Leif sat alone, cross legged in his undecorated room, one of many identical lodgings available to guild members. He wasn’t technically a member, he hadn’t passed any initiation tests, nor was he completely familiar with their rules and culture. But Nikolas didn’t care, and as the Twin Heart guild-master, if it was good enough for him, it was good enough for the rest of the guild.
He cleared his mind, centering himself and straightening his posture. The metal bracers clipped to each forearm didn’t weigh him down physically, but when he reached out with a mental command… The room seemed to constrict around him, invisible pressure crushing his spirit from all sides. He flexed his aura, combating the first stage of suppression and holding the pressure at an arm's length. The first rune on each bracer lit up with soft blue light, their luminescence mixing with the flickering amber of his eyes to fill the darkness of the room.
Leif tightened his focus, flexing his aura once again, gaining a centimetre of ground against the magical items suppression before the exponentially increasing suppression forced back his progress. It would have been an unimpressive display of his progress over the past three months, to be exactly where he had started, even with his newly fused aura. But the second stage of the adaptive suppression bracers wasn’t a test of raw strength, but technique.
He drew his presence together, condensing it into a spot before his chest. Doing so without weakening the protective barrier around him was a challenge, one he had failed several times in the past. But now… well, it wasn’t simple, or easy for that matter. Multitasking two separate workings of his soul projection, maintaining focus on one task while simultaneously holding the other in place was akin to weaving together a tapestry with your feet, and with your eyes blinded.
Difficult, but after months of practice, far from impossible. His aura condensed before him, elongating and sharpening into a structure of faux geometry, the pattern more one of spiritual intention than material creation. Then he drove it forward, into the clenching fist that threatened to crush him, and parted the suppression like a boat through the sea’s waves. He held the projection for a second, then two, pushing himself just a little further all the while the bracers redoubled their efforts to crush his defences. Then the second pair of runes lit, and the suppressing pattern changed.
Instead of crushing him it lashed out against his aura, a series of directed and violent strikes meant to spiritually cripple and maim. Leif had learnt exactly what being struck by the suppression force had felt like, and it was distinctly uncomfortable, not an experience worth repeating more than fifty or so times. A broad defence was no longer applicable, like how he had parted through the suppression with a directed push, now the onslaught he defended against was doing the same to him.
Interestingly enough, he had more initial success against this stage of the aura training than the first two. Splitting his aura into smaller, flexible strands had been a technique he had developed independently, while undergoing self guided training after his re-awakening on the plateaus of Far-reach. This did not mean his efforts had been competent, or in any way effective. A lesson he had learnt with swift and direct instruction from the enchanted items that bound him.
This stage too was passed in time, the mental strain of blocking, parrying and deflecting a seemingly endless barrage of strikes, as if sword fighting with an invisible duelist, both he and his opponent lashing out with barely perceivable blades. Though, after an exhaustive period of learning what failure meant, Leif’s mental image of this duel had changed. A sword had felt like a natural, simple idea of what he was wielding to spiritually defend himself. But he didn’t use multiple swords, not really and not usually. But arms? That was far more relevant to the present him.
The fourth stage was akin to the second, maintaining a defensive perimeter while simultaneously attacking. The bracers somehow projected a slowly moving target for him to strike out against, all the while its barrage of strikes never ceased. The fourth set of runes lit up, his room now well and truly dyed blue. Leif’s awareness of his physical surroundings snapped back into focus as with a mental command he ended the suppression from the bracelets. As fun as this was, now wasn’t the time to push against the near insurmountable wall that was the fifth and final stretch of the training. He had things to do, tasks to complete before his next big step forward.
Leif stood, stretching out his arms, both real and conjured, revelling in the liberating feeling of no longer being restrained. He rolled to his feet, mentally reaching into his brand new storage ring and plucking his newly bought clothing from the separate space in which they were being held. He had followed Darius’s advice and spent the guild contribution points he had been rewarded, and subsequently earned on the upgrade. With the growing upheaval within the city specialised items were becoming harder to find, more expensive to commission.
As the multilayer robes covered him Leif placed the painted mask onto his face. In his opinion it looked a little silly, especially outside of the festivals Nayet had informed him it was traditionally worn. But there was something to say about looking ridiculous instead of sinister, which his previous appearance, tattered cloak and plain mask tended to invoke. Besides, the children he passed on the streets of Ahle-ho found it funny. Leif knew Bam and Lani would like it too.
With a final check up of his appearance, Leif was out the door to his small residence, striding down the dormitory hallway with purpose. With every day the number of people living within the building seemed to increase, more and more adventurers returning to the city. Those he passed greeted him warmly, some calling out to inquire about his well being. Being a healer who didn’t overcharge for a single use of an underpowered skill went a long way to making people accept you, even if they had never seen his face.
Leif checked in with the guild office to see if any requests had come through or meetings scheduled. There were none, so he made his way to the training courtyards. He hastened his step, and arrived exactly two minutes before the designated time. Bronze and Iron ranked adventurers, all members of the guild who operated solo and without a party trickled into the courtyard, some filtering into the stands but most stepping down into the space designated for duels.
These were people at a higher level than himself, as someone at the level fifty milestone he was technically weaker than all of them. But the attributes gained from his monster class was more than enough to close that gap, or even overtake it entirely. But whether he was victorious or not was largely matchup dependant.
“Okay people!” Called one of the iron ranked adventurers from the nearby seating area. “We’ll continue on from last week. Keep the fights non-lethal, and try not to break the protective barriers. Most of you don’t have a problem with this…” They trailed off, glaring at one of the thaumaturges with a particular affinity for explosion magic.
There were some chuckles as the adventurer read off the list of training bouts, who would face who and where. Leif already knew who his opponent would be, and his opponent knew who they were facing as well.
“Well, if it isn’t our little masked friend. I’ve been waiting for this kid, but I don’t suppose you wore any metal?” Jay said, the massive man was all polished muscle, even his bald head was remarkably shiny.
“Still haven't found hair ointment?”
“Ha! Fuck you, I bet fifty flakes you’re bald under that mask.”
Leif snorted but didn’t reply. Technically he didn’t have any hair, just a mane of crimson leaves he had to constantly trim lest they poke out from under his hood. They had to wait until the first batch of duels had completed, then both man and tree person made their way to the middle most field.
The protective barrier shimmered around them, Jay started warming up while Leif mentally ran through his options and plans.
“How about we make this fun?” Jay called, his grin sly, metal loops having been conjured around his biceps.
“I’m not taking the mask off.”
“Daww, c’mon don’t be so shy. You can’t be any uglier than me.”
“What if I wager a seal? Everyone needs a good promotion seal?” Jay said, placing his hands on his hips.
“I don’t have any tier one classes, so I’ll pass.” Leif replied smoothly, summoning a pre-condensed wooden sword from his spatial ring.
The large man frowned. “I thought you had the [Brawler] class, did you promote out of it already?”
“I did.” He said, levitating the blade up above his shoulder. The newly gained power flowed through his body as Leif lowered into a combat stance. He felt stronger, faster, more durable than ever before. The jump in power when merging two foundation classes into a union class was far less impressive than the straight upgrade of a tier one class into an advanced class. Where [Adept] and [Attuned:Life] had combined to create something only marginally stronger than the sum of its parts, Leif’s newest tier two class was something else entirely.
His mouth stretched into a grin as he let healing energy flow into his arms and legs, two, then four golden arms springing out from under his clothes and shifted into fists. Jay cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck, the experienced arena fighter hopping up and down to psyche himself up for the bout.
“Well, then. I hope you can show me.”
Leif mentally commanded the system to open, showing him the details of his latest promotion and the changes that had come with it.
===
[Brawler] → [Inspiring Brawler]
Your prowess for unarmed combat is only matched by your passion for battle. You put your all into battle, your fists resonating with your force of personality, the strength of your being amplifying your every blow.
Those who witness your triumphs are inspired to commit further acts of greatness, and your foes tremble at the very thought of seeing you in action.
You do not fight to entertain, but your martial ability inspires awe nonetheless.
Tier: 2 (Advanced)
Level: 10/20
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Class Perk:
+100% To the damage of unarmed strikes
+100% To physical resilience while unarmoured
+100% To body enhancement skills while unarmoured
+100% to body empowerment skills while unarmoured
Increases your physical strength by 10% of your charisma attribute
Growths:
Free Points: +1
Might: C+
Alacrity: C
Intelligence: E
Willpower: D
Spirit: C
Charisma: B
Base Stats: Might: +5, Alacrity: +4, Intelligence +1, Willpower +2 Spirit: +4, Charisma +6
===
Leif kicked off from his starting position, the tiled ground beneath his feet cracking under the force of his advance. He was no speedster, lacking much of the fine control the fastest of the Twin Heart guild could display. But the amount of raw strength behind every step carried him forward in a blur of speed.
Jay was no slouch in combat, the large man conjuring a swarm of metal needles, sending them zipping forward with frightening accuracy. A golden shield flickered around him as he fed a steady trickle of cultivated power into [Amber Aegis], the needles cracking against the protective skill or skidding off at an angle. Leif didn’t stop, even as Jay erupted forward in a storm of metal and violence.
They traded blows, hit after hit sending shockwaves of power rippling against the shields that protected onlookers from the fight. With every strike exchanged more and more spectators found their attention drawn away from the other bouts, and onto the battle between gold and steel.
===
[Fists of Conflict] → [Fists of Awe]
Aspects: Social*, Enhancement (Body)*
Dealing unarmed damage intimidates nearby foes, and inspires nearby allies.
Those intimidated by this skill find their attention drawn to you and away from all else. Your words and actions are more threatening to those who are intimidated by this skill. You take less harm from, and your unarmed strikes deal more damage to those who are intimidated by this skill.
Those inspired by this skill are less affected by negative emotions, and have increased resilience against mental attacks.
===
Leif found the attention slip onto him like a mantle, his opponents eyes focused into pinpricks, Jay’s entire world becoming the hidden monster before him. He grew more desperate, his attacks becoming wider and with more openings. Leif punished, driving a golden fist into the man’s gut, sending him tumbling over the tiled ground of the training courtyard.
Life-force slipped down Leif’s arm, the blow having left behind a gift of damaging resonance, the minor aspect of [Consuming Aeons] accelerating the body's natural decay. Whatever that meant. It was damage, Leif could sense whatever the strange effect was as it did something to the large human’s vitality, he just hadn’t ever noticed it be a massive impact in any fight he had been in since his evolution.
“Yeesh, what the hells is that?” Jay called as he rolled to his feet. “Do your punches have some sort of taunting effect? Also I can feel something vibrating in my bones, you’re a real monster, you know that right?”
“I’ve been told that.” Leif said, circling the human, still in a combat stance.
Jay laughed, then slammed his fists together. A shockwave of force ripped across the courtyard, kicking up dust and slamming against Leif with enough force to bowl him over. Or it would have been, but not after his latest class promotion.
===
[Tenacious Fighter III] → [Inspiring Tenacity and Prowess III]
Aspects: Comprehension, Enhancement (Body)*, Social*
Grants instinctual understanding of combat stances and their uses whilst granting a greater understanding of your bodies limits and how your presence emotionally affects those around you.
You gain a bonus to balance, footwork, stability and physical resilience while fighting in a combat style in which you have proficiency.
This skill benefits from a portion of the user's charisma attribute, the efficacy of which is determined by this skill's rank.
The more injured you become, the greater this skill's effects.
===
The force washed over him, but Leif’s stance was unbroken, his legs unmoving as his clothes fluttered up and around him. His stance was sturdy, like, well, a tree having planted its roots into the tiled stone.
Leif was buffeted by the attack, then he launched himself forward, running towards Jay, wooden blade surging forward to plunge into the human’s chest. Jay just laughed, arms raised as a massive slab of ethereal steel came into existence overhead. It was the biggest sword Leif had ever seen, easily three times the length Jay was tall.
The large man turned slightly, allowing the wooden blade to glance off his chest piece. Leif charged, weaving together a spike of aura that slammed against the human’s own. The indomitable strength of steel clashed against the authority of nobility, of honesty and generosity. Without the past months of aura training Jay’s ephemeral defence would have held. But with it, the man was suppressed for just a moment as a tide of benevolence suppressed him for just an instant, his massive blade, all but completely shimmering out of existence.
===
Aura of Benevolence IV:
Aspects: Aura (Life)*, Social*
Your auric presence carries the weight of your authority, generosity and genuine intent. Those within your aura have their physical and emotional pain soothed, and receive a greater benefit from all sources of healing.
You can control your aura in ways that are impossible without an aura skill.
Notes:
All this time, and the Kossia family is still causing me trouble. Not entirely sure what kind of trouble they were making before, but if it's anything like Hera now then I fully understand my previous self and his well-founded fear.
RUN AWAY! Or something.
===
But it wasn’t just the newly forged aura that struck Jay, for Leif had increased the skill up from rank three, to rank four in the time since the fusion had completed. It turned out embodying what it meant to be benevolent alongside rigorous re-training was enough to break-through into the next rank.
A meaty arm swung towards Leif as the Scion closed in, he raised a golden hand, catching the blow and carrying the momentum to twist Jay around, lifting the large man by the waist and slamming him down into the ground.
The increasingly invested crowd of onlookers ‘ooed’ at the blow. Leif called back his wooden blade, looking down at the crumpled form of-
A slab of steel rushed for the side of Leif’s head, he just managed to bring up his real arm in time to block the strike. The ivory bark of his arm cracked, the sound like the breaking of bone. Fortunately he was fully covered, there was no risk of his physique being exposed like this.
Jay laughed, spitting to the side as he leapt to his feet. One of the metal bands around his biceps was missing, now swimming through the air like an eel.
“Damn son, you’re not half bad. You should join the arena, I bet the guys running it might even let you keep the mask, a bunch of the lads have them while they fight. Though they’ll likely pick something more scary, maybe a golden dragon? I could pitch it for you if you want?”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather spend my free time putting high society healers out of business by healing the needy.”
Jay laughed again, working pain out of his neck. “Yeah I heard about that from Tollumi, I hear they hate you. Honestly, fuckem, bunch of pricks.”
Leif slightly slackened his stance, feeling the structure of his arm already heal completely. “I haven't seen him in a while, how is he doing?”
“Oh he’s doing fine, Nayet has him by the balls, like usual.” Jay said, grinning slyly. “You know, they’re gonna name me the godfather of their kid. Me? Can you believe it?”
“No, I can’t. Did Nayet agree to it, hells, did Tollumi agree to it?”
“Well, no. I haven't talked to them about it yet.”
Leif let out a bark of laughter. Then he surged vitality through his body and punched the man in the face. The [Adept of Self-Restoration] skill, newly fused from [Life-Fused Fist] and [Embolden Vegetation] flooding the attack with power.
===
[Surge of Life and Growth]
Aspects: Technique (Life)*, Nature, Empowerment (Body)*
You may channel healing energy into a limb to empower it temporarily, allowing for far more force behind every attack. You may transfer the energy into a target you are touching with the empowered limb to rapidly heal them and promote regenerative growth.
You may supercharge the life-force within yourself or a target you are touching, dramatically increasing the rate of recovery and growth. This effect is more potent when used on flora, both mundane and magical. This effect lingers for a duration determined by how much life-force was stimulated.
Repeated use of this skill on the same limb or target reduces its efficacy.
===
Five minutes later Jay lay sprawled out on the ground, body covered in slowly mending bruises as some sort of self healing skill slowly went to work. Leif sat beside him, chin in the palm of a golden hand. Bent and dented steel shapes littered the courtyard around the two combatants, many of them sporting fist shaped holes.
“I don’t need healing, give me an hour and I’ll be good as new.” The human said, wincing slightly as he tried to move.
“Not to be rude, but your self healing skill is shit.”
“Ugh, it’s usually faster, is whatevers rattling my skull doing something to slow it down?”
“I… I’m not actually sure. Maybe? Possibly? At least let me heal you so its-”
“I’m not a charity case! I’ll be fine.”
Leif ignored him, slapping a palm to the man's chest and pumping him full of gilded vitality. Jay howled as if the damage to his pride was a thousand times worse than the physical pain he was under. “Get up, the next pair needs this field.”