Second Skin Omnibus

by M Damon Baker

  I’d thought to ask Saibra to train Líann when we got back, but her lessons were a bit too harsh a starting point for the pampered Queen. My intent was to begin instructing her myself, even though I’d only be able to teach her the most basic techniques. But now that I knew the goal I had to reach in order to instruct her more completely, I set my sights on achieving my second weapon mastery so that I could do the job myself. At least, I hoped to be able to do that if my prolonged absence hadn’t caused her any permanent harm.

  The image ruined the positive train of thought I’d had for a moment, and I put my point in Strength, as usual, and my malaise returned once more.

  You have gained a level! – You have earned sufficient experience to advance to level 40.

  You have gained three Attribute points. Two of your points have been automatically assigned to CON and CHA. You may assign the remaining point to any other Attribute as you see fit.

  Yeah. Whatever. Strength again, I thought. But then I got a surprise. Several of them, to be precise.

  You can now choose a new Ability. You must choose one of the following:

  Rapid Fire – After firing an arrow, your follow-up shot takes half as long as normal to be fired. Cost – 10 Endurance.

  Seeker – Your next single shot has an increased chance to hit. Cost – 10 Endurance.

  Body Blow – Your next dagger attack, if it lands, will cause your opponent to suffer an Endurance penalty. Cost – 20 Aura.

  Impale – Your dagger inflicts a damage-over-time bleed effect. Cost – 20 Endurance.

  Focused Fire – Your next arrow causes increased damage if it hits. Cost – 20 Endurance.

  Long Range Shot – Increase the effective range of your bow. Cost – 30 Aura.

  Siphon – Advanced Ability – On a successful hit, your arrow bleeds health from its target, transferring a portion of the damage back to you in the form of restored Health. Damage and restoration rates are dependent on proficiency. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 100 Aura.

  Disarm – Advanced Ability – On a successful hit and a failed Dexterity check by your opponent, your arrow causes your enemy to fumble and drop their weapon(s). Chance of success improves with increased proficiency. Modifier – Dexterity. Cost – 100 Aura.

  Master’s Defense – Master Level Ability – While wielding your bow, your armor rating is increased. The selection of this Ability provides a permanent effect when its conditions are met.

  Your choice is final and must be made now. Choose wisely, as you will now only gain a new Ability every five levels.

  Well, that was almost perfect for me. Not even almost, it was perfect for me. While I was getting more and more comfortable with my blades, I was truly in my element when I could sit back just a bit and rain destruction down on my enemies. Master’s Defense it was. Then came my first surprise.

  Having reached level 40, you can now choose a new Spell. You must choose one of the following:

  Muffle – May be cast on self or ally. Dampens sound in a radius around target. Cost – 20 Aura.

  Detect Life – Casting this spell allows you to detect the essence of nearby living creatures. Cost – 20 Aura.

  Restore Health – May be cast on self or ally. Heals a small amount of damage. Cost – 30 Aura.

  Silence – Surround target with an aura that cancels all sounds. Cost – 40 Aura.

  Stone Skin – May be cast on self or ally. Hardens skin, increasing effective armor against attack or certain effects. Cost – 30 Aura

  Flare – Throw a ball of fire at your enemy, which may set combustible items ablaze. Cost – 40 Aura.

  Shard – Hurl Shard(s) of rock against your foes. Cost – 40 Aura.

  Summon Creature – Summons a creature to aid you or fight by your side. The type of creature summoned depends on the environment. Modifier – Charisma. Cost – 100 Aura.

  Charm – Beguile your target into doing your bidding. The strength of your hold over them will depend on just how powerfully you can dominate their will. Modifier – Charisma. Cost – 200 Aura.

  Entangle – Create an area of entangling vines that will hold any foes caught within its radius. Area of effect, the distance you may cast the Spell, and the power of your vines will all vary based on your Abilities and proficiency. Modifiers – Strength and Dexterity. Cost – 150 Aura.

  Your choice is final and must be made now. Choose wisely, as you will now only gain a new Spell every 10 levels.

  I’d forgotten where I was, level-wise, and the Spell menu genuinely caught me off guard—pleasantly so. I loved my magic, even if I didn’t get to use it as much as I liked, so I looked over my choices carefully. For about a split second.

  Entangle sounded like a beefed-up version of my trap Spell, but with the added bonus of being able to cast it directly at my enemies rather than having to wait for them to hopefully stumble upon it. While some of the other choices had their own particular appeal, I simply had to have Entangle.

  With that decision made, I was expecting the next level-up menu to appear when surprise number two arrived instead.

  You have reached level 40. It is now time for you to choose your Mastery. As a Warden, you may decide to become either a Warlock or Guardian. Your choice is permanent and must be made now.

  The notification was as ominous as it was surprising, but it was also incredibly uninformative… typical, but that was quickly remedied when I focused on my choices.

  Warlock – As a Warlock, in addition to receiving a bonus to the power of your Spells, you will unlock the paths of magic outside the normal scope of the Warden’s domain, gaining the ability to learn spells that would not otherwise be available to you.

  Guardian – The Guardian’s focus is on the martial skills, and they receive a bonus to all armor and weapon Skills and Abilities. While some of the Warden class restrictions still remain in place, Guardians can wear even heavier armor, so long as it is still predominantly made of leather, and may wield any weapons they choose.

  Had my situation been different, that might have been a difficult choice. But I already wore God-forged armor, and no Guardian bonus was going to offer me any improvement over that, or Retribution, my weapon of choice for that matter. Quite simply, due to circumstances, the Guardian option had almost nothing to offer me.

  Warlock, on the other hand, was intriguing. The benefits would be subtle at first, but over the long run, and that was how I was learning to perceive things, it could be incredible. I had centuries ahead of me to learn as many Spells as I could. Casting powerful magic while protected by Melía’s Armor, possibly enhanced even further by Master’s Defense that I’d just picked up, would make me extraordinarily powerful. So, in the blink of an eye, I became a Warlock as well.

  The choice of Specialization grants a one-time bonus. As a Warlock, you have been granted a Spell, chosen for you based on your previous actions and decisions. You now know: Compel.

  That was a rather ominous name for a Spell, and I wanted to know more, but things weren’t quite over just yet.

  Having reached level 40, you have earned your second Sintári Bonus.

  Nearly all the knowledge you need has been lost, and even the Gods cannot tell you everything you should know. Yet despite the challenges and your many stumbles along the way, you have done well rediscovering the ways of the Sintári. Continue to listen to the voices inside you—your heart has yet to steer you wrong, you have only failed to listen at times. For your efforts, you have been granted three bonus Attribute points to distribute however you see fit.

  You have gained a level! – You have earned sufficient experience to advance to level 41.

  You have gained three Attribute points. Two of your points have been automatically assigned to WIS and CHA. You may assign the remaining point to any other Attribute as you see fit.

  I was still staring at the previous message when the next level-up notification stopped the scrolling. It was clearly written for me, but lacked any of the indications of the Gods’ typi
cal taunts or bits of sarcasm. Could it really have been generated by the remains of the game interface? If so, that software remnant was not only paying a great deal of attention to me, but it was damn insightful as well. Either way, the encouraging tone of the message was at least a helpful reminder that I really wasn’t the total failure I’d been feeling like.

  I put my point in Strength, and when I continued to focus on the Attribute, a second point slid into it. I’d unintentionally applied one of my discretionary points from the Sintári bonus, allowing me to increase a stat by more than a single point for the first time ever. Clearly, this was going to require some careful consideration, and I contemplated just where to put my remining two points for a while.

  I was already ridiculously strong, even though I rarely flexed my muscles, so to speak, and my Charisma was even higher. Although my other stats were keeping up well enough, thanks in part to the Amulet, my focus on the future, and my choice of the Warlock Mastery made me consider my other options even more closely.

  I eventually decided to put the other two points in Dexterity and Intelligence. My new Entangle Spell used Dexterity as one of its modifiers, and I hoped that my investment in Intelligence would pay off in the long run. It was a guess, but I thought it might help with my future spellcasting. My other choice in that respect was Wisdom, but I had a hunch that Intelligence would eventually prove more valuable.

  You have gained a level! – You have earned sufficient experience to advance to level 42.

  You have gained three Attribute points. Two of your points have been automatically assigned to INT and CHA. You may assign the remaining point to any other Attribute as you see fit.

  This time I did hedge my bet, placing the lone point I’d gained into Wisdom, and the scrolling finally came to an end.

  I intended to train Líann with daggers at first—they were relatively straightforward and easy for her to conceal, even while wearing one of her favored ball gowns. I knew this first-hand, as I’d worn a pair strapped to my thighs on nearly every occasion I’d been forced into one of the formal garments. So, I placed every single proficiency point Saibra had granted me into that talent, giving me a second weapon mastery.

  I was surprised that I was able to place the entire 5% Weapon Master quest reward into my Bow talent. That Skill was already over 60% proficiency, and I thought that the same limitation I had with Saibra’s points might apply, but it didn’t. Advancement would be even more difficult after reaching master rank, or at least I anticipated that it would be, so I was glad to be able to allocate my points there.

  That was it—I’d made all my adjustments, and it was time for another look over my sheet.

  Dreya Dae

  Sintári Female

  Titles: Sintári, Empress

  Level - 42

  730530/751200

  Health - 385/385 Aura - 1012/1012 Endurance - 385/385

  Sintári – Sintári interact with their surroundings in unusual ways. The effects of these interactions can be unpredictable

  Class – Warden – Wardens gain a 10% bonus to skills associated with nature or which have natural effects

  Specialization – Protector

  Mastery – Warlock

  STR - 50 (+5)

  CON - 32 (+3)

  DEX - 30 (+3)

  INT - 28 (+2)

  WIS - 27 (+2)

  CHA - 58 (+5)

  Abilities

  Ignore Armor – Your next arrow will ignore a portion of the target’s armor. Cost – 20 Aura. – 36%

  Stun – Your next arrow has a chance to stun its target on hit. Cost – 20 Aura. – 35%

  Block – You may attempt to use your bow to parry a single melee attack. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 20%

  Swarm – Your next arrow duplicates itself in flight. Cost – 20 Endurance and 20 Aura. – 47%

  Flurry – Perform three rapid strikes with a bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 42%

  Parry – Chance for your blades to block next melee attack targeted at you. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 43%

  Hamstring – The next arrow fired has a chance to cripple your opponent. Cost – 20 Aura. – 32%

  Hilt Bash – Stun your opponent with a successful hilt strike from your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 41%

  Blood Price – Your arrow inflicts a damage-over-time bleed effect. Cost – 30 Aura. – 37%

  Blind – Your next arrow has a chance to inflict blindness on a successful hit. Cost – 30 Aura. – 37%

  Achilles Strike – Cripple your target with a slash of your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 41%

  Penetrator – Advanced Ability – Your arrow pierces through armor easily. With increased proficiency it may penetrate through even greater barriers. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 60 Aura. – 20%

  Disable – Advanced Ability – A successful strike of your blade to an extremity renders the affected limb completely useless until healed. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 60 Endurance. – 41%

  Shockwave – Advanced Ability – Your arrow explodes on contact, dealing minimal damage but generating a stunning Shockwave in a radius around its detonation. Size and scope of this effect increase with proficiency. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 120 Aura. – 32%

  Sintári Abilities

  Natural Affinity – The Sintári’s unique connection with the natural world may manifest itself in random ways at times. While these effects are generally beneficial they are also typically outside the direct control of the Sintári. Modifier – Charisma.

  Control – Effect varies, applies to all Sintári Abilities. – 68%

  Protector Abilities

  See Truth – Twice per day, the spoken words of your target become visible to you, allowing you to see the truth held within them. Strength and duration of this effect increase with proficiency. Cost – 60 Aura. Modifier – Wisdom. – 44%

  Spells

  Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost – 20 Aura. – 52%

  Create Trap – Place a magical trap upon an area. Size, type, and trigger of traps is determined by your proficiency. Cost – 40 Aura. – 53%

  Elemental Arrow – Your next arrow is imbued with elemental energy and causes additional elemental damage accordingly. Cost – 30 Aura. – 28%

  Spike – Launch Ice Spike(s), delivering bonus cold damage on a successful hit. Cost – 40 Aura. – 20%

  Bolt – Release a Bolt of pure Lightning at your target(s). Cost – 40 Aura. – 27%

  Find Weakness – Highlights vulnerable points on the target. Modifier – Intelligence. Cost – 80 Aura. – 20%

  Summon Elemental – Summons an Elemental creature. If you succeed in binding it to your will, the creature will serve you faithfully until the spell’s expiration. Modifier – Charisma. Cost 100 Aura. – 40%

  Shield – May be cast on self only. Manifests a forward-facing barrier against incoming projectile attacks. Duration and resistance of the barrier are based on proficiency and modifier value. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 80 Aura. – 24%

  Entangle – Create an area of entangling vines that will hold any foes caught within its radius. Area of effect, the distance you may cast the Spell, and the power of your vines will all vary based on your Abilities and proficiency. Modifiers – Strength and Dexterity. Cost – 150 Aura. – 1%

  Compel – Force a sentient creature to answer a single question. If you successfully dominate their will, the target will reply with a truthful answer to one question you ask. Modifier – Charisma. Cost – 80 Aura. – 1%

  Skills

  Bow – 66%

  Critical Hit – 51%

  Blades – 51%

  Long Sword – 50%

  Short Sword – 53%

  Dagger – 60%

  Critical Hit – 44%

  Two-Handed – 57%

  Pole Arms – 14%

  Spear – 23%

  Armor – 44%

  Medium A
rmor – 46%

  Perception – 56%

  Environmental – 57%

  Identify Enemy – 54%

  Identify Person – 54%

  Combat Dodge – 26%

  Subterfuge – 41%

  Stealth – 41%

  Find Trap – 20%

  Disarm Trap – 20%

  Set Trap – 20%

  Manipulation – 55%

  Persuade – 67%

  Barter – 40%

  Survival – 24%

  Tracking – 27%

  Identify Creature (Beasts) – 19%

  Skinning – 16%

  Field Dress – 15%

  Alchemy – 19%

  Herbalism – 31%

  Potion Craft – 27%

  Lore – 8%

  Identify Magical Item – 14%

  Opening my full personal sheet let me see the description of Compel for the first time. As I read it, a warning appeared in my vision. One I’d never seen before.

  **Note: Use of this Spell treads the fine line between interrogation and corruption. Invoke its powers with care, lest it pull you over that edge.

  Yeah, thanks for the warning—it was a little late for that. My questioning techniques had been walking along that razor’s edge for a quite a while now.

  But other than that somewhat belated note, everything was looking pretty good. While some of my stats were lagging, none were truly lacking for my actual level. It was only the fact that my Strength and Charisma were so imbalanced that made it seem that way. So, while those gave me some distinct advantages, I really didn’t have any glaring deficiencies.

  I also had more talents than I knew what to do with. Some I’d thought to be truly important when I’d acquired them, but was never called upon to use them like I thought I might. Others, like my bow talents, were being displaced by the gear I had. Ignore Armor, for example, lacked any real appeal when compared to a God-powered ice arrow.