To Stella’s great relief, we arrived well before her favorite store closed for the night. We walked into Marv’s shop to an excited shout of “Stella!” as if the store owner had known the floating poodle his entire life, the two finally finding one another many after years. Stella’s excitement was no less enthusiastic than the portly fellow’s, which brought quiet snickers from her other companions. When Stella commented “sparing no expense” when it came to purchasing more of the man’s “special sauce” I felt the intense need to step forward and intervene.
Several silver coins later, our supply of the wonder sauce had grown to extraordinary levels. It was all worth it, considering the happiness beaming from Stella. She knew quite well that we literally had enough of her favorite condiment stored away in my bag of holding to cover even her voracious appetite for at least several months. Marv didn’t question our bulk purchase this time around, more than content to earn that many more coins.
“Money well spent,” Stella said offhandedly as we left the shop, her words slightly garbled as she chewed on a spicy sausage. “You know, it’s an investment for our future.”
As Stella continued her meal, licking juices from her paws, I moved our small band of adventurers to the edge of the quarter. Ignoring a sudden need to poke fun at my canine friend, I focused on preparing for my upcoming level and tier three class selection. While plenty of people still massed around this section of the city, it was thinning as nightfall approached. The normally boisterous din of hundreds of overlapping conversations was slowly abating as the minutes ticked away. Thankfully, the pleasant aromas of everything from tantalizing treats to rising honey breads, to roasting hearty meats soaked in succulent marinades, did not follow suit. It was a comforting and delightful environment to be in, to say the least.
Before leveling up, I needed to read the two spell books we earned for completing the Minotaur quest. Upon reaching level twenty, I would be given a slew of options for my tier three Hunter class. A vital piece of information to consider was the choices I would receive were directly impacted by the number of skills and spells I had acquired since my last tier upgrade. In this case, back from level ten. Essentially, if I learned four spells, I would only be given four options. So, it behooved me to first learn as many spells as possible before reviewing my level notification. Those two books represented a pair of new class choices.
“Alright, let’s get these learned,” I said as I withdrew each spell tome from my inventory. Focusing on each hardcover in turn, a System prompt appeared asking me to confirm if I wanted to learn the spell. Selecting ‘yes,’ the now familiar sensation of learning rapidly passed through me. The pages flipped faster and faster of their own accord, as if the book was reading itself, and every trivial piece of arcane knowledge was downloaded directly into my mind. Like my brain had connected to a world-spanning WIFI network, gigabytes of information transferred to me in fractions of a second.
Thankfully, the experience was never painful, though I wondered if there was a limit on how many spells could be learned in one sitting. Once the process was completed, the hardcovers disappeared like smoke in the wind, now nothing more than particulates. Left behind in their place were the necessary gestures, verbal components, and other subtle nuances I needed to keep in mind during spellcasting. I had complete familiarity with my new spells.
Congratulations! New Spell Unlocked: [Lesser Invoke Terror]!
[Lesser Invoke Terror]. A psychic bolt of energy lances from your hand and strikes a nearby enemy within 100 feet, dealing 10 plus 1n damage, where ‘n’ equals Intelligence. The target’s mind is filled with overwhelming panic and fear causing it to flee from you. Additionally, while affected by this spell, the target’s mind becomes confused and muddled resulting in a decreased movement speed of 33%, as well as causing an uncoordinated retreat. Cost: 75 mana. Cast Time: 3 seconds. Cool down: 1 second. Duration: 2 minutes. Plus 10 feet maximum range, and plus 1% decreased movement speed per spell level.
Note – Any damage inflicted to the target while under the effects of this spell has a chance of ending the spell early (physical damage equals moderate chance, magical damage equals low chance). Finally, this spell does not affect constructs, undead, or other creatures immune to fear.
Congratulations! New Spell Unlocked: [Lesser Wyvern Sting]!
[Lesser Wyvern Sting]. At your command, a magically created wyvern stinger shoots forth to impact a nearby enemy within 100 feet. The target is afflicted by a deadly toxin that causes 150 plus 3n damage immediately and then every 6 seconds until the spell expires, where ‘n’ equals Intelligence. Cost: 75 mana. Cast Time: 1 second. Cool down: 1 second. Duration: 18 seconds. Plus 10 feet maximum range, and plus 25 base damage per spell level.
“Hey Stell,” I said a few seconds later, finally opening my eyes when the process was completed. “This wyvern sting is something else. Can you check my math? With my current intelligence, will the poison damage be nearly eight hundred damage initially, and, what… after eighteen seconds, will do close to half the damage of my boil blood? If so, this is one powerful spell.”
“Seven hundred and ninety-five damage per tick to be exact,” Stella said without pausing from her cleaning, though she did look up at me with a contented smile. “So, yeah, close enough.”
“Can’t wait to use it,” I said before looking between my companions. My next words were tinged with enthusiasm. “Alright, let’s level up!”
Finally, I allowed the persistently blinking icon in the corner of my vision to grab my attention. Focusing on the golden upswept arrow, I willed the information to appear.
Level Up! You have earned enough experience to advance to level 20. Tier 2 class characteristic attributes have been applied. You have 7 attribute points to distribute.
Congratulations! You are now able to select your Tier 3 Hunter Class. Connect with your accelerator for more details.
Upon reading the notification, the now familiar amber light descended over my body as if a portal had opened above to bath me in its radiant energy. An influx of power coursed into every fiber of my being, plunging deep into my core causing it to expand slightly as the invigorating aura flowed throughout. Feeling as if I had awoken from the most restful night of sleep ever, I basked in the refreshing feeling. In seconds, the glow disappeared as if it never existed, leaving me rejuvenated in its wake.
Several citizens and a pair of guards had slowed upon noticing the sudden appearance of dazzling brilliance but only for a moment as Hunters were well-known within the city.
“You look good, well rested,” Tallos said appreciatively. “Even I feel a bit better from simply standing near you with whatever splendid magic sufficed you.”
Smiling to Tallos, acknowledging his remark, I pulled up my character sheet to see where to put the seven attribute points from the level advancement. My tier two class points were already added, I noticed, adding four points to my intelligence, wisdom, and luck stats automatically. “Hey, my wisdom just reached fifty,” I said, surprise evident in my voice. “Nice.”
Wisdom Threshold Reached (50). Benefits: Plus 11% increased mana regeneration and magical resistances.
Not deliberating long, I added one attribute point to my Intelligence, bringing it to two-hundred and twenty, and the remaining points into my Constitution. These changes brought my health to nearly twenty-two hundred, and my total mana pool to only a few hundred points shy of eight thousand. For a moment those two resource pools felt sky-high, yet after seeing the damage potential from my new wyvern spell, my confidence in my survivability didn’t seem as lofty. Not only that but part of me was hesitant to figure out the damage from a dual cast wyvern sting. My enemies would no doubt have the same potential with their spells and abilities.
There was nothing for it, except to continue to grow in power. Still, it was a sobering thought. I could only imagine the damage output someone like the max-leveled Duke could doll out. Shaking my head side to side to dispel the undesirable thoughts, I returned my attention to Stella. She hadn’t noticed my internal plight, her paws roving over information I couldn’t see.
Stella caught my gaze, glancing back at me from the corner of an eye. “Ready to see your tier three options?” she asked expectantly.
Even Tallos appeared optimistic about what was about to come. He knew from our prior conversations a Hunter’s strength soared to new capabilities with each successive tier. While he was entirely a physical ranged attacker, Tallos had secretly shared back in the crow’s nest those many days ago, how he wished he had a talent to cast arcane magic like I did. At the time, I had told him he would perhaps learn how to do so, one day. I still believed it.
“Advancing is kind of a big thing for Hunters,” I had explained to Tallos, back aboard the Moon Siren. At the time, he nodded along as if he was already aware of this, though he never actually met another Hunter before me. “When picking a new class, we’re able to choose one of the skills or spells we acquired since our last advancement. The class selection causes us to specialize in whatever spell or skill we pick. Doing so gives it more potency, as well as the potential for a whole new host of benefits along with it.”
“My first Hunter class became available when I reached level five,” I had said as we rested our backs against the solid frame. “At the time, I specialized my boil blood spell and, as a result, became a Necromancer. An effect was added to boil blood which turned it into my most used spell, it was that good. Then, when I reached level ten, I picked the intensify death skill, so became a Warlock. Better yet, Ripley’s capabilities were enhanced to what she is now. She’s a powerhouse in her own right.”
“The two of us became far stronger together than we could have been alone,” I had said. A part of me yearned for more of those blissful nights with Tallos, with countless stars shining down upon us as we conversed the evening away.
Back in the present, I would now be making a similar choice. My tier three class awaits. “Yes, please,” I replied at long last, eagerly rubbing my hands together.
“Yes, sir,” Stella replied formally, an ounce of tease hinting in her tone in response to my civility. With one more swipe of her paw, a multitude of options exploded in my view. I hadn’t realized how many skills and spells had been stuffed into my core since becoming a Warlock. The list was quite substantial and ran the gamut with definitive variety among them.
Notice! The following options are available to be selected as your Tier 3 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 3 class.
Note - After selecting a Tier 3 Hunter Class, any additional levels gained thereafter will automatically increase several attribute points as indicated in the class descriptions below.
Available Classes Level 20
Spell or Skill
Class
Throwing
Death Caster
Execute (Axe)
Warmonger
Firearms
Void Mark
Quick Cast
Ascended
Lesser Necrotic Aura (Pet)
Putrefier
Lesser Cure Poison & Disease
Deterger
Lesser Chained Lightning
Discharger
Lesser Undeath
Wraith
Lesser Renewal of Bones
Reviviscence
Lesser Soul Leech
Scourge
Lesser Arrested Affliction
Disruptor
Lesser Poisoned Breath
Toxicant
Lesser Ignite Bones
Incinerator
Lesser Invoke Terror
Horrifier
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Lesser Wyvern Sting
Vitiator
“That’s a big list,” I said to Stella as my eyes went wide as saucers. I suddenly felt overwhelmed with so many choices. Stella nodded as she hovered up to rest comfortably on my shoulder, her presence instantly helping me calm down. “Unless you feel otherwise, let's rule out Death Caster, Warmonger, and potentially Void Mark as they are all melee-focused. I’m looking to continue the path of a spell caster. Oh, and we can probably skip over Ascended as well. If you disagree though, please weigh in.”
“I think we can skip over those,” Stella replied after a moment. She had been perusing more information through her Accelerator access. “Death Caster would enable you to add DoT effects to your axe throw, which is not very helpful since we could just cast them unerringly. It does magnify the potency of the spells, though not by enough, in my opinion, since you risk missing the enemy entirely with a poorly aimed throw. Warmonger would allow you to automatically execute an enemy when their health gets low enough but it’s only if you deal more damage with your physical attacks than spells. So, again, not for us."
“Void Mark is not too bad,” she continued. “It looks like you would shoot damage over time… wait? Ravens? Wow, yeah, I’m reading that right. Sounds fun, I’m not going to lie. Probably looks badass. The problem is you have only the one gun, it has a thirty second delay between shots, and you're unlikely to find another, any time soon. In all, a bad decision for us. For Ascended, all your cast times would drop by half. There are some other small bonuses, but it's not worth it. You can already layer your DoTs onto a monster in something like six or seven seconds, so reducing that by half probably isn't too useful for us right now.”
“Alright, let’s move on down the list, one by one,” I said, mentally selecting Putrefier. It was the class tied to Ripley’s necrotic aura buff.
Putrefier (Tier 3) Class Description: The Putrefier is a force to be reckoned with and enemies would do well to avoid bunching together when facing down this dangerous foe. Forevermore, the Putrefier’s spells are charged with additional necrotic energy causing a malevolent aura to surround every target of a Putrefier’s spells. Any single target damage over time spell cast by the Putrefier causes the target to be enveloped in a deathly haze which moderately damages other nearby hostile targets. Plus 4 Constitution, Intelligence, and Charisma per level.
I read the prompt a pair of times before turning to Stella. “This class seemed to be able to do some serious damage to groups packed closely together,” I said, impressed by the possibility. “However, I have an important question to ask before seriously considering this class further. If I cast two identical DoTs, but on two different monsters, will they both take additional damage from the other's necrotic aura?”
“Sadly, no,” Stella replied quickly, her paw moving furiously in front of her. “Only one damaging aura is added per spell. Meaning, only the first target in your example would radiate this Putrefier necrotic effect. The range of the harmful aura looks decent though, at twenty-five feet.”
“Thanks, Stell. That’s too bad. While this class would still do very well against large groups of mobs, this effect maxes out at seven instances since I can only effectively cast seven DoTs right now. Plus, I doubt we’ll want to actively engage a horde of monsters. I’m not built for it, at least not yet.”
“Yeah, makes sense,” Stella affirmed. “Okay, moving on, Deterger coming your way. It’s from learning your cure poison, corruption, and disease spell… Actually, I won’t bother you with the prompt. From what I see, the class gains the ability to automatically remove hostile DoTs from you and allies as long as they are close enough. I’m pretty sure we could gain more from the other classes.”
“Fine by me,” I said, nodding at her words. “Discharger is next in line. Now, this one I’m excited for as it’s from my chained lightning. Please, please, please be good.”
Discharger (Tier 3) Class Description: The Discharger has learned to tap into the innate connection shared among all creatures. Forevermore, any damage over time spell cast by a Discharge will be supplemented with an electric-chaining effect, allowing single target spells to automatically transfer from the initial target to other nearby hostile enemies. This effect will always chain at least one time, though additional chain chances decrease significantly with each new target. Plus 4 Intelligence, Wisdom, and Luck per level.
“This is sort of like the Putrefier class,” Stella said, her eyes scanning the information. “It’s also strong against groups of enemies. With each DoT chaining at least one time, it’s like casting two spells at once, and sometimes more. This could be really good against something like a pair of monsters, for example. Once you layer all your DoTs, both foes will have the same stack of spells chipping away at their health. Sadly, the effectiveness of this chaining property grows more chaotically as group size increases. From what I am seeing, the target of the chain is entirely random, meaning it could end up hitting the same monster on a recast.”
“Yeah, the randomness sort of dilutes the effectiveness against larger groups,” I muttered as I considered Stella’s comments. “Sure, it would at minimum double my DoTs spreading around but, with the randomness inherent to the class, I feel like it would be a nightmare trying to keep track of it all. I might end up wasting mana, doing nothing more than refreshing a spell’s duration. Don’t get me wrong, I like the class. So, let’s keep it in mind. Doubling my damage per second does sound powerful.”
“One last thing before we move on,” Stella added with a wince. “This chaining effect would be wasted on a single monster, like a solitary boss.”
“Hmm, yeah… Crap. Against one enemy, this class wouldn’t bring anything extra to the fight,” I clenched my teeth at the thought. “Okay, how about Wraith then? I’ve only barely scratched the spell’s potential, I feel.”
"Coming at you."
Wraith (Tier 3) Class Description: The Wraith has mastered the mysticism that permeates the veil between life and death. As a result, a permanent aspect of this corruption now empowers the Wraith’s spells and, to a limited degree, the caster himself. Forevermore, all spells cast by the Wraith will have their durations enhanced. Additionally, at the precipice of death, the Wraith will immediately become an undead version of himself, gaining additional powers and abilities. Plus 4 Intelligence, Wisdom, and Luck per level.
Note – If triggered, the Wraith is able to remain in this undeath state for a set period of time, after which life seeps back into the Wraith’s core. However, should the Wraith be destroyed while under these effects, death will be permanent. Finally, this effect has a significant internal cool down before it can be triggered again.
Neither of us spoke for long seconds. “I wasn’t expecting this,” Stella muttered, as surprised by the development as I was. “This mechanism has the potential to keep you alive just before you would normally die. Well, sort of.” She turned to me, a serious expression on her face as she shook her head from side to side. “I know of nothing else that even comes close to this. I didn’t even think such a thing was possible until now. Death is death. It’s permanent. Now though,” Stella said as she returned her gaze to the floating notification. “You will have a chance to come back to life if your health ever drops to zero.”
“Well, this is the best so far,” I replied confidently. Even Tallos’ attention had been caught by Stella’s words.
“So, what happens if Xaz were to die if he picked that?” Tallos said, coming close to my shoulder. He tried to see the prompt himself but, of course, couldn't see the System window. “What would happen to him?”
“From what I see in the data, for a short period, Xaz would take on some of the properties shared by all undead creatures,” Stella responded, then pointed a paw toward Ripley. “Like her. Though, we have no way of knowing right now how the change will play out. But what I know for certain is, if Xaz were to die and remain in this undead state for long enough, he would come back to life.”
We all shared a look; this single ability alone nearly cemented my decision right then and there. Having a chance to fight through what otherwise would have been certain death seemed… mythical.
The moment was lost when Stella turned to me, an expressly innocent look on her face. “Do you think you’d stink?”
A flat stare was the only response I could muster. Tallos and I both stared blankly at Stella. Even Lowki peeked up a feline head, his ears twitching as if in irritation.
“What?” Stella asked sincerely. “Oh, you know, it’s a valid question,” she added defensively.
“Let me ask you this one question,” I said flatly. “Do you think Ripley… stinks?”
Ever so slowly, Ripley, who had been facing away from the party, turned her upper body, then her head to peer at our hovering companion. The effect was quite chilling for the fact Ripley’s feet remained planted to the ground and hadn’t turned with her. She was a gross caricature with her upper half twisted nearly one hundred and eighty degrees around as she stared at Stella. Ripley’s hooded face stared hard at the suddenly shrinking poodle.
“Umm,” Stella stammered. “No, not at all. Come on, Xaz, why would you ask me that?”
I could have sworn Ripley’s dark orbs had narrowed to miniature spheres for a moment there. I hadn’t realized it, but Ripley had also been bent slightly towards Stella, her presence quite unnerving even though I hadn't been the intended target of her ire. Upon Stella's confirmation regarding the lack of an aroma, Ripley turned back around, returning to keeping an unblinking eye on our surroundings.
Stella shot me a look which scream, “What the hell, Xaz?” I mirrored her expression, shooting the unspoken question right back at her.
“Okay, okay,” Stella said as she shooed away the question. “Let’s keep going. Up next, is Reviviscence from your renewal of bones spell.”
Reviviscence (Tier 3) Class Description: The Reviviscence is a master of maintaining undead minions, pets, and similar beings. Forevermore, a permanent bond comes into being which connects the master with his servants. This bond causes any physical or magical damage inflicted to one, to instead be split amongst the entire group. Further, a small portion of all damage will instead be absorbed to create a small heal over time effect. Plus 4 Strength, Constitution, and Intelligence per level.
Note – Both damaging and healing effects are shared by all bonded by a Reviviscence. Additionally, there is no maximum distance to this beneficial effect.
“Interesting,” I said after reading the class description. “But, not right for us. This class could be useful if I had something like a dozen Ripley’s running around. We would effectively have one massive health pool split between all of us. As it stands now, however, some of the damage Ripley sustains will be split with me. That doesn’t really make sense for us.”
“Agreed,” Stella said before pulling something out of thin air. Apparently, we were taking so long, she decided to help herself to a little snack. Slipping a marinated piece of jerky into her mouth, she continued with a mouth full of food. “Up next… Scourge. This one comes from your lesser soul leech. This could be a good one.”
Scourge (Tier 3) Class Description: The Scourge has stepped beyond the power of mere mortals and has entwined his core with an aspect of the Eldritch. Forevermore, the Scourge has a vampiric quality that taints all cast spells. This effect leeches away a portion of the hostile foe's life force as additional damage. This can be compounded by casting several different spells on the same target. Plus 4 Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma per level.
Note - All damage over time spells cast by the Scourge gains the “vampiric embrace” debuff and drain a small percentage of health away, replenishing and restoring any wounds the Scourge may be suffering from.
“It’s a nice class,” I said, paying particular attention of the vampiric embrace debuff. “Adding leeched health to every DoT will greatly improve my survivability. Though, in a way, it’s a bit redundant right now. If everything goes to plan, I should rarely take damage, especially with my Aegis running all day, every day. So, unless I’m regularly taking damage, this class’s special effect would be lost on me.”
“This class could change your fighting style, making you a front-line fighter instead,” Stella offered. “Simply place all your spells on an enemy, then charge in heedless of counterattacks. You'd probably heal right through the damage.”
“True, but it sounds risky. What happens when my spells start wearing off and I’m suddenly too close to a boss to back off, let alone cast a spell in the middle of a fray? If I didn’t have my Empowered Aegis, it might have considered this class further, but this added regeneration is wasted on me.”
“Fair enough,” Stella replied. “The next three, I’m going to send you all at once. They are all essentially the same thing, just pay close attention to the debuff each has.”
Disruptor (Tier 3) Class Description: The Disruptor's magical prowess becomes laced with unholy might and deathly energy. Forevermore, all spells cast by the Disruptor will cause a hostile target’s muscles, veins, and heart to seize and spasm which causes a moderate amount of additional damage. Finally, there is a small chance that the target loses consciousness as blood flow may be momentarily halted by a seizing heart. Plus 4 Constitution, Intelligence, and Luck per level.
Toxicant (Tier 3) Class Description: The Toxicant life force has been permeated with the soul of a lesser emerald dragon causing poison to run through his veins, and deep into his core. Forevermore, all spells cast by the Toxicant will cause a moderate amount of additional poison damage. Additionally, the Toxicant is able to breathe out a noxious vapor that causes serious harm to any nearby enemy. This breath attack has a moderate cool down. Finally, once per hour, a Toxicant is able to opt to cast a damage over time spell as a wide cone of toxic energy instead, impacting any hostile target within its area of effect. Plus 4 Strength, Constitution, and Intelligence per level.
Incinerator (Tier 3) Class Description: The Incinerator's soul begins to burn with the fires of a descending meteor, causing destructive energy to entwine with any magical spell that leaps from his fingers. Forevermore, all spells cast by the Incinerator will cause a hostile target’s skin, muscle tissue, and bones to blacken, combust, or even break which causes a moderate amount of additional damage. Finally, an Incinerator’s spells have a small chance of causing additional debuffs ranging from additional damage to debilitating effects. Plus 4 Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence per level.
“So, these three are all pretty similar,” Stella said after I reviewed each. “The difference is the additional damage type and effect that is built into the classes. Unholy for Disruptor, poison for Toxicant, and fire for the Incinerator. Disruptor adds a debilitating debuff, though it appears to range from slightly uncoordinated attacks to an enemy outright losing consciousness. So, not bad, albeit potentially unreliable. Toxicant does grant you a single instant-cast breath attack, every once in a while. Beyond that, it essentially allows you to turn a single cast DoT to an area of effect cone. Finally, the Incinerator adds more damage than the other two, plus may add a few debuffs as you cast spells. The debuffs are not as consistent as a Disruptor's, though.”
Looking over the three options, none stood out to me. “Their nice but I think we can rule those three out.”
Stella nodded. “Ok, the second to last. Horrifier from your new invoke terror spell. Coming at you.”
Horrifier (Tier 3) Class Description: The Horrifier exudes such a dreadful presence that he alone has the potential to send an entire army of weak-willed soldiers running for their lives, heedless of the urgently shouted commands from superior officers. Forevermore, a permanent fear aura projects outwards from the Horrifier, leaving all but the most powerful enemies shuddering in terror. Additionally, every damage over time spell cast by the Horrifier has a small chance of applying a mesmerizing debuff which causes the target’s mind to temporarily dissociate from their body. Further, with the debuff expires, there is a moderate chance the target will lose all recollection of the past few minutes. Plus 4 Constitution, Intelligence, and Charisma per level.
“Now, I’m all for my presence alone causing an entire army to run away,” I said smugly as I glanced at Stella. “But I doubt it’s that easy.”
“You would be correct,” Stella confirmed. “Though the ability to mesmerize enemies could be quite beneficial.”
“Yeah, if I intended to fight in a group, or if I wanted to leave my enemies alive in my wake. I think we can pass on this one too.”
“So,” Stella said as she made one final swipe of her paw. “That leaves only the Vitiator from lesser wyvern sting.”
Vitiator (Tier 3) Class Description: The Vitiator’s life force has been merged with the soul of a lesser jade wyvern causing powerful toxins to run through his veins, and deep into his core. Forevermore, all spells cast by the Vitiator will cause a moderate amount of additional toxic damage. Additionally, the Vitiator gains an additional limb, a wyvern tail, which is capable of firing toxic barbs which cause a high amount of damage to the effected enemy. This barb attack has a low cool down. Finally, once per hour, a Vitiator sprouts wings allowing for control flight for a short period of time. Plus 4 Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence per level.
“Wings and a tail? Sign me up,” I said enthusiastically. Though my excitement was softened somewhat at the realization I would actually grow a wyvern’s tail. It was all good in theory until new protrusions started growing on you. “So, the tail is permanent, and the wings kind of, what... fold out of my back?”
“More or less,” Stella replied after a moment. “A problem is we have no way of knowing the size or effectiveness of the tail. It could also be difficult to use, though I doubt it as the System would normally step in to assist you. Still, it could take time to familiarize yourself with it.”
“As for the wings…” Stella continued but I interrupted her.
“Awesome, right?”
“Let me put it this way,” Stella said with pressed lips. “Do you want to go flying only for your wings to suddenly disappear? This isn't an ability to let you glide, let alone arrest a potentially fatal fall with such a short-lived skill.”
“I doubt you would enjoy having a tail,” Tallos added. “Plus, you might find it harder to one day find a mate.” That was a fair point.
Our small group went through the pros and cons of each class several more times, night falling around us as we carefully considering my options. While Tallos was not a Hunter himself, he was able to contribute, relying on his wealth of experience. In the end, we had my decision locked in.
With my finger hovering over the confirmation button, I looked at each companion in turn as I tilted my head to the side. Hopefully, I wouldn't regret this decision.
“Here… we… go.”