Gerald was engulfed in grasping tenebrous hands. The caress of the Jointed Goddess slid over every inch of him, folding away his aches and pains.
Your Major Injuries were treated.
HP: 18/18
Her palms began to knead and transform his flesh. It softened and gave way; like clay in the grip of an experienced potter. And still the fingers tightened.
The first crack rang through his body.
Was that my skeleton? There was no pain. In fact, swaddled in Her embrace, Gerald felt nothing at all. He was wholly numb. For some reason, he wanted to be terrified.
I'm in the grip of an entity that could snap me like a twig, he reminded himself. If She were truly malicious, I'd already be dead.
The sound of more cracking bones crawled throughout his body. There was something dispassionate and surgical about the way she broke him apart. But surgeries and amputations are supposed to be painful. Right now I feel...
Gerald was aware of the bone shards in his body fusing back together. Right now he was alive by grace of his full HP alone. But something divine was seeping into his marrow, now.
HP: 19/19
She's improving me, he realized. My body is being reshaped to hold more of Her Blessing.
His HP continued to climb as he fused back together. Eventually...
HP: 23/23
Gerald felt content; his body was healthier than it had ever been. And still, Her Blessing gave more to him.
You've been promoted to Rank 2.
Select one new power to develop:
(Passive) Fist as Weaponry
Offered for displaying proficiency in barehanded combat. You may only possess one Weapon skill.
Attacks made without physical weaponry deal 5 (Level + Rank + 35% per Core) bonus damage.
A cut-and-dry damage increase? Surely there are better options, but it makes a fine fallback. Best of all, it grows with my Core Ace!
(Active) Inequal Rite [Minor]
Offered to all [Penitents]. Upgraded for reading one truth from the Book of Prophecy and Nonequivalence.
If you’ve been struck by anything with higher cumulative Aces in the last minute: Increase your Attack by at least 1 and at most 5 (Level + Rank + 45% per Core) for the next two blows you strike. Cannot activate from the same target’s blows more than once a day.
[Minor] bonus: While the condition is satisfied, your Aura has triple its usual radius.
Ah, no wonder [Penitents] never reach Rank 3. To undergo Suzemony, you need to kill someone on your own. But this is an ability that shows its worth only if you have several weaker [Penitents] in the same battle!
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Have an [Acolyte] with higher stats strike the first [Penitent]. They gain 5 Attack. They strike the next in line, who gains 4 Attack... and so on. Then you send all of them to dog-pile on your target.
It's a power uniquely suited to cannon fodder!
In my case, the [Minor] bonus might redeem it. It's worth thinking about after I see the other options.
(Passive) Aura of Regeneration [Minor]
(Replaces Aura of Thorns)
Offered for living a month with a Major Injury. You may only possess one Aura skill. As you already possess an Aura skill, Its value has been upgraded to Minor.
You and nearby allies recover 5 (Level + Rank + 40% per Core) HP throughout 8 seconds.
[Minor] bonus: Once a month, you may flare this Aura to heal Major Injuries for 8 seconds as well.
As vastly useful as this would be for anyone else, I have no desire to neuter my attacking power. Not with Father Ache's demands looming over me.
It might suit Desmond, though. I wonder if his constitution counts as a Major Injury?
I should stay away from him so we don't have to find out.
(Passive) Aura of Thorns [Minor]
(Upgrades Aura of Thorns)
Upgraded for killing 50 aggressors with Aura of Thorns.
[Minor] bonus: After receiving an Attack, you may flare this Aura to mirror the wound to the aggressor at a third the potency.
Fifty aggressors? Oh, right, the Figwasps!
Now this is interesting. If it weren't for how the Gutted Man's Boon functions, I might be tempted to take this upgrade now. Imagine if it didn't weaken me, too! I'd be able to reflect a Major Injury to my attacker, then keep my distance as they succumb to the wounds they chose to inflict. Not terribly honorable, but very effective.
It's a shame, then, that any strategy that revolves around me being injured is even more of a gamble than it would otherwise be.
Well, let's see the next option.
...Nothing. Gerald's heart sank into his stomach.
I should have expected it. Of course the [Penitent] class's choices are all generic or self-flagellant.
In the end, what decided it for Gerald was potential.
Fist as Weaponry is, at this moment, stronger and more consistent than Inequal Rite. But Inequal Rite scales far better with my Core Ace, which I expect I’ll be able to increase now that I’ve reached Rank 2. It’s worth it. It’s extremely worth it!
And so the hands of the Jointed Goddess separated locked fingers over his body; a pupa splits. Candlelight again shone bright into Gerald’s eyes. He was lying upon the pulpit under Father Ache’s watchful gaze.
“May our Lady bend our fate,” chorused the congregation, filtering away into the darkness. Gerald flicked his gaze to his Blessing.
Class: [Penitent]
HP: 23/23
RANK: [2]
Points: 1
Attack: 1
Core: 2
Endurance: 1
Speed: 2
(Passive) Aura of Thorns L.1
Enemies that make contact with your body take 4 (Level + Rank + 30% per Core) piercing damage.
(Active) Inequal Rite [Minor] L.1 ⊙︎
If you’ve been struck by anything with higher cumulative Aces in the last minute: Increase your Attack by at least 1 and at most 5 (Level + Rank + 45% per Core) for the next two blows you strike. Cannot activate from the same target more than once a day.
[Minor] bonus: While the condition is satisfied, your Aura has triple its usual radius.
(Passive) Gutted Man’s Boon [Minor] L.1 ⊙︎
Major Injuries within ten meters worsen by 3 (Level + Rank) Max HP every 8 minutes.
[Minor] bonus: When you become splattered in fresh blood, recover 4 (Level + Rank + 35% per Endurance) HP throughout the next 6 seconds.
And he rose on his own two legs.