Slowly, like a grave flower blossoming, the dark energies flowed into the great lizard’s cadaver, sloughing rotting flesh from thick pristine white dragon bone. A new nightmare was born, arising with it the stench of a freshly turned grave and all the majesty of the winged tyrants of the sky. The first Bone-Dragon Vizzeks came into existence with a roar and the howl of a thousand lost tortured souls.

- On the Cataclysm by an unknown Quassian Scholar circa 103 AC.

Kidu was shaking me, worry and concern etched onto his features, as Elwin hovered overhead. I was greeted by a plethora of messages and notifications which followed me from my dream. Somehow, I knew this was a crucial moment for me. The dream had been the stage for my first class change in this game.

You have selected Paladin as your calling.

You have learned Purify (lvl.2)

You have learned Holy Aura (lvl.1)

You have learned Maces (lvl.1)

You have learned Shields (lvl.1)

You have learned Medium Armor (lvl.1)

You have learned Heavy Armor (lvl.1)

You have gained Gift - Mark of the Paladin.

You have gained 2 Wisdom.

You have selected Reaver as your calling.

You have learned Rust (lvl.3)

You have learned Decay (lvl.1)

You have learned Drain (lvl.1)

You have learned Entropic Aura (lvl.1)

You have learned Axes (lvl.1)

You have learned Pain Nullification (lvl.2)

You have gained Gift - Touch of the Void.

You have lost 3 Strength.

You have lost 3 Constitution.

The flood of messages threatened to overwhelm my short-term memory. My thoughts were distracted by the sounds of the forest; unknown animals calling out to each other, hunting each other, mating with each other. With a hoarse voice, I responded to the awakening, “Give me a moment, I need to gather myself.”

I sat up and took a few seconds to sort through my thoughts and take in the notifications. Night had fallen and Kidu, by some miracle or dent of his wilderness survival skills, had started a fire from the fallen branches that had carpeted the forest floor. Elwin was scanning the forest, wary that my screams may have brought something down to our camp.

Kidu, satisfied that I was alright, went back to tending the fire while munching on another of the carnivorous Snap-Honey heads. Taking a deep breath, I decided to review my situation. The first thing I noticed was, mercifully, that I was at full Health, Stamina, and Mana after my rest. Fresh and ready to tackle the threats this cruel world would undoubtedly throw at me.

STATUS

Calling: Gilgamesh Level 10 Paladin of Avaria / Reaver

Strength: 22

Dexterity: 16

Constitution: 34

Intelligence: 18

Wisdom: 16

Charisma: 10

Luck: 15

SKILLS & PROFICIENCIES

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Pain Nullification (lvl.2)

Power Strike (lvl.2) 10

Endure (lvl.3)

Stealth (lvl.1)

Rest (lvl.3)

Backstab (lvl.2)

Dodge (lvl.3)

Polearms (lvl.2)

Dual Wield (lvl.1)

Critical Hit Mastery (lvl.2)

Mining (lvl.2)

Unarmed Combat (lvl.3)

Hammers (lvl.2)

Flails (lvl.1)

Maces (lvl.1)

Shields (lvl.1)

Medium Armor (lvl.1)

Heavy Armor (lvl.1)

Axes (lvl.1)

SPELLS & MAGIC

Heal (lvl.5) 5

Rust (lvl.3) 2

Identify (lvl.2) 1

Silent Casting (lvl.1)

Mana Regeneration (lvl.2)

Purify (lvl.2) 3

Greater Heal (lvl.1)

Holy Aura (lvl.1) 2

Decay (lvl.1)

Drain (lvl.1)

Entropic Aura (lvl.1)

GIFTS

Curse of Entropy: -20% to all starting attributes.

Mark of the Paladin: 10% resistance to Dark/Holy magic. 5% resistance to Physical.

Touch of the Void: 10% reduced resistance to Holy/Fire magic, 20% resistance to Mental Effects, 15% immunity to Mental Effects.

Experience to next level: 2107/2583

Health: 225/225

Stamina: 53/53

Mana: 13/13

With the sudden addition of my new skills and proficiencies, my character sheet had started to become cluttered. Also, in a strange, yet wholly welcome change, spells and abilities that I had cast or used before now displayed their Mana or Stamina points cost on my character sheet.

I noticed too that my Gifts had an explanation detailing their effects. I was puzzled as to why now, of all times, my UI had changed. Also, I questioned why I had not received any visions to give some explanation for my new spells’ functions. Perhaps it was because they were part of my Calling or class choice already? Very unhelpful, I mentally complained to myself.

However, most disturbing of all was the fact I had lost the equivalent of two levels’ worth of attribute points in Strength and Constitution. At a loss, I looked once more at my character sheet and saw that the Reaver class had been forced upon me. This was, if the pain I suffered in the dream was any clue, the reason for the reduction in my attribute points. This had the unfortunate knock-on effect of lowering my overall Health and Stamina.

The silver lining was the two new points of Wisdom from Paladin, which provided an extra point in Mana. I would also have to pay more attention to the gains in my ‘secondary’ attributes such as Charisma and Luck. Somewhere along the way, I had stopped my mental tally of them. I had no way to measure their effect on my ‘character,’ and I had only so much mental resource to spare on worrying about tertiary attributes. How did Luck even work? Would the universe bend itself slightly to suit my needs at high levels? Or did it just do something boring, like only work on critical hits?

The new skills and magic spells were welcome, but I could not deny that I felt a certain trepidation at the thought of trying them. The mentally unsettling effects of executing the Rust spell were still at the forefront of my mind.

Too many thoughts and questions spun around in my mind. Faced with yet more conundrums, my mind began to wander down the rutted path of an unrelated tangent. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to focus.

Staring out into the distance, I ruminated on ways to test my new magic. I decided that it would be wisest to first inform my companions about the latest developments.

“The gods have gifted me with new powers,” I stated suddenly without preamble.

Kidu gave me a knowing nod and smile, before intoning solemnly, “The gods often grant their favor after overcoming great trials. I, too, have felt their touch after our escape.” Elwin, on the other hand, simply raised an eyebrow, intrigued no doubt, but willing to hold off his questions until later.

Truthfully, I had no idea what Kidu was talking about. Perhaps this was the Hunter’s way of interpreting a level up and increase in power; he had, after all, cut a bloody swathe during our escape.

“I would like to test out one of the spells. I don’t think it’s an offensive spell, but I don't exactly know what it does...” I said in a tone that inspired little confidence in my companions.

“Do what you must, we will help you observe,” said Kidu in his gruff voice.

“I think I am going to move a bit further back...” Elwin said as he inched away from the crackling fire.