Transcripts from an internal meeting of the Judicators, obtained by Pironious Zeal before his untimely end.
Uriel, update.
Yes, [Father]
An axe comes crashing down from above, cracking open the skull of the monster and killing it instantly. Loud snarls and roars surround the man, the axe in his hand and a gleeful smile on his face. He can feel the coarse grain of the wood in his hand, the soft bounce of the dirt below his feet, the rancid smell of the monster’s breath. Only in the heart of battle does he truly feel alive.
His thoughts are interrupted by a high pitch whining, a familiar sound that causes him to dodge out of the way. An arrow flies through where he had been standing and rips through the torso of a ant-like monster that had been about to backstab him. The creature gurlges in pain and surprise as a second arrow joins the first, the two arrowheads piercing through carapace like knives through butter.
The man with the ax then dives back into the fray, giving into his darker instincts and becoming death incarnate. Monsters fall to his blows like wheat to the scythe and the man loses himself completely. Time becomes inconsequential. His worries about becoming a monster to fight the monsters, about his rocky romance, about his responsibilities to those leeches in the city; all fall away to the beauty of the chaotic battle.
The feeling ends far too quickly, snapping him back to reality. He stands among the bodies of a dozen different monsters, each one some strange amalgamation of pre-Genesis animals, and feels the exhaustion start to creep into his bones. Ignoring the notification boxes that inform him of system nonsense like experience gains, he climbs out from among the bodies and makes his way up the hill.
“Well damn sonna, yah done killed dem too quick”, a voice carries out from the trees.
The man raises his head to find his bearded second emerging from brush, brushing away the few leaves and branches that have managed to cling to his armor. One would assume that the heavily oiled leather would repel debris from the forest but, to his frustration, it seems as if the opposite is true.
A soft sound of falling follows the second’s appearance and the man looks to the side to see a young woman land gracefully on the ground, a beautifully crafted bow now wrapped around her upper body. She is scowling at him but her eyes betray the truth of how she feels.
Before the man has a chance to say anything, she yells in indignation. “Goddamit Peter, you took all the experience again. How am I supposed to get a Class if you keep hogging it all?”
Peter merely shakes his head in response, a frown breaking out on his face at this familiar argument. It isn’t the first time it has happened and it certainly won’t be the last. “Not now Kat. Let’s just get back to Farringham first, okay? The old man is already going to be on my ass, I don’t want to fight with you as well.”
His voice is filled with exhaustion, leading the others to believe that the battle took a lot out of him. What he will never admit to them is that the exhaustion is actually from the lack of battle. His clarity, his focus, his passion, his drive, all of them seem to darken and diminish outside of combat. However, this was his burden to bear and he would not put that on the shoulders of his team.
Just as they are about to start hiking back towards their new home, another notification appears in his vision. His face begins to darken but he stops after realizing the truth of what it says.
The Trial of Leadership has begun! Leadership is comprised of many parts, often at odds with each other. Cultivation of your talent, and the talent of those around you, is absolutely necessary to ensure growth and continued success. As is the ability to make difficult decisions and put the needs of the many over the needs of the few.
With a team comprised of four citizens of Farringham, you must conquer or destroy the city of Everwall. Alternatively, you may remove their contestant, either by surrender or by death.
Time Limit: Two Weeks
Successful completion of the Trial will qualify you for advancement.
His companions go pale as they read their own notifications, understanding the gravity of what is in front of them. Craig voices his opinion after a few seconds of silence, obviously unsure of Peter’s inner thoughts.
“Yah … yah alright boyo? What yah thinking?”
If he’s honest with himself, he’s not entirely sure what he is thinking. A small part of him cries out at the realization that he may be coming into conflict with his childhood friend but an even larger part roars at the idea of fighting against Cael. Old friendships are worthless, it argues. You must grasp the power in front of you. The old part of him, the worthless coward from before, tries to protest, conjuring up memories of shared experiences with Cael and all that they went through together. However, these memories make no impact as he ignores this voice once again. With each stifled attempt, the voice fades further into obscurity.
With the new and power obsessed aspect in control, he grins as he turns to face his teammates. “Guess we better head back to town and get geared up. We’ve got a city to conquer.”
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The sun peeks over the horizon as Hakim waits at the gate with Alejandro. Neither of them speak a word to each other, not out of discomfort but out of preoccupation. The older man is probably concerned with another invention, his mind an eternal wellspring of ideas.
Hakim, however, spends his time analyzing his Status screen, carefully figuring out the new capabilities that his Class brought him. He had been surprised to see that his Class offered him a few boosts upon selection, but that was making sense the longer that he stared at the cost of his Skills. Everything he used relied upon a consistent stream of Mana and without it he was effectively Classless.
Name: Hakim Amari Health (Regeneration): 125/125 (51/h)
Race: Human (Earth) Mana (Regeneration): 275/275 (390/h)
Class: Runic Monk (R-4) Stamina (Regeneration): 140/140 (284/m)
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Level: 25 Available WP: 16
Strength: 9 Intelligence: 10 Perception: 6
Dexterity: 6 Wisdom: 35 Recovery: 7
Endurance: 11 Willpower: 11 Charisma: 3
Physique: 8
Without a doubt the most beneficial boost from his class was the boost to Wisdom and the increased Mana Regeneration. Doubling his rate of regeneration would allow him to spend more time in combat and drastically decrease his recovery time.
He considers his next steps and realizes that Wisdom needs to become his primary focus. Keeping the Mana flowing to his Runes is the most important aspect of his new fighting style. The thought reminds him of his Class Bonus, which was unlocking the Rune of Strength. Back then the group had been too concerned with escaping from each other and he hadn’t had the time to ask for another tattoo since.
“Hey Alejandro”, Hakim queries, continuing when the older man looks up from his tools with a raised eyebrow. “How long would it take you to put the Strength rune on my shoulder?”
Alejandro’s eyes light up at the mention of the Strength rune, obviously having also forgotten about the discovery in the flurry of their return. He throws a stick at Hakim as he walks over and gestures at the ground.
Hakim draws the rune in the dirt with quick deft strokes, noticing a strange part of his mind light up as he does so. Intellectually he understands that he should have no understanding of the Rune, never having deeply studied the ones that Alejandro had inked onto his body, but a part of him begins to dissect the figure as he finishes it. A curve at the top to enhance the body’s capability to handle the Strength, a flat line in the middle for a strong core. These and a few other aspects of the rune begin to swim in the back of his mind. True understanding is far away but the beginnings of a framework begin to structure themselves.
The older man stares at the drawing in the dirt and then nods his head, taking out a notepad from his back pocket and scribbling a few ideas down. This is the fifth Attribute rune they’ve been able to find, along with the other two runes that Alejandro’s theory suggest are related to connection and power. Hakim’s eyes dart over the power rune, lighting up at the possibilities that it holds, but he manages to restrain the urge to tattoo it on himself. Each of these marks are permanent and diving ahead without understanding is a quick way to injure himself. Or worse, permanently damaging rune system in that part of his body.
“Think we can get this done tonight? I want to be able to train with it before we run into the other team.”
Alejandro nods his head and then heads back over to his pack.
Hakim stares at him as he walks away, confused as usual by the older man’s reluctance to socialize. He’s incredibly smart, a gifted inventor, and, once you get to know him, a deeply caring individual. At the same time, he seems extremely adverse to any sort of conversation. Had it not been for a month spent around each other in close proximity, Hakim would think that he was extremely rude. It had taken him the better part of the month to realize that Alejandro simply had no desire to speak and would only do so when necessary.
Oh well, Hakim thinks to himself. Any lack of speech from the team is more than made up by the chatty and over-bearing Carmen.
As if in response to his thought of her, a loud thumping causes him to turn around and find Carmen barreling down the street with another enormous pack on her back. Unlike the time that they left for training, however, this Carmen moves with perfect balance. Each step aligns with her path and gives her a strange … fluidity. The fact that she’s able to move like that while lugging around the over-packed bag is all the more impressive. He chuckles at the odd sight.
In front of him is a woman with the Skill to ostensibly see into the future and yet she didn’t even consider using her ability to pack her bag efficiently. All in all, she is a conundrum to Hakim, made even more confusing by his … conflicted feelings about her.
Not wanting to dwell on them longer than necessary, he raises his hand to show her where they are. But wait, she already knows where we are from Foresight, he thinks to himself as he realizes the uselessness of the gesture. Frustrated with himself for once again making a fool of himself around her, he decides to change tactics and play it cool, not reacting to her presence until she throws her bag down in between him and Alejandro.
“You know, I think this is a first. I actually got somewhere before Cael.” She says as she sets her bag onto the ground and sits on it.
Hakim stifles the odd feelings that arise within him every time she mentions Cael. On one hand, he respects and admires the man who gave him the power he always desired. Hell, he’d anything to help keep Cael alive. But, on the other hand, he can’t help but feel jealous whenever he hears Carmen mention him. Their history, their closeness in age, even their consistent feuding behavior, makes him feel strangely upset. He knows it is a ridiculous feeling but he can’t help himself.
Of course, that feeling doesn’t stop him from defending his mentor from any and all criticism. “He’s probably just securing something we need to finish this Trial.”
She scoffs in response, “Oh god, don’t you go buying into his mom’s propaganda as well. If I have to hear one more person talk about him as if he’s some prophesied savior for this city I might just hurl. He’s a person, filled with flaws just like you and me. Only difference is I don’t hide mine.”
Hakim blushes at her comment and swallows his continued defense. He’s fully aware he’ll never convince her of Cael’s pure-hearted motivation and soul, but a part of him wants to try anyway. It’s only his desire to not annoy her that keeps him from continuing to do so.
Deciding to change the subject, he asks, “So who do you think the group from Farringham is? Do you really think … we’ll have to kill them?”
She clicks her tongue as she responds, a frown and look of actual concern beginning to show on her face. “I don’t know. I tried looking this morning but I couldn’t see any sort of conflict in my range. As to killing them … Depends on what they do, you know? If they come out attacking us then we may have no choice.”
Hakim nods in agreement. If he’s honest with himself, he’s not entirely sure how he feels about killing another person. Killing a monster is one thing, but killing a human, especially when there are so few strong ones already, is another matter entirely. He closes his eyes and prays for a deathless resolution to the Trial just as Cael joins them.
A small pack on his shoulder, their leader walks over to the group confidently, exuding his familiar feeling of steadfast resolution. He nods at them all and then throws his bag onto the ground, taking a seat on it as well.
“Before we leave, I want to get some things cleared up.” He says, his voice carrying out amongst their small team with the heft and weight. There’s just something about the way he speaks, about the way he carries himself, that makes him seem larger than life. Almost as if he’s more vibrant, present, and rooted than everyone else. It’s what initially inspired Hakim to accept his training and what keeps him following this man without a single doubt in his heart.
“We all saw the notification about killing the team from Farringham. If possible, I’d like us to avoid that. They are humans just like us, and they’re being forced into this fight just like we are. However, if they start a fight with us …” He looks up and makes eye contact with each one of us. His voice goes steely and hard, adopting a coldness that Hakim has never heard before. And if he’s honest with himself ... it is scary. “Then I want you to end it as quickly as possible. No hesitation. This could be a battle to the death and I don’t want to lose any of you. Is that understood?”
They all nod their agreement. At a glance, it appears as if all of them are equally taken in by his tone, surprised to see their leader speak with such cold-hearted resolve. But, then again, it makes sense. The man in front of them survived for over a year on a harsh foreign planet by himself. If that doesn’t give someone a degree of ruthlessness, then nothing would.
Still in his serious tone, he nods to each of them and then gets up, throwing his pack over his shoulder. “All right then. Carmen I want you at the back and using Foresight every ten minutes. If you see anything coming our way then let us know. Alejandro, gear up and protect Carmen. Hakim, you’re up front with me.”
“Let’s head out.”