had changed subtly. He stood taller, and a little broader, but not by much. He was still getting used to the changes brought by his evolution, but I could no longer see a nameplate to know whether he was a higher level or if something else had changed. The mana which clung to him like a magnet was powerful, though.
I wasn’t upset to be out here alone, but I was definitely excited to see what the other mage could do. My own Mana Bolts were becoming like musket shots now, easily able to shear the thick armour of a giant scorpion away with a single blow. Between the efficacy of my new attributes, Mana Bolt and Heavy Blow were devastating. Which was good, because the absolute swarms of enemies which exploded from the sands were terrifying.
How would the people outside the dungeon deal with these things, I wondered? I imagined a stampede of these things running through Thistledon and shivered even in the blazing sun. Then, I forced myself to be positive and began imagining the abilities those outside the dungeon would have. What kinds of Aspects were out there? Were people figuring out magic like I had? Without the large amount of attribute points to push into the skill, I might have stuck to the more, for lack of a better word, mundane attributes.
I flicked a Mana Bolt into a nearby dune, bursting the top like I had shot a cannonball at the sand structure. Thanks to Manasight, I had caught a glimpse of a dark shell, which was in turn enough to activate the System’s analysis. Without even bothering, I launched the skill and watched as the irate arachnids fell to the more even ground. While they spent time righting themselves, I lobbed a couple more heavy Mana Bolts into the mix.
The amount of mana I could use in a single bolt rose one to one with my Command attribute. I didn’t use the full strength often, though. There was a diminishing return to the power I put in the attack didn’t really cause damage if it didn’t hit directly. However, in a situation like this where I was the aggressor, I didn’t mind being a little wasteful to clear the pile. The pair of amber orbs landed well, each taking the life of a giant scorpion as the energy buried into their abdomen and burst them from within.
Then it was time for the horde.
The mana cost to analyse this collection of fifteen or so giant scorpions wasn’t as restrictive as it was the first time. My own level seemed to matter against the cost, as well as having already analysed others of their kind. An arrangement of dark colours and levels in the teens appeared over the top of the incoming horde. I began to gather some more mana when the staff I had been neglecting started to vibrate.
With a smirk, I spun the weapon around. “Come on then,” I nodded, “let’s get messy.” When I began to approach, the claws of the insectoid monstrosities rose in defiance. Those things could easily take my whole arm or a leg if they got around me, but only if they could reach. The bravest scorpion drove forward, legs clicking awfully as it sprinted as fast as a car.
Before it got close, the Jingu Bang met it with a stab which forced it back into the sand. The weapon reverted to its original size, having grown a few metres even after colliding with the scorpion. I smiled. That would genuinely never get old. The shapeshifting of the weapon was also very mana-efficient at the cost of slowing my regeneration when I wielded the weapon with full intent. It was as though I had to give permission to the weapon to let loose, and it worked on its own.
Once I had claimed the staff, the description had changed.
Item - Jingu Bang (Artefact)
The mischievous nature of its original owner still thrives within the wood of the Jingu Bang. It longs for adventure and will aid its wielder upon any path it believes to be interesting. If provided with a consistent source of mana, the Jingu Bang can become more attuned to its wielder.
For the most part, I followed the flow of battle which the Jingu Bang itself dictated. As a claw descended, I swung the hard staff brutally. If the weapon asked for more mana, I gave it while continuing the dance I was being led on. Over time I would learn how to better use the weapon but for now allowing the experience which was stored within the staff to do the walking was much more effective.
A stinger shot past my face and I could feel the staff in my hand vibrate a few times. It was chuckling as it nearly got my nose torn off. Without me noticing, I had been drawn into the middle of the group with about ten enemies still standing. I almost rolled my eyes. Though our partnership was still new, I knew exactly what the staff wanted of me. It pulsed with happiness when I used Heavy Blow through it, but more than that, it loved when I used Haste. Trusting the instincts of the Jingu Bang, I activated the skill.
An incoming attack seemed to freeze in the air before struggling through the enforced slow. There was a ripple and even more time was stolen as the skill levelled up with its use. The skill pattern, marked around my ankles and lower calves, morphed slightly. The skill would allow more mana per second now, which I allowed. It was an expensive burst, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel as incredible as it likely looked.
I drove the staff into the sand and used it like a vaulting pole. Working with me, the elasticity of the wood increased massively before becoming rigid. I spun through the air like a saw, slicing clean through the first scorpion I aimed myself at. Before the sand had settled from the first leap, the entire bed of them was downed. I still moved a little bit away before collapsing.
The heat combined with the speed and exertion required for a full-powered Haste alongside the Jingu Bang nearly had me passing out, but the influx of energy towards levelling kept me upright. I wasn’t even a quarter of the way to the next level, and for all my walking I hadn’t seen a single landmark of interest in the desert. I sucked a sharp, hot breath in through my nose and regretted it.
I really, really hated this place.