*Garath?* came Aldrasyl’s voice again within the fleeing feline’s mind. *You have sustained damage. Do you require assistance?*
*Little busy right now Aldrasyl.* He ducked under a low branch and zig-zagged between the trees. *Get ready though, here we come!*
*What type of snacks are you bringing me?* Aldrasyl asked excitedly.
The riverbank came into view 50 yards ahead as Garath pushed his four little legs to their limit. *Bigger cats!*
With his Stamina bar showing 13/100, Garath used every remaining point of energy in his body to pick up the pace.
*Pardon?* Aldrasyl asked. Garath thought he heard a note of concern in the Dragon’s voice.
*Bigger cats!* he repeated. Garath could almost feel the breath of the ferocious felines as they closed in on him. Using his smaller size as an advantage once again, he weaved through the forest with as much speed as he could muster. Garath repeated the answer to Aldrasyl’s question almost like a mantra. His leg muscles burned with each earth-churning step. *Bigger cats! Bigger cats!* With the riverbank only 10 yards away and his Stamina bottoming out at 2/100, he continued through the last of the trees, his mantra getting louder over the Party communication channel each time he said it. *Bigger cats! Bigger cats! Bigger cats!*
Finally, he broke the tree line.
And Aldrasyl was nowhere in sight.
Garath’s heart sank as his Stamina hit 0/100 and his legs began to wobble. The pursuing pumas converged around him, fanning out in a hissing circle of claws and fangs. Lightheaded and surrounded by a Mana-infused version of the world’s most vicious killers, Garath panicked. He lived through The Culling only to die here, abandoned by the Dragon that was supposed to be his salvation.
Then, he heard a whoosh from above and felt a torrent of air pressing him, and the pumas, against the ground. Garath looked up and laid eyes on the most magnificent thing he had ever seen.
Aldrasyl descended from on high, his wings spread wide to slow the dive and hammer the creatures below with pressurized air. When the massive reptile was only a few feet above the circled felines, he opened his mouth and expelled a thick, blue slime. It coated everything below, including Garath, instantly freezing the affected creatures in place. Garath’s Healthbar gained a new debuff icon, and he willed more information to appear as Aldrasyl landed on all fours outside Garath’s circle of death.
You are Frozen and you will be unable to move for the next 6 seconds.
*You’re a real dick, you know that?* Garath told the Dragon.
Aldrasyl did not respond. The winged reptile was busy eating his dinner. Garath laughed as he watched the almost-giddy Dragon excitedly prance from puma to puma, crunch the frozen feline into tiny pieces, and then swallow before prancing over to the next. As he thawed out, Garath reviewed the prompts that had been minimized while he was in combat.
Begin combat log:
[you have been awarded 325 Experience Points for slaying Level 11 Puma Cub]
[you have been awarded 305 Experience Points for slaying Level 10 Puma Cub]
[you have been awarded 350 Experience Points for slaying Level 12 Puma Cub]
[you have been awarded 325 Experience Points for slaying Level 11 Puma Cub]
[you have been awarded 305 Experience Points for slaying Level 10 Puma Cub]
[you have been awarded 350 Experience Points for slaying Level 12 Puma Cub]
[you have been awarded 11,650 Experience Points for slaying Level 19 Puma Matriarch]
End combat log.
Congratulations, Garath! You have unlocked the BeastScape form - Puma.
***See the BeastScape partition of your MENU panels for additional information.
And then the big one:
Congratulations, Garath! For reaching Level 25, you are awarded 5 Attribute Points (3 per Level and + 2 per Level due to your status as a Leader of Man) and 2 Skill Points (1 per Level and +1 per Level due to your status as a Leader of Man) to distribute at your discretion. As a Necrologist, you receive +3 Wisdom, +3 Vitality, and +1 Regeneration per Level.
You have one week to distribute the Points before they are assigned for you based on your chosen Class.
Unused Attribute Points: 10
Unused Skill Points: 19
New Skills are now available.
*I like my meals served cold,* said Aldrasyl, his voice now sounding deeply satisfied.
*That’s great,* Garath replied. He looked the wickedly grinning Dragon up and down slowly. *You have a bit of catsicle stuck just there, between your teeth.*
In all, Garath’s little excursion with Aldrasyl had ended up being a massive win for the Necrologist. It netted him enough Experience to Level up for the second time that day, a new BeastScape form that was frankly badass, and his very first non-Class Skill. Before heading back to the Guild Hall, Garath checked out the new Skills that became available at Level 25.
Summon Golem: Bone Golem
Summoned Creature - Golem
Cost: .5x Base Mana
1 second cast
1-minute cooldown
Effect: summon a Bone Golem to fight by your side. Once a Bone Golem has been summoned, you may dismiss it by casting the spell Summon Golem: Bone Golem. The Bone Golem increases your Armor Rating and Magic Resistance, and that of your Summoned Creatures, by +20%.
***Note: You may only have one active Golem at a time.
Cost to Unlock: 3 Skill Points
Unused Skill Points: 19
Summon Golem: Blood Golem
Summoned Creature - Golem
Cost: .25x Base Mana +.25x Base Health
1 second cast
1-minute cooldown
Effect: summon a Blood Golem to fight by your side. Once a Blood Golem has been summoned, you may dismiss it by casting the spell Summon Golem: Blood Golem. When a Blood Golem is active, 20% of the damage dealt to its Summoner is transferred to the Blood Golem.
***Note: You may only have one active Golem at a time.
Cost to Unlock: 3 Skill Points
Unused Skill Points: 19
Summon Golem: Dreadreaver
Summoned Creature - Golem
Cost: .5x Base Mana
1 second cast
1-minute cooldown
Effect: summon a Dreadreaver from hell to fight by your side. Once a Dreadreaver has been summoned, you may dismiss it by casting the spell Summon Golem: Dreadreaver. The Dreadreaver is a demon, and the most dangerous Golem in terms of damage output.
***Note: You may only have one active Golem at a time.
Cost to Unlock: 3 Skill Points
Unused Skill Points: 19
Garath whooped internally, still in his House Cat form. He finally got access to another summoning spell. In this case, it was obvious that he’d only need to purchase one of the three new Skills. However, because he had access to so many Skill Points, Garath considered the functionality of purchasing two or even all three of the Summon Golem Skills.
The Necrologist knew that he’d only be able to have one active Golem at any given time but, because their individual bonuses were so different, he thought that maybe it would be prudent to purchase all three and use each of them on a situational basis. He shrugged. Why the hell not?
Do you wish to purchase the Skills:
Summon Golem: Bone Golem; Summon Golem: Blood Golem; Summon Golem: Dreadreaver?
Yes or No
Total Cost: 9
Unused Skill Points: 19
Garath chose ‘Yes’ to confirm his purchase. He fought the urge to summon each of the Golems right there by the riverside just to see what they looked like. He did not want to alarm the now very lethargic Dragon, but it definitely took a top spot on his mental to-do list. He took a moment to open his MENU panels, then navigated to the Summoned Creatures partition and gleaned more information about each of the Golems.
Golem: Bone Golem
Race: Undead
Station: Golem
Health: 650/650
Mana: 0/0
Attributes
Vitality: 65 - Each point of Vitality provides +10 to maximum Health.
Wisdom: 1 - N/A
Regeneration: 1 - As a Bone Golem, each point of Regeneration increases Health recovery rate by +.25 per second; and recovery from injury by +3%.
Strength: 74 - In addition to making one stronger, each point of Strength increases physical attack damage by 1% and reduces damage received from physical attacks by .25%.
Dexterity: 36 - In addition to making one more agile, each point of Dexterity improves the critical strike chance of physical attacks by +.3%; the critical strike damage of physical attacks by +3%; and improves chance to dodge by +.5%.
Golem: Blood Golem
Race: Slime
Station: Golem
Health: 1,650/1,650
Mana: 0/0
Attributes
Vitality: 165 - Each point of Vitality provides +10 to maximum Health.
Wisdom: 1 - N/A
Regeneration: 49 - As a Blood Golem, each point of Regeneration increases Health recovery rate by +.375 per second; and recovery from injury by +3%.
Strength: 42 - In addition to making one stronger, each point of Strength increases physical attack damage by 1% and reduces damage received from physical attacks by .25%.
Dexterity: 19 - In addition to making one more agile, each point of Dexterity improves the critical strike chance of physical attacks by +.3%; the critical strike damage of physical attacks by +3%; and improves chance to dodge by +.5%.
Golem: Dreadreaver
Race: Demon
Station: Golem
Health: 850/850
Mana: 0/0
Attributes
Vitality: 85 - Each point of Vitality provides +10 to maximum Health.
Wisdom: 1 - Each point of Wisdom provides +10 to maximum Mana.
Regeneration: 11 - As a Dreadreaver, each point of Regeneration increases Health recovery rate by +.25 per second; and recovery from injury by +3%.
Strength: 114 - In addition to making one stronger, each point of Strength increases physical attack damage by 1% and reduces damage received from physical attacks by .25%.
Dexterity: 93 - In addition to making one more agile, each point of Dexterity improves the critical strike chance of physical attacks by +.3%; the critical strike damage of physical attacks by +3%; and improves chance to dodge by +.5%.
Garath was psyched about the new creatures he could summon. Because of its ridiculous Strength and Dexterity, he decided the Dreadreaver would be his ‘go-to’ for most fights. The Blood Golem would definitely be useful when he thought he’d be taking damage, and the Bone Golem would be nice to have around if his other creatures were in danger. All told, the Golems were an awesome addition to the small army now at his command.
Chapter Eleven – Hatch, Bloom, Birth?
Garath finally eked in a few hours of much-needed sleep on the cliff beside his egg. The hunting trip with Aldrasyl the night before had been exactly what he needed. It left him physically and mentally exhausted enough to sleep, despite his excitement about the final watering of his egg the next morning.
Just like he had the previous two days, Garath awoke early and summoned a bottle of the artesian well water from his Items panel. He crouched over the soil housing his egg and gently dumped the entire contents of the bottle on it. As the last drops of high quality water was soaked up by the fertile ground, Garath gasped. He felt the new presence in his mind strengthen again, even more than it had the day before. His breath caught as a tiny silver leaf poked up and out of the damp earth then began to slowly, almost imperceptibly grow before his eyes.
*I don’t know if you can hear me,* he projected the thought encouragingly. *But I can’t wait to meet you.*
Quest Complete: Water for the Egg
Congratulations, Garath! You have completed the Quest, Water for the Egg.
You have been awarded 6,500 Experience Points.
Garath frowned. The quest was complete, but he'd been expecting something… more. Curiously, the Necrologist tried to trigger Inspect on the little, silver-leafed plant now peeking an inch or two out of the soft earth. Nothing happened. He continued to watch as the otherworldly silver stem continued to grow. It sprouted another reflective silver leaf, and then another. By the time the plant had grown to stand three inches out of the soft soil, a faintly glowing silver bulb sat heavily atop its stem. A flickering movement in the corner of Garath's vision caught his attention. He turned to face it, eyes squinting in the low light of early morning.
At first, he saw nothing. Then a fluffy black tail flicked again and Garath saw the reflective eyes of his cat, Tarzan. The feline was transfixed, staring with unblinking eyes at the faintly glowing bulb growing out of the ground in front of the still-crouching Necrologist. Tarzan inched closer, ears flat and butt low until her flicking tail was repeatedly smacking the side of Garath's thigh. With a front row seat, the big black ball of fluff watched with unyielding interest.
Not heavy enough to be called fog, the fine mist that locals call the marine layer gave the morning a very grey, Pacific Northwest feel. Not rainy or stormy, just grey. The small portion of the sun that was just peeking over the mountains to the east did its damnedest to pierce through the grey without much success. The faint light from the glowing bulb capping the silver plant reflected off of the fine mist around it, creating a luminescent bubble. The whole scene felt absolutely magical. The Necrologist sat down next to Tarzan and continued to watch as the plant slowly grew.
When the stem was standing just over six inches out of the damp earth, the tip of the bulb started to peel back in four equally sized sections to reveal the beautiful, delicate white flower within. In a matter of minutes, the flower had bloomed entirely. Thin silver veins were visible beneath the skin of each of its white petals. At the flower's center, a ball of light only about an inch in diameter lifted off and began to hover.
Congratulations, Garath! Your Consecrated Egg has bloomed, giving birth to a Celestial Wisp.
Anchor the Wisp to yourself or a creature under your control. To do so, simply present yourself or your chosen creature to the Wisp.
Results may vary, choose well.
***Note: Anchoring a Celestial Wisp always results in a permanent alteration to the subject’s Skills and Abilities, often granting a new and unique Class.
Garath was stunned. He honestly hadn't known what to expect, but he certainly hadn't even considered the possibility that his egg would bloom into a flower and then give birth, to a Celestial Wisp no less. For a moment, the Necrologist just sat there dumb faced, staring at the hovering marble of light. The Wisp wiggled slightly, and Tarzan pounced.
In abject horror, Garath squawked and reached out to grab his stupid cat, but it was too late. When he turned the black cat to face him, she swallowed, and the faint glow escaping her teeth disappeared. Garath, wide-eyed with disbelief and frustration, set the cat down. Tarzan licked her lips delicately, and then began to levitate. Garath's jaw dropped, then he desperately accessed the system prompt that appeared in his mind's eye.
Congratul… Error.
Tarzan was suddenly encased by a transparent, square-shaped cage and lifted to hover about four feet off the ground. There she remained, looking completely unapologetic.
Garath threw his arms out wildly as he got to his feet. "Tarzan! What the hell? I could have had a unique Class!" The Necrologist pouted like a child. "All the cool protagonists get a unique Class…"
Another system prompt appeared and Garath drank in the information provided like it was the last glass of water in the Sahara.
Know this, Garath:
Through no fault of your own, a system error has occurred. The feline, Tarzan, is not a Summoned Creature, nor is she under your control. She has ingested the Celestial Wisp, and therefore it cannot no longer be anchored to yourself or a Summoned Creature of your choice.
Please remain patient while a solution is prepared.
For
the first time since he'd received the prompt that shook the world, Garath actually felt like he was stuck in a video game. He waited, albeit anything but patiently. In the quiet seconds that followed, Garath stared angrily at the stupid cat. Finally, another prompt appeared.
Know this, Garath, Leader of Man:
You are truly blessed.
A unique creature has been created from the merging of a Celestial Wisp and the Feline, Tarzan, to form the Cait Sith - Lord of Cats.
The following adjustments have been made to Tarzan:
The Tree of Ascension: A LitRPG Apocalypse (Peril's Prodigy Book 2) Page 11