“You advanced into an epic class,” Rowan stated.
Tamara had a split second’s worth of hesitation before she nodded.
“Do you have a way of finding other epic tier monsters?” Rowan asked.
“I do.”
“Then all I ask of you is to help me hunt them. My party’s close to the limit of the rare tier and if we can advance into epic classes, then everyone wins.”
Seeing Tamara’s reaction, Rowan wondered if he was about to be attacked on the spot. Her fact went through a whole gamut of emotions before settling into a wry smile.
“Fine,” Tamara said. “Get your party together. We’ll hunt while the army rests.”
—
Fifteen minutes later, they were all slowly lifting away from the ground, making Rowan’s stomach plummet with a curious mixture of primal fear and excitement. Amusement park rides had nothing on the spell mages used to get around.
“What was so important you got the mages to give us a lift?” Marcus wondered, staring at the ground that was growing ever distant with fascination.
His sister was taking the whole thing much worse, and Rowan was truly starting to worry that she would empty her stomach all over the unfortunate mages.
“Tamara has graciously agreed to help us,’ Rowan explained. “With Lucius taking care of the camp for the night, we can take our time tracking down an epic ranked monster. If we can all rise to epic before we get there, we’ll be much safer.”
“Tamara? She wants to help us get to epic rank?” Olivia didn’t outright call him out for being a liar, but her tone of voice strongly suggested what her true opinion of the subject was.
“I wouldn’t say want is the right word. She offered to help me with anything, and I took her up on it,” Rowan quipped, managing to avoid sounding smug. It wasn’t his fault that she hadn’t bothered specifying what was on the table.
“The woman was stuck at the peak of the rare tier for years, and now she’s helping someone else with advancing into epic?” Olivia muttered relatively quietly, but the violent mage was close enough that Rowan could tell she was listening in.
As her facial muscles twitched, Rowan hurriedly minimized the damage. “It is her innate generosity at play, I’m sure.”
At least Olivia caught on relatively quickly, rolling her eyes but finally falling silent.
—
When he was brought before it, the beast was already on the verge of death. Reluctant or not, there was no way to deny that Tamara had followed through on her offer.
The once majestic snake was missing a large chunk of its tail, its body was riddled with lighting scars, and its eyes were blinded. Even the weak flickering of its tongue betrayed its current state. Yet, strangely, staring right at the incapacitated epic tier monster, Rowan wasn’t feeling particularly happy.
“There it is, boy. Isn’t that what you wanted?” Tamara’s voice was still somewhat husky, but it came out with a flat inflection that betrayed her true feelings.
Rowan could sense her desire. She wanted the epic monster for herself, and she definitely earned it, if the few traces of blackened cloth on her chest were any indication.
Her apprentices looked rather tired as well, with more than a few sitting on their floating platforms in meditative positions. Those who were still fully aware were busy glaring at the hero and his party, though they looked away when their master swept her eyes over them.
“Truly, I can’t thank you enough. This will go a long way towards assuring that our mission this time is successful,” Rowan said, stepping forward with a spear in hand.
Is this what Blake and Kayla had gone through? Having monsters literally served up to them on a platter? Rowan wondered. Then, he brought down his spear.
As it was, Rowan finally got the message he was looking forward to for so long.
Class evolution requirements met.
Classes available for selection:
Flawless Spearmaster, Spear Marionette, Spear of Unity, Monarch of Blood, Fragment of Brilliance, Consecrated Spear, Herald of Ennui.
Rowan sighed and closed his eyes, allowing himself just a single moment of quiet relief and victory. Then, he turned to his dazed companions, no doubt dealing with their own slew of notifications and options.
“It’s about time we caught up, isn’t it?” he asked playfully, ignoring Tamara’s gritted teeth.
—
Rowan was more certain than ever that the master mage was not following them out of the goodness of her heart. Her decision to team up with Camilla and Lucius was suspicious from the start, but giving up on an epic ranked monster when she could either hog the experience or potentially ascend a student?
Rowan would be a complete fool if he bought any of her excuses at that point.
He went back to the army first. Then, it was only when the Mercenary King accepted his request to guard them while they fiddled with their systems that he relaxed and sank into the many class upgrade options offered to him.
[Flawless Spearmaster]
The peak of humanity’s spear mastery is defined by you.
By picking the [Flawless Spearmaster] class, you will get a grand boost to the strength of all cards and attacks related to the spear. You will also achieve an innate mastery of every spear style you come across.
Additional beneficial effects:
* A grand boost to the effectiveness of your dexterity and strength stats
* A large boost to combat maneuvers and synergy with other spear wielders
* Improved combat instinct and spear style application
Class penalties:
* N/A
Attached card: Flawless Spear (Epic, Passive)
Once again, while not necessarily horrible, the base class upgrade version was lackluster. The very next option he viewed more than made up for it, though.
[Spear Marionette]
Some people fear the loss of their humanity, others embrace it.
By picking the [Spear Marionette] class, you invest your soul, mind and essence into your spear fully. Your former body will become a mere shell for you to showcase your mastery.
Warning: This class will trigger a racial change from [Human] to [Cursed Armament]
Additional beneficial effects:
* A grand boost to the effectiveness of your strength, vitality, dexterity, perception, intelligence and wisdom stats
* You may choose to possess any creature capable of wielding a spear and transform them into your shell
* Immunity to all mind-altering, debilitating, and debuff effects
* As long as your true body persists, you can replace your shell as many times as required
Class penalties:
* Your shell cannot venture more than ten yards away from your true body
* The loss of your shell renders you incapable on acting independently until you acquire a new one
Attached card: Cursed Spear (Epic, Passive)
The sheer implications of the class were more than Rowan was willing to deal with. For one, he wasn’t exactly ready to give up on his humanity and become just a weapon. In fact, the idea of that sort of terrified him. It might have worked if he was fighting by himself and without any attachments. But even though the class was overall appealing, it was a step too far for who he was now.
[Spear of Unity]
You fight for them, as they fight for you.
By picking the [Spear of Unity] class, you will gain the ability to designate eight [Knights] who will fight by your side as your companions.
Additional beneficial effects:
* A grand boost to the effectiveness of two chosen stats
* You will gain an innate understanding of your [Knights]
* Your [Knights] will be able to select and duplicate the effects of one of your cards at will, though the selection can only be made once
* You will gain ten percent of the stats your [Knights] possess and thirty percent of their experience gain will be shared with you
Class penalties:
* A [Knight] must willingly accept their designation
* If a [Knight] breaks their connection to you or is dismissed, you cannot elect a replacement for a year
* You can draw on the power of your [Knights], but be wary lest you harm them
Attached card: Knight Designation (Epic, Passive)
Rowan was tempted by the class, especially considering everything it promised. It did not, after all, specify what tier the knights had to be.
Then there was the promise of stats, and even the ability to select which stats he wanted to improve. Still, he wasn’t going to make his choice without considering every option.
[Monarch of Blood]
You shed blood for them. That blood now protects them.
By picking the [Monarch of Blood] class, you will gain the ability to imbue your weapon with the power of this Origin Element. All of your subjects will benefit from your affinity, and related classes will be both stronger and easier to acquire.
Additional beneficial effects:
* A grand boost to the effectiveness of your Wisdom and Intelligence stats
* An innate sense of your subjects’ condition, general sentiment, and even location of notable subjects
* A grand boost to your affinity to the blood element
* The ability to store blood and blood mana in your weapon
* Immunity to blood loss
Class penalties:
* An increased affinity for slaughter
* A growing urge to amass blood and blood mana
Attached card: Blood Banquet (Epic, Active)
Rowan was really not sure how to feel about the fact that he was offered a class like that. On the one hand, his affinity to blood-related cards was, at that point, not really something he could deny. On the other, which of his decisions had led to the unlocking of that class?
Was it his slaughter of demons and demonic beasts? His willingness to take human lives in defense of Rest’s Remorse? Or was it the fact that he was willing to potentially plunge the town into chaos just to identify the hidden rebellious elements?
He moved on, before his mind could spiral further.
[Fragment of Brilliance]
You burn like a dying star.
By picking the [Fragment of Brilliance] class, you will gain the ability to imbue the power of your strikes with the totality of your being.
Additional beneficial effects:
* An ascendant boost to the effectiveness of your Strength and Dexterity stats
* The ability to channel every force that makes up your being
* A grand boost to your mental resilience
* No strike can fell you in one blow
Class penalties:
* Lifespan reduction
Attached card: Moment of Brilliance (Epic, Active)
Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Just… nope. Rowan was a lot of things. Reckless. Somewhat willing to sacrifice pieces of himself if that meant everyone would come out the other end of a conflict alive. What he wasn’t willing to do was outright committing suicide on the battlefield.
That, of course, left him with two final class choices. And just by looking at their special effects on his status screen, he was already not a huge fan.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
So, he resolved to go through both of them quickly.
[Consecrated Spear]
Your will aligns with that of your God.
By picking the [Consecrated Spear] class, you will gain abilities that conform to the portfolio of your Divine Patron.
Additional beneficial effects:
* An ascendant boost to the effectiveness of two chosen stats
* The ability to channel the might and presence of your Divine Patron
* A minor inheritance of your Divine Patron’s portfolio
* An innate sense of and the ability to command all of your Divine Patron’s followers at or under your own tier
Class penalties:
* Diverging from the will of your Divine Patron will render your class unusable
Attached card: Divine Descent (Epic, Active)
[Herald of Ennui]
They fear you, as is your right.
B̷y̷ ̸p̵i̷c̷k̶i̶n̴g̵ ̴t̸h̷e̴ ̵[̴H̵e̷r̸a̸l̷d̷ ̸o̷f̷ ̴E̸n̴n̶u̵i̷]̸ ̴c̸l̶a̸s̵s̷,̷ ̷y̴o̴u̸ ̷w̴i̷l̷l̵ ̴g̵a̷i̸n̶ ̸y̸o̵u̸r̵ ̶o̴w̸n̴ m̶̯̦̈́͝i̷̺̅͒͝n̴̮͎̑̌͠ò̸̲͇͒r̷̡̤̺̋͑̆ ̷͉̟̺̅͌p̸̨̥͂̈́o̴̜̎̆͜͝r̶̞̅̾̋t̶̰̓̾̈́f̵͇̗̋o̷̠̝̕l̵̹̦͛̎i̴̢̫̱͛o̷͔͂ ̸̤́͋ő̴̻̯̤f̴̱͍͙̚ ̵̺̣͍̒̓[̸̘̕E̵͓̩͖͛͂̿n̴͙͈͆́n̴̡̺͕̎́̋ů̷͖̺̕i̵͙̎́]̴̧̃̑͘.̴̲͑́̔
A̶͉̮͙̫͂̾̿͝d̶̠̈́d̶̼̮̺̤͝ȋ̸̹͠t̸̮͍̞̍͗͐ī̴̺̳͔͈̿͋̆ò̴̟̣̼̫͝n̸̨̤̹͖͌̋̏͛a̸̎͑̓͜͝l̴̫̘̜̐͜ ̶̫̒b̷̮̲̤̜͝e̴̙̔̐̕ǹ̵̨̤̟͂͘e̶͎̜̍f̸̥̪̐ȋ̸̳̜͊̋ç̷͉̮̍̍͘í̶̘̰̤ä̴̧̜̮̥́̕͝l̸̙̼̘͌̏͆ ̶̺͗̒͌e̸̫͚̿̌͜f̴̯̭͝f̵̛̫͕̌͂͠ẹ̶͇̻͝c̸̡̣̎͂͘t̴̞̒ͅs̶̞͑̐̋:̴̧͔̦̮̀
* Ỳ̸̧̠̜̦͖͙͕o̶͈̰̮̞̞͍͂̃̏̂̈̎̔u̴̫͓̝̭̰̳̽͛̀̆̅ ̴̹̻̹̠͛͌̌̍́̾͐́͌ͅą̴̨̫̳̮̼̝͙̩̮̅s̴̙̈́̊͝ͅc̸͚̦̺̘̉̀͜͝e̸̱̹̱͎̋ṋ̸̯͚̆̉́̇̑̋̚ḍ̶̜̲̇̈͋̋̽́̋̓̚͠a̸̡̬̘̘͎̞̺͊n̵̤̰̖̝͙̝̻͎͙̭͗̆̊̏̊̆̓͝č̷̤̱̦̳̲̘͕̠́̋̉̿̿͗̉e̶̡̬̾̈́̐̓̉͠ ̸̧̩̦̖̺̠̬̈͛͆͐̉͐̽̚̕͠ͅb̷̡͓͍̦̬͛̽́͂̋è̴̦̟̮̱̘̺̪̮͙̥͗̄̈̌̑͛̅͌g̸̼̖̠̘̐͌͗̍̒̆̇͠i̴̢̡̨̛̹͍̖͎̖̜̽̅̊͜n̵̗̝̎͗̉̄̌̿̚͜͜͝s̷̡̢̛̤̫̅͛͗͑͝
* ̶̲͖̘͎̟̓̀̈͊̾ͅA̶͔͚͈͙̘͕̝̰̼͕̔̂͐̐̏n̶̤͉͉͖̺̭̈́̾͊͑̏͊̀̄̓̚ͅ ̸̳̓́̾̄͆ͅa̵̬̣̦͈̺͐̔̈́̎̔͊̊̕̚s̷͙̜̦̦͍̫̊̈́̀̍̈̎͊̐c̸͖̮̭͕̈́̏̿̀ȩ̵͙͙̜̼̯̭͔͊̿͠n̸̨͙̺̞̿͗̊͛̔̿̎̌̃͝d̴̻͚̦͇͎͔̹̜͚̉͌͜ẳ̴̫͔̩̞̪̫̼̘̟̽̽̍̿͛́̕͜ǹ̶̼͔͕̼̺͈́̈́̽̆͊̚͘̕͝ť̸̡̨̛̛̘̦͎͔̦̦͉̾͂̏͘ͅ ̸̪̠̠̂̏͐́ḇ̴͙͙̖̜̩̩̳̯͓̏͝͝o̷͇͖͉̓͑̑̔̈́̀͠ǫ̴̬̗̘̠̟̻̰̫̏͂̅͆́͑̚s̵̢̨͚̜̜̺̦̺͑͗̀͂̄̎̀̃̿̚t̴̡̢̤̱̜̟͆̄̈́̈́͝ ̵̢̤̣̥̻̜̫̲̿̆̾̀͊̿͑̓͝t̵̯̜̼̬͌͑o̷̯̩̻͇͉͋̔̀̈́̏͑͝ ̶̡͓̯̠̰͚͍́̒̉͂̌̋̇̑̄ţ̴̓͐͐̂͂̈́̚̕h̵͈̹͇̎͒́͠e̷̛͖̪̠̦͍̜̳̮̓́͋͋̎̇͂͝ ̷͕̪̩̆͗͂͘͠ḝ̵̛̭̖̳̝̈́̓͆̾̄̋̒͜f̸̯̠͖̗́̅̓͛f̵̨̬͔̅̉̍͊̒̆̋̇̈́ͅȅ̶͍̙̤́̓͊c̷̢̻͍̃̋͛̚͝ț̶̡͔̅̃͐͑̆́̅̾͘͜͠ͅį̷̛̰̝̜̘̙̯̪͐͂̔̂̍͠v̴̨̥̟̤̜̘̰̟̋̋̅̐̽͑ë̵̛͚̣̥͔̣́n̸̯̯̺͚̰͆͜e̸̢̘̼̝͖̹̻͙͕͒s̴͈͚̥̟͇̖̞͍͎̄͐̓̅́̈́̎̈́̚s̸̮̻̫͓͇̳̲̺̳͕͆̆̈͑̎ ̷̩̳͓̰̺͊̑o̷̢̗̟̅̌͠f̷̲͎̈̍́̑̽͗̕̚ ̷̡̖̞͕̪͓̿͂̔̒ŝ̴̢̲̇̐͋̆̓̉̓͘t̸̢̰̤͕͖̠̟̗̼̎̏̆͘ṙ̸̘͉͖̺̣͈̦̹͖̔͐̈́̅̓͌͆͛̉e̸̢͕̓̐̽̓͛̀̌̈͠n̵̘̲̰̟̞̜̅g̷͇̮͎̰̦̒̑͒̌̓̕͠͠͠ţ̶̡̡̧̛͈͙͖̰̣͖̃́͊͆̚͠͝h̶̛̳̮͊̿̉͗̿̇̀,̴̨̺͕̣̺͝ ̶̛̦̣͎̼̘͐̅͛͗̍͠ͅv̴̦̭͗̒̑ĩ̶̹͇͖̺̬͙̒͛̇͒ţ̷̳̹̩̭̗̼̫͙̀ã̶̧̡̲͖̞̹̺̱̻̱l̴̛̻̗͖͙̲̽̐̋̊͜i̷̭͕͙̗̎̔t̴̘͂̅͝y̷̦̎̂̈́,̴͎̲̣̩̪͎̜̺͇̅́̈́̐̊͊̈͝͠ ̵͎̃̌̓͘ḑ̶̢̹͖͎̬̉̾̊̇̽͂̓̒̏̚͜ͅe̷̡̨̥̻̜͚̦͎̥̯̅͌͌̕͝ẍ̵̺͈̈́̃͠͠t̸̖̗͈̗̙̖͇̙̱̝͂͒̾ę̷̨̝̯͎̹̒r̴̲͕̟̹̠̄͒ỉ̵̮̊̾̒̽̀̽̚t̶̨̟̽̄͂͋͝͠ÿ̶̠̖́ͅ,̶͓̪̥̙̖͚͆̈́̑̐̆͘͝ ̸̧͉̙͇̭̠̤̥̝͒̏̒͋̇͑̾p̸̙̟̣̼̘̘̙̮͕̅̉̅ȩ̴̛͍̝̺̤̽͂͐͗͗̕r̴̯͍͍̩̂͐̇c̸̨̝̬͔͕̲̀́̆̈́e̴̻̱̳͖̔͜p̶̢̢̛̘̪̞͈͓̱̹̂͂̀ͅt̸̼̪͈̞́͐̽̈̐̀̈́i̸̡̤͔̣̺̗̅͋͐̽̇̎̏̿̄ͅő̷̡̟̭̘̩͇͍̯͉̈́͊͒̀n̸͕͔̗̬̉̒,̷̮̟̯͓͕̯̯̘͎͊͆̀̀͌̀ ̷̱̪̘̖̯̋̀̄̓̕̚͝͠i̴͎͉̿͊̀͂̋̌ṉ̶̈́̑t̷̨̧̡̛͍͈̫̩̯͝͝é̵̛̮̝͍͕͔͕̻͉̣͔͛̆͑̅͋́l̶̦̩̤͉̘̫̠̉͜ͅḻ̷̼̯͒̂̇͐̌̄̽i̵̬̤̙̭̔̂̈́̑ǧ̴̘̠̤̋̓̍̚͠ĕ̵̡̳̗̽̈́̌̀͝ǹ̵͔̽c̴̲̝͖̗̏͆̌͐͋͌͛̚ę̷̭͚̬̣̲̜̗̚̕͜͠ ̵̨̫̮͕̠̯͙̭̙̓͑͑͌ͅả̸̢̧̼͔̪̟͔̳̔̎́͛̐͐̀͘n̶̘̳̤̬̭̝̜͜͜͝d̸̪̜̜̖̑̆̊͂͛͆̂̈̆̀ ̴̡͇̞̃́́̀͛̽ẘ̴̠̜̀̏̓̿̈́́̍́̿î̶̧̬̳̬̞̩̬̩̈͒̌͒̚ş̵̧̣̟̥͔͎̫̻̻̿͊̌̈́̊̑͐̚͝͝d̴̢̛͈̠͖̝̙̥̙o̸̝̭̊͌͐̏̀̚m̷̙̞̞̲̟̪̝̲͛̌̈́͝ ̴͇͍̮̰̩̞͒̂͋̆̄ş̷͍̥̪͖͇̫͛ṯ̶̢͔̙̠̙͕͆́̚ͅą̵͎̃̓t̶̡̖͛͜s̷̝̥͕͔͔͙̠̹̰̉͑͂
* ̵̡̨̲̗̻͚͕̓̅͑̔ͅṰ̶͇͉̟̰́̈́̈́̕͝h̶͕͓͂̿̒̽ḙ̸̢̞͔̏̒̽͑̓̽ͅ ̷̨̻͓͓̙̉́̂̊̈́̚̚r̵̢̻̭̤̦͇̣̅ī̴̯̞͔̓̓͑̓̇̾͝g̸̬͕̫͎̤͔͔͎̠̓͐͑̋̿̂̆͜͝ẖ̴̹͚͕͍̞̦͉̯̰͆ť̸͇̻̲̼ ̸̨̘͙̣̍̎̓͊̽̇̏͋͠͠ͅͅṭ̶̢͔͉͇̎͆̒̌̕͘o̴̙̳̼͝ ̶̨͔̼͔̬̍̊̇̓͘͠c̵̨̭̓̌̊̔͋̿̉͆o̴̫͊͒̋̃͂́̎̆̚ͅl̵̺̭͍̝̚l̴̛̺͗͂͐̎̄̚̕ẽ̸̡͛c̴̢̖͙͍͓̰͓̝̝͒͂̕t̷͇̺̋̔ͅ,̶͇̺̯͔̟̲̽͂ͅͅ ̸̡̟͈͒ḑ̵̧̦̺̝̤̓̂ë̶̛̖͚̻̳̾̚̕v̶̫͍̟̤̆̑̀̔̀͘͠ő̶̢̗͚̫̬̗͚̦̠̂̓̈́ͅữ̸̢͎̺͉̣̬͐͗͊͌̓͐r̷̢͇̪͈̱͙̉̑̾́̓̊͊̑,̸̪̈́̀̋ ̸̧͖̙̜̱̓̈́ȃ̷̢̢̱̱̳͎̠̲̣̊̈́͂̀̈́̕ñ̵̨̫̰̘̭͎̘̅́̓͌̎͠d̶̨̧̤̲͊͒͜ ̵̛͕͎̦̣͕̺̪̂̎̒̉͊̀̒̚͜i̸̧̱͉̳̞̭̯̅̈̇͑͝͠n̶͉̠̙͙͔̥͂f̴̧͕̈́ͅĺ̶̨̛̜͔͙̗̘̦̤̈̂͒̕u̸̝̗̙̹̺͎̒͆͂́͋̚ĕ̵̛̠̘͜n̵͍̳̩̲̾̾̌̓́͝c̵̛̩̺̞͓̩͈̿̑̔̀̅͘e̵̢̦͇͔̺͐̅͋͑̊̿̔̕ ̴̫̀̿͒̓̐͐̏̓̋͝š̸͎̝̝̱̃̐́̀͗ö̵̹̙͇͖̭̳́̎̋͛́u̴͈͂͗̈́͠l̷͕̲̱̄̆̒̒͒̌̔̊s̵̠͍͉͖̳͕̝͈͖̝̾
* ̸̨̨̡͈͙͒̂͊Ä̷̗̩̇̍͆̃̇̈́̽n̷͕̻̬̳̜̟͑̽̐͝ͅ ̴̖̞̼̇̍͌͛͐ͅì̴̤͍̪̞̪̀͘͝͠͝ͅņ̸͎̮̬̞͈̤̈́̀͆̆̈́̍̒͑͘n̷͍͓͙͖̲͈̂ȧ̶̞̻̒̔̎̏̉t̷̙́̏̒͊̓̓e̷̹͈̯̗͈̹͉̾͒̽͘ͅ ̶̧̧̝̙̝̓͛̓̅̊̇̅̆ş̷͓͖̯̻͓͍̈́͑͠ȩ̶̧̛͕̳͎͉̫͚͉͔͑̑ṉ̵̢̢͍̖͝s̷̰̜̍͆̽̏ȩ̴̼̜̲͎̩̮̼̰͐̓̅̇̕ ̴̛̱̤͍̤̱̟̳̊͘o̴̙͆f̵̧̳̠̭̭̠̹͔̬̼̀͐͂́͑ ̸͉̻̘̃̀̔͘͠ą̴̧̡̡̛̺͕̠͎̱͐̚l̶̠̬̥͕͆̌l̵̮̟̾͝ ̸͈̻͕̙̰͑̓͐͛͌͋̕ͅw̶̡̩̥͇̖̹͕͖͙̐̆̎̎̒́̌̎́̃h̴̹͔͒ở̴̡̖̖̤̇̅̃͘͝ ̴͍̥̙̹͖͗f̵̨̛̙̺̈́̍̏͛̅̈́̚͝ȏ̴̲͖͚́͐̀̔̐̕̕l̶̥̭̭̙̎l̵̹̰̻̈́̑̈͛́͆o̴̡̳̤̭̒̅̿͂̂́͝͠w̴̧̫̲̘͉͕͇͖̋͜ ̴̨̨̙̩̙̟̯̲̘̈́̽͗̓̎̋͋͌͊͑y̷̨̙̳̲̯̻̰̍͋͆̃̈́͘o̴͇̣͎̭̱̖͋̈́̂͂̂͜͠͠û̵̟̘̎̍̽͗̽̏̈́̚ ̸͚̝̺̩̺͌͒̈́̀͊̓̊̂̕͠a̷̖̳͕͆̏̿̎̎̕͝͝ņ̶̧̧̈́ḓ̸̀͌̈́̆̈́̃ ̶̢̥̣͈͎̳͇̙̱̀̈́͌̈́̾̇̚͘w̸̧̙̳̺͉͖̺̟̟̓͂̈́̕ͅo̴͇̓͒̓̍̌̋̈́͝ŕ̷͈͒̆̔̔s̸̨͍̣̯̥̫̟̙̘͂͑̈́͋͌̑̇͘͘͜͝h̷̢̡̰̹̦̠͆̽̓̇͆͘̚i̵̢̠͎̠̱͚̙̰͉̦̊͒̑͝p̶̧̧̧̣̖̗̪̓̋̽̕ ̴̡̞̖͕̳͚̼̖̲̤̇̊̈́̍͌͛̎̾͘ý̸̪̋ǫ̷͛̿̓̎̆̅ŭ̶̢̠̙̘̮r̷̡̭̬̰̩͑̍̋͂͑͊͠ ̶͖̯̟̀̍̍̓̌͗̃p̵͚̘̯̀̄͗o̴̧̠̠̘̖̗̼͉͓̿͑͐͛́́͘͝r̶̡̗̪͇̖͉͈̃͊̌́͑̆̓̅̀͝t̶͉̹̖͇͋̐͑̑͒͒͆̾f̵̧͚͇̯͑̅͒̾̂̕ơ̷̢̖̻͔̳͋͂̓̍͊͘ḻ̶̢͎͚̹͎̐͐̾͐̋͊̚͜͝i̵̗̹̲͖̙͚̾͆̽͂̓̅̑͛͂ͅo̶̙̼͇̦͙̍̃
̸̨̭̘͙̳̄̿̆͛̀ C̷̛̛̛͚̘̪͒͊̄͒̉̈́̈́̇̈̃̒̏̓͝͝l̴̰̼̠͈̣̬̗̪͒͆̈́̎̆͛ą̶̨̨̰̪͕͚̣̺̬̙͚͙͎͖̣̓̄̂̂̒ͅs̵̝͔͋̿̾͛͛̀̿̌ŝ̸̢̡̞͔͕̗͎̽̋̅̽̄͑̅̚ ̴̣͍̬̫̱͈̳̟̲͓͚̊̊̋̈́̓̓͗͌͝p̶̧̧͍̺̮̩̖̜̠̳̱͇̓͌́̅̋̽̈́́͌͂̏͝͠͝͝ę̴̡̛̙̮̯͔̙̻̯͇̤̣̭͌̋̃̆̍͑̿̆̎͒̂̀͠n̸̮̎̽͛̆̽̆͊̾̏́̄̂͒̌͋͊́͘a̴͉̙̯̭̹̣̻̮̬̰̥͔̼̗̋͛̽̈̌̓̿͂̓̈́͑̈́̈̚͝ͅl̸̨͉̝͙̯̲͕̹̝͍͇̰̭̩̞̊͆̽͂̏̄̔̐́̋͊̕͜͝͠t̵̢̲̜͇͎͙͔͖̜̣̦͔̙͖̳̠͂͂̀͑̐̃̊̅̌͊̎̔̕͜͠į̷̢̲̫̗̳͕͓̻̞̪̥͙̳̈́͒͆͂͠͝ͅe̴̙͉̗̭̪͖̤̓̃̽̑̒̉͛̓͝͝s̴͖͔̟͍̬̝̜̫͖͍̻͋̂̌̑͗̈́̃͐̒̃̎̀̈́͝ͅ:̴̨̛̝̤̙͙̪̖̥̥͍̬͙̻͎͋͂́͛͒̀̒́̄̑̈͋̑́́̈́̕͜͜
* ̸̛̥̙̖̗̞̬̫̗̻̼̂̑̓̔͂̃̇͛̈́̈́̕͜͝͠͝Ţ̴̢̱̥̮͕̲̘̠̰̪̇̓̋̏̆͒̿̾͛̌͊͠ḩ̶̡͚̮͉̱͖͙̩͖͚̭̺̲̗̉͗͊͐́͒̔ḝ̶̘̭͙̭̰̼̣͈̗̘̆̇̇̌͌̿͗̿͐͑̅̚̕ ̶̧͔̘͓͎͖̞̾̉̈́͊͐̐͌͜G̸̡̞͓̳̥̪̰͒̈͆͌̓͂͂ą̴̨̰͍̘͕̥̣̰̖̦͖̻̙̪̞̱̙̄͐̍͊͑́͊̽̒̐̃̓̎̊̚̕͠͝t̷̮̥͖͎͇̺͍̞͎̱͍͚̜̪̰͙͆͛̕e̴̗͉̩̰̣͗͛̑̏̍̈́̎̿́͆̈́́̎̌̚͠s̶̡̲̳̥͙̹̭̲͈̣̃̓̄͛͆̐̌̈́͌̓͌͆̌̊̔̚̕ͅ ̴̛̭̎̔͐͐̄̀̕ǫ̶̬͇͓͇̠̆͌̈́̄̀͛̆͂̋̈́̑f̶̜̗̬̗̜̞̻̎͆͛̈́̈́͑̂́̚ ̵͇̬̠͕̣̝̦͉͖͒̒̈͆̂̂͌̆͘͜H̷̜͎̳̊̈́̅̋̍̋̎̊͒̈́́̈́͛̓͐͝͝ḛ̵͔̝͌͌̈̑̾̌̾̀l̶̢͓̠͈͈̯͈̹̹̝̆̆̿͋̌̕͠ļ̶̣̝̲̰͇̜̓̀͊̄̂̈͐͜ ̸̮̠̜̲̥̙̖̼̗͙̠͗́́̑̈͆͛͂̈̍̀͗́͐̕͝͝ả̷̛̳̗̞̳̥͙̜̙͕̠̟̟͌̃̔r̷̨̛̗̦͎̳͓̜̗͓̟̭̙̞̜͓͋̚ͅë̷͇͈́͒̏͂́̀͑̉̅̍̍̑̕̕̕͘ ̷̥͙͚̱̞̖̿͜͜͠ǒ̶͎̩̲̙̳͇̲̯̫̗̼͇̙̹̠̬̂̈́̒̂̔̋̍͋̇͛̇̍͘͘͘͠ṕ̸̨̗͔̖͖̙͙̻̱͎̮̰̟̌̃̆̀̌̇̕̕e̸̤̯̲̖͇͚̦̽̀́̉̇̐̇̉͝n̸̛̺̂́͐͒͆͊͌̎̈́̔͒̐͐͑͒͝ ̸̻̻͉͚̈̆̑͂̑̀͊̉̃̈̊̔͘f̵̡͚̩̠͓͙̻̙̩̗̳͎̖̖̙̃̄͛͋̓͆̈́̾́̕ơ̵̯̰̤͘r̵̥̙̝͍̻͑̈͛̾̂̓́̌͌̓͂͠ͅͅ ̴̡̡̡̬̹͕͔̻̰̽́̆̀̔́͜ͅy̷̡̢̗̤̙̤͔̘̗̽̏̒̏̇̆ǫ̶͍̹̠͕͈̠̮̠̰͙̮͙͉̠̖͇̒̈͛̒̈͌̈́̆͋̓̄͘͜ư̷̤͚̼̪͇̥̫͓͓̫͒͑́͒̑͊̕ͅ
̸̢̧̛̛͇̘̣̩̪̖̘͕̯̱̩͔̜̯̠͐̐̂͐͛̀̅͐͒́̋̈́͠ͅĄ̶̧̨̨͕̦̱͚̤̜̖̦̺̖̙̰̗͋̚ṯ̸̡̧̨̝̟̗̩̗̏͌̐͂̐̋̐̅̏͆̒̈́͝͝ͅt̴̢̧̖͈̮̬̞͉̫̖̙̬͌͆̓̃́͝a̶̼̎̔̇̈̿͂͝c̷̢̝̻͖̯͙̝̝̰̭̰͍̝͆͋̎͒ͅḧ̷̨̡̲̙͉̣̮̟̲̺̖̱̥̹̗̘́̓͆e̶̢͕̹̙͍̣̯͙̫̦̬̺͇̗͇̜̓̊̋̀̔͑̈͌͜͜d̵̡̧͎̰̠̱͉̮̰̖̻͈̩̯͔̃̐̉ ̶̧̧̛̦̞̩̺͍̩̗̲͙̤͔̹͇̗̠̄̏̿̈̌̋̉̚ͅç̸̜̺̰̈̆̄â̶͇̳̱̻͈͍͖̗̋̆̊̒͊r̶̨̧̡͍̘̤͎̱̠̝̠̦͚̮̤̿̒́̈́̔̍̋͐̔̃͒̀͊̕͝d̷̞̱̺͖͕͍̫̩̬̯̲̭͖̳͇͚̲̿̌̿̾͐͆͌̀̌͑̐̋͗̌̋̍͘̚ͅ:̵̧̧̢̖̩̫̩̺̮̝̦̝̦̥̝͗̐͆̽̓̋̓̄͋͑̕̚͜͠͝ ̷͍͇̜̤͖̳̖̭͎͇̎̈̽̃̑̿͌̇̉͊͆̆̂͝Ḩ̶͎͇̺̥̲͕͖̗̒̊͂̉̀̒͑̽̏̓̋̕͝ę̸̱̞͈̲̬̫̝͇̜̰̲́̽̆̿̄̅͊̍̀̌͗͑̈́͂̉͒̕͜i̷̮͍̹̹̹̹̬̻̫͖̇̂́̀͐͋͜ͅȓ̷̞̀̔̓͂͋ ̵̛̣͗̀̿̉̉̈́ǫ̶̥̳͈̲͉̯̼̿̈́̈́̔͐͐̒͌̆̃̿̊̑̀̐̑͒͝f̶̨̛̝̻̳͓̘̟͙͓̞̪̤̮͉͉̩̖̾̾̎̿̿͠ ̴̧̥̬̜̤̻̱̞̲̻͍̩̳͚͙̯̰̲̊͗̍̈́̀̋́̕͝͠E̴͚͊͋̃̑͆̕͠ṇ̷̡̢̢̖̠̻̬͓̘̦͔̳͍̻̞̉́̐͒͒̈́͐ͅͅǹ̶̨̦̖͕̝͈̘̩̖͇̗͖͓̰̙̈̃̒̅̈́̏͋̔̃̀̚ͅụ̵̧̡̢̱̱͇̝̤̤̺̜͈͘ͅi̶̡̪̖͖͓̔̎͑̋̿͐͆̈́̕͠ ̷̢̡̙̪͍̫̯̦͈̠̠̗̳̳͎̐̓͛̒͆̅̚͜(̶̨͓̥̘̰̭͕͓̥͖̞͍͔̰̂͒͌̆͜E̴͉͗́̒̐̓͗̈́̆p̸̘͈̅̿͑̀͑̋͐̈̚i̸̡͎͛̿́̓͛͛͊̊͑̉̕c̵̡͎̣͔̯̖̺̘̲͚̦̩̭͚̥̾̌͛̆͑̓̈́͘͘͜͠ͅ,̷̛̞̦̇̔͝ͅ ̶̝̜͓̰̰̰̝̫̯̠̱͖̫͍̯̘̪̈́̅͐̌̕̚͝P̷̧̨̧̗̱̣͎̝̰͕̲͔̰͕͓̙̳͋͂̒͒a̶̧̡͚͖̗̣̯̺͇̙̝̯͍͇̺̙̱͇͂͛͒̀̎̇̈́̈́͝͝͝͠s̷̨̫̗͔̗͓̦̳̗̼̞̟͋̅̽̂̀̓͌̎̈́̂̈́s̸̲͉͉̟̲̗̙̗̣̭̦͂̆̉̿̔̾̈́̌͑̏͆͠͠î̶̡̡̻̖̱͎̬̼̗͚̣̪̞͖̫̘̐̍͊̀̂͌̚̚v̸̡̢̛͓̘̼̺͇͍͙̞̬̼͑͂̐͆̅͊͠e̵̼̺̅̑̈́̈́̓͗̚͘͝ͅ)̸̢̛̛̼͉͖̲͕͓̬͍̜̯̪̰̈́̈́̽̄̋͊͊̊̇͝
Right... Rowan just quietly closed out of that particular status screen window, silently promising to himself never to open anything marked in red again.
That still left the matter of picking his new, epic class.
Except, there’s really only one acceptable choice, no? Rowan thought, with lots of conflicting feelings.
The monarch class was powerful but a horrible fit for him overall due to the stat emphasis. The two classes he checked out last were out because neither of them was something he was willing to risk. He was Rowan Clairfont and not anyone’s puppet or sacrifice or whatever.
Speaking of puppets, he would be lying if he said that [Spear Marionette] didn’t appeal to him. It was powerful, it came with some rather insane benefits, and it would even make any future worry about his physical body a moot point.
Of course, there was the small drawback of forever abandoning his humanity and essentially becoming a magical parasite.
Feeling more resigned than happy, Rowan navigated his way back to [Spear of Unity], and hit accept.
—
“I can’t believe how good this feels!” Marcus was all smiles, his hands constantly balling up and unclenching as he kept testing the newfound power within his body. Somehow, the excited wolf kin was forcing his way past the mind-numbing effect of Lucius’s card and chattering away. It probably helped that he was the same tier as the Mercenary King now.
The others seemed just as thrilled as their advancement, each and every one brimming with newfound confidence.
All of them except for the hero. He was caught in a bit of a dilemma.
For his new class to work properly, he was expected to find and select [Knights]. Ordinarily, the hero would say that his party members were the perfect candidates for that. What stopped him was the instinctual knowledge of how to use his class.
More importantly, it was the ‘innate understanding of [Knights]’ benefit that was giving him pause.
Did he want to have that kind of thing over his party members? He considered them all friends, and Olivia more than that, but did he want to be in their heads at all times?
The simple answer to that question was no, he didn’t. People kept secrets for a reason. They didn’t share each and every emotion they felt for a reason. And while there was no guarantee that his class effect would be that intrusive, Rowan wasn’t willing to bet on something like that. Especially when a ‘test’ of the class feature would render him unable to elect a new [Knight] for a full year.
The worst part of the whole thing was that he knew the twins wouldn’t really mind. Olivia would definitely choose to opt out, but he’d never ask her anyway.
Still, the doubts, the fear, and the desire to maintain their friendship kept the hero silent.
The march continued on.
—
The first inkling Rowan got that something was afoot was when the tracker keyed to Blake took them right past the battlefield where they fought the dinosaur monster.
There was a feeling, then, that he knew where the whole thing was leading. When a mere day later they came across another battlefield, that feeling crystalized into certainty.
The ground was churned up, trees were scarred and toppled, and all throughout the battlefield, scorched scars were present. There wwere remains of beasts, monsters and even something Rowan strongly suspected was a true demon.
The thing that had hurt the epic tier monster enough for them to kill it was most likely his old friend.
“How far are we from the other hero, lad?” The Mercenary King had chosen to fall back so he could address Rowan.
For some reason, all of them refused to even consider carrying the odd compass around themselves. Only Rowan held it and he had already taken it out. Over the course of the last day, the magical device started to glow and even lightly shake. It was entirely guesswork and his own intuition, but Rowan gave it his best estimate.
“Another eight, nine hours of marching, I think. In that direction.” Rowan pointed, but he really needn’t have bothered.
The damaged jungle practically formed a path for them to follow. Rowan could even make out tracks where the boots of countless soldiers had trampled down the dirt.
“I’ll have everyone get ready then,” Lucius sighed, before his gaze turned stony. Rowan watched as every bit of the man’s joviality evaporated, and in its place emerged the perfect ruler of the battlefield. Rowan briefly wondered which of the two was the actual personality of the Mercenary King. Either way, he was glad to have the commander ready.
As the army continued its march and scouts were dispatched ahead, Rowan expected trouble. For that reason, he and his party found themselves at the head of the procession, right alongside the Mercenary King. Tamara, too, started flying lower, ready to react to any ambushes or similar trouble.
Contrary to these preparations, however, the only thing they found were corpses. Human corpses.
Unrest swept through the troops, but it was quelled quickly enough when the Mercenary King’s epic ranked aura suddenly swept over the entire army.
Rowan found that it reminded him of the day they faced the knight demon. But instead of panic and helplessness, the Mercenary King’s aura steadied the army’s spirits and quelled any sign of doubt. Rowan could feel the aura try to seep into his own skin before being blocked by Rowan’s mana. For the first time since his advancement, Rowan reached out for his mana, and what he found stole his breath away.
His mana had shifted, turning from something light and ethereal into a viscous, persistent force. He felt like a single thought would allow him to impose his weight, his very existence, onto the world around him. That he could force everyone to acknowledge the fact that he was an indelible piece of reality.
For the very first time, Rowan understood exactly what the epic ranked aura was.
That understanding also led to more questions than before. What was the difference between his aura and the Mercenary King’s? What about the epic tier beasts he had killed, with or without assistance? The dinosaur monster was just a stronger version of rare beasts and Tamara’s own fight with the snake monster was tough but not impossible. Neither monster showed an aura.
Regardless, Rowan pushed his thoughts aside. The number of dead humans in their path was rapidly multiplying. More interestingly, he could also tell that most of the people were killed while trying to run.
Some had died clawing their way forward, some were left in pieces, clearly torn apart by a massive beast of some kind. Some even appeared entirely unblemished, save for the looks of agony on their faces. And when the scouts made their way back, he was almost shocked to see them alive.
“Lord Rowan, Chief,” one of the scouts said, stepping forward. The others, Rowan noted, were all looking pale and struggling to catch their breaths.
“Report, lad. This isn’t the time for formalities.” Lucius scolded lightly, eyes still fixed on the ravaged forest and the corpses ahead of them.
“There is a large gathering of beasts ahead, sir. A few demons too. Five in total, that we could see. The hero is still alive.”
That was a relief, and a sigh escaped Rowan before he could even think to stop it as his eyes fell briefly closed. “How can you be sure? Did you see him?”
“No, sir. However, the beasts and demons are all gathered around a massive barrier. I suspect it’s some kind of miracle-based spell, because of the mana color. Golden,” the scout reported.
The Mercenary King sighed and nodded, then immediately gave his order. “We advance, at top speed. We need to recover the hero as quickly as possible. If you agree, of course, Lord Rowan.”
Rowan didn’t need to think about that one. “Yes, I agree. We should proceed as quickly as possible.”
“Very well. Tamara, you caught all that, right?” the Mercenary King shouted up at the mage, who snorted and nodded her head. Rowan hadn’t even noticed when she’d drifted lower to listen in. “Good. In that case, advance ahead of us. I trust you won’t have trouble with laying down cover fire?”
The way the woman grinned was positively malicious. “Indeed I won’t. I’m looking forward to really letting loose for the first time since my advancement.”
She didn’t wait for further instructions. The platform lifted, taking her into the sky along with her disciples. Rowan sighed. He still wasn’t sure he could trust her, but time would tell. They had bigger things to worry about, like breaking into a trap meant for Blake. If it was a trap at all, and not a result of his recklessness.
“Very well. Let us advance,” the Mercenary King bellowed orders, and another card effect swept over the troops.
Rowan felt the attempted intrusion, and allowed it to happen this time. When the Mercenary King broke into a sprint, every soldier in the army joined him in perfect unison, power coursing through their bodies. Even Rowan felt a minor boost, though it was clearly not as effective on him as it once used to be when he was keeping a rare class.
It didn’t take very long for them to spot the barrier in the distance. A massive, glowing dome rose over the trees, groups of mages hovering above it as flames and lighting rained down from the sky.
Then, the monsters were in their sight too, and Rowan felt the army lurch and then speed up even more. The Mercenary King was pushing hard but when they slammed into the back of the monsters, Rowan was convinced that it was worth it.
Soldiers that would typically struggle to face a single enemy at their own tier fought like they were possessed. Weapons flashed out with unerring accuracy, slicing and striking with a truly exquisite ferocity.
Rowan contributed too. His weapon moved faster than he could ever manage before, scything down one rare tier beast after another in his rush to reach the barrier.
The epic tier monsters and demons had responded to the appearance of mages and were clustered near the far side of the dome. Ranged abilities were flying through the air like they didn’t cost mana, but so far, Tamara was holding.
And the distraction meant that he count cut his way through right up to the barrier, his party and the Mercenary King right by his side. Already, Rowan could see vague shapes of people on the other side, but the opaque nature of the spell didn’t let him glean much more than that.
“Go! We’ll distract them for now, regroup with the other hero,” the Mercenary King shouted, pivoting to face the horde of monsters.
Rowan surged forward, hand reaching out for the barrier experimentally.
His fingers slipped right through.
The hero party stumbled, expecting the barrier to pose at least some resistance to their entry and entirely unprepared for what they would see inside.
Three women scrambled to their feet, immediately imposing themselves between the newly appeared party and the form of a man lying on the ground.
Rowan had quietly stewed in all sorts of doubt while on their way there. Would Blake be different? Would he still be the friend he’d known for so long? Not once, however, had he suspected that he wouldn’t find him alive.
“Blake!” Rowan stormed forward, completely ignoring the questions and warnings the women threw his way. Some kind of mana bolt slammed into Rowan, but Marcus’s defenses held and he didn’t even notice.
He pushed his way past them and collapsed on his knees as his eyes fell on the pale face of his best friend. There was blood smudged there, and cold sweat collected on his brow. Rowan’s stomach flipped, then fell, before a dizzying sense of relief when he noticed the slow rise and fall of Blake’s chest.
“He’s alive.” Rowan breathed out quietly, screwing his eyes shut. “He’s alive.”
“Who do you think you are, doing something like that?!” A surprisingly strong hand closed on Rowan’s shoulder, then stiffened when Rowan didn’t budge at the attempt to shove him.
He turned slowly, cold eyes falling on the auburn haired woman, whose expression was starting to look a whole lot more worried when faced with his glare. “Better question is, who are you to stop me from checking on my best friend?”
The answer was as smug as it was instant. “I’m his fiancée.”
Rowan blinked. Oh. Well alright, then.