Wraith was exhausted. He'd been fighting continuously for several hours. Every time he moved forward, a golem would come to attack him. Then came another, and another, and before he knew it he was surrounded on all sides.
Each time he defeated one group another would come forward. Eventually he would beat them back too, but with each enemy growing stronger than the one before it, the fights became longer and more drawn out.
After defeating waves upon waves of enemies, he finally gained a brief respite. For the first time since he came in, there were no golems trying to decapitate him. This meant that he could recover some of his stamina, Hp and Mana.
After fighting for so long and so desperately, his way of fighting changed a bit. It started when he was pinned down by one golem. His hands were trying to keep a sword from splitting him in two, and in that position his legs couldn't inflict much damage.
When he saw another golem coming towards him, he did the only thing he could do. He bit it. In the Form of the Wolf-King his jaws were bigger and his teeth sharper. After a few bites, he finally managed to chip through the steel and shatter its neck.
From then on he would use his teeth whenever there was an opening. He grew more attuned to his new body, and to its unique way of fighting. When he first started it felt like he was fighting in another person's body, now it felt more like his own.
When he had rested enough and bandaged himself he got up to keep moving. Strangely enough, no other golems had attacked him while he was resting. There must be a boss battle coming up. There's no other reason to be able to rest this long. He kept walking through the winding corridor. There were so many twists and turns that at this point he didn't know how far away he was from the entrance.
Soon he came to an open space. It was a clear circular arena, fairly big in size. When he stepped inside, the walls behind him came together, sealing his only exit. At the same time, a hole appeared at the center of the circle. He then saw something rising up from it.
It was a steel golem just like the others, except it was bigger. It was about twice the size of the other golems, with a huge sword held in its hands. The design was a bit different too. There was no doubt now that it was the boss of this place.
Wraith saw as it lifted its sword up and smashed the ground with it. Instinctively Wraith jumped to the side. He didn't know why he did it, but it likely saved his life. A stone spike was rising up from where he was once standing. If he didn't move, it would have, at the very least caused significant injuries. Magic? None of the other golems had that skill. I guess there's more to this one than its immense size and strength.
Still wanting to test the limits of the golem, he watched and waited. After several minutes, the golem still didn't move an inch. The only attack it performed were the spikes of stone that were now jutting up all over the arena's floor.
Just doing this is going to sap me of my stamina, if I don't attack, I'll soon be dead. Thinking that, he sprinted towards the monster. This time, the golem moved, responding with its own charge. As the distance shrunk to two metres, the golem swung the sword around, aiming for his neck.
Wraith deftly ducked under it and grabbed the arm on the downswing. He pulled the arm forward to knock the golem off balance, and followed through by bringing his knee up its midsection.
Since it was made of steel, it didn't do too much damage. He took full advantage of its slow movements to rain down a barrage of attacks, as well as scratching and biting whenever possible. After several minutes of dodging and attacking at the same area, some cracks began to show.
When he saw this, he was thrilled, since his attacks were working. Unfortunately the golem's attacks were working on him as well. There were several times when he couldn't dodge fast enough, leaving him with only half of his original health.
Even so, he kept pounding away. With is strong leg muscles he savagely kicked at the injured area, slowly causing it to crumble away.
After about thirty minutes, he had caused enough damage for the golem to fall over and shatter. With its defeat, a door opened up.
Wraith walked through and found himself on top of a magic circle. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by light. When he looked around again, he found himself back at the entrance of the dungeon.
He went outside, and saw Calder practising on his own. “So you made it out. Congratulations.”
“That's it? That wasn't so bad actually.”
“Well of course not, that was just round one. You've got to go in four more times to finish it. Tomorrow we'll do round two.”
Wraith sighed, having come to accept that good things were never easy. On the plus side, he was happy to see his level and his skills rise as a result of the training. “Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then.”
He walked back to the temple. He spent a couple of hours training, but it was still around noon. He had almost half the day left. As he walked through the streets, he saw that it was more populated. The people that saw his face all seemed shocked and stunned.
He didn't want to deal with all that, so he just kept on moving, ignoring the people that were following him. When he got to the temple, he went looking for Fenella. He went to her study and found her at her desk.
“Ah, so you've finished today's training. That's great news since I found you an alchemist to learn from. She agreed to give you a chance, so it's up to you to prove yourself.”
She gave him the directions, so Wraith immediately made his way over.
Once again he had to suffer through the pointing and whispering by the people he passed by. He walked through the streets and soon came to a small shop that sold potions. It was small and seemed run-down, with a faded board reading 'Tahlia's Brews' and peeling paint. Sounds like a brewery or a tavern.
It was not at all fitting for a reputable alchemist. Or was it? Alchemists with a high skill in potions would advertise it and make a lot of money from it. Alchemists with real skill would be more discreet. They wouldn't draw attention to themselves, or suggest that they knew anything but how to mix potions.
With those expectations in mind he walked into the store, a bell rang to announce his presence. From behind the counter on the right side of the store, the curtains rustled. From them, a woman came out. Like other members of her race she still looked youthful.
She was small, barely five feet tall. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a bun. She didn't have any markings like he did, which would allow her to pass as a human, were it not for her glowing purple eyes. Overall, she gave off the impression of being a strict taskmaster, her sharp features giving her face a look of displeasure.
“So you're the one that wants to learn from me.” Her eyes narrowed and her lips thinned as she said this, looking up and down at him. Unlike others, she didn't flinch at seeing his marks.
“I want to learn how to become a great alchemist.”
“Many people say that to me. None of them have been able to prove it. Because Fenella asked it of me I'll give you a chance. Make this potion twice as effective without opening the bottle. I'll know if you cheat, so don't even think about opening and resealing it.”
Potion-Brewing
Tahlia the alchemist wants you to prove your worth by enhancing the potion without opening it.
Difficulty level: E
Quest requirements
Close relationship with Fenella.
Have the alchemy skill.
Be a Child of Loki.
Quest rewards
???
“No problem, I'll show you what I'm capable of.”
You accepted the quest.
Though he said such a bold statement, he had absolutely no idea what to do. For the first time, Tahlia revealed a small smile on her face. “If you did that I would be quite impressed with you, after all, you'd be the first out of several thousand people to pass this little test of mine.”
“Several thousand?” he asked incredulously.
“I've lived a long, long time,” she said with laughter in her tone. “You can take as long as you like. Bring it to me when you're done, or just keep it. It restores one hundred Hp.” With that last mocking statement she went back through the curtain.
He took a seat in a wooden chair in the corner of the room. He thought for a minute, trying to figure out what to do. Okay, lets think about this. It's a sealed glass vial, so I can't use any physical reagents to boost the effects. The only possible way is to use magic. If she was very talented, then she could make full use of any ingredient. The only ingredient that can give about one hundred Hp is Ederworst. The ingredient that can give two hundred Hp is Ralfessia. So somehow I need to turn one into another.
He managed to reason out all of this, but he knew that there was no skill that can do that, or at least none that were available for the public. It must be something I can do without a skill. With no other option left to him, he put his hands around the bottle, and tried to will it to change. Nothing happened.
This isn't working, I need something more than this. Having an idea, he brought out some of the Ralfessia plants he had in his pack, and observed it with all his senses. He looked at the waxy leaves, the bitter taste, the slightly sweet smell and held it around the bottle.
With every fibre of his being he willed a change to happen. He tried to feel energy go through his hands, through the petals of the plant, and into the bottle. He did this over and over again, for five minutes. He was focused solely on his task. He thought he felt the bottle warming up at one point, but soon dismissed it and went back to focusing on it.
After he did it for five minutes, he opened up the information window about the potion. This time he was thrilled to see that the potion could now heal two hundred-two points of Hp. “Yes!” he couldn't help but shout out in joy.
Hearing him cry out in excitement, Tahlia came back to the store. “What, you're still here? What are you making so much noise for?”
Saying nothing, he simply thrust the bottle at her, grinning broadly. She took it with a mystified look on her face. She probably thinks that I've given up. He saw how she looked at the bottle, and how her eyes went as wide as saucers. Seeing her gape in astonishment only served to make him smile even wider.
“You figured it out in only fifteen minutes?” She was incredulous. It had taken her a full day to figure it out all those centuries ago, and she was considered one of the most talented alchemists. “Alright boy, I'll teach you everything that I know.”
Alchemy converted to Alchemical Transmutation.
“Information: Alchemical Transmutation.”
Alchemical Transmutation
The advanced version of the Alchemy skill. Besides improving potions made, also provides full access to all other alchemical abilities. Higher levels allow for properties of cloth and leather fabrics to be altered or enhanced. Mana required to transmute elements vary based on similarity between source and final material.
* Efficiency at potion-making 73%
* Speed of transmutation rises by 15%
* Mana cost for all transmutations reduced by 18%
* Can only transmute liquids
After bestowing the skill upon him, she gave him a book.
“By the way, do you have the herbology skill yet?”
“No, I was planning on acquiring it though.”
“Well, I might as well teach that to you as well.” She brought him behind the store where she had a small herb garden set up. She taught him the proper way of picking the various herbs without damaging them.
You have learned the Herbology skill.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Here's another little gift from me.
You have learned the Identification skill.
Now that he had the identification skill, he could find out the details about the book he received. He used the identification skill on it. “Identify.”
Alchemical Tome of Growth
A book given to all beginning alchemists. Records recipes discovered by the alchemist. Can only be read by the owner of the book.
Bound to Wraith-Cannot be dropped or traded.
“That book I gave you has the added benefit of recording the uses and details of the plants you discover. One way that you can figure out the properties of a plant is to read it from another book, but the best way is to eat it. Once you have a high enough skill, you can even learn about the subtle effects a plant can have.”
“And that's safe?
“Well you probably won't die if you eat a little of it, but have an all-purpose antidote on hand anyway.”
“Okay, so putting aside the fact that this might eventually kill me, what do I do now? Do I have to do some kind of quest, like make five potions for you or something?”
“This is all I can do for you, as my master did for me. I gave you the tools, your journey is your own to take. Create new recipes and become more knowledgeable. Once you feel you've become capable enough, come back to me and show me what you've learned. I'd say a year is enough for you to gain some knowledge. One last bit of advice, make sure to level up your identification skill as well, it's especially useful in letting you know about the properties of non-organic things.”
Wraith wanted to learn more from her, since he barely had any knowledge about the skill, but seeing as how she didn't seem inclined to change her mind, he just said, “thank you for everything,” and walked back home.
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Circe was walking though the forest for about two hours when she finally came to the cave the old man was talking about. It was a tiny cave, with an opening just barely big enough for her to fit through. The inside of the cave was dark, dank and narrow. Several times she nearly hit her head on the ceiling.
Soon she reached the bottom of the cave, which opened up into a bigger space, with a natural spring in the center. At this point she took out the necklace and put it on. Where is the Mana Pool? Don't tell me that I have to jump into the spring. With no other option, she waded into the spring. It only came up to her waist, so she didn't have to worry about drowning.
When she got to the middle of the pool, her necklace started to glow.
Hidden Class!If you accept it, you can use exclusive skills related to the nature of the class. Do you want to convert now?
“Damn straight I'll accept!”
Quest Complete!
A Wise Sage
Although Ayrsted wasn't much help, he did provide a way to unlock the full potential of Aura Mastery. Bathing in one of the thousands of Mana pools with an Aura Initiate's necklace has given you the secrets of the ancient arts.
Level up!
Level up!
At the same time, her avatar was bathed in light, and the necklace disappeared. “Stat Window.”
Status WindowNameCirceAlignmentNeutralLevel10ClassAura MasterTitleNoneReputation0Health2300Mana860Strength12Agility11Stamina32Wisdom56Intellect63Luck0Leadership0Attack1Magic Attack27+10Defence3Unassigned Stat Points50Magic ResistanceFire10%Water10%Earth10%Black Magic10%
* Magical attack rises by ten
* Holy weapons and magic do twice as much damage
* Gained the ability to equip class specific items
* Prohibited from using any form of metal weaponry or jewelry
* Can learn secret skills related to class
* Additional effects given to Aura Mastery
“Skill Window”
* Aura Mastery Lvl. 3 (12%) Gives control over the user's Mana, as well as affecting external sources of natural Mana
* Third eye Lvl. 1 (0%) Allows Mana to be seen visually when invoked. Lasts for 10 minutes.
Mana consumption: 50
* Identification Lvl.2 (4%) Enables you to learn the true value of unidentified items.
Mana consumption: 30
When she saw her new skill, she was extremely pleased since it would allow her to make better use of Aura Mastery. With Mana being visible, it would be much easier to shape and recognize it. She was also happy to see the additional effects of Aura Mastery, which would allow her to affect and use her surroundings to her advantage.
“Kukukuku. Ahahahaha!” She laughed maniacally, after finally having gotten a decent class. It's time for Circe the evil sorceress to rain terror on this world. This was the reason she took the name of Circe for her avatar. Not simply because she was a beautiful sorceress, but because she was twisted, evil and powerful.
Thanks to Royal Road, delusions of grandeur and cases of megalomania had become much more common. Now I just need a cat.
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Wraith was walking back home, when he realized that he would need material for his crafting. Though he should have asked Tahlia before he left, he now had no choice but to ask one of the townspeople. He went to an woman, who cringed slightly when he approached her. “Pardon me ma'am, but do you know if there's a place around here with some plants and wildlife.”
It was a desert so he wasn't too optimistic about the plants, but he could find some species of animals here. “Well, th-there might be a place just p-past the eastern gates. J-just follow this road.” She managed to stammer it out.
“Thank you.” Wraith tried to put on a kind smile as he thanked her, but it just made her even more afraid.
After giving up on putting them at ease, he walked away to where the lady directed him to. Outside the city, there were sand dunes stretching as far as the eye could see. As he suspected the area was mostly devoid of life. He pulled up some of the grass and took some samples of the cacti, but he didn't see anything noteworthy. Since the biggest thing he saw was a type of rodent he gave up and walked back.
No sense in getting myself lost. Instead what he did was go straight to the kitchen at home and proceeded to take a bite out of every single herb, spice and vegetable.
“What are you doing?” Fenella came in and saw him doing this, which confused her, to say the least.
“I'm trying to improve my herbology skill. Since I can't go out into the desert, there's nothing else I can do.”
“Oh, is that all? Why didn't you say anything? I would have shown you a good place.” She brought Wraith out of the city and headed south. After walking through the desert for a few minutes, they came across a stone wall. Standing before a giant wooden gate were a pair of guards.
At seeing Fenella they immediately bowed deeply, shouting, “hail Queen Fenella.”
Fenella responded with a slight nod of her head, and walked through the gates as they held them open.
Wraith couldn't believe the deference the guards showed her. “So you're a real Queen?”
“Not exactly. Though I am of Royal blood, I'm not in line for the throne. Were I not a priestess I might have been, but that title is purely decorative.”
“What does your being a priestess have to do with it?”
She chuckled and said, “it's all because of the separation of church and state. When a religious leader is also the leader of a country, bad things tend to happen. That's why I voluntarily abdicated myself from the royal line, so that my family did not have to do it for me. However, my father wanted me to have this title anyway.”
“Huh, so I'm related to royalty.”
“Yes, you are. One day I'll bring you to the palace.”
“One other question, how does the government work? I mean, you guys can live forever, so doesn't that kind of rule out inheritance?”
“We have a special system in place. There are several potential Kings and Queens who each govern for one hundred years, before being replaced.”
Wraith thought that this was a complicated and convoluted system, but he soon put it out of his mind, when he saw the desert give way to a grand oasis. “What is this place?”
“I told you that only royalty can come to this place, that's because the area is rich in natural Mana and the spring has rejuvenating properties. Since you are technically part of the royal family, you also have access to it.”
Wraith didn't need any further encouragement as he raced across the oasis, really more of a jungle really. He picked the different plants, though he didn't strip it bare. He made sure to take only what he needed, and nothing more. Once he had a few samples of each different plant, he went to the spring.
Fenella was waiting for him there. “Did you know that it's forbidden to bathe in this spring?”
Wraith looked at it. It was crystal clear and seemed free of any impurities, but he didn't understand the no bathing policy. “Why is it forbidden?”
“It's so the water won't be tainted. Here, drink this.” He drank the drop of water that fell from the stick she held up. It tasted phenomenal. It was just one drop of water, but it tasted so pure and so fresh.
Blessing of the Oasis applied for three hours
* Life +300
* Mana +300
* Agility +20
“This is amazing, is this holy water?” For such pure water, that seemed like the only possible explanation.
“No, there are many theories about the water here, but holy water is reserved for the Gods of Light. Our god is of the darkness, so it would be cursed water instead. Whatever the source of the water, we guard it in cases of emergency. It's also the reason you could only drink one drop. Every citizen gets one drop a year to use.”
Though he wanted to make a potion from it, he recognized the significance of the water for their people. No matter how much he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to use it.
Still, at the very least he received a bevy of assorted plants, as much as fifty different varieties. He packed them all up carefully and then they made their way back home. After experimenting with recipes for his newly-found herbs, he went to bed.
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