Skippy got out of the truck as Tom, Abaddon, Alex, Major Adams and his team all set up at the meeting place the orcs had indicated. They wanted enough people to be perceived as a threat without actually being threatening.
The council meeting could be basically summarized as a confirmation of yesterday. He wasn't sure why they had bothered, but Tom and Alex seemed to think it was important.
"Alright, now we just need to wait," Tom said.
Skippy rolled his eyes.
"You guys need to wait. I need to start power levelling." Skippy said as he activated his invisibility.
He disappeared from sight as he started moving away from the group.
<[Thiefs Swaggering Grace] has Reached Level 23>
<[Reaper's Cloak] has Reached Level 2>
<[Reaper's Cloak] has Reached Level 3>
<...>
<[Reaper's Cloak] has Reached Level 5>
Skippy smiled as the notifications came in, as he moved away from the group. No one seemed capable of tracking him. Except for Tom. freakin perception builds.
Unsheathing his blade, he moved through the snow, trying his best to avoid leaving footprints. The first thing he found was an overgrown house cat feasting on the corpse of some human. He didn't know who.
Name: Tinkle
Level: 7
Class/Race: Cat 7
Skills: Sharp Claws, Avian Slayer, Padded Footing, Leap
Skippy stalked toward the Cat, carefully and slowly, until he was only nine feet away from the feline. That's when it noticed him. The cat turned in his direction.
"Who goes there" the cat hissed, its speech understandable thanks to Skippys [Rataskurs Tongue].
[Rataskurs Tongue] - Legendary
[Rataskurs Tongue]: This skill grants the user an innate mastery of languages, functioning as an advanced form of omniglot. The user can effortlessly learn and communicate in any spoken or written language after minimal exposure. Additionally, the skill enables seamless communication with animals, interpreting their thoughts and emotions as if they were spoken words. It extends to plants, allowing a rudimentary dialogue. +5% to language comprehension and retainment per skill level.
Skippy couldn't activate [Mirage Step] without mana, so he crept forwards silent before he leapt forwards to strike.
'[Unseen Blow]' Skippy activated the skill.
The cat hadn't even had time to react to Skippy's movements, and by the time it realized he was behind her. The cat was already exploding from the impact.
<[Unseen Blow] has Reached Level 3>
<[Unseen Blow] has Reached Level 4>
<[Unseen Blow] has Reached Level 5>
Skippy ignored the notification going off in his head as he stashed the body and moved on to his next target. He already had an idea of what he wanted, and he was going to abuse Tom's bloodline to min-max his build in a short amount of time.
His first step was to get another four skill points and have Tom create the [Way of the Reaper]. This would form the basis of his fighting style.
Skippy moved through the snow towards a larger cluster of mana signatures as he assigned his three new levels.
DING!!!
Congratulations
You are a level 3 [Warrior] - Common
[Hand to Knife] - Uncommon: +1.25% to your Unarmed and Knife Mastery per skill level
[Supercrit] - Rare: increase your chances of scoring a critical hit by 3% per skill level
He would sunder the class when he had maxed it out. Right now, he didn't want to grind levels. He wanted to farm skills. He slipped up onto the roof of one of the nearby buildings like Spiderman. He stalked upwards, peeping over the edge.
Down in the backyards of one of the houses were a … a pack of Ostriches? Six of them. Skippy was starting to wonder about the zoo dungeon.
"Gentle ladies," the ostrich in the middle began. "Today, we begin our domination of the world with a ---"
Skippy leapt down using [Unseen Blow] on the talking Ostrich killing it instantly. This immediately got the attention of the other five, and they turned to attack him.
"Intruder!!" one screeched.
"Kill him!!!" another screeched.
Skippy's blade shot out fast enough to catch one of the ostriches in the leg, slicing off the limb with ease.
"My leg!!!" the ostrich screamed.
The ostrich toppled to the ground as another tried to peck his eye out. Skippy activated [Mirage Step], and the Ostrich destroyed the afterimage he had left behind. But Skippy was already behind the ostrich at the back of the group, invisible as he activated another [Unseen Blow].
The ostrich all but exploded as he killed it. The other ostriches turned at him, confused, and the three remaining ostriches screeched at him.
DING!!!
You have been afflicted with [Daze]
Skippy clutched his head, stumbling but not falling as the Ostriches charged at him. The lead one kicked him in the stomach hard enough to send him flying over the fence. Skippy felt his ribs break from the impact as he was sent airborne.
Skippy immediately felt the effects of [Defiant Regeneration] kicking in to fix his broken ribs as he was sent sailing into the other yard, tumbling and rolling with the impact. He ended up with half his standard HP after draining his entire emergency HP pool from [Defiant Regeneration].
He could not take another hit from these birds. The ostriches smashed down the wooden fence as they charged him.
Skippy decided he needed to start using his bloodline, not just his class.
"Come on, you crotch-sniffing feather dusters," Skippy chuckled.
One of the ostriches literally spat blood and stumbled from the mental damage thanks to [Ratataskurs Vicious Mockery]. Skippy shot forwards, stabbing one of the ostriches in their confusion.
"Die!!" the ostrich screeched, trying to peck his eye out.
Skippy immediately twisted his [Aura of the Divine Beast], stretching and expanding it out to envelop the ostrich in front of him. The ostrich in front of him died, as did the one he had insulted.
The third ostrich froze, terrified.
"What are"
Skippy didn't let the Ostrich finish speaking. Instead, he teleported behind it and decapitated the terrified bird. The last ostrich. The one he cut the leg off of kept trashing on the ground as it tried to get up. Skippy activated [Reaper's Cloak] and then put it out of its misery.
<[Unseen Blow] has Reached Level 6>
<[Unseen Blow] has Reached Level 7>
<...>
<[Unseen Blow] has Reached Level 12>
<[Knife to Hand] has Reached Level 2>
<[Knife to Hand] has Reached Level 3>
<...>
<[Knife to Hand] has Reached Level 12>
<[Supercrit] has Reached Level 2>
<[Supercrit] has Reached Level 3>
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
<...>
<[Supercrit] has Reached Level 10>
<[Blades] has Reached Level 32>
<[Defiant Regeneration] has Reached Level 26>
<[Defiant Regeneration] has Reached Level 27>
<...>
<[Defiant Regeneration] has Reached Level 30>
Skippy was almost shocked at his level-up notifications. Then he remembered he was technically only level four, and these ostriches were … level 12. Yeah, this had been stupid on his part. He should have checked these bird's levels. Even with his physical resistance, he had taken enough damage that without his [Defiant Regeneration] skill, he would be dead.
Skippy assigned his levels as he climbed back onto the roof.
DING!!!
Congratulations
You are a level 10 MAX: [Warrior] - Rare
[Lethal] - Rare: When you make a physical attack against a target, they have a 1% chance per skill level + 0.001% chance per point of LCK to be inflicted with [Insta-death]
[Guns] - Common: +1.25% to Firearm Mastery
Capstone - [Reaper's Due] - Epic: When your insta-death effects fail against a target, they have a 1% chance per skill level to inflict 1 point of constitution damage on your target. This is a soul attack.
"This is good enough for now," Skippy muttered as he made his way back to Tom.
When he arrived, the orcs were already there. Tom seemed to be negotiating with three orcs. Skippy, having relearned his lesson, used identity.
DING!!!
Name: Rog Bone Splitter
Title: Bone Splitter clan, Mercenary Captain of the Bone Splitter Clan, Faithful of Hilda God of Justice, Outworlder, First
Race: Orc
Type: Humanoid / Goblinoid
Languages: Orcish, Gobish, English
Levels: 20 (Crippled)
Bloodline: None
Classes: Mercenary 20 / Warmonger 9
Personal Perks: Tireless, Darkvision,
Mercenary Skills: Dragoon, Chivalry, Eternal Vigil, Jackpot, Evasion, Legendary Strength, Golden Opportunity, Deadly Aim, Solid Contract, Infused Powershot, Parlay
Warmonger Skills: Warband Leader, War Map, Supply Chain, Aura of Intimidation
Name: Tara Bone Splitter
Title: Bone Splitter clan, Shamen of the Bonesplitter Clan, Faithful of Hilda, Outworlder, First
Race: Orc
Type: Humanoid / Goblinoid
Languages: Orcish, Gobish, English
Levels: 20 (Crippled)
Classes: Shamen 20 / Truthspeaker 10
Personal skills: Tireless, Darkvision, Mapping
Shamen Skills:
Truthspeaker Skills: Warband Leader, Leadership 4, Raider 2, Logistics 2, Coordinate 3
Name: Gar Bone Splitter
Title: Bone Splitter Clan, Chieftain of the Bone Splitter Clan, Faithful of Hilda, Outworlder, First
Race: Orc
Type: Humanoid / Goblinoid
Languages: Orcish, Gobish, English
Levels: 20 (Crippled)
Classes: Chieftain 30 / Warmonger 20
Personal skills: Tireless, Darkvision, Mapping
Chieftain Skills:
Warmonger Skills: Warband Leader, Leadership 4, Raider 2, Logistics 2, Coordinate 3
Skippy decided this was a great time to further power-level his sneak skill as he chose to remain hidden as he watched.
"I'm afraid your offer is unacceptable," the orc chieftain stated in front of the group. "To drop a contract given in bad faith is one thing. But to turn on those who brought us here for so little would be dishonourable."
"Putting aside the question of Honor. This is more than generous. I am offering to bring back all of your fallen for free. The one you have now and any you suffer in the battle. That's thousands of common or uncommon cores." Tom argued.
"Truth," Tara Bonesplitter said.
"You should also consider the future," Alex said. "While the goblins are an immediate threat to me and mine, humanity as a whole won't tolerate their existence. If the goblins actually manage to claim this region as theirs, then humanity will simply turn this place into a wasteland to deny it to them."
"Partial truth," Tara Bonesplitter said.
Tom shrugged. "They'll probably dick around for a bit until they escalate. But once they commit, it's over for the goblins, and if humanity associates you with them, then your head will go on the chopping block with them."
"Truth," Tara Bonesplitter said.
The chief seemed to ponder that for a while.
"Fine, we'll do it. But we want at least 10% of the cores from the battle. You will resurrect all of the dead we brought with us today and all those who die on the field of battle. We can come to your settlement to trade our wares or shelter from the dangers of the world the same way you would your own people. And when the time comes you will help introduce our tribe to three other human settlements. The last condition will only be met if we achieve trade with three other settlements. Introducing us to three settlements that will not speak with us is unacceptable." Gar said.
"Acceptable. However, your traders will need to be careful when you start trading. Not everyone will be so calm in your fierce presence," Tom warned. Do you need shelter for the winter?"
"No. We will survive this light winter without your assistance." Gar said
Gar and Tom shook. A flash of magic indicated that the contract was sealed.
<[Reaper's Cloak] has Reached Level 6>
<[Reaper's Cloak] has Reached Level 7>
<...>
<[Reaper's Cloak] has Reached Level 9>
The chief nodded as he began to take corpses out of his own inventory. Skippy nodded at his notification as Tom started resurrecting the orcs en masse and using the orcs' own mana to return their dead. The orcs left without another word.
Skippy used [Mirage Step] for the small amount of time he had mana before he bumped his level back down to 1 and deactivated [Reaper's Cloak] as he stepped next to Tom.
"That seemed to go well," Skippy said.
"I'm not so sure I trust them." Major Adams said.
"It went fine." Tom was dismissed. "It wasn't the best-case scenario, but it was acceptable. We have one less orc tribe to worry about, and they won't be telling the goblins about us. I'm much more worried about the apocalypse force. That's going to be a cluster fuck."
"Speaking of cluster fuck. Can you help me with my next skill? I got everything I need for [Way of the Reaper]," Skippy explained.
"Sure," Tom said.
Skippy smiled as he sundered his [Warrior] Class. As Tom dived into his soul
DING!!!
Fusion Detected!!!
[Supercrit] + [Lethal] → [Heartseeker] - Epic: increase your chances of scoring a critical hit by 5% per skill level, and when you make a physical attack against a target they have a 1% chance per skill level + 0.01% chance per point of LCK to be inflicted with [Insta-death]
[Blades] - Lesser + [Knife to Hand] - Common + [Soul Strike] - Uncommon + [Guns] - Lesser + [Reaper's Due] - Epic + [Heartseeker] - Historic → [Way of the Reaper] - Mythic
[Way of the Reaper] - Mythic: Description: The Way of the Reaper is a path of lethality. Those who follow this path become avatars of the Grim Reaper, honing their skills to deliver devastating strikes and deadly attacks that strike at both body and soul
1. +1.25% to Sword, Knives, Unarmed and Gun Mastery per skill level.
2. Increase your chances of scoring a critical hit by 5% per skill level
3. when you make a physical attack against a target. They have a 1% chance per skill level + 0.01% chance per point of LCK to be inflicted with [Insta-death]
4. When your insta-death effects fail against a target, they have a 1% chance per skill level to take 1 point of constitution damage. This is a soul attack.
5. +10% to LCK
DING!!!
Class Sundered: [Warrior]
[Warrior] skills have become Personal Skills.
[Way of the Reaper] has been added to [Assassin] Class
[Perfect Strike] has been added to [Assassin] Class
[Perfect Strike] - Rare → [Perfected Strike] - Historic
[Perfected Strike]: You spot a flaw in your opponent’s defence, instantly lunging forward to strike with all of your strength and precision to score a critical hit. (Critical hits inflict triple damage) Cost 300 stamina.
Increase all damage from critical hits by 1% per skill level until you double all damage from critical hits; in other words, a multiplier of six on the base damage. You can now score a critical hit on creatures normally immune to such attacks.
Skippy smiled as he felt the power. [Way of the Reaper] wouldn't really help him in the instant damage department. He honestly wanted this skill for when his assassinations failed, and it was oh-so worth it.
"One down. One more to go," Skippy
"Come on Skippy. We're going to the apocalypse force next." Tom said.
Skippy followed after Tom as they moved back to the vehicles, ready for his next round of power levelling.
You may skip to the next chapter.
Name: Skippy
(Andrew Owens)
Race: Theirinthrope
Type: Humanoid / Beast
LVL: 1
SubRace: Squirrel
Age 18
Health: 20
Stamina: 20
Mana: 0
Health Regen: 0.4 per min
Stamina Regen: 0.4 per min
Mana Regen: 0.2 per min
Titles: Beta-Tester, First, Awoken Myths
Immune
None
Resistances
Physical 15%, Elemental 15%, Magical 15%, Vitality 15%, Mind 15%, Soul 15%, Crit 30%, Poison 30%, Disease 30%, Insta-Death 30%
Weakness
None
Bane
Manslayer, Beastslayer
Classes: Assassin 1
Total
STR: 0
AGIL: 12
DEX: 3
CON: 2
END: 0
PER: 5
INT: 0
WILL: 0
SPIRIT: 2
EGO: 0
CHA: 0 +10%
LCK: 8
Base
STR: 0
AGIL: 12
DEX: 3
CON: 2
END: 0
PER: 5
INT: 0
WILL: 0
SPIRIT: 2
EGO: 0
CHA: 0 +10%
LCK: 8 +10%
Personal: +4 AGIL +4 PER +3 DEX +3 LCK
Racial: +3 AGIL +2 CON +2 SPIRIT +1 PER
Bloodline: +5 AGIL +5 LCK
Bloodline:
[Bloodline of Ratatoskr] - Legendary: The Blood of the Legendary Squirrel who runs up and down the length of the world tree carrying insults from the dragon Nidhogg at the roots to the great eagle at the top of the tree.
* [Ratatoskr's Tongue] - Level 10
* [Ratatoskr Instincts] - Level 30
* [Ratatoskr Vicious Mockery] - Level 30
* [Nidhogg's Gift] - Level 16
* [Ascending Yggdrasil] - Level 26
* [Aura of the Divine Beast] - Level 20
* [Defiant Regeneration] - Level 25 >> Level 30
* [Raid Boss Physiology] - Level 28 >> Level 30
* +5 to AGIL per level
* +5 to LCK per level
Skill Slots: 14/60: Skill Points: 0
Personal Skills
* [Storyteller] - Level N/A
* [Rataskurs Pocket] - Level 24
* [Mapping] - Level 20
* [System Wiki] - Level 10
* [Sneak] - Level 18
* [Meditation] - Level 22
* [Thiefs Swaggering Grace] - Level 22 >> Level 23
* [Mirage Step] - Level 25
* [Focus] - Level 9
Assassin 4/6
* [Way of the Reaper] - Level 12
* [Unseen Blow] - Level 2 >> Level 12
* [Reaper's Cloak] - Level 1 >> Level 9
* [Perfected Strike] - Level 10