"Thomas, you were looking for work. How fast can you run ... about 120 kilometers?"
Status.
:: NAME ::
:: CLASSES ::
"Thomas"
Generalist 4, Poisoner 3, Rogue 2
:: CURRENT STATUS ::
:: EFFECTS ::
HP 26/26
(10 + 2 * Strength)
HP Regen 0.1% / minute
SP 44/44
(10 + 2 * Agility)
SP Regen 14% / minute
MP 32/32
(10 + 2 * Intellect)
MP Regen 1% / minute
* Nemesis Oath I
* Daily Bread
* Smith's Stew
:: ATTRIBUTES ::
:: SKILLS ::
:: FUNDAMENTAL ::
Strength 8
Agility 17
Intellect 11
:: DERIVED ::
Speed 9.25 m/s
Sneak 20
* First Aid I:
To advance, bandage 3 2 grievous wounds.
* Linguist III
* Lethal Poisoner I:
To advance, reach Poisoner 10.
* Stealth I:
To advance, reach Rogue 10.
* Tricksy Bastard I:
To advance, get 5 kills assisted by an enemy.
:: EXPERIENCE ::
:: SKILL SLOTS ::
Generalist 4/17
Poisoner 8/14
Rogue 4/14
Unclassed: 2/3 *
Generalist: 0/0
Poisoner: 1/2
Rogue: 2/2
Thomas's System-enhanced brain starts doing the math before the absurdity of the question sinks in. It is a strange feeling to suddenly be better at math.
120 000 meters / (9.25 / 2) / 3600 ~= 7.2 hours. Seriously? How long can I actually keep that pace, though? 44 SP * 0.14 = 0.1026 SP/second. Just enough.
"If I could get Smith's Stew renewed right before, I could run 120 kilometers in just under seven and a half hours. If my math is correct." That's nuts, but not actually impossible for some Earth humans. "But I've never done it before. And if it's more than eight hours and Smith's Stew runs out that could be a problem. Why?"
"A friend of mine needs a manticore antivenom made and delivered urgently, and the hunters who could do that run won't be back for hours. We'll pay you three silvers to get it to King's Ford in eight hours - oh, and to bring his payment back to me on your way back." she adds.
"Deal, if you can give me directions. How long until it's ready?"
"Anselm, two manticores, three generals just in case. Eight hours, 15 silver plus 3 for courier." she says to the squirrel.
The squirrel nods rapidly. It then jumps down, freezes for a moment, and frantically scrabbles its way out the door, squeaking.
"If your friend can send animals, couldn't he use a deer or something that could run it back?"
"He didn't send the squirrel here, he just possessed the closest animal to me. If he were a mighty enough [Druid] to possess for hours, he'd cure the venom himself. I'll have the antivenom ready in twenty minutes. Tell the sentry to be ready to open the gate for you, grab your Smith's Stew, and be back here in fifteen. You can eat it here to maximize time." She is already in the back room, pulling out bottles. "And ask Jurgen for directions to Anselm in King's Ford!" she calls out as he turns to leave.
George is not the sentry on duty in the morning, but Herwin agrees to be ready to open the gate quickly. Thomas fills his waterskins, checks his shoes - they should hold out long enough - and returns to the inn.
"Jurgen, I need lunch early. The priestess has hired me to run a package to King's Ford as fast as possible, and I'll need all eight hours of Smith's Stew."
"Of course! I've got a bit left over from breakfast. ... You can run continuously already?" he says, only partly concealing his confusion.
"With both your buffs, barely. It's gonna be a long day, but at least I found a way to make money. She told me to ask you for directions to Anselm in King's Ford." Thomas can see the gears turning. I technically just told him my Agility, didn't I? Oh well, there are hundreds of ways for 9 levels to make 17 Agility.
"The [Druid]? Sure. Bear right out of the gate here, there's only one real trail until you get within sight of King's Ford's gate. Once you get in, go right at the second street, he'll be on your left. He's got a tree planted in front of his house." Jurgen hands him the stew.
"You know, lying to a sentry is a crime, even if it's by faking your level to [Identify]." Jurgen mutters.
"Aren't there lots of level 9's who can run continuously?"
"Some, but also having Intellect 20 for [Linguist III] is impossible! That's 7 Martial levels of attributes just for Intellect, and there aren't any Martial classes that give +2 Int!"
"I am total level 9, how I got [Linguist III] early is a secret. Didn't you say it was rude to ask about people's Classes and Skills?"
"Ok, ok... I've never heard of such a thing, but no one knows all the System."
Thomas returns to the schoolhouse, possibly the last casual walking he'll do for a while. He might as well try to get through another page of the Book of Souls.
> ...
> As an example of Class Advancement, the most well-known Advanced Class is [Knight]; it is unlocked when a [Warrior 20] swears an [Oath of Fealty] offered by a king. When this happens, the soldier becomes a [Warrior 20, Knight 1], with [Knight] requiring XP as if it were a level 21 Basic Class (460 XP). Such "Oathbound" classes are better known, as the Oath requirement reduces the usual reasons for keeping unlock requirements secret.
> ...
> Having two classes of the same category can be viable if they are well chosen, and their attribute, ability, and/or spell selections are carefully planned to compliment each other; e.g. skills that scale with Attributes or Health rather than Class levels. Mixing categories or having more than two Basic classes is generally unwise. With multiple classes, while XP requirements per level are slightly lower, the effective power of the person is lower than their total level would suggest. Therefore, due to XP penalties being based on total level, they will struggle to gain XP in later levels without significant risk of death.
His totally accidental build is probably "unwise" and has a "significant risk of death". Shocking.
"Ok, almost ready!"
Thomas carefully puts the Book back down and gulps down his stew. The priestess soon presents him with a padded potion-carrying case on a belt.
"Go with Sele's blessing."
"Don't worry, I'll get it there. Herwin! I'm coming!"
Herwin tosses the great oak beam aside and opens the door as Thomas runs through. He bears right as instructed, taking the path opposite the one he originally entered on.
An hour later, he still feels as fresh as when he left. The exhilaration of running endlessly has faded, and his biggest problem seems to be boredom.
Not the adventure I was expecting for my first quest, but it pays well. And I might be saving a life.
For lack of anything better to do, he experiments with Stealth. If he thinks about wanting to hide, [Stealth 20] pops up, and his steps get a little quieter. If he actually tries to run quietly, he can do that, his Agility making each footfall land at exactly the location and speed he wants. If he does both at once, his steps are nearly silent. Neither seems to cost any stamina, just some of his attention.
No reason *not* to be quiet, right?
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
He sees the occasional deer. They don't seem to hear him at all, but when they see him, they bolt. The hours drag by. As nice as the forest looks, it's beginning to wear on him when the trees start thinning out. Small wagon trails start to branch off the "road". In the distance, he sees a wooden bridge. He amuses himself - barely - by counting the number of trees and bushes he passes.
What's that in the bushes by the bridge? A rock? Did it just move?
> NOTIFICATIONS:
> * You have spotted a creature with Sneak far higher than your Perception. Unclassed Skill unlocked.
> * Eagle Eyes I: +20% Perception with sight.
> * Unclassed Skill advanced.
> * Eagle Eyes II: +40% Perception with sight.
> * Unclassed Skill advanced.
> * Eagle Eyes III: +60% Perception with sight.
And suddenly he can see it better. It is a dark red - and it's looking at him. Shit. He could detour around the bridge, try to swim the river, but his clothes aren't great for swimming. He'll get Exposure for sure if he keeps running in wet clothes, and any loss in Stamina Regen means he'll have to slow down on top of the detour time. And it might chase him anyway, if it sees him detour.
I promised eight hours, and I'll do it in eight hours.
He pulls the shortbow off his back and stops running for the first time in hours. He hasn't gotten a chance to practice yet, but 17 Agility has to mean something, right? Drawing it back is nearly effortless, but his first shot goes completely wild. His hands adjust intuitively, releasing three more shots in five seconds. The latter two strike true as the monster abandons its ambush and charges [14 damage dealt] [13 damage dealt]. Five seconds is all he's going to get.
A tail flicks up like a striking scorpion, and something comes flying at him. He dodges left - and he's not fast enough [-15 HP]. A barbed spine embeds itself in his chest. A second spine grazes him [-6 HP].
> [!]
> * Effect: Pain: -10% all attributes
> * Effect: Manticore Venom: -2 HP / minute
> * Effect: Pain (x2)
> * Effect: Manticore Venom: Resisted
Suddenly he feels the first serious pain he's felt since arriving in this strange new world. The sort of pain you'd expect from having a barbed arrow stuck in your chest, in fact. He draws his dagger. It leaps, roaring, unfurling the red bat wings that covered a tiger's body.
> [!]
> * Effect: Fear: Resisted
He dives forward, and its pounce overshoots. He slashes up at its paw as he jukes, and cuts deep [11 damage dealt]. It screeches, flapping its wings and leaping back. His eyes, processing far more detail than should be possible in a fight this fast, notice that there are no spines visible on its tail.
HP. [HP 5/26].
If it's out of spines, and I can outrun it, I live. If it's not, I probably die. If I keep fighting a manticore in melee, I definitely die.
His earlier dodge already left him to the right of the beast, relative to the bridge. He bolts for the bridge, straining to go any faster than the 9.25m/s the System grants. It gives chase, taking a fraction of a second longer to turn, and continues to roar. You'd think roaring wouldn't make the situation any scarier than it already is, but apparently it does. Much like the [Pain] effect, Thomas suddenly feels the true terror this situation deserves, not just the dulled anxiety that other life-or-death encounters have caused.
> [!]
> * Effect: Fear: -20% Intellect
> * Effect: Fear (x2)
Thankfully, he doesn't need enhanced brains to keep running. He is slowly pulling ahead as he crosses onto the wooden bridge, though he is burning through Stamina fast. The manticore bounds onto the bridge, and staggers as its Stamina runs out. It roars one last time, and starts to walks away as Thomas accelerates with a jarring suddenness, then slows to a jog.
I'm not dead! Great success!
> NOTIFICATIONS:
> * Over-level survival: [Manticore 12]. 396 XP / 4.
> * Generalist 5: +1 all attributes, +1 max Unclassed Skills.
> * Generalist 6: +1 all attributes, +1 Any.
> * Rogue 3: +2 Agility, +1 Any.
> * Rogue 4: +2 Agility.
> * Rogue 5: +2 Agility, +2 Rogue Skill slots, Class Skill choices available
> * Unclassed Skill advanced.
> * Linguist IV: Understand, speak, read, and write all extant languages.
> * Unclassed Skill advanced.
> * Eagle Eyes IV: +80% Perception with sight.
Running fast is really nice, but how about the not-dying stat?! Increase Strength All. [Strength 11]. Status.
:: NAME ::
:: CLASSES ::
"Thomas"
Generalist 6, Poisoner 3, Rogue 5
:: CURRENT STATUS ::
:: EFFECTS ::
HP 5/34
(10 + 2 * Strength)
HP Regen 0.1% / minute
SP 11/60
(10 + 2 * Agility)
SP Regen 14% / minute
MP 32/36
(10 + 2 * Intellect)
MP Regen 1% / minute
* Nemesis Oath I
* Daily Bread
* Smith's Stew
* Manticore Venom
:: ATTRIBUTES ::
:: SKILLS ::
:: FUNDAMENTAL ::
Strength 11
Agility 25
Intellect 13
:: DERIVED ::
Speed 11.25 m/s
Sneak 38
Perception 13 (23 sight)
* First Aid I:
To advance, bandage 3 2 grievous wounds.
* Eagle Eyes IV
* Linguist IV
* Lethal Poisoner I:
To advance, reach Poisoner 10.
* Stealth I:
To advance, reach Rogue 10.
* Tricksy Bastard I:
To advance, get 5 kills assisted by an enemy.
:: EXPERIENCE ::
:: SKILL SLOTS ::
Generalist 15/25
Poisoner 8/14
Rogue 2/25
Unclassed: 3/4 *
Generalist: 0/0
Poisoner: 1/2 *
Rogue: 2/4 [SELECTION AVAILABLE]
Shit, the venom. He has antidotes for this exact problem. He promised he'd deliver them. On the other hand, delivering them does require not dying or passing out. The priestess did imply that the third general antidote was a spare.
> [!]
> * Effect: General Antidote I: Poison Resistance +25%
He also made bandages earlier on the safe assumption he'd be getting stabbed at some point. The first spine is stuck in too well to safely remove, but the second sliced through.
> [!]
> * Effect: First Aid I: +1 HP / hour
> * Manticore Venom: Resisted
Skills. Select. Select Skills. Select Rogue Skill.
SKILL SELECTION: CLASS: Rogue LEVEL: 5 FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS: REQUIREMENTS: EFFECTS: Backstab I N/A
Increased advantage on melee attacks and damage against off-guard foes.
Dodge I N/A
Toggle. Max 1 / second.
Automatically spend 2 SP to increase Evasion by 50% when you would have been hit.
At the risk of repeating myself, to myself, how about not dying? Dodge I... Select Dodge I. There is no direct response, but a different window pops up.
SKILL SELECTION: CLASS: Rogue LEVEL: 5 AVAILABLE SKILLS: REQUIREMENTS: EFFECTS: Escapist I > 25% of XP is from over-level Survivals
+20% Evasion, Sneak & Speed when HP < 25%
Twist The Knife I
Cause bleeding in melee
Advantaged melee attacks cause bleeding. All bleeding caused scales with Agility/2 instead of Strength, if better.
Now here's an actual decision.