Nyxpera
The 23rd of Elaphebolion
The Year 4631 in the Era of Mortals
Arche pulled his bow back farther than what felt safe to do. The wood of the bow creaked under the strain and he felt like the thing would snap at any moment. Arche focused on the tremors coursing through his hands and willed them to be still. Breath shuddered out of him like a river of air, the beat of his heart tapped a rhythm to the growing pressure against his fingers. In the negative space between breaths and heartbeats, he let go. The arrow sprang from his bow and sped toward a tree in a blur of movement. The shaft nearly disappeared into the trunk with a crunch of splitting wood.
Penetrating Shot has increased to Level 3.
+4% Penetration (+12%)
+4% Damage (+12%)
Arche shook his tired arms. In addition to the basic Stamina cost of thirty that the maneuver required, it also increased the Stamina cost of keeping the string pulled back. The sun was barely visible over the western forest and Lyssa called for a break. For the last six hours she had drilled him relentlessly in two Novice level maneuvers, Penetrating Shot and Power Attack. The maneuvers had been difficult to learn, requiring not only precise mechanical activations but also the mental intent to perform them. He could have pulled back the bow for Penetrating Shot as often as he wished but unless he had the desire to perform the maneuver, all he was likely to do was break his bow.
Arche pulled up the list of maneuvers, a submenu on his skills page, and lamented the fact that learning the maneuvers wasn’t enough to progress his main skills to the next level.
Maneuvers
Archery
Penetrating Shot
Level 3
+12% Penetration
+12% Damage
Cost: 30 Stamina
Swordsmanship
Power Attack
Level 5
+25% Damage
Cost: 35 Stamina
“You’ve progressed well,” Lyssa said after he reported his levels. “When you reach the Student ranks, more maneuvers will become available to you, so don’t wait to let me know.”
Arche nodded. “I will. I also need to find someone who can teach me how to use a spear properly.”
“I’m sure there’s someone in this village who can use a spear. Though there isn’t time to have you trained before we leave.”
“I know, I know. I’ll add it to the list.”
Arche hefted the Tridory and eyed it. He was tired of having to carry it around everywhere. The inability to inventory it proved to be a massive inconvenience compared to everything else in Tartarus. He really had to figure out a fix to carrying it by hand everywhere. Maybe if he found out more about how it worked, he’d be able to inventory it. It was, once again, a problem for future Arche. No matter how much he learned about what it could do, he couldn’t shake the feeling he hadn’t even scratched the surface of its capabilities.
“We should head to dinner,” Lyssa said. “Perhaps Helwan and Tess have found volunteers.”
Arche nodded. “Yeah, let’s hope they’re ready for whatever we’re getting into.”
They walked into the open dining area and spotted Helwan and Tess at a table, waving them over. Two strangers sat next to them. Arche Examined both as he and Lyssa approached.
Odelia Andromedina
Level: 16
Race: Halfling
Age: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Profession: ?
Trade: ?
Traits: ?
Companions: ?
Adventuring Party: ?
Health: 280 / 280
100%
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Stamina: 170 / 170
100%
Mana: 740 / 740
100%
Abraxios Oskopadous
Level: 19
Race: Tengu
Age: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Profession: ?
Trade: ?
Traits: ?
Companions: ?
Adventuring Party: ?
Health: 320 / 320
100%
Stamina: 200 / 200
100%
Mana: 800 / 800
100%
Their Mana levels were much higher than he’d expected. Helwan must have found mages willing to join them and Arche’s pace quickened at the idea of learning secondhand magic. As he approached, he was able to get a closer look at them. Odelia had dark hair in a braid and a diminutive profile, even sitting down. She was even smaller than the dwarves, whose height topped out around Arche’s naval, and seemed to be no taller than his hip. Abraxios, however, was perhaps a hand’s width shorter than Arche and, most notably, was completely covered in tropical feathers and dressed in a swirling blue robe with no hood or sleeves. He’d never heard of a tengu before, but it seemed they were an avian race, similar to how Gigator’s sauros race was reptilian.
He sat down at one end of the table, Lyssa settling in next to him, as Helwan stood up to make introductions.
“Arche, Lyssa, allow me to introduce Odelia and Abraxios. Odelia is a Life Shaman and Abraxios is a Storm Dancer. Odelia, Abraxios, this is Lyssa, a Huntress, and Arche. He doesn’t yet have a profession, but don’t let that fool you. I’ve seen him carve his way through beastmar without breaking a sweat.”
Both Odelia and Abraxios paused momentarily when they saw Arche, their gazes lingering on his face but not quite meeting his eyes. Both looked away after a moment, as if trying to hide their momentary lapse in propriety. Arche tried not to grind his teeth. He was getting really tired of how people reacted to his scars.
Abraxios moved to clasp Arche’s forearm, giving Arche a view of a small hand that was nestled among the multicolored plumage. The tengu looked like he would be more at home in a jungle rather than a forest or valley, but Arche did not feel it was his place to ask about it.
“A pleasure. We have heard some of Helwan’s songs these last few days,” Abraxios spoke in a voice that croaked and chirped oddly, as though their language was not quite suited to his larynx. “We have also been told about some of your quest, though I, for one, would like to hear it from you directly.”
“Nice to meet you both!” Odelia said cheerfully.
Her voice was high and, despite a face darkened and beginning to wrinkle from years under the sun, Arche had a hard time rationalizing that he wasn’t in the presence of a child.
“The tales Helwan has been spinning have been turning my head, I must admit. Did you really fight a revenant in a lost dwarven ruin?”
Arche blinked in surprise. “‘Fight’ is a generous word. ‘Survived’ would be more accurate. As far as the quest details go, sure. Pass some of that fish and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
As they dug into the dinner, Arche gave them the rundown of traveling through the forest and stumbling upon the beastmar camp. Tess helped fill in any details he had missed. They decided not to share the fact that Tess had kidnapped Arche and brought him to the woods with the intention to kill him, instead saying that they had been in the woods for ‘reasons’ and refused to elaborate further. Arche finished off with his meeting with Theodorous, the sanctioned quest he’d received, and the bounty that now existed for beastmar. He shared both quests with the newcomers.
They listened with rapt attention, asking only a few questions for clarification as the story unfolded before them. When it was finished, everyone’s plates were empty and cold. They sat in the light of the bonfire, as the newcomers digested both the meal and the information.
“That is quite the tale,” Abraxios said, wiping his beak against a folded cloth. “I am not quite thrilled by learning our quest takes us underground but I have some magic that will still be available.”
“I’ve never heard of a Storm Dancer. What do you do?”
“I am not surprised.” Abraxios let out a rapid trill. “It is a specialized profession of anemancy, or air magic, as you might know it better by. My people have high affinity for anemancy. Storm Dancer means I have access to lightning and wind, as well as certain speed bonuses.”
“So you’re a Mage? Lightning and wind, eh?”
Abraxios shrugged and nodded. “Similar, yes. Mage is the basic spellcasting profession. The farther from the center you travel during the Professing, the more rare and specialized Professions you will find. A Mage has affinity for at least one of the four basic magic schools, but often have at least two: hydromancy, anemancy, gaiamancy, and pyromancy. They draw their power through rituals and incantations, often requiring years of study, but that effort is rewarded by powerful magic. An anemancer, however, is a specialist in air magic. They forego the other schools of magic, but they learn air magic more quickly and it is often stronger. During the Professing, if you go far enough you can unlock specialized professions, as I have done. They tend to open doors that are not offered by the more general class of Mage.”
“So during this Professing, the rarer and more powerful professions are farther away from the center, and the direction I go will help dictate which professions are available?” Arche asked.
“Oh, yes,” Odelia piped up. “I always wanted to be a healer. When I went for my profession, I could have chosen Healer and dedicated myself to the study of science and medicine, but I felt something inside me call for nature and the wilds, so I pushed on and found the Shaman profession, which requires great affinity for gaiamancy. Through it, I was able to obtain a specialized profession which focuses on using aspects of nature to heal, so now I’m a Life Shaman, a mix of biomancy and gaiamancy, which has its own unique properties.”
“Fascinating. So you just find a profession that speaks to you and,” Arche snapped his fingers, “just like that, you’re now a professed whatever?”
“Not quite,” Lyssa said, jumping into the conversation. “If you have the potential for a profession, but lack the requirements, it gives you a Profession Quest, where you must either achieve a specific act or complete whatever prerequisites the profession requires, after which you become that Profession. The rarer the profession, the harder it is to meet the requirements, which is why most people settle for professions close to the Origin.”
“The Origin?”
“The starting point of the Professing,” Tess said, picking up where Lyssa left off. “Usually there are three Professions that surround the Origin, at least for those that pick combat-based professions. Warrior, Rogue, and Mage. After that, it changes from person to person, but not much. Some Professions will be locked to you based upon your natural affinities or, in some cases, racial Professions may be available or unavailable.”
Arche lowered his head into his hands, causing the others to chuckle. Abraxios slapped him good naturedly on the back.
“This much is the same for everyone,” the tengu said. “There are many options, but you will know the right path when you see it. It will call to you as much as you call to it.”
“Right,” Arche said. “Well, I’m level fifteen, so I’ll have to pick one before I can level up.”
“It’s not a decision to make lightly,” Odelia said. “It’s your quest, if you think you’re ready to take it on, all I can offer is that I can try to keep you alive.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
The others fell into quiet conversation, mostly involving the beastmar as neither Abraxios nor Odelia were involved in the previous attack on the village. Arche listened for a while before excusing himself. The night was still young, but he retired to his tent anyway. The next day would be a long one, and he wanted to ensure he was well-rested for whatever horrors would be coming their way. A profession was important but it could wait.