1.9 Bleeding from my Ears is a Bad, Right?

I may of miscalculated. At the time it seemed like the logical, rational, course of action. I really should have finished reading my System Notifications. I really, really, should have considered the possible conflicts between the Vow of Neutrality and the Scouter’s Promise. I really, really, really should have taken the time to understand just how my Afflictions would alter my perceptions and behavior.

There comes a time when one must face that they are not who they thought they were. I really, truly believed I was being honest when I made the Vow of Neutrality. I then intentionally ignore long term consequences in flavor of short term results. I let myself rush to judgement, because of a fifty percent chance of Mutation. I could have blamed the Curses of Gluttony and Recklessness, but they were only exaggerating preexisting personality traits. I may have idolised Neutrality, but I was not its exemplar. If I truly internalised the Principles of Neutrality, I never would have Sworn the Vow in the first place. Vows are tools of Law, Order, Righteousness, Morality, and even Tyranny, not a proper tool of Neutrality. 

My memories of that Initiation were foggy, like a distant dream. I believe I was somewhere in the Between, on trial for my life. The court was full of Beasts, wolves, bears, and eagles were there, but so many others. Some were disappointed in me, some angry, and others seemed to think I was exactly what they had expected. I was interrogated about my decisions, my skills, ethical quandaries, including a strange version of the trolley question involving a rampaging dragon and a field of pixies.

Then it got weird.

My memory of that time is still incomplete, even with my enhanced Intellect. I am half convinced that Lewis Carol spent some time Summoned to the Between.

The one part that remains clearest were the questions verifying my Achievements. I often didn’t understand the connection between a query and the Achievement being examined, but I felt confident. That is until they started reviewing Achievements of which I was not yet aware. I hadn’t finished all my notifications. “Don’t Eat the Flowers”, “Forbidden Fruit”, and “Reefer Madness”, I could at least guess at. They were responsible for my few Combat Abilities, and many of my Afflictions. “Sacrifice of Power” and “Telluric Horticulture”, were not nearly as obvious. I guessed that “Sacrifice of Power” dealt with the inadvertent offering of the Seed Core, a type of Mana Core created by plants and plant type monsters. I remembered a comic book about a punk rocker turned magician that claimed Ley Lines were channels of Telluric Energy. With only those clues I struggled to answer the varied Beasts' questions.

Speaking about Mana Cores, there was a wasted opportunity. Sometimes World Essence condenses, crystallizes, and forms a Mana Core. There are different types, depending on the circumstances around its formation. Mana Cores formed deep in the Earth are called Land Cores. Those formed in the oceans become Sea Cores. The floating Island Cities in the Western Sea are supported by Sky Cores. Monsters may form Mana Cores as well. Tier 1 monsters have about a 10% chance, Tier 2 monsters have a 30%, Tier 3 have a 50% chance and so on. Beast type Monsters form Beast Cores, plant type form Seed Cores, humanoid monsters develope Soul Cores, Fairies produce Fey Cores, and Nightfell produce Fell Cores. Mana Cores are not only important Crafting materials, but critical components of society's infrastructure. Settlement Cores, (Mana Cores that had been altered by the System), were necessary to create Rural Zones for Farmsteads, or Urban Zones for Villages and Towns. They were also important for certain Core Buildings, such as Herbalist Gardens, True Forges, Imperial Banks, Alchemy Laboratories, and even Chapels, Churches, Temples, and Cathedrals. Core Buildings and Settlements need Cores to connect them to the System, granting certain bonuses to residents and owners. Even ordinary buildings can be improved, the difference between a house and a Manor is a Core. Forts become Citadels, and Pubs become Taverns. Mana Cores can also be used to fuel complex Rituals, including Initiations. The Seed Core I had removed could have been used to fully Purify me.

While I managed to try and use my game knowledge of cores to help in my interrogation, I could not figure out what ley lines or telluric energies would have to do with my adventures in the woods.

At the point that I was ready to give up, they went back to the beginning and started all over again.

Hours, days, weeks, I don’t know how long the examination/judgement lasted. At one point there was an intense pain as I was branded on the underside of my right arm. The Beasts spoke in riddles I couldn’t understand. I made a pledges I don’t remember. I couldn’t decide if it was all a dream or some sort of Initiation Trial.

I woke up with the sun, quite hungry and thirsty. I hurt, a soul weary hurt. My first act was to check certain Notifications I had been neglecting.

Congratulations! New Achievement: Sacrifice of Power!

For freely offering a Tier 2 Seed Core to the Altar of Ascension with no restrictions or considerations.

+5 Reputation with all Altars of Ascension

+5 Alignment Score Increase

Power of [Assimilation]

Congratulations! New Achievement: Telluric Horticulture!

The Glade of Ascension is connected to the larger Realm by five Ley Lines.

3/5 of the Ley Lines had been Obstructed

By inflicting a Critical Injury through removal of Seed Core from Crimson Monarch Blood Orchid you weaken one source of Obstruction.

By motivating the Crimson Monarch Blood Orchid to attack the Glade directly, you allowed the Altar’s own defensive protections to destroy an opponent beyond its reach.

1/3 Obstructions removed.

Reward Pending…

You may choose to acquire Achievement Award immediately or wait until other Obstructions have been dealt with for increades reward.

Award consumed by Initiation Protocol.

Oops. Even I understood that one can not Initiate with pending System awards. It was the same in the game. Incomplete Quests were deleted by Initiations.I would never learn what I had traded away with my impatience, all I could hope for was my new Class would be worth it.  At least the Ley Line explained the Seed Core. By growing on a Ley Line the plant was able to channel far more Worldforce Essence than normal. Now to see if my recklessness bore fruit.

Attention! You have completed the Initiation Ordeal for the Dual Class: Ranger/Scouter(Knight Chaplain/Eagle ScoutMaster)

Implementing Outworder bonus…Level 5

Non-Class Abilities [Herbalism] Level 1, [Navigation] Level 11, [Knifeplay] Level 5, [Survival] Level 5 have been converted to Class Abilities.

Recalculating Epiphany Difficulty...

Five Ranger/Scouter Skill Points Acquired…

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

New Honour Badges detected...Arrow of Light, Eagle Rank, Master Scouter

Honour Badges count as permanent Titles.

+4 Honorary Class Levels from Honour Badges.

Wild Taint Error!...Correcting….

[Chomp], [Gnaw], and [Vorpal Bite] have been consumed by Wild Taint Mutation [Devour]. [Iron Jaw] and [Iron Gut] have been Subordinated to [Devour].

Alignment Depletion -2

Goodbye Combat Abilities, I hardly knew you. My recklessness in trying to avoid Mutation had triggered a Mutation. [Chomp] added damage to [Unarmed:Bite] attacks, [Gnaw] added Armor Penetration, and [Vorpal Bite] inflicted Critical Injuries on a regular attack success. All had been lost to my new Mutation. I still had the two Iron Talents, they were now just Subskills of [Devour], a Mutant Ability that shared a name with the System’s arch nemesis, the Horror from Beyond Space and Time, the Adversary known as the Great Devourer. That wasn’t going to cause a problem, not at all.

Dual Classes are a little bit different. Basically, it combines all of the Features of both Classes, except where they overlap. Thus, unlike multiclassing, only the best bonus from either class applies. The base advancement cost increases by 50%, but it only counts as one Class for Epiphany purposes. While Ability Lists are combined, if the same Ability shows up twice at different Levels, then only the latter( that is the more restrictive) place remains. While Dual Classers have more options, they still only get one Skill Point per Level.

It is important to note that while normal Abilities are limited by Attributes, and thus contribute to Attribute Progression, Subabilities are limited by, and contribute to, the Main Ability to which they are subordinated. So my two Iron talents now feed Experience to [Devour] instead of Constitution.

Many Abilities share Naming Conventions that can help one understand generally what the Ability does, even without the exact Identification.

Iron Body Talents, for example, always make a body part stronger, tougher, more resilient, and more efficient. [IronJaw], for instance adds its Level to my Brawn Score, but only for Task Checks involving my teeth, mouth, or jaw. It also grants a Natural Armor bonus to my mouth and esophagus, allowing me to eat caustic or over hot foods. [IronGut], improves my digestive efficiency, allowing me to extract more nutrition, while granting Armor bonuses to my stomach and digestive tract. It also grants Immunity to ingested Natural Poisons, Pathogens, and Parasites. Resistance to Mundane Poisons, etc and Tolerance to Supernatural/Enchanted versions.

Weapon Play Skills indicate a basic proficiency with training and maintenance, but not direct combat utility. Other than a reduction in the chance of converting a normal failure into a Critical Fumble. Think of it like the difference between shadowboxing and actual sparing. [Knifeplay] would help me [Examine] knives and help me Identify the Knife Fighting Styles of others. I can only suppose that my five Levels came from my kitchen skills and years of teaching knife safety to the boys.

Most -ology Skills are considered to be Knowledge Skills, which are almost always subskills associated with another Practical Skill. My grandmother was a baseball fanatic who never missed a Tigers game. She knew all the stats and players, and even could accurately predict how certain players could handle certain pitches, all from the comfort of her living room chair. My dad was recruited by the Mudhens after High School, and played professionally until guilt convinced him to enlist in the Army. My grandmother only had Knowledge, while her son-in-law had the Practical Skill. Guess that means she would be a Scholar if summoned to the Realm.

Scholars have a Class Feature that allows them to treat all Knowledge Skills as if they were Class Abilities, even if they were not on the Class List. This loophole explains why I was able to gain so many Skills so quickly; none of my Knowledge Skills increase my Epiphany Difficulty, and in fact actually reduce it with regards to their affiliated Practical Skills. [Geography] helping me with [Navigation], [Herbology] helping with [Herbalism].

At that point in time I chose to investigate some of the other abilities I did not recognise.

Personal Talent: [Assimilation] Level: 1

Talent Rank: Legendary

Base Attribute: Luck

[Assimilation] allows the User to convert a portion of the Damage/Affliction Penalties received into Experience for any Abilities significantly similar to original Source, or to an appropriate Protective Ability. In extremely rare cases [Assimilation] may trigger an Epiphany. Amount of Experience Earned is limited by Talent Level per instance, or hour.

Reading that hurt. I wasn’t just suffering before, I was earning Experience. I was really beginning to regret my choice of Intiating before reading all my Notifications. Could I have acquired Mutation Resisitence if I had waited? 

Ranger Talent: [Vigilance] Level:1

Talent Rank: 5

Base Attribute: Perception

[Vigilance] grants a bonus to Perception Score for purposes of passive recognition of Ambuscades, Surprizes, Traps, Trap-like Terrain, and other Dangers.

[Vigilance] grants a half bonus for the purposes of passive recognition of Illusions, Phantasms, and Hallucinations.

Not a big surprise there. Passive Perception bonuses are always nice though. Talent Ranks are like Spell Circles, an indicator of the overall complexity and effectiveness of the Talent. This was a Talent I needed to Level, unfortunatly, I couldn't practice Talents the way I did Skills. I could only earn Talent Experience when actually used. 

[Meditation] Subskill: [Serenity] Level:1

[Serenity] suppresses all Mental and Spiritual Afflictions by an amount equal to Skill Level while user is Concentrating.

Stamina Cost is dependant on the Number and Severity of Afflictions

How much would you like to bet I was earning [Serenity] Experience from [Assimilation] while I was panicking? This was perhaps the most important Skill I acquired, since the Initiation did not absolve me of Afflictions as I had expected. 

Amateur Talent: [Taster] Level:1

Talent Rank: 2

Base Attribute: Perception

[Taster] adds to Perception Score for all Taste Related Task Checks, Synergistic Bonuses to all Information Acquisition Abilities when substance is Tasted. Poison Resistance bonus when Tasting.

Well, I could certainly get a job as a Royal Food Tester. I wish the Poison Resistance applied when eating and not just tasting.

I did get two Titles I had not yet looked at.

Title: Underdog

You have emerged victorious against a Superior Foe!

Passive Effects:

All Level Suppression Effects against User reduced by 50%.

+50% Experience Bonus when suffering from Level Suppression.

Active Effects:

All Damage/Afflictions against opponents who inflict at least one Level of Suppression is increased by 50%.

Title: Survivor

You have Survived against incredible odds against a Superior Foe.

Passive Effects:

+50% Experience Bonus for Perception and Wit Abilities in Wilderness Environments.

Active Effects:

+5 Honorary Skill Levels for Skill [Survival]

+3 Honorary Skill Levels for [Survival] Subskills

+20% Reputation Bonus for [Survival] Trainers and Organizations.

A Title that would help me find food. Under my then current situation, Suvivor would be the most important Title I could equipe.

I also had the two additional Honour Badges, based on Otherworld honors.

Honour Badge: Totem Rank(Eagle Rank)

Passive Properties:

+1 Affinity to School of Ornithomancy/Domain of the Sky/Spirit of the Eagle spells

+1 ASI to Charisma with regards to Eagle type Creatures

+1 ASI to Perception

Active Properties:

+50% Reputation Modifier for all Eagle Organizations

+10% Reputation Modifier for all Ranger/Scouter Organizations

+1 Honorary Scouter Level

Badge of Honour: Master of Scouting

Passive Properties:

+1 Affinity to Education/Training Abilities.

+1 Affinity to Leadership/Ruler Abilities.

+1 ASI to Charisma

Active Properties:

+50% Reputation Modifier for all Scout/Scouter Organizations

+10% Reputation Modifier for all other Ranger Organizations

+2 Honorary Scouter Level

 A total of four Honorary Scouter Levels. Unlike true Levels, Honorary Levels only affect Level based Class Features and Bonuses. Honorary Levels do not grant Skill Points, or for that matter count for unlocking more Abilities on the Class Ability List.

The only Ability left to checkout was the Mutant ability [Devour].

Mutation: [Devour] Level:1

[Devour] allows the User to absorb the Personal Essence of Living Enemies and Defeated Foes by Consuming their fresh raw Blood and Flesh, and Converting the Essence into Experience. Depending on the Body Parts Consumed, Experience will be channeled into different Attributes, Abilities, Classes, and General. Blood/Flesh from Defeated Foes must be eaten within one hour of Expiration. At higher Levels Consumption of Thought Force and Soul Force becomes possible.

Did I just become a Vampire?