CHAPTER XX: HEART OF THE GROVE
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{10:45 LOCAL TIME 1TH JULY 1ME}
UNCOMMON PERIOD
MORTAL REALM
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LONG BEACH
PRIME
Keke watched as her Lighting firestorm wreaked havoc through the grove. However, the Tier 5 elite monster didn’t even lose 25 percent of its HP from the potent attack, and Kekere was out of mana and couldn’t risk herself just yet by order of her companion. She could sense her companion still alive and moving to the very highest concentration of Mana in the grove. She smiled as she circled above them.
Bour stepped next to her and patted her on the head. “Well done, Kekere. You did well. Trust in your teammates. They will come through this stronger for it.” He said as Kekere flew around his feet, wondering how the dwarf could fly without wings.
Down on the ground, Clyde and Soto were moving to the heart of the grove. The Blood Hunter was not making it easy, constantly moving the heart.
[I’ll push it back to you be ready.] Clyde said as he saw the heart.
[Copy that.] Soto replied.
Clyde’s boots could only be used on one target once, which, to be fair, was more than enough before. The problem was that the grove was one whole target, so once he used the boot mod it was useless afterward.
Now that the monster was distracted, Clyde took advantage of it, not attacking him and defending itself from the lightning firestorm from Kekere.
The Blood Hunter Grove threw trees at the storm, sacrificing its newer plant parts to protect the whole by making a shield dome of green branches, vines, and roots around its whole two-hundred-meter body. It was working, too. Kekere was powerful for her level, but so was the Blood Hunter Grove, and the Elite Grove had multiple tiers on the boss-level baby bird. But as the saying goes, a bird in hand was better than two in the bush any day, and Kekere had played her part wonderfully.
Soto stopped when he saw the heart, it was a ten-foot diameter red bark tree. As he looked more at it he noticed that the bark looked like it had veins running through it, carrying blood to the rest of the grove. The red leaves on the heart tree looked wet and slick with blood. Soto dropped his female package as he pulled out his Head Seeker Bow it had upgraded again once he had specialized.
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{ITEM NAME: Dark Head Seeker(P)
ITEM TYPE: Weapon; Recurve Bow
ITEM RANK: Platinum(Upgradeable)
ITEM LEVEL:2
ITEM DAMAGE: base 400 critical times 5
ITEM DESCRIPTION: A black recurve bow that is bonded to the Soto bloodline, specifically Anthony Soto. This bow requires no ammo, just mana from the user and environment. The darker it is, or if the user is in shadows, the less personal mana is consumed.
Bonded to Soto
ITEM EFFECT: Mana Arrows: Just pulling back on the bowstring makes a dark arrow made completely out of mana and does weapon damage.
ITEM EFFECT: The longer you hold back the arrow, the more dark mana it costs, but the more damage the arrow does.
RARE MOD: Head seeker: Any shot fired from the bow has a 30% chance at a head shot even when the target is moving. If fired with solid arrows, the % becomes 90%
PLATINUM MOD: Growth: Kill 200 enemies to the next level(199/200)}
{ITEM NAME: Bladed arrow quiver(P)
ITEM TYPE: Weapon/ammo; refillable quiver
ITEM RANK: Platinum(Upgradeable)
ITEM LEVEL:2
ITEM DAMAGE: Base 200 critical times 10
ITEM DESCRIPTION: A quiver that is bonded to the Soto bloodline. This quiver returns any arrows fired every 40 seconds. The user can spend their own mana to recall an arrow at any time. Each Arrow can be used as a melee weapon as they are shaped like a sword.
Arrow count: 100/100
Bonded to Soto
ITEM EFFECT: Arrow Return
ITEM EFFECT: Arrowhead change; The Player can now choose the effect desired based on three options: Single penetration, Cone blade, or explosive AOE. The more magical the effect, the more mana it costs.
RARE PROJECTILE MOD: Enhance weapon effect; any arrow used enhances the Dark Head Seeker(P) item effect.
RARE MELEE MOD: Bleeding; 40% chance to cause bleed
PLATINUM PROJECTILE MOD: Bleeding and Mana drain; 50% chance of Bleeding and Mana drain
PLATINUM MELEE MOD: Blade type choice; the Noble can change the type of blade the bladed arrows can become when held for melee. Time of change and mana cost varies}
{For having both items bound to you, you have gained an inventory to store them and other items. 99% weight reduction. The Growth rate of both items has been Majorly increased.}
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Soto had been an old-school gamer. He understood good roleplaying builds at a fundamental level. It had little to do with his tabletop gaming experience, but mostly, it was his constant hours on the internet learning about the strengths and weaknesses of every character and their powers. He was meticulous about his builds.
But that wasn’t the case in the GREAT GAME so far. He was thrown in like a newborn baby crying at the injustice of it all from the get up. He was forced to be a noble, and while it was arguably his best path of power, he was still a little salty about it. In the battle at the fort, he chose a Spec so quickly he didn’t think about it, and he was having buyer’s remorse. He was going to make sure his next choice was his. He would sit down, relax, get information from others, and try to come up with his best build moving forward.
Soto sighed. “The life of a father was not a thankful one.”
Once the Colonel had told Soto that his daughters were alright, he knew he had to get to them sooner rather than later. His wife was on the other side of the world, and he would have to get to her as well, but it was the lack of information on his son that made him hyper-aware of a timeline. Soto Jr. was with some of the best-trained people in the JTF so he wasn’t worried worried, but he was a little worried, because he was pretty sure his son was a noble too, and he would need guidance, the kid was smart but really gullible. He chuckled at the old memories.
His resolve was set. He had to get stronger, and to do that. He needed to fight stronger and stronger foes. Then he needed to get to his kids. His best bet was with his battle buddy, and he was the best man for the job of leadership, Soto was blade, you need something built, get someone else. You need a dagger in the neck, he would be your guy, you need one in the eye, him too, you need a rope cut, yes indeed. You need a blade-type task done, and Sergeant Major Anthony Juan Soto was your man.
That was all the time he gave himself to think about his next decision. It wasn’t personal, he needed to get to their objective, and the Blood Hunter Grove was in their fucking way. Soto was a blade, he cleaved through obstacle with precision. But today it was about surviving, so he could see his family again, to do that, he didn’t have time to plan his build perfectly.
His eyes unfocused as he looked at his Specialization table.
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{SPECIALIZATION TABLE
(Checking...)
Mininum stats of 150 in primary stats met and exceeded, Mininum Titles 1 earned and exceeded, Race Quest in progress.
Specialization Tier: 2
Race Tier 3
Lower Tier Damage Reduction/Bonus Damage/EXP Reduction:
T-1: 50% T-2: 25%
Specialization Base Class: Ranger
Abilities and Additions at the next Tier: Ranger reactive Shield Ability, Ranger map ability, Race Quest, Tier 3 spell.}
{Calculating Tier 3 class specializations based on Titles, powers, skill use, and how you play the Game.}
{Calculating...}
{Tier 3 Specs:
Cost: 50000-300000XP
Advance Archer+
Veteran Ranger+
Veteran Dark Scout++
Dark Blader+
Shadow Scout+}
{You can choose any Spec to get information on them.
All Specs grant a free Tier 2 spell and upgrades to current spells.}
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Soto didn’t even look at the first three options. He had no time. Kekere’s distraction was buying them a little, as all of the grove’s concentration was on protecting itself. It didn’t even concern itself with Soto and the Colonel anymore. “One should never underestimate their opponent.” The darkness of the dome was not an impediment to him since he was a Dark Noble. “One should never overestimate their own abilities, however.” He knew that killing the knight ranger and getting the team EXP from the knight mages and warrior put him over the max amount for his Specialization cost. So he breezed right past the salad options and Veteran Dark Scout main course option and went straight for the sweet, sweet, sweet flan.
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{SPEC: Dark Blader+
COST: 300000 EXP
LEVELING COST: x3 base EXP
(”I walk on the razor’s edge. Would you like to join me? The breeze is sharp out here.”)
Dark Rangers are range, sneak, and reconnaissance-type players. The Dark Blader Spec strikes from the dark dealing high initial damage, then can dodge attacks Minorly better while dual wielding. The + adds a second spell choice
The Dark Blader is a direct damage melee offensive Specialist that has a Fine boost to critical damage.
This is a pre-True Class Spec to an Assassin Type, a Duelist Type, and a Fencer Type True Class.
Dark Blader SPEC Stats added: +12 Strength & Dexterity, +8 Intelligence & Luck per level. 75% Skill Point Progression.
Choose 2 Spell
1. Dark Blade Throw(Active): Empower a blade and throw it at a chosen target. Targets hit by the blade are drained of Mana.
Cast Time: 3 seconds. Cost: 35 mana. Damage: 250 + I where I is intelligence + Bleeding. Dark debuff: -5MP per second for 1 minute. Range: 250 meters. Cool down: 60 seconds. Requirements: chant and bladed weapon
2. Dark Evasion(Toggle): Increases the Blader's Dexterity by three times. Darkness is your friend. When toggled on, the darkness around the player moves in odd ways, making the Blader slightly harder to hit and inflicting Dark Miasma around the Blader.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Cast Time: Instant. Cost: 10MP per second. Dark Miasma: Disorient any enemies in the melee range of Dark Blader. Duration: Until Out of mana or toggled off. Cool down: 60 seconds. Requirements: Chant and hand gesture
3. Dark Stacking cuts(Active/triggered): When activated, every consecutive hit on a target with a blade consumes mana and leaves a Dark debuff.
Cast time: Instant/Channel. Cost: 15 mana per second. Damage over time: -10HP per second per cut for 15 seconds (time refreshed every cut). Dark Debuff: Mana drain -1MP per second per cut(Multiplicative) for 3 seconds. Duration: Target dies or until out of mana. Range: Melee. Cool down: 30 minutes. Requirements: chant, bladed weapon.}
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‘Good lord, have mercy. This is mad crazy.’ Soto thought, eyes wide as he read the Spec. What was a True Class? He did not have a clue, that wasn’t a deterrent at all however, Sugar had one, and she didn’t even know what they were either. Just that they were the natural progression for his Classer path, he knew that from his noble knowledge.
He loved to play assassins in role-playing games, so this would have to be the choice. But just in case, he should look at the last option; maybe it would change his mind. He had his doubts. His first Spec was Dark Scout. How good can Shadow Scout be?
“Well, shit. I guess you were last for a reason.” Soto said out loud as he knelt down and checked the pulse on his package. She was alright, just unconscious. Looking back at his HUD, he smirked.
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{SPEC: Shadow Scout+
COST: 300000 EXP
LEVELING COST:x3.5 base EXP
(”A blade in the neck is worth two in the kidneys, but an arrow in the eye is worth two in the heart.”)
Dark Rangers are range, sneak, and reconnaissance-type players. The Shadow Scout Spec is one with the shadows, While they can dealing high damage, they are mobile attackers that can hurt their target after their initial attack with debuffs. The + adds a second spell choice.
The Shadow Scout is a movement offensive Specialist that has a Moderate boost to damage over time damage.
This is a pre-True Class Spec to a Mercenary and Ninja Type True Class.
Shadow scout SPEC Stats added: +13 Strength & Dexterity, +7 Intelligence & Charisma per level. +75% Skill Point Progression.
Choose 2 Spell
1. Shadow Bomb Toss(Active) Empower the object with shadow mana and throw it at the chosen target, making a shadow explosion.
Cast Time: 3 seconds. Cost: 60 mana. Damage: 350 + I where I is intelligence + Blinding. Duration: 3 seconds. AOE: 15 meters. Range: 250 meters. Cool down: 60 seconds. Requirements: chant and object
2. Shadow Blade Mark(Active): Use mana to Mark a blade with a Shadow ward, when the marked blade hits a target the target is also marked. The Mark makes the target’s shadow always visible and trackable by the Shadow Scout for a time.
Cast Time: 15 seconds. Cost: 150 MP. Duration: On weapon 1 hour & On target 10 minutes. Cool down: 60 seconds. Requirements: Chant and bladed weapon
3. Shadow Stacking Hit(Active/triggered): Every consecutive hit on a target consumes mana and leaves behind a shadow debuff.
Cast time: Instant/Channel. Cost: 30 mana per second. Damage over time: 10HP per second per hit. Shadow debuff: nearby shadows strike at the target for additional damage. Mana drain -.3MP per second per hit(Multiplicative) for 10 seconds. Duration: Target dies or until out of mana. Range: Melee. Cool down: 60 minutes. Requirements: chant, melee weapon.}
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Soto was a simple man, who lived a peaceful life, he woke up everyday, and did just about the same thing since he had retired. He called his kids, video-called his wife, texted his friends, gambled the market, and played videos. He wouldn’t say it out loud, but sometimes he wished it was more fun, that he wasn’t so afraid of trying new things. He, like any other human, was haunted by the decisions he didn’t make. Those times ate you alive until you accepted that you made them with the information you had at the time. But those times still linger.
This was not one of those times. Soto was one thing, and only one thing for Halloween every damn year. His friends used to roll their eyes like they expected anything else out of him. Even as an adult, he always dressed up as that very same thing. Soto smiled and thanked whatever God was listening to because he would have been pissed if he had taken Dark Blader and run into someone from his favorite class later.
Ninjas. He was always a Ninja. Why? Because Ninjas, duh! Who wouldn’t want to be one? No one Soto would like to know, you can’t trust some with no darkness in them, right? He loved Ninja movies, swordplay, martial arts techniques, and, most importantly, stealth skills. But he had to rein himself in, he was getting ahead of hisself.
Soto wasn’t going to spend forever on this decision, but he now had a reason to slow down.
‘Pros,’ he thought quickly as the firestorm started to do some crazy damage to the grove, signaling the end of the spell. ‘Less than 30 seconds.’ He felt.
‘Okay, Pros, Dark Blader is the superior Spec for the current battle. The stacking debuff is cheaper, lasts longer, and does more damage than the shadow version. One point to Dark Blader.’ Soto said, looking at the two options side by side.
‘The two toss spells were different, the Blader was all about direct damage, then bleeding and mana drain afterwards, while the Scout’s was an AOE, and it isn’t even that big of an AOE. It does more damage than the Blader spell, but that is to be expected since it was just an explosive damaging effect.’ Soto was pretty sure it was more of an escapability spell and not one for offensive use against players of your own tier. ‘Two points for the Dark Blader.’
Soto looked at his... he was going to call them his movement spells. Both of them make him much more mobile on the battlefield, but in very unique ways. Dark Evasion increases his Dexterity to an insane amount allowing him to inflict stacking damage faster if he chose that option. If he chose the other option, he could start the fight off with a devastating blow and dodge until the target bled out in front of him.
The Shadow scout movement spell was more of a tracking spell, by making a person’s shadow flair up made it easier for Soto to shadow-step to them, giving him greater mobility in that case. It wasn’t cheap; none of the tier 3 Spells were cheap, but this one was particularly expensive. Even so, it got a slight edge. So, two to Dark Blader and barely one to Shadow Scout.
They both cost the same, and Dark Blader was better for right now by a long shot, also the leveling cost was higher for Shadow Scout. Dark Blader may be better overall in the long run as well, but it also seemed to take away the bow spells, and that was taking away his bloodline weapon. He could always buy bow spells from the skill store, though, so that wasn’t really an issue. What was a big difference was the name. Dark verse Shadow. Dark felt more useful, but Shadow had a secondary component: extra damage. But even that came at a higher MP cost; his Nobility was based on Dark, but his new General Skill, which was becoming a major part of his build, was based on shadow. Soto’s mind went through all of these thoughts in seconds, he sighed again because the answer was clear, and he didn’t have time to think too long about it, he had wasted enough time already.
So, you picked the most obvious choice. He picked Shadow Scout because ninjas, duh!
No, seriously, a ninja could always be an assassin, but an assassin can’t always be a Ninja.
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{Congratulations, you have specialized X 2}
SPEC: Shadow Scout+
COST: PAID
(”A blade in the neck is worth two in the kidneys, but an arrow in the eye is worth two in the heart.”)
Dark Rangers are the range, sneak and reconnaissance type players. The Shadow Scout Spec is one with the shadows, While they can dealing high damage, they are mobile attackers that can hurt their target after their initial attack with debuffs. The + adds second spell choice.
The Shadow Scout is a movement offensive Specialist that has a Moderate boost to damage over time damage.
This is a pre-True Class Spec to a Mercenary Type and Ninja Type True Class.
Shadow Scout SPEC grants an additional +13 Strength & Dexterity, +7 Intelligence & Charisma per level. +75% Skill Progression.
{You have Earned: Shadow Reactive Shield Ability, Local Map Ability, Choice of 2 Tier 3 spells}
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< SPELLS CHOSEN >
{Shadow Blade Mark(Active): Use mana to Mark a blade with a Shadow ward; when the marked blade hits a target, the target is also marked. The Mark makes the target's shadow always visible and trackable by the Shadow Scout.
Cast Time: 15 seconds. Cost: 150 MP. Duration: On weapon 1 hour & On target 10 minutes. Cool down: 60 seconds. Requirements: Chant and bladed weapon.}
{Shadow Stacking Hit(Active/triggered): Every consecutive hit on a target consumes mana and leaves behind a shadow debuff.
Cast time: Instant/Channel. Cost: 30 mana per second. Damage over time: 10HP per second per hit. Shadow debuff: nearby shadows strike at the target. Mana drain -.3MP per second per hit(Multiplicative) for 10 seconds. Duration: Target dies or until out of mana. Range: Melee. Cool down: 60 minutes. Requirements: chant, weapon.}
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Free spell earned from Dark Scout Spec: Summon Shadow bats
{SKILL NAME: Summon Shadow Bat(Toggle)
The Shadow Scout can summon a Shadow Bat that will stay by their side until killed or dismissed. The type of bat you choose determines the power. Must Tame bat first.
Cast time: 60 seconds. Cost: 200 mana. Duration: until death or dismissal. Cool down: 120 seconds. Requirements: chant. Hand Signs & Blood of Shadow Scout.}
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< SPELLS UPDATED >
Shadow dagger(Conjured): The Shadow Scout can create a blade of shadow mana. This blade can be added to an existing blade, or as a stand-alone dagger that scales with the Ranger’s intelligence stat. All dark and shadow spells cast with shadow dagger cost Slightly less.
Cast time: 20 seconds. Cost: 35 mana. Damage: Variable Duration: 15 minutes or until destroyed. Cool down: none. Requirements: chant and hand sign.
Shadow Crescent(Active): The Shadow Scout can imbue his will and shadow mana into a melee weapon to create a mid-range attack crescent attack that can hit multiple targets.
Cast time: Instant. Cost: 70 mana. Damage: 250. Shadow Damage: Shadows of all affected targets lash out, doing weapon damage. Cool down: 30 seconds per hand and melee weapon. Requirements: chant, Melee weapon}
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< SPELLS LEVEL UP >
SPELL NAME: Shadow FOCUS SHOT(Active): Form a bullseye of shadow that both zooms and adds damage to any range weapon.
Zoom: 1.1-3.9. Additional Damage: 29%. Shadow damage: 29%. Cast time: 5 seconds. Cost: 45 mana. Duration: 2 attacks. Cool down: 45 seconds. Requirements: Chant, Range weapon.
SPELL NAME: Shadow INSPIRE(Toggle): The Noble can spend mana to buff nearby allies. Remove any fear or fear-type debuffs and prevent them for 10 seconds. Resistances +19% (38% for dark or shadow beings.) Cast Time: Instant. Cost: 1 mana per minute. Requirements: Chant.
SPELL NAME: Noble Knowledge(Passive): The Noble learns more information about the GREAT GAME as they level, travel, and expand their influence.
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< TOP SHEET >
{TITLES: Shadow Nobility, Retired War Veteran, War Hero, Soul Bound, Undead Bane.
PLAYER NAME: CSM Soto
LEVEL: 19/20, EXP to next level [200000]/[0/84000]
Free EXP: 78000
CASTE: Noble CLASS: Noble Patriarch/Dark Ranger
Spec 1: Dark Scout
Spec 2: Shadow Scout
RACE: Half-Human(T-3)
POOLS:
HP 4740/4740 regen 653 HP per hour
MP 350/350 regen 567 MP per hour
DR:15/15 regen 1 per minute
Vitality: ~75 years
RESISTANCES:
Physical: 0%
Magical: 0%
Willpower: 0%
ATTRIBUTES:
Strength:235 Dexterity:416 Constitution:237 Magic:1.75 Intelligence:151 Charisma:190 Luck:149
Free Attributes:1
Current attribute gain per level:
Class: +3 to all but Magic Times Tier
Class: +1 DEX, INT, LUCK & +1 Free
Spec 1: +3 STR, CON, DEX & Luck
Spec 2: +13 STR & DEX, +7 INT & CHA.
Title: +3 DEX times Tier
Title: +3 to CHA, DEX, and LUCK times ST
Title: +3 to Physical stats per level times T
Total: +50 DEX, +34 STR, +22 CHA, +21 CON, +19 LUCK, +17 INT & +1 Free Stat per level.
End of CS}
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< TITLE UPDATED >
{TITLE NAME: Shadow Nobility
TITLE TIER: Legendary (upgradable)
{DESCRIPTION Dark Nobility is upgraded to Shadow Nobility to reflect the Noble's current build. The title granted to the Soto Bloodline is based on their current builds.
TITLE EFFECT: Nobility class gained: Shadow Nobility Class Path
RARE BONUS: Bloodline Stat gain; +3 to all but Magic per level times Tier
PLATINUM BONUS: Bloodline Ability gain; Hide in shadows
DIAMOND BONUS: Bloodline weapon gain; Dark Head seeker(P)
EPIC BONUS: Defeat an enemy one tier above you. Choose Dark based specialization. 1 more prerequisite LOCKED
LEGENDARY: Defeat an enemy two tiers above you. Choose Shadow based specialization. LOCKED}
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Just as the Firestorm died out, two large lightning bolts snuck through the tree dome shield and struck Soto as he specialized for the second time today. He smirked at the rush of stats from all of his titles, classes, and specs. That smile went away when his Insight Skill told him to duck and duck he did. Soto was never one not to trust his instincts. He also felt the full attention of the Blood Hunter Grove’s Presence turn on him
A fridge-sized branch flew past where his head was just a half second ago. He grabbed the professional and rolled away from the branch, slamming down on the ground with bone-liquifying power. He was up and running with her on his shoulder without even looking back.
With the storm no longer taking up its attention, The grove went after its original targets. But it was weaken, and sloppy just burning through mana on abilities looking to land killing blows, it was actually easier to dodge than to mass of attacking vines.
The grove also started to focus more on Soto because it didn’t sense the Colonel anymore. That would be the turning point in the fight. It started to realize that more weak attacks were better against Soto and changed up its tactics. More smaller roots and vines burst from the ground.
Soto was pressed hard. Who ever told you it was cool to dodge fatal attacks with a damsel on your shoulders was ‘lying like a rug’. It didn’t even look cool, the ‘Hero’ not only had to move out of the way for himself, but compensating for the ‘Damsel’, as said the damsel flopped around like rag doll on the hero’s wide broad shoulders.
‘So unrealistic.’ Soto thought as he stepped through shadow as the light started to sneak back into the grove from above, only to be rejected because of the very girl on his shoulder.
His head pounded, and he got a prompt he had never gotten before.
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< ALERT >
{Basic Shadow Step does not allow for passenger travel. Shadow step is not available for 1 minute.}
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“Fuck!” Soto wasn’t even that mad at the prompt, the pain in head he could do without though, but even that didn’t make him complain, on account his face was being smashed in by a root that was next to the shadow he tried to step into.
Soto rolled with the blow, but he still lost a molar and a piece of skin. He had to drop the girl because he was pretty sure he was doing more damage to her than the Grove ever was. Thankfully, the Grove left her alone and continued to attack Soto. He wasn’t even sure she was alive. There was a good chance she broke her neck every time he dodged, and then he had to counter-dodge.
Soto was coming down from his leveling high, and could feel the tiredness of all of the daily exertions catching up with him both mentally and physically. Yet he did five backflips, expertly escaping every follow-up blow. “The jobs not done, soldier,” Soto said to himself.
[Are you done yet? I can’t be carrying you the whole fight, Jake.] He said in command chat. Blood dripped from his ruined cheek.
[Funny, I was just about to say the same thing.]
Boom!
BOOM!
Two explosions rang through the grove, one right after the other, the second one much bigger than the first, and a rush of wind followed behind them.
All of the vines and roots retreated away from Soto like ants running back to protect their queen. He didn’t waste a second because seconds always mattered in this part of a battle. He brought up Dark Head Seeker's bow and pulled out a bladed arrow from their storage.
He started the chant for his upgraded class spell. ”Shadow Dagger,” and then right afterward, he chants his new spell. “Shadow Blade Mark.” They were long chants, and he was guessing that there was a big difference between the tiers of the Spells. Just as that thought started to spawn a new thought in his head, the Shadow Scout finished casting his spell, and his mark appeared on the bladed arrow,
It was a bat that had wings of blades, with wisps of shadows playful dancing away from them.
Soto smiled a big smile and turned to the heart of the grove with steel in his eyes. That was when his eyes went wide as he saw the Colonel coated in fire fighting the vines, roots, and branches, and he was winning. That was until the Blood Hunter Grove changed up its tactics again.
While Soto was elusive and hard to pin down, requiring a quantity-over-quality battle plan. The Colonel was the opposite. He needed a bigger solution. That solution came in the form of the fridge size root moving at break-neck speed. the Legacy reacted just fast enough to block, but was sent flying back at the same speed, even in a magical world physics was still a bitch. The fridge-sized root burst into flames a few moments later, though, so the exchange wasn’t one-sided.
The Grove beat the root on the ground, trying to put the flame out, but then it felt something was off. The human it had hit with its strongest attack was running... upside down... back towards its heart, and fast. Humans can’t do that. Can they? The barely sapient monster thought.
Clyde stopped in front of the Heart of the Grove and looked right at it while upside down, with his arms crossed. The flames around him dissipated in the late morning air, and he smiled viciously at Grove's heart. “Is that all you got?”