With a few hours on the road, he’d be able to review his soulboard and wanted to spend his new skillpoint wisely. Dazing off, the various displays appeared and he gasped at the top. He hadn’t gained just one skillpoint, but two.
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“You know, back when I was a young’n I always wanted to be a mage—that was till I needed to read. My old teacher would yell “ya know Roadie! If you’s don’t get to reading, you’ll just be a common crook” HAH that old hag called us all snot-nosed crooks. She was right though, nothing beats the undercity coin. I’m sure you know about that”
“Yup” Steve replied
“I swear that some of your kind can’t keep a promise. Why I chose that crash skill. After the first holdup, I needed somethin to surprise them. You should’ve seen the look on his face when I slammed the cart into a tree. Well, not like he had much of a face after that. Just goes to show don’t mess with old Roadie right?”
“Sure” Steve rubbed at his temples
“Still why out all dis way? I might not be a reader but I know a thing or two. Arent’ yous supposed to be near a graveyard or somethin? Can’t get much done out here in the backwoods. You know if you wanna give me an extra share, I’ll give ya a good spot. It’s a spot to dump the bodies for the The Scarlet Slicers. Not sure how good their victims are after a night with those knives, but I’m sure a reputable man like yourself can deal with it.”
“Sounds great”
“Oh yeah it’s real great! Outta all the gang’s they keep their word. Strange bunch, nearly got my thumb cut off when I first worked with em. Apparently, they didn’t realize a new delivery boy was showing up. Thought I was some spy or scout, I can tell ya. Seeing a man get skinned next to ya really is a downer. There was nothin left in me after I got strapped to that table, Pissed and shit me-self. Looking back kinda of funny but soon boss came in and explained the situation. Still bit peeved they didn’t give me a new set of trousers. But did at least give me an extra coin for the troubles.”
“Oh wow…”
“Does he ever stop?” Ryland called out. Both were getting a bit annoyed by the long-winded driver.
“Still, would rather keep with the slicers over most gangs. They quick, easy, and pay well. Long as I don’t leak their activities, I keep me skin. Now The Ivory Ivies however, those gals are slick. Upfront they are quite pretty, but beneath the perfume and make-up, they are cold-hearted women. One night I got a good bonus and took up a night in the brothel. Was the greatest lay I’ve ever had! But outta the 10 that started, only 8 of us made it out. Not sure what happened to the other two. They look out for their own, long as you keep the gold flowing allz is good.”
“Hey Roadie?”
“What Steve, you got any tales to tell? I’m sure the Ivies would have a field day with you…”
“Can we just…Rest. It’s been a long day and I’m not in the mood to chat.”
“Oh Fine…Just trying to pass the time. Not much else to do tonight but I get it. You don’t want to talk with an old man. Old Roadie too boring for you. Fine, I get it. I’ll mind me business”
Steve knew he was getting guilt-tripped but honestly didn’t care. Closing his eyes, he wanted to sit back, relax, and enjoy the evening. When all of a sudden, he heard this agitating, grating noise. Opening his eye, he turned toward the sound. It was Roadie once again, but now whistling a song–extremely off-key.
The driver looked back with that toothy grin.
“Oh what, I can’t even whistle. Come now Steve, stop being such a bore.” Roadie ruffled Steve’s head and continued his horrid song.
Steve reached back behind and pulled out his kit. Tearing some strips of fabric, he bundled them into make-shift earplugs. Roadie just laughed at the absurdity of it all, but didn’t say anything more. Instead the man focused on the road, activating another skill to speed up the pace.
Finally, Steve could focus on his selection. His list was mostly similar, it was rare to lose a skill unless they were mutually exclusive. However, he did notice a new one.
Passive: Sense Unlife, +1 Will, +1 Perception
It’s like Sense Life, but dead! Gain the uncanny knack to feel nearby undead. Radius determined by Perception. Precursor to scouting type skills and long-range communications.
Passive: Minor Negative Attunement, +1 Vitality
Feeling drained? Just ignore it! Acquire an affinity for negative energy. Endure negative and death zones for longer periods. Slight resistance to death based magic and skills. Scales slightly with Vitality and Willpower. Precursor to territorial magics and resistance based skills.
Active: Blood Rite: Hold Undead, +1 Strength, +1 vitality, +10 mana
No mana, No problem! Sacrifice blood to paralyze target undead. Blood and mana increased per rank of undead. Costs decrease based on users Strength and Willpower. Precursor to control and blood skills.
Active: Minor Flesh Sculpting, +1 Intelligence, +1 Perception, +1 agility
Remember, it’s what is on the inside that counts! Close minor wounds, create minor cuts, or adjust shape and form. Scales on intelligence and Agility. More intense changes require exponentially more mana. Precursor to flesh-based shaping skills.
Active: Minor Bone Sculpting, +1 Strength, +1 Perception
Got a fracture? Well, fix it! Meld bone together, reinforce limbs, or just stop cavities. Make creations stronger, faster, and bigger! Scales with Strength and Intelligence. More intense changes require exponentially more mana. Precursor to bone manipulation skills.
Active: Malaise, +1 Intelligence, +10 Mana
Got a rival? Make him pay! Target creature feels a wave of nausea and a general sense of unwell. Any poisons, illness, or disease currently affecting the target flare up. Precursor to disease and direct death magics
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Active: Raise Dead (miniscule), +1 Intelligence, +1 Will, +10 mana
Allergic to animals? Who cares! Animate small undead creatures. Such creations may include rodents, fingers, or custom creations within the miniscule category. Requires components to animate and injections of mana and/or negative energy for maintenance. Precursor to undead creation skills.
Steve carefully considered each option alongside the new Bone Shaping skill. No doubt he got that after fixing up Roadie and the zombie. He was tempted to grab both shaping skills. It wasn’t uncommon for similar abilities to benefit each other. Sometimes they’d even fuse into a single skill and free up other paths. Yet, after that fight in the field. Steve knew he had to start shoring up his offense. That left him with [Malaise], [Raise Dead], and [Blood Rite].
Still thought he was a bit surprised at having two skill points. Normally multiple skills were given out for great deeds. Steve and Ryland just fought till the bitter end and barely made it out alive. They didn’t even finish off the entire encampment, if those two others didn’t parley he’d be a dead man. Yet there it was, the two skill points just flashing in his mind's eye. Whatever he did, The Will seemed to enjoy it. Once he made it back to the coven, he’d have to go over every detail. Those studying the world would pay heavy gold for the information. More efficient leveling was constantly being researched and breakthroughs were quite rare.
He knew he was going to take [Raise Dead]. After watching Ryland distract the bandit with a handful of dirt, a few critters nipping ankles would be great. Also he was previously training to be a [Necromancer], not being able to animate the dead was starting to look bad. He’d need to get new bags for his minions. Hopefully the looted gold would pay for a bag of stasis. Unless they wanted to go rat hunting every few days, he really needed a way to keep materials fresh. Confirming his option, he felt the rush of power once more. The mana was a bit low, it was only enough to cast an extra [Death Bolt] but every bit counted. While the bump in intelligence and will was a great bonus. It didn’t beatout hard work, but it did sharpen his thoughts.
But what was next? Malaise felt like the correct choice. He could distract with minions and sicken his adversaries. It wasn’t necessary to kill them. In fact, Steve would prefer not to kill anyone. Worst case, he could incapacitate and let Ryland finish the job. But disease magic was icky. There was one [Poisonmancer] he met with Faust and the guy was off–Even being near him was draining. Furthermore, while it could be great at taking out a rival, most spells were compounding or slow. Even [Malaise] was ineffective unless his opponent had a primary infection. He would just have to lean more into [Death Bolt] over [Malaise] and hope The Will offered up more direct magics.
[Blood Rite] seemed a bit more niche. Unless he pissed off his fellow scholars, it really only stopped wayward minions. He also didn’t expect to fight that often, so it was unlikely The Will would give him [Blood Darts] or other offensive skills. Still, being able to empower other skills with excessive lifeforce was extremely enticing. Maybe he could get a general blood sacrifice passive, something he could use to cast [Death Bolt] without wasting mana. It would be a great supportive choice.
Yet, his mind kept returning to the previous engagement. He was shot, nearly lost his hand, and lost most of his supplies. Supportive skills could wait, he needed something much more direct moving forward. With one final confirmation, he chose [Malaise]. Once they reached the next area, he’d need to test the limits of his newly acquired abilities.
Ryland was a bit more…erratic on his skill selection. The ghastly thief really chose things that sounded cool. Since skipping the last level, this was the first time he’d seen his selection. He wanted to take them all, but was stuck with only a single skillpoint.
Passive: Manager of the Dead, +1 Will, +1 Charisma
Tired of dead ears? Your commands, suggestions, and directions are magically reinforced. Lower tier creations scales on Will, Higher tier creations scales on Charisma. Precursor to leadership skills
Passive: Unfair Fight, +1 Strength
Honor is for the dead. Well, more like the dead and buried. When fighting alongside your Body, boost all of its stats by +1. Scales on all stats, each proportionally increases the body. I.E Higher intelligence gives Intelligence. Precursor to brawling and fight skills.
Passive: Eerie Existence, +1 Perception, +1 Charisma, +1 Presence
Ever see a shadow in the darkness? Feel like somebody's watching in the woods? Now become that spooky creature! While in the dark, unnerve those nearby. Scales on Presence and Perception. Precursor to territorial based skills.
Active: Chilling Touch, +1 Presence, +1 Strength
Cold hands taken to the extreme! Expend Presence to cool things in your grasp. Scales on Presence. Precursor to skills that directly interact with the living.
Active: Ghostly Jaunt, +1 agility, +1 Presence
Walking is for the living, travel in style. Expend Presence to teleport a brief distance. Scales on Agility. Precursor to scouting and movement skills.
Active: Siphon Life, +1 Presence, +1 Will, +1 Intelligence
Feeling drained? Then drain others! Thrive on death and decay! As things weaken, steal their essence and empower your own. Restore Presence, Stamina, Health, or other pools of power. Scales on Will. Precourse to skills that interfere with the balance of life (Warning! Some deity’s may not appreciate meddling).
For once, Ryland wasn’t sure the best option. All of them could be quite fun to use. But what was “presence”? He had heard of mana, stamina, health, faith, and a few niche resources…but never presence. Hell, his ability to mess with dust only worked on his stamina. Yet, for what it was, he felt like it was important to his class. A calling that shifted his focus onto the three actives. Sure the passives were great and he’d grab a few on the next set of levels, but he really needed more direct abilities. Throwing pocket sand only got a ghost so far.
Chilling Touch seemed to be the most efficient of all. The skill was a bit vague and based on his other ghastly abilities…weak. Sure he had a huge advantage being permanently invisible, but still a bit of a cold slap wasn’t going to change a fight. Yet, it was the only one that would lead to more direct abilities. It might be best to sacrifice a skillpoint to be more self-sufficient.
Ghastly Jaunt looked fun. He always wanted a teleport or blink-like skill as a rogue. They were extremely powerful in combat and seeing one this low was a bit of a surprise. Still, it wasn’t like he could carry a dagger on him. It was so frustrating, what should be super strong was basically worthless.
“Being a ghost sucks” he groaned
That only left Siphon Life. The skill was kind of dull, nothing flashy or fun–but that warning intrigued him. Ryland always loved to stick it to authority and pissing off the gods was appealing. Still, after seeing that crazy priest, he decided against it. That would be an ability once he gained some levels. Sure it’d be fun to give Deas the middle finger, but the eternity of torture wasn’t worth it.
Without much else to go on. Ryland selected Chilling Touch and felt the points take hold. Turning back towards Steve, a devious smile crept onto his face. He was slow and quiet, not wanting to alert his friend. Reaching out, he expended his point of Presence and poked the man in the neck.
“Ahhh What the Hell!” Steve lurched up from his seat and nearly fell off the side.
“Boy! Sit down. I aint stopping this cart for nothin!” Roadie grabbed his pants and pulled him back in.
Ryland left off a deep laugh as he watched his friend. He wasn’t sure how cold that touch was, but clearly it wasn’t pleasant. This might be a bit better than he thought. Unfortunately, until he picked up more “Presence” it was a one and done skill. Maybe grabbing [Siphon Life] would be next…
Steve glanced back and gave a stare that would rival Deas’ himself. They were going to have a long, VERY long talk when reaching the village. Ryland held up his hands and shrugged. He made a mental note to see how long it took to recharge, hoping it wasn’t too bad of a cooldown. With the two fully leveled, they rode through the night quickly reaching the next town.