Ability Selection

Choose a new Spell Augment to learn. You may later replace this Spell Augment with any other spell you are eligible to learn by consuming its Spell Card or using a Spell Book.

Spell Augment – Warped Spell

Base Spellcraft: Add 1

Spellcraft Multiplier: Add 50%

Cost: Add 20%

This Spell Augment only affects spells which launch a projectile at their chosen target. The projectile originates from a position you choose within 20m of you, rather than your position, then moves to strike your target as normal.

You can use this ability to increase the effective range of your spells; the spell is cast as if you were standing in the targeted position.

Spell Augment – Rune Trap Spell

Base Spellcraft: Special (see below)

Spellcraft Multiplier: Add 100%

Cost: Add 50%

Cast Time: Add 100%

You cast your spell as normal, but the effect is to emblazon a rune on a surface that you can touch. The rune contains the spell, which triggers when one of the following happens:

- An enemy touches the rune, or comes within up to 3 meters of it

- You choose to trigger it remotely

You make these decisions when you cast the spell, at which point it triggers and targets the nearest ally or enemy, depending on which you choose. The rune requires 5 seconds to set—if it triggers within this timeframe, the spell fizzles uselessly.

A Rune Trap Spell has either the base spellcraft of the unmodified spell, or a base spellcraft of 8, whichever is higher. You still add the base spellcraft adjustments of all other Spell Augments to this value, as normal.

You can have more than one Rune Trap Spell placed at a time, but the combined required spellcraft of all your Rune Trap Spells cannot exceed your own.

“Heh,” I said, seeing the first option. “Nice to see some old friends returning, I suppose.” It was still my best plan for getting around counters like Spell Reflection.

I looked at the psychic choices:

Spell Augment – Intuitive Spell

[You already know this spell augment. Choose a different spell available to you.]

Spell Augment – Echo Spell

Spellcraft Multiplier: Add 100%

Cost: Subtract 25%

Cast time: Subtract 25%

The Echo Spell Augment can only be applied to a spell that is exactly the same as the last spell you cast in terms of spell and spell augments, with the exception of Echo Spell.

“Would you look at that,” I muttered. “I’ve got some thinking to do.”

“Really?” Cuby asked. “I’m done.”

“You already knew what you wanted,” I said. “Invisibility, right?”

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“Yes,” she said, voice still oddly morose, especially for Cuby.

I opened my inventory and looked at the assortment of cards that I’d taken from Miradel’s observatory:

Common Spell Card – Unnatural Terror

Common Spell Card – Immobile Illusion

Uncommon Spell Card – Destructive Wave

Uncommon Spell Augment Card – Huge Spell

Uncommon Passive Card – Ambush Caster

Already missing Hex of Chains and certain that the other cards were harder to replace, I learned Unnatural Terror overtop of my Intuitive Spell, which currently occupied a Spell / Spell Augment Slot. Then I opened the Ability Selection pane again and chose Intuitive Spell for my psychic’s new slot. My reasoning was simple: Echo Spell wasn’t very good. Maybe for a PvE healer, but losing 12.5% of the total cast time of two consecutive Implosive Missiles every now and then was not quite worth the slot—certainly not worth knowing Unnatural Terror.

As for the Mage’s choice, I was somewhat torn. I wanted Warped Spell because I knew it was strong in our current circumstances, but Rune Trap Spell seemed like it could be encounter-changing all on its own in both PvP and PvE, especially if I got some good AoE spells—which I had none of right now.

Still. Somehow opening an encounter with Rune Trap Missiles, Rune Trap Psychic Parasite, Rune Trap Devour Magic….

I chose Rune Trap Spell. My high spellcraft made it stronger, anyway.

Then I paid 3 of my Psychic Skill Points and 3 of my Mage Skill Points for Heightened Hearing—Heightened Sight had already more than shown its quality, and the way ahead really seemed like it might require it.

Then I looked at Cuby, her eyes haggard. I couldn’t explain the change that had so quickly come over her, except that she seemed to have simply reached her limit when it came to forcing her emotions to be whatever she liked—but who knew how accurate that was? I didn’t know what it was like to be psychologically part-human, part-phrenodine.

“Do you want one of the focus potions, Cuby?” I asked. “You seem drained; maybe you could drink it if you feel you need it in combat.”

She stared at me for a second, face unreadable. “Yes,” she said at last.

I passed her the potion. “I’m ready,” I said. “Let’s go—though I gotta say, I’m a little worried about going in there.”

“Yeah,” she said, drawing her weapons.

I reactivated my lightning affinity skill and strode into the dark, holding my rod high so as to act as a torch. Inside we found ourselves on a balcony overlooking a short tunnel, a large door to match the one beneath us set into the other end some thirty meters ahead at the end of the road. A row of shadowed, trapezoidal doorways lined the right wall, and a stairway led down from our position to the ground floor.

But what caught my eye were the bodies in the center of the room. Six of them, dwarves and humans—four of them lying with their armor on, still, but two of them looked to have been struck by a particularly nasty spell: they were little more than sticky skeletons lying in a puddle of meaty ooze.

Hoping that was the only source of the smell, I snuck down the stairway with Cuby in tow. We investigated the doorways, but found little more than ordinary living quarters with little that was worthy of loot. My stomach was turning by the time we approached the bodies to examine them—six more people that were victims of initialization. Had the devil killed them?

The bodies, too, had nothing useful, and I elected not to loot their common armor or weapons. They’d been stripped of gold, if they’d had any, and we didn’t find any key to open the gates, which I suggested we refrain from doing: it was a dangerous time, and if the guards of this outpost had been killed then I didn’t exactly want to throw the doors wide open.

Moments later I had to admit to a little hypocrisy as I burned through the door on the other side and we emerged into the mountain pass once more. As we walked on, I noticed the lightening sky—the sun was coming up.

“Pretty soon we’ll have spent 24 hours here,” I said.

“Yeah,” said Cuby.

I looked over at her. She still looked pale, distant, and sad.

“Cuby,” I said. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

She flicked her eyes at me in annoyance. “Don’t ask again,” she said, her mouth set in a hard line.

“As you wish. Let me know if you need anything.”

“I need us both to farm our way to town,” she said, voice frayed. “And then spend as little time there as possible before we hunt down Haroshi, hopefully by catching him either on the road or in Mirrakatetz. Let’s go.”

She set out, and I followed. I was bothered by what she said, but not because she’d shut me down. If anything, Cuby’s sudden turn to quiet negativity made me realize how much I liked her company.

The sun continued to rise as we traversed the pass, jumping and gliding where we could to make sure we were making better pace than Haroshi might. Soon it would be 24 hours since I’d woken up in this place—but I tried not to think about that. I tried not to think about a lot of things.

Soon the pass opened ahead of us into another wooded area, and it wasn’t long before we saw a flash of red amidst the trees.

More demons.