CONGRATULATIONS, JOHN MCCLANE. YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL FIVE.
The warm glow of pleasure and power that rushed through me gave me goosebumps, and this time, I could swear that I felt my body growing stronger. Level Five. Sure, it wasn’t much to those Players that had been playing the game for months, but for me and my noob status, it felt like a grand achievement.
YOU MAY SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SKILLS AND ABILITIES. PLEASE NOTE THAT PLAYERS AT LEVEL FIVE AND ABOVE HAVE THE OPTION OF SELECTING A NEW SKILL OR ABILITY, OR THE PLAYER MAY CHOOSE TO ENHANCE ONE OF THEIR PREVIOUSLY CHOSEN SKILLS OR ABILITIES.
That could be extremely useful. Some of the abilities I had been offered in the past weren’t always the most appropriate for my needs. I wanted to focus on two aspects of my player build: Combat and Stealth. It would be preferable to kill all of my (likely more powerful) opponents quickly and quietly. But if history meant anything, stealth wouldn’t always pay off, and when it failed, I had to know how to fight.
The new skills and abilities popped up on my interface as my personal AI read them out to me.
CLOSE COMBAT SPECIALIST: You know how to take a man head-on, solo, mano a mano. You’re not great at it, but you’ve got spunk. There’s hope for you still. Every time you engage an opponent within five yards of yourself, you gain HEIGHTENED COMBAT AWARENESS, which will occasionally empower you with the ability to anticipate your opponent's actions to a greater effect. Think of it as an upgrade to your base battle instincts. This is a passive ability.
That seemed like an extraordinary ability, but I wanted to see what else was being offered.
THE CALL OF THE WILD: You’ve been spending a lot of time in the woods, and to make matters worse, you’ve been hanging around with a warg. You’re on the path to becoming a true mountain man. As a personal note, I’d recommend taking a break from camping. I don’t have any olfactory senses, but even I can tell that you stink. You need a shower, friend. Anyway, THE CALL OF THE WILD grants you the ability to call any normal wild animal to your side, where it will fight with you for the course of a day. An animal must be within fifty yards of you for this ability to work. It can be used once a week.
I was interested in that skill until I read ‘once a week.’ It would be awesome to have a giant bear as an ally, but first, I’d have to find one, and secondly, I could only do it once a week. I was sour about it.
ENSHROWDEN: You seem to have a strange fixation with dark places. You’re not secretly a vampire are you? Ha! Anyway, since you love the shadows so much, you could become one with ENSHROWDEN. That’s right! Transform your body and everything on it to shadow. It’s quite useful for those who like to sneak around in the dark. This skill can be cast twice a day and lasts thirty seconds.
Wow. I almost accepted it immediately, but I wanted to weigh my options and maybe get Val’s input.
There was also the word ENHANCE at the bottom of my visual overlay, but I wasn’t ready to enhance any of my skills yet. Both Enshrowden and Close Combat Specialist seemed too good to pass up.
‘What do you think, Val?’
‘I’ve never been a big fan of animals, so Call of the Wild is a no for me.’
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‘I wasn’t planning on picking it. I’m stuck between Close Combat Specialist and Enshrowden.’
‘Your combat is severely lacking. Close Combat could help considerably. If you plan on sneaking around a lot, then pick Enshrowden. Both are good.’
She told me nothing I didn’t already know. I was hoping she would have some actual insight. It was stupid even to ask.
In the end, I went with Close Combat Specialist. I still intended to be sneaky and hoped that other skill would reappear if I kept prompting it with my actions. I’d have to find a good quest that would require me to be steathly.
I couldn’t wait to test out my new skill, but I’d just have to wait until I got into another fight.
I wandered back to the group, and we set off to Danver. I stayed close to Kitz, hoping a familiar face would make him feel better about leaving the forest. I reassured him it was only for a few days, just until we sorted things out with the Hunters. After we figured out how to stop them from hunting him, he could return and live his happy life with his woodland creatures.
When we finally exited the forest, we could see the expanse of the wooden city in the distance. From our higher vantage point, the sight was quite striking. There seemed to be a swarm of ants bustling through and around Danver, but it was only the innumerable masses that lived and worked there.
Ersabet approached me and asked if we could talk. She glanced down at Kitz, and I understood her meaning. I patted Kitz on the back. “Hey, I need to speak with Ersabet for a while. You're all right hanging out with boring Tara over there.”
“Excuse me,” she spun to me, hands on her hips and a cheeky snarl on her face. “I am the exact opposite of boring. I am undoubtedly the most fun individual in this dreary traveling party.”
Now it was Ersabets turn to take mock offense. “Dreary? My dear, you are dangerously mistaken. I am a beacon of light and joy. Perhaps I shine too brightly for your dull eyes to see.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “If ‘Bet here is a beacon of light, then we’re both blind, Tara.”
That made Tara laugh, which made me laugh again. Ersabet crossed her arms unsmiling, but I saw a twinkling of laughter in her eyes.
Ersabet and I separated from the group and walked ahead of them.
“So, what’s up?”
Ersabet’s brow furrowed. “Up? The sky is up.”
“It’s an expression from earth. It means ‘what’s going on’ or ‘what’s happening?’ In this case, it means ‘what do you want to talk about?”’
“Before we get to that,” she said. “You called me ‘Bet earlier. Why?”
I shrugged. “Just a friendly nickname.”
“Is that what we are?” She raised her brow.
“Maybe not yet,” I admitted. “In time, I hope.”
“The Dalari do not have friends, at least not in the same way as you humans. Dalari culture is one of individualism. We value our own strengths and aptitudes. A friend to us is the person who can best help us succeed in our individual endeavors. One helps the other not out of kindness but out of their self-interest. It is expected that a kindness given will eventually be reciprocated in some way.”
“Wow, must be tough knowing all your friendships are transactional.” I smiled at her. “So, I surmised you don’t want me to call you ‘Bet.”
“I would prefer you use my first name in its entirety.”
“Fine, but I bet,” I emphasized the last word. Her eyes sparked with annoyance, and her brow twitched. “I bet that after you spend enough time with me, your old ways will wear off.
She rolled her eyes and flicked her hand like she was throwing this conversation away. “Have you considered all the risks in going back to Danver?”
“The risk of running into Prajio, you mean?”
“That is one of many. What if Prajio has gone public about your anomalous nature? What if we are wanted?”
I shook my head. “That’s not how Prajio operates. I’ve been thinking about it, and I don’t think Prajio is going to tell anyone about me. I think he wants me for himself. Plus, he’s far too prideful to admit being bested and losing his prey. I doubt he’d ask anyone for help.”
“That is quite the gamble. Are you sure it’s one you want to take?”
I nodded. “Yes. And, I’ve got you here to fight him off if we ever see him again.”
“Pray I never have to.”
“So, is that it?” I asked. “Or did you have more you wanted to talk about?”
“Will you ditch the girl?”
That caught me off guard. “Tara? Not if she wants to stay. But I will force her to go to her family’s home. After that, she can make her choice.”
“Tara will only burden us. You know this.”
I nod once. “How long does this game last, Ersabet?”
She cocked her head. “It lasts until all the leaders get together and sign a peace treaty and a proclamation that all grievances were resolved on the battlefield or forgiven.”
“What if that doesn’t happen?”
She blew out a quick laugh. “It always happens. The longest game lasted fifty-two years. It’s almost unbelievable. I can do ten years, max. After that, whoever’s risen to the top better do their thing with the others and end this horror show.”
“I don’t know how long the games last,’ I said, “but the quicker it ends, the better it would be for all my people. At least they could live in a stable world, even if it was still full of monsters. The point is that Tara has potential and plenty of time to learn. If she trained using a bow, she would improve, just like anyone else. But, she’s also got magic. And I need you to help me out with that, Ersabet. With time and training, she could be a valuable team member.”
She waved the conversation away. “We shall see. We can talk more of this in Danver.” She smiled and tilted her head to the side. “That is only if you are correct about Prajio, and we aren’t immediately attacked by the first Kurskin we see.”
“Have faith, Ersabet. It can take you far if you let it.”