"That's it?" I stared at Hickory. He'd informed us that he had some stuff for us to take with us, but I'd been expecting a bit more than... whatever this was.

Low Tier 3 Healing Potion

Increases the effect of Vitality on Health Regen by 27% for 10 seconds.

Works on users of Tier 3 and below.

It turned out that Hickory had a basement. When he'd given us the big reveal, I'd been expecting some strong equipment, maybe some weapons or armor, or perhaps enchanted trinkets?

Nope, he just had some bottles with black water in them, three of which rested on the table in front of us. Their numbers differed slightly, with the first being that 27%, and the others being 29% and 26%.

"What did you expect, kid?" Hickory scoffed. "I sold all my crap and moved here when my kid was born. I wanted to give her a good life, away from all that adventuring garbage. I've seen far too many of you idiots get themselves killed doing something stupid, and I didn't want my daughter to join that number."

I was slightly offended by that, but didn't consider the matter worth pursuing. I wasn't all that much of an adventurer, anyways. "Alright, man. So, what's the game plan here? Are we just gonna rush in there and beat him up?"

"No. This may be a rude question, but tell me, what are your Harmony stats?"

"10," I answered before I could stop to think about the question.

Sybil gave the man a harsh look, before looking back to me with a peeved expression. "You know, you really shouldn't tell strangers all your personal information. Also, you should increase your Harmony."

I just shrugged. "I mean, it's really low, but I kinda just assumed that people would have other ways of figuring out my stat totals? I can't really see how a low Harmony score could hurt me. From what I can tell, it doesn't really do anything."

She glared at me. "You idiot. Didn't your parents teach you about that? The Fable of Three?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Uh, no? They were... busy, I guess?" Not technically a lie.

"We'll talk later." She shook her head and turned back to Hickory, who was watching with amusement. "Harmony is one of my primary statistics."

He nodded. "Good, good. You'll be our striker, then. I suppose we'll need a distraction..."

They both turned to me in unison, and Sybil started smirking. With a hint of light flickering in his powerful green eyes, drawing my attention in the otherwise dark room, Hickory began laying out the plan.

----------------------------------------

The night was dark. My armor groaned and squealed as I shifted slowly in place. In such a setting, with an objective like unto mine, you'd assume that'd be a bad thing, but with my role in the upcoming conflict being what it was, that wasn't so. For all that we were doing this in the dead of night, it was anything but a sneak attack.

"KILLION!" I shouted into the night. It came out louder than I'd expected, most likely due to my stats, but also a bit scratchy. I still wasn't used to yelling, or even talking that loudly. Still, it wouldn't have surprised me if I'd woken up half the city with my shout. Hickory had said he had it covered, though, so I didn't worry too much.

I repeated my proclamation once or twice more, until the man himself eventually stepped outside his door. His expression seemed innocent, and for a moment, I questioned if this man could truly be responsible for the deaths of the children. That is, until his expression soured, and a serrated knife apparated into his hand from seemingly nowhere.

"Ah, I see." His tone was flat, his expression that of a dead fish. Then the knife flew towards me.

My armor screamed in protest as it attempted to block the strike, but the force behind the knife didn't let up, and it eventually broke past my helmet and raked itself down my face, which was promptly coated in blood. Then, the knife simple disappeared, appearing suddenly within the hand of the man who'd thrown it.

Just from that attack, I could tell that Killion had some powerful skills in his toolbelt. For one, he could seemingly manifest the knife into his hand from any location. I was almost certain that there were limits to this, but I didn't have time to test any of my theories on the subject. Another skill that I'd noticed occured when my armor attempted to intercept the blade. For a bare instant, it had seemed as though it would simply plink off, but instead, the blade had kept itself pinned against my gear, continuing to apply the same pressure. It only relented once it had broken through and stabbed at my face.

That was an obvious armor-piercing ability. The one question I had about it was what limits it had. Would it penetrate anything, even walls? Could I interfere with it somehow? That is to say, if I were to have somehow grabbed the blade and thrown it away from myself, would it keep trying to stab me, like a homing ability, or just given up?

I heard a whizzing sound, and just barely managed to move my head in time to dodge the blade. I had almost lost an ear to my own stupid internal monologuing!

I refocused on Killion, and wiped some of the blood out of my eyes to get a better look at him. I broke into a sprint towards him, summoning an Arcanoccultist's Bolt into my palm. Just as I was about to release it at him, however, the blade that I thought I had dodged pierced the back of my head. My Bolt winked out, as a result of me losing focus on the spell, and my sprint became more like a stumble.

Sharpening my focus, I glared at Killion. I felt my armor drinking up my shed blood, but I had no time to think further on it. I was meant to be a distraction, and I thought through my arsenal, before deciding upon a strategy. While Bolts would force Killion to dodge, I didn't want to accidentally hit Sybil, whenever she came around. I held up my left hand, with my palm facing the moon that hung above. I saw Killion wince and clutch briefly at his chest, but the expression was quickly wiped from his face.

Energy gathered in a cloud around my hand, and I closed in on Killion. He, too, brandished his blade. I knew instinctively that I wouldn't be able to beat him in a fight, and he probably knew it, too. I didn't really need to, though. All I had to do was be annoying and work him down to the point where Sybil could put a blade through his heart. That was something I could do.

My Health Regeneration was pretty dang high, so my wounds were already starting to get stitched back together, but I still couldn't sustain this abuse for much longer. I chugged the Health Potion I'd been given, increasing my Health Regen by an amount. The values ended up at precisely 1 Health every second. Pretty good, but I'd still have to be careful. I didn't want to slip up and end up losing my life.

Killion gave a frown at that, and sent his knife out at me, but I caught it in my empty hand, before throwing it to the side. It reappeared in Killion's hand before it touched the floor. I responded by pulling out my own blade, the Bleeding Edge of Sacrifice that I'd received from Sybil's dad as a quest reward.

Killion and I grew closer, both of us hesitant to see what the other could do in melee range. Every second that passed by, more power gathered near me, and more life was siphoned into me. That said, after a few seconds, the damage started working itself through my body as well. I was probably more used to it than Killion was, but it was also quite possible that he had more health than me, as he appeared to be a physically focused Rogue archetype, and I'd been warned of his high level.

I fumbled a bit with my dagger, trying to get it into his chest, but I had little experience with physical weaponry. Killion, on the other hand, had no trouble sending his blade towards my chest, despite his apparent age. This time, I felt the pressure against my armor once more, but this time, the initial force of the strike was enough to knock me away. That shocked me quite a bit. He had enough power to knock me around, even fully armored as I was. I was sure that I weighed at least 200 pounds, and my Constitution and Fitness had given me staying power against the strike as well, but I was still being pushed around by this guy, and with a dagger at that.

My armor had gained a new gash, and I was certainly no better off than I'd been a second ago, but at least he wasn't improving, either. He seemed much paler than he had just a moment ago, and I knew that the pain was ramping up inside him. For me, it was reduced by a touch due to the Lifesteal and Manadrain that I gained from my Feature, Mageblood Drinker, and Soul Mark, the thing that allowed this combo in the first place, increased it an amount as well.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Killion suddenly started trembling, and I felt my Mana reducing much more quickly, and in confusion, I glanced at my Skill, or rather, the cloud it had gathered. Then it dawned on me. Killion wasn't a mage. He didn't have any more Mana to give me. I didn't honestly know how he was still standing. Running low on Mana had always made me sick in the past, and I was a Mage. I couldn't imagine what it was like for someone who used it less.

He landed another strike on me, rapping me on the head with the butt of his blade, before backing off momentarily, desperation in his eyes. The strike brought me to my knees. Not out of pain, but it had dazed me quite a bit. It took me a moment to rise, but for some reason, Killion didn't press his advantage, or try to land a killing blow. He just stood there for a moment, and I felt a portion of the energy in the surroundings moving towards him.

I caught a glimpse of the old man's eyes, and they seemed desperate. A black light coated his blade. My senses screamed at the very thought of whatever this energy was entering me, and I backed up. The Mana he'd used seemed familiar somehow, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. In any case, it seemed dangerous.

I tried to dodge, but my body locked up, and it felt as though ice were crawling down my spine. I watched in horror as the blade slowly entered my gut, and felt the energy crawling and writhing inside me. The improperly-aspected Mana wreaked havoc on my innards, but as I tried to gather the energy to jab my weapon into Killion's face, I felt the energy condense. The air nearby started turning red, as light permeated through my body and armor, passing through barriers that normally would have stopped it. The Mana had a shift in aspecting, and became an aspect that seemed like the Blood that I commonly used, except... different. Darker, but also more ethereal. Less heavy.

Whatever it was, it turned into a red beam that blasted a hole in my chest.

I nearly blacked out on the spot.

My Health dropped to a level I was very much uncomfortable with, and I lost the Soul Mark I'd been focusing on. The pain was excruciating. While I was used to the feeling, it had been a while since something so wild and devastating had happened to me. As my body slumped to the floor, and my blade fell out of my hand, a manic grin came over Killion's face. He'd won, and I had lost. I closed my eyes, and thought back on my life.

First, my regrets came to mind. I knew I hadn't been kind enough to my family. I probably should've also gone out with more girls, or any at all. I wasn't upset about dying a virgin, as I knew I was still pretty young and I didn't think I'd found "the one" yet, but it still crossed my mind. What was a lot more embarrassing was that the only kiss I'd had was back in 3rd grade, in the back of the bus, and it had only been because Malorie had lost a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors with her best friend.

What was that quote? "Measure life not by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away?" If you discounted the past few months, my life had been pretty sad. This new world was an amazing opportunity for me. It was a chance to be like Achilles, to lead a life that was short, but burned bright. Even though my life had been in peril every moment since I'd come to this beautiful place, I'd loved it. I had never felt so alive.

I took one last deep breath, and prepared for the knife to enter my body one last time.

Instead, I heard -and felt- an old man hacking up blood onto my face.

I looked up to see a furious and concerned Sybil repeatedly shoving a shortsword into a poor old man's back.

I let out a laugh, and Sybil gave me a smile, though it was tinged by worry. I wasn't concerned, though. Sybil had delivered the coup de gras, and Killion was moments from death.

I allowed myself to relax, and soon felt myself fade into an unconcerned sleep.

Abel's Full Status, Class, and Profession:

Name: Abel Halloran Class: Arcanoccultist Level: 20 Class Xp: 34% Profession: Bishop of Blood Level: 20 Profession Xp: 0% Health Total: 146/650 Health Regen: 53 /minute Mana Total: 34/922 Mana Regen: 95 /minute Physical: 84 Constitution: 67 Vitality: 147 Fitness: 37 Mental: 115 Willpower: 133 Nerves: 98 Intellect: 115 Astral: 56 Balance: 58 Channeling: 101 Harmony: 10 Free Points: 0 Traits: Prodigy

Inspiration in Suffering

Class: Arcanoccultist (Arcane Mage -> Arcane-Blood Mage -> Arcanoccultist) The Arcanoccultist gains 1 Constitution, 6 Vitality, 1 Fitness, 2 Willpower, 6 Nerves, 8 Intellect, 27 Channeling, but loses 2 Balance and 1 Harmony, per level.

Features:

Mageblood Drinker: Damaging spells using Health as a resource gain lifesteal based on the amount of Health lost. Damaging spells using Mana as a resource gain manadrain based on the amount of Mana lost. (1% of max Mana/Health = 1% Manadrain/Lifesteal)

Ritualistic Recovery: Rituals replenish doubled Health and Mana.

Occultist's Charm: Reputation gain increased with certain factions. Reputation gain decreased with certain factions.

Major Skills:

Soul Mark Lvl. 1: Cast a curse upon a creature's soul, linking them to you. Ritual, Lifesteal, and Manadrain effects created by you that target it are increased by Channeling.

Arcanoccultist's Grimoire Lvl. 1: Summon a magical grimoire, containing knowledge important to the Arcanoccultist.

Blooded Ritual Lvl. 1: Rituals which use your blood as a component are empowered based on your Vitality.

Minor Skills:

Arcanoccultist's Bolt Lvl. 10: Fire a bolt of mana at your foes, aspected equally to Arcane and Blood, and dealing a small amount of damage directly to the target's soul. Deals damage based on Vitality and Intellect. A small part of the damage dealt passes through all shielding and resistance. This effect is slightly reduced by Balance.

Malefic Bond Lvl. 1: Reduce a creature's Health and Mana, at the cost of an equal amount of resources from yourself. Requires your mana to be in contact with the target. Effects increased by Intellect and Channeling.

Combat Ritual Lvl. 1: Perform a combat ritual with significantly reduced preparations and components. Effects are improved by Intellect and Channeling.

Profession: Bishop of Blood (Autodidact -> Tormented Autodidact -> Bishop of Blood) The Bishop of Blood gains 4 Constitution, 10 Vitality, 2 Fitness, 4 Wisdom, 1 Nerves, 3 Intellect, 27 Channeling, but loses 3 Harmony, per level.

Features:

Pantheon of Blood: Increases all favor gained with gods of the Blood domain significantly. Effects reduced by Harmony.

Soul Leak: Your mere presence radiates a near-physical pressure. Effects improve with Channeling, but are reduced by Harmony.

Fasting: Food, water, and sleep requirements are decreased by Channeling.

Major Skills:

Polytheist Lvl. 1: Why worship one god when you can earn the favor of many? Innate knowledge of the various gods of the universe, as well as their rituals and magics. Slightly increased favor gain with all gods. Effects reduced by Harmony, but increased by Intellect and Channeling.

Bloodmarked Sacrifice Lvl. 1: Infect a creature's soul with your own tainted blood. Improves favor gain and blessings from the sacrifice of said creature based on Vitality and Channeling.

Sacrifice Expertise Lvl. 1: Increased skill at creating and performing rituals of sacrifice. Favor, boons, and blessings gained from sacrifices improved. Effects improved by Intellect and Channeling.

Minor Skills:

Ritual of Blood Lvl. 1: Learn and gain mastery over rituals related to blood.

Sadistic Sacrifice Lvl. 1: Rather than dedicating a creature's entire life at once, you may instead sacrifice small portions at a time. As you deal damage to a creature, siphon off bits of its soul, sacrificing them for greatly reduced gain. Effects increased by Channeling.

Dedicate Soul Lvl. 1: You have learned to more effectively perform the final portion of any sacrifice: the Dedication. Critical blows dealt to restrained, unconscious, or otherwise motionless targets that lay upon a sacrificial altar and have no more than 3% of their Health remaining produce instant death.