The days of rest had been largely uneventful. After their harrowing escape, the two wanted nothing more than a few days to relax before making the trip to the capital. But Jasper had found the time to do one very important thing. After weeks of putting it off, he could no longer ignore the need to meditate.
Leveling up was supposed to be a fun experience, but thus far, his trips to Kas̆dael’s void had been more traumatic than anything else. Whether it was getting his heart ripped out, almost wandering into the Sea of Oblivion, or being forced to encounter his dead loved ones, more often than not his trips were….eventful. So, when Jasper finally forced himself to sit down and reach for the gentle, babbling brook, he could only pray that nothing would go wrong.
For a change, his prayers were answered. When he entered Kas̆dael’s realm he found he had left the campfire behind, reappearing once more at the sacred temple he had last visited. Surprisingly, Kas̆dael was nowhere to be found, but unlike before, this time no deep-seeded impulse pushed him to search for her. Instead, he found himself prompted to approach her enthroned statue where, as soon his hands came into contact with her hem, his usual skill box popped up.
Jasper Welles
Exp: 17/5000
Health 1540
Stamina 3140
Essence 4600
Heritage(s)
Greater Djinn
Acolyte of the Secret Flame
Level: 79
Level up: x17
Hand of Kas̆dael
Level: 3
Level up: x0
Titles
The Blood Runs True
Betrothed of Kas̆dael
Survivor
Champion of Sappiya
Blessed of Hurbas̆u
Stats
Racial Traits
Class Abilities
Class Abilities
Weapon Skills
Strength 40
Scion of Flames
Shooting Star
Scales of Justice
Improvised Weaponry I
Endurance 47
Uplifted
Purge
Scourge of Despair
Sling V
Vision 20
The Broken Shackle
Eternal Night II
Hand of Judgment
Glaive VI
Inspiration 85
Locked
Fiery Shackles II
Dagger III
Willpower 85
Seraph Burst
Charisma 30
Heart Stopper (Undead)
Jasper scanned the info quickly, fingers crossed that he had finally reached level 100, but he had fallen a few levels short. He had, however, flown past level 80, which meant he had unlocked the last of the sub-100 milestone rewards.
He started to assign his stat points, prepared to simply dump the majority into inspiration and willpower, but changed his mind at the last moment. Maybe I should check out the reward first.
He clicked on the waiting box.
Reward Box
Please Select one of the Following Rewards:
Quest
Receive a quest that will unlock a new class option upon evolution if successfully completed.
Weapon
Receive an enchanted weapon whose damage will scale off a chosen attribute from level 100-200.
Skill
Receive a weapon skill that scales off of stamina.
He weighed his options carefully. With how vague the descriptions were, the choice wasn’t easy. The quest was the easiest to dismiss, for multiple reasons. Given his current situation with the Djinn Royal Family, there was no guarantee he’d have the freedom to complete a quest. Probably they’d accommodate him; if they actually intended to use him as their agent in the future, they wouldn’t want to harm his development, but he wasn't sure yet how much he trusted them and, clearly, the lack of trust was mutual, as Annatta's party had proven. Then, even if they let him do the quest, he actually had to complete it to earn the reward.
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Besides, he had a feeling his class was already going to evolve into something special. The reward simply felt redundant.
The second option was more appealing. With his glaive broken, he’d been forced to rely on the short sword, which while beautifully crafted, didn’t really fit his style. If he could get a weapon that did physical damage but scaled off his inspiration, it could be a massive boon. But the description didn’t specify which attributes could be chosen, and the weapon would eventually become obsolete.
The last option was simultaneously the least interesting and the best choice. The skill mentioned no level cap on its scaling, which meant it could, at least theoretically, still be useful 300 levels from now. Plus, it used stamina rather than essence. That alone made it valuable, considering how frequently he found himself running dry of essence in prolonged fights. Not giving himself time to second-guess his decision, he clicked the third option.
The box disappeared, replaced a moment later by a new one.
Reward Box: Weapon Skill
Into the Valley of Death
(Mounted/Glaive/Lance)
For 30 seconds, your speed and damage are enhanced 200% as you charge into the fray, while damage received from projectiles is reduced by 50%. Must be on mount to activate. Has a small chance to inflict temporary paralysis on a successful critical strike.
Cost: 600 Stamina
Into the Valley of Death
(Unmounted/Glaive/Spear)
Charge forward fifty feet, delivering three powerful thrusts with your weapon. Has a small chance to inflict temporary paralysis on a successful critical strike
Cost: 400 Stamina
Jasper was surprised to see that the skill had two versions, mounted and unmounted. He had yet to ride Dapplegrim into battle, but if this skill was any indication, that was about to change. Acolyte of the Secret Flame is supposed to evolve into a mounted class, after all. It wasn’t quite what he had been hoping for, but it was hard to be too disappointed. He was just 4 levels away from level 100, after all. Pretty soon, he’d get his first evolution.
He brought inspiration and willpower up to 100 and, after a moment’s debate, brought strength and endurance up to 50. The last few points went to charisma. If he was going to be forced to wade through the shark-infested waters of politics, a little charm would be necessary.
Jasper Welles
Exp: 17/5000
Health 1800
Stamina 3800
Essence 5800
Heritage(s)
Greater Djinn
Acolyte of the Secret Flame
Level: 96
Level up: x0
Hand of Kas̆dael
Level: 3
Level up: x0
Titles
The Blood Runs True
Betrothed of Kas̆dael
Survivor
Champion of Sappiya
Blessed of Hurbas̆u
Stats
Racial Traits
Class Abilities
Class Abilities
Weapon Skills
Strength 50
Scion of Flames
Shooting Star
Scales of Justice
Improvised Weaponry I
Endurance 50
Uplifted
Purge
Scourge of Despair
Sling V
Vision 20
The Broken Shackle
Eternal Night II
Hand of Judgment
Glaive VI
Inspiration 100
Locked
Fiery Shackles II
Dagger III
Willpower 100
Seraph Burst
Charisma 38
Heart Stopper (Undead)
He closed the box reluctantly, and took one last glance around the temple. A deathly silence hung over the place, and if it was not for the complete absence of dust on the spotless floor, he could have easily believed the shrine had been abandoned for years. He wandered through the halls aimlessly for a few minutes, peaking into the many empty rooms and corridors. The sheer size of the place still took his breath away, the complex built on a scale beyond anything he had ever seen on earth, but after an hour of searching, he was forced to give up.
There was no sign of Kas̆dael. He wondered where she was - she had never not been there to meet him, after all. There was one upside to her absence, though. She wasn’t there to take his heart.
Ready to leave the realm, Jasper realized he didn’t know how to send himself back without Kas̆dael. The statue, maybe? He traced his steps backward, breathing a sigh of relief when he found the statue again. Jasper felt silly as he grabbed hold of the statue’s hand, hoping that something would activate and return him to his body. His wish was granted. Before he even had time to react, the statue’s stone hands blurred into motion. Smashing through his ribcage, they ripped his still-beating heart out as he vanished from the void with a scream of agony.
Jasper was still screaming when he awoke in the inn, his hands thrashing against the soft pillows. Gasping for air, he sat up, rubbing at the phantom pains on his chest, as he focused on the cheerful, sunny view through the window, trying to block away the pain. I am never going to get used to that.
A knock pounded on the door. ‘You okay in there, Jasper?”
Ihra’s voice filtered through the thick wood. Choking down a bit of bile, he responded gruffly. “Yeah, come in.”
She swept in, looking at him accusingly. “You were meditating, weren’t you? You’re supposed to have somebody watch you while you do that. Why didn’t you ask me?”
He shrugged, waves of illusory pain rippling across his chest from the movement. “I was in a locked room. It was fine.”
Ihra sighed, looking away. They both knew it wasn’t fine, but Jasper was grateful that she let the matter drop. “The stablehands have prepared the mounts. We can leave whenever you’re ready.”
He nodded, his voice rough and raspy from the screams. “Just give me a minute and I’ll be up.”
She turned to leave, but paused at the door, facing him with a half-smile. “You ready for this, your highness?”
Despite himself, he chuckled, wincing as the laugh sent more pain through his ribs. “Not in the slightest. I’d feel a lot better, though, if I could have pick up those last four levels before we hit the capital. I just don’t want to find ourselves dealing with another Nabul. Maybe a new class would give me enough power to keep the worst of the predators away.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You're only four levels away from 100? Damn it! How did you get so far ahead of me? I even killed more nizirtū than you.”
He laughed for real this time, a teasing note entering his vote. “Yeah, but I killed the important ones. You just tidied up the chaff.”
----------------------------------------
They were on the road within the hour, Annatta tagging along with the two of them despite Jasper's reluctance. Their course, at least, was relatively simple. A well-maintained road stretched from Dūr-Yarha to Kibrāti, where another road split off to the west shortly before reaching the great central lake. The western road would take them to Qarānu, the third-largest city in the province. There the journey would almost be at its end, as a quick boat trip would be the only thing that separated them from the capital.
It was a simple plan, whose only downside was the sheer drudgery of a three-week trip. But Jasper didn’t trust things to go smoothly. The horror in the city had shaken him.
It wasn’t the first time he and Ihra had encountered a monstrous terror deep beneath the earth’s surface. But Yhar-Khennor had been different. The Whispers, dangerous though they were, had been able to be reasoned with, and the helplessness he had chalked up the helplessness he had felt down there to his inexperience, to having been forced into an expedition well above his pay grade on his very first adventure. He had told himself that next time would be different.
But it hadn’t. Ihra had been fortunate enough to never see the dead god, but the black void of the slaughtered Mwyrani haunted his dreams at night. Unlike the Whispers, there was no bargaining with that beast, whose eldritch eyes bled with pure madness.
They should not have survived. He knew that now. If he had not run into Annatta, he would have wandered in the darkness, futilely searching for the way out until either the monster or the dead god hunted them down. It was pure luck, coupled with a touch of Lord S̆arrābī’s distrust, that had saved them. He had entered the dead city, confident in the knowledge that Lord Arutû wasn’t trying to kill them, but now he had his doubts. Had he misjudged the mountain god? Had the Mwryani misjudged him?
Stifling a sigh, he did his best to push the thoughts aside. He had to focus on the task ahead: the royal city.
Despite his fears, or perhaps hopes, that something would go wrong - Jasper did want those last 4 levels, after all - they reached the port city of Qarānu without encountering even a hint of trouble. One of five cities that dotted the central lake, Qarānu stood right at the border between the northern and southern factions’ territories. A city of merchants, Qarānu was ruled by House Kubabbar, who steadfastly refused to join either side, thus depriving the north of the power of its greatest city.
Despite being more populous than Dūr-Yarha, the city was far less remarkable. The ports were crowded with fishing boats, whose cargo stunk in the hot winds blowing off the southern plains, while farms stretched on both sides of the lethargic river that flowed through the lowlands into the sea.
The markets were crowded with Djinn from around the province. The ranchers of Kubarru with their great herds of livestock, artisans from Dūr-Yarha, miners from Ya’aqir, and even hunters from the frozen shores of Lake Hurbas̆u all hawked their wares in the shaded plazas that overlooked the waters. As one of the hawkers proudly proclaimed, “I have something for everyone, and if I don’t have it, I guarantee that you don’t want it.”
But the city was, in fact, lacking one thing that the three sorely needed: a ship to take them to the capital.