Jack was wary of the description. The idea of trapping the soul of an enemy was unnerving, to say the least. Jack wasn’t sure how he felt about using the essence of a defeated enemy to enhance his gear. It seemed… wrong, somehow. The soul was something sacred, wasn’t it? But at the same time, the possibilities that the Soulforger profession offered were too great to ignore. The thought of creating powerful, unique gear that could turn the tide of battle was incredibly tempting. And in this world, every advantage counted. He remembered how close his friends had come to dying just a short while ago. How far would he go to prevent something like that?
As Jack was making his decision Lyla had a decision of her own to make. Her eyes glazed over as she mentally navigated the options for her Class Advancement. The system presented her with a set of choices, each one reflecting her unique skills and the path she’d carved out so far.
The first option was straightforward but effective:
Battlemage (Uncommon)
Type: Hybrid (Mage/Warrior)
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: The Battlemage is a versatile warrior who combines physical combat skills with elemental magic. They are adept at switching between close combat and spellcasting, enhancing their weapons with elemental energy, and casting offensive spells while fighting on the front lines.
Grants the following Skills:
* Elemental Weapon: Infuse your weapon with elemental energy, adding magical damage to your strikes. The element can be chosen from those you have an attunement to.
* Arcane Shield: Create a magical barrier that absorbs incoming damage. The shield’s strength scales with your Intelligence and Wisdom.
* Battle Meditation: Enter a focused state that increases your mana regeneration and reduces the cooldown of your spells during combat.
* CP Bonus: 30 CP
* Stat Bonuses: +1 to Strength, +1 to Dexterity, +2 to Intelligence, +2 to Wisdom per level.
Lyla considered the Battlemage option carefully. It offered a balanced mix of magic and melee, something that could complement her existing skills and support her team. However, she hesitated. She wasn’t much of a melee combatant and suspected she had only been offered the Class because of how much fighting she had done since getting the Mage Class. In addition, it felt... predictable. She was looking for something more unique, something that would set her apart and give her an edge in the unpredictable battles they would inevitably face.
The next option caught her attention with its distinctive flair.
Green Mage (Unusual)
Type: Mage
Rarity: Special
Description: The Green Mage is deeply connected to the natural world, drawing power from plants, animals, and the earth itself. They excel in manipulating life energy, healing allies, controlling plants, and summoning natural creatures to fight by their side. Their magic is tied to the cycles of life, growth, and decay.
Grants the following Spells:
* Verdant Surge: Channel life energy into a burst of healing for allies or a deadly wave of growth that ensnares and harms enemies. The effect depends on your intent and the available natural resources.
* Nature’s Call: Summon a creature of the forest to aid you in battle. The type and strength of the summoned creatures depend on your surroundings and your affinity with nature.
* Photosynthesis: Absorb sunlight or other sources of natural energy to rapidly regenerate mana and health over time.
* CP Bonus: 40 CP
* Stat Bonuses: +3 to Intelligence, +3 to Wisdom, +2 to Charisma, and +1 Free Point per level.
As a pure Mage Class, Green Mage offered Class spells. The downside to that was that she didn’t have access to as many Class Skills as someone like Jack. Lyla’s heart leaped at the thought of becoming a Green Mage. The idea of tapping into the raw, primal power of nature resonated with her. She had always felt a connection to the natural world (no surprise considering she was born with the Nature attunement), and this class would allow her to deepen that bond. The ability to heal and summon creatures would be invaluable to her team, and she could envision herself mastering the forces of nature to protect and empower her allies.
Lyla looked over her third option.
Swamp Witch (Rare)
Type: Mage
Rarity: Rare
Description: The Water and Nature Elements together form the Tier 2 Swamp Element. The Swamp Witch is a master of dark, natural magic, drawing strength from the decay and regeneration of swamps. They wield powerful curses, control toxic plants, and summon swamp creatures to do their bidding. Swamp Witches thrive in environments where water and nature intertwine, using this balance to their advantage. Their magic is potent but unpredictable, capable of turning the tide of battle with both blessings and hexes.
Grants the following Skills:
* Mire Curse: Inflict a debilitating curse on your enemies, slowing their movements and sapping their strength. The curse’s power increases in damp or swampy environments.
* Bog Bloom: Summon carnivorous plants and other swamp creatures to trap and devour your enemies. The strength and number of creatures depend on your surroundings and the amount of decay you can draw upon.
* Toxic Regeneration: Use the poisonous energy of swamps to rapidly heal yourself, converting harmful toxins into regenerative energy. This skill can also be used to inflict a powerful poison on enemies if directed outward.
CP Bonus: 50 CP
Stat Bonuses: +4 to Intelligence, +4 to Wisdom, and +2 to Free Points per level.
Lyla felt a shiver run down her spine as she considered the Swamp Witch Class. It was dark, mysterious, and powerful—exactly the kind of magic that would give her an edge in the battles to come. The ability to control decay and toxic energy fascinated her, and she knew this class would make her a force to be reckoned with.
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But it was also risky. The Swamp Witch’s power was tied to environments where water and nature mixed, and while that could be an advantage in some places, it might also be a limitation in others. The curses and hexes were powerful but situational, and she would need to be careful not to let that power backfire.
Lyla weighed her options, each one appealing in its own way. The Battlemage offered a solid, balanced path, the Green Mage connected her to the forces of life and growth, and the Swamp Witch promised dark power at a price.
There was one more class option.
Disciple of Baba Yaga (Epic)
Type: Mage
Rarity: Epic
Description: You have caught the attention of a Primal being. Chosen by the Mother of Witches, the Disciple of Baba Yaga wields forbidden knowledge, dark rituals, and primal forces twisted by Baba Yaga’s whims. This class grants access to ancient and powerful magic, allowing the user to command elements, commune with beasts, and bend others' wills. It demands a balance between life and death and offers unimaginable strength. It will result in automatically gaining the Primeval Ritualist Profession even if the bearer already has a different Profession.
Grants the following Skills:
* Witchfire: Summon a spectral fire that burns with unnatural intensity, consuming both flesh and spirit. This fire can be directed at enemies or used to fuel dark rituals.
* Cursed Circle: Invoke an area of corrupted nature that heals allies within while draining enemies' life forces and instilling dread.
* Hex of the Crone: Inflict a powerful single-target curse that weakens and ages enemies, with cumulative effects from repeated use.
* CP Bonus: 70 CP
* Stat Bonuses: +5 to Intelligence, +5 to Wisdom, +2 to Charisma, and +2 Free Points per level.
Primeval Ritualist (Rare)
* Type: Occultist
* Rarity: Rare
* Description: The Primeval Ritualist is a master of ancient, primal magic drawn from forgotten rites and deep connections to the earth’s raw, untamed energies. This class specializes in performing complex, powerful rituals that tap into the elemental forces of nature, the spirits of the land, and the primordial essence that lies beneath the surface of reality. Primeval Ritualists can shape the battlefield with wide-reaching effects, alter the flow of time, and summon primal entities to fight by their side. Their magic is deeply rooted in the balance between creation and destruction, and their rituals often require offerings, complex sigils, or channeling ancient powers to bring forth devastating results. While their abilities are slow to manifest, their effects are long-lasting and overwhelming, making them fearsome opponents in extended engagements.
* Grants the following Skills:
* Primal Convergence: Perform a ritual to summon a storm of primal energy, unleashing elemental chaos in a targeted area. This may manifest as a rain of fire, lightning strikes, or a flood of ancient power, depending on the surroundings and the strength of the ritual.
* Rite of Binding: Bind a primeval entity, such as an ancient elemental or spirit beast, to your will. The bound creature fights alongside you, but maintaining control requires a constant flow of mana and concentration. The strength and type of the summoned entity depend on the environment and your level.
* Essence Harvest: Draw upon the life force of defeated enemies to fuel your other rituals, reducing their preparation time and enhancing their power.
Now this was a Class and a Profession with true potential.
Lyla felt her heart race as she read through the details of the Class. The sheer power and versatility it offered were intoxicating. This was more than just a role in their team—it was a destiny. The idea of commanding spectral fire, shaping nature into both sanctuary and weapon and communing with the wild beasts resonated deeply with her. It was dangerous, unpredictable, and filled with dark allure.
But with great power came great responsibility, and Lyla knew this path wouldn’t be easy. The teachings of Baba Yaga were known to be harsh, unforgiving, and demanding. She was a primordial entity and supposedly the first sentient creature to ever gain the Witch Class. The ancient being was said to be as much a force of nature as the elements themselves, and to walk her path meant embracing a world of shadows, where the line between friend and foe could blur in the dark.
The thought of wielding such power was exhilarating, but it also made Lyla pause. Would she be able to control it? Or would it control her? The dark rituals, the communion with beasts, the ability to sap life from her enemies—it was all so tempting, but it also came with risks. Risks she wasn’t sure she was ready to take.
For one thing, this Class would force her to take the Primeval Ritualist Profession. It sounded like it might synergize well with the Class but there was no way to know for sure.
More importantly, aligning herself with an entity like Baba Yaga could have unforeseen consequences. The path was dark and fraught with challenges that went beyond mere physical danger. It might demand sacrifices—of her morals, her relationships, or even parts of herself she wasn't ready to give up.
She glanced over at her companions. Jack was engrossed in his own thoughts, likely contemplating his new Soulforger profession. Goldeyes sat faithfully by his side, ever the loyal companion. Cael was speaking in hushed tones to Monsoon as he stroked his sea-blue fur. The goblin and the Wavewolf had become close in the time they had spent in the dungeon.
Would they accept her choice? Would they understand it?
As Lyla contemplated her choice, a sudden wave of dizziness overtook her. The world around her blurred, the edges of reality warping and twisting. She felt a strange tug as if her very soul was being pulled away from her body, drawn towards something ancient and powerful. She tried to resist, but the force was irresistible, and within moments, everything went dark.
Her spirit drifted through a swirling vortex, the familiar world dissolving into shadow and mist. She felt herself being pulled toward a distant, ancient place—a realm that existed beyond the edges of reality, where the laws of nature were twisted and reshaped by forces older than time itself. The journey felt like an eternity and an instant all at once, the very concept of time losing meaning as she was drawn deeper into the unknown.
When she finally emerged, she found herself in a forest unlike any she had ever seen. The trees towered above her, their trunks impossibly wide and gnarled, twisted into grotesque shapes that seemed more alive than wood should be. Their bark was dark and mottled, covered in warts and knots that oozed a thick, resinous sap. The branches above were knotted and tangled, forming a dense canopy that blotted out the sky, leaving the forest in perpetual twilight. The leaves were a sickly, pale green, veined with black, and they rustled in a breeze that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.
The ground was soft and spongy beneath her feet, a thick carpet of decaying leaves, moss, and the remains of long-forgotten creatures. The air was heavy with the scent of rot and damp earth, tinged with the acrid bite of something burning. Strange, luminescent fungi clung to the base of the trees, their eerie glow casting the forest in an unnatural, ghostly light. The fog that hung low to the ground was thick and swirling, obscuring her vision and muffling all sound, save for the distant, almost imperceptible creaks and groans of the ancient trees.
Lyla knew where she was, she had heard the stories as a child. This was the thirtieth realm, beyond the thrice-nine kingdoms, past the fiery river—Baba Yaga’s domain. It was a place where life and death intertwined, where the natural order was not just wild, but utterly alien, shaped by a force that was neither good nor evil, but something entirely other.
As Lyla took in her surroundings, she felt a presence—a force of immense power and age, watching her from the shadows. The fog parted, and from the depths of the forest, a figure emerged.