Karina waved me off almost dismissively, but I’d meant what I’d said. Between the Khelduin armor and Dwarven Steel weapons they bore, my Imperial Guard was already better equipped than most seasoned adventurers, but they’d have even better if I only had it to give to them.
After the long and strenuous day I wanted nothing more than to find some place to collapse and fall asleep, but my Army was due to arrive shortly, and with four Deathless still at large, their safety was my top priority. Considering the damage just a pair of those Deathless had been able to inflict, I thought my concerns to be well-founded.
I took a quick tour of the fortress and discovered it to be quite familiar. The plans for it were largely based on the one we’d built for the Imperial Army in the fields beyond the Garrison walls, although in deference to its ultimate purpose as a supply depot, large storage buildings had replaced the interior training grounds.
When the rest of our forces arrived, we would pack as many as we could inside the safety of its walls, but considering the tremendous number of troops involved, most would still be forced to camp outside. Our plan was to remain here for a few days, both to recuperate as well as to plan our next steps. Considering the situation carefully, I walked a quick circuit around the outside perimeter, placing several traps along any likely approaches before adding a few more atop the walls. I couldn’t possibly cover all angles of attack that the Deathless might take, but I did what I could while saving enough Aura to also shield the area where my companions and I would be sleeping. Once I’d placed those additional snares, I let Ella lead me to the room I’d be using during our short stay at the border fortress.
The accommodations were far from grand, but were still greatly superior to any place I’d slept in over a week; the comfortable bed with its soft pillows and warm blankets was a major improvement over the hard ground we’d been camping on. A large basin of water and several towels had also been thoughtfully provided, and after stripping off my Armor and gear, I washed away the filth and grime from my body before changing into one of my spare sets of clothes. I could have waited for my Deathless powers to do the job for me, but the foul reek of smoke and charred flesh that clung to me had become far too unpleasant to tolerate any longer.
Líann had remained behind while I’d gone off to place my traps but rejoined me shortly after I finished washing up. She tended to her soot-covered armor and cleaned up as well before joining me as I lay down on the bed.
“How did the battle go for you?” I asked once Líann was beside me. Our reunion after the fighting had been rather abruptly cut short, and this was the first chance I’d had to speak with her again.
“I was with the archers at the start and fired several volleys before we broke up into our separate units,” Líann began her tale. “After that, I just shot at anything we came across—honestly, we all did. But most of the more intense fighting happened on the other side of the battlefield, so we didn’t have that much to do. Only one small band of orcs and a single ogre ever got close to us, but between the spears and our heavy infantry, they were dead in seconds.”
That was exactly how we’d planned it; unfortunately, my visit to the morgue confirmed that things hadn’t gone quite so well with some of the other units; in one case due to them encountering the Deathless couple. Even so, I’d raised three of the fallen already, and most of the rest would be brought back once the Curates cast their Spells and the resurrection scrolls had been used. In the end, our losses shouldn’t be quite as bad as it had seemed when I first looked over the bodies laid out in our makeshift morgue.
“I need to check my notifications,” I said before Líann could ask me about the day I’d had. My frustration over the two Deathless that had done so much damage before escaping was still high, and I didn’t want to go over it again.
“Go ahead,” Líann yawned as she curled up beside me. “But I’ll probably be asleep before you finish.”
I understood just how tired she was. With the adrenaline wearing off, the fatigue of the day’s exertions was setting in for me as well, and I envied Líann as I felt her body relax and melt into the soft mattress. However, I knew that there were probably thousands of notifications waiting for me, so I opened my UI and let them start scrolling in my vision.
Valued User: Due to the large volume of your pending notifications, level-up options have been delayed until after you’ve cleared them. We hope this slight modification improves your gaming experience.
No surprise there…
Commander’s bonus – You have earned party credit for every kill made under your command or the direct command of one of your party members.
Valued User: Due to the potential for abuse, there is a maximum credit of 1000 kills allowed from any single attack. You have exceeded this limit, and your XP reward has been adjusted accordingly.
Wait, what?
Experience gained – You have gained 1375 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 1375 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 395 XP.
. . .
Experience gained – You have gained 395 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 165 XP.
. . .
Experience gained – You have gained 165 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 97 XP.
. . .
Experience gained – You have gained 97 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 580 XP.
. . .
Experience gained – You have gained 580 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 395 XP.
. . .
Experience gained – You have gained 395 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 220 XP.
. . .
Experience gained – You have gained 220 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 165 XP.
. . .
Experience gained – You have gained 165 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 97 XP.
. . .
Experience gained – You have gained 97 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 85 XP.
. . .
Experience gained – You have gained 85 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 32 XP.
. . .
Experience gained – You have gained 32 XP.
Boon, Saibra’s Oath – Saibra’s kills belong to you now, and you will receive full credit for every life she takes in your name. In addition to XP credit, you have also received a 1% bonus you may apply to any weapon or armor skill that you currently possess. However, this bonus may not be used to raise any skill above 60%.
Experience gained – You have gained 580 XP.
. . .
Experience gained – You have gained 580 XP.
You have 23 percentage points to distribute amongst your armor and weapons skills.
Valued User: You have gained 16 levels. In order to streamline the level-up process, your accumulated discretionary Attribute points will be allotted at once. However, you still may not assign more than 1 point per level gained to any single Attribute. Skills and other bonuses you have earned will be granted after you have assigned your Attribute points.
Your non-discretionary points have been allocated as follows: Strength, 3 points, Constitution, 4 points, Dexterity, 2 points, Intelligence, 3 points, Wisdom, 4 points, and Charisma, 16 points.
We hope this slight modification improves your gaming experience.
Once the notifications finally ground to a halt, my head was spinning a bit from all the information that had just been thrown at me. Initially, I thought that I would only be receiving credit for 1000 kills for the entire battle, but when the numbers just kept rolling across the screen, I realized what had happened. The ‘single attack’ the message referenced was the massive explosion that had started the fight, and I’d only received credit for the highest value kills that had resulted from it. I might have been frustrated by that limitation, b
ut even my basic math skills told me that adding the 16 levels I’d gained to the 64 I already had put me right at the ‘max level’ of 80. While I’d continue to advance beyond that and still gain stat points, there’d be no more automatic Skill or Spell gains—I’d have to work for those. That was just fine by me; I had more talents than I could manage at the moment, with even more to come in just a few minutes.
The tremendous amount of XP I’d gained also reminded me of the great disparity in power between myself and the other Deathless I’d met so far. Some of the choices I’d made had prevented me from advancing for many long months while I attended to the affairs of my Empire, yet despite that apparent disadvantage, I was still far stronger than any of them. In the long run, the decision I’d made to help others had proven to be a benefit rather than a liability, while the selfishness of Logan and the other Deathless ultimately left them far weaker than me. They had taken the relatively easy path of targeting only the weak, reaping far lesser rewards in the process, while aiding the less fortunate had granted me not only the Commander’s Bonus but other powerful boons as well. While I could never have followed their despicable path, I was also grateful that my choices had been rewarded as I returned my focus to the task at hand.
Sixteen points to distribute… hmmmm. I decided to round off both Strength and Constitution by putting six and four points into each Attribute, respectively. Besides, in the short run at least, they were probably my most critical stats. After that, I dumped two points each into Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom. I’m not even sure why I did that, other than to keep them advancing at a similar pace—I had no other reason for doing so. But once I finished assigning my points, the next menu appeared.
You can now choose new Abilities. You must choose four 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.
Enlarge – Advanced Ability – Your arrow grows to massive size in flight, taking on the power of a ballista bolt. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 120 Endurance.
Shield Strike – Advanced Ability – Bypass an opponent’s shield with your blade attack. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 120 Endurance.
Defender – Advanced Ability – Use your bladed weapon(s) to successfully block all incoming attacks for a short period of time. Duration of this effect is dependent on proficiency with this Skill and the weapon(s) used. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 180 Endurance.
Cleave – Advanced Ability – Your next attack with a bladed weapon ignores your opponent’s armor. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 150 Endurance.
Deadeye – Advanced Ability – Unless your victim resists its effect, on a successful hit, your arrow instantly kills its target. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 200 Endurance and 200 Aura.
Skill Boost – Advanced Ability – You may apply a 5% bonus to the proficiency of any Skill or Ability you currently possess. This bonus may not be used to raise any proficiency above 50%. This perk may be selected more than once.
Your choice is final and must be made now. Choose wisely, as you will no longer automatically gain new Abilities.
Okay… this wasn’t going to be easy. Deadeye seemed awesome at first glance, but I ruled it out after only a moment of consideration. My God-forged arrows pretty much already allowed for insta-kills, and the exorbitantly high cost of the talent made it worthless to me. If I didn’t have the Quiver of the Elements, I might have given it more thought, but leaving Deadeye behind was pretty much a no-brainer.
Both Cleave and Defender did seem to have a lot of use though, especially with the four Deathless still out there. I had no idea what talents they had, but Thorgil was a Warrior, and Aish and Jaide were both Shadows, so the possibility of having to face one of them in close combat was very real. Considering the risk, I took both of the new blade talents.
Remembering just how limited Skill Boost had really been, I ignored it and focused on the talents I’d passed over before. Only a few Advanced Abilities remained, and I looked each of them over carefully, eventually settling on Enlarge and Siphon. Just thinking of a ballista bolt-sized fire or ice arrow made me practically giddy with delight—I really should have taken that one sooner. And Siphon? Well, I wasn’t sure how often I’d be able to use it, but when circumstances required me to rely on regular ammunition, that one would be quite nasty.
Having surpassed level 80, you can now choose new Spells. You must choose two 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 that 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. – 20%
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.
Earthquake – Cause a disturbance in the ground beneath the target area. Opponents within the area of effect must pass a Dexterity check or lose their balance. May cause structurally unsound construction to collapse. Intensity of these effects increases with proficiency. Modifiers – Strength and Constitution. Cost – 350 Aura.
Corruption – Infect a single target with corruption that can only be cured by invoking powerful magic. Those who succumb to this corruption are unable to be resurrected by normal means. Modifier – Charisma. Cost – 400 Aura.
Your choice is final and must be made now. Choose wisely, as you will no longer automatically gain new Spells.
Earthquake seemed pretty badass—I imagined casting it in the middle of a packed crowd of enemies and watching them all stumble and fall as the ground beneath them shook. It seemed like a Spell that could easily turn the tide of a fight, and I didn’t hesitate to take it first.
With only one Spell left to me, I scanned through my options slowly. Corruption was obviously quite powerful, but it made my skin crawl—especially considering the fact that Venna had almost died when the Defiler had unleashed a very similar Spell on her. That really only left me with Summon Creature and Charm to choose from since the rest were all far less powerful Spells. Ultimately, I decided on Summon Creature; not only was I leery of taking yet another Spell that seemed to border on
compulsion, but the innate appeal of summoning finally won out.
The selection of my last Spell completed the leveling-up process, and in that very same instant, I experienced the familiar, yet still disconcerting sensation of the Godheart as it began unraveling inside my chest once again. The movement within me was accompanied by the feeling of warm energy, but it all faded away again after only a few seconds. Just being one of the Sintári had unlocked the first stage of the artifact Mother had placed inside me, while sharing all my V’Ríel with Líann had opened it up once more. Hitting the milestone that was level 80 had just released its powers again, and somehow, I knew that there was only one more task left for me to accomplish before all the Godheart’s powers were revealed to me—yet I had no idea what that task was or what would happen to me when the power of the Godheart was completely unleashed. I pondered that thought for quite a while before I realized that there was one last message displayed in my vision.
Having reached level 80, you have earned your final Sintári Bonus.
For achieving this great milestone, you have been granted the Shadow Magic Spell, Merge.
That seemed… underwhelming. But to find out for sure, and to both look over everything else I’d gained and add the points I’d earned from Saibra’s Oath, I pulled up my personal sheet.
Dreya Dae
Sintári Female
Title: Sintári, Empress
Level - 80
2977476/3031200
Health - 605/605 Aura - 1017/1617 Endurance - 605/605
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 - 70 (+7)
CON - 50 (+5)
DEX - 46 (+4)
INT - 38 (+3)
WIS - 39 (+3)
CHA - 96 (+9)
Abilities
Ignore Armor – Your next arrow will ignore a portion of the target’s armor. Cost – 20 Aura. – 36%
Second Skin Omnibus Page 214