Time to pick a Class. Rarity trumps utility, so the entries rare and below can go for a walk elsewhere.
While I was curious to know what a [True Hero] grants its wielder, I wasn't in the mood for a life of hardships as promised. I wanted to take it easy in this life.
Besides, that Class will be available until someone else is worthy of it. Meaning, until someone else gains the title by killing one of the eleven remaining Demon Lords. Or when the Gods cheat the system by fiat. Fuck them. And if they do, good for them. Someone else can be the God's errand boy. Or girl. There's one thing that caught my attention in the Class list above.
> Your Soul is strong enough to withstand the powers of death.
The word "Soul" is capitalized. Meaning it is not the soul that empowers a living being, but the Attribute. I hope [Fae Soulweaver] unlocks the Soul Attribute. Maybe the normal [Soulweaver] also does that but I need to seize the opportunity. And since it requires one to be a fae, I need to take it now. And it is an ultra-rare. So where we go.
> CONGRATULATIONS. You chose your path in life.
>
> You are a Fae Soulweaver. As an ultra-rare Class, you receive:
>
> 1 Attribute point every level.
>
> +1 Magic every odd level.
>
> +1 Endurance every even level.
>
> +1 Mind every fifth level.
>
> +1 Willpower every fifth level.
>
> +1 Charisma every fifth level.
>
> +1 Soul every fifth level.
>
> 5 Skill points per level.
>
> 2 HP per level.
>
> 0 MP per level.
>
> 2 SP per level.
>
> 1 Perk every even level.
>
> You gained the Unlock Soul (very rare) perk. You unlocked the Soul Attribute. Your Soul will display in your Status. You can directly spend Attribute points on Soul.
>
> You gained the Soulthread (ultra-rare) perk. Spend SP as you weave your thread to make it affect spiritual entities.
>
> You gained the Spiritualist (very rare) perk. You can talk with spirits and incorporeal dead beings. Their initial reaction to you will be neutral instead of hostile.
For my professions, I went with the same as before. Chemist and Surgeon were both very rare and gave the best Skill Points totals, especially with my founder perks.
Six thousand Experience points might not seem much, but for someone starting out their life, it is a bounty. I distributed them in the usual way, splitting into fourteen parts and putting one part on each profession, four on the race, and eight on the Class. That gave me a good headstart on the Class and I leveled everything together without burdening my progression.
> You become a Fae Souweaver level 7.
>
> You become a Brownie [Silkie] level 6
>
> You become a Chemist level 5.
>
> You become a Surgeon level 5.
>
> You gained 12 Attribute Points.
>
> You gained 7 Magic.
>
> You gained 3 Dexterity
>
> You gained 3 Endurance
>
> You gained 3 Mind
>
> You gained 2 Willpower
>
> You gained 1 Charisma
>
> You gained 1 luck
>
> You gained 1 Soul
>
> Attributes over the cap. Redistributing.
>
> You gained 20 HP
>
> You gained 14 SP
>
> You gained 30 Brownie[silkie] Skill Points
>
> You gained 35 Fae Souweaver Skill Points
>
> You gained 25 Chemist Skill Points.
>
> You gained 25 Surgeon Skill Points.
>
> You gained 3 Fae Souweaver Perks
>
> You gained 3 Brownie[silkie] Perks
And for the first time in forever, I could spend my Attribute Points! I maxed out my mental Attributes and put the rest on the spiritual ones. I still had no way to know what was my Ego value, but things were looking good, for once. Unless I had to arm-wrestle someone.
> Strength: 1 - Dexterity 14 - Endurance 4
>
> Mind 14 - Willpower 14 - Charisma 14
>
> Magic 0 / 0 -
>
> Ego ? 58 ~ 59 ? / 100 - Luck 62 / 100 - Soul - 61 / 100
>
> HP: 109 (Base 20 x (14 Willpower + 7 Dexterity + 2 Endurance + 0 Strength) x 1.18 Improved HP x0.2 size)
>
> MP 0
>
> SP: 3,083 (Base 14 x 61 Soul x 3.61 Improved SP)
I can derive my Ego value by invertng the formula for the improved SP Skill. And my SP finally showed up in my Status page. Now, time to test that unique perk the gods gave me. I focus on {SP Substitution} and try to activate {Spin Silk}. I hope it doesn't come out of my butt. It would be awkward if it did. But nothing happened. I got a notification.
> ERROR: Your magic conduits are dead. You cannot use magic.
Which was as sweet as an inflamed toe oozing pus. Well, moving on. Let's pick some Skills and perks.
I opened the Skill interface. Lo and behold, it has changed again. Now there's a Skill point cost to purchase the first level of each Skill, and it depends on the rarity. Common cost 1 point, uncommon costs 2 points, rare, 3, very rare, 4, and ultra-rare 5. That's why I suspected the number of Skill points was a bit off on the high side.
I dipped the first level of several Skills. Even if I couldn't use them now, there was no reason to not pick them at the first opportunity. They would be useful in my future lives.
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> You gained the Thread Color Control (very rare) Skill. You can display a wide gamut of colors in your spun threads.
>
> You gained the Increased Thread Production (rare) Skill. Increase the amount of thread you produce by Rank x Endurance x 0.5%.
>
> You gained the Fast Weaving (uncommon) Skill. Your weaving speed increases by Rank x Dexterity x 0.5%.
>
> You gained the Detailed Woven Pattern (rare) Skill. Increase the precision and details of your woven patterns.
>
> You gained the Strengthened Threads (rare) Skill. Increase the durability of your threads and fabrics woven from them by Rank x Willpower x 0.5%.
>
> You gained the Thread Repair (very rare) Skill. You can spend MP to repair threads, closing holes in the fabric, and fixing fraying strands.
>
> You gained the Condense Dust (uncommon) Skill. Dust you dislodge gets condensed and easier to remove.
>
> You gained the Cleansing Scrub (uncommon) Skill. Increase the cleanliness of scrubbed surfaces. Ease the removal of grime.
>
> You gained the Mold Eradication (rare) Skill. The mold you clean fails to release spores. Spores already present on surfaces you clean are killed.
>
> You gained the Grime Removal (uncommon) Skill. Grime becomes easier to remove from surfaces.
>
> You gained the Extra Polish (common) Skill. Materials you polish become shinier and tarnish at a slower rate.
> You gained the Spirit Diplomacy (very rare) Skill. Add the rank of this Skill to Charisma when interacting with the dead or undead.
>
> You gained the Resist Enthrallment (very rare) Skill. Add the rank of this Skill to resist Enthrallment effects.
>
> You gained the Detect Spirit (rare) Skill. You can sense spirits in a range of Rank x Mind meters.
>
> You gained the Blight Delay (very rare) Skill. Multiply the blight damage interval by the Skill rank.
>
> You gained the Pacify Undead (very rare) Skill. Shift the initial reaction of undead you meet by Rank x Charisma x 0.5%. This reaction bonus ends if you take a hostile action.
>
> You gained the Materialize Spectre (very rare) Skill. Spend SP to allow a willing specter to materialize. While materialized, it loses its immunity to normal weapons.
>
> You gained the Undeath Ward (very rare) Skill. Spend SP to create a ward on a person or location that forbids contact or entry by the undead.
>
> You gained the Banishing Bolt (rare) Skill. Spend SP to shoot a bolt of spiritual energy to damage incorporeal spirits or undead.
>
> You gained the Soul Armor (ultra-rare) Skill. Spend SP to create an ectoplasmic armor on a target creature or object. This armor protects only against Incorporeal spirits or undead attacks.
> You gained the Refine Hormones (ultra-rare) Skill. You can refine hormones out of the blood. Skill level increases the rate of recovery and quality of the extract produced.
>
> You gained the Dry Reagent (very rare) Skill. You can dry reagents into powder form, increasing their shelf life by Rank x Mind x 0.2 times. The increase is determined each time this Skill is used and does change for that particular batch of reagents.
>
> You gained the Phase Separation (very rare) Skill. You can force fluids with low adhesion force between them to separate into different phases. Skill level increases the degree of separation and purity of the phases.
>
> You gained the Lightning Electrolysis (very rare) Skill. You can spend MP to create an electrical potential between two electrodes you touch.
>
> You gained the Centrifugal Spin (very rare) Skill. You can spend MP based on the radius of the container to generate a centrifugal force on the container.
>
> You gained the Quick Dissolution (very rare) Skill. Solutes dissolve faster. Does not affect solubility.
> You unlocked the Alchemist (ultra-rare) profession. Alchemists gain 5 (+1) Skill points per level. Your profession changed to Alchemist. You gained 5 retroactive Skill Points.
> You gained the Minor Transmutation (ultra-rare) Skill. You can spend MP to transmute one reagent into another of lesser value and rarity.
> You gained the Hematopoietic Stimulation (very rare) Skill. You accelerate the production of blood in a willing or unconscious target.
>
> You gained the Pinch Blood Vessel (very rare) Skill. You can spend MP during surgery to temporarily cut blood flow in a blood vessel.
>
> You gained the Sustain Organ (very rare) Skill. During surgery, you can spend MP to sustain an organ functional for Rank x Mind minutes longer without blood flow.
>
> You gained the Heal Internal Damage (ultra-rare) Skill. During surgery, you can spend MP to mend wounds to internal organs if you can reach the damaged part.
>
> You gained the Thread Suture (ultra rare) Skill. You can use the threads you generate as suture without the need for needles. Accelerate speed of recovery for sutures and absorption of the thread. Reduce scarring.
>
> You gained the Dialysis (rare) Skill. During surgery, you can spend MP to gather the patient's leaking blood, purify, and return it to the patient.
> You unlocked the Spirit Surgeon (ultra-rare) Skill. Spirit Surgeons gain 5 (+1) Skill points per level. Your profession changed to Spirit Surgeon. You gained 5 retroactive Skill Points.
> You gained the Delay Departure (ultra-rare) Skill. The soul of patients that die in the operating table is kept attached to the body for Rank x (Patient's) Willpower extra minutes.
Gaining the power to use magic - even with my affliction - was the push I needed. I needed the practice I had in my previous life and the advancement of medical science in this world to push the boundaries of my craft further. I have no doubt the System made the Surgeon profession available to some individuals in the time since Apricot's death.
Now the perks. I had to pick the first level of {Strenghtened Animal Shapes} to get {Dire Animal Shapes} but that was a no-brainer. Five on each physical Attribute was too good to pass and I intended to buy more ranks of that perk if I could.
> You gained the Steelweave (very rare) perk. Increase the tensile strength of fabrics you weave from your created threads by a factor of ten.
>
> You gained the Strengthened Animal Shapes I (rare) perk. When you transform into an animalistic form, Increase your physical Attributes by 5.
>
> You gained the Small Animal Shapes (very rare) perk. You can transform into small animals as well as the smaller ones.
{Strenghtened Animal Shapes} works with my were-jaguar form and has more ranks but it runs on diminishing returns. If I buy all five, I'll get fifteen Attribute points, but the last rank gives only one point. {Small Animal Shapes} has upgrades too. I can unlock {Medium Animal Shapes}, and then I can buy both {Large Animal Shapes} and {Dire Animal Shapes}.
> You gained the Blight Protection (very rare) perk. Select any number of target creatures no further apart than Willpower meters from you. Whenever that creature would take damage from blight, spend SP equal to the blight damage taken to negate it. The protected person receives the benefit of Blight Delay.
>
> You gained the Favored Enemy [undead] (rare) perk. Treat all your combat Skills as one rank above when fighting against spirits and undead.
>
> You gained the Cloth Body (ultra-rare) perk. You can spend SP to force a spirit or specter to inhabit a previously prepared stuffed cloth body you created with your threads. You do no gain control of the animated body.
I'll take more {Favored Enemy} whenever one shows up.
----------------------------------------
After my shopping spree was done, I looked around and Nenandil was staring at me. She was still keeping watch over our fairy loft's entrance.
"Level thirteen is a good start. A far cry from where we were last life, but we'll get back there."
"Yes. But I have a problem. I got a {Dead Magical Conduits} disability this time. It blocks the use of magic. I'm a brownie that can't use {House Magic} and a silkie that can't {Spin Silk},"
"So, nothing changed," She said flippantly. "Although magic is good, you don't need it. You have me."
I beamed a wry smile, "That I do. Say, did you get the {Cold Iron Vulnerability}?"
She covered her ears. "What?"
"Oh. Sorry about that. Did you get anything new in your status?"
"Yes, some bullshit {Cold Iron Vulnerability}!" She grimaced.
"Yeah, bullshit. What about your perks? Do you get to pick everything back again or does it stay the same?"
"No. I need to pick everything again. The only thing that remained was the Attribute bonus from the magic core. Everything else returned to the basics. But hey, I get to try new things."
"Will you?"
"No. What I had worked fine."
"Well, I get six perks to choose from," I teased her.
She smiled candidly, "I'm happy for you. What Class did you pick?"
"I'm an ultra-rare..." I build up tension. Nenandil leaned forward. "[Fae Soulweaver]!"
"Oh, shit," She cursed with a frown. "You talk to the dead now."
"I surely do," I said with a smug grin.
She pointed in the direction of the passage to the Queen's realm, "And a fuckton of fairies just died eating poisoned pie."
That still irritated me. So I voiced my burning question, "Why is everyone so blasé about it? You should be angry, or sad."
"The humans got us there," Nenandil said. "And we respect a well-made prank. Even the deadly ones. Getting angry or grieving would be 'unpolite'," She stressed the last word. "That doesn't mean there won't be payback. I bet there are pixies right now preparing to go prank the humans and show them their displeasure. The problem is all the dead fairies and your new Class. Their spirits will come to pester you once they learn that you can listen to them."
I groaned and finally took a good look outside. "Is it night already?"
"Yes, you've been working all day, you must be tired." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Should we go to bed?"
I yawned. "Sure. Just let me put a ward against wayward ghosts."
She watched me ward the house, "So you can use magic. The only problem is that it's the weirdest kind of magic."
"At least I can do something," I said and then an idea popped up. "Do you want to see something funny?"
She perked up, "What?"
I focused on {Partial Transformation} and shifted my ears. They slid up my head and became triangular as silver fur grew on them. Then at my tailbone and a silver cat's tail came out from underneath my dress. It moved back and forth just as I willed it.
"Cat-fairy!" I grinned. "How does it look?"
She didn't answer and I became worried. Then Nenandil jumped and with a little help from her wings, pounced me.
"Kitten!" She cooed as she rubbed my cat ears. "Now come to bed!"
She dragged me to bed and we laid on the clean stuffed socks. Somehow I became the small spoon. Nenandil was purring and rubbing my ears.
"Nenandil, I'm worried about the pranks they're doing to the humans. I know humans, they won't think it is funny. If the pixies push too far, things are going to escalate."
"I know," She sighed. "But there's nothing we can do. There's one thing I want to ask you, though."
"Shoot."
"It's about Apricot's talents. Please refrain from using them."
"Okay, but why?"
"It is not our way. We may be callous in our pranks, but we are not wicked," She shivered behind me. "A fairy that murders people, that won't end well."
"Fine. It's refrain, not abstain, right?"
"Yes. And Silverstreak," She leaned forward and kissed the top of my head.
"Yes?"
"Thanks for making a home for us."
"You're welcome, my lake fairy," I blushed slightly.
Her hand found my stomach and she pulled me even closer. Leaning next to my cat ears, Nenandil whispered, "Love Shack, baby!"