Eilyen’s office was really nice! It reminded me of Roland’s office in shape and overall layout, but rather than being plastered with information on every surface, it had a handful of paintings and art pieces. There was a large bookshelf filled with what looked like spell tomes, and it had a second bookshelf next to it filled with various trophies and memorabilia. She was on the second floor, but on the opposite side of the building from where we were previously. Eilyen pulled her rolling chair around to the side of her desk and sat down, and Phyara and I sat on the loveseat she had opposite of her desk. Phyara threw her arm around the back of the loveseat behind me and crossed her legs, leaving a tremendous amount of skin exposed on her arms, legs and chest in close proximity to me.
Is she fucking with me? I feel like either she’s just like this normally, or she’s fucking with me and seeing if I’m going to react. Must think about important business! Skills! Titles! Shapeshifting!
“Right so, uh… one moment,” I said, and I mentally navigated around and pulled up a series of information panels into my vision. With a pair of flicks for each of the windows, I sent them over to Phyara and Eilyen. Sharing your personal information was something generally only done between very close friends, lovers and with tutors. It left me feeling a bit exposed and vulnerable having done so, since they now could see my entire [Stats], [Titles] and [Skills] panes for as long as I remained in close proximity to them, and they kept the windows open.
Phyara let out continual “Ooh” and “Ahh” sounds as she looked through the information. Eilyen seemed to keep flipping between scowling and wide-eyed amazement. I’d never seen the look on her face before and she really looked much more like her sister when she didn’t have her face partially screwed up in a scowl or frown. I had to respect her game face though, it was fierce in a way that I didn’t know if I could master even if I wanted to. I decided to review my own stats and skills while they were reading.
Name: Senwyn Everhome
Level: 10
Species: [Human]* [Shapeshifter]
Class: [Fighter]
Faith: [Devotee] of [Vorthrax, the Ravenous Wyrm]
[Strength]: (18)
[Agility]: (21)
[Endurance]: (22)
[Vitality]: (15)
[Intelligence]: (10)
[Wisdom]: (10)
Unspent Stat Points: 12
Languages:
[Common]
[Draconic]
General Skills (6/6):
[Sword Proficiency] – Level 13
[Butchery] – Level 18
[Awareness] – Level 14
[Nimble] – Level 13
[Quick Mend] – Level 7
[Flee] – Level 8
Class Skills (6/6):
[Parry] – Level 9
[Heavy Swing] – Level 5
[Light Armor Proficiency] – Level 7
[Battle Cry] – Level 7
[Fighter’s Grit] – Level 13
[Forced March] – Level 6
Divine Skills (2/3):
<[Touch of Flame] – Level 1>
[Wyrm’s Feast] – Level 1
I slid my stats sheet off to the side so that it was mostly out of my field of vision, but I could move it back in to review it at a moment’s notice if needed. My titles window showed a brief version of all my titles with the main view. I kept that up and put it off to one side for review if I needed as well.
Titles:
Devotee of Vorthrax, the Ravenous Wyrm
* +10% [Physical] Stats, +25% [Physical] Stat Growth
Blood of an Elder God
* +15% [Mana Control], +25% [Mana Control] Skill Growth
Mana Prodigy
* More likely to discover new magic skills.
Inferno’s Kiss
* Immunity to [Heat] and [Fire]
* Immunity to [Chill] and [Freeze] status effects.
* +25% to all [Heat] and [Fire] [Skills] and [Effects]
Survivor I-V
* +15% [Vitality] (In total)
*
The two sisters still weren’t fully complete with their review, so I went ahead and refreshed myself on all of my skills as well, that way I’d be sure I didn’t make a fool of myself when they came up.
[General Skills]:
6 of 6 Slots in use.
Sword Proficiency - Level 13
Passive II
You understand the tactics and strategies needed to wield a sword in combat. Your knowledge is limited to only a few forms and techniques, but you’ve practiced them enough that they’ve become muscle memory for you.
Tier II
You’re starting to get a better idea of the advantages and disadvantages of a sword compared to other melee weapons. Seek the balance of your blade and let the weapon work for you, not against you.
You recover from misses, parries and blocks 10% faster.
Butchery - Level 18
Passive II
Butchering is an art form, and you’ve spent many hours honing and wielding your steel to produce numerous cuts of meat. Chops, ribs, shanks and steaks are all within your grasp with nothing more than a handful of tools and your expertise.
Tier II
You’ve learned numerous tricks of the trade when it comes to harvesting meat from a corpse. Sharpening your blades to a finer edge and working with finesse, you’re able to increase the volume of your yield by 20%.
Awareness - Level 14
Passive II
Tuning your senses to filter important information from the torrential experience of reality has started to pay off. You have become better able to tell where things are in relation to yourself and pay attention to the things that matter. You’re much more aware of what’s going on in your immediate surroundings.
Tier II
Knowing your body is just as important as knowing everything that surrounds it. You’ve gained the ability to turn your senses inwards to gain insight to the state of your body. Your senses have become 20% sharper for things in your area, and you are able to process information in a 20% larger area around yourself.
Nimble - Level 13
Passive I
The best defense against harm is not getting hit in the first place. Twisting, rolling, ducking and hopping away from blows becomes a reflexive action for you.
Tier II
With sufficient practice with evading blows, you’ve started to focus your attention on being more efficient in how you do it. Every wasted action is a reminder that you could have rolled more smoothly or jumped less far away.
You expend 10% less [Stamina] evading attacks.
Quick Mend - Level 7
Active I
Sometimes the difference between life and death is as simple as applying some first aid at the right time. While your skills are no substitute for the talents of an actual healer, you have become proficient in handling a number of common wounds under pressure.
Flee - Level 8
Active I
You’ve found yourself in a number of ugly situations either due to bad decision making, bad luck or accident, and you’ve gotten good at getting yourself out of them. Fleeing from dangerous situations has become easier for you, and you’ve gained some confidence in your ability to escape from harm.
[Class Skills]:
6 of 6 Slots in use.
Parry - Level 9
Passive I
Deflecting an attack by redirecting it is an efficient way of defending yourself. Using a melee weapon or part of your body to throw swings and blows off course has become significantly easier for you thanks to lots of practice.
Heavy Swing - Level 5
Active I
Sometimes you need some extra power in your attack to get the results you’re after. Whether it’s heavy armor, a hide or bone, you’ve gotten better at powering through the defenses of your target. Increases the armor penetration and damage of an attack by 25%.
Light Armor Proficiency - Level 7
Passive I
You’ve put time and energy into learning how to maneuver around while wearing light armor such that it doesn’t hinder your movements at all. While not the best option defensively, it still provides a better level of protection than clothing or skin.
Battle Cry - Level 7
Active I
Screaming in battle isn’t just a time-honored tradition, it can also be an effective tool to focus yourself and others around you. With a mighty cry, you temporarily boost your offense, morale and stamina regeneration for 5 minutes.
Fighter’s Grit - Level 14
Passive II
Managing the agony of your wounds can make the difference between winning and losing a battle. Mental trickery, deadened nerves or sheer willpower: whatever it is, you've gotten pretty good at ignoring the worst of the pain.
Tier II
Accumulating damage will be 20% less effective at keeping you from fighting at your best. It’s a flesh wound, soldier. Get back on the battlefield!
Forced March - Level 6
Passive I
With a mix of training your body and learning breathing techniques, you are better able to maintain your energy levels throughout strenuous activity. Increases your stamina and stamina regeneration by 25% each.
[Divine Skills]:
2of 3 Slots in use.
Touch of Flame – Level 1
Passive I
The blood of the dragon god courses through your veins, and his terrible power will reshape your vessel as he sees fit. Serve Vorthrax, The Ravenous Wyrm well and you will reap further rewards. You’ve gained a shapeshifting ability to draw out the power of your blood and enhance your draconic traits.
Tread with vigilance Devotee, for as you stoke the flames of your might, the dragon within you shall surely rise.
Wyrm’s Feast - Level 1
Passive I
The Ravenous Wyrm has blessed you with the ability to gain strength by devouring the fresh remains of those who oppose you. You no longer suffer any ill effects from consuming raw flesh. You receive a slight penalty to the nutrition that cooked food gives you, but you gain a large bonus to the nutrition you gain from raw meat. Digestion ability significantly improved.
“Well, I am forced to admit that this isn’t nearly as big of a mess as I thought it was going to be. There are ways which you can streamline and improve upon what you have right now, but you have a solid foundation right now, as far as your skills are concerned.” Phyara said.
Her sister spoke up right afterwards: “I agree, but…” She dragged out "but" until it was almost painful to hear. “Your titles are really severely lacking in many places, and you have been just sitting on four levels worth of unallocated stat points? That’s not very wise.”
“The four titles you have right now are all phenomenal. These have to be epic grade or better titles. At least,” Phyara told me. “Devotee is incredibly good. Permanent growth bonuses add up to make a massive difference over time. And from the way [Devotee] is a rank on your sheet, I’m thinking that title can get better if you raise your rank. It’s already something that you could base your entire future strategy around as it is right now. I’d hate to see what it would look like if it was further upgraded.”
“Inferno’s Kiss is incredible as well,” Eilyen said, explaining: “You might not have a lot of experience with fighting right now, but as a melee combatant, both [Chill] and [Freeze] are two of your worst nightmares to deal with when facing any sort of magically skilled or elementally aligned foe. If we can find you some [Ice Elementals] and [Frost Devils] to fight, you’d be able to kill those kinds of monsters with ease. [Fire Elementals] and [Flashfires] would also make for incredibly easy enemies for you if you were using pure melee attacks.”
I risked a glace over at Phyara and asked her: “How do I get more titles, if I’m lacking them?”
She replied, saying: “Titles are bonuses granted in recognition of feats and achievements you have done. Go out and do difficult, challenging things, survive close encounters, witness or participate in major battles, the list goes on. What will not get you titles is mundane fighting and adventuring. Well, I should be more specific. You’ll get titles for killing five thousand wolves, or any other type of monster, but [Slaying] titles vary wildly in their bonuses. Killing 500 goblins isn’t praiseworthy. Killing a quarter million goblins, though? Now that is a [Slaying] title that would likely be awesome.
“Well, I want to get back to the tower as soon as possible, shouldn’t I be going like, right away? Tomorrow? It sounds like the biggest thing I need is to go out and gather experience and fight hard enemies.” I asked, and the frustration I’d been feeling slipped out into my voice.
“Soon. You need to be patient first. We need to break your foundation and rebuild it before you start building on it if you want to get the best results.” Eilyen told me.
“Fine, then let’s get started doing that right away!” I exclaimed.
“We are going to start as soon as we’re done with this, actually. But don’t get too excited, it’s not going to be a pleasant experience. At least with how undeveloped you are, it won’t have to go on for very long.” Eilyen calmly explained to me.
I blushed and felt my temper flare up in a mix of conflicting emotions. Shame at her underdeveloped quip and anger at the implication that I was so weak. That was what I was here for! “You don’t have to rub it in.” I said through clenched teeth.
Phyara placed her hand on my arm, and I looked over at her. “She’s talking about your muscular and skeletal development, Senwyn.”
I stared at the back of the office, not looking at anything in particular. I wasn’t going to comment further, one blunder was bad enough.
“Are you ready to hear our suggestions for changes to your skills so we can get to training?” Eilyen asked in her usual neutral-bordering-on-cranky tone.
I nodded once and said: “Yes, please.”
“Right, Phyara will speak up if she disagrees with any of these suggestions, but here’s what I suggest: First, remove [Sword Proficiency], [Butchery], [Awareness], [Quick Mend], [Flee] and [Nimble] from your general skills. Leave all your [General Skills] empty for now, you don’t have any of the skills we’re going to have you training unlocked yet.”
“Agreed!” Said Phyara.
All of my general skills? Even [Nimble] and [Awareness]? Aren’t dodging and being perceptive basically totally mandatory?
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"Could you tell me why I’m taking away my evasion and perception skills? I’ll do it regardless; I just don’t understand the reasoning."
“They’re both weak skills. They evolve into better versions, but you have better alternatives that will evolve into even better versions,” Eilyen explained to me.
“Fair enough,” I said while clearing all six of my [General Skills]. The loss of my perception skill was immediately apparent to me, and I didn’t like it.
Eilyen continued: “Next drop all class skills except [Fighter’s Grit].” Phyara nodded along to the suggestion. “You have two skills unlocked that you’ll be able to take right now, and we’re going to have you pick them up. They are [Flurry] and [Battlefield Paranoia]. [Flurry] is going to be your main offensive ability for the time being, but you’re only going to use it when you set yourself up properly. All other attacks are going to be basic sword swings. [Battlefield Paranoia] is a far better perception skill, you won’t miss [Awareness] once you level it up even a little bit.
I made the requested changes but dropping [Parry] made me wonder. [Parry] was a pretty fundamental skill, wasn’t it?
“What is the reasoning behind dropping [Parry]?” I asked the twins.
Eilyen responded, saying: “Two options here generally. The first option that is generally best for most people is to just learn how to parry well without the skill. The skill gives nice bonuses with higher tiers, but at higher levels there’s dozens of skills that are tremendously good competing for the same space. That is what I would suggest doing. However, in the case of [Juggernaut Swords] you might get a parry tier with the weapon skill. That’s something neither of us are sure about. The other option is to take a better combination skill that you haven’t unlocked yet.”
Yeah, I already wish I had more skill slots right now, and I probably don’t even have anything really good unlocked yet.
“That brings us to your [Divine Skills], and I have to say, we’ve never been able to actually see these skills, but every one of them seems like they would be a best-in-class ability.” Phyara told me. She looked over to her sister as she made her suggestion: “You should fill your third slot with [Draconic Surges].”
Eilyen nodded at the suggestion, saying: “I agree completely with that suggestion. I would also suggest dropping [Wyrm’s Feast] for [Tenacity of the Scale], but I think it’s debate-worthy, and ultimately you need to make that decision, Senwyn.”
Eilyen looked over to Phyara, and Phyara waved her hand in an indication to continue with her argument.
The more fit of the two cleared her throat and made her case: “Having an eating skill is important, because they tend to include a mass ability in their tiers, and having a mass skill is non-negotiable. However, I suspect that [Draconic Surges] might also have a mass component built into it based on the description of the skill. Those sorts of skills are really pretty rare, and a bit niche. Chances are that you might want to drop it later after it’s run it’s effect. That said, given the fact it’s a [Divine Skill] I am willing to bet that the tier additions are probably incredibly good.”
Phyara hummed a few notes and rocked her head from side to side. She seemed to come to a decision after a lengthy internal debate and told me: “Eilyen is correct that [Tenacity of the Scale] is probably a better pick long-term. Plus you have access to high-level food with far higher mana density than what you could get at your level, so having an eating skill is probably not critical currently. Assuming the trend of getting more skill slots for each type of skill with every evolution, I am going to say that while [Wyrm’s Feast] is really very good and will likely become incredible as it progresses, you probably are better off replacing it.”
The curvier sister turned her head and made eye contact with me. She continued: “Your other [Divine Skills] are all wild too, so can, and should try all of them out and get them up to probably at least tier three or four. Have you checked them out thoroughly?”
I sighed and shook my head. “No, I’m kind of bad about putting notifications to the side and then getting caught up doing other things. In my defense, my past day of actual waking hours has been crazy busy.”
Eilyen tisked at me, and Phyara told me: “Start practicing your multitasking. Notifications can be overwhelming at first, but they’re also critical to pay attention. Knowing an attack carries a certain effect or malus, for example, could throw a fight into the opponent’s favor if you aren’t aware of it.”
“I’ll do my best to practice it from here out,” I said, and brought up my list of [Divine Skills]. Generally I, like most people, didn’t go through their lists of skills and read every one. It was almost impossible to keep track of all the skills that unlocked under [General Skills] and [Class Skills] were nearly as bad. [Divine Skills] turned out to only have a handful of entries, so I reviewed and familiarized myself with each of them that weren’t already on my sheet.
Tenacity of the Scale
Passive I
Your god will not tolerate weakness, and so all of dragonkind has been imbued with a level of tenacity rarely seen elsewhere. You will find your wounds only troublesome, and you recover from exhaustion more quickly.
“What does [Tenacity of the Scale] do?” I asked.
“I want to hear what you think it does first,” said Phyara.
“Hrm. Well, it boosts [Stamina] recovery, that much I am sure of. I’d say that maybe it lowers the time it takes to heal as well, or maybe grants [Regeneration]?” I ventured.
Eilyen spoke up: “I would agree on both accounts. It might also provide pain resistance. That requires testing. If it does provide pain resistance and other resistances, then that could dramatically change your training regimen.”
“Oh, that’s a great point, actually!” Phyara commented.
Armored Plating
Passive I
With the blood of Vorthrax in your veins, you are able to grow armor plating far in advance of when a dragon would normally start producing it. The plating will protect your extremities and more vulnerable parts first and foremost, and even mighty blades will find themselves chipping and shattering upon it. Like all armor, protection comes at a price. Be sure you are sufficiently mighty enough to wield such great scales, or you will pay the price in your own blood.
“Armored plating sounds very good, but I’m wondering if the warning means that I’ll lose flexibility, or that I’ll need more raw stats to keep it from hindering me.”
“Yep!” Phyara said, and her sister nodded in my direction before adding: “The lowest grade of [Dragon Scale] armor is [Legendary] so there’s a chance that you’d be foolish for using any kind of armor other than that.
Titanic Strength
Passive I
Wyrms are feared not only for their impenetrable hides and devastating breath attacks, but also for the raw strength they are able to wield. Crush steel and stone in your palm, topple towers with a shove, and render fortresses into piles of rubble with your might!
“[Titanic Strength] seems pretty basic?”
Eilyen said: “It is basic, there isn’t a ton of mystery or nuance to it. That said, being able to punch through someone’s heavy plate armor and tear out their heart is also basic and lacks nuance. It’s still frighteningly effective.”
I hadn’t thought about that. I wonder if I could just like, punch through a stone wall or something? I really want to try it out, even if I don’t keep it, it sounds fun!
Stoke the Flames
Active I
A fire burns within you that all mortals fear, for it is true [Dragonflame]. Even the woeful fires of hell cannot compare to the wrath of a dragon. With practice and patience, you can learn to channel this fire within. It can be directed outwards and used as a weapon that leaves nothing in its wake. Alternatively, it can be circulated through the body to power your vessel to new heights.
“So [Stoke the Flames] seems incredibly good to me, shouldn’t I consider taking that,” I asked the twins.
“Well, neither of us have seen [Dragonflame] in action, but [Hellfire] is some truly nasty stuff. If it’s strong enough to make [Hellfire] look weak by comparison, then you will need to be incredibly careful using it anywhere but the tower. In fact, do not try and use it in the building, that could be a total disaster. We’ll try it out with you in the tower.” Eilyen told me.
“What’s the story with [Hellfire]?”
Eilyen answered me once again: “It burns through flesh and bone incredibly fast, ignores some kinds of resistance effects, can’t be extinguished and is very hot.”
I winced at the sound of that. “So does it just burn forever, then?”
“Just until it runs out of fuel for whatever it’s been put on. It can’t spread, which the only saving grace.” Said Phyara.
Yikes. Next one.
Hunter of Colossi
Passive I
If you wish to appease your god, then go forth and slay titanic foes and consume their flesh and cores. Your body will eventually adapt to tolerate the kinds of punishment these mighty beasts can put out, if you can survive your battles. The pitiful weapons of most mortals can’t hope to pierce the hides of the true giants, and you must tirelessly train yourself to hope to contest their defenses.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image of me fighting a colossus, and Phyara gave me a puzzled smile. I told her after I’d had a moment to calm myself: “[Hunter of Colossi] sounds very good too, and like it does quite a few different things. I was just picturing myself trying to fight a titanic monster, it’s funny.”
“I think it would look cuter than it would look funny,” she replied with a wink.
Next skill!
Draconic Surges
Passive I
Even dragons of renown start their lives as small, weak hatchlings. While dragons are similar to some other creatures of the scale in that they never stop growing, the early development of dragons is quite different. They relentlessly gorge themselves on both experience and sustenance and undergo growth surges. This effect grows weaker as they mature until they develop into adulthood. You will find your understanding of things matching your development pace if you push yourself sufficiently hard, hatchling.
Oh, shit. Yeah, no wonder they are suggesting taking this over all the others. Being able to level up my class and skills really fast would be amazing.
“Okay, I see why you are suggesting [Draconic Surges] now. How powerful of an effect do you think it is?”
“Hard to say with any level of certainty. Growth skills tend to be worth their weight in platinum, though. It will be interesting to see what kinds of tiering abilities it develops,” said Eilyen.
“Okay, I’ll go ahead and make the changes now then. That’s all the skills I have unlocked right now. I’m surprised that you didn’t suggest replacing [Touch of Flame] with some of the others, considering how good everything is,’ I said. I removed [Wyrm’s Feast] and took [Draconic Surges] and [Tenacity of the Scale]
“You need to learn about your [Shapeshifter] ability. Those can be extremely complex and nuanced, and also terribly difficult to adapt to. Some people never really develop their skills in their other form. Have you tried using it yet?” Eilyen gave me a curious look as she finished speaking. Her curiosity was strange to me, it was something I was much more used to seeing coming from her sister.
“You also can’t remove [Touch of Flame], that’s what the special characters mean on your sheet. It’s a locked skill, so that slot is forever going to be occupied by that one skill.” Phyara said in a soft tone to me.
I shook my head and admitted to Eilyen: “I don’t know how to use it, and to be totally honest with both of you, I’m a little terrified of the whole [Shapeshifter] thing.”
Phyara reached over and patted me on my thigh and reassured me: “We’ll sit with you while you learn how to use the skill if you want company. And having another form is certainly scary, but it’s something that you’re going to have to come to terms with. It’s not wise to try and deny part of your essence.”
I really don’t like the sound of that. Not at all.
“Are you telling me that I’m going to have to use the skill and my other form? Why? Nobody else is forced to use skills!”
Eilyen spoke up: “It’s not that you’re being forced to use a skill, it’s that [Shapeshifter] is part of your makeup now. Refusing to change forms can lead to bad things, both for your health and your sanity.”
Exasperated, I let out a petulant sigh. “Fine, it doesn’t mean I am suddenly overjoyed at the prospect.”
Phyara practically crooned when she told me: “You might be surprised, we’ve known a number of [Shapeshifters] in our years and some of them wound up preferring their alternative form to their original form.”
“That seems weird, but I’ll try and keep an open mind about it, I guess.”
“Now that we have your skills sorted, do you have any questions before we get started with training?” Eilyen asked me.
I nibbled my lower lip and thought for a minute. I had a million questions still, but there were one or two that were bothering me that weren’t quite jumping to the forefront. I furrowed my brows and tried to picture what I’d been forgetting to ask.
The odd things on my sheet.
“Oh! Do you know what my stats are in parenthesis or why there is an asterisk next to my species?” I asked the two, glancing between each in turn to gauge their reactions.
Phyara answered first, saying: “The parenthesis are because you’re suffering from a malus. You normally get those when you’re [Cursed], for example. You don’t have a status effect that’s causing it?” She tilted her head to the side slightly when she asked me.
I shook my head slowly and said: “No, my status is clear, and has been.”
Eilyen chose that moment to cut in: “I don’t think you’re going to like the answer to your question in that case. Did you notice both things at the same time?”
I nodded slowly, my mind racing at what she might be preparing to tell me.
“It means you’re changing species.”
Well, she wasn’t wrong. I do hate the sounds of that.
“My eyes and ears…” I said with a dawning realization. I figured that they might be relatively contained minor changes, but it seems like that wasn’t going to be the case.
“The Blessed or Divine Touched always have some kind of presence, visual effect or otherworldly effect about them. Seems yours is going to be the more physical kind. Tell me, did your stats go down when you got the malus indicator on your stats?” Eilyen asked.
“Er… no, they didn’t. That’s why I thought it was so odd in the first place.” I admitted.
“Well, you have something to look forward to, then. It means that your stats are supposed to be higher than they are right now. It’s probably related to your physical state. Malnourished and underweight. You just didn’t have the spare energy to work with.”
I sighed at Eilyen and nodded. One more thing to throw on the pile. I stood up and stretched, saying: “I’m ready. I feel like any more questions I ask are just going to end in more answers I don’t want to hear.”
The sisters stood and my stomach rumbled.
Literally how. It’s only been a couple of hours, what is wrong with me? Fuck!
Eilyen popped her jug of red huskfruit juice out of her special storage and handed it to me, issuing a single command along with it: “Drink.”
It was sort of awkward drinking out of the big jug, so I wound up chugging from it more than anything. The three of us made our way back to the gym and I finished off the jug of juice. There had to have been two or three quarts of the stuff in the jug, and for the moment, I felt pretty stuffed with the viscous, sap like juice.
“Alright, show us how you stretch before training so we can get an idea of your flexibility,” Eilyen told me, and gestured me over to a clear area over by the weights. I nodded and went through the exercises that I’d been taught. I didn’t know the proper names for any of them, just how to do them. Phyara stopped me several times while I was doing it and corrected flaws in my posture. It was mildly annoying what a stickler she was about what seemed like truly minute changes, but I did as I was told.
“Absolute garbage. Who taught you that, a cripple?” Eilyen demanded.
“He was a cripple, yes. He only had one full leg,” I protested.
Eilyen stared off into the distance like what I’d said damaged her brain. She snapped out of quickly enough and huffed at me. “Observe what I am going to show you closely, because you’re going to learn to do every one of these.”
“Okay. I’m paying attention.”
What Eilyen proceeded to show me left my mouth agape. Human bodies weren’t meant to move like that, it was unnatural. First she sat down with her legs closed in front of her, then folded herself in half by laying her upper half completely flush against her lower half, and she wrapped her hands around her feet. From there she released her feet and straightened her upper half back upright, and proceeded to open her legs until she had them split facing in opposite directions from one another, extending directly out from each side of her hip. She brought her left leg back facing perfectly forwards, leaving her right out to the side at a ninety degree angle, rolled her pelvis forwards while keeping herself upright and swung her right leg entirely backwards until it was pointing directly behind her.
I closed my gaping mouth and went to say something, but Phyara shook her head at me and raised one finger to her lips, shushing me.
The supernaturally flexible elf then proceeded to go from pose to pose, each complicated and dumbfounding in my mind. There was one where she had her legs split forwards and backwards, then folded her leg in front, lifted her calf in the back, then arched her back and grabbed her foot with her arms up over her head. She showed off a handstand, transitioned into a handstand where her legs were folded backwards and her toes pointing at her head, then finished the handstand by balancing on first her left, then her right palm with her legs and free arm spread widely. There were more, but my brain started to fizzle out and malfunction after about ten minutes.
I focused back in when she stood and did a few more moves. I think the two most impressive ones to me were the standing split where she had her shin against her face, and when she did this weird slow-motion cartwheel where she moved from each of her extremities in a complete circle so that half the time spent was on a single limb. She stood after that and twisted around the waist a few times and let out another huff.
“That was incredible, you’re like an acrobat! But erm…” I let my question linger in the air.
“Go on then,” said Eilyen.
“Aren’t you two like… mages with swords? What does that have to do with your fighting styles?”
Eilyen took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then said: “I forget that you’re level ten sometimes. You would agree that dodging is good, right?”
I nodded vigorously, yes, dodging was the best, far better than getting beaten around.
“Well, if I can lean backwards like this…” She said, then canted her hips forwards towards me and leaned back at nearly a ninety degree angle. Her feet remained planted the entire time. “…Then don’t you think that I might have an advantage when…” She snapped back upright and leaned forwards and poked me firmly in the ribs with her index finger. She finished her demonstration, saying: “…I can do this, without repositioning and requiring me to potentially re-engage or leave my opponent time to act?”
I winced and rubbed my ribs where she’d poked me and nodded slowly. Repeating the concept for my own sake, I said: “So you can keep the pressure up and keep them reacting instead of executing their own plan.”
“Precisely.” Eilyen replied with a curt nod.
“Okay, I really would love to learn that, but it’s not going to be fun, is it?” I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my belly. I knew how much it hurt to do a split, even one that was much shallower than the ones she’d demonstrated.
“Nope!” Phyara said with a giggle.
We got into it. What I was taught was that I basically had to stretch out my tendons and ligaments. The process of doing it could take months or even years of practice to achieve, but there were shortcuts around it, just so long as you didn’t mind tear-jerking, scream out loud levels of pain. For all that they had warned me about it, I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t think it was possible to be prepared to feel your muscles stretched to the point that they screamed in agony at your nerves and started to tear.
I tried to maintain my composure the best I could while we went through stretches for over an hour straight, but there were points where I just bawled my eyes out. The twins eased me into each of the exercises, which I was so thankful for, but when I started to hit my limits, they’d step in to ‘assist’ me which meant applying pressure and force in ways that my body absolutely did not appreciate. I was making skill levels, though! And fast, too. I announced the first, and then kept the twins updated with each subsequent level. In that hour and change of brutal punishment, I made eight levels in [Tenacity of the Scale]!
[Tenacity of the Scale] has gained 8 levels and is now level 9!
“So! It seems like there are two possibilities that are going on with your [Tenacity of the Scale] skill!” Phyara told me as I was sprawled, spread-eagled on the cool stone floor recovering from abusing my connective tissues and muscles. “The first could be that you’re gaining levels because you’re regenerating from the tissue damage that you are causing as you improve your flexibility! The other option could be that it is acting as a [Pain Resistance] skill and is getting levels from what you’re going through. Or maybe even both! That would be so exciting!” The busty elf bounced on the balls of her feet energetically and clapped her hands twice.
The dour one strolled over and offered me a hand up, which I took. She looked down at me as she spoke: “Weapon training or calisthenics are up next, your choice.” I had to rock my head back just to meet her stare, as my eyes were almost exactly bust level to each of the sisters.
They’re so tall, and I’m so short, this is stupid! Ugh, what torture next… I want to try that [Juggernaut Blade] out but I also know just how heavy that thing is going to be.
“Calisthenics please,” I said as I turned and warily eyed the gigantic slab of steel.
From above I heard: “Good that you’re already thinking properly. Go strap it on, you’re going to wear it for all your exercises.”
For fuck’s sake, I can’t catch a break.
Soreness was still working itself out of my body as my magical jewelry’s [Regeneration] effect was working to patch me up, and I limped just a little bit as I walked over and went to pick the sword up. If you can even call this absurd thing a sword in the first place.
I fiddled with the straps of the harness to figure out how it was supposed to go on. It looked like it was a kind of climber’s harness. There was a very stout belt that went around the waist, two thick shoulder pads on vertical straps, and then attached to the bottom of the belt were two loops for my thighs to go through. The entire thing was made of high-quality supple leather and was completely adjustable with plenty of excess strap in reserve held in place by metal clips.
“Take hold of the harness or the sword and give it a [Detach] [Command] and it will detach the blade from the harness. You’re going to want to put it on and we’ll help you adjust it properly before you try and carry your weapon with it.” Eilyen called over to me.
I took the harness in one hand and thought the command.
[Detach]!
The two items separated without a sound, and I picked up the harness, stepped into it, and started adjusting it. It was thankfully already somewhat close, although the thigh, shoulder and chest straps needed to be taken in. Phyara and Eilyen came over and gave me pointers and an extra set of hands in getting everything properly fitted. When it was all on, it was tight against my body, but didn’t restrict my motion at all. I was sort of surprised by how easy it was to move in!
Phyara picked up my sword and walked over with it casually held in one hand like it was a feather duster or something. She gave me a warning in advance: “The harness is enchanted with a few capabilities, but there are two commands you need to know in your sleep. So be sure to memorize them right away!”
“Two sets of commands, she means. They tend to come in pairs, but not always. First is drawing and stowing your weapon. Those commands are [Attach] and [Detach]. There is a plate here…” she rapped her knuckles against a hard part of the harness that sat between my shoulder blades “…that the weapon will secure to. It’s like a very powerful magic magnet, but only for weapons. Get ready to [Attach] it.”
Phyara flipped the blade around and held it so that it was at a steep angle on my back so that the blade didn’t drag on the ground with my short height. I felt the mammoth blade connect against the harness on my back with a thump that reverberated in my chest.
[Attach]!
I felt a slight shift of the blade as it secured, Phyara had it almost perfectly positioned before. I spread my legs some and nodded to her, and she released the blade from her grip. The weight hit me immediately, and I could feel it in my feet and knees. The harness instantly made sense in my mind as soon as the load hit me. It evenly distributed the weight on my hips and shoulders and made it not just possible, but fairly easy to carry. If I had to guess, the sword weighed half my body weight, perhaps a little more. But it was tight against me and while it took some core strength to maintain my balance, it was doable even with my scrawny self.
Eilyen nodded in approval as I took up the load, and she said: “The other command is to ditch the entire harness. This hasn’t been enchanted to support shape shifting yet and you’re in for a bad day if you don’t ditch the harness before a [Shapeshift]. The other thing to watch out for is if you get caught or snagged on a monster or terrain. It’s unlikely, but it can happen. Unless you have a reason to stay stuck to the side of a monster, immediately use [Release].”
[Attach], [Detach] and [Release]. Seems simple enough, let’s just hope I don’t get them mixed up.
“You’re going to have the most amazing abs when you finally start getting used to wearing the blade around!” Phyara gushed.
“I’ll… I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, thanks.” I muttered.
“We should get you some cute tops when you do, flaunt what you got, hehe! And I know that we certainly won’t complain, either!” Phyara continued with a giggle.
Must concentrate on training! Hng! Wait, what did she mean by “we?”
“Jog around the wall, twenty laps. Go.” Eilyen commanded me.
I set off immediately. Without [Forced March] I started to breathe heavily around lap eight, and by twelve my abs and thighs were feeling pretty toasty. Running with what had to be fifty pounds strapped on my back was kicking my ass pretty hard by lap fifteen. I was winded and struggling to maintain pace, but Eilyen’s watchdog observation and shouting did not let me slow the pace even slightly. I was wheezing and panting when I finished the twentieth lap, and there was a full-on burning sensation in my core and leg muscles.
“Ten minutes to eat and get your wind back. Eat and drink this, drink until you feel full, but don’t overdo it or you’re going to puke.” Eilyen said, and she handed me another juice jug and sandwich thick with sliced meats, cheese and some kind of yellow condiment. The dark bread was making my mouth water as I held it. I wanted to chow down, but I had to stop gasping like a fish out of water first.
A few minutes passed and I tore into the sandwich. It must have been very high level food as well, because the taste was damn near orgasmic. The meats had been roasted and were tender and juicy, and the cheese was sharp and tangy. The spread that had been put on the sandwich was sweet and tart and had a lingering burn to it. The bread was new to me as well and was some kind of grain bread that was thick and hearty and packed with flavor all on its own. I polished off the sandwich in no time flat and worked on the jug. More of the same juice, but I was looking forward to it. Even though the texture left something to be desired, it was tasty, and I knew it would energize me right away. I want to say I put away at least a quart of the juice by the time I was finished.
Eilyen was like a taskmistress and barked out orders for various exercises for the next two hours. Crawling, transitioning from standing to sitting and back, squats, pushups and more. The exercises that I struggled with the most were these things that had you go from standing to laying face down, then doing a pushup and standing right back up. Those and plain pushups were a serious struggle for me. I couldn’t do more than a few at a time with this enormous pain my ass weighing me down. So rather than pushing me to do many at a time, there were little sets of one, two or three pushups woven in between all the other exercises. Eilyen and Phyara would tag off with one another to break up what had to be monotonous for them. At the end of the two hour session, I was soaked from head to toe, dripping sweat, flushed and hurting from head to toe.
I also gained another chunk of levels in [Tenacity of the Scale] and it hit tier two.
[Tenacity of the Scale] has gained 6 levels and is now level 15!
Tenacity of the Scale
Passive I
Your god will not tolerate weakness, and so all of dragonkind has been imbued with a level of tenacity rarely seen elsewhere. You will find your wounds only troublesome, and you recover from exhaustion more quickly.
Tier II
You’ve beaten, bruised and torn up your body, but the dragon within you refuses to back down, even under such pressure. Your [Regeneration] has been moderately enhanced, so that you can continue to slay your enemies in spite of their blows.
Breathless and panting, I said: “[Tenacity of the Scale] is now fifteen… and the tier bonus says my [Regeneration] has been enhanced.”
Phyara tapped her lower lip and asked: “Does it specify by how much? And does it mention if the [Regeneration] is from the parent skill?
I shook my head, flinging droplets of sweat on the floor from my seated and hunched over position, saying: “It just says ‘moderately’ and no, no mention of the source of [Regeneration].”
“It’s possible that dragons have natural [Regeneration] similar to Trolls, Ents and Dryads.” Eilyen mused out loud.
I huffed out an exhausted laugh and said: “I’m too damn small for you to put me in the same sentence as a Troll or Ent.”
Phyara giggled and Eilyen rolled her eyes at my lame joke, then asked: “How hungry are you right now?”
Gingerly rubbing at my screaming and burning abdomen, I said: “I could eat, but I’m not like, starving or anything.”
An upscaled fire-roasted turkey leg popped into her hand and she handed it over to me. “Eat until you feel like you’re going to burst, and we’ll break from exercise to a different kind of training this afternoon.”
I groaned for effect, but my mouth was flooding with saliva at the smell of the cooked meat. There had to be three or four entire pounds of meat on whatever bird leg this was. I’m proud to say that I destroyed it, and the second one nearly destroyed me by the time it was cleaned to the bone. This was the kind of battle I could really rally behind!
The twins finally allowed me to take off the [Juggernaut Blade] and I stowed it along the wall by the entrance. They showed me around some of the second floor. There was a room with blocky training dummies that stood widely spaced out in a row. The entire room was built like it was meant to take blasts, even though it was clean and unmarked at the moment. There were storage rooms with different kinds of training equipment in them, a number of offices that were pointed out to me, including a small clinic.
We ran into a few people while we were moving around as well. There was a tall, thin, graying human man with a dark skin tone, a younger-looking human woman with really nice looking long, black hair and a male dwarf with golden blonde hair and a heavily braided beard. We only ever exchanged nods and waves, I was sort of surprised that nobody really seemed to pay me and my odd appearance any mind. It was… nice, actually.
We finally separated and the twins told me to get two hours of sleep and suggested that I soak in a hot bath. Eilyen told me that she had two more changes of clothing for me in a matching style that she would put in my locker for me, and that when I was done with my nap to meet her back at her office. Easy enough. I was really looking forward to taking a hot bath though, because I could already feel soreness seeping into my body after the punishment I’d put it through. I soaked for almost a half hour in the same near-boiling hot water and good gods, the relief it provided was both immediate and intense. I thankfully didn’t wind up having any kind of dramatic bath incident this time around, and after I’d cleaned up, I went back upstairs, found my room and collapsed face-first on my bed. I was out before I even had a chance to make myself comfortable.