by Sarah Lin
"No! No!" Bloodwraith shouted it, not caring that he earned some strange looks. When he examined himself, he saw that the inflated numbers had actually disappeared. The "guidelines" were finally disabled.
That was a far greater prize than winning a battle or gaining a level. Bloodwraith hummed the little tune to himself in celebration.
Chapter 7
It turned out that shardwing tasted surprisingly good.
While it wasn't exactly payment for the lives and goods that had been lost, Bloodwraith had to admit that it was an unexpected silver lining. Danniah and a few others blanched, but insect meat was commonly eaten by some desert tribes and it seemed as reasonable to him as anything else meatbags ate. Properly cooked and spiced, it tasted good enough that even Danniah changed her mind.
Though the caravan was eager to celebrate their survival with minimal losses, Bloodwraith had something far more important to celebrate. As he and the others settled down for the night, he brought his personal box into being one more time, just to reassure himself that the accursed guidelines really had been turned off.
[Name: Raigar
Race: Human
Class: Barbarian
Alignment: Good
Health: 197/197
Mana: 23/23
Weapon Mana: 6/6
Stamina: 142/142
Level: 11
EXP: 3,417/86,400
Statistics:
Might: 44 (50)
Vitality: 36 (40)
Quickness: 35 (40)
Intellect: 18
Charisma: 12
Willpower: 18 (20)
Wisdom: 13
Luck: 17
Piety: 5
Unassigned Points: 5
Combat Skills: Cleave (6), Fist of Rage (8), Sword of Rage (6), Shout of Rage (5)
Skills: Two-handed Weapons (11), Evasion (7), Survivalism (4), Herbalism (6), Manual Labor (1), Swimming (2)
Special Skill: Undead Companion (6)
Proficiencies: Greatsword, Heavy Armor]
[Inventory (Extra-dimensional Bag)
Equipment: Lodestone Greatsword, Armor of the Tyrant (set), Leather Gloves of Strength
Rings: Ring of Herbalism, Ring of Quickness, Ring of Willpower, Ring of Might
Items: Peasant's Outfit, Health Potion x9, Mana Potion x9, Failed Potion x9
Key Items: Amulet of Reincarnation
Money: 4 G, 16 S, 63 C]
Though he couldn't be completely comfortable until he'd tested via a few fights, he thought everything was back to normal. When he looked at the alleged "Ring of Ultimate Might" it was now listed as a simple Ring of Might, which matched the enchantment he felt from it.
It hadn't been so long ago that he'd hated the sight of the boxes, but now he was just glad that the EXP listing represented reality instead of a bunch of over-inflated numbers. He'd spent some time that day just staring at all the other guards, comparing the numbers the boxes gave them.
His eyes wandered to the others, first to Danniah curled up on her mat before he noticed that Meara was awake and watching him.
"You're staring at a lot of boxes lately."
"Because they're no longer lying to me. I need to reorient myself."
"I'm not so sure they were lying before." Meara leaned back against the side of their wagon and glanced out thoughtfully. "The numbers are all arbitrary in the end, aren't they? One point... a billion points... those could both be different interpretations of the same thing."
"They may be arbitrary in isolation, but the boxes were lying to me about relative levels." Bloodwraith shook his head slowly. "It led to inconsistencies, but I think they were starting to smooth themselves out. I'm glad I changed back now."
"You think you could have changed entirely over to the other system?"
"One designed to stroke the Outsider's ego, yes."
Meara smirked at him. "How can you be sure that your current system isn't also designed to stroke your ego, just less obviously?"
"It declares victory any time I kill anything - of course I've thought about it. The system is unquestionably designed to serve the beings who use it. The question is how I can make it serve me instead, because their purposes are not mine."
"That's reasonable. Are you thinking about something now, or just developing a box fetish?"
Bloodwraith's eyes slid over to the "Unassigned Points" listing. "I earned more power during the fight with the shardwing, but I haven't invested it yet. It seems clear that gaining these 'Levels' will become more difficult as time goes on, so I will need to be more careful about my decisions in the future."
"What have you been doing so far?"
"At first I needed to invest everything in physical characteristics in order to become a competent warrior. And that paid off, because I earned a special bonus for passing a total number. But focusing on one discipline gave me serious weaknesses, particularly when it comes to magic and new skills. Perhaps I have enough physical strength for now and it would be better to invest all future points in my Intellect statistic."
"Hmm. Maybe, maybe not." Meara examined him and her eyes unfocused as if she was looking beyond him. "You aren't limited to just the points you assign, right? You can earn them via normal actions?"
"Yes. The way all beings not cursed by the boxes do, I assume."
"This 'Intellect' number... did it start where it is now?"
"No, it began at 10. All of them started at around that value." Bloodwraith paused, considering the fact that it was currently at 18. "I suppose it's true that I have earned more Intellect points than I've gained other statistics, like Charisma or Wisdom. But to be a true necromancer, I need even more."
"I wanted to focus on the first part of that. I think there's a reason for it." Meara returned to focusing on him with a slight smile. "There's been a discrepancy from the beginning. Your Might has tracked your physical strength, which has been obvious in how much muscle you've put on since we first met. But Intellect... the system might be treating you as if you have low intelligence, but you obviously didn't."
"My mind might be my own, and I suppose that is an advantage. But when it comes to creating skills, the boxes refuse to cooperate."
"But I think the discrepancy is leading to your number increasing. You gain 'Might' by using your body, right? It stands to reason that you can gain 'Intellect' by using your mind. And your mind has been far more active than would be expected for a barbarian, so you're slowly earning points to make up the difference."
Bloodwraith considered that for a long moment. Yes, it did match what he had seen so far. He found himself wondering exactly how the system would rate his true intelligence, but that didn't matter in the end. All he could do now was exploit it as much as possible. "You may be right."
"I'm not sure that tells you anything about what you need to do next, though. It might still be worthwhile to put those points into Intellect."
"No, I believe you make a good point. While placing points into other statistics has not limited my growth, if I have an additional advantage in this case, I should not cut it short." Bloodwraith folded his arms, pleased to have reached a conclusion. "Besides, the skeletons I create do not seem heavily affected by the statistic. I can afford to wait while I continue experimenting."
"If you're getting these extra points all the time... does that mean you'll grow more rapidly than anyone else?"
"That was certainly the threat of the original Raigar. Though there are clearly limits - I will need quite some time to equal the strength of a strong veteran like Daek the Knife."
Still, he found his eyes wandering back to Danniah. She was still declared Level 9 and she had no EXP value listed at all. He would have expected those to increase, after her major role in the battle. But perhaps things really did work differently for her.
While he was still pondering Danniah's box, he saw Meara's lips twitch. "Now that I look at it... I'm afraid your box is missing something else. Something critical."
"What is
it?"
"Shouldn't you have a 'Skull Throwing' skill?"
Bloodwraith groaned. "You saw that?"
"I did, I was just too intimidated to say anything before now. Truly, necromancy is a terrible and awe-inspiring art!"
"I'm going to sleep now." Bloodwraith huffed and turned away from her, but he didn't mind the sound of Meara's soft laughter.
~ ~ ~
After another two days, they split from the caravan to head toward Manascas. Bloodwraith was mostly pleased to be alone and able to practice necromancy without any obstacles, though he had to admit the mage and some of the veteran guards had been useful. Danniah seemed more disappointed to be going alone, while Meara seemed unaffected.
As they walked, the dirt became progressively sandier. They had definitely left Bannlind now, so it could only be a matter of tendays, not months. He actually didn't mind, as he needed more time to develop his abilities. Though there was no threat waiting in Manascas, based on its reputation the competition would be fiercer than in Cresthaven.
But better to struggle in a difficult environment than languish in a simple one... provided that they all made it through alive. Or undead. Bloodwraith idly flipped one of the skeleton skulls in his hand as he walked, reading through the different boxes. He was close to finalizing his plans...
"Hey, Bloodwraith..." Danniah moved to walk just beside him. "Would you hit me?"
He stared down at her. "What?"
"I'm saying I want you to hit me."
Meara appeared on Danniah's other side, raising her eyebrows. "Getting into the rougher stuff, are you?"
"No!" Danniah elbowed her in the stomach, flushing scarlet. "I mean as an experiment. I've been feeling... well, maybe it seems silly, but I've been feeling a lot tougher lately. I wanted to see if it was just in my head or not - the caravan guards shared a bunch of tips with me after we fought the shardwing and I was afraid they might be making me overconfident."
Danniah was thinking of running experiments now... Bloodwraith felt a surge of approval. But instead of hitting her, he examined her more closely...
[Name: Danniah
Race: Half-Human/Half-Dwarf
Class: Warrior
Health: 244/244
Mana: 3/3
Stamina: 171/171
Level: 10
EXP: ???
Affection: 100/100
Statistics:
Might: 27
Vitality: 43 (44)
Quickness: 21
Intellect: 13
Charisma: 15
Willpower: 20
Wisdom: 13
Luck: 11
Piety: 12
Skills: Defend (12), Shield Bash (8), Shield Impact (4)
Proficiencies: Heavy Armor, Heavy Shield, Mace]
The first thing that stuck out to him was that the box now declared her to be Level 10, even though they hadn't fought anything recently. But when he looked more closely, he was impressed by Danniah's growth. She was definitely tough, with a Vitality higher than his, even accounting for the enchantments on his equipment. Speaking of which, she could use some upgrades as well...
"You're not imagining it," he said. "Your box says that you're Level 10 now."
"Hurray!" Danniah's smile immediately went lopsided. "Of course, other than the Level numbers you've told me, that doesn't mean anything more to me than 'Level Eleventeen' or 'Level Pumpkin.' "
Meara shook her head. "Nonsense. You passed Level Pumpkin a long time ago."
Ignoring their jests entirely, Bloodwraith focused on the key issue. "According to the boxes, every 10 Levels marks a significant new tier of strength. I'm not sure how much that applies to you, but the number is still a mark of accomplishment."
"Thanks, Bloodwraith." Danniah tapped her helm on the chin thoughtfully. "Did I earn it for helping kill the shardwing, do you think?"
"I would have thought so, but you were Level 9 until recently. I have not yet figured out the reason for this oddity. Clearly, normal people do not follow exactly the same rules as the boxes."
They considered it in silence for a moment before Meara spoke. "What if, for you, the Levels are literally your strength, whereas for everyone else, they're just an approximation of it?"
"That's likely, but does it answer the question about Danniah?"
"You're starting by thinking about how it works for you, then translating that system to others. But I think it's actually the other way around." Meara put her hand on Danniah's back. "Even if Danniah grew stronger during the fight and learned new things, that power doesn't appear instantly. That would be pure magic, not natural strength. No, her body needs time to recover and she needs time to reflect on her experiences to improve."
"Ah." Bloodwraith nodded as he understood. "The Outsiders have a vague understanding of this, but they can only approximate it. Instead of gaining strength slowly over time, the boxes bestow it in set increments, without the need for reflection. The box gods don't seem much interested in that, anyway."
Danniah looked between them, perking up as she followed the conversation. "That makes sense to me! But I don't get any magic points like Bloodwraith... is my 10 the same as his 10?"
"I'm not sure. We don't understand the system well enough to address precisely how it works. For example, I seem to draw in death energy from those I kill, but how do I obtain the same energy from fulfilling random conditions for quests?" That question would be one to ponder, but he had no way of answering. When he didn't continue, Danniah continued on another subject with a broad smile.
"This is kind of fun, actually! Normally it's so hard to tell if you're making any progress, but you can use the boxes to tell me what I've accomplished." Danniah skipped ahead, hefting her shield experimentally. "I wonder how I'll feel when I hit Level 11? What about Level 20? But I suppose that's a long ways away..."
"Actually, there's something you can do right now: practice your new shield bash technique."
Danniah stuck out her tongue. "I've been trying to practice it, but I don't enjoy it. I always feel so drained afterward and I can't do a second one until I've rested for a good while. I guess that's how mana works, I suppose, but I'm not used to it."
"No, I have a theory." Bloodwraith raised a hand and brought their group to a halt before he moved to stand in front of Danniah. "You hit me."
"With the shield thingy? Well, if you say so..."
Setting her feet and positioning her shield in front of her, Danniah took a deep breath, then thrust forward. Bloodwraith's instincts told him to leap aside, but he forced himself to stay in position. The mana-filled shockwave hit him in the chest, sending him flying heels over head off the path. He managed to land on his feet and skidded backward wildly before regaining his balance.
"Oh, gosh! Are you alright, Bloodwraith?"
He waved her off and walked back to them, pretending that his head wasn't reeling. His Health currently displayed only [190/197], which wasn't very much damage, but there was a [Condition: Stunned] box floating in his vision. On top of that, his heavily enchanted armor would have deflected much of the force compared to another target. Danniah might have only one magical skill, but it was a good one.
"The problem is that there's no way I can do it again." Danniah lifted her shield and pushed it back and forth experimentally. "My body still feels okay, but I just... don't have it in me."
"That's because you currently have only 1 out of your 3 total mana. Your skill seems to require 2 mana to cast."
"Wow, you can measure mana in units like that?"
Bloodwraith folded his arms and scowled. "No, you can't, but the boxes believe you can. What I can tell you is that the amount of mana I would say an average simple spell requires is equivalent to about 2 or 3 points as far as the boxes are concerned."
"Oh! Then if I have 3 points, that means with just a little more work, I could do it twice in a row!"
The fact that Danniah caught on instantly wiped the scowl off his face and Bloodwraith nodded. "That'
s the theory."
"That's actually really motivating... I want to practice a whole bunch, but I'm still so drained..." Danniah cut off as Meara slid up alongside her, presenting her a Mana Potion. Danniah beamed at her, drained it in one breath, then hopped up. "Alright, let's try this!"
They kept walking forward, Danniah eagerly shield bashing trees, rocks, and anything else that seemed a good target. Not him, though he wondered if he could build up a resistance with repeated blows. Danniah kept drinking more potions until eventually she grew too fatigued to continue. The body could only force so much mana, after all, even with the aid of potions.
That night, she was out like a light as soon as they finished eating. Bloodwraith checked her box again and saw that she was still listed as [Mana: 3/3], but he felt certain that she'd made progress. Unfortunately, the boxes refused to give her a progress percentage the way they did for his own stats.
Perhaps there actually wasn't one. His magical senses weren't terribly precise, but he did think Danniah had increased her mana capacity. It had simply increased by less than what the boxes counted as a single full point, and apparently they refused to display fractions or decimals.
Since Danniah was exhausted and Meara seemed to have turned inward, Bloodwraith focused on his own concerns. Before they reached Manascas, he needed to make a final decision on how to use his Undead Companion skill. That meant he could only run a limited number of tests before he needed to settle on which exact traits to pick.
The "Bodyless" trait gave him 25 additional NP to work with, which unlocked a new set of traits. Bloodwraith had been slowly reading through the boxes for all of them. Many were focused on immediate strength, but he was more interested in long term development.
One set of five nearly identical traits seemed to exist for exactly that reason:
[Growth Factor (Aggression)
Cost: 10 NP
The Undead Companion will gain an increased degree of independence, capable of taking actions on its own behalf. This cannot turn them against the user, but it is possible for their actions to accidentally cause harm. Their behavior will trend toward an offensive, attacking role.