Olea Munroe

I sat there, refusing to belittle this victory of my elemental spirits, in their novice form striking down a creature that while only a few levels higher was still an added rank up.

While the two levels were not a significant gap in power, I had just seen that a rank up gave some rather interesting bonuses to damage and resistance, as well as saving throws. That had to affect some of the finer combat mechanics. It may even explain why Selene had such troubles finishing it off alone, as her poison was likely quite weaker on this creature than it had been on her previous weaker enemies.

Either way, it was time I sent some heart felt congratulatory emotion through the small connective bridge and into my followers. They deserved it, even if Rocky had basically just acted as a weighted necklace for most of the last fight.

They seemed to accept my feelings with some hesitance as if thinking it were not so great a thing, but I knew better. I could feel it just a little in the way they began to carry themselves as they explored the small area where the fight had taken place.

Of the greatest interest was the shaft of evening light coming through the ceiling. I may not be the brightest cave explorer, but I knew the sunlight meant access to the surface.

Selene was the first to approach the opening as Rocky had taken to kicking pebbles around and destroying a small assortment of bones and other debris that he had stumbled upon after the beast had died. It may have been its hording nest or future nest. Not anymore though, Rocky was determined to play his petty role of tantrum thrower.

I understood.

Selene was now standing under the hole in the ceiling as she looked up into the refracted light of the sun, filtered through cascading water and large crystals embedded in the long shaft that seemed to snake its way upward twisting and turning. While this meant that the surface was accessible, it did not seem to guarantee a large open tunnel the whole way through as the light was being reflected down through a possible labyrinth. It was possible there was even a crystal that spanned the entire cave somewhere in there and any attempt at escape would hit a literal wall and be foiled.

Solid Plan B material.

A faint tremor of sound rippled across Selene’s body, and she turned her attention to where Rocky stood as the elemental looked up to meet her gaze. He looked annoyed and somewhat offended as his body began breaking apart and transforming into fine, dark sand.

I was instantly wary of attacks from some unseen force when I saw a brief notification in the corner of my vision/

Spell duration expired: Conjured Elemental Spirit dismissed.

I began thinking about when I had summoned him and realized that it had been earlier this morning before Traitor McTraitor pants had done her betrayal stuff and got Matilda hung up on a cross. I figured that maybe the spell would only last somewhere near my own level in hours. That seemed a bit short to me now, but maybe with some rank multiplier and a future level of sixty being possible it might be rather impressive later.

More to look forward to.

While I had been going through the small thoughts of a mortal caster, Selene had begun scouting the area more thoroughly. I was not sure why, but I would leave her to her wanderings.

I had some things to look at.

Name: Olea Munroe

Level: 13

Archetype: Water Priestess

Health: 256/256

Mana: 310/310

Stamina: 305/305

Attributes:

* Strength: 14

* Dexterity: 18

* Constitution: 14

* Charisma: 19

* Intelligence: 19

* Wisdom: 21

You have Three Attribute Points Remaining

Experience Till Next Level: 52,750 remaining of 54,000.

Skills: Nine skill points remaining.

Stealth - Rank 1

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* Pierce - Rank 1

* Sneak - Rank 1

Piety - Rank 4

* Armor – Rank 2

* Command – Rank 3

* Conjure Elemental Spirit – Rank 4

* Create Food – Rank 2

* Create Water – Rank 3

* Cure Wounds – Rank 2

* Detect Aura – Rank 1

* Detect Magic – Rank 1

* Dispel Magic – Rank 3

* Protection from Evil – Rank 2

* Vigor – Rank 3

* Water Breath – Rank 2

* Water Walk – Rank 3

* Wind Walk – Rank 4

Triumvir Soul Skills

* Dowsing

* Forum

* Shared Senses

* Soul Link – Rank 2

* Soul Vault

* Vessel of Souls – Rank 2

* World Map

I had seen the notification, but it was nice to see it all laid bare before me. Gaining three points in every attribute as a reward for ranking up was a wonderful thing, truly. If it held true, I would come close to hitting thirty in my weakest stats by the time I hit the level sixty barrier. And an additional three free points to spend how I saw fit, another win.

I also knew exactly what I would be doing with them.

Yep, all Wisdom. I had seen that it has some effect on overall regeneration for health and stamina, but I would need mana regeneration to support my spell casting; as well as the added power to my Piety based spells. I knew somewhere in my mind that I would need Intelligence to increase my mana pool along with my regeneration for larger expenditures and more mana intensive fights, but I was also aware that a high mana pool with poor regeneration would see me with an even larger down time waiting on said mana pool to refill.

Now, the more important question; what to do with all those skill points?

To that question I had a very quick reaction, I needed to-.

As I had made up my mind I was rudely interrupted by a pair of guards at my door. “Wake up, Elf!”

This demand was punctuated with a hard knock on the bars with a wooden cudgel.

The men currently at the door were easily identifiable as two of the guards who had assisted the now dead guard earlier in the day with his attempt at doing something very unkind to me.

I left my inner musings and plans of food domination behind as I acknowledged their presence with a wit-filled finger motion.

To my utter annoyance they failed to register me as a worthwhile opponent and disregarded the gesture entirely.

“On your feet, we have a guest.” Said guard one.

I saw a grin flash over the face of guard two as guard one said this. I had a feeling I would not like this particular visitor.

Guard one proceeded to unlock the mechanism on the door even as I was making to back away from the entrance.

“None of that now.” Said guard two as guard one walked into the cell, cudgel drawn and raised while he held a pair of manacles in his left hand.

The manacles were tossed at my feet as I stood there, eyeing the weapon, and pondering my chances against the two.

I only had a small amount of hope in taking on two men, let alone two men who obviously out leveled me. That and the fact that my offensive spells required some setting up and one of my familiars was already summoned and too far away to be of aid. I would need to comply, for now.

I placed the manacles on my wrist sliding the restraints together to lock around my wrist, as loosely as I could.

The guard in my cell laughed as he grabbed my arms and pulled me around in front of him, hugging me between his arms as he groped for my wrist, doing me the disservice of tightening the restraints.

“This is not my first prisoner escort, kid.” He said, adding a little more thrust to his statement.

I really wanted to kill this man, quite a bit. He needed to be super dead.

Guard two said, “Calm down Hal, the merchandise has to be pristine for its new owner.”

To that Hal said, “I know, I know. And yah Tal, I remember what Reginald said.” He shoved me forward again, causing me to trip on the bars under the doorway.

Tal laughed as he picked me up from the floor, not too kindly using the manacles to do so.

My wrist screamed as they bore my weight and I waited till I was upright before I muttered the words for Wind Walk to make any future falls less likely, or at least less painful.

As the spell took hold, I felt the magic spread through my body even as a sharp pain exploded in my midsection, Tal’s cudgel slamming into it with force. “No magic!”

Hal said, at nearly the same time, “What spell was that?”

I did not answer in a timely fashion, so Tal hit me once again, this time on the shoulder. Maybe he realized it would be hard to answer as I was doubled over and having a tough time breathing after the attack on my diaphragm.

“It was Wind Walk.” I said, as plainly as I could.

“We heard that part,” Said Hal, “but what does it mean?”

Now I was confused, did they not know the spell name, or was something else going on. I had no way of knowing how to answer a question that I had thought I had answered as simply as possible.

“Wind Walk.” I said again, slowly this time. The peculiar thing was that this time I felt some of my mana stirring, even as I had not tried to cast the spell. Weird.

“Let’s just get her to where she needs to be, it sounds like she is speaking gibberish to me.” Said Tal, looking angry and sounding impatient.

Hal nodded and we were on our way.

I was roughly led through the tunnels passing by the other guards and the various slave laborers for nearly forty minutes. My calves were only slightly sore from the up and down climb-walking thanks in part to my reduced weight via Wind Walk but my wrists were still letting me know that there would be future swelling. I did not think my Cure Wounds spell worked on inflammation, but I would give it a go. Later.

When we arrived at our presumed destination Hal knocked sharply on the wood of a stout door set into the wall. The door looked just like any of several doors I had seen lining the tunnel in the past few minutes. It seemed that there was a great deal of earth-working going on as if the lady of the house were renovating the entire cave system to better suit some growing empire.

I was not impressed.

After several long minutes of standing outside the door with Tal and Hal fidgeting in nervousness as they exercised their insignificant amounts of patience the door was opened.

It was Reginald, joy.