Two weapon Proficiencies, two free proficiencies, whatever that was. I found I couldn't pick [Appraise] as it could be raised only by training. I would probably need to fight so I selected [Blades] as one of my weapons, then browsed the list to see what else I could get.
I selected [Shield] because I needed a way to defend myself. The strange event where it gave off an error and then granted me a strong Proficiency didn't happen this time.
> > Shield [24 / 48] - Increase chance to block with a shield by (P*2)%
And that was it. I felt like it was a dud. As far as I understood, I was getting things I had in my previous life. Where I was someone powerful enough to make Vlad and King Talbain afraid of me. But now I was just a prisoner. More Proficiencies. My Class was supposed to use magic, so I selected [Spellcaster] as it was an obvious pick. I squealed with excitement when the red message popped up.
> > ERROR: User already has this Proficiency.
> Spellcaster [ 583 / 607 ]. Your spells gain (2*Proficiency)% effect and (P)% accuracy.
>
> * Cursebreaker: Add (P/4) to Magic to break curses.
> * Summoner’s Control: You can memorize (P/25) summoned monsters. You do not need a Core to summon these monsters. Add (P/5) to all Charisma tests to control your summons.
> * Wizard's Mind: Gain (P/50) Mind, Willpower, and Charisma.
> * Spirit Caster: Gain (P/50) to all spiritual Attributes.
> * Grandmaster: You gain (P/2)% damage and (P/10)% cost reduction.
Better yet, it came with its own Attribute bonus. I stared at the Proficiency description. Was I some sort of powerful mage in my past life? It surely seemed so. But my [Blades] Proficiency was also high. Some magical knight, maybe? I felt an urge to unravel this mystery. To know who I was.
I needed to escape, so I needed something to sneak around. With my fingers crossed, I selected [Stealth].
"Yes! Red again!" I shouted.
> > ERROR: This User already has a superior Proficiency.
> Furtivity [ 725 / 749 ]. Add (P/2)% to stealth and evasion rate.
>
> * Master Skulker: Perception tests against you suffer a (P/2) penalty. This works against traps and wards.
> * Drain Magical Containment: Increase costs to restrain you through magic by (P/4)%. You gain (P/10)% of the base maintenance cost.
> * Grandmaster Rogue: Add (P/2)% to evasion and stealth. Add (P/5) to tests to escape bonds and evade traps and wards.
> * Rogue’s Charm: Increase Dexterity, Charisma, and Luck by (P/50).
> * Rogue’s Determination: Increase Endurance, Willpower, and Mind by (P/50).
> * Dimensional Pilferer (U): You can steal items from dimensional storage. Increase Dexterity and Magic by (P/100).
> * Surreptitious: Opponents need to win (1+P/200) consecutive tests with a (P/20) penalty to detect you
I laughed as something even stronger came up. That looked so powerful! And it came with more sorely needed Attribute bonuses!
I had to try it right now. Thankful they didn't bother to put me in chains, I moved to a corner of the cell. Doing my best to appear hidden, I let the Proficiency guide me. Then I waited as I browsed my proficiencies, trying to make heads or tails of what I could do.
One thing that caught my eye was the {Summoner's Control} Ability. It had a sub-menu with a list of creatures I "knew" how to summon.
* al-Mi’raj (base level)
* Blue Dragon (3rd rank, 2nd evolution)
* Mantursine (4th rank)
* Ghost Wargs (1st rank)
* Bore Worm (3rd rank)
* Stone Trolls (3rd rank)
* Razorfeather Eagle (2nd rank)
Matriarch's tits. A dragon? And what were these ridiculously strong monsters? Too bad I didn't have mana to summon any of them except for the al-Mi'raj and maybe the Ghost Warg. I tried the weaker one and it cost me 42 MP. A fluffy rabbit with a spiral horn appeared and stared at me. I squealed and broke my stealth as I went to pick it up and hug the summoned monster. It also cost me six MP per minute to maintain. The critter would obey any command I gave it, going as far as to kill itself on a sword if I so wished.
Unfortunately, the Ghost Warg cost twenty-three thousand MP to summon when I only had less than ten. I dismissed the horned rabbit and hid again. So far, nobody came to check why I was shouting in joy. Their loss.
Now, my Perks.
I had access to two Perk lists, one for my species, another for the Class. The Perk picks could be used on either.
Since I would be dealing with the undead so much and it was part of my Class description, I picked {Necromantic Magic Affinity} and hit red again.
> ERROR: User already has this Perk.
>
> > A Perk has been unlocked.
>
> * Somatic Magic Affinity (combined): You have an affinity with the Animal, Blood, Flesh, Healing, Nature, and Necromantic schools of magic. Spells are 50% stronger, 25% cheaper, and 50% harder to dispel.
Six for the price of one… Or better, for free. I didn't spend the Perk pick. Was it some kind of game? Just how many Perks my former self had? Maybe Vlad and Talbain were right in being afraid of me. To be fair, Talbain was more on the worship side of the story, giving credence to the theory I was the Matriarch. That slip of the tongue at the party... I need to learn more about that Goddess.
I tried to pick {Darkness Magic Affinity} next. It also belonged to the Class list, and I had a hunch I already had it.
> ERROR: User already has this Perk.
>
> > A Perk has been unlocked.
>
> * Elemental Magic Affinity (combined): You have an affinity with all the eight basic elements. Darkness, Earth, Fire, Ice, Light, Lightning, Water, and Wind. Spells are 50% stronger, 25% cheaper, and 50% harder to dispel.
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"And fear me you will, Lord Vlad," I muttered as I grinned wickedly in my shadowy corner. Which got this much shadowy once I played with raw Darkness magic.
I had a feeling at the back of my head that I'd spent a lot of my luck and I should not gamble with my Perks anymore. So I invested in survivability.
* Noble Undead (very rare): Increase all reactions of undead creatures by two steps.
* Undead Fortitude I (rare): Reduce all physical base damage by 2.
* [...]
* Undead Fortitude V (combined): Reduce all physical base damage by 10.
* Necrotic Resilience (combined): Reduce all physical base damage by (10 + Endurance/10).
* Necromantic Resistance I (rare): Reduce the effects and duration of all harmful necromantic magic by 25%.
* Necromantic Resistance II (combined): Reduce the effects and duration of all harmful necromantic magic by 43,7%.
* Necromantic Resistance III (combined): Reduce the effects and duration of all harmful necromantic magic by 57,8%.
That finished my base Perks. Now, the first rank had slightly stronger Perks, it seemed. I only had two, so I had to pick them carefully.
* Faster Rejuvenation (ultra-rare): You need only 24 hours to rejuvenate your body should you be killed. Increase HP regeneration by 50%.
* Lifelike Glow (rare): Add your Charisma score to the difficulty to discern your undead nature. You emulate living behavior (heartbeat, breathing, etc) naturally. Your flesh, hair, and skin look and feel like those of the living. +2 Charisma.
Rejuvenation seemed to be a hidden trait of the revenant. Unless I was properly killed, I wouldn't die. I didn't know how to permanently kill a revenant but I should look for the method so I could protect myself. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn't see any telltale signs I was undead. My skin had a normal albeit pale tone and no signs of decay. But after I bought the last Perk, It changed completely. It now had a healthy tan tone, felt warm, pliant, and supple to the touch. My eyes had a gleam to them and my hair was now softer and smoother.
Now, to get out of this cell.
*
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*
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Nenandil took weeks to cross the vast barbarian plains. What she saw was disheartening. The roaming nomad tribes of goblins, orcs, centaurs, ogres, minotaurs, kobolds, and other savage species still wandered the plains, fighting, foraging, and moving about. Nothing special about that remark. What troubled her was to see the Abode of War in ruins. The former center of Plains society was abandoned, destroyed, desecrated, and crumbling. Overgrown with tall pastel savannah grass and vines.
The [Priests] of Queltphion had not abandoned the ruins, though. Searching the inner sanctum, she found their sun-bleached skeletons scattered around the courtyard, the only thing identifying them as priests being the leftovers of their brass Symbols and rotten tapestry in their building. The catacombs where Snowdrop once passed her trial to inherit the legendary spear were now a warren of mutant rodents.
Disgusted, she slaughtered them all, sighing when she noticed the kills no longer went to the item box automatically. Or manually, for that matter.
She left the ruins behind and flew east. If that bastion of civilization in the plains was destroyed centuries ago, she feared what fate befell Aquilonia.
She found the Great River and followed it west. The first sign of the abandoned kingdom was the aqueduct. It was broken right at the beginning, the water it divested from the river spilling into the plains ahead, forming fetid wetlands as the water had nowhere to drain. Frog-people lived there, happy in the brackish waters.
Dried vines covered the rest of the aqueduct, the life-giving water that once gave them life lost to the swamp behind her. As she followed the damaged structure, she saw the silhouette of Snowdrop's Palace ahead. On the tallest hill by the shores of Lake Howard, the Palace didn't fare better than the other structures. It was blackened and covered in old soot that refused to let the rain wash itself from the few walls that still stood. The rest of the city didn't fare any better. She could see the city had died in a great fire. The stone was slightly droopy signaling the fire was hot enough to soften it. The few cobblestones that remained were upturned when the vegetation reclaimed the land. Trees grew amidst buildings, a sea of grass covered the streets. A few herd animals grazed as they walked on the roads like a mockery of the proud people that once lived there.
She found centaurs herding the grazing sheep and cattle.
"Hail the [Shepherd]!" She shouted from afar, to announce her presence.
The centaur [Shepherd] stared at her for a while before he replied. "Who goes there?"
"A friend! A traveling fairy. Do you mind if I approach?"
The centaur snorted and nodded. Just like Snowdrop's herdmates, he also valued physical prowess. His bulging muscles would make many human maidens swoon in delight. His nose was big even for centaur's standards and his mane was tied in many braids. More like dreadlocks, because they never learned the meaning of the word "soap".
They talked for an hour. She asked about the ruins and learned that many centuries ago, a great civilization lived there. But two friends broke the taboo and entered the Dungeon of Trials together. Helping each other, they defeated every trial and attempted to steal the Dungeon Core for themselves. The Dungeon banished them but they kept the Accolades they earned by beating the trials, even though they cheated.
The friends challenged the ruling King as it was their right. Fighting two-on-one, they killed the King but incurred the curse of their gods. In the fight, the Great Elders of the Centaurs Stephano and Talysius died, their service of a thousand years finally over.
They each wanted to claim the Realm for themselves and the people split on each camp. Civil war erupted and at the height of the battle, dragons soared down from the mountains to the north and burned the town to the ground.
The place was considered taboo for many centuries after that. Only recently his tribe of shepherds decided to bring their animals here to graze on the splendid grass that grows here.
Nenandil thanked the [Shepherd] for his tale, giving his sheep a minor blessing with Pandora's help. She flew to the centaur palace where she tried to find any of Snowdrop's enchantments still working. She found nothing. Even the hidden basement had been broken into and destroyed.
She left the ruined palace and flew northwest for a couple of kilometers. There, amidst the overgrown vegetation, she found the entrance to the catacombs. She descended the stairs and entered the ominous tunnels.
Then, she heard.
"You stand before the gates of the Lady's Labyrinth. Within these walls, the Lady Matriarch doth preside. She shall weigh your mind in one hand, and your heart in the other. Should she find you wanting, death shall be your sentence. Should she find you worthy, you'll be given the loyalty and love of a kingdom."
Nenandil sighed with relief. The Dungeon Core was still in its hidden room, and it still worked. The little fairy steeled herself and ventured forth.
*
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*
*
After the patrol went away, I reached the cell door and found a warding spell on the lock. Though I had unlocked [Spellcasting] and many Affinities, I knew no spells. I closed my eyes and studied the warding spell with my mind's eye. After hours of study, I had fuck all insights about the ward, the lock, and how to get past it. I tried forcing the cell bars but they were solid steel and I didn't have superhuman strength. Maybe one day, but not right now.
The guards came to check on me once a day. No food or water because the dead needed no such things. The rest of the time, I was either sleeping or studying the ward. I lost track of time. Maybe a month or two passed. But I earned a reward for my efforts.
> > You gained 14 points in Spellcaster [ 597 / 607 ].
I knew something good would happen if I reached a score of six hundred. Furtivity, the other Proficiency I had over six hundred, had a special Ability in the sixth slot. I had no use for {Dimensional Pilferer (U)} but it seemed like a very powerful Ability. Not to mention it also granted some passive Attribute bonuses, which seemed really important for my former self and I could totally understand her motivations.
I left the lock alone and started to play with my Affinities. After a few days of trial and error, I could create minor elemental effects. A floating flame the size of a candle, a gust of wind, a tiny ball of light, crackling lightning between my fingers, pouring water from the palm of my hand, gathering the sand and dirt from the ground into a pile. These were insignificant before the Archmage-level ability I should display but it was a step forward.
After I got used to manipulating magic, I went back to the ward. I studied it again and found a thin tendril going out of it and up into the roof. Should the ward trigger, that tendril would ring an alarm somewhere above me. Which was anywhere in the castle, given we were deep inside the mountain.
But that tendril gave me an idea. I plucked it and pulled with my magic, unraveling the ward like a ball of yarn. The task took five thousand MP from my pool and left me with half in the tank but the ward was no more. It was dispelled without triggering the alarms. Now, the lock. With my newfound ability to manipulate Earth, I tried to move the metallic parts inside the lock. After some trial and error, it finally spun on its axis, withdrawing the bolt.
I walked outside the cell and checked for other wards. I found none. Masking my presence and noises with [Furtivity], I walked out of the cell corridor and up the narrow stairs.
For now, I was free once again. And no longer defenseless.