Isabelle and Tahsi sat on their horses and watched the leaves of the forest rattle back down to the ground as the remnant winds of the passed torando blew their last few gusts.
[Notice: You’re ready to level up]
“We’re going to have to go after that cat, aren’t we?” said Tahsi.
“Yes, unfortunately,” said Isabelle. “But I think I’d like to level up first, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure, whatever, go for it,” said Tahsi. “Sir Jingles is an adult. He ought to be able to handle himself for the minute or so it takes you to level up.”
Isabelle smiled. She did love to level up. Isabelle shrugged.
[Notice: You’ve reached level 12!]
About damn time.
[Notice: You have attribute and skill points to spend]
[Would you like to spend your points now?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
Attribute Points to Spend: 9
Hp:
41
H-Regen:
3/50sec
Mana:
22
M-Regen:
2/min
Stm:
27
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Hey, nine attribute points this time! That was nice. Isabelle decided that since she had so many points to spend this time that she’d use five of them to shorten her M-regen time a little bit. Only, by how much could five points shorten her M-regen? It’d been so long since Isabelle had looked into doing that.
[Clarification: For 5 points, you can lower your m-regen by 10 seconds.]
That…seemed like a bit of a ripoff. Hadn’t Isabelle been able to improve her other regen times just by using the attributes more?
[Clarification: Yes. Using attributes can account for a natural leveling improvement of the regen times. You can see this example in your party member Tahsi, whose regen times are much faster than your own.]
Great. Even the system was contributing to Isabelle’s unending jealousy of Tahsi and his stats. At least it had helped her make her mind up, though. Isabelle decided she’d put three points to stm, three to mana, and three to hp. A nice, even spread.
Skill Points to Spend: 9
Str:
15
Int:
15
Dx:
16
Wis:
16
Const:
17
Char:
14
Now this was trickier. Isabelle knew she needed more char points, so she decided to put three towards that. Two to wis seemed like a good call. That left her with four points to spend. Isabelle decided to put two to str, one to dx, and one to const.
Character Status
Name:
Isabelle
Gender:
Female
Level:
12
Class:
Undefined
Race:
Human
Alignment:
Neutral-Neutral
Attributes
Hp:
44
H-Regen:
3/50sec
Mana:
25
M-Regen:
2/min
Stm:
30
S-Regen:
0.5/sec
Skill Points
Str:
17
Int:
15
Dx:
17
Wis:
18
Const:
18
Char:
17
Magic Ability Levels
Enchant:
0
Summon:
0
Heal:
0
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Destroy:
3
Transmute:
0
Confuse:
0
Normal Ability Levels
Crafting:
4
Sneak:
5
Archery:
4
Lockpick:
0
Armed Combat:
5
Melee Combat:
3
Speechcraft:
5
Sleight Of Hand:
3
Nice. Isabelle felt like her character sheet was shaping up nicely.
“Alright, Tahsi,” said Isabelle. “Let’s go find Sir Jingles. I get the impression that he’s going to get lost and stay lost without us.”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Tahsi through a mouthful of bread.
On they walked through the wilderness, though this time instead of following the fairly worn trail to Wheatstar, they were following the dusty hoofprints of Sir Jingles’ horse Stefano. For twenty minutes, they followed closely, until the hoofprints started to get muddied by something else. Footprints. Specifically, feet, not paws.
“Oh boy,” said Tahsi. “It looks like Sir Jingles and Stefano might have had a run in with someone.”
Isabelle and Tahsi led their horses onward, but slowly, and more cautiously. Soon, they could hear faint voices in the distance through a thick patch of bushes.
Isabelle looked to Tahsi. “We should get off our horses. Just in case.” She dismounted Lugano.
Tahsi nodded and dismounted Doug.
As Isabelle and Tahsi crept forward towards the bushes, their horses walked slowly behind them in step. Isabelle turned to the horses and thought ‘Stay back, and lay low.’ The horses backed up, responding with quiet yet sympathetic snorts and grunts.
Isabelle and Tahsi dropped to crouches.
[Current visibility: 0/300]
Great. Isabelle crept closer and started to listen to the voice through the bushes.
“Just look at all the loot this cat has! Three amethysts! Hell, that’s almost better than the ransom money we were going to get for this rich asshole we’ve been lugging around!” said a voice. It sounded like a kobold. “I gotta say, I apologize for being so mean to you two for suggesting we go through the woods during the daytime. You’ve got to understand, the sunlight makes me grumpy.”
Isabelle chuckled a little under her breath, looking at Tahsi.
“Believe me, we know,” said another voice. This one sounded like an orc. Isabelle was impressed how she was already getting so familiar with the timbre of voice different races in Beaubinte had.
[Clarification: Along with your experiences in Beaubinte thus far, your wis score impacts your ability to recognize facets of an NPC’s identity by vocal timbre.]
That made enough sense.
“My only concern is—” said a third voice, also sounding to be an orc, “—that I don’t know what to do with this cat. Why is he here? Are there any other people nearby? I don’t want us to get caught. We’ve worked too hard to fuck all this up now.”
“That’s a fair point,” said the kobold. “What I think we ought to do is kill him and his horse before they have a chance to get us noticed.”
The kobold said this part so loud that Doug and Lugano heard it. In response, the two horses whinnied and staggered back in nervousness.
[Current visibility: 45/300]
“What was that?!” asked an orc.
“I don’t know,” said the kobold. “But I think it was coming from those bushes over there. One of us should go check.”
“I’ll go,” said another orc. “You two stay and watch the captives.”
[Current visibility: 67/300]
Fuck. The orc was walking towards them. Isabelle looked to her and Tahsi’s horses and thought, ‘Get out of here and quickly and quietly as you can!’
The horses backed away quickly, disappearing into the underbrush. Now Isabelle and Tahsi had to hide, or risk being found out. Isabelle looked around and noticed Tahsi had already slunk into a nearby shrub. He appeared well-concealed.
[Current visibility: 53/300]
Isabelle too crawled back, sliding behind a large Daggerbud fern. Unable to control her urges, Isabelle focused on the fern.
[Forage ‘Daggerbud Berries’?]
Isabelle thought yes.
[24 Daggerbud Berries added to inventory]
The berries of the fern disappeared, but Isabelle noticed this act also made a small rustling sound.
“What was that noise?” said the orc as she emerged through the bushes.
[Current visibility: 75/300]
Isabelle could see Tahsi shaking his head as the orc walked closer and closer to her.
[Current visibility: 125/300]
The orc kept getting closer! Isabelle kept adjusting her crouch position, but it seemed to have no effect—either that, or her movement was making everything worse.
[Current visibility: 195/300]
“I think I see someone behind this fern!” said the orc. She drew a club and walked closer.
[Current visibility: 217/300]
Shit. Was there anything Isabelle could do? She didn’t feel ready to fight. Then again, Isabelle remembered that a day had passed. The sun was in the sky. Maybe she could use her special ability to get out of this mess. Isabelle thought ‘Activate special ability.’
[Special Ability: Become Invisible activated]
[Become Invisible duration remaining: 5:00]
[Current Visibility: 0/300]
“What the hell?” the orc walked forward, pushing the fern aside.
Isabelle simply crawled away with ease as the orc walked forward in disbelief.
“I could’ve sworn I saw someone behind that fern, but there’s nobody here!” said the orc.
“Oh, come on back here, Zegveh!” called the kobold from behind the bushes. “You’ve probably just had too much ale.”
“Don’t say that! I can handle my day drinking just fine, I can!” said Zegveh, turning her back to Isabelle.
[Current Visibility: 0/300]
[Become Invisible duration remaining: 4:20]
Isabelle suddenly had an idea. Zegveh seemed prime for a sneak attack. She didn’t seem like a very high level orc. Isabel focused on Zegveh and thought ‘Check Level.’
[‘Zegveh the Ale Fiend’ is level 13]
Hmm. Zegveh was a slightly higher level than Isabelle. Still, Isabelle felt like she could take her down. Especially with the right things equipped. Isabelle opened her inventory.
Inventory: Isabelle
Carrying capacity: 85.5/91
Item
Traits
Giant Spider Armor (human)
+4 hp, +8 str, +13 carry weight
Fang Blades (poisoned)
+3 poison, +8 damage, +1 str, +1 dx, +5 carry weight
Giant Spider Gauntlets
+4 damage, +3 stm, +1 dx, +3 carry weight
Giant Spider Boots
+4 stm, +2 str, +1 dx, +5 carry weight
Abbreviated list based on prior use. Focus to see more items…
Hey, 91 carry capacity, even when Isabelle wasn’t wearing her Cloud Reach guard armor! That was nice.
[Giant spider armor (human) equipped]
[+4 hp]
[+8 str]
[Fang Blades (poisoned) equipped]
[+3 poison]
[+8 damage]
[+1 str]
[+1 dx]
[Giant spider gauntlets equipped]
[+4 damage]
[+3 stm]
[+1 dx]
[Giant spider boots equipped]
[+4 stm]
[+2 str]
[+1 dx]
[Current Visibility: 0/300]
[Become Invisible duration remaining: 4:11]
Great. Isabelle crept forward and readied her fang blades. This would have to be quick.
“Well, I guess there really isn’t anyone out here,” said the orc. “Oh well. I’m going to take a leak real quick before I come back.”
Even better. Now Zegveh’s co-conspirators wouldn’t come looking for her immediately. Isabelle just had to make sure she killed her in one blow.
[Combat mode activated]
[Notice: use stamina for extra battle focus?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[Extra focus activated]
[Stamina 90%]
Isabelle watched as time slowed down around her. She crept forward and raised her fang blades above her head, bending her knees up and raising up off the ground and looming over the orc.
[Stamina 82%]
Isabelle suddenly felt time rush from slow to fast as she plunged both her blades into the orc’s neck and yanked them across either side in a wretched snapping motion that sprayed a torrent of blood on either side. She could see Tahsi wince and flinch from his hiding spot.
[Sneak attack]
[Critical hit]
[878 damage dealt]
[‘Zegveh the Ale Fiend’ is dead]
[Combat mode deactivated]
[Current Visibility: 0/300]
[Become Invisible duration remaining: 3:42]
Hell yes. It felt good to stealth kill. And it helped to see how absolutely disturbed Tahsi looked. He was shivering.
“Holy shit, Isabelle,” Tahsi said.
Isabelle only smirked back. Then, she remembered that she was invisible.
“Who said that? That wasn’t the voice of a kobold, was it?” asked the kobold from behind the bushes. “Because I’m the only kobold here, as far as I know, and I can recognize a kobold voice over an orc voice, my int is fairly high!”
Shit. Isabelle heard the kobold rustle through the bushes. It looked like her spontaneous stealth killing might have to continue.
The kobold emerged and immediately gasped, seeing the bloodied body of their companion splayed across the forest floor.
“What the fuck happened?!” said the kobold.
[Current Visibility: 0/300]
[Become Invisible duration remaining: 3:08]
Isabelle needed to use her invisibility while she could. She crawled towards the kobold, who had fixated on Tahsi’s shadow.
“I think I see someone back here, Momvad!” the kobold said to the other orc behind the bushes. “I’m going to try and kill them. Watch the prisoners!”
Hah. This kobold might have had a supposedly high int, but he was acting pretty stupid. Isabelle crept closer and drew her fang blades once again.
[Combat mode activated]
[Current Visibility: 0/300]
[Become Invisible duration remaining: 2:44]
“Yea, there’s definitely somebody in here. He even looks like a kobold. I knew that was a kobold’s voice I heard. I sure am intelligent and perceptive. Well, guess I’m going to kill this guy as he cowers in the shadows,” said the kobold.
This was going to be fun. Isabelle crept right up behind the sinister kobold. She decided she was going to have a little more fun this time.
[Notice: use stamina for extra battle focus?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[Extra focus activated]
[Stamina 88%]
Isabelle stuck one of her fang blades quickly into the back of the kobold’s head. Then, before time could speed back up and the system could process the attack, she crouched back down and dragged her other fang blade from the small of the kobold’s lower back to the top of his neck in a wildly fast ripping and tearing slash. Blood sprayed from the kobold’s back as his spine was cleft in two.
[Sneak attack]
[Sneak attack]
[Critical hit]
[Critical hit]
[745 damage dealt]
[931 damage dealt]
[‘Kobold’ is dead]
[Stamina 71%]
[Combat mode deactivated]
[Achievement Unlocked: Perform a combo attack]
[Achievement Unlocked: Perform a combo sneak attack]
[Sneak increased to level 6]
That was funny. Since Isabelle had never learned the kobold’s name, the system just called him ‘kobold.’ Part of Isabelle wanted to loot the bastard then and there, but there was still an orc lurking behind those bushes, and really she ought to try and go ahead and kill them before her invisibility ran out.
[Become Invisible duration remaining: 2:18]
Isabelle had to hurry up and go kill that orc. But Tahsi’s nervous babbling wasn’t helping, either. He didn’t seem necessarily aware of the fact that Isabelle was using her special ability, and he kept muttering loudly to himself about how there was an invisible murderer on the loose. Which was weird, because Isabelle had told Tahsi and Sir Jingles both about her special ability. Hell, a few minutes earlier Tahsi had even recognized that Isabelle had killed the first orc! He must’ve been hysterical. It was the only explanation.
Before Tahsi could ruin her cover any more, Isabelle walked up to him and backhanded him in the face.
“Ack!” Tahsi said.
[Tahsi -1 hp]
[Stamina 99%]
“Tahsi, if you don’t get a fucking grip and shut the fuck up right away, I’ll kick you out of my party,” said Isabelle.
[Stamina 100%]
Tahsi nodded obediently and equipped some bread, which he promptly started munching. Much better.
Isabelle realized at this moment that she didn’t need to be crouching to be unnoticed, because she was using her special ability, which was of course to turn invisible.
Isabelle walked through the bushes and saw a small encampment. There was a fire, a shoddily constructed tent, and an orc huddled over the fire frying some eggs in a saucepan. They smelled overdone, there was no way their yolks were runny any more.
“Did those bushes just rustle and part in half like somebody walked through them on their own?” asked the orc.
[Become Invisible duration remaining: 1:43]
[Current Visibility: 0/300]
Perfect. Isabelle walked up to the orc and stood over him. She watched him staring at the eggs complacently. Why hadn’t this idiot at least flipped them over yet? Isabelle saw a spatula in his other hand. Was this orc just so stupid that he didn’t realize the eggs had been on one side over the fire far, far too long? It was honestly shameful. What a waste. Isabelle realized at this moment how badly she wished she could have a good fried egg. She remembered getting fried eggs at Waffle Home back in her past life. That was so nice. And here she was now, watching an orc ruin some eggs, when pretty much all she’d eaten in days was some bad oatmeal and some stale bread.
[Fang Blades (poisoned) unequipped]
[-3 poison]
[-8 damage]
[-1 str]
[-1 dx]
Isabelle didn’t need her fang blades to kill this stupid bastard.
[Combat mode activated]
[Notice: use stamina for extra battle focus?]
[Y/N]
Isabelle thought yes.
[Extra focus activated]
[Stamina 98%]
Isabelle grabbed the saucepan out of the orc’s hands.
[‘Hot Saucepan’ equipped]
[+2 fire damage]
[+1 str]
“What the hell?” said the orc. “Did my saucepan just get a mind of its own?”
Isabelle raised the saucepan and bashed it into the the orc’s face over and over and over again, watching with joy as their face became more and more bloodied and disfigured. Then, she grabbed the orc’s mouth with her left hand, pried it open, and thrust the saucepan forward so fast and forcefully that it split the orc’s jaw open in a bloody mess. Isabelle kept pushing, forcing the saucepan down through the orc’s ripping throat until it ended at the bone of the orc’s spine.
[Sneak attack]
[Critical hit]
[1031 damage dealt]
[‘Orc’ is dead]
[Combat mode deactivated]
[Achievement Unlocked: Do over 1000 points of damage]
[Achievement Unlocked: Kill someone with cookware]
[Notice: You’re ready to level up]
[Become Invisible duration remaining: 0:32]
[Current Visibility: 0/300]
Fuck yes. That orc deserved it. However, Isabelle wasn’t too certain she needed her invisibility any more. Could she deactivate it early?
[Clarification: Think ‘Deactivate Special Ability’ to deactivate your special ability. You will have whatever time left of your special ability after it is deactivated to use until the next day, when it resets. Be aware that your special ability time does not roll over.]
Isabelle thought ‘Deactivate Special Ability.’
[Current Visibility: 300/300]
“Isabelle! Was that you who murdered everyone?” asked Sir Jingles. Isabelle couldn’t see him, but she could hear his voice coming from the encampment tent.
“Yea, it was me,” said Isabelle. “So, you’re in the tent, Sir Jingles?”
“Yes, and they’ve got me tied up. Please, come set me free, my wrists are chaffing,” said Sir Jingles.
Tahsi walked through the bushes. He still seemed spooked.
“Isabelle, your special ability is absolutely terrifying,” said Tahsi. “I hope you never use it on me.” He munched on some bread for emphasis.
“Of course I wouldn’t, Tahsi,” said Isabelle. “As long as you never cross me, of course.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” said Tahsi.
Isabelle was feeling a little less jealous of Tahsi at this moment. And she was feeling more than a little proud.
[Notice: You’re ready to level up]
Isabelle could level up in a moment. She’d go ahead and set Sir Jingles free first, just in case any other assailants showed up and wanted to fight them.
Isabelle and Tahsi walked into the tent, and saw Sir Jingles sitting in a corner tied in harsh ropes. However, they also saw a well-dressed elf sitting in the opposite corner, also tied in harsh ropes.
“Uh, who’s that guy, Sir Jingles?” asked Isabelle.
“Oh, he’s the prince,” said Sir Jingles, with an air of nonchalance.
“The prince?” Tahsi asked.
[Notice: You’re ready to level up]
“Yes, yes, I’m the prince of Sharithlond,” said the elf.
“The prince of Sharithlond? Sharithlond?!” said Tahsi.
“Yes,” said the elf. “The prince of Sharithlond. I have to say, I’m thrilled that you all are here. It’s probably the first time I don’t feel like I’m about to be killed in months.”