Easily evading the large Lians-thrak while using his boosting skills made fighting a drake a lot more fun than it had been before. No longer worried about completely bottoming out his stamina and mana so quickly, Levi was able to much more freely utilize his Skills.
Levi twisted and ducked the snapping jaw of the Lians-thrak, delivering an upward thrust into the beast's neck. It wasn't an immediately lethal blow, but it was deep and blood gushed from the wound.
Levi quickly retreated from the hot spray, avoiding the burns the blood could cause. As he retreated, Paige landed nimbly and tore at the drake's throat from above with her blue Cat-Claws, rending flesh on either side. Her arms were getting soaked in its blood, but she seemed to just ignore the pain as she dug her claws in.
The creature bucked, but that only caused Paige's claws to tear the wound deeper. She looked savage, completely focused on tearing out the drake's throat. Too focused, Levi noticed, as a whipping tail flew at her head. Paige didn't even notice it was coming.
Triggering his skills to max for a split second, Levi closed the distance just in time, getting just within range to use a Mana Shield and stop the whipping tail from striking Paige in the back of her neck.
Never taking her claws away from the beast's throat, Paige twisted at the sound of the tail smashing into his shield and saw that the drake had nearly hit her. Instead of sobering her, that knowledge only seemed to enrage her more. Her face twisted in fury.
Levi thought she looked terrifying.
The beastial roar that thundered from Paige's throat made everyone falter. The roar continued as the muscles in her arms tensed, veins bulging, and she ripped at the flesh. As her claws tore free, she lept from the creature, spinning mid-air and landing in a crouch facing the drake.
The drake was finished. It stumbled for a moment, blood pouring from the wounds Paige had inflicted before falling to the ground.
For a long few seconds, Paige snarled at the fallen drake, panting, oblivious to the hot blood covering her body and face in burns. Everyone else stared at her, tense. Then she finally relaxed, and Levi let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding in.
"Hey, you okay?" Maddy asked.
"Yeah..." Paige was still panting. "I just got caught up in the moment, I guess.'
"Okay. Just... making sure." Maddy raised her staff and cast a heal on Paige.
Paige looked down at her bloody arms. And then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Thanks for the heal. That feels better."
"Yeah, any time."
"That was fucking sick, Paige!" David gave her two thumbs up. "How is it that I am the highest level, and yet everyone except Joe is so much more badass than me. No offense, Joe."
"No worries, I don't get offended by bullshit," Joe answered.
Levi made his way to Paige's side. Lowering his voice so only she could hear, he asked, "Hey, you're seriously okay? You kind of... went feral for a second."
Paige smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Hazard of my class, I guess. I lost it for a minute, but it wasn't like I lost control or anything... I just was so furious that I really, really wanted it dead."
Levi nodded. "Okay." Levi raised his voice to get everyone's attention. "Let's go get cleaned up in that stream we passed earlier. Check your notifications and levels. Then we'll sit down and talk about the levels we got, any new skills, and compare notes and stuff. We'll camp here tonight and talk about the buffalo quest. Hopefully, we can get some more information from the goblins. Sound good?"
Everyone gave nods and thumbs up, except Joe.
"Sounds good, Boss," Joe said.
For a moment, Levi was worried Joe meant it maliciously, but when Levi turned to him, Joe wore his old roguish grin. It felt like it had been a while since Levi had seen that look on Joe's face, and he was glad to see it. Joe was back.
"Okay, Captain, just remember you outrank me back at the safezone."
Joe raised a hand defensively. "Okay, okay. Just kidding."
-----
Levi quickly skimmed his notifications. He'd gained another level after he'd completed the Lians-thrak quest. He had known that was easily possible between the excess experience from learning the Sword Form, killing the final drake, and the quest experience, but he didn't think he'd actually be able to gain two levels back to back. Yet, he had.
Still, as happy as he was about the levels, there was something he was far more curious about.
Levi's mana and stamina regeneration had been noticeably higher than he was used to during the fight. At first, he'd assumed that it only felt that way after suffering from his debuff for so long. But, he'd burned through mana more than ever, almost recklessly, and still hadn't completely bottomed out.
He pulled up his basic stats. He hadn't paid them any attention for a while. The small increases had never caused any changes that were immediately obvious. It had almost become routine to only skim the stat increases.
Then, he'd been too focused on gaining his first Ability. After that, he was just focused on reseting Parched Soul and relieved when he had. So he'd ended up just completely skipping over his basic stat increases.
Physical Strength = 9
Physical Proficiency = 10
Mental Strength = 8
Mental Proficiency = 7
Spiritual Strength = 8
Spiritual Proficiency = 7
Levi gawked at how much his stats had increased. Counting it up, he'd gained a total of six points over two levels, one in each category. But why?
Usually, his stat increases from leveling were somehow correlated to whatever he'd been achieving to gain the levels. So, his stat increases for the levels would be connected to learning a sword form and fighting the drakes.
That was a big assumption on his part, but following that line of thinking, that would mean that the increase in his Physical Strength and Proficiency came from the two levels he'd gained.
Where did his Spiritual and Mental stats come from? Thinking back, he hadn't even checked his stats since he'd gotten stuck in the deeper meditation. Did that trigger the stat growth? That was the only explanation he could come up with. It kind of lined up.
The temptation to delve back into that place, to find out, and to see if he could push his stats further was intoxicating. He almost attempted it without a second thought.
Then he remembered Paige's arms around his neck, and the feeling of her tear-streaked face pressed against his.
"Don't you fucking dare, Levi." Levi said it out loud, making sure his own words really hit home. There's no way he could let himself do something that stupid again.
----
Paige looked at the level 15 Abilities she was able to choose from. She was a little conflicted. The first was obviously a dud, unless she lost her circlet for some reason, but the other two presented a tough choice.
Mantle of the Beastfriend - (Passive) The Mantle of the Beastfriend marks you. All beasts recognize what you are and will act in accordance. You will be recognized as a true ally to beasts. Predators will not attack you. Beasts will be more likely to interact with you in a friendly nature. Some beasts may seek you out, initiating a friendship or alliance, showing respect, or even offering quests.
Other than the last part of the Ability, Paige saw it as having very similar effects to her circlet. It was a waste of an Ability in her opinion. But the next two were a tough choice.
Predator's Sustenance - A Beastfriend is as much Beast as Friend. Predation is a natural part of life. You have shown yourself capable of being ally or predator, embracing the cycle of life. While you can not befriend prey, you can take sustentance from them. You may take one trait from the last beast you preyed upon. This trait slot counts separately from the 'Share Trait' Ability. Preying on the same beast frequently may unlock higher teir traits.
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Paige almost felt bad for considering it. But a girl had to eat, and that aside, she was sure she'd be fighting more beasts like the Lians-thrak in the future. It only made sense that she should leverage that as a strength. It also didn't seem to have any conflict with her class at all. She couldn't see a disadvantage. In fact, she was certain this was probably the most useful Ability she'd been offered. But the next Ability just spoke to her.
Formed by Friendship - Though not complete shape shifting, the Beastfriend will take on many of the physical qualities of a friendly beast. Unlike 'Share Traits,' the resulting qualities may not be chosen. This Ability acts complimentary to the Ability 'Share Traits,' and greater manifestations may occur while using both. This Ability does not increase the chance of manifesting permanent beast traits. Warning: Using this Ability will result in behavioral shifts reflecting that of the beast form taken.
She knew the Ability sounded a bit risky, with the warning about behavioral changes that it included. She knew that she'd probably benefit more from the second Ability offered. But all she could think about was how well it could work with her Share Traits Ability and wonder... would she be able to actually fly if she used them together?
That thought alone was enough to seal her decision. She didn't even worry for a second about what the others might think about her choice. She selected the Ability, consequences be damned.
----
Maddy and David were the last of the group to settle around their fire. No one was surprised, and the reason was pretty obvious, but Joe decided he'd make sure it was clear as they settled in together.
"Well, I'm glad you guys enjoyed rubbing off all the aftermath from the fight." Joe's tone was light and playful, and he wore a smile that seemed more genuine than he'd had in a while. He was leaning back against his pack, casually playing with a tuft of grass he'd pulled up.
David blushed and looked like he was about to splutter out a reply, but Maddy leaned closer against David and squeezed his arm. "Yeah, felt nice to scrub off so thoroughly. A few times. But we'll be back to the safezone soon, and maybe Iara can scrub those hard to reach places for you."
David tensed, the blush on his face making him look more tomato than man.
But Joe gave a gentle, lighthearted laugh. "Yeah, and you can bet I'll be scrubbing her back too... hard. I'm glad you kids are finding your happiness." The smile on Joe's lips was calm and peaceful. And that made Levi suspicious.
"Okay, Joe. Spill the beans. You're the one acting like you just had the lay of your lifetime. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see it, but..." Levi waved an arm at Joe. "What gives, man? Why suddenly in such a light-hearted mood."
Levi had expected Joe to dodge the question, but instead, the man shot straight up from his relaxed postion, grin spreading even wider. "Okay, I've been waiting to tell everyone, but I could barely hold it in. I finally did it."
When Joe didn't specify, Levi pressed. "Okay... did what exactly?"
Joe's eyes locked on Levi, and a brief flash of some unreadable expression on his face. "The thing I have been needing, lacking, this whole time. I have a way of protecting people better now. It is my level 15 Ability." Joe paused, watching their reactions.
Levi was about to press him again before Joe continued.
"Gift of Second Chances. That's the ability. I can use it on any defensive Skill or Ability I have, and I can use it on each of them, so I don't have to pick just one. I can apply my defensive Abilities and Skills on other people now, rather than myself. My Skill that absorbs the first hit? My Ability that stops me from dying if I receive a fatal blow? I can put them on others. I can finally save people."
"Joe, you have already saved people..." Levi started to say. He immediately knew it was the wrong thing, so he quickly corrected himself before Joe did it for him. "...but yeah, that's amazing. Now you save even more. Congrats, man, I'm happy for you."
Joe's smile brightened at Levi's congratulations, but his words were remarkably somber as he answered. "Yeah. Exactly. And I know that the way I think isn't the most healthy mentality to have, but for once, I don't feel quite as powerless. Thanks for understanding and respecting that."
Levi responded with a single grim nod. "I do get it, man. I do."
Joe leaned over and put a hand on Levi's shoulder. With a single squeeze and a solemn nod, Levi knew that Joe was done talking about it.
"How about everyone else?" Levi decided to move the conversation along before things got awkward.
"Dude, I barely made it to level 16. Experience requirements get higher and higher. But Maddy got something really good for her level 15 Ability." David nudged Maddy. "Tell them, Babe."
This time, it was Maddy who blushed. Levi wasn't sure if it was because she was more comfortable trading barbs about sex-lives than putting herself in the spotlight about her capabilities, or if it was because David had reflexively called her 'Babe' in front of everyone for the first time. That was a mystery he immediately dismissed as not worth knowing as Maddy began to explain.
"I was given three choices. The first was an area heal that slowly healed everyone over time. I really considered it, but Joe has awesome defense, you have great defense and the ability to escape, Paige is the Houdini of dodging blows, and David and I have always avoided most of the damage simply because we fight from a distance. It just didn't seem that useful.
The second was an Ability to increase Stamina and Mana regeneration of nearby allies by 50%. I almost selected that until I saw the third option.
The third option was an Ability to increase Stamina and Mana regeneration of myself or a single ally by 200% and reduce all cooldowns by 50%. And, I thought about how much stamina and mana you use, Levi, and it seemed like a good choice on gut reaction, but then..."
"Hold on..." Levi interrupted. His face took on a look of horror. "You know me and Paige are leaving soon, right. You won't..."
Levi was cut off by David. "If you'd shut up and listen, you might actually get the bigger picture." After giving Levi a brief glare, David nudged Maddy to continue.
"As I was saying... that was my first thought. And then I considered that the party composition was going to change. However, I can use it on myself. Next to you, I have the most need for mana regeneration. Plus, lowering all of my cooldown times on Spells, Skills, and Abilities by 50% would literally double the amount of heals and support I can provide, given I have the mana. And the Ability is flexible enough to use on others, depending on the group composition and situation."
Levi hung his head a moment, then slowly nodded before looking up to Maddy and speaking. "Sorry for interrupting. When you put it like that, it makes a lot of sense. I was just worried you'd selected it so you could apply it to me in every fight."
"Thank you." Maddy said in barely more than a whisper.
"She's smart," David said. "You're not the only one who thinks things through." David was clearly still feeling defensive of Maddy.
"Yeah, sorry, man. Spoke too soon." Levi answered.
"How about you, Paige?" Levi asked, shifting the focus again.
"Well, how about you?" Paige asked, with a grin.
"Honestly, I got two levels, but I'm still two levels from 15." Levi shrugged. "Doesn't matter anyway, because my class doesn't offer any Abilities no matter what level I get." Levi considered mentioning his increased stats but decided against it. He might tell Paige later when they were alone, but he felt like keeping expectations of him lower would be better in the long run. "But again... how about you?"
"I selected a shifting Ability. It kind of works like share traits, but also stacks with it. I take on more of the form of the animals, but I don't have any control over it." Paige kept her posture relaxed but mentally braced herself for Levi's questions.
He did have questions, but they weren't what Paige expected.
"So, what made you go with that? Just the synergy with your Share Trait Ability or something else?" Levi's voice didn't sound critical.
Paige actually put some thought into answering before she spoke. "Honestly, the deciding factor was how it might help me actually use the crow wings to fly. But... I guess it also just fits the direction I want to go with my class, and I think I'll have a whole lot of fun with it."
Levi bobbed his head in the ambiguous gesture the goblins always used. They must have rubbed off on him. Paige was pretty sure Levi hadn't even noticed he done it himself.
"That's fair reasoning. I can't wait to see what you can do with it." Levi answered.
David "Wait, wait, wait... you were going to give Maddy shit about her choice, but don't even bother to ask Paige more questions?"
Levi raised his hand defensively. "You misunderstood why I questioned Maddy. I would have felt guilty if Maddy had only picked her Ability just so she could use it on me. That would weigh on me. But it isn't my place to tell people what to choose for themselves. You all have your own classes and futures. I only want you guys to tell me so I can think out strategies for the next fights. I may be leading the group right now, but I'm not trying to control the directions you want to take your classes."
David's eyes remained narrowed for a moment before he finally relaxed. He scratched at the back of his head. "Yeah, man, that makes sense. I just don't want anyone picking on Maddy or playing favorites. Guess I just took that the wrong way."
"I know I haven't really had the time to build up a lot of trust as a leader, so I get it. But I swear, I really am just trying to look out for everyone as best I can."
David nodded.
"Well, now that we've covered all that... we're definitely going to need to test things. If everyone is fine with it, I say we either spar tomorrow or find another way to test out our new capabilities. We can strategize after. Between now and then, just pick up whatever information you can from the Goblins and relax. Sound good?"
"Sounds good, Boss," David said with a smirk.
Levi shot a glare at Joe rather than David, though. "See what you've started."
----
"You did good handling David." Joe squeezed Levi's shoulder. "He's all hormones and completely caught up because he's sleeping with her. But you handled it well."
"Thanks, Joe. That means a lot coming from you. But, David's a good guy."
"True." Joe glanced to David and Maddy. "He's a good kid. You still did good, though."
"Thanks. But I wanted to take some time to talk to Paige alone tonight, so we can talk later."
Joe grinned. "About time you put some wood on that fire."
"It's not like that," Levi gave a light laugh. "Just..."
Joe gave Levi a light, playful punch in the shoulder. "May not be like that for you. But if you get that girl alone again, I doubt your plans will have fuck-all to do with how things play out... but go. Go do what you need to do, brother."
As Levi approached Paige, he expected his nerves to get to him. They didn't. He felt calm. Even when the intensity of her beauty hit him full in the face, he just felt content.
But as she noticed Levi's approach and smiled at him, his stomach did flip a little, but he didn't hesitate. "Hey... want to go for a walk with me?"