Lorelai rose from the stream, the cool water still glistening on her fingertips as she gathered her thoughts. She had leveled up and received two stat points to allocate. Her pulled up her current stats:
Str - 5
Agi - 6
Will - 9
End - 5
Int- 4
Upon focusing on the stat block, the status brought up what each stat governs:
Stats' description summary.
Strength: Physical power, attack damage with slashing swords, axes, spears and two handed weapons, movement speed
Agility: Finesse, attack speed, damage with daggers, rapiers, and bows.
Fortitude: Vitality, stamina pool, recovery rate, and the ability to stave off poison and disease.
Intelligence: Mana pool, spell cooldown, number of known spells, and mana regeneration rate.
Willpower: Mental defenses, spell potency, and the ability to alter/combine/improvise/shape magic
Since she was going to be in the fray of combat, she did not feel comfortable with her vitality being so low, and since her skills will rely on stamina consumption as much as mana, she allocated one point to END. She felt a little offended that she only had a four to intelligence, she always thought herself as smart. Maybe it had to do with the size of her mana pool? Since she couldn't see anyone else's stats, she had no references for what one's stats should look like. She didn't have many spells yet, so she thought for now she could get away with what she has, so she allocated the point to strength for more damage to her unarmed strikes.
Str - 6
Agi - 6
Will - 9
End - 6
Int- 4
Once she finalized the stat change, she was able to feel an immediate difference, her body thrumming with energy. She was excited to see what the next level would bring. Vibrant colors of the forest were dancing in the midday sunlight as a warm breeze blew through, her hair waving in the wind. She was still riding her high, her triumph over the scourge wolf. She did that, alone a validation of how far she has come.
Pushing forward, she followed the path that wound deeper into the woods, the thrill of adventure surging through her veins. The forest gradually transformed. The gnarled trees gave way to a sun-drenched clearing, filled with wildflowers swaying gently in the breeze. In the center of the clearing stood a colossal stone archway, intricately carved with runes and symbols that shimmered with an ethereal glow. Lorelai approached, her heart quickening at the sight. This gateway signified that she was almost to the academy, the last bit of the journey. It had only taken a couple of days to get here, maybe it was because she didn't have to worry about bringing anything with her that it sped up her travel.
“Wow,” she whispered, tracing her fingers over the carvings. Each symbol seemed to pulse with life, resonating with the magic she had just begun to understand. The archway felt like a threshold, one that separated the ordinary from the extraordinary.
Suddenly, a flicker of movement caught her eye. A an enormous cloud of dirt erupted in front of her. An imposing figure stood from inside the settling dust, green/brown skin adorned with muscles that appeared to be chiseled from stone. Lorelai was not short, she stood 5'10", but this man towered over her nearly seven feet tall. "That muscle...wait what the hell am I thinking?" she thought looking at the man.
Name: Gortesh Title: Pulverizer
Class: Berserker
Race: Half Orc
She immediately knew why he was called the pulverizer, and it was no small intimidation that he was wielding a giant two handed maul with one hand. Lorelai guard was up, but she instinctively knew she didn't have a prayer.
“Greetings,” she said “Why are you a barring my path to the academy?”
Gortesh paused, his head tilting as he regarded her. “Don't you know it is rude to check the status of someone who has yet to introduce themselves? Take about an afront to etiquette," Gortesh scolded.
"Sorry I didn't know."
"Didn't your parents ever teach you any?"
"I..don't have any" she responded a little downtrodden.
"I-I am an asshole, sorry about that. You're attending the academy?” he asked, his voice rich and smooth. “The final test is you must prove your worth to a professor.”
“What do you mean?” Lorelai asked, her heart pounding. She felt ready to take on anything after her recent battle, but uncertainty crept back in.
“The power you possess is not only a gift but a burden,” he continued, circling her with a gracefulness in his gait that betrayed his outward appearance. “You have to have the grit to fight even if you feel like its hopeless. Hordes of monsters ravaging a town, your friends depending on you in a dungeon, you have find the strength to continue even if you have none. I'm going to test your resolve.”
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Lorelai nodded, determination flaring in her chest. “I’m ready.”
Gortesh paused, his eyes flaring has he lets out a visceral battle cry, leapt high into the air tried to smash down on Lorelai. [Dash] she propelled backwards just in the nick of time, the ground concaved and sent shards of rock and other debris hurtling towards her, "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!" She shouted her heart now tripling its previous pace.
"Accidents due tend to happen," Gortesh sneered, "I do suggest you give it your all."
Lorelai barely had time to register Gortesh’s warning before he charged at her, muscles rippling under his skin as he swung the heavy hammer like a wiffleball bat. Adrenaline coursed through her as she prepared for his next move. She had just defeated a creature she had previously believed to be far more intimidating than this half-orc, but the sheer power of Gortesh made her rethink her stance.
“Okay, focus,” she murmured to herself, the words barely escaping her lips. She steadied herself, she activated her [Lightning Clad] ability, feeling the familiar surge of energy crackle around her.
Gortesh landed with a thud, the impact sending vibrations through the ground. “Not bad,” he grunted, surveying her with an approving nod. “But you’ll need more than just flashy spells to impress me.” 'Tier two lightning huh, this one may be promising. That could probably hurt me some. Not alot, but some,' he thought.
Without waiting for a response, he lunged forward again, swinging his massive maul with deadly intent. Lorelai barely dodged to the side, the force of the blow sending a shockwave that nearly knocked her off balance. Dust and debris filled the air, but she kept her focus, her agility helping her to stay light on her feet.
“I need to get closer!” she thought, her refusal to be underestimated ignited her fighting spirit. Gortesh was an unstoppable force, he wasn't a berserker for nothing, just as she reached him, she ducked low, aiming a kick at his legs. The movement was swift and precise, fueled by the [Lightning Clad] energy that coursed through her limbs. But Gortesh anticipated her strike, effortlessly sidestepping and delivering a counterattack. His fist connected with her side, and Lorelai gasped as the wind was knocked out of her.
Stumbling head over heel, she rolled several times on the ground before the momentum slowed enough to get control. She coughed up blood before rising back to her feet shakily. She felt the sharp sting of pain, her magic flickered like a candle about to snuff out. She refocused on keeping the magic active. She couldn’t afford to back down. “Come on, Lorelai, think!” she urged herself, shaking off the daze.
Gortesh grinned, clearly relishing in the bloodshed. “Now that’s the spirit! Show me what you’ve got!”
Lorelai focused on her next move, standing still in a defensive stance. She had a plan, using her [Weight Manipulation] skill, she made herself as heavy and as dense as her new spell would allow. The amount of weight she could manipulate would get better with practice and her proficiency with the spell but she had to make do at this moment.
Gortesh grew bored, "Well, if you won't come on the offensive..." He rushed her, planted his feet and swung [counterstrike], the blow landed onto her arm, as she manage to redirect the force of the blow to her side. The increasing of her weight made it so Gortesh would be unable to send her flying with the attack. The maul landed into the ground with a thud, creating a small crater, but Gortesh was now left wide open. Crackling energy coursing through Gortesh’s body as she punched him square in the gut, mainly because she couldn't reach his face. He staggered, momentarily caught off guard. “That actually hurt a bit, not bad little girl!” he bellowed, his face now filled with bloodlust. He had a battle crazed look in his eye.
Gortesh's body started to change color, from the muted green brown to a red brown. He took slow methodical steps toward Lorelai each one indenting the ground. Steam escaped his lips as his breathing grew heavier, Lorelai started taking steps backward, she was brave not suicidal. The orc in front of her was not the same person that started this test.
Gortesh body looked to have coiled ready to strike, but when she blinked he had vanished leaving Lorelai confused. Gortesh was behind her with his maul above her head. Before he could bring it down upon her, another figure appeared seamingly out of nowhere catching the shaft of his maul. Lorelai sank to the ground, sitting on her butt with her hands behind her, paralyzed with fear for how close she truly was to dying just now.
"That's a little intense for an admission test don't you think Gortesh?" The man asked.
'Why does Gortesh have a scorch mark on him? Did that girl actually damage him?' Thought the man.
Gortesh wasn’t finished yet, and with a fierce roar, tried to wrestle his maul from the grip of this man. Lorelai noticed just how big this man was, he might've been twelve feet tall, which she suppose would make sense considering Gortesh couldn't free his weapon.
"Stand down, the test is over she passed already," the man pleaded.
'Once a berserker gets like this you can't fight him or it will snowball. I know he's not mindless but battle craze is hard to overcome for berserkers, if I just prevent him from attacking and don't attack back he should settle down in just a minute,' the enormous man thought as recognition started coming back into the orcs eyes.
"Oh shit, I got carried away again didn't I," Gortesh asked.
The man nodded, then turned to Lorelai, "Hello I am Braak, a half giant. That was an impressive and brave thing you did lass. Let me take you to the healing ward to get that broken arm taken care of."
"Broken arm?" Lorelai then noticed her arm mangled and disjointed in numerous places, even though she used her counterstrike ability to redirect the vast majority of the damage, she wasn't able to prevent all of it. At that moment her eyes rolled in the back of her head as she slumped to the ground unconscious.