Nenandil and I floated above the “Jewel of the Scorched Continent.” The Ackerton Kingdom, home to one of Yznarian’s most controversial historical figures, the [Death Princess] and the [First Hero], immortalized in Hazel’s novels and slandered by hundreds of raunchy fanfictions in which I apparently have forbidden sex with myself because to this day people can’t believe they were the same person.
“I decided on a name for you,” Nenandil said.
“Shoot,” I replied. I’d already decided my own personal true name but fairies never revealed theirs. I didn’t know Nenandil's true name even after all these centuries, and I never told her Silverstreak’s.
“Aella. It means Wind in one of your old world’s languages.”
“Nice, thank you,” I hugged her. “Now, let’s go down into the city. We got a few errands before we can delve the Labyrinth.”
We arrived here for a very good reason. We needed to level up and Ackerton had a Dungeon, I mean underground Labyrinth access. The city had rebuilt the neighborhood Bundi and I destroyed in our deathmatch that ended in a tie, one to one in terms of kills. I didn’t bother with formal visits to the King. It would only slow us down.
In the few months we flew south, I hunted some low-level surface monsters and bandit camps, quickly reaching the first rank. I selected and fused my Class, deciding to go with the highest rarity ones I could pick, regardless of the mess I was making. I needed Attribute points. Anything else was fluff.
> > Paladin Squire + Beguiler + Fae Sorceress + Fae Rogue + Wild Tamer = Trickster
>
> You became a Trickster (base Class, Ultra-Rare+++, 5-fused). Your progression is:
>
> +1 Dexterity at every level.
>
> +1 Endurance, Strength every even level.
>
> +1 Charisma, Mind every odd level.
>
> +1 Willpower, Magic, Luck every fourth level.
>
> 5 HP per level
>
> 10 Energy per level.
>
> 1 Perk every even level.
>
> 2 Combat Proficiencies.
>
> 1 Technical Proficiency.
>
> 2 Free Proficiencies.
Leveling that Class gave me 75 Attribute Points, thirteen on each of the five Attributes nerfed by {Anti-Magical} plus five each on Magic and Luck. With the sixty-one from the species and seventy from {Ultimate Surpasser}, I restored my Attributes back to the cap and still lost enough above it to gain another level of {Surpasser}. Seventy-one now, each a hundred points I lost to the void.
> Level 40 Wind Pixie (Trickster)
>
> Strength: 32+23 (55) - Dexterity: 32+37 (69) - Endurance: 32+24 (56)
>
> Mind: 32+36 (68) - Willpower: 32+43 (75) - Charisma: 32+34 (66)
>
> Magic*: 32+69 (101) - Faith: 32+10 (42)
>
> Ego: 32+38 (70) - Luck: 32+34 (66) - Soul: 32+42 (74)
>
> HP 966.421 (112.995 HP/min)
>
> Energy 3.288.180 (8.699 E/min)
> You gained the Perk, Pinnacle of Magic (very rare): All MP costs are halved. No external effects can damage or drain your MP.
A {Pinnacle Of…} Perk before the first rank up. We were piling up those bonuses good! I was almost able to use the {Shadow Workshop} for a few hours a day.
> You ranked up. All unallocated Exp was divided by 100.
> Your species ranked up into a Windstorm Pixie (1st rank, very rare). Your progression is:
>
> 1 Attribute point at every level.
>
> +1 Magic every level.
>
> +1 Dexterity at every even level.
>
> +1 Mind, Endurance every third level.
>
> +1 Willpower every fourth level.
>
> 6 HP per level.
>
> 9 Energy per level.
>
> 1 Perk every even level.
> Your Class ranked up into a Puck Trickster (1st rank Ultra-Rare+++, 5-fused).
>
> +1 Dexterity at every level.
>
> +1 Endurance, Strength, Magic every even level.
>
> +1 Charisma, Mind, Willpower every odd level.
>
> +1 Luck every fourth level.
>
> 7 HP per level
>
> This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
>
> 12 Energy per level.
>
> 1 Perk every even level.
I spent my Proficiency picks. Even though the title [Master of Magic] granted me the [Spellcaster] proficiency, I picked it mostly for the 25% learning rate bonus and a little help with the fast-growth points. I had to rebuild that ASAP. I used the Technical on [Gnome Machinist] to get better at that field. I needed it if I wanted to conquer that desert. That left me with two Proficiency picks, which I used on [Metalsmith] and [Silkweaver]. I wanted to build a vehicle, and I would use sails to navigate the desert. The place had enough wind to make it worth it. As for the weapon, I went with [Combat Technique]. I already had fighting superiority against the denizens of the desert. What I needed was versatility and options in combat. The second proficiency I kept in reserve for [Archery] but I wanted to train the base proficiency first so I could save Fast-Growth for later.
Now, the Perks.
* Mortal Glamour (very rare): Shift all reactions one step in your favor against Species with lifespans less than 200 years.
* Extra Dust (ultra-rare): Your wings naturally make an extra pinch of fairy dust per week.
* Fae Archer (very rare): When you wield a bow, it is considered one size larger for damage purposes, up to the same size as your target.
* Marksman’s Aim (uncommon): You delay your shot by (2000 – 10*Dexterity) milliseconds to gain a 25% accuracy and 100% damage bonus.
* Quickdraw [Arrow] (uncommon): Your attack speed with bows is 50% faster.
* Helping Winds (rare): You have a 25% evasion bonus if you’re flying in the air.
* Wind Whisperer I (rare): You can add a 10 km/h vector at your discretion to the current wind velocity.
* Wind Whisperer II (rare): You can add a 20 km/h vector at your discretion to the current wind velocity.
* Wind Whisperer III (very rare): You can add a 30 km/h vector at your discretion to the current wind velocity.
* Wind Whisperer IV (very rare): You can add two 30 km/h vectors at your discretion to the current wind velocity, so long they aren’t both in the same direction.
* Wind Whisperer V (ultra-rare): You can add two vectors at your discretion to the current wind velocity, so long they aren’t both in the same direction. The first one has a scalar value of 50km/h and the second one 30km/h.
Wind Whisperer allowed me to shift the winds in my favor. Having two vectors was very good. Let’s assume I wanted to go south but there was a wind going east at 30km/h. With just a single vector, I’d have to angle it southwest to both cancel the natural wind and left the remainder pointing south. With two, I could add a West vector of 30km/h canceling the natural wind speed, then another 50km/h south to go the way I wanted. It wouldn’t work in the dead magic zone but it would help me get there and do my things outside.
* Escape Artist (uncommon): You gain +5 on your tests to escape bindings.
* Light-Footed (uncommon): Unless you’re running, you exert half as much pressure on the ground when moving.
* Root Skipper (rare): You suffer only half the movement penalties for terrain effects.
* Padded Feet (rare): You make no noise when moving unless you’re running.
* Fleet Charge (rare): When you charge, you ignore terrain modifiers.
* Mobile Warrior (rare): While moving, you enjoy a 25% evasion bonus.
* Dash (uncommon): When running, you move 33% faster.
* Water Dash (very rare): You can run on water and other fluid surfaces, up to (Dexterity/10) steps.
* Impeccable Balance (rare): You can move on narrow (half the width of your foot) or uneven surfaces without penalties.
* Harried Shooter (rare): You take no penalties for using ranged weapons in the melee range of an enemy.
* Feather Step (very rare): Your movement-related Perks work even when running.
My main concern was the sand. I had to be able to move and fight while over it. I hoped the next tier had better mobility Perks. At least for now I could {Charge} to avoid the slow effect of the sands.
----------------------------------------
My first concern in Ackerton was to get a decent pixie-sized bow. One would think I had one in my item box, but never in my previous lives, I looted a pixie-sized bow. I needed to have one custom-crafted for me. But before I got a bow, I needed to find a bowyer, and before I could find a bowyer I needed directions. Nenandil and I flew to the Adventurer’s guild.
Imagine the joke started like this. Two fairies walk into the Adventurer’s guild. Now, I could avoid everything that happened by disguising myself as one of the normal races. Human, elf, beastkin, whatever. But I couldn’t help but crave the mischief.
We darted through the open door and hovered in the middle of the lobby. “Anyone knows where I can find a master bowyer?” I shouted.
The conversations stopped, necks turned. The fairy island in the neighboring nation of Atlantis was very famous but the denizens of that forest seldomly left home to wander.
“What are you paying? I’ll show you a bowyer if you give me your wings,” One of the patrons, a muscular guy with a thick black beard and defensive blade scars on his arms joked.
> > Level 137 Male Human (Warrior)
“I’ll--” I started to retort but Nenandil held me back.
“Let me handle this, my dear,” she said and fluttered next to the guy. Landing on the table, the elder water fairy stared at the man. “Your words have grievously insulted me. Withdraw them or I’ll have to punish you. A fairy’s wings aren’t trinkets to be given away like that!”
The guy stared at Nenandil for a few moments before breaking into a fit of laughter. He’d probably {Appraised} her and seen she was level 40.
“Oh, the little girl is going to punish me!” He mocked in a falsetto. He offered his chin to her, “Here, hit me with your best shot.”
Nenandil carried over the Attribute points and Proficiencies from my previous incarnations. Perks, Classes, Racial levels, everything else was reset but these two values kept accumulating. And she didn’t have the curses to artificially lower her caps. With a Strength score of nearly 200, she punched the guy. Damage-wise it was nowhere near life-threatening but he was knocked off his chair and sent sprawling backward. The other Adventurers laughed as I joined Nenandil on the table.
“I’m issuing a Quest. Five gold coins to whoever leads us to the best bowyer in town,” I said now that we had their attention and a bit more respect.
A guy in robes approached. “You! Any of you! Make a {Familiar Contract} with me!”
> > Level 108 Male half-Elf-Human (Wizard)
Nenandil grasped my hand. “Sorry, already taken.”
The geeky mage didn’t give up, “I have a free Perk! I can get {Second Familiar!} Work with me! I’ll be an [Archmage] one day.”
“No, you won’t, if you keep wasting Perks on stupid things. Familiars are earned, not bought or cajoled into work,” I remarked, evaluating the guy. “We’re not interested, now you either take the quest or walk. I said you should go delve and earn some levels. Come back after you reach the level cap,” I suggested and rolled the dice.
> > Contested Charisma test won.
He nodded, clearly not getting a clue. “I’ll do that! You’ll see, I’ll have you begging to become my familiar!” Worse, he didn't leave.
The warrior was standing up, rubbing his chin. The mage geek didn’t move. Nobody came to accept the quest. I looked around the room, the Adventurers seemed happy to watch the events unfold. Then I found one who would help me for free. Well, not exactly for free. I was kind of his boss.
“You, priest of the Matriarch! {Come here now.}” I laced the command with a {Royal Order}. At the same time, I connected with Pandora safely hidden inside my soul and spent a dime’s worth of divinity to send this priest a divine omen.
> > Royal Order successful.
The wolf-kin priest stood up, confused. He approached, “How may I help you?”
“{Find us the best bowyer in town and you shall receive ten gold coins},” I issued him a Quest. A real one, with an Exp award.
He grinned, showing a lot of teeth. It was par for the course when you had a wolf’s muzzle. “By the Matriarch, I accept your task!”
We took to the air. When I turned around to leave, I saw a woman wearing a guild uniform.
“We charge a twenty percent fee for issuing quests to our members,” she smiled and charged us. “The quest reward will be held in escrow, that’ll be twelve gold.”
“How much to register the two of us?” Nenandil asked.
“As a special service, I’ll register you for free once you deposit the quest reward and fee. But it’s four silver coins to register.”
It was rather expensive. Back in Windemere, we set the registration fee at one silver, and the government would fund the bill if the Adventurer was willing to farm the underground Dungeons for a month. But this was a whole different continent.
After we registered and deposited the twelve gold, we left with Balthus, the wolf-kin priest in search of a bowyer.