~~~~~~~~~~~
The concept of ’leveling’ is not that different than the experiences held before the Cataclysm occurred. To learn something and get better at it, you must first have a proficiency and desire to perform better than before.
With the advent of the leveling phenomenon, these subconscious decisions have ventured into the waking world where it is now possible to create theoretical ’builds’ and plan out skill progression.
What was not expected, was that a simple model for leveling could not be applied to everyone equally. While this may seem obvious to my readers, many attempted to derive an ultimate progression tree to create elite super soldiers.
As if often the case while impinging on the free will of sentients, it was found that certain individuals had access to unique skill evolutions. Others would gain experience at different rates. Despite the granularity of the System under which we operate, it was discovered that to become the best kin one possibly can be one must only follow their heart.
In a more literal sense, leveling now is no different than before. Find something you love doing, focus on it, and you’ll improve. Looking at data and theory crafting can be a fun diversion, but don’t forget the purpose of living- to exist in the moment you currently are in. Do not hold back for fear of being unable to achieve your goal tomorrow. Likewise, do not take action now that will harm your prospects for the future. Think before you act, but always choose to act.
-Treth Karat, Orc philosopher 158 AC- 213 AC
~~~~~~~~~~~
When we finally broke from our impromptu make out session, my heart was pounding in my chest.
“How am I supposed to be in the mindset for enchanting right after all that?”
“Mmm sounds like that’s not my problem,” Colette snickered then turned, tail flicking back and forth as she went to pick up our Cephlyx.
“That, that was good.”
“You’re telling me lover boy,” my head was still spinning. “But let’s not get distracted and mess up this rune. It’s going to be a lot more complex than the simple cantrip put on the armor.”
“Are we going to do something to avoid passing out again?”
“It should be smaller in scale than that last one. That should help even if it’s more intricate. The cost to set a pathway is inversely related to the total amount of Cephlyx used to make it.”
“Smaller takes less effort, makes sense.”
“But requires more fine control. Something I think we can better do now than before. Also, what do you think would be more useful for us in the rune?”
“Not sure I follow?”
“We can’t set up a constant effect field, it’s going to need to be triggered. Unless you want it to melt your blade into slag. The damaging part of the enchantment is the initial ’seeking’ phase. I should be able to either increase the speed that it seeks stabilization, or the intensity. Can’t do both or we’ll end up with one of those limited use items. Don’t really think warping your sword in the middle of a fight is something to aim for.”
“This Magitech is more limited than you seemed to make it out to be.”
“The materials I have to work with are the controlling factor here. Raw materials and crafting designs limit what I can make, unless you have a hidden stash of materials for me to work on. I didn’t think to memorize all the diagrams before my body was vaporized.”
“Something to work on then. Cutting through armor sounds nice. Really nice actually. But all my training was to avoid slashing whenever possible. Too easy to deflect or leave yourself open to a counter strike. I don’t want to try and relearn my fighting style while trying to survive in this crazy world of yours.”
“Speed then?” Colette came in with a couple bottles of Cephlyx and scribe tools, apparently having caught the pieces of my conversation with Samara.
“Speed it is. I should be able to set it up for a tenth of a second flash at maximum expansion. Quarter second off phase in oscillation for cooldown? It... should be safe.”
“The phrase ’should be safe’ doesn’t quite seem safe to have attached to my weapon.”
“Eh, acceptable risks. The art of rune crafting is grown through experimentation. If we can recover a quarter of what I know is possible we can live like queens.”
I was tempted to remind her of the incident that started this whole saga, but this was something we’d been through before. No sense dredging it up, either it would be safe to use or it wouldn’t. Despite her plucky attitude, I was able to see the detail of which we analyzed the [Area Denial Orb]. Having seen it in action, I could at least understand what we were trying to make.
Unsheathing my gladius, I inspected it once more for hairline cracks or other damage. Being fresh from the fight in the graveyard I hadn’t taken my usual post-combat inspection. Everything looked to be in order. For now, it was time to begin.
Colette provided a heavy vice, pulling it from somewhere in the back room. How she had so many random things I had no idea. It came in handy though as I anchored it to the table with a clamp of its own then set the gladius in its cradle.
The steel was tough, though not as tough as the scribe tool Colette had provided. A small piece of diamond was delicately set in the tip. The etching process would be more physically demanding than my leather armor, but I had high hopes for what we could create as I sat down to begin the process.
Starting at the grip, I carved in the first few circles around the entirety of the hand hold. Didn’t want the activation to be dependent on holding it just right. Reliability was key to any good weapon. While it shouldn’t be spinning around in my hand, it was inevitable that the worst would eventually happen. Preparation was key.
Contacts successfully traced in, I moved up to the guard. My instincts told me this was the safest place to set up the rune work for our little experiment. Branching off into fractals, the design began to take shape.
Slivers of metal and wood shavings began to pile up beneath the vice as I continued to slowly etch a copy of the orb’s design into my sword. In a way, it was beginning to look like a landscape painting.
With Samara’s insights, we carved out a shallow trench along the edges of the blade, four in all. They were positioned a centimeter off the honed cutting edge.
“The Cephlyx will set up as sturdy as the steel we’re removing here, don’t need to worry about the blade losing strength or snapping. We will need to have it set back to protect it from your constant sharpening though. Eventually you’d hone right through the rune!”
Trusting her explanation, I continued on with the steel excavation. Flipping the blade over, I cut in the remaining two slices along the blade’s edge. It felt like sacrilege to weaken my blade, but it was her life on the line too. After seeing the cuts Ben’s prototype device had made in the solid granite monuments and the ghouls when they pressed against it, I was morbidly curious to see what this could do to living flesh.
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Bulk engraving completed, I moved on to the tip of the blade. Each of the four lines connected together in a pyramid shape at the apex. A series of four smaller lines below the tip providing increased connectivity and redundancy. A side effect of this placement was a concentrating of the expansive effects of the enchantment to this portion of the blade.
I was much more comfortable with the dangerous parts taking place far from my grip. A few more feathering cuts towards the blade’s edge from the main channels and the hard work was done. Next, was the harder work.
Carefully applying the raw Cephlyx, I slowly worked my way down the blade from the point to the grip. Avoiding touching or smearing the silvery semi-liquid paste was quickly ramping up in difficulty as I tried to turn the blade over again and again.
“Can’t we just stabilize one side then the other?” I asked.
“Yes, if you want it to short out and catch you on fire. Doing it all in one set is what keeps it from overheating under extreme strain. Which is exactly what we are going to be using it for.”
“Alright, just asking,” I smiled then resumed my careful efforts. Raw Cephlyx glistened on my blade as it filled in the slots carefully carved out for it to rest.
Finally, my work was complete. The total volume looked like less than what my armor had used, but the complexity was at a solid order of magnitude higher.
“I’ll take you away if you overextend yourself. Again,” Colette smirked with a hint that she might not be opposed to the idea.
I signed, shook my head, then checked my status once more before committing.
***
Fabius Dansin
Level 5
250/250 HP
300/300 SP
Progress to next level: 613/500 XP
Statistics
Body: 25
Mind: 30
Soul: 15
ALERT- You here 10 unspent stat points
Skills
Endurance (2)
Sword (1)
Throwing Weapons (1)
Piercing Strike (1)
Rune Crafting (3)
Magitech Interface (3)
Scholar (3)
Conversion Matrix (1)
Siphon (3)
Unbroken Will (1)
ALERT- You have 7 unspent skill points
Martial-
Endurance (3) - Through countless trials your constitution has hardened. Resist fatigue and boost healing rate from all sources by 30%. Increase physical damage resistance by 5.
Sword (2) - Proper sword work involves more than sticking them with the pointy end. You know this. Increase damage done with swords by 15%, 10% chance to parry a physical attack from the front.
Throwing Weapons (2) - Sharpened edges increase the rate of bleeding from wounds on your foe. Accuracy of thrown weapons increased by 20% and damage by 8%. An additional 25% of base damage is dealt over 10 seconds as a bleed.
Shield (1) - A bulwark against those who would harm you. Durability of equipped shields increased by 30% Damage Resistance of shields increased by 2.
Piercing Strike (2) - Aim not for your target, but through it. Ignores 66% of armor. Activation Cost: 8 SP, 8 second cool down.
Technical-
Rune Crafting (4) - {Locked LV 10} Pressing ever onward, your progress will not be stopped. Construct and apply superior runes to equipment or weapons. SP cost depends on rune.
Magitech Interface (4) - {Locked LV 10} Few learn the arts of intimately interfacing with tech. Ability to disarm normal magitech traps and notice them from further away. Activate Class 1 - 4 magitech devices for 50% SP.
Efficient Conductor (1) - Aetheric energies flow through your body like water through a stream. Reduce SP costs by 5% for all actions.
SP Channeling (1) - Your will becomes manifest in the physical world. Efficacy of elemental energy runes increased by 20%
Esoteric-
Unbroken Will (2) - Unbowed, unbent, unbroken. Gain immunity to [Stun] and [Fear] afflictions for 90 seconds. Activation Cost: 30 SP, 2 hour cool down.
Scholar (4) - {Locked LV 10} You are a student to the art of death, and its master. 25% increased critical chance vs studied enemies / 25% damage resistance vs unknowns. May choose the opposite effect for the duration of an encounter at 100% efficiency.
Thaumaturge (1) - 10% chance to receive a random beneficial effect on each successful attack.
Conversion Matrix (2) - Sacrifice 30% max HP and SP to increase all damage done by 30% for 15 seconds. Leech 5% while active.
Siphon (4) - {Locked LV 10} What was, will be. What will be, was. Heal 10% max HP and SP with your next successful attack. Passive Ability: 6 second cool down.
Perks:
Twinned Souls
Eyes of the Void
***
“We’re as good as we’re going to get without leveling up,” I acknowledged.
“Hey Colette, would it be an imposition if we were to take a nap here for a little bit? I kinda wanted to rush over here after our quest but I’ve not slept since yesterday afternoon. Leveling up always knocks me out and I’m not sure why.”
“Well it does that to everyone, silly! How else do you think your stats will update?” Colette answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Uhuh,” my deadpan delivery making it clear that it wasn’t actually that obvious to an outsider and someone out of time.
“Of course, I’ve got a few things lying around here. Sometimes I’ll snooze when the shop’s not very busy. Give me a second to pull something together while you two sort it out,” with that, Colette disappeared into the front of the store.
“Everything into Mind?”
“Yes. I don’t need another headache like that last one. Maybe we should invest in the first couple levels of [Efficient Conductor]?” That headache was a strong deterrent to me ever thinking of ignoring that stat again, even if it hadn’t caused any permanent damage.
“I am tempted, but part of me is worried about over generalization. An we get higher and higher level, eventually it’s going to take more and more skill points to unlock the next tier.”
“Don’t forget about feats of strength! They’re a good source for supplemental skill points too!” Colette yelled in from across the store. Of course she’d heard everything with those cat ears of hers.
“I want to survive long enough to get there first!” I yelled back, then continued my discussion with the other half of myself.
“That’s a good point though, we don’t exactly fit into the mold here very well. I’m not going to settle down for a stable life until I have a body of my own again. Back to your point though, I think [Efficient Conductor] will be useful now, but hopefully in the future too. Just the first two levels to see what it does for us.”
“[Conversion Matrix] and [Unbroken Will] to round it out?”
The unfinished rune work in front of me lay there, taunting me to finish it then and there. I resisted and made my selections, forgetting that Colette hadn’t yet returned. My eyes closed as I save her return to the back room.
***
“Afternoon sleepy head, just couldn’t wait for me to get back could you?” Colette murmured, apparently I hadn’t been the only one to take a nap.
I felt the soft purring from my back where Colette had pushed me up and engaged me in an impromptu snuggle. I wasn’t about to complain.
Checking my status again, I was pleased by what I saw.
Fabius Dansin
Level 6
250/250 HP
400/400 SP
Progress to next level: 113/600 XP
Statistics
Body: 25
Mind: 40
Soul: 15
ALERT- You here 0 unspent stat points
Skills
Endurance (2)
Sword (1)
Throwing Weapons (1)
Piercing Strike (1)
Rune Crafting (3)
Magitech Interface (3)
Efficient Conductor (2)
Conversion Matrix (2)
Siphon (3)
Unbroken Will (2)
ALERT- You have 0 unspent skill points
Inactive skills
Scholar (3)
I focused on my new skill, [Efficient Conductor], to see that at the second level it reduced my SP usage by 15%. Not huge, but it definitely added up. With my reserves at full, I extricated myself from the cat girl and returned my attention to the glistening sword still waiting to be set.
The liquid hadn’t moved from where I ’d set it in place hours before.as I approached the table, Colette following close behind.
As before, the moment I started pouring my SP into the intake rune, a void opened up and threatened to consume me.
360/400 SP
295/400 SP
...
79/400 SP
“It’s drawing too much again!” I muttered through gritted teeth, seeing that the rune was only two thirds of the way completed and I was running dry.
Suddenly, I felt a warm hand lay itself over mine.
32/400 SP
...
56/400 SP
The draw was stabilizing! As my senses returned to me, I began to feel again. I *felt* Colette, her entire being, through the connection she had initiated.
The shock of it nearly threw off my concentration as her SP merged into my own. Calling it intimate felt like an insult to the word.
The sword finally stopped pulling, but Colette continued pushing SP into me, refueling my drained body. The sudden rush was euphoric.
Looking at Colette, I saw words cross her lips but not come out. Panic began to rise in her eyes.
I pulled away, ignoring the swelling emotions from my mind and heart at having exposed to such a raw essence. “Are... are you alright?” I gasped out.
“He. Heh. Hehehe...” Colette began cackling like a hyena as relief washed over her, “that... was a novel use of the [Transmute] skill, don’t ya think?”
The effects clearly hadn’t affected just me as I struggled to find words to reply.
Colette continued with a predatory look glinting in her eye, “Let’s do that again, but without the pesky sword in the way,” She pulled me close again and began hungrily purring into my chest.
“As much as I want to do exactly that and more right this minute, I know I’m not in the right state of mind. You seem out of it too,” I begrudgingly acknowledged.
“Nyeh, oh fine,” her ears twisted in a pout, “at least a kiss for my heroic deed of keeping you two conscious?”
I obliged and very swiftly nearly regretted it as my hands and hers began exploring each other’s bodies.
“I... you’re right,” Colette pulled back, “that’s too good. Let’s...take a few minutes to cool down.”
“What was it that you did?”
“I tried to use [Transmute] to help you finish the rune. I figured I could transmute my own SP into yours. It didn’t quite turn out as I expected,” Colette red flushed again.
“Well thank you, that would have definitely drained me dry. It was much more pleasurable than the alternative,” I said.
“Oh I know. About the pleasurable part at least,” Colette’s face lit up as she recalled the encounter.
Your group has created “Gladius of Oscillatory Radiance” (Normal): 330 XP Awarded
“Oh wow! I got credit for that?” Colette exclaimed.
“Well to be fair you did help quite a bit. I just hope we didn’t get distracted enough to mess with the setting process. Lest thing I want is a limited use sword.”
I looked in detail at the shimmering sword, etched lines in it fading as the residual SP bled off.
***
Gladius of Oscillatory Radiance (Normal)
A cobbled together creation utilizing hard light barrier technology. Rapid cycling is employed to ensure a stable beam is not created.
Class 3 Magitech Device
Trigger Effect: 70 SP/second (29.75)
Sheath the blade a field of pure, undifferentiated energy.
***
“Doesn’t sound that impressive from the description,” I said, hefting it to my hand. I checked my SP reserves before activating it.
342/400 SP
“Colette, I gained almost three hundred SP after the enchantment was set and done pulling. How efficient was that skill of yours?”
“I...ummm. Around not very, your majesty!” Colette twirled in the middle of the room. I’d call her drunk if I didn’t know better.
“Okay well I’m going to give this a trial activation. Watch this.”
I pressed my energy into the sword, watching as it came to life.
*Ptssshhew*
Blue light flickered from the surface of my blade, a low humming sound as it flickered on and off faster than my eyes could keep track of.
I swung it through the air. Instead of the typical hiss of wind, while picking up speed it developed a sound of its own.
*vráu*
*vráu* *vráu* *vráu*
Spinning it up with childish glee, I sinkk my blade into the wooden table.
*psssssh*
It sunk in slowly with minimal resistance, smoke rising from the charred lumber. Only a couple of seconds of pressure and it suddenly dropped down to the guard, the remainder of my blade passing through the table entirely.
“Oh shit,” I said, pulling the blade out and leaving a smoldering gladius-shaped hole in the table.