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The impatience to look at his progress made Vincent summon his stats before he reached the room, still reading them when he closed the door behind him. Lukas was not there, which was perfect.
Name: Vincent Valaška
Level: 30 (7 Tokens available).
Body 36 (+4) / Mind 19 (+4) / Spirit 30 (+4).
There was a slight increase in his stats. A plus one in Body and Mind and two in Spirit. He took his phone and wrote it down, regretting he hadn't noted everything from the beginning.
"Show me my current Karma skill and a full description," he asked aloud.
Important: Karmic skills are passive or defensive by nature. No second party can access Karmic-related notifications unless the user grants explicit permission.
Perfect!
Outsider's Stride (Active, Mythical tier, Karmic). Bestows you with the ability to conjure a bespoke wormhole. You can use it to go to places you see, were to, or can attune to in various manners, as long they are on an Awakened Realm. This skill has no levels but can be improved through practice.
So, no going home, huh?
You can transport people, living beings, or objects with you as long they are willing and not more than ten feet away. Unconscious or unwilling people you transport to save their lives are an exception. A Stride costs one charge of Karma/jump/person.
Important: You cannot transport people against their will. This ability won't work if the destination is incompatible with your survival. Overlapping with any object or living being will move your exit to the nearest safe point. Mind Control effects or mind-altering drugs might stop the skill from activating. Alcohol, in moderation, does not impede it.
Karmic Charges: 187/200
Neat! I guess it remembers every good deed I ever did… Vincent gloated.
FAQ: What is the duration of a Karmic charge?
Answer: A Karmic charge depreciates after five years.
FAQ: Can I have more than 200 Karmic charges?
Answer: Negative. The normal amount is 100, but you have 200 due to your Dichotomic class. With a better understanding of the flow of Karma, acquiring Karma Charges will become easier.
FAQ: What about negative Karma?
Answer: Negative Karma (caused by bad deeds) will be deducted from your Karma Pool. Evil-attuned Karma users have their ways of utilizing Negative Karma, but they keep that information a secret.
"Unsurprisingly."
The notification had offered answers to questions before he even thought about them, but it was for the better. Next, Vincent wished to see if there were new Karmic skills available. The notification was hilarious.
By doing important stuff, you have earned the right to acquire the Outsider's Cloaking skill.
Outsider's Cloaking (Active, Mythical tier). Use both Light and Darkness to make your presence unnoticeable. A faint glint among the bright light of the day or a shadow confounding itself in the darkness of the night: that's you. Cost to acquire: 6 Tokens. Cost to activate: 1 Karmic Charge. Cost to maintain: 1 Karmic Charge per minute.
Do more stuff to unlock more Karmic skills.
The skill looked useful, and he had seven Tokens. Vincent bought it without second thoughts and raised his Mind by one on top of that. Without any Token left, he felt naked, but better naked than unprepared. Vincent was confident he'd level up soon enough. Then, he remembered that the world's main resource was Mana. Something he had never used… at least consciously.
"Err… System? Do I have a Mana pool or something?"
FAQ: What are ressources?
Answer: Ressources are representations of specific energy your awakened body produces and uses for various purposes. Remember that the following descriptions are an extreme simplification of a much more complex reality.
Mana: A resource dependent on your Spirit stat and level (Spirit+Level x 10). Your MPs are currently 600/600. Recovery rate: 1%/minute. Mana is usually used for spells or social skills, sometimes instinctively.
Stamina: A resource dependent on your Body stat and level (Body+Level x10). Your SPs are currently 595/660. Recovery rate: 1%/10 minutes. Stamina is usually used to enhance one's physical attacks or defenses.
Concentration: A resource dependent on your Mind stat and level. (Mind+Level x10). Your CPs are currently 500/500. Recovery rate: 1%/1 minutes. Concentration is usually used for analysis and detection checks.
So physical recovery is slower than the rest…
Health Pool—
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"What? There's a Health Pool?"
The Health Pool is a magical buffer, a Mana double of your normal body. A few classes and species can use their HPs to soak damage to their vitals, continuing to function for an additional amount of time. ATM, you do not qualify for such a resource. Use your common sense.
Those Knights kept coming with their brains blown out… Ew! "System, show me all my skills and perks, including their costs."
Name: Vincent Valaška Age: 28
Level: 30 (0 Tokens available).
Body 36 (+4) / Mind 20 (+4) / Spirit 30 (+4).
Class: Dichotomic (Unique, Mythical)
Elements: You can wield elements from the schools of Light, Darkness, Fortune, and Wisdom, altogether or separately.
Name buff: Valaška/Velasco.
Due to your class, you can choose the name you want to display. CD: 24h.
Under the Valaška name, you gain +10 in Body and increased damage when using a shepherd axe and light spells. While displaying the Velasco name, you gain the Blessing of the Raven: +10 in Spirit and an increased effect of all Darkness spells.
These buffs activate only in combat.
Species: Outsider (Mythical)
Species Perks:
Resilience (Passive, Elite): You age 4x slower than a normal human. Evolvable at Skill levels 50 and 100. Current Skill Level: 20
Slippery (Passive, Elite). High Resistance to Magic Damage, Mind Control, and against all forms of Identify. Evolvable at Skill levels 50 and 100.
Disguise (Passive, Elite): Set a name, class, and species to display as a tag. Recommendations for your level: Scout, Ranger, Warmaster / Half-Elf, Evolved Human.
Passive Proficiency (Elite): Your passive skills work +25% over their expected performance. Allows most of your passive skills to evolve at Skills levels 50 and 100.
Passive Skills:
Battle Instinct (Passive, Elite). You don't need to look at a target to judge its movements or the distance. At skill levels 50 and 100, you can evolve this ability to include an active effect. Current skill level: 18.
Quiet Leadership (Passive, Elite). With few but wise words, you manage to make others follow you. Increases the stats of your followers by +1. Gain +4 in every stat for yourself as long you have at least 30 followers. Evolvable at Skill levels 50 and 100. Current bonus: +4. Current skill level: 20.
Animal Empathy (Passive, Elite skill). You feel the mood of the animals around you. You can detect hidden predators in an area of a hundred feet if they observe you with malicious intent. Current skill level: 16. Evolvable at Skill levels 50 and 100.
Spying (Passive, Rare skill). Your presence and attention are barely noticeable, and you are prone to finding secrets. Current skill level: 32.
Mentor (Passive, Elite skill). You are exceptionally gifted to teach your skills to others. Current Level: 14.
Active skills:
Inspect (Active/ Rare tier). Analyze objects or living beings. Cost: 25 CPs/use. Evolvable at Skill levels 50 and 100. Current skill level: 30.
Insight (Active, Elite tier). A buff for your Inspect skill, allowing you to detect weaknesses and secrets. Consumes 25 CPs/use. It can be activated only on top of an Inspect. Current skill level: 30.
Iron Grip (Active, Elite tier): Your grip has an unusual force. This skill increases the strength of your hands for a limited time. Consumes 25 Stamina/use and 5 SPs/second to maintain. Current Skill Level: 25.
Karmic Skills:
Outsider's Stride (Active, Mythical, Karmic). Bestows you with the ability to conjure a bespoke wormhole. You can use it to go to places you see, were to, or can attune to in various manners, as long that place is on a Mana-awakened world. This skill has no levels, but it performs better with practice.
You can transport people, living beings, or objects with you as long they are willing and not more than ten feet away. Unconscious or unwilling people you transport to save their lives are an exception. A Stride costs one charge of Karma/jump/person.
Outsider's Cloak (Active, Mythical). Use both Light and Darkness to make your presence unnoticeable. A faint glint among the bright light of the day or a shadow confounding itself in the darkness of the night: that's you. This skill has no levels, but it performs better with practice. Activation costs one Karmic Charge, then 10 MPs/second to maintain.
A knock on the door interrupted his concentration while Vincent read the last line. "Enter," he shouted.
First Irene, then Jorge appeared. "The tribute is due to be delivered," Irene said.
"Thanks… I almost forgot…"
"There's a development," Jorge blurted.
"Tell me."
"Somebody came to investigate the battle place."
"So soon?" Vincent said. "How many?"
"T-three… r-ravens," Jorge stuttered.
"Three what?" Vincent gasped.
"Three ravens… Here, I recorded it."
Taking Jorge's phone in hand, Vincent pressed 'Play.' Seen from above, the scene looked… eerie. Crushed corpses and another one with an arrow in his head, Joe. Vincent guessed that Jong considered it too gross to recover an arrow covered in brains. As Jorge said, three ravens came in flight, circling the place. Instead of feasting on the bodies, they landed on the road and transformed into people. The process took no more than a second.
The camera zoomed in. The first man had a Hungarian mustache and long dark hair; his forehead stuck into a permanent frown. The golden circlet he wore showed he was royalty. The second looked like an evil Gandalf, with all the prerequisites for a wizard, including the staff, but with a bodybuilder's frame and a smirk on his face. The third… Vincent couldn't guess if it was a man or a woman. Thin and pale, of an uncertain age, but looking rather young.
The wizard approached Joe and melted into the corpse. With a gasp, Joe opened his eyes. "Your Majesty…" he croaked.
"How come we have sound?" Vincent paused the recording.
"I used an enchantment on the drone's microphone. Video zoom equals sound zoom," Jorge said.
"Go figure," Vincent sighed and resumed the video.
"What happened?" the one with the circlet asked.
"Ambush… your majesty… The alien warlord, a woman mercenary, an archer," Joe reported, looking at the man with the mustache. His voice had a weird echo, so unnatural that Vincent shivered.
"No Mongols?" the King picked an arrow from the ground.
"No, sire. They… wanted us to believe they were Mongols and many."
Suddenly, Joe's body jerked and collapsed, and the wizard reappeared. "He's spent… Should I take the matter into my own hands?"
"No," the king spoke. "It was a bad idea to start with," he looked at the wizard, frowning. Despite his larger frame, the wizard took a step back. "We'll bid our time… When did they arrive here, a few days ago? And in such a short time, they grew to beat four Dark Knights."
"They used the ravine to their advantage," the wizard said. "Give me a chance, my liege. I will bring you the Summoned."
"The risk is too high," the King shook his head. "The Shaman will detect you, and the Khan will think we're up to something and divert the horde toward us. We can't afford another year of destroyed crops. We take the taxes and return home." He transformed back into a raven, followed by the other two, and they flew away.
"Hungary's on the verge of bankruptcy," Irene said. "Beauhemia is the only thing keeping it afloat."
"I think it's time I meet the Khan," Vincent nodded slowly.