Arienna Dubrai
Age: 18
Race: Human
Vitality: 20
Strength: 8
Agility: 9
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 15
Unallocated stat points: 2
Influence: Unchosen
Please choose an influence at your earliest convenience!
Available Influences: 3
Big Game Hunter:
The Big Game Hunter specializes in fighting beings above their own level. An uncommon and diverse combat class, this class will help you against your quarry, hunter.
Requirements: Survived an encounter with a being 30 or more levels above your own. Create a crippling injury on a creature 20 or more levels above your own. Kill a creature 10 or more levels above your own.
Punching Bag:
The Punching Bag specializes in taking damage. Stand tall young punching bag, your destiny awaits!
Twilight Acolyte:
The acolyte of the ancient and long forgotten Twilight Order. The Twilight Order was said to have been banished by the world itself for their mastery over mystic arts. Forged anew in the flames of Twilight, their power is undisputed and infamous to those who still remember. Because of their curse, anyone who walks the path of Twilight gains reduced experience.
Requirements: Survived the Twilight Forge.
Ria snorted. Punching bag? That’s rude. Who the fuck would choose that?
She sat, leaning against the same tree as she read through the list of influences. I have no idea what the fuck is going on. But hey! When in the afterlife…
But, this Twilight one is interesting, if a little ominous. ‘Erased by the world itself’ doesn’t exactly sound inviting, and the reduced experience is a pain in the ass. But the other two just seem so… mid. Hmm… and what’s the Twilight Forge? I guess I survived it at some point? Is that how I died? No, it wouldn’t say ‘survived’ then. Man, the afterlife is weird.
Big Game Hunter seems at least somewhat interesting, but it also seems lackluster. I think I choose the creepy order of ancient mystics.
It was a strange thing, but Aria was figuring out how to navigate the strange holo-window. With a mental acknowledgement, Aria selected the Twilight Acolyte.
Influence Chosen: Twilight Acolyte
Gained:
+20 Vitality
+10 Strength
+10 Agility
+20 Intelligence
+25 Wisdom
Aria arched her back against the tree, moaning as a wave of ecstasy flooded her veins. The energy of life itself coursed through her, enhancing her everything, making her more. It was painful to have your body altered so much, but the pleasure overwhelmed the pain.
The pleasure faded, leaving Aria huffing against the tree, her naked skin coated in sweat. “Fuck!” She coughed. “What the hell was that?”
The world around Aria felt… more. Like she had been living in a fog that had just now been lifted, colors were bolder, sounds sharper, the world clearer. Unfortunately, Aria figured out the hard way that smells were better as well, far better. Getting a full whiff of herself had her doubled over, spilling whatever remained in her stomach onto the forest floor, but it was mostly just stomach acid. “Oh, that’s so fucking gross.” Aria lamented, holding her nose with her undamaged hand.
She slumped once more against the tree, finding the movement easier than last time. She’d gone from exhausted to perked up in the span of a few moments. Aria’s injuries burned, the feeling of itchiness worse than ever before. She closed her eyes, trying to relax until the horrible feeling went away.
It took several moments, but eventually, the pain did fade. It left Aria curious, practically making her check her injuries. Everything looked better, far better in fact. Her leg still looked like she’d been gored by something truly terrible, but at least now it was recognizable as a limb, and she had full feeling in her foot and toes whereas before she had only slightly recovered it. Unfortunately, her pinky finger was still missing, but the gashes on her hand and chest had begun closing.
The inspection of her body left Aria with one simple undeniable truth. “I need a bath.”
Aria sighed, shaking her head. “Let’s see if there are any other goodies for mama.” She rubbed her hands together creepily as she once again called forth her magic screen of goodies.
Twilight Acolyte has awakened
Gained:
Active Skill: The Fires of Twilight
Passive Skill: Twilight Vessel
Experience has been earned.
Experience penalty has been applied.
You have lost experience.
Twilight Acolyte has leveled up!
Twilight Acolyte has leveled up!
Twilight Acolyte has reached level 3!
Gained:
+4 Vitality
+2 Strength
+2 Agility
+4 Intelligence
+6 Wisdom
+10 Free Stat Points
Once again, the sensation of ecstasy flooded Aria’s body, but it wasn’t nearly as powerful as the last time. It passed by, leaving Aria grinning as she focused on her new status.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Arienna Dubrai
Age: 18
Race: Human
Vitality: 44
Strength: 20
Agility: 21
Intelligence: 34
Wisdom: 46
Unallocated stat points: 12
Influence: Twilight Acolyte, Level 3
Skills:
Active - The Flames of Twilight, Level 1
Four free active skill slots available.
Passive - Twilight Vessel, Level 1
Four free passive skill slots available.
General Skills:
Inquiry, Level 1
Pain Resistance, Level 2
“Oh yeah, baby.” Aria couldn’t help rubbing her hands together, being pleasantly surprised when her pinky hardly hurt. It was still weird to be missing her pinky, but Aria was glad it no longer hurt.
“Let’s take a little peak at these sexy skills.”
With a little bit of mental jumproping, Aria was able to expand the skills, giving her a general overview of each.
Active Skill: The Flames of Twilight, Level 1
A dual act skill showcasing the brilliance of The Twilight Order. A dance between life and death, of healing and destruction.
Act 1: Cleansing Flame, White - Channel the purifying flame of the sun transformed by the Twilight to heal and restore yourself and any you touch. This skill increases in potency and reduces in cost with every level.
Aria didn’t even bother reading any further in the skill, or any other skills.
Her focus became concentrated, everything pouring into this new skill. She reached her mind out as she had when navigating the odd window, searching through herself for the skill. It didn’t take her long to find it, an instinctive knowledge of the skill filling her mind.
She focused on it, willing the skill to activate, targeting herself.
She felt an energy bubble within her, like a tiny violin playing in the void. It drew on the energy, shaping it into a raging white fire. Aria panicked as that fire spread, roaring through her body like a living thing. A frightened squeak escaped Aria as the ethereal white flame spread over her skin. She grit her teeth, closing her eyes as she prepared for agony.
But it never came.
Timidly, Aria opened her eyes, looking down at the flames. When she noticed what they were doing, she almost passed out in shock. Her flesh wasn’t just knitting back together, her blood wasn’t just clotting. The ghost-like flames were creating new flesh of their own accord. It looked more like time was reversing to before she was injured. It was a surreal feeling. Even the aggravating itch she’d associated with her wounds healing was absent, replaced by a cool and refreshing breeze that seemed to flow within the flames. It was, admittedly, quite pleasant.
She was stunned, her world views being rocked on their heads. Magic. This was magic. Not tricks, not sleight of hand, but true, unnatural magic. Or maybe it’s more accurate to call it natural magic. Aria mused as the flames spread away from her wounds, running along her body before winking out. Aria grabbed her leg with both hands, staring hard and prodding at the tanned and fully fleshed thigh. She mushed the flesh of her thigh like she was massaging it, noticing how smooth her skin felt. She cried in joy as she held her thigh, held it with her recently reformed pinky.
And then, she blacked out.
…
Aria awoke sometime later, her back feeling somewhat stiff from sleeping against a tree. “Errrr.” Aria groaned, her hand supporting her aching head. She felt like some little miscreant was operating a jackhammer in her skull. She felt empty, like she was missing something, but the feeling was gradually fading with time.
Is it because of my new superpowers? Aria mused, trying to solve her little mystery. Did I overdo it healing myself? I can definitely see restoring flesh taking a lot of energy. Her stomach groaned at the thought of energy, objecting to the recent abuse it’d suffered. Aria laughed, patting her bare stomach. “Yeah, food would be nice. But first, the rest of my skills.”
She willed the magic panel back into form.
Arienna Dubrai
Age: 18
Race: Human
Vitality: 44
Strength: 20
Agility: 21
Intelligence: 34
Wisdom: 46
Unallocated stat points: 12
Influence: Twilight Acolyte, Level 3
Skills:
Active - The Flames of Twilight, Level 1
Four free active skill slots available.
Passive - Twilight Vessel, Level 1
Four free passive skill slots available.
General Skills:
Inquiry, Level 1
Pain Resistance, Level 2
Alright. She thought. Free points first. Let’s see… we’ll do 4 in wisdom, 6 in vitality, 1 in intelligence, and 1 in strength to equal it out with agility.
Her status changed as that pleasant energy flooded her body. “Ah…” She sighed in satisfaction.
Vitality: 50
Strength: 21
Agility: 21
Intelligence: 35
Wisdom: 50
Unallocated stat points: 0
“Perfect. Now, onto skills.”
The first skill Aria inspected was the second half of Flames of Twilight
Act 2: Devouring flame, Night - Channel the devouring flame of the abyss into creatures and objects you touch. The flame will devour them from within, returning to you a small part of what it has taken. Devouring creatures with this skill fuels growth. Power, return, and growth increased with every level. Cost reduced with each level.
Aria whistling, her brain itching to test out the skill. She obliged her urges. Standing on her two whole and healthy legs, that still sent a smile across her lips, she turned to the tree she’d used as a rest. It says creatures and objects I touch, so theoretically, this should work. She mused, placing her hand against the tree’s bark.
She felt something leave her, that feeling of emptiness growing within. Then, a small, almost unnoticeable, amount of that energy returned, flowing back into her core. She pulled her hand away, staring at the place where her palm had been, but it was the same. Nothing had visibly changed with the tree.
Needs more testing. Aria concurred, continuing to her next skill.
Passive Skill: Twilight Vessel, Level 1
Your body has been reforged by the fires of Twilight. You have been remade in the fires of perfection. Increases resistance to pain. Increases all stats while cycling the Twilight. Greatly increases your body’s resilience to intrusion. Walk now, in the light of those before, and brighten the way for those yet to come. This skill is eternal and cannot be removed. You are Twilight.
“Oooookaaaay?” Aria grumbled, unsure. It all seemed well and good, but there was that same thing, ‘forged in the fires of Twilight.’ Now, it even called them the ‘fires of perfection.’ And all that stuff at the end? Eternal? I am Twilight? What’s that even mean?
Aria thought about it for a few moments before shrugging it off, blaming it on ‘more afterlife mumbo-jumbo.’ No use in worrying about what I can’t change. Besides, I can do fucking MAGIC! That is waaaaaay more important than anything else.
Giddy with excitement Aria inspected her general skills
Inquiry, Level 1
Use this skill to acquire information about objects and creatures around you. Distance and information gathered increases with level.
“Easy enough. Next!”
Pain Resistance, Level 2
You have gone through a lot of pain in your short time in this strange land. This skill will make it more tolerable when you inevitably go through more! Increases resistance and the ability to maintain clarity while suffering as the skill level increases.
“Well. Certainly useful, if not slightly ominous. Whatever, it’s skill testing time!”
Aria couldn’t help it, she rubbed hands together as a wicked grin blossomed over her face.