Chapter 17
Respite on Backs of Fallen [https://imageshack.com/i/pme1hkqcp]
Mad Dogs took their time resting and sorting out their perk choices. The fog around them was silent. Dreadfully so. But at least they had time to take their breath, eat, drink, and calm down a bit.
Their rations will not be enough for long. They had bags full of dry jerky and adventuring rations. Mages back in Citadel grind vegetables and meat together in pasta and after invoking magic unknown to them, pasta was condensed into small cubes. These cubes were comfortable to take with them on long travels.
They were small, exceptionally tasty, and full of nutrients, but they clearly didn’t have enough of them. If the party couldn’t find a rift in a month’s time, they would be in a very dangerous position. These rations cost them a fortune, but now no one whined about their spending. They wished they would have bought more of them.
But food wasn’t their biggest concern. They didn’t have nearly enough water in their canteens, to survive here for long. If they will not find a source of drinkable water, they can already start digging their graves.
Jack Mors sat with his back against the back of Zaun. His shoulders touched the shoulders of Orla and Linus, and his gaze wandered in the fog in front of him. His helmet was off, and his grey, dirty hair fell in dirty clumps. His beard was unkempt and dirty, and he looked a lot older than he ever did. Long travels and constant exercise didn’t help his appearance or personal hygiene.
But despite that, his eyes were vibrant and full of energy. This new life he led filled him with new emotions, he didn’t fully understand yet. There was joy in murder, but he was well acquainted with those feelings. No. There was something else, something even more exciting dancing on edge of his perception.
Jack’s hands were trembling. Sitting in the place seemed like torture as his heart screamed for him to move and fight. It screamed to him to find his next foe and try to understand what was this warmth he felt deep inside him.
But he stayed still. His face was the same friendly mask of an old man which was like a second skin to him.
He took a deep breath and opened his Perk list glancing over his choices.
Choose a perk! Guardian’s shield Your shield durability and hardness are now scaling with your Constitution Stat Guardian's might Gain 10% of your Constitution stat as Strenght stat Guardian’s strike Grants a single strike extra power depending on your Constitution stat. Each Constitution point grants 1% power increase. Cost 1 mana Guardian’s body Increase your Constitution stat scaling by 1% Recovery II
Replaces Recovery. Doubles your Constitution stat scaling in the aspect of recovering from the injuries. Makes you more resistant to death’s door. Slowly regenerate lost limbs Guardian’s grace Grants your party members 5% of your Constitution stat while they are close to you
For the first time since coming here, he thought over his class and available perks. He really weighed his options this time.
Jack was in the new world and after fighting all these battles he must finally embrace the System. He needs to take his new world and its dangers more seriously than he did before. Now that he understood the importance of stats, he looked back at his other class choices when he killed that first wolf in the Westelwoods with amusement.
Only amusement, but not regret. Jack Mors was not familiar with feelings of regret. Those feelings were not in his nature.
But now he thought.
Guardian’s Shield would grant his shield increased durability and hardness based on the only stat he had behind his belt. Constitution.
Constitution enhanced the hardness and natural resistance of his body by 5% for each point, and with the current 11 Constitution stat points, he already felt like a different person. His body was hard and sturdy. Not nearly enough to stop a blade, but he could see a future where that would be a possibility.
How durable will be his body at 20 stats? At 100? Possibilities filled Jack with excitement.
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Granting the same bonuses to his shield could be good, but he was forced to throw the idea away as he couldn’t afford the perk which wouldn’t benefit him right now. He lost his shield in the previous fight with Dagger Delver and now he was left only with his mace.
Jack looked down at his left gauntlet. Only dried blood on the joints of his fingers gave away that Jack's fingers had been cut off. The bleeding had stopped, Constitution and Recovery doing its job, but fingers were still chopped off clean.
He hoped that by simply leaving them in the gauntlet with close contact with stumps they would regrow. Surely Constitution would help with that, but for now, it didn’t seem to be the case.
Jack slightly smiled remembering how he lost his fingers. Their duel was close, but Jack didn’t manage to emerge victorious. He didn’t remember when was the last time he didn’t win an equal battle. He must find this Delver in the future and thank him properly for that.
Next on the list was a Guardian’s Might.
The potential of it seemed incredible, but right now it would grant him only a single Strength stat point. With fog around him and riftkin under his feet, only madman would choose this perk right now. And that made perk only more attractive in Jack’s eyes.
Next came Guardian's Strike.
The immediate benefits of picking Guardian’s Strike seemed obvious. His strikes would be stronger based on his main stat. But there was a problem.
“How do I get mana?” Jack asked.
“Intelligence increase capacity by 5% per stat point,” Linus stopped his own contemplations to answer Jack’s question, ”If you want to advance in the magic direction you will have to wait for level 20 and hope for some good class choice.”
“But I have a capacity of zero right now.”
“What?” Linus, Orla, and Zaun all looked at Jack.
“Is it weird?”
“It is unheard of. Even creatures with the most pathetic magic talent have a mana capacity of one or two.”
“Oh, really? Well, mine is zero.”
“Don’t pick any perks with a mana cost. That will be a complete waste,” Linus advised him.
“Sure. What is your mana capacity, lads?” Jack asked.
“Mine is seven. I am below average,” Orla smiled at Jack, “But just don’t go to strangers asking about their stats or mana capacity. It is a serious insult in Empire.”
Zaun showed ten fingers in answer to Jack’s question.
“Lucky one,” Orla punched Zaun’s shoulder.
“Mine is…” Linus was struggling to get his words out.
“Ha! You have even lower capacity than mine?” Orla laughed, “Don’t be sad. I will defend you from dangers, small boy.”
“It’s 31,” Linus said with anger coloring his cheeks red.
Orla and Zaun looked at him with shock.
“Are you lying?” Orla asked.
“No.”
“Divines!” It was all that Orla was able to say.
“Is it a lot?” Jack asked.
“No,” she said, “It is a way above it. With such a natural talent his doors are open to any Order or Great family in Empire. Even the Royal family would adopt him.”
Silence fell on them and it made Linus visibly uncomfortable.
“I wish none of that,” he said and looked into Orla’s eyes, “I already have found my place and It is right here.”
She nodded and turned her back to Linus to return to guarding her side of the fog. When her back was once again pressed against Linus she allowed herself to let out a small smile.
“Hmm, so no Guardian’s Strike for me,” Jack murmured and continued to think over his choices.
Guardian’s Body felt like a strong choice to Jack.
He already knew that every Constitution stat point scales his body by 5%. 1% on top of that would make that 6 %.
Despite gaining only a 1% increase per point, Constitution stat, in general, would become 20 % more valuable. It was a strong bonus now and it would still be as strong in the future. It would make his strengths only stronger.
Recovery II was next on the list.
Perk would replace Recovery, and everything was exactly the same, except for one small sentence at the very end of the description.
Slowly regenerate lost limbs.
Words swam through his mind and nonexistent fingers twitched in response. Perk was tempting. Very tempting. Getting this perk right now would grant him nothing, but without his fingers, he won’t be able to fight with his full might in the future.
It was also important to note that taking the Recovery perk unlocked Recovery II. Surely after that follows Recovery III with even greater effects or only minor improvements.
Last but not least was Guardian’s Grace.
It seemed like an incredible perk in the long term, but it had the same downsides as Guardian’s Might. It would take a long time until this perk would matter. In Jack's eyes, it seemed like the weakest perk of them all. Granting 5% of his Constitution would matter only distant future when his Constitution stat would be significant.
But on the flip side, why did he even choose his class?
It was a joke. He loved being unpredictable. Unpredictable to others. And unpredictable to himself. Guardian’s class was so far from his true nature and old past, that it felt oh-so-charming to the twisted mind of Jack Mors.
But when he picked Guardian’s class, he engraved it into his soul. He didn’t have to be told that. He felt that. It became part of him. His new class mixed with what he was before to make something completely new.
And Guardian’s Grace would be the closest perk that encapsulates what Guardian’s class means. He was the shield of humanity. Shield of Mad Dogs of Rosmorre.
Jack could pick perks at levels 5, 10, and 15. It meant that he would have only three perks before class changed at level 20, so by picking something he also denies his other options.
Jack Mors must make his choice.
After a long pause, he finally chose his perk. The rest of the Mad Dogs of Rosmorre did the same.