I walked out of the guild, one necronium bar lighter and 50 gold richer. It turns out that the bar weighed as much as two standard bars, valued at 25 gold each. The Crimson Bulwark had picked up a contract they thought would be good and straightforward, well out of town. Little did they know that word of the event at the guild was spreading through the city.
"Is there any type of sturdy armor that I can buy before we head off into the wilds?" I ask.
"You should use that skill book before you forget, and then we can get you some armor," Xantcha says.
I open the book and receive a prompt asking if I want to use the book of polearm mastery novice. I accept, and the book turns to ash. Suddenly, I know how to hold the polearm and how my feet should move. Then, I receive another prompt.
"Congratulations! Your skill in polearm mastery has reached the rank of novice. Novice rank bonus: Gain the ability Piercing Thrust. Piercing Thrust allows you to spend 50 stamina to powerfully thrust your polearm into your target, dealing 10% Armor Piercing damage. Level bonus: 1% Armor Piercing,"
I read aloud to the party.
"Oh, cool! I got an ability," I say excitedly.
"That's pretty common for combat skills like that. It happens most often with weapon skills," Xantcha explains as we make our way to the armor shop.
"Wouldn't that become a problem later down the line, having too many spells and abilities?" I ask.
"That's why, once a person reaches the student level in a spell or ability, they seek out a fusion specialist. They can combine spells and abilities to make room for new ones or strengthen them. But that's for later. Now, let's get you some armor and leave," Xantcha replies. The shop we end up at has a very fine set of soft leather armor that boosts my armor a bit but does not give any real bonuses, but it costs me 5 gold. I also pick up three mana potions and three health potions, all of moderate strength, for an additional 5 gold.
Now that I was armored up and had some potions, I was ready to set out. However, when I heard that we were going to be hunting undead in the area south of the city, about a day's walk away, I was less thrilled. The countryside outside the city was comprised of nice rolling hills, tall grass, and a few decorated trees. As we walked, I informed them that the Earth Strider skill was very close to leveling up, and I wanted to train it. They warned me not to leave their sight, and I agreed before taking off back toward the city.
They started shouting as they saw me turn around and pass them in a blur. After about three hours of this, our training began. The game was to see who could touch me as I passed. Everyone had a blast, but the only one who managed to touch me was Xantcha. It was as if she knew how I would move before I did. After the third time she touched me, she started throwing small rocks. The training intensified. After dodging the next three rocks, it finally happened.
Congratulations! Your ability Earth Strider has reached the rank of a novice. Novice rank bonus: Earth Strider can extend to five party members or animals. The cost of Earth Strider is applied to each party member.
"Man, you all are going to love and hate this. Earth Strider has hit the novice rank," I announced, receiving waves of congratulations and slaps on the back. "The bonus allows me to extend it to all of you. Now we can run there, but the downside is that you have to pay your own cost."
"What is the cost of the ability?" someone asked.
"42 mana per minute and 9 stamina per minute. I managed to reduce the cost by 15%. We do get to move three times faster," I explained. The party looked displeased yet resigned to the task ahead. They all nodded. Xantcha asked if I had any new tips for the new Striders.
"Yes, when someone's mana or stamina pool is within 10% of their lowest, we stop and regen before starting again. You can sprint, but it gets taxing at three times the cost, although you move five times faster," I shared. More looks of grim determination and nods followed.
We arrived at the town of Tomalik an hour before sunset. The party looked bedraggled from the run to get there. Some had enough mana pool to afford the spell, while others only had enough stamina. They headed straight to the inn to secure rooms and have a drink.
"Well, that was a good run. We cut the time down to a quarter of what it should have been," I remarked.
"Yeah, but at what cost?" Amurak voiced his concern.
"I haven't channeled that much in my entire life, and I cast magic for a living," Trill added.
"Well, I gained a new skill called Channeling, and I leveled it up three times," Leo chimed in.
"So, all I'm hearing is that it was worth it all around," I said with a smile curling my lips.
"Yeah, everyone agrees, but it sucked. How do you run around like that?" Leo asked.
"I told you, Amurak, that you should take off some armor or put away the sword and shield," Trila commented.
"And I told you that it is dishonorable to hide one's weapons from an enemy," Amurak defended.
"Don't you have a smaller backup shield?" Xant asked.
"No, I don't, nor do I have a backup weapon. I have one weapon, and I don't need another," Amurak replied.
"How many weapons do you have?" Xant turned to ask me. In response, I stood up from the table and started laying down the weapons.
"I have a long sword, short sword, greatsword, mace, dagger, and my main blade, Blackwood."
"Why do you have so many weapons? You don't even have the skills for all of these. Why?" someone in the group asked.
"How else am I going to fund my peasant rebellion? You know, if I ever decide to start one," I replied with a smirk.
"Why would you want to lead a peasant rebellion?" they questioned.
"You know, for the usual reasons: fighting tyranny, persecution, abuse, and maybe I just want to have a city," I mumbled the last part, but of course, Xantcha heard me with her damn spider senses.
"What was that last bit there? 'I might want to have a city'," Xantcha repeated.
"Yes, I might want to lead a city or a town eventually," I clarified.
"All hail High Lord Tree Hugger," Trila jokingly exclaimed.
We all shared a good laugh, and I decided to buy a round of drinks for everyone. The laughter continued as we spent the next hour chatting with the locals. They informed us that the undead had been appearing at night from somewhere to the south. It had started about a week ago, and their numbers had been growing each night. The latest count was over 50. As the local finished sharing this information, I received a prompt.
Quest Name: Save Tomalik from the Undead
Difficulty: Noble
Quest Description: Kill the undead and uncover why they have awakened.
Type: Investigative Kill
Rewards: 10,000 XP, 60 SP
"This is a quest I can get behind. Are we doing this tonight?" I asked, and everyone agreed. There was talk of doing it tomorrow, but since we were here early, we might as well tackle it right away. As we left the tavern, a creepy feeling washed over us, indicating that we were not safe. Walking out into the street, we moved down the road heading south. Xantcha took off to scout the way for us.
As she stealthily moved behind the bushes, we heard the shuffling of feet and the odd clattering of bones. Xantcha had led us to an area where a congregation of zombies and skeletons had gathered. There were around 10 zombies and 5 skeletons, so I decided to use Scan on them one by one.
Skeleton Fighter
Level: 15
HP: 2000
Stamina: 300
Mana: 100
Zombie
Level: 10
HP: 1000
Stamina: 200
Mana: 100
Xantcha outlines the plan. The fighters pull the skeletons and zombies from the skeleton side of the pile. Leaving the zombie flanked by the mage and assassin. My job is to provide ranged support, heals, and if I have time dps. Then I cast mage armor on myself for 300 mana giving me armor with 150 Hp. I wait for the mana to regen then I cast Gift of Focus on both the front liners.
Level 2 Gen. Gift of Focus: 60 MP CT: 10 sec CD: 1 Min
Increases the highest stat of one target for 5 mins. Main stat increased buy 30%
level bonus: increase the added stat by 1%
Once we are in position. I throw out a magic missile at the closest skeleton, smacks it in the back and pushes it over. As one the undead all turn their head to me and begin to walk in my direction. That is when I see two blurs smash into the front line of undead knocking them over. The battle was joined. I Spent most of the time balancing healing and keeping the zombie form engaging with the mage and assassin. As they whittle down the rear of the zombies. I notice that the knight is looking low on HP.
So I use Earth Strider and dash over to him and cast Healing hands as I am healing him. A zombie slips by the fighter and lunges for me. In a moment of panic I turned the Healing hands spell I was channeling on to the Zombie. Holding its head away so it could not bite me. I watched as the skin and muscle melted away from my hands as I continued to channel the spell. The monster's hp ran out and the head just dissolved in my hands.
Then I heard a shout from the mage I looked around for her and found her being attacked by 2 zombies. I pull back from the tanks and start to cast earth spikes. As I was casting the assassin Xantcha appeared to trip a zombie to the ground while stabbing the other in the back of the head. I target my spell on the one she tripped. I aim for the head as it is laying on the ground. I see the earth spike rip out the front of the skull. This catches Xantcha by surprise then they look right at me and give me a thumbs up. After that it was an easy mop up.
Once that last zombie was killed I healed any wound that wouldn’t heal on its own. We rounded up the dead then I asked them if they wanted to use my looting ability to loot the dead. They agreed so I went to work. As I looted the bodies I looked over the notifications.
You have used a healing spell on an undead. This being an Anathema to the undead. you have dealt 5 times damage for as long as you channel the spell.
Your party has killed 10 zombies and 5 skeletons.
Your skill healing hands has level from 3 to 6
“ Ok all done” I say as I flick the life jelly off my hand. Some flicks back and right into my mouth. I freeze in horror that some undead goo just flew in my mouth. right as everyone was walking back to me. They left after they saw what I was doing to the bodys. From their perspective it looked like I was turning the bodies into goo that I then flicked some into my mouth. The only thing that saved me in their eyes was the look of Absolute horror that was plastered on my face. then even that saving grace was gone the next moment when they saw me reach down and dip a finger into the goo and eat it. It was at this moment that the stone faced orc bent over and threw up all over the floor. Then they started to shout at me.
After reading the prompt that popped up following the drop landing in my mouth, I knew I had to taste it and validate my findings. Overcoming my revulsion, I dipped my finger into the goo and licked it off, receiving the same prompt as before.
Your skill Inverse Ingredients has found a use for Life Jelly. Use one growth agent when absorbed by a plant to increase the growth rate proportional to the amount absorbed. It can be used as an unaugmented arcane catalyst, allowing the jelly to amplify the effect of a spell when cast using it as a catalyst.
"This is amazing! Who can I use it on? Can I sell it?" I exclaimed excitedly. However, Xantcha interrupted, saying, "We don't have time right now for research. Take a sample and lay out the loot so we can move on."
"No problem, I'll pick Trila's brain later. Here is the loot I obtained from the monsters. It's quite the haul, more than any other bunch of monsters. Does anyone know why?" I asked as I laid out the following items:
- 3 Monster parts: 2 rare zombie brains, 1 uncommon funny bone
- Honeycomb opal
- Common weapons: 5 swords, 2 axes, and 1 spear
- Uncommon bracers
- Uncommon helmet
- Unique armor cloak
- 2 Augments: 1 common, 1 Epic
Trila cast Identify, and the armor and augments lit up, allowing us to see their stats.
Bracers of Health
Item Rarity: Uncommon
Effects: Gives +5 to Constitution
Slots Available: Augmentation
Skullcap of Night Vision
Item Rarity: Uncommon
Effects: Grants night vision
Slots Available: Augmentation
Skin of the Night Whisperer
Item Rarity: Unique Rare
Effects: +5 Dex, +5 Str
Unique Effect: Users can channel mana to the cloak, allowing the wearer to become a part of the shadows, granting +20 to stealth and silence while channeling 60 mana per minute.
Slots Available: Enchantment and Augmentation
Hardened Bone
Rarity: Common
Effect: Grants +5 to Constitution
Type: Armor
Undead Dead Cress
Rarity: Epic
Effect: +10 necro damage and applies necro poison
Type: Weapon
"That's some dope stuff. I have a question about this cloak. How is it both unique and rare?” I asked “Also, dibs on the Skullcap of Night Vision," .
"So, there are three categories for items that are not part of the ranking order. These refer to the item origins or special materials. The three categories are Unique, Ascended, and Artifact. The term Unique and Ascended often refer to the material, while Artifacts are items that are from the first war with the Sower or over 100,000 years old. They contain power and magic that have been long forgotten. This cloak here was made from the hide of a rare monster and retained some unique characteristics. Does that make sense?" Trila explains to the party.
We then divided the loot, and there were no objections when I claimed the helm. Xantcha took the cloak, Amurak received the bracers, Leopold got the weapon augments, and Trila obtained the gem and the armor augment. With our loot sorted, we packed up and headed deeper south to continue hunting undead.
In the subsequent battles, we only encountered packs of 3 or 4 zombies and skeletons, which we dispatched quickly. After about two hours of killing every undead we encountered, we stumbled upon an entrance to a cave that was covered in vines and roots. Xantcha ordered us to loot the bodies quickly and keep moving so we could sort it all later. When I looted the next monster's body, I received a prompt asking if I wanted to harvest the Jelly as well, and I eagerly smashed the 'yes' button. I managed to fill half of an 8 oz mason jar with a cleaner version of the Life Jelly, while the rest of it splashed onto the ground, causing the nearby plants to grow at a diminished rate. Over the past two hours of hunting, we had killed 30 zombies, which resulted in me acquiring 15 full 8 oz jars of Life Jelly.
"Do we have to go into the dark and scary hole?" Trila asked. "You know how I feel about being underground." I interrupted and asked, "Why?" She blinked slowly at me, then remembered that I was new to the world. Clearing her throat, she explained, "The wings. It's hard to fly underground, so my race tends to avoid it with a passion."
"How about I scout it out with the new cloak? If it's too difficult, we can pass it up the chain. If not, we can handle it quickly. How does that sound, Trila?" Xantcha suggested.
"Fine, I guess. Let's see what we're up against," Trila agreed. Xantcha then faded into a dark blob that glided to the entrance of the cave and slipped inside. The moment she hit the 20-foot mark, we all received two prompts.
You have found the dungeon: Tunnels of the Unspoken Oracle, a silver-ranked dungeon.
You have found a Point of Interest. You can report this to the Adventurers Guild for a reward.
Quest Updated:
Quest Name: Save Tomalik from the Undead
Difficulty: Grand
Quest Description: Kill the undead and investigate the Tunnels of the Unspoken Oracle to find the source of the undead.
Type: Investigative Kill
Rewards: 16,000 XP, 100 SP, minor class item.
"Is it just me, or did the quest difficulty just jump a rank and the rewards are much better?" I asked, puzzled by the sudden change.
Trila responded, "That happens from time to time. If the scope of the task is larger than the information provided to the system, it will update based on new information. In this case, it changed due to the addition of a silver-ranked dungeon."
Curious to learn more, I asked the group, "What is a dungeon, and how do they work?" As I looked at them, I noticed a mix of excitement and nervousness on their faces.
"Your world really had no magic. Dungeons come in three flavors: Lairs, Legacy, and Sentient," Leopold explained. "Lair dungeons are where a scion-ranked monster has made its home. These often have less sophisticated traps and feature pitfalls and ambush holes. They tend to have more waves of monsters than traps."
Amurak continued, "Legacy dungeons have been left behind by an organization or person. They are often designed to safeguard an object or keep something sealed away. These dungeons usually have intense traps upon traps."
Trila wrapped up the explanation, saying, "The final type of dungeon is the greatest and hardest of all, with the potential for glory and wealth. Sentient dungeons are the most dangerous, as they have an active intelligence working to kill you. They include very difficult traps that reset, change rooms, and even create monsters that don't originate in nature. Ancient sentient dungeons are even capable of speech." She spoke with a wistful gleam in her eyes, imagining a pile of gold.
"Dungeons are ranked similarly to the way the Adventure Guild ranks adventurers. The rankings are Bronze, Silver, Gold, Ancient, and Primordial," Leopold added. "The rankings were established based on the dungeons that posed threats to the cities. It's crucial to know that Sentient dungeons have reached an accord with the Cities of Radigar.
We don't kill Sentient dungeons, and they provide us with necessary resources while keeping the dungeons fair. However, there was a time when dungeons were hunted for their dungeon cores. In a long conflict, dungeons were being destroyed at an alarming rate. As a result, Zephyr, the oldest and strongest Primordial dungeon, gathered an army of monsters that decimated 90% of all life outside the ten major cities. The cities were brought to their knees, with four of them on the verge of being overrun. At that point, a party of Diamond-ranked adventurers met with an emissary of Zephyr, leading to the establishment of the Dungeon Accords.
Over time, the accords have been modified to better meet the needs of both people and dungeons. The most notable change occurred when a dungeon named Beotro went insane. They tapped into the plane of madness and started sending out abominable monsters. Zephyr requested a change to the accords, allowing adventurers to put down dungeons that became insane or degraded at the council's request. Since then, the accords have maintained peace between dungeons and the races of Radigar."
While listening to this fascinating tale of dungeons and the political climate surrounding their interactions, I walked around, checking the plants and collecting some interesting specimens for further study. I also formed questions in my mind that would have to wait until later. As I glanced at my mini-map, I noticed Xantcha approaching.
"Good news and bad news," Xantcha began. "The good news is that a good portion of the traps in the dungeon have been triggered. This is a lower-end silver Legacy dungeon, and the average level of the monsters inside is 32. However, the bad news is that either a necromancer or a lich lord has taken up residence here." She looked at me and added, "Aren't you going to ask what those are?"
"Naw, I know what a necromancer is, and I assume a Lich lord is like a necromancer but a lich. We might not have magic, but we do have video games," I said with a smug look on my face. "Why is that a bad thing? Our average level is 22. If we play this smart and safe, we should be able to grind this dungeon to dust underneath the heel of strategy."
"The average monster is not what I'm worried about. It's the boss and the reason this dungeon was created. We would be walking into an unknown situation with an unknown enemy," Xantcha explained. "I don't feel comfortable scouting any deeper. I think whoever took over this crypt did so recently, or the monsters leaving the dungeon would have been as strong as those I saw deeper inside."
As the party weighed the pros and cons, I shared my thoughts. After much deliberation, they came to the decision to explore the dungeon. We gathered up the items we had left behind while renewing any buffs that had elapsed. As we headed into the dungeon, I posed a question to the party.
"So, I have this skill called Arcane Sight. Would it be useful to have it in the front to check for magical traps?" I asked.
"What does it do?" Trila inquired, prompting me to explain how the skill works and its limitations. She then asked why I didn't keep it active all the time.
"Because it hurts the eyes after a while, and any strong magic feels like looking at the sun. I haven't tried keeping it on for longer than five minutes. Maybe it's something that will become easier over time, but I'm not sure if it will damage my eyes. What do you think, Trila?" I responded.
"I have my version called Mana Vision, and I keep it active all the time. After reaching the novice rank, you gain control over how visible the magic appears. Only truly epic and above magics are blinding, but even those become dim after a second of looking. I've never heard of anyone burning out their eyes," Trila explained.
"Thank you. If it won't burn out my eyes i will keep it active, I might even try running my Contour Nature spell at my magic regen rate for training," I said.
"That's a valid way to train, but it can lead to minor damage. The main difference is that skills use significantly less mana, while spells require a greater amount. This flow is what can potentially damage your body over time. However, if you're only channeling at your regen rate, it should be fine. But back to the point, one of us should be second. I'll take on that role. You should be third so you can observe how we work," Trila advised.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Thanks, sounds great. To infinity and beyond!" I exclaimed, raising my arm and pointing towards the heavens.
"There is nothing beyond infinity. We were taught this in school. Didn't they teach you?" Amurak asked.
"Haha, no, they did. It's just a saying. It means to go even further beyond. You know, plus ultra," I explained with a mischievous grin.
"Shh, we are leaving the antechamber," Xant says as we enter the first room. The room is about 30' by 40'. On the left side, there are a dozen rows of stone benches and small round alcoves along the wall. On the right side, there are another dozen rows of stone benches, but with statues of the same person in different poses.
The woman carved in stone ages as you walk down the camber. She starts off as a young warrior and conqueror, then she is depicted holding a dying woman. As she gets older, she is depicted in her early 30s, wearing a robe and holding a book. The next statue shows her in the center of a circle of people bowing to her. The statues that follow become more reverential, with her holding the book above her head, emitting a shining light. Then there's a depiction of her meeting with kings, showing them the book while pointing at them. At the far end of the room, there is an altar with a large statue of the middle-aged woman, holding her hands down with palms facing us.
As we start walking down the center of the room, I scan around for magic but see nothing except for the altar. It emits a deep golden glow with swirling flakes of darkness inside. "I don't think they've been here that long. The altar still seems holy, unlike the zombies," I whisper, noticing Trila nodding in agreement.
We make it across the room without any issues and stand by the altar. Xantcha moves to search for a release or a secret door. After about a minute, she finds it tucked into the second-to-last round alcove. The back wall slides away, revealing a staircase that curves down to the right. Xantcha gestures for us to stay here while she scouts ahead. As we stand by the door, waiting, we hear the moaning of the undead and the clattering sound of bones striking stone. After a minute, Xantcha returns and whispers.
"There are about 8 zombies and 7 skeletons at the base of the stairs. Any suggestions?" Xantcha asks.
"Can you stealth around them and reach the next door? If so, you can lure them to that side with a noise, and then we can attack them from behind. Did you get their levels?" I ask.
"Most are level 28, and some are 30. I can do that easily. If we make too much noise, though, we might have to face a continuous horde as they come through the door," Xantcha replies.
"Is the door made of stone or wood?" I ask.
"Wood, why?" Xantcha wonders.
"I can seal it shut temporarily if given access for about a minute," I say.
"Okay, that sounds like a plan to me. Does anyone have any concerns that don't involve not being able to fly?" Xantcha asks, glancing at Trila, who in turn makes a rude gesture that I'll have to ask about later.
"When you hear the sound of a bell, count to 20 and come in," Xantcha instructs, and we all nod in agreement.
The next two minutes pass slowly, each second feeling like an eternity. Then we hear a small bell chiming in the distance. After counting to 20, we rush into the room, with the fighter and knight leading the way followed by Trila and me. As we enter, I see Xantcha being held by the hair by a zombie on the far left side of the horde. Acting quickly, I throw a magic missile at the zombie's face, staggering it back a step but not causing it to release its grip on Xantcha. In that moment, Xantcha seizes the opportunity and pivots, striking her short sword against the arm holding her, severing it. With a swift upward motion, she drives her sword under then up into zombie's skull, killing it instantly.
I shift my attention to the other party members, seeing that everyone is already engaged in combat with their respective enemies. I launch a couple of magic missiles at the enemies in the distance. As the fighters sustain damage, I heal them gradually, keeping their health above 75%. Once a space clears up, I move towards the door and cast Conture Nature to fuse it shut. As I work on sealing the door, I hear shuffling and feel a slight tremor coming from the other side. It fills me with unease as it sounds deeper, and I fear what might be lurking beyond. Once the door is sealed, I turn my attention back to the battle, only to witness Amurak taking a massive hit from an axe, dropping his health below 30%. Using Earth Strider, I dash over to him, pulling him back so I can assist him. Xantcha sees this and swiftly takes his place in the front line, parrying the same attack that brought down Amurak, and then dispatching the skeleton with a single thrust.
Amurak's shoulder wound is severe, and the healing I apply doesn't seem to be enough to mend it. I ask him if he has a potion he can use, as he is losing a significant amount of blood. In a croaking voice, he utters a single word that triggers my mind into overdrive - "cooldown." I know that if I don't find a way to help him, he will die. I quickly search through my inventory, i find the jar of life jelly and the Bloodroot Daisy. Pulling them both out Without hesitation, i pluck a pedal off the Daisy as send it back to storage. I pour the largest jar of jelly onto my hand with the daisy and then onto the deep wound in his shoulder, watching as it molds into a translucent facsimile of his shoulder. The blood that was pouring out moments ago now flows through the clear veins formed by the jelly, pouring mana into Healing hands i channel it threw the pedal hoping that the healing from the plant will help as i sit there healing him. I see the sides of the wound pulling together until it is sealed. I continue to channel the healing hand spell, witnessing a dark blood red scar form, and soon Amurak's health is back at 100%.
I glance up to check the party's health and notice that Xantcha's life is hovering around 40%. I grab Amurak by the shoulder and ask if he's ready. He nods in response. Using Earth Strider, I include him in the effect and dash back to Xantcha, tapping her shoulder to pull her out of the line of fire. I pop a mana potion and then begin to heal her. With our party revitalized, the rest of the battle is short-lived, and we emerge victorious. As the last monster falls, I notice something peculiar - a small burst of magic emanates from the defeated monster, streaming into the ground before changing color and flowing into our team.
Running low on mana, I inform the team about the movement and shaking of the door frame on the other side. They all wear grim expressions, but we take a moment to heal and prepare ourselves for the next battle. During this respite, Amurak approaches me.
"You saved my life. I became careless while fighting the weaker monsters and allowed the level 30 one to use an ability that should have killed me. How did you save me? I did the math, and I was supposed to be dead. Your healing isn't strong enough to heal through 700 points of bleeding damage. Regardless, I owe you a life debt," Amurak says, bowing to me.
"No, it was my role in the group. No life debt is necessary, but if you want to repay me in the name of your honor, help me find a legendary item so I can reunite with my love," I say with determination.
"That goes against my honor, but I understand your wish. A blood debt can't be paid by coin or object. I do understand the reasoning behind your request, and with the Crimson Bulwark as witness, I will honor it," the knight says. He then gets down on one knee and continues, "Until you have been reunited with your wife, I will stand by your side as your shield. I make this oath on my honor and my name as a knight." As he finishes the oath, a bright light wraps around him in a ribbon-like form and shoots towards me. It hits me directly in the center, causing a tightening around my heart and a weight on my shoulders. As the light disperses, I notice numerous notifications blinking rapidly.
Looking at Amurak, I say, "You didn't have to do that, but I will respect your wishes in this matter. However, please don't do that again. It felt like being kicked in my soul. What just happened with the light, and do we have a moment to check my notifications?" I inquire.
"We have a couple of minutes. Whatever is on the other side of this door hasn't started attacking it yet. That light was the result of an oath, and it hurt because Amurak is of a higher level than you by a significant margin. Oaths are serious and often result in the death of the one who breaks them, though not always. They are enforced by the system, so there's no way to sidestep an oath without breaking it. They create a bond between two people, and this bond can be utilized in limited ways. The most common usage is allowing the bonded individuals to sense each other's location if they are in the same world,"
Xantcha explains, looking somewhat annoyed. She adds, "This fool here has now solidified you as part of this group because if you leave, he will too. We have been through too much to let him go. So, welcome to the Crimson Bulwark. Any objections?" She scans the group, and everyone shakes their heads. "Don't worry, I'm not just making you one of us because of the oath. I've been observing you, and you have a natural talent for battle strategy while keeping a mostly cool head. Frankly, your skills in manipulating a battle surpass your spellcasting abilities, which is peculiar for someone who grew up in a world without mana. I assume it has to do with this video game thing you keep mentioning."
I nod in agreement and ask, "So, what does it mean to be in the Crimson Bulwark? Do I have to register and pay fees to the guild or something like that?"
"No, I will handle that when we get back to town. For now, we should read our notifications and prepare for the next room," Xantcha replies.
I take a look at my notifications, noticing that five of them are blinking and one is strobing. I open the strobing one first.
Congratulations you have had an oath sworn by a knight. This oath is binding until the knight has fulfilled their promise or until you break faith with them.
Congratulations you have created a never before seen new skill Essence Alchemy. For creating this unique skill you have been awarded the following. A student rank in the skill Essence alchemy. An epic item from the stream. Due to creating a new profession path the system has awarded you 25 Profession point held until a profession is chosen and 25000 XP
Essence alchemy: Allows the alchemist to change the effects of a spell or ability by adding ingredients that contain an essence of elemental plant or plants that have an essence.
novice rank: can now add monster parts to augment spells.
Student rank: can break down Augment for essences.
Congratulations your skill Essence alchemy has reached Novice and student rank you have been awarded 3500 xp.
Congratulations, your skill Essence alchemy has reached the level required for it to be taken on as your profession. You are allowed only one profession at a time. to gain a different profession you will lose all progress in your current profession.
Would you like to make this your profession
Congratulations, you have gained levels in the following. Healing hands, magic missile, Contour neature,
Congratulations, you have gone from level 15 to 21 you have 12 unspent Attribute points.
Confused by the sudden turn of events, I exclaim, "What?" just before being drenched in XP. A tremendous surge of golden light floods into me and the party. Initially, everyone seems pleased, but their expressions quickly turn to shock as they look at me. In front of me, a cosmic basin materializes, and I reach in to retrieve a round glass orb. As I store the orb away, I remark, "Wow! Did you know you can create skills? I guess I have a profession now." Without hesitation, I accept the offer and make Essence Alchemist my profession. A prompt appears, informing me of a new tab. However, before I can click on it, Xantcha interjects, "Wait! Before you explore that tab, you need to reinforce this door. We are in a dungeon with monsters."
"What? Oh yes, my bad on that. I'll take care of it real quick by reinforcing sections of the door to the frame." After swiftly completing the task, I turn to Trila and ask, "So, should I invest all my attribute points into one attribute or split them between wisdom and intelligence? I only have 12 points to spend and I want to know if I should focus on intelligence or distribute them evenly." Trila shakes her head at me and responds, "Where did you allocate the other points if you're not focusing on intelligence or wisdom?"
I pull out the orb and examine the properties.
Alchemists Liquid glass orb
Item Rarity: epic
Effects: The user can channel mana into this item to make a small 3” round sealed glass mana orb. This orb can be created around a liquid or an object smaller than 3”. Can make up to 5 orbs a day. The user can control the shape to a limited degree; they can make a spout, add holes, and control the thickness of the glass. When the conjured orb is broken the glass turns back into mana and dissipates harmlessly
Slots Available: N/A
"I only get 2 points to spend per level, and then I receive +2 to all attributes except luck until level 25. After that, I'll get 5 points per level. Why do you all look like I kicked your puppy?" I inquire, confused by their reactions.
Amurak is the first to respond, his frustration evident as he exclaims, "That is not normal at all! People usually receive 5 points per level. You're saying you get 2 points to spend and an additional 12 free points that are allocated to each attribute. That is insane! Your entire planet will reach level 25 with a base of 50 attributes across the board."
My next words deflate the room like a untied balloon. "Yes, but it comes at the cost of half the population of my world. The system mentioned it was to compensate for the power difference due to not growing up with magic. It's good to know that it's abnormal," I explain, understanding where he is coming from but still feeling bitter about the price.
Trila interjects, wanting to circle back to something I mentioned earlier. "You mentioned that you created a skill. I'd like to delve into that. What do you mean?" I proceed to explain how I used the skill to save Amurak and share the information provided by the prompts, detailing the rewards received. Trila nods along and then remarks, "I think I know what happened. You didn't just create a skill; you actually forged a new profession branch. The subsequent rewards should be substantial, assuming you can figure out how to progress to higher stages. That orb sounds like a valuable tool for the job, and the profession points are a great advantage."
"I know, that's why I'm excited to test it out, along with exploring the stream. I've reached level 20, so I should be able to access the 5th rank basins, which might offer something awesome. I hope it won't be too expensive. Okay, I'm going to check out the profession tab. If there's something that can help us, I'll purchase it. Otherwise, I'll wait, and then we can move on," I declare. The team agrees, and I proceed to access the profession window, where I'm greeted with a notice.
Congrats you have become a professional Essence Alchemist. Professions are the next level of skills like blacksmithing, Alchemy, and any others. Professions help guide a person on the path of knowledge. The system thrives on creation by giving the tools needed to create a unique expression of the person.
There is a profession tree. In which you have to spend Profession Points (PP) to unlock effects that allow you specialize or broaden your focus. Similar to the stream there are tiers to the levels of skills that you can unlock.
PP are gained by completing a profession quest or by leveling your profession.
Every 5 levels of a profession grants access to the next rank of the tree. You gain 5 PP per profession level. Quest often offers between 5 and 10 pp unless it is a Grand or higher quest.
Once I read the notice. I scanned the first branch of the profession tree. I see that on the first branch is a cluster of nodes I read each one.
1. Allows for a spell to be suspended inside a potion 0/1 cost: 5
2. Allows multiple uses of augment. Uses gained 0/5 cost:5
3. Increased potenance of essences when applied to a spell by 10%. 0/5 cost:5
After considering the enticing options, I decided to allocate 10 points to option 3, 10 points to option 2, and 5 points to option 1. The ability to suspend a spell into a potion sounded intriguing, especially when I eventually had the chance to craft one. I hoped I could improvise and create something useful on the go. Satisfied with my choices, I closed the window and nodded to Xantcha, signaling that I was ready to proceed.
"Alright, everyone, pack up and let's move on," Xantcha announced. I began removing the seal from the door. Once the door was free, Xantcha transformed into a shadowy blob and slipped into the room. While waiting for her return, I took out a jar of life jelly, noticing that its description had changed.
8oz jar of life jelly. A growth agent that, when absorbed by a plant, increases its growth rate. Possesses alchemical properties. Increases the potency of healing magic by 50% when used as an essence. Additionally, it can be used as an arcane catalyst to store spells and provides a small bonus when used to contain life spells.
I stored the jar away just as Xantcha sprinted back into view. Hot on her heels was a massive undead creature. Standing at around 11 feet tall and 4 feet wide, it wielded a large butcher's knife that could easily be mistaken for a greatsword in the hands of a smaller creature. In its other hand, it gripped a massive club resembling a naked tree. I quickly scanned the creature.
Name: Crypt Tyrant
Level: 40
HP: 10,000
Mana: 100
Stamina: 700
The Crypt Tyrant charged after Xantcha as Trila and I bombarded it with spells. I aimed an earth spike at its legs, causing it to stagger. We retreated behind our front-line fighters. As the monster crossed the threshold into the room, it met the shields of the Crimson Bulwark. Its momentum came to an abrupt halt as the shields' bearers began to glow. I unsheathed my Blackwood Naginata, aware that I would likely need it.
As the Crypt Tyrant slammed into the glowing shields, the color of the glow surrounding Leopold and Amurak started to change, darkening into a menacing red as the Tyrant brought down its club repeatedly. After four or five hits, both shields shown with an intensely dark, malevolent, and furious red. When the Tyrant swung its club with a powerful strike, it collided with Amurak's shield, but the force and speed of the rebound exceeded expectations. The club flew over the monster's head as it recoiled, giving Leopold the perfect opportunity. He struck with his crimson-infused longsword, slicing deep into the Crypt Tyrant's leg, almost severing the bone. Xantcha reappeared, driving her short sword into the weakened leg, cutting through the remaining flesh. The monster took a step back on its damaged leg, only to collapse. In its falling motion, it lashed out with the cleaver, grazing Leopold on his side as he attempted to bring his shield around.
The glancing blow tore through a weak spot in Leopold's armor, inflicting a deep cut. I rushed to his side, casting an earth spike at the monster's chest while channeling my energy to hold it in place. Checking on Leopold as I maintained the channel, I found that he had consumed a healing potion before my arrival. Although the wound was deep, he assured me it had missed any vital organs. It was at that moment I realized I had no knowledge of Drake anatomy. Muttering to myself, I said, "I need to remember to ask about the party members' anatomy for different races." Leopold inquired, "What about my organs?" Curiously, I replied, "Oh, nothing important. I just need to know what, how, where, and what color they are." Leaning in, I whispered, "The last part is just because I'm curious." Leopold hesitated for a moment, then responded, "Um, I need to get back into the fight now. I'm good." Offering him a hand up, we returned to the battle.
The Crypt Tyrant sat up, swinging its massive cleaver around. Trila continued to unleash a barrage of spells, and I dismissed my earth spike, joining the onslaught with repeated casts of Magic Missile. While skillfully targeting the creature, I glanced at its remaining life with a scan. It had slightly less than half of its health remaining. Our combined assault of spells, along with the efforts of our knight and assassin on either side, and the fighter joining in, began to wear it down rapidly. However, our first mistake was neglecting its leg, and our second mistake was underestimating the range of skills at its disposal.
It glowed with a sickly green light before smashing its hands into the ground, immediately bouncing back to its feet in a flash. In a matter of seconds, the creature transitioned from a seated position to a poised stance, ready to strike. It utilized a movement ability, dashing across the room towards us. As the monster closed in on our mage, its cleaver raised high to deliver a devastating blow, she shouted the word "Switch!" In an instant, she disappeared, replaced by Amurak. The knife descended, but the knight sidestepped, causing it to crash into the ground. He retaliated by bringing down his warhammer, caving in a small area of the Crypt Tyrant's skull. Though the head snapped to the side, the Tyrant remained undeterred. It released the cleaver and retaliated with a powerful backhanded strike aimed at the knight's lower legs.
The force of the blow swept the knight off his feet, sending him tumbling for 20 feet until he came to a stop. The Tyrant rose to its feet, emitting a bellow that left my ears ringing. As its shout subsided, a red aura began emanating from its body. Leopold shouted, "It's going into a rage!" Without hesitation, we unleashed a flurry of spells upon the Crypt Tyrant. Its health dropped below 15%.
"Who wants the big buff?" I shouted as the Tyrant struggled to free its cleaver from the ground. Surprisingly, Xantcha exclaimed, "Give it to Trila. Trila, it's time for the finisher!" We both began casting our respective spells simultaneously. Arcane Blooming required a ten-second cast time, and I needed to draw upon a substantial amount of mana all at once. The pain of pushing myself to the edge of using all my remaining mana almost caused me to miscast the spell. Finally, a rush of mana surged forth.
The wave of mana washed over Trila, who seemed almost overwhelmed by the additional health and intelligence. Her words resonated with greater power as the spell neared completion. She pointed her hand forward, summoning a massive crystal shard measuring 4 feet in diameter and 7 feet in length. With incredible speed, the shard shot off, impaling the Crypt Tyrant through its chest. The sound of bone crunching was deafening, potentially audible even in the nearby village. Suddenly, both Leopold and Amurak retreated and crouched behind their shields. The next thing I knew, Trila tackled me to the ground, followed by a booming explosion that reverberated through every inch of my body.
Trila helped me to my feet, and we gazed upon the remains of the Crypt Tyrant—only a pair of legs remained, with its scattered arms lying on either side of the lifeless corpse. Overwhelmed by the debuff of Mana Depletion, I vomited, and about ten seconds later, Trila joined me as my buff wore off.
Once we had composed ourselves, the party gathered near us to discuss our next steps. I inquired about our remaining resources and the status of our skill cooldowns. Trila informed me that her crystal shard explosion had a one-hour cooldown, as did their Fortress Counter.
"By the way, that was awesome. I won't lie, I thought it had you when it went for that power strike," I applauded them. "So, should we wait for an hour until our cooldowns are up or until we regenerate our mana? Waiting might not be the smartest move, as they undoubtedly know we're here. The longer we wait, the more time they have to summon zombies or prepare for our arrival," I suggested. Xantcha nodded in agreement, and the rest of the party followed suit. However, her response took me by surprise. "Nope, we're waiting for the cooldowns. I know it might seem like a bad idea, but if we go in there with our three best moves on cooldown, we'll be handicapping ourselves in a dungeon that's still above our level. We need to play this smart, or we'll die," she stated firmly. Although my initial instinct was to advocate for pushing the attack and catching them off guard, I recognized Xantcha's greater experience as an adventurer and chose to remain silent on the matter. Instead, I posed the most important question: "So, umm... loot?" I stood there grinning as everyone turned to look at me.
"Ugh, fine, let's only take what we can use. We should rest and search this room first," Xantcha declares.
After looting the bodies and identifying the two items that are suitable for us, we find a potion and a pair of gloves.
Cloud of Restoration
Item Rarity: Unique
Effects: Can be thrown on the ground to generate a mist that heals and removes all debuffs. Restores 50% of maximum health.
Potency: Greater
Value: 2000 Gold
Gloves of Channeling
Item Rarity: Rare
Effects: Provides a +3 bonus to the skill Channeling.
Available Slots: 2 Augmentation
Trila decides that the gloves are not suitable for her class, so I take them for myself. Xantcha holds onto the potion. Curiously, I pose a question, "Do your adversaries monologue before the final fight? It would be amusing if they did." Xantcha responds, "Only if you can bait them into it, but I don't think the undead will be inclined to talk." Looting the bodies only takes 15 minutes. With that task completed, I open my Profession page to review what I need to do to level up. I carefully scan the page, making sure I don't miss any important details. Suddenly, I notice two options that I had overlooked. I click on the tab in the menu labeled "Profession Quests" and find three quests that offer XP. After scanning through the quests, I realize they don't seem too challenging.
Essences of spells
Difficulty:Worthy
Quests description: Apply essences to a spell 0/5
Type: Profession
Rewards:10 pp 100 profession XP
Augmentation of spells
Difficulty:Worthy
Quests description: Use Augments to modify a spell. 0/5
Type: Profession
Rewards:10 pp 100 profession XP
Bottled magic
Difficulty: Worthy
Quests description: suspend a spell inside a potion.
Type: Profession
Rewards: 10 pp 100 profession XP
Looking at the quest I get the feeling that this might be a Profession that is going to require a lot of experimentation. So I pull out a couple of items form storage and look them over. Frist is the bone armor Augment. I turn it over in my hand as I read the description.
Bone Armor
Rarities: rare
Effect: Increased resistance to necrotic damage by 10% and reduces weight of armor.
Type: armor
Essence effect: Improves armor based spells by 50% until the spell ends.
Once I saw the last line I pulled all of the augments and laid them out in front of me.
Condensed mana shard
Rarities:Common
Effect: reduces Casting Time by 1 second.
Type: armor
Essence effect: Reduces casting speed of the spell.
Trolls blood ashes
Rarities:Common
Effect: Max HP +100~300
Type: armor
Essence effect: Increase healing spells by 5%
Scholars crystal
Rarities: Common
Effect: Wis +1~6
Type: armor
Essence effect:Reduces the overall mana needed per second for a channeled spell
Ranged talon
Rarities: Common
Effect: Long-Ranged Damage +3-5
Type: weapon
Essence effect: Increase the damage of ranged spells
Fires bain stone
Rarities:Common
Effect: +5 Damage to Fire Enemies
Type: weapon
Essence effect: Increase the damage of water based spells.
Hardened bone
Rarities: common
Effect: Grants +5 to Con
Type: armor
Essence effect: Can repair bone when channeled into a healing spell
Undead dead cress
Rarity: Epic
Effect: +10 necro damage and applies necro poison.
Type: weapon
Essence effect: Add necro damage to a spell or can be used to heal undead when combined with a healing spell.
After reviewing the available augments, I identified a few that would enhance my healing, buffs, and damage capabilities. I stored the remaining augments while keeping the Bone Armor out. Deciding it was best to test it now rather than in combat, I cast Mage Armor. To my surprise, a prompt appeared, asking if I wanted to use a charge of Bone Armor to modify the spell. I eagerly clicked "yes" and poured an even 300 mana into the spell. Not only did I gain a 225 HP shield, but the appearance of the Mage Armor also underwent a dramatic change. It transformed from a faintly shining, skin-tight shell to a ghostly pale purple set of form-fitting scale mail armor. The sudden change caught the party off guard, as I heard the distinct sound of swords being unsheathed. Trila was the first to realize what had happened and quickly shouted, "It's just Havoc."
"Sorry about that. I was testing out a spell and forgot to warn you. On the upside, my armor looks amazing now. These augments will make my spells more effective," I explained.
"Really? Does using the augments destroy them?" Trila asked.
"Yes, but I have professional ranks that allow me to use the augments multiple times. I believe I can get up to 5 uses per augment. However, it will be costly to use them in every fight, and I'm not even sure how to apply them to armor. Plus, I need to be careful not to waste good augments when channeling them into spells," I replied, realizing the potential challenge ahead.
Then the topic shifted to the augments I had in my possession that I hadn't applied to my armor or weapons. Curiosity piqued, I was eager to learn how to use them. Trila offered to demonstrate, explaining that I simply needed to place the augment on the item and channel some mana into it. A prompt would appear, asking if I wanted to apply the augment, along with a warning that it would be depleted once used.
Following her guidance, I applied an augment to my armor and received a prompt confirming that the augment had been depleted and couldn't be used again. This realization made me realize the importance of being cautious and not wasting valuable augments. I hadn't fully thought through the consequences.
Moving on, I retrieved a jar of life jelly from my inventory. With a clear goal in mind, I focused on the orb and imagined a hole appearing on top. I channeled mana into the orb, causing ripples to form and a medium-sized hole to materialize. Carefully, I poured 4 oz of life jelly into the orb and then asked if anyone had a healing herb. Leopold surprised me by producing a healing herb from storage. Taking it, I examined the herb, chewing on a leaf to experience its taste.
The minty soap flavor.I placed some of the herb into the orb and sealed it with mana. Then, I focused on shaping the orb. As I separated the original orb, the new mana glass orb took on the shape of a soap bubble in my other hand, solidifying into a glass form. Following my skill's guidance, I shook the orb until the herb was completely infused. With the herb fully incorporated, I cast Healing Hand and awaited the prompt.
Due to your ranks in Essence Alchemist, you have the ability to suspend a spell. The mana cost to cast a spell into a potion is 5 times the original spell's cost. Any spell with an effect over time will be applied based on the level of the spell, while channeled spells will last as long as the spell was channeled. Would you like to cast Healing Hands into this halved finished potion? Please select "yes" or "no."
I selected "yes" and cast Healing Hands on the orb. It glowed momentarily, and from within, a light emerged. As it grew, I could discern the familiar spell circle that typically forms around my wrist, now suspended in the middle of the glass ball in my hand. Three additional prompts flooded my vision.
"Congratulations! You have completed the quest 'Bottled Magic.' You have been awarded 10 Profession Points (PP) and 100 Profession Experience Points (PXP). You have also gained the quest 'Bottled Magic 2.'"
"Congratulations! You have created a Orb of Healing Hands. Due to the strong life affinities of the ingredients used, the strength of the spell has been increased by 200%. When this orb is broken over someone, it will heal them for 144 points per second for 5 seconds. The magic within the orb will gradually fade over time, and you have 24 hours to use it."
"Bottled Magic 2: Difficulty: Worthy. Quest description: Suspend a spell inside a potion (0/5). Type: Profession. Rewards: 10 PP, 200 Profession XP."
Excitedly, I explained the purpose and functionality of the orb to Trila and Xantcha, who found the spell and its usability fascinating. Leopold and Amurak were initially unsure, but once they heard the significant healing potential, they quickly became onboard. I noted the short shelf life of the orb, but I figured we had plenty of time to decide on its best use. Each member of the party requested one, so I depleted the charges on the orb to create one for everyone. It took the remaining hour, but we managed to accomplish it before we were ready to proceed through the dungeon.