“Stella, the rewards from being the victor against another Hunter… is incredible,” I said even as my voice trembled slightly as my body underwent several changes from my recent attribute increases. My muscles strengthened and became more defined, my mind opened to more possibilities, and my confidence jumped to another level. It was an invigorating sensation.
“It is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a Hunter,” Stella said floating around me her eyes appraising my new body, nodding her head as she did. “You look… better. It suits you.”
“Thanks, Stell,” I said with a slight smile. It had always been hard for me to accept a compliment in my old life, though my ‘Xaz’ self always came to appreciate a genuine one. It was an interesting dynamic to feel both ways about it, but my new ‘self’ won out and I took the compliment in stride. “Looks like the system is asking me to confirm which spell I want, though… I’m hoping to get some more information first. Ah, there we go.” As I had hoped, additional information was available that would help guide me in choosing the best one for us. In my vision, I mentally highlighted each spell in turn and willed the System to present me with more information. The System obliged.
[Force Bolt] (level one) - A bolt of brilliant energy shoots from your palm to strike a target of your choosing. This bolt hones in on the target and is exceedingly difficult to dodge. Additionally, as this is an unaligned spell, it is able to bypass most resistances.
“Okay,” I said after reading the information on our first option. “The force bolt spell is a direct damage spell, so it will be less effective with my class as I get bonuses to damage over time spell. Though, the ability to automatically bypass most spell resistances sounds damn great.” The spell reminded me of one called ‘magic missiles’ from games back on Earth and was a staple for wizards much like fireball.
“Yeah, I like it, but I don’t think it’s the best for us right now,” Stella agreed so I continued to the next spell, disarming charm.
[Disarming Charm] (level five) – Casting this spell on a non-player character will cause the benefits from your charisma to be doubly effective. The non-player character will be more likely to heed your words, reveal important information, and/or lower the cost of their goods. *Warning* – There is a high chance that the NPC will realize the influence of this spell after the fact which will significantly decrease your reputation and standing with them.
“Well, I don’t like the look of this one,” I said with a hint of revulsion in my voice. “Sure, it would be helpful, but more than likely the person you used it on will hate you afterward. At least, that’s my take on it. I can see why it would be beneficial to people like Adom, but I really didn’t want to leave angry people in my wake. I intend to do just the opposite. Let’s move one,” I said to which Stella readily agreed, her eyes transfixed on the System message before me.
[Healing Tonic] (level seven) – You create a temporary, magical healing potion that lasts twenty-four hours. Unlike normal potions, this tonic will restore a percentage of your total health instead of a flat amount. Additionally, there is a chance you will receive a short-lived beneficial buff upon consumption. Note – Only one healing tonic can be carried at a time.
“Well, this one is the best so far.” I was certainly eager to add this spell to my repertoire. The energy in my voice matched my enthusiasm. “Healing tonic is great now, but I imagine it only gets better as we level higher.”
Stella tilted her head, not understanding my meaning so I elaborated further, “Being able to heal a percentage of your health is… powerful. When you compare this spell to a standard healing potion the difference is significant. Okay, let’s say that one day I have five thousand health. A normal healing potion would restore fifty health or just a measly one percent of my total health. Sure, fifty health is a lot to us now, but is essentially worthless later on. With this brew, though we can only guess how much is healed, it could potentially heal for a lot more. Let’s say the healing tonic heals for a third of your health points. We’d be looking at over sixteen hundred health!”
“I get it now,” Stella said. “The larger your health pool, the greater the benefits gained from that spell. You already have a way to heal yourself though, but I can see how having a super strong potion just an inventory swap away would be helpful in the right situation.”
“Yeah, I’m loving this spell the most so far, but we do have another way to heal ourselves right now. My guess is Adom only had this single option, which, if I remember correctly from our fight, sure did heal him a bunch when he used that tiny red vial near the end there.” A thought crossed my mind at that. “Oh, yeah, even further, he had far more health than we did. This spell is perfect for someone with a high health pool. That’s not quite how we are building out my class, being a spell caster after all, and with a pet no less. It’s nice, but let’s see what the last spell can do.
[Selomund’s Song of Travel] (level eight) – This song allows greatly increased freedom of movement for you and your party members. It provides increased movement speed as long as the caster is not in combat.
“Hmm,” I said as I contemplated the spell. “This one seems pretty basic, especially compared to the others. Though, movement speed outside of combat is quite the boon.”
I could tell Stella was not on the same page as me, so I elaborated. “Faster movement speed will help us more than just getting to new places faster. In its own way, it will help me level and advance more quickly. Think of it this way, let’s say that I would normally need to take a full day to travel somewhere. At that time, we didn’t have a single fight or experience point earned. From a level perspective, it was wasted time. With a spell like this, maybe we get there a few hours earlier. This type of spell helps you over a significant amount of time. We’ll get stronger faster.”
Stella nodded her head, understanding what I was saying. “If we look at our options objectively, what would seem to benefit you the most right now would be that last one. Sure, having the ability to heal yourself more is nice, but it’s not entirely needed right now. If we had this spell this morning, we may have found ourselves right here a few hours earlier.”
Stella raised her chin and her eyes beamed into mine, “Plus I can’t wait to see you sing.”
“Wait, what?” I asked. “You can’t be serious.”
“It is called ‘Selomund’s Song of Travel’ isn’t it?” Stella giggled at my discomfort. A curt look from me caused her to snort and look away in amusement.
“Well… crap,” I said as I acknowledged to myself the necessity if it was true. Still, while I didn’t look forward to actually having to sing, it was the best option we had right now. Singing a song, if it was indeed required, though I sorely hoped Stella was pulling my chain, would help me further close the distance between Duke and myself.
After getting a nod from Stella, I mentally clicked on ‘manual selection,’ and confirmed Selomund’s Song of Travel. As I did, the very air around me stilled as if a presence had descended. It was the System stepping into the space around me and, as I held my breath, the area around me brightened as if non-existent clouds above had parted, surrounding me in a beaming shaft of light. Spell formula and arcane knowledge flooded into my brain. To Stella’s no doubt soon-to-be happy self, the words I would need to sing were made available to me. Like each time before, the knowledge necessary to cast my new spell was available in an instant and it once more felt like I had always known how to cast it.
Stella looked at me expectantly, her eyebrows raised.
“You were right…” I said in a defeated tone. Stella twirled silent victory in the air beside me.
Spell Gained: [Selomund’s Song of Travel] (Level 4)!
[Selomund’s Song of Travel] - After singing this spell, you, and all of your party members within three yards will have greatly increased freedom of movement. Your movement speed is increased by 20 percent plus 1n percent, where ‘n’ equals spell level. The spell lasts until you enter combat or cast another spell. Cost: 30 mana. Cast Time: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute after the spell's effects expire.
As expected from the manual selection, the spell’s level had dropped from eight to four. Though, after reading the spell’s full description, I knew we hadn’t lost too much from where it had been for its last user. At its current level, our movement speed outside of combat would be twenty-four percent faster. We had only lost four percent movement speed, which I was more than happy to give up to ensure we received this option from Adom’s repertoire.
Noting movement in the corner of my eye, Lailah had risen and was walking closer to Stella and me. She had cleaned off most of the mud that had been on her clothes, though it was clear only a good wash would take care of the rest. Lailah was a head shorter than me, her form lithe and graceful. Her long brunette hair framed her face well. She carried herself confidently, which I was pleased to see. She was the daughter of the town’s mayor, after all.
“Are you ready to head home?” I asked.
Lailah brushed the side of her dress even though there was no more soil clinging there. “I am, though I ask you to forgive the current state of my clothes.”
“Think nothing of it,” I replied. Trying to think if there was anything I could do to help, I pulled a cream-colored blanket from my inventory. It was what I would use with the bedroll I had purchased from my hometown. The fibers were tightly woven together but were as soft as velvet to the touch. “Would you like this, while we walk home?”
“Thank you,” Lailah said as she took the proffered blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders.
“Of course,” I said with a smile. I turned my attention to Ripley, though made eye contact with Lailah before uttering a command to my minion. “If it's alright with you, I’d like to take the lead, followed by you, and then Ripley making up the rear guard. Is that okay?”
“I can keep you company,” Stella added before gliding in the air to hover close to Lailah’s shoulder. “…if you would like.”
Lailah nodded her head, so I looked once more at Ripley before ordering her to be our rear guard. Ripley nodded her head ever so slightly and moved a few paces from Lailah. Ripley’s massive great sword was held casually over a shoulder.
“Okay, I’m going to cast a new spell, it’s going to help us move a bit quicker,” I said as I rubbed my hands together. “This should work on you as well, Lailah, since you’re between us.”
Hearing no concern from our guest, I mentally prepared to cast my new song. The necessary steps to enact the spell flowed easily in my thoughts. Knowing what was coming next, a wave of embarrassment flowed in my chest. Hoping Stella would take it easy on me, I spoke in a sing-song voice. “To the land and the trees, we now travel at speed. Feel free and at ease, as you follow my lead.”
At the pronouncement of the final word, a sightless wave of magical power spread out from me as if I were the epicenter. To my eyes, it looked like a slowly moving wave of force that traveled a dozen paces in all directions. As a small buff icon appeared in my vision, my legs felt refreshed and almost twitched in anticipation of moving. It felt like I was a world-class runner, and my body was ready to move. The icon was the shape of a short runner’s shoe with a graceful wing attached at the heel. You have been affected by Xaz’s song of travel; movement speed has increased by 24%.
Stella had an amused look on her face but didn’t say anything about my song to which I was very grateful. Looking at the icon, there was no indication of a timer like I had seen with other buffs and debuffs. That made sense, I mused to myself, remembering the spell’s description saying it would remain an active effect as long as we did not engage in combat. I looked to my companions, seeing that everyone was ready to head out before I nodded to Lailah. “Okay, let’s take you home.”
Even though we were only moving at a walk, each of our footfalls seemed to carry us a bit farther. The effect was not disorientating in the slightest, I was happy to experience it. It was as if we were being carried by an unfelt current of wind at our backs, pressing us onwards without any additional effort on our part. I was eager to find out what it felt like to run with this buff, but I would wait to find that out once we got Lailah safely home to her father.
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Settling into a rhythm, I brought up my System notifications once more. There were plenty of messages still there, awaiting my attention, so now was as good of a time as ever to see all the benefits gained from defeating Adom. Stella was chatting with Lailah, but when I made eye contact with her, she nodded her head in understanding. Stella would fly over to me if I needed help with something.
Level Up! You have earned enough experience to advance to levels 9, 10, and 11. Tier 1 class characteristic attributes have been applied for levels 9 and 10. Tier 2 class characteristic attributes will be applied upon class selection. You have 21 attribute points to distribute.
Congratulations on reaching level 9. As a necromancer, you are able to choose one of the following class-appropriate skills or spells. Please know that it is possible that any skill or spell not selected may be found elsewhere in the World. Additionally, after choosing your tier 2 class at level 10, another set of skills or spells will be selectable at level 12, then again at level 14. Choose wisely.
Option 1: Spell [Disease Cloud] - Creates an infectious cloud that surrounds the target and affects any other enemy within 2 yards. Enemies impacted by the spell are ravaged by a virulent disease that does moderate damage over time, weakens strength, and lowers armor class.
Option 2: Spell [Viper Venom] - A bolt of poisonous toxin shoots from your hand striking a target. The venom immediately begins to dissolve the membrane of muscle cells throughout the body and does a high amount of damage over time, as well as lowering the target’s strength attribute until the spell ends.
Option 3: Spell [Intensify Death] – At your command, your minion draws in ambient shadow and death energy marking a significant increase in either its offense or defensive abilities. You are able to mentally select the desired option at the time of casting. The spell duration is dependent upon skill level.
As I had many times before, I wished I could get each spell. I could see the benefits of each one. Further, I was thrilled to see that some damage over time spells could indeed be area of effect spells, as was the case with Disease Cloud. With this particular spell, not only would it do damage to multiple mobs, but it would also weaken the physical damage they could put out. It even made their defenses weaker which would cause Ripley to do even more devastating damage with her great sword.
Viper Venom was similar to an earlier spell that had been offered, envenomed bolt. This appeared to be an upgraded version. Though, this spell’s poison also had the added benefit of lowering the target’s strength. Based on the wording of the spell, this venom spell would also likely cause more damage than the other envenomed bolt. I sorely wanted this spell because it was poison-based and would certainly stack with my other DoTs.
My last option was the Intensify Death spell which, at first, appeared to not require any mana upon casting meaning that I could use it no matter where my MP was at. While that hadn’t been a problem thus far, I could see that difference could one day make all the world of difference in a fight down the road. Second, being able to choose to have my minion become an enhanced attacker or defender, would be very helpful now and well into the future. Having Ripley become an even stronger defender meant she could truly act as our party’s tank, thus expanding upon our overall survivability. Even better, if we found that a tank was not needed, I could switch over Ripley so that she would dish out more offensive damage, kind of like a rogue, with only a quick recast of the spell.
The choice was more difficult than I would have cared to admit. Stella was still chatting with Lailah; I had been catching wisps of Lailah talking about what she did in town and her relationship with her father. A part of me wanted Stella’s thoughts, but I knew I could make this decision. I was already leaning towards one, after all, and I tended to trust my instincts. A thought occurred to me at that moment. It was likely that whatever spell I chose here would impact my specialization when I selected my tier two class.
After some internal debate, I finally made my decision. I went with my gut. I selected intensify death and confirmed my selection. As power flooded into my mind, my mind considered that while another damage over time spell would be helpful right now, what our party needed was to improve the survivability of everyone. Being able to significantly improve Ripley’s strength or defense as well, not to mention how that would improve my own ability to survive, was the winning factor. It was us against the world, well, most of the world at least. With this new spell, Ripley’s presence would ensure that I was not alone.
System-gained knowledge flowed smoothly in my mind, building a foundation of how to properly bring my new spell to life. It took only seconds.
[Intensify Death] At your command, your minion draws in ambient shadow and death energy, empowering it to new heights and marking a significant increase in either its offense or defensive abilities. You are able to select the desired effect at the time of casting. Cast Time: Instant. Duration: 2 minutes. Cooldown: 2 minutes beginning from when the skill expires. The duration of this buff increases by fifteen seconds and the cooldown time is reduced by one second per spell level.
Offensive Enhancement Option – Your minion gains the ‘Howl of the Damned’ buff which increases attack speed, melee damage, and absorbs a portion of the enemy’s health into the minion’s body with each blow.
Defensive Enhancement Option – Your minion gains the ‘Grisly Protection’ buff which increases spell resistance, hate generation, health points, and creates an absorption barrier proportional to the damage inflicted by all attacks by the minion. The invisible absorption barrier remains until spent or until the spell ends.
“Simply awesome,” I uttered after reading the spell’s full description. I had noticed that Stella had flown over moments before I selected the new spell. “This means that I can turn Ripley into a tank or a damage dealer. That damage absorption barrier is similar to my essence barrier from my necro ring.” I raised my hand bearing the ring and brought it up to my face. Gazing over the intertwined bones, I was once again impressed by the intricacies of Ripley’s magically reinforced skeletal body. “Without it, I may not have survived the fight against Adom.”
“Ripley is pretty badass,” Stella said. “Now, this spell makes her even more of a monster to try to handle. I can’t wait until our enemies quake in fear of seeing her with this buff going.”
“Indeed,” I affirmed.
Congratulations on reaching level ten! You are now able to select your Tier 2 Hunter Class. Connect with your accelerator for more details.
“Ok, Stella,” I said as I eagerly gripped my hands together. I was looking forward to this part. “Show me my sweet tier two class options.”
I was not disappointed.
“Coming at yah, boss,” Stella said with a sparkle in her eyes. She was as excited as I was.
Text filled my vision, bringing our trek to a pause as I took it in. Before diving deeper, I looked at Lailah questioningly. “Are you okay to hold up for a few minutes? This shouldn’t take too long, but I’ll need Stella’s help as I advance.”
Lailah walked over to a tree and leaned against it, holding her hands in front of her. “Of course, this seems to be pretty important. I can wait.”
“Ripley, keep a watch out,” I said before nodding thanks to Lailah. My fervor only grew as I reviewed my available options.
Notice! The following options are available to be selected as your Tier 2 Hunter class. Please know that this change is irreversible and these particular classes may never become available again. Follow your path and choose wisely, Hunter. Please select your Tier 2 class.
Note - After selecting a Tier 2 Hunter Class, any additional levels gained thereafter will automatically increase several attribute points as indicated in the class descriptions below.
Available Classes Level 10
Spell or Skill
Class
Intensify Death
Warlock
Minor Acidic Bolt
Caustic Apostle
Minor Fireball
Elementalist
Minor Restless Bones
Revenant
Minor Scent of Decay
Shadow Walker
Minor Shielding
Discipline Vicar
Roaring Sweep
Rage Heart
Selomund's Song of Travel
Minstrel
Immediately my eyes focused on my new spell, Intensify Death, and the matching tier two class: Warlock. A part of me felt pulled in that direction, though I couldn’t say why or where it came from. I definitely wanted to know more before making this important decision, but I had also noticed something about my options. “Hey, Stella. I’m curious, some of these options are from spells and skills that have nothing to do with me being a necromancer. Is that supposed to happen?”
“That’s a good question,” Stella replied. “Yes, as you see, increasing your Hunter tier allows you to choose from anything you acquired since the last upgrade. Whether it be a spell or skill, everything is considered. What’s really interesting is the interaction those options bring to you.” In this last part, Stella’s eyes glinted something akin I would put as a step above enthusiasm.
We moved off the trail we had been following with me taking a knee as I pondered the options. Stella moved to hover in front of me before continuing, “This means that while your Song of Travel, for example, is more of a bard’s spell, it will be modified to be more in line with a necromancer’s role.”
I think I understood where she was going but motioned for Stella to continue.
“So, as an example, your bard-like spell could be specialized to be keener to a necromancer’s tool kit. So, it might, become a specialized necromancer version causing the spell to no longer be dispelled by combat. I remember you talking at one point about some necromancer tactics involving you kiting mobs around while placing DoT upon Dot on the foe. The system could make your travel song to help you accomplish that task.”
“Yeah,” I continued Stella’s train of thought. “In game terms, kiting is the art of pulling a mob and then moving around a battlefield, usually in a circle, while always keeping it at a safe distance. That way you could damage it with spells and such, while you remain completely untouched. I think I take your meaning, thanks Stell.”
Stella nodded at me. That made sense, so I pressed forward. “Cool. Ok, can you please give me details about… Warlock, Caustic Apostle, Revenant, and Shadow Walker.” Knowing that if I wanted, Stella would gladly share the other options, but a part of me had immediately dismissed several of the options right off the bat. Choosing to specialize in fireball, minor shielding, roaring sweep, or my new travel song didn’t feel right. It didn’t line up with what I wanted to become in this world. So, I focused on the spells dedicated solely to the necromancer class.
“Coming at you… now.”
Warlock (Tier 2) Class Description: While some Necromancers focus on specializing with their damage over time spells, thereby sacrificing their survivability to do more damage, a Warlock sees the true benefit an empowered minion can bring to a battle. No longer will your minion be a cheap imitation tank or the pale shade of a rogue. No, as a Warlock, your minion will fill both of these rolls, standing in its formidable deathly glory. Its new role will be to stand by you, matching your arcane prowess, with raw physicality. Plus 2 Intelligence, Wisdom, and Luck per level.
Any buff that solely benefits your minion will now become permanent and toggleable. Note that each new buff beyond the first requires the casters to have mana reserved to maintain the spell effect. By default, from this specialization only though, your minion will have significantly increased health and spell resistances.
Caustic Apostle (Tier 2) Class Description: Necromancers that desire to delve more deeply into their acidic spell line need look no further than a Caustic Apostle. Those casters that desire nothing more than to see their enemies awash in ravaging liquids, never being satisfied until the enemy’s life is seared away, desire to become the Caustic Apostle. While still being capable of casting any damage over time spell, the Caustic Apostle’s acidic spells will now burn through nearly any material and will only neutralize upon the caster’s desire or when the enemy is no more. Plus 2 Constitution, Intelligence, and Wisdom per level.
Acidic damage over time spells will no longer have a duration limitation; only ceasing upon an enemy’s death or at the caster’s command. Additionally, each acidic spell will now cause additional durability loss against magical items and materials, except for those that are incredibly enchanted. Finally, each new acidic spell cast upon an enemy will have its damage and effects magnified, growing more powerful with each new spell. Though, the mana cost will also increase with each new spell.
Revenant (Tier 2) Class Description: Similar to a Warlock, a Revenant specialization focuses on its minion. Unlike the empowerment granted by a Warlock, the Revenant now finds itself capable of having multiple minions at the same time. The number of additional minions is only limited by the Revenant’s strength of will and intelligence. A Revenant doesn’t desire a sole powerful minion. Instead, it commands an army of them. Plus 2 Intelligence, Wisdom, and Luck per level.
When initially unlocked, a Revenant is able to summon and maintain two minions simultaneously. As the Revenant gains in power, additional minions are dependent on certain intelligence thresholds. Note though, that to maintain these additional minions, the Revenant will have a specific amount of mana reserved to keep his new minions from being unsummoned.
Shadow Walker (Tier 2) Class Description: While almost always wrapped in shadow and darkness, a Shadow Walker brings sudden death to unsuspecting foes. The Shadow Walker’s presence now causes afflictions to permeate automatically into nearby hostile creatures. No longer does the Shadow Walker need to cast damaging over time spells at targets, instead they need only actively maintain each desired spell upon their person. Any nearby enemy is automatically afflicted with those spells and the spell is often able to bypass even the most protected of foes. For a Shadow Walker, death follows him wherever he goes. Plus 2 Constitution, Intelligence, and Wisdom per level.
All damage over time spells cast by a Shadow Walker no longer affects individual targets. Instead, these spells are forced into an aura that surrounds the casters and impacts enemies within a set area of effect. This stacking AoE field can be maintained indefinitely as long as the casters have the mana requirement reserved by each new spell. Note that each successive spell increases the required reserved mana.
“Stella, these are incredible!” My thoughts were awash with ideas on how to make myself a powerhouse with any of these tier-two classes. “I want them all. If only, right?”
Stella seemed pleased at my excitement, “It’s always a hard choice, or so I’ve heard. So, which one interests you the most?”
If my eyes were made of gold, they would certainly be gleaming as I considered my options.