Larry is enjoying a nice, cool mead in the shade of the only tree in the field.
It was a nice summer evening. The clouds were visible but not ominous, the bugs buzzed but were not bothersome, and the sound of the trickling stream could be heard; peace and quiet.
That was until a horde of children started excitedly shouting, the combined voices being enough to deafen any wise sage. Looking up from the tree to the hill, he can see them chasing a white barrel with blue steel bracings. The little stampede appeared to be having fun chasing the loose brewery equipment at first, before the shouting became concerned and outright fearful.
Holstering his bow and arrow, he aimed and intoned "Arrow Sight," his favorite skill from the merger of the scout and archer classes. seeing all the arrow sees. That, funnily enough, was better than his. Pointing his arrow at the barrel, he can see an odd, unnoticeable glow that is gaining strength the faster it is going. Standing to his full height, he can see a dirt and wood ramp at the very bottom. Following the barrel, Larry’s "Arrow Path" commented that it was going to hit squarely into the muddy shallow area in front of his tree, splattering him with a great helping of the stuff.
Recognition flashes through his eyes, and using "Target Recognition," he nods his head and commits to the shot. "Thud" and the arrow is no longer on the bow, a second later the barrel is hit, time slows at the arrow doesn’t break though the barrel, instead imparting it kinetic force though "Arrow Baton Pass" Larry mutant skill. The barrel, on the other hand, does not stop; it moves faster. At first it was rolling at a horse's trot; now it's moving as fast as a high-end car.
The barrel speeds off, gliding more than rolling on the earth, and reaches the ramp. Larry, fast on the uptake, tries to flee the fast-moving projectile, which his "Arrow Path" still says is going to hit the mud. But he can't; he thought he had gotten the jitters until he tried and failed to lift his feet off the ground with his hands, promptly sticking them to the sticky bark.
Recognition flashes through his eyes as he sees the approaching barrel; accepting his fate, he throws his pack, bow, quiver, and shirt off the tree. As the massive tide of mud hits his face, he wonders what to say to the misses.
* Level 35 shenanigans – Perks available
Derrick was too occupied to truly enjoy the fruits of his labor. Crawling from the wreckage of his white chariot, he gave it a loving touch before silently thanking it for its service. Turning around, he saw that Larry and the tree he was sitting on were, thankfully for his worries, head-to-toe covered in mud. It was a gamble if he could predict Larry’s reactions, but he'd been with the village long enough to get a good sense of what was going to happen. Waving his hand, he shouts, "The glue is weak to water; you should be free!" before promptly turning and running back to his crowd.
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Larry slowly moved his hands and wiped a thick layer of mud from his face, reviling his cloudy yet sharp eyes. Looking in the direction of Derrick, he waves back before climbing down and walking home, hoping his family won't rib him too hard for the blunder.
Derrick, finally within earshot, can see his comrades preparing to mob him for both the endangerment of his life and the acquisition of dozens of levels that should total around a hundred, all coming in twos or threes to his satisfaction. Will the smith's son was the first to catch him: "Are you crazy?" His voice sounds off as if he had smoked nothing but six packs a week, yet it has a youthful quality to it. The second was Jill, the farmer's daughter: "Of course he is; how else would he gain levels!?" Her voice was normal, but her long, scythe-like fingers begged to differ. "How was the ride!?" "Did the enchantment hold!?" "Was the craft good!?" Finally, there are the odd triplets Ron, Ross, and Twig, because the third was born between the aforementioned two, leaving him with a stick-like figure but the strongest of the two.
Before he could justify, challenge, or respond to the five of them, the rest of the crowd and a solid wall of sound arrived. And before he could respond to this wave, another arrived. Looking ahead, he could see two more. A little annoyed and, more importantly, tired that he couldn't hear his thoughts, he used the only fighter skill he could learn. "Taunt," and the entire crew's focus was completely and solely focused on him; thankfully, they weren't pissed because the first perk he picked up, "Chill Bro," removed that function for a wider range of influence.
* Level 20 Taunt – Perks available
Shaking his head at the level "Ok, first, I’m in one piece; I didn't even lose any HP." With this, a good portion of their tension dropped. "Second, the barrel is in pieces. If possible, can someone get it to the workshop?" A wave of sad solemnity fell on the crowd, but some nodded their heads. "And lastly, yes, I'm crazy; how else do you level up?" After finishing his piece, he activated his favorite combo.
Combo Skill "Runners High": "Dash"; "Save Momentum"; "Gliding Steps"; "Farmers Step"; "Rescue Plant"; "Earth's Grip"
They were in one place one moment and halfway up the hill the next. The ones with sensory abilities pout and yell at the running fool. Those who run all day charge their abilities in the runner's stance. Buffs are thrown out, child magic is made, and promises made of paper and mana empower everyone. And they charge as one, not one struggling to keep up, as their training activates all of their passives and they move. They're both quick, but Derrick has the head start. That was until he hit the village's aura, deactivating all his skills at once (drop, roll, and jump), and he was back on his feet.
* Level 23 Rolling
* Level 18 Runners Stance
He smiled at that then laughed like a manic waking, the young, the elderly, the fit and all to see a horde of children powered by the fury of a small chased the mud-covered fool of the village.
* Level 36 shenanigans – Perks available