Nick gave the backpack an experimental heft, savoring how much lighter it felt when its bulk came down. Without a doubt, his new pack was simply awesome. Not that I’m strong enough to wear it while it’s full just yet, he read the description for a second time. But I appreciate the vote of confidence.
In addition to its reduced weight and improved carrying capacity, Nick was thrilled that his bag had gained a minor preservation effect. It was sure to offer all kinds of fringe benefits, beyond the obvious advantage of extending the shelf life of his provisions.
He wanted to start testing some of its properties right away, but playing with his pack would have to wait a bit longer. With the delicious appetizer of spending the upgrade token out of the way, it was time to savor the five-star entrée of his rewards.
Activating his passive ability stone and acquiring a brand-new ability. Bouncing with excitement, Nick sent his intentions into the glowing yellow jewel clasped between his fingertips.
A new prompt appeared before his eyes half a heartbeat later. A heartbeat that was already racing, fueled by the unique and wonderous excitement that came with obtaining a major upgrade. His eyes opened wider the further he read.
It seemed that Nick had a decision on his hands after all. Just like the first ability stone he’d found, which had offered him a choice between mana dart and heavy blow, the System’s message revealed a range of options. The nature of the selection, however, was a bit different this time.
You have activated a passive ability stone.
This stone contains the hidden modifier [three-way split].
Would you like to learn a passive ability that belongs to the offensive, defensive, or utility category (subclass: enhanced mobility)? Note: the ability you are granted will complement your current build.
Nick rubbed his chin as he considered his options. While he would have preferred a clear choice between the abilities offered, he appreciated having at least some control over the direction of his development. As was his nature, he pondered each possibility long and hard before making his pick.
To complement his existing powers, an offensive passive ability would have to enhance Nick’s spellcraft or his swordplay, as those were the only methods he used to fight. If he was lucky, a spell-focused passive would increase his output across the board, buffing the damage caused by both mana dart and piercing ray.
But there was a good chance that the passive ability would be more specialized, affecting either force or pure mana, but not both. That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, but it could wind up offering a benefit that was more situational than he’d like.
An offensive passive that bolstered his martial maneuvers would likely make his sword cut deeper or hit harder. Or maybe it would generate a field around the blade, letting him harm enemies that were resistant to physical damage.
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Either way, while Nick was growing more accustomed to life as a swordsman, he didn’t want to overspecialize in hand-to-hand combat if he could help it, more than he already was. At least not until he was better versed in the long-term consequences of becoming a magic-melee hybrid.
Moving on, Nick had a hunch that a defensive passive ability would either use pure mana or kinetic energy too, aligning with his Kineticist class and Force Adept trait.
A pure mana-based defense could be interesting, perhaps offering some protection against certain types of spells, similar to how the spear-tongue’s black bones functioned. A force-based defense would almost certainly grant Nick additional shielding against old-fashioned cuts, punctures, and bashes.
This could be something hard like force armor, or something that absorbed a portion of the kinetic energy of an enemy’s blows. In short, choosing defense was a good option, as Nick was sorely lacking in the armor department, no offense to his leather jacket.
A mana-based defense would be more situational, protecting him from a form of attack that he presently had no way to counter, other than leaping out of the way.
As much as he liked the defensive choice, Nick’s mind kept drifting toward the third possibility. If the System had simply offered him a utility passive, he would have expected an ability that did something like boosting his mana regeneration.
Maybe help him to recover stamina, supporting his melee side. Perhaps even something with benefits that extended to his party, like Sophia’s power. But unlike the first two categories, for the utility offering, the System had specified a mobility enhancing subtype.
If it wound up being a pure-mana-based ability, Nick had no idea what to expect. Maybe something exotic, like the power to walk on water or cling to walls like a spider. But what really got him hot and bothered were all the possibilities he could imagine for a force-based movement ability. Because each and every one of them would be awesome to have at his disposal. Force dash. Force leap. Maybe even some kind of levitation or enhanced reflexes.
The minutes ticked past as he pondered the possibilities spread out before him, dialing his old gaming filters up to eleven before making the hardest decision that he’d been confronted with yet.
Eventually, he was able to cross the first option off the list. While Nick would always want more firepower, he was satisfied with his offensive output, at least in the short term. He could keep improving the damage he dealt by raising his attributes.
However, he was torn between the other two options. After a solid half-hour of agonizing, Nick remembered an old adage, which helped him break the tie. “The best counter to a powerful blow is being fast enough not to get hit to begin with.”
Ok, maybe Nick just made that up on the spot. But it still felt true when he considered it, both logically and intuitively. Although there were countless circumstances where being able to take bigger hits would be a literal lifesaver, extra mobility could reduce the damage he took too.
Besides, after running away from what felt like every beast in the tutorial, Nick knew that there were countless situations when being able to move out of the way in time was preferable to meeting an attack head on. Not to mention various encounters where running away was the only possible means of survival.
Ultimately, a defensive power would only come in handy while fighting, except for a few edge cases, like being stuck in the middle of a natural disaster… again. Ok, maybe that one’s not as much of an edge case as I thought.
Regardless, a movement enhancing ability would be useful across a vast range of situations, both on and off the battlefield. Right now, compared to most beasts, or even a dexterity-based build like Sophia’s, Nick was slow as shit. Easy to overtake or outmaneuver.
He had decent dexterity for his level, but not enough ways to take advantage of it yet. The utility choice might also have some interesting synergies with his evasion skill.
I’d like to see what’s behind door number three. Nick laughed as he made his choice, eagerly reading the prompt that appeared on the screen as the System responded to his thoughts.