I contemplated Stella’s question. The tier two choices before me were each amazing in their own right. But, which to pick, I pondered to myself.
With no response forthcoming, Stella repeated herself, “So, Xaz, what are you thinking?” It felt like she was trying to prompt me to bring my internal musings to be spoken aloud. She was the expert after all.
“Each class… they are just so powerful. I want to have aspects from all of those.” I replied, a bit stuck at the moment.
Stella gave a little chuckle, “So you’ve said many times before.”
“I know, I know,” I remarked flippantly. “This is harder than I had imagined. A small part of me figured I would just know as soon as I saw it. But… if I was to narrow it down, my top choices would be Warlock and Shadow Walker.” I hesitated before continuing, “Still, the other two, are not far behind.”
“Well, let’s talk through it. Let’s keep in mind the path you want to take and what will bring us the most benefit in the here and now,” Stella said as she held a paw to cheek. “So, for starters becoming a warlock would certainly increase Ripley’s effectiveness. Instead of her being a lackluster fighter or...,” Stella coughed out the side of her mouth. "Simply as a distraction, this class would cause her to become a powerhouse in her own right. Her offensive and defensive capabilities would increase drastically.
My fingers wove in the air, bringing the class description up again before me. Lailah couldn’t see it, of course, but both Stella and I could. Lailah was leaning against a stout tree, her hands held behind her back as she rocked back and forth. She was actively listening to our conversation but hadn’t said anything yet.
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.
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 alone, your minion will have significantly increased health and spell resistances.
“Yeah, we’ve seen how easy it was for Adom to weaken her to the point she no longer made a difference in a battle. This class would change that,” I said as my eyes scanned the information.
“Also consider how you’ve been engaging in your battles,” Stella said with an insightful tone of voice. “Generally, you start combat and throw as many spells as you can at the enemy. Then, because the enemy gets so close to you, you need to fight back with your axe. As much as I like that weapon, you are more effective right now with your spells.”
“You’re right.” I considered her words carefully. “The more spells I can land on our foes, the more successful we’ve been. If Ripley would have been able to stand toe to toe with Adom, my spells would have annihilated him. Even with his massive health pool. Being a warlock looks like it would make Ripley act more like a party member instead of a pet minion.” My mind continued to spin out thoughts on how our dynamic in battle would change if I became a warlock. I would be the powerful caster, slinging spell after spell, all while covered behind her armored form. With her strength amplified to match mine, we would be all the stronger together.
“I’m feeling really good about warlock, but let’s take a look at my other top option, the Shadow Walker.” My hand moved in the air once more, bringing the class information to the forefront.
Shadow Walker (Tier 2) Class Description: Wrapped in shadow and darkness, a Shadow Walker brings sudden death to unsuspecting foes. The Shadow Walker’s presence alone now causes damaging over time afflictions to permeate into nearby hostile creatures. No longer does the Shadow Walker need to cast their damaging over time spells, instead they need only actively maintain each desired spell upon their person. Any nearby enemy is automatically subjected to those spell effects. Further, the aura surrounding the Shadow Walking is able to bypass even the most protected foe. For a Shadow Walker, death follows them wherever they go.
The Shadow Walker is no longer able to cast damage over time spells. Instead, these spells are cast into an aura that surrounds the caster and impacts enemies within a set area of effect. This stacking aura can be maintained indefinitely as long as the necessary mana is reserved for each spell. Note that each successive spell increases the required reserved mana.
Stella pointed out the line talking about having an aura that would surround me at all times. “Imagine having every nearby enemy immediately impacted by your DoTs. Right now, you only have heat blood and acidic bolt, but imagine having ten spells constantly surrounding you. Anything that got close would simply wither and die.”
“It would allow me to concentrate on casting my direct damage spells right away,” I said as I considered the benefits of this class. “Though this also means that monsters would need to be relatively close for them to be affected since the aura emanates out from me. With them that close, I would actually be more likely to need to rely on my melee capabilities with my manasteel battle axe.” My thoughts continued to down that train of thought. “This class matches my current combat style. I usually start combat with a few spells to then charge ahead with my weapon. If all of my damage over time spells were now a constant area of effect around me, my DoTs would become fire and forget versions of themselves, essentially.”
While I loved my axe, I knew that I far enjoyed being able to cast spells. As a Shadow Walker, I would still do that, but my intuition told me that I would be engaging in melee combat more often than not. Still, imagining myself walking into an enemy stronghold and having foes drop dead simply from my presence alone was an appealing image.
Stella must have had a similar thought, “Yeah, imagine walking up to Adom and he immediately had his blood boil while his skin gets covered in a thin sheet of acid.”
“That sounds awfully dangerous to anyone around you,” Lailah said from where she stood a short distance away, pulling both of our attention to her. “Plus, if you have some magic constantly radiating from your body, I doubt many friendly people would want to interact with you.”
“That’s a good thought,” I replied. “Stell, I’m assuming the area of effect would be noticeable to those around me, right?”
Stella paused a moment, her paw waving in the air against something I couldn’t see. “Yes, there would be a visual indication that surrounds you though I can’t tell how dense the magical field would be.”
“Well, that won’t work well coming into a place like Lailah’s home. I’d probably scare everyone away.” I said as I looked up to the treetops as my mind worked the problem. “Plus, if I disabled the spells while in town, what would happen if I was ambushed? I’d probably have to take some time to get the AoE going and, in sudden combat, that seems difficult.”
“I’m unsure how long it would take, sorry,” Stella said as her eyes danced across an invisible page. “The System isn’t giving me that piece of information, though I doubt it would be something immediate. More than likely, you would need to cast the spell to get your aura going.”
“Not only that but how does the system identify if someone becomes hostile to me?” I asked. Stella only shrugged in response. “There is a bit too few unknowns. Plus, if someone with ranged capabilities attacked us, this class would effectively be useless unless I could close the distance.” The more I thought about it, the less the class felt like the best choice for me. Nodding to Lailah for her thoughts, she responded with a gentle smile, I motioned for us to move on with the next option, the Caustic Apostle. The class description appeared in my vision, courtesy of Stella this time.
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.
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.
“I like it,” Stella said, but then hesitated and gave a small sigh. “Though, you only have a single acid spell right now. I’m sure we will find more in the future, but that is a serious concern with this class currently.”
“Caustic Apostle…” I said the class name slowly. “It would continue me down the path of dealing the most damaging DoTs out there, but you’re right, Stella. Only having one acid spell means this is likely the weakest class for us right now. Sure, I love the idea of acid spells making each other more powerful as each new spell lands on a target, but this class may not become effective for a long time. Plus, if I’m honest, I far prefer my boil blood spell to the acid bolt one.”
The idea of having acid DoTs stacking and having their spells amplified was certainly intriguing, but I hoped to one day have all types of magical DoTs. Certain that I wouldn’t choose this class at the moment, I waved the information from my vision. “Let’s check Revenant again,” I said feeling a bit let down from my lack of available DoTs currently.
Revenant (Tier 2) Class Description: Similar to a Warlock, a Revenant specialization focuses on its minion, many minions actually. Unlike the empowerment of a single minion as granted by the Warlock class, the Revenant instead finds itself being capable of summoning 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.
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.
“So, this is like a warlock, but with maybe a half dozen skeletons walking around,” I said as my eyes took in the information. “That would be a sight to see, no doubt. Eventually having something like a dozen skeletons guarding me at all times would mean I would be incredibly well protected.”
“Yes, but be careful to not think each minion for this class would be as powerful as the warlock’s,” Stella warned. “If I’m understanding this right, you would have multiple skeletons following your commands, yes. And though Ripley has been a lifesaver, she’s not been very effective by herself. Multiplying her four or five times over would be nice, but they would be no stronger than she is right now.
“Ripley seems pretty tough to me,” Lailah added to the conversation.
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“She certainly is and has no doubt saved my life so far,” I responded to Lailah as she walked over to where Stella and I were. “Adom handled her easily though and I can only see us facing off with more hunters like him down the road.”
“Seems like you know what to do then,” Lailah ushered with a wave of her hand to the both of us.
“Indeed,” I said as my eyes reviewed each of the classes once more time. A part of me relished in the idea of standing over a cliff, looking down at a line of powerful undead minions, heeding my every command. But it was only that, a fantasy. I needed to be as powerful as I could now. Another downside I could see with the revenant class was it would place me in the backseat of my budding power. Most, if not likely all, of my damage would be at the tip of my minion’s swords and spears. I didn’t align with what I wanted to become; I wanted to wield those powerful weapons and spells myself.
Stella looked into my eyes as I minimized the screen. I looked to Lailah who had come to stand next to us. She was at ease, having come to terms with what happened to her. My choice was clear. I wanted to become a necromancer who, along with Ripley, would shake the world around us to its very core.
“Stell, make me a Warlock.”
With a nod from Stella, a golden shaft of light seemed to reach down from the heavens to envelope me. Power suffused the air around me and I felt my feet leave the ground. In the corner of my eye, I spotted another blood of golden energy surrounding Ripley. She too was rising off the ground. My eyes were forced closed as the pressure seemed to double in intensity with each passing second. The light was blinding, but I felt no danger or pain.
The pressure built until it felt like it was close to a tipping point as if my skin was no longer taut enough to hold it back. There was a moment of absolute stillness in which I felt like the entire universe was focused down to a needlepoint in this singular moment. Then power flooded into me. The sensation was like none other before. It was as if I was ushered into a new, denser reality. My body eagerly sucked up the energy reverberating throughout me, becoming more solid, more focused. At the same time, my mind opened as thoughts and numerous possibilities glided along with such ease that it took my breath away.
Where before it was like I was a child taking slow steps into a wide world, unaware of the countless dangers held in every corner, now it was as if I towered like a giant above my former self. Bold confidence, and surety of self, permeated every inch of my skin. Before, I was weak, hoping to avoid the gaze of a mighty, fearful of the dangers that threatened and roamed this World. I was no longer simple prey. Now, I was a predator.
I was the Hunter. I was a Hunter Killer.
The brilliant energy faded as I found myself touching down on firm earth once more. I dropped to a kneeling position as the moving power in my body stilled, coming to rest in my muscles, and in my mind. Like a coiled viper, my body urged to spring forward to whatever came next. Lifting my face, I opened my eyes to see Ripley nearby in the exact same pose. Her eyes were locked on mine. Something new was there behind those glowing orbs, an awareness.
Together we returned to our feet, never taking our eyes off the other. Ripley’s whole demeanor now held the same poise and confidence I felt in my enhanced body. Where before she carried herself like a mindless brute, like she had been some rigid unthinking machine, now her eyes held the measure of a calculating warrior. As I gazed upon her, the dark bands of energy that previously intertwined her skeletal frame had grown in depth and, in some way, had become like bands of living voids upon the world. It was as if the magic holding her together had taken on the aspect of a black hole that had been stretched across every bone in her body. Those bands pulled at the very light around her, bringing her gray body closer to midnight black. Where before the dark energy simply connected her bones like imitation muscles, now she had dense, rippling cords of energy.
I was a Warlock and Ripley had risen to become my guardian, my shield. In a way, she was now equal to me in terms of power. She had become a sword to match my prowess with magic. I also knew instinctively that we were now inseparable. Even if she would perish in battle, my desire alone would bring her back to this world.
“Ok, that was cool.” Stella’s eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open. She looked at Ripley and me in turn, admiring the changes that had come with the new tier.
“I have to agree,” Lailah said as she nodded her head, her eyes appraising the both of us. “I have no idea what just happened, but whatever it was… you feel strong, as if I have nothing to fear with you near me.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “Both of you. Alright, are we ready to keep going?”
With everyone agreeing, we carried forward along the path before us, each minute bringing us closer and closer to Nemmil.
After taking a few steps, several new notifications appeared in my vision. Eyeing Stella, who flew to my side at the unspoken request, I looked to Ripley. “Keep an eye out and warn us of any danger.”
Congratulations! Tier 2 Class Unlocked, Warlock –Your skill, Intensify Death, has been permanently applied to your minion, and the desired stance can be switched at will. Moving forward, any minion-only spell will have its duration set to indefinitely as long as 35% of its original mana cost is held in reserve.
Additionally, your minion’s base attributes have been increased by an additional 75%, all spell resistances have increased by an additional 25%, and her health and defenses have grown. Note - If your minion should be defeated, she will automatically respawn after fifteen minutes at your current location.
Your minion levels with you. For each level gained, it gains the following attributes per level; plus 3 Strength, plus 3 Constitution, plus 2 Dexterity, and plus 1 Luck per level. Minor Restless Bone has been modified to no longer have a maximum level.
Being able to see the improvement that Ripley gained through my tier two class was impressive. It was comparable if she had become another Hunter that would forever follow me into battle, to the ends of the earth if need be. She was a force to be recognized in her own right. Looking at her upgraded statistics, she was now at over sixteen hundred health and nearly one thousand stamina. That was more than Adom had while he was alive! I couldn’t wait to see the improved impact she would have in combat. She was a wrecking ball and an Abrams tank, all rolled into one.
Now that Ripley’s intensify buff spell was a permanent effect, I chose to have Ripley take on a defensive stance for the time being. This would significantly improve her ability to function as the party’s tank and shield. Pulling up the spell’s description, I saw the changes the permanent spell now brought to my friend.
[Intensify Death] At all times, 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 will. Cast Time: N/A. Duration: Permanent. Cooldown: N/A. Mana Reserved: 0%.
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. Your minion now has the warrior skill ‘Provoke’ that can be used once per minute. This skill be used against a single target, or against multiple foes at the cost of potency.
Looking her over, even I would be afraid to engage Ripley in direct combat now. With her defensive Grisly Protection buff, I was certain she would be able to keep all but the most determined mobs focused on her, especially with her new provoke skill. While the AoE version generated less hate, it would be very helpful in keeping monsters off me at the start of combat. Further, her absorption shield would no longer wear off since the spell was permanent. That would be handy from one battle to the next depending on how much temporary health she could carry over.
Once I was completed with Ripley’s notifications, the next message that appeared informed me that my spells and skills used in the battle with Adom had jumped in levels, quite dramatically. When his accelerator granted me a portion of his experience points, a whopping twenty-seven thousand, the gains were significant. Looking at the changes, I almost wished I had used even more of my spells and skills. Something to consider when I engaged the next Hunter, I supposed to myself.
Notice! Skill and Spell increase messages have been condensed.
Skill: Roaring Sweep has increased to level 7. Skill: Dual Casting and Tracking have increased to level 8. Skill: Axes has increased to level 9. Spell: Minor Scent of Decay has increased to level 7. Spell: Minor Deflecting Shield, Minor Regen and Minor Shielding have increased to level 8. Spell: Minor Acidic Bolt has increased to level 9. Spell: Lesser Boil Blood has increased to level 11.
The level increases to my most used skills and spells would skyrocket my strength in future fights. “I had no idea how powerful you can become from just a single battle. Against another Hunter, there is so much you can gain with just a single fight. Honestly, I’m surprised Adom didn’t immediately engage in combat with us, another Hunter. These increases are amazing.”
“Yup,” Stella was flying back and forth between myself, Ripley, and Lailah as we walked. The path opened up to grasslands as we departed the forest behind us. “PvP is usually the best way to level in the World. Most Hunters jump at the chance to fight one another for this reason.”
“Alright, the last thing to do is place my twenty-one awaiting attribute points,” I said as the last message hovered before me. “I’m honestly feeling to make it simple this time around. I’m looking to have as much health and mana as possible considering how close my battle with Adom had been. My constitution is only eight points away from the fifty-point threshold, so I definitely want to do that. Hmm, what do you think about an even split? Say, ten points to bump my health and eleven to bump my mana,” I asked as I looked to Stella who was flying back over to my shoulder at that moment.
“Sounds like a good idea, I would have no concerns though you are close to reaching fifty points in Strength,” Stella replied as she eyed up my attribute screen with me.
“Good point. Ok, how about this…” My fingers danced across the hovering attribute screen. “Eight points into constitution and four points into strength, both will be at the next threshold. Then, the remaining nine points into intelligence?”
“Go for it,” was the easy response from Stella.
Locking in the new point distribution, I confirmed the follow-up System message asking me to approve my choices. Though not as powerful as the tier two upgrade, power radiated from the space around my body and seeped into me, empowering me even further. The feeling was like waking up more hale, stronger, and finding it easier to focus and concentrate on the tasks before you. I liked it, greatly.
Strength Threshold Reached (50). Effect(s): Plus 20% increased damage from all melee-based attacks, skills, and abilities (up from 15). Maximum carrying capacity increased by 100 pounds before suffering movement penalties (up from 75).
Constitution Threshold Reached (50). Effect(s): Each new point into Constitution now grants 30 health (up from 25).
This last battle had really shot my progression by leaps and bounds. I pulled up my character sheet and was quite pleased with the progress I was making.
Character Status
Name: Xazorus.
Title: The Hunter Killer.
Level: 11.
Race: Half-Elf.
Reputation: Views – 71,050. Followers – 10,520.
Strength: 51.
Dexterity: 22.
Constitution: 51.
Intelligence: 61.
Wisdom: 18.
Charisma: 51.
Luck: 35.
Health: 930. Mana: 1230. Stamina: 710.
Spells: [Minor Healing Wave] level 2, [Minor Firebolt] level 3, [Minor Restless Slumber] level 2, [Minor Deflecting Shield] level 8, [Minor Flamethrower] level 4, [Minor Regen] level 8, [Minor Shielding] level 8, [Minor Fireball] level 2, [Minor Restless Bones] level 4, [Minor Scent of Decay] level 4, [Selomund’s Song of Travel] level 4, [Minor Heat Blood] level 3, [Minor Boil Blood] level 11, [Minor Acidic Bolt] level 9.
Traits & Abilities: Mind & Matter, Dark Vision, Exalted Acceleration, Keen Senses, Adaptability, Clear Headed.
Skills: Dual Casting level 8, Channeling level 3, Axes level 9, Tracking level 8, Stealth level 2, and Roaring Sweep level 4.
Resistances: Stun 5%, Spells 15%, Mind Altering Effects 100%, Disease 10%
“Oh yeah,” I said as I eyed up my strength and constitution both being a point higher than the fifty that I had expected. “Forgot about the extra ten percent added to my attribute points from my adaptability trait. Ah well, every bit counts, right?”
“You’re getting stronger and stronger,” Stella bobbed her head in time with my footfalls. “In no time at all, you’ll be ready to take on Duke.”
Lailah’s head picked up at the mention of my nemesis. “Duke,” she said as if remembering the name. “Adom had said something about him.”
That caught my attention immediately. We were pretty certain Duke had been heading north towards Nemmil, but any confirmation would certainly be helpful. “What did he say,” I asked with a little exasperation tinting my voice.
“Not a whole lot, I’m sorry to disappoint.” Lailah’s eyebrow quirked up as she spoke. “I remember Adom saying something about avoiding him. Something like he had spotted this man, this Duke, before getting a hold of me. As he forced me to leave my home, it sounded like he was talking himself up and that he would be stronger than the man one day.”
Stella and I looked at each other, confirming we were on the right trail laid out before us. “Thanks, Lailah,” I said with a smile hinting on my lips. “We’ve been doing our best to follow that man. He is the real Hunter we want to take down.”
My visage must have taken on a dark demeanor, for when Lailah next spoke her words held empathy and understanding behind them. “He must have done something quite horrible. I’m sorry. Did he attack you?”
“Not us directly. But, yes, he attacked,” I made eye contact with Stella, whose eyes held the same determination in them as my own. “…our families. One day he’s going to regret his evil deeds and, just like Adom, he’ll pay for what he’s done.”
After the events of the day, we were one step closer to making that promise a reality.