The trip back to Verdantspire was mostly uneventful. The Warden duo of Liosan and Lianna were able to guide the caravan down mostly unremarkable trails and paths deeper into the Silverwood unerringly towards the animari settlement. Xavier rode in one of the wagons with some of the captivity-weakened individuals. His body still recovering from the death and revival. None of those he had helped free begrudged him that position, nor his caretaker Ella in her spot beside him.
Though the animals and wagons helped make the trek faster it was still slower than the madcap dash that Xavier had achieved when it was just the smaller party of the iskari twins, Frostclaw, and himself. He was fine with that however because he had a lot on his mind, between notifications, planning, and just coming to grips with the fact he had died again, let alone the world-altering revelation of Ella’s true nature.
Xavier simply leaned against the back of the wagon bed, the others gave him room and Ella sat at his side, her hip almost casually pressed into the hilt of Vaeltheris. He decided to break things down into more manageable tasks. He would review his notifications first and then chew on his new status as a Kael’Sharyn. He glanced at Ella out of the corner of his eye. When they were alone he would have her tell him the whole truth of what she was.
The first notification that came into view as he opened the icon was, unsurprisingly dealing with the combat with the raider party.
Ding!
Your party has engaged and defeated an opposing party.
* Raid Leader - Karthos Blackbane: 11,500
* Shadowmancer - Eryndra Duskwail: 8,400
* Beastmaster - Ralvik Thornclaw: 3,900
* Elite Guards (x4): 7,200 (1,800 each)
* Slavers (x4): 4,400 (1,100 each)
* Mounted Scouts (x4): 9,200 (2,300 each)
* Dire Wolves (x4): 4,400 (1,100 each)
Total Experience Earned 49,000
Xavier had to stop and reread that prompt several times, a single encounter with powerful individuals had netted him more than half of all the experience he had earned during his entire time in Arath. Closing that he moved to the next and frankly expected notification. A grin pulled up the corners of his lips as the radiant symphony of chimes reverberated through his head, accompanied by a booming voice reading the notification:
"Hark and Hear! You have ascended in power. You have gained levels 8 - 12!
The touch of the divine lingers upon you, granting 30 attribute points to shape your destiny—an exceptional gift, elevated from the ordinary 4 points by the Blessings of the Gods (Danu). Choose wisely, for these points will define your path. You have 3 days to assign them, or they will fall to the whims of fate. Your growing prowess earns you a boon: 100% skill allocation to distribute among your known skills. This is your chance to sharpen the blade of a favored talent, forge new strength in an untapped domain, or balance your growth across disciplines. Let this moment be a cornerstone of your greatness.
As you have achieved level 10 you are now eligible to select a combat class archetype. These archetypes will help cement your place in society and the world around you. What path will you take to glory?
Rise, Seeker of Glory. The world awaits your will. Seek adventure, seek wisdom, seek love—and let your legend be forged in your choices. LIVE!”
His level hadn’t just increased it had leaped forward. Thirty attribute points was a huge boon to that fight, something told him that he was going to need every one of those and more, however as the words of Danu lingered in his mind. She had blessed him when she first brought him to this world, and though she hadn’t given him a quest or anything it was implied that she had expectations of him.
“The goddess of fate,” he murmured softly. “How much is her doing and how much is my own choices?”
“Did you say something master?” Ella inquired after his words.
“Nothing of note no. And don’t call me master. That word has dark connotations where I am from.” Xavier glanced to the side where the young woman sat.
She smirked at him. “I will try but you are my master, Xavier. You are bonded to my sword after all. Others will see my mark and expect a level of deference to someone. I may not wear a collar like others but am still a bound one.” Her eyes sparkled slightly in the moonlight. “The morals and traditions of here are not the same as where you are from.”
She was one of few that knew his origin, he was appreciative of her keeping the secret, but her subtle reminder made him purse his lips in thought. Was he right in trying to change something that seemed as fundamental to the world? Mulling that over made his eyes go distant as he pondered the ramifications of his potential actions. Sighing he shook his head finally; it was not something he could decide at the moment. His best course would be to help those he could for now and see what would come in the future. He turned his attention back to his notifications.
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill – Small Blades level 11. Your continued work with daggers and small swords has evolved and merged these skills into a single-encompassing one. The Small Blades skill focuses on the use of light, fast, and precise weapons like daggers, knives, and short swords. Masters of this skill prioritize speed, precision, and agility over brute force, excelling at exploiting weak points and overwhelming opponents with rapid strikes. While small blades lack the raw damage of heavier weapons, they more than make up for it with versatility, finesse, and their ability to strike critical points with ease. "It’s not the size of the blade, it’s how many times I can stab you with it before you notice." +22% to damage with small blades. +22% to attack while wielding small blades.
Ding!
For achieving level 10 in Small Blades, you have improved from Novice to Apprentice. This has increased your precision and speed with these weapons. You also now gain a basic understanding of target weak points with these weapons. Chance to strike critical blows now +.5% per skill level. Total increased chance +5.5%. You have earned 1000 xp for increasing your rank to Apprentice.
Xavier hadn’t thought he had done much during the fight, he was already more than happy with the huge experience gain he had received from being in the same party as the much higher-level twins. He slowly replayed the combat in his mind, the fighting with the lower and lesser-geared slavers was still intense and he realized it had taken much more of his skill than he originally thought. He had no doubt that without the two iskari, he never would have stood a chance beyond them but that was a whole other issue. With that realization, he continued through his notifications.
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill – Light Armor level 8. The Light Armor skill represents expertise in wearing and utilizing light protective gear such as leather, padded, or chain shirts. This skill emphasizes mobility, agility, and precision defense over sheer durability. Masters of light armor turn their lack of heavy plating into an advantage, relying on speed, stealth, and clever movement to outmaneuver opponents and avoid damage. "Why take the hit when you can just not be there? Light armor isn’t weakness—it’s strategy." +8% reduction in light armor movement penalty.
He hadn’t even realized his armor was slowing him down. He opened up his UI and examined his status. Switching over to the current effects tab he noticed an effect he hadn’t paid very much attention to before.
Armortoll – The reduction in speed, agility, and movement due to worn armor.
Base Armortoll: -3% per piece of lightweight armor worn. (Chest, Legs, Hands, Feet) Total: -12%. Adjusted Armortoll: +8% reduction in total penalty. Adjusted Armortoll: -11%
So even wearing the simple light leather armor he had been using still affected him. He wasn’t overly surprised. That was a common issue in every game he had ever played. Still, the fact that aspects of this world so matched different game dynamics was just a little disturbing. He would have to look into what the penalties for other types of armor were. Not that he was overly keen on the idea of wearing something as cumbersome as plate armor, but it didn’t hurt to know the options.
The next notifications were about individual relationship gains he had received from the now free animari captives ranging from 50 to 100 points increase for each. He went through those with more of a glance to see the numbers but didn’t focus overly much on them. He expected the people to return to their village or other animari settlements.
Finally, he came to the one he was hoping for and an update to the quest that started him towards the raiders came up.
Quest Update: Break the Bonds.
Your audience with the elders of Verdantspire Haven, set you on a path of opportunity to prove yourself trustworthy. With the aid of the Verdantspire wardens Lianna and Liosan you have tracked down the raiding party responsible for taking the captives and slew them. Additionally, youbWere able to free all of the taken animari people and secured a way to remove their submission collars. Return to the Verdantspire Enclave to receive your reward.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Quest Objectives: Assistance to Verdantspire Wardens in tracking and aiding in the destruction of raiding party along with the rescue of captured Animari individuals. Return to Verdantspire Enclave and speak with the elders.
Potential rewards: Trust and respect from the Animari of Verdantspire Haven. Potential settlement relationship between Rynthavael and Verdantspire Haven. +5000 Experience.
Xavier smiled in satisfaction, though he couldn’t help but laugh slightly as a line from an old TV show played in his head. His smile broadened to a grin as he verbalized the words, “There's a plan in everything, kid, and I love it when a plan comes together.” That drew a look from Ella and several others in the wagon. Xavier shrugged at the scrutiny and simply said. “A famous saying where I am from. Especially when everything works out.”
As the wagons trundled on through the night Xavier wrapped up his new notifications and turned his attention to where to allocate his new points and skill percentage. The skill he wanted to update most currently was insight. He had a feeling that the stronger it became the better information it would provide. Several moments later he had made the change, and insight was now level 2. He scowled at how slow it seemed to level compared to his other skills. “Of course,” he thought, “if I remembered to use it regularly that might not be an issue.” He resolved to try and remember to use it on everyone and every creature he encountered.
With that task done, he looked to his attributes. Thirty points was a lot to play with. Having just come back from death he was sorely tempted to dump a large portion into his constitution to deepen his health point pool. That, however, seemed short-sighted. A long-term fix for a temporary problem. He did add four points to the stat however just to be safe bringing it to a respectable 18.
Now knowing the fact that his armor actively hampered his agility he decided to increase that as well. Being able to avoid getting hit and strike his foes better would indirectly reduce his chance of dying again and that was enough for him. That went for dexterity as well. He still hadn’t quite figured out the difference between the two attributes, but both said they movement and speed in some way and fourteen more points were spent bringing them to 18 each as well.
That left him with twelve more points to allocate. Those were going to be more difficult as he was not sure of the correct path ahead of him. He thought back to the line about combat archetypes in his leveling prompt and another semi-translucent window opened in his view.
* Warrior – Masters of raw physical power, excelling in endurance and combat versatility. "When the enemy thinks I’m done, that’s when I start hitting harder."
* Rogue – Stealthy and cunning, striking from the shadows with deadly precision. "If you saw me coming, I wouldn’t be doing my job."
* Cleric – Divine warriors who heal, protect, and smite with the power of their gods. "When the light shines brightest, the shadows fall hardest."
* Ranger – Wilderness survivalists and marksmen, blending nature magic and precision strikes. "You’ll never hear the arrow that ends you."
* Sorcerer – Natural-born wielders of untamed, raw magical power. "Magic flows through me, whether I want it to or not."
* Paladin – Divine champions sworn to uphold sacred oaths and deliver justice or vengeance. "A blade in one hand, faith in the other. Together, they’re unstoppable."
* Monk – Masters of martial arts and spiritual discipline, blending agility with supernatural power. "I am the storm in the stillness, the strike before you blink."
* Barbarian – Primal warriors fueled by rage, unleashing devastating physical attacks. "The louder I roar, the harder you fall."
* Mage – Arcane scholars who wield magic through study, knowledge, and discipline. "Knowledge is power, and I have studied everything."
* Bard – Performers of magic and music, inspiring allies and manipulating enemies through artistry. "One verse can turn the tide; one melody can end the war."
He had a good idea of what he wanted to do combat-wise. Though he felt it would be foolish to not at least examine all of the possibilities. Classes like the paladin or barbarian, though potentially powerful sounded either too onerous or reckless for his tastes. Mage could be interesting, but he had only learned, or even seen a handful of spells in use and doubted he would be able to find more easily in the forests. Sorcerer, on the other hand, natural untamed magic? That was downright intriguing, and he wondered how that might play out. Ultimately it was Lianna’s example that only served to reinforce his thoughts. Back when he was just playing games, be it table-top or video he always had a preference towards companion classes, summoners, beastmasters, wardens, etc. The diversity of having another companion to take on more enemies or just balance out his shortcomings was just too useful to ignore. He looked closer at the ranger class and received updated information about it.
* The Ranger - Skilled survivalists and marksmen, rangers are one with the wild, striking from afar or up close with the precision of a predator. “You’ll never hear the arrow that ends you."
Specializations:
* Hunter: Experts at tracking and eliminating prey with deadly precision.
* Beastmaster: Fights alongside a loyal animal companion, a partner in battle.
* Feywarden: Uses mystical powers of nature to deceive and destroy.
* Stormstrider: Channels the forces of weather, striking with the fury of the storm.
There it was, Beastmaster, the subclass he had been hoping to see. His mind made up, he quickly selected Ranger as his archetype and a series of new prompts filled his view.
Congratulations Ranger! You don’t just survive in the wild you own it! - Rangers are skilled survivalists, hunters, and marksmen who excel in traversing and thriving in the wilderness. Combining martial prowess, nature magic, and tracking expertise, Rangers are both guardians of the natural world and deadly hunters of their chosen prey.
Core Features of the Ranger
1. Natural Explorer
Rangers are at home in the wilderness and gain unique bonuses in natural environments. Spot hidden traps or ambushes more easily in outdoor settings (+20% to skill checks).
Gain an advantage on survival checks for tracking, foraging, and navigation (+20% to skill checks).
Ignore difficult terrain and move faster while traveling in natural areas. At higher levels, this can be expanded to the ranger’s party or group.
2. Favored Enemy
Choose a specific type of creature (e.g., beasts, undead, dragons, or aberrations) as your favored enemy. As an initiate Ranger, you may select one favored enemy.
Higher levels allow choosing additional favored enemies.
Can identify weaknesses or behaviors unique to that enemy.
Gain bonuses when tracking, fighting, or gaining knowledge about your chosen enemy type.
3. Fighting Style
Select a combat specialization to suit your preferred style:
* Defense: Improved armor class for survivability.
* Two-Weapon Fighting: Enhanced ability to wield two melee weapons simultaneously.
* Archery: Bonus to ranged attack rolls.
4. Primeval Awareness
Rangers gain a supernatural sense of the natural world and their enemies.
Higher levels allow the ability to commune with animals or plants for guidance.
At higher levels, rangers can detect the presence of certain creatures within a radius (e.g., undead, dragons, elementals).
As an Initiate Ranger, you may now select your favored enemy and fighting style. Your favored enemy must be selected from beings you have fought in the past. These selections do not need to be made immediately.
Things were making more sense now about how they had been able to travel so quickly. Lianna had one of the class skills higher-ranked rangers received. Her Forest Running had been a huge help in catching up to the raiders. He shifted his view to focus on the new class archetype tab for Ranger and saw he had the skill now as well. However, it stated that it only affected him at his current level and only increased his speed by 50%. “Have to start somewhere,” he thought to himself then continued reviewing his new abilities.
Favored Enemy: Unknown, you have yet to select a favored enemy. Fighting Style: Unknown, you have yet to select a fighting style. Primeval Awareness: Your ability to detect abnormalities, survive, and track creatures in the wild has been increased commensurate to your level of Ranger.
He was going to have to think long and hard about his favored enemy. To be honest, he had no idea the complete scope of enemies there were, or which ones were immediate threats to his small settlement. That choice could wait for now. His fighting style, however, was an easy one. He was already working on improving his two-weapon fighting skill, having an automatic improvement in it due to his class was just icing on the sweetroll. Selecting that option gave an immediate skill boost to his style.
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill – Two-Weapon Fighting level 20. The Two-Weapon Fighting skill allows you to effectively wield two weapons simultaneously, providing a unique blend of speed, versatility, and relentless aggression. Early on, the penalties for dual wielding can make it challenging, but as mastery grows you learn to unleash devastating combos, fluidly strike with both hands, and defend against attacks using either weapon. "Why settle for one blade when you can have two? Twice the steel, twice the chaos." At your Apprentice (level 20) skill level you have the following penalties and abilities. -10% Main-Hand attack/damage, -20% Off-Hand attack/damage. Basic dual strikes, off-hand parry, simple dual weapon combos. You can currently wield a medium weapon in your main hand and a light weapon in your off-hand.
Yep, his new class was already amazing. Not only did it give a bunch of new abilities, but it also gave him a new skill, and not at level 1, he was starting the two-weapon fighting skill at level 20! It also explained why he had been having such an issue with the two swords. He was just glad they counted as light weapons, and he could use them both still.
He turned to look where Lianna was walking and talking with one of the freed captives, as they had made their way towards Verdantspire she would occasionally stop and undo one of their collars as the key recharged. She had managed to remove a good number of them over the hours of their trek. Xavier hoped that he had managed to gain some respect in the skilled woman’s eyes. He hadn’t seen any prompt notifying him of a change in relationship with her but his money was on that happening when he completed the initial quest. As a fledgling ranger, and hoping to follow her path of a beastmaster, he wanted to be on her good side and maybe get some advice and tutelage.
As those thoughts went through his mind a shout rose from the front of the caravan. Lights could be seen bobbing through the woods up ahead. Lianna made a distinct whistling sound, Xavier realized it mimicked one of the birds he had started to recognize in the woods. Well, it mimicked in sound but there was a precise pattern to the whistle. From the distance, off to the right of the group and away from the lights came a response. Lianna finally broke a smile and waved the group forward. They were almost back to the safety of the enclave and were now being escorted by unseen wardens.