by Aleron Kong
“I’ve fortified your max endurance and replenished your stamina pool. The increase will only last an hour, though, so do what you need to do and come back safely.” Her tough exterior cracked. “I don’t want you to have to go to that awful place again.” Several of his people had seen him come through a rift that led to a sea of pure chaos the last time he respawned. Sumiko had been deeply disturbed by what she had seen through the rent in reality.
Richter smiled, riding the ultimate runner’s high. All of his irritation and anger of a moment ago forgotten, he said, “Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll bring the other kids back safe!” She scowled at him again, but he just laughed and started running, the guards close behind him.
Alma flew overwatch again and led them unerringly back to the other members of the war party. The three mist workers were walking with them, each carrying their assigned load. Even though they hadn’t been separated overly long, Richter was still relieved to see all of them.
“So yer back from yer little jog, yer lordship?” the dwarf asked. A smile was on his bearded face, white teeth poking through his salt and pepper beard. One of the smith’s arms was up in a sling, but it didn’t seem to have dampened his spirit at all. The dwarf had his hammer slung over his other shoulder, and though his chainmail shirt was still rent, the flesh Richter could see underneath was smooth and unblemished.
Richter smiled back. “Sumiko is a bit irritated with us for getting banged up, but she says she can save Sedrin’s fingers. The ones we found anyway.”
Terrod walked up and handed over Richter’s sword. He could see that the captain’s own sword had been recovered and was resting in its sheath. “That is quite the instrument you have there, my lord.”
“Krom is to thank for that,” he replied. The village Smith nodded with pride.
Richter examined the members of his war party. No one had made it through the fight unscathed, but except for Sedrin, no one had been seriously hurt. Terrod and Caulder stood tall, giving orders to the guards Richter had brought. Jean looked a bit pale, but he still smiled reassuringly when he saw Richter examining him. Krom looked energized from the fight and would probably have said he was ready to fight one hundred more of the lizard monsters. Only Beyan refused to meet his gaze, the gnome’s face a complex mixture of emotions. Richter knew that this was not the time to confront the man, but resolved he would do it that night. The last member of the party, Sion, stood tall, bow in hand, steadfast as ever.
As the guards that Richter had brought with him fanned out around the battered party, he and Sion clasped wrists. They shared a look that communicated their friendship and their silent relief that they had survived such a deadly ordeal. Since the end of the fight, Richter had been in damage control mode, not letting the stress, pain, and bloody horror of the fight reach him. Now that they were in relative safety, though, it started to encroach on his psyche. The solidity of his Companion’s friendship helped him to weather the emotional onslaught. Sion gave him a nod and released his grip, and they made their way home. Richter looked around and said, “Alright. Let’s go home.”
Alma continued to fly overhead. Richter looked up, and the dragonling, sensing her master’s attention, dove into a complicated spiral pattern. She pulled out of the dive at the last moment and buzzed directly over one of the guard’s heads before regaining altitude. The man hunched over with a surprised oath and Richter couldn’t help but chuckle at the mischievous creature. He checked the prompts he had earned.
You have been awarded 10,547 (base 140,632 x 0.06 x 1.25) experience from Brain Drain against Level 15 River Skath.
You have been awarded 4,290 (base 57,199 x 0.06 x 1.25) experience from Brain Drain against Level 11 River Skath.
You have been awarded 11,840 (base 157,865 x 0.06 x 1.25) experience from Brain Drain against Level 16 River Skath.
You have been awarded 91,178 (base 1,215,703 x 0.06 x 1.25) experience from Brain Drain against Level 34 Bull River Skath.
TRING!
You have reached level 27! Through hard work you have moved forward along your path. As a Chaos Seed, you gain 6 points to distribute to characteristics instead of the usual 4. You also get 25% advancement to the skill of your choice! Crush your enemies, honor your allies, LIVE!
TRING!
You have reached level 28! Through hard work you have moved forward along your path. As a Chaos Seed, you gain 6 points to distribute to characteristics instead of the usual 4. You also get 25% advancement to the skill of your choice! Crush your enemies, honor your allies, LIVE!
You have either characteristic points or skill percentage points to allocate from the previous level. Now that you have progressed again, you must allocate your points within the next week or they will randomly be assigned for you.
You familiar has reached level 22!
You familiar has reached level 23!
You familiar has reached level 24!
Richter held off on opening the next prompt. He was delighted that both he and Alma had leveled thanks to the battle, but it also reminded him that he had been putting off allocating the points from his earlier levels. This was his last night before his stats would be randomly allocated. He promised himself that it would happen before he slept. He wanted to know what he could do with Alma’s points right now though. Richter accessed her status page.
Name: Alma
Level: 24, 41%
Health: 340 Mana: 442 Stamina: 340
(Unused level points: 4)
Abilities:
Psi Bond – Lvl 3, points to next level: 3
Psi Blast – Lvl 2, points to next level: 2
Brain Drain – Lvl 6, points to next level: 6
Can use:
Air Magic
Life Magic
Resistances:
Mental: 100%
Air: 50%
Life: 50%
Race: Psi Dragonling
Richter saw that with the points he had, he could increase either her Psi Bond or Psi Blast once. If he waited another two levels he would be able to level her Brain Drain again, but that just didn’t appeal to him. The power of her Psi Blast was amazing and advancing it to level two had let her deal direct health damage with the ability. Level three might unlock another effect. More than anything, though, he loved how much… MORE she was since the Psi Bond had been increased. She had been little more than a pet at first, but now she was like a cherished friend. Richter shook his head and realized it was actually more than that. She was family. That thought helped him decide what to do.
*Come here, my love. I would like to see you,* he sent.
She immediately flew down towards him. Richter raised his arm and sent a mental image of her alighting upon it like a hawk. She beat her wings to slow when she reached him and then gracefully landed. Her tail wrapped around his wrist for stability and then her little face stared into his own, her draconian eyes full of love and affection.
*You have gotten stronger, my love. In the past, I have always made this decision for you, but you are so much more than you used to be. I think you should help to decide how you develop. So I am asking, what would you like me to do?*
The dragonling continued to stare at him without moving for several minutes. Everyone else knew there was something going on with their liege and his familiar, but since Richter didn’t call out and his steps didn’t falter, they just let him be. Finally though, Alma did speak inside of his mind. *I trust my master.*
Her tone was full of love, but Richter thought he also detected a bit of hesitance. He prompted her to continue. After another minute she sent, *I like eating minds. It feels good. It makes us strong. I like help too. I hurt master’s enemies. I keep master safe.* She stopped transmitting, but he felt she had more to say. He kept walking, holding her up, and looked into her small face.
When she spoke again, there was more strength to her thoughts. *I like these things. I love knowing myself. I love knowing master. I love my master.* She extended her neck forward and licked his
cheek. Richter smiled at his familiar, love blossoming in his heart. The answer was clear. He allocated her points and confirmed his decision.
You have chosen to increase your familiar’s ability: Psi Bond to level 4. Your familiar’s base innate intellect is increased by 75%. She can now communicate in eight-word sentences. Her base Intelligence and Wisdom are also increased by 45%. Your familiar’s Psi Bond has advanced to being able to form a psychic connection even with those lacking the Psi Bond ability. You will also benefit from this stronger tie to your familiar. Your mental resistance from Psi Bond has increased to 30%. Maximum distance of communication increased from 750 yards to 1000 yards. Finally, the improved Psi Bond stabilizes your own mental fortitude. Tasks which require strength of mind will now come easier.
Richter continued to stare into Alma’s eyes and what he saw took his breath away. He stopped walking without realizing it, the rest of the party halting as well. As the dragonling continued to look at him, her gaze deepened. Gone was the unquestioning devotion he had seen a moment before. In its place was love tempered with increased self-awareness. Richter felt like he had watched her grow from a child to a young adult in the blink of an eye. Even her tone was more measured in his mind and also distinctly more feminine.
*Thank you, Master. Few dragonlings ever reach this level of thought. My world is violent. The only law is eat or be eaten. You have set my mind free. My consciousness is exploding with new ideas. I understand so much more now than I did before…* She stopped for a second as she seemed to reflect on the mysteries that her mind was now unraveling. She stretched her wings, then hopped from his arm up to his shoulders. *I love you, Master. I will be with you to death. Then I will follow through to the beyond.*
Richter was moved by the depth of her sentiment. As she settled her body onto his shoulders, he felt her chest rise and fall against the back of his neck. *I love you too, Alma.* The expansion of her mental capabilities had clearly worn the dragonling out because she fell asleep on his shoulders without another word. Richter started walking again and addressed the rest of his prompts.
You have trapped the soul of a River Skath! Soul level: Common.
You have trapped the soul of a River Skath! Soul level: Common.
You have trapped the soul of a Bull River Skath! Soul level: Higher.
Congratulations! You have reached skill level 16 in Tracking. +1% attack bonus vs individual prey. You can follow older tracks.
Congratulations! You have reached skill level 9 in Small Blades. +2% attack speed. +2% bonus to damage.
Congratulations! You have reached skill level 12 in Light Armor. +2% to defense of all light armor.
Congratulations! You have reached subskill level 9 in Grace in Combat. Dodge increased by 15%.
Congratulations! You have reached skill level 8 in Dual Casting… total spell power increased by 232%… mana drain decreased to 268%…
Congratulations! You have reached skill level 9 in Fire Magic. New spells are now available.
Congratulations! You have reached skill level 13 in Air Magic. New spells are now available.
Congratulations! You have reached skill level 4 in War Leader. +1% effective distance. +1% attack and defense for all allies.
Congratulations! You have reached skill level 5 in War Leader. +1% effective distance. +1% attack and defense for all allies.
Congratulations! Your war party survived a surprise attack from a superior force without taking any casualties. Your party has been awarded the Promotion: Vigilant I. +5% to perception of future hidden enemies. +5% to response time to future surprise attacks.
You have unlocked your first Challenge: Leave No Man Behind I! Survive a total of five battles with common soul enemies or higher without losing a single party member. Fail Condition(s): Adding new party member. Death of a party member. Reward: Thirty War Points.
Know This! War Points are awarded based upon the soul level of slain enemies.
For slaying seventeen River Skath and one Bull River Skath you have been awarded seventy-three War Points! Total War Points: 77.
Congratulations! You can purchase your first Badge! At the rank of Novice in your War Leader skill you have access to the following promotions.
Richter smiled. The War Leader skill just got better and better! The question now was which Badge to buy. If it followed the same logic as everything else in The Land, then successive levels would require more points. It looked like he would earn more war points for each enemy that was slain by any member of his war party, though, so technically there were an unlimited number of points that he could collect. That meant he had some leeway with his investing. He had already collected over seventy points on his first trip out, after all. On the other hand, there didn’t seem to be any time limit imposed on when he had to spend the points, so there really wasn’t any rush. Richter shrugged and decided to spend ten points just to see what would happen.
He selected “Magical Attack I.” As soon as he had, another prompt came up asking which magical school he would like to choose. The options were Life, Air, Water, Fire, Earth, and Death. He wondered at the lack of Light and Dark magic, but then he reexamined the fine print under the description and saw that only spell schools that had been used during battle were eligible. Plenty of healing spells had been used, which covered Life. Haste I had been cast continually and Richter had summoned the saproling, which accounted for Air and Earth. He had also cast Slow I and Ice Dagger I so he understood Water being available.
The fact that he could choose Death just confirmed what he had already suspected. Beyan was a Death mage. The skull attack spell didn’t seem like it could come from any other school, and the skaths that had attacked the bull had received grievous wounds without any reaction. The only question now was why Beyan had tried to hide his magical ability. Richter resolved to get to the bottom of it, but right now the prompt was still hovering in his vision.
Richter decided to choose Life attack. It was true that there weren’t many offensive spells in the spell class, but Charm I remained an amazing spell when fighting sentients. Of course it was only useful if it worked, and his Life magi would be lacking his 50% bonus to spell power. The extra 5% could make the difference between victory and death. And hey, it was only ten points.
You have chosen Magical Attack I (Life). Life attack spells will be 5% stronger. This badge will not take effect until you dissolve your current War Party and form another.
Well there it is, Richter thought sourly. There always seemed to be some form of check and balance in The Land. True, he could wait as long as he wanted to spend his war points, but they would only be effective when he made a new war party. Since he could only do that once every twenty-four hours, it basically put a day-long cooldown on his ability to use new badges. Still, if he thought ahead, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, he realized. Richter kept going through his prompts.
You have unlocked: Magical Attack II (Life).
Richter brought up the table of badge promotions with a bit of mental flexing and saw that it had changed slightly. Magical Attack II (Life) was present now and it would provide an additional 5% to spell strength. Like he had suspected, though, buying this next badge would cost him 20 points as opposed to the original 10. Magical Attack I was still present for the same 10 points, presumably for the other spell school badges he hadn’t bought yet.
Satisfied with the results of his experiment, he dismissed the remaining notifications and just enjoyed walking through the forest with his people. Apparently, Sion checked his prompts a short while later because he excitedly asked about the Vigilant I promotion. The other members of the war party checked afterwards and asked what it meant, which prompted Terrod to explain what he knew about badges and promotions for the second time. Richter smiled as he walked. He felt peace replacing tension and he simply enjoyed his people, the cadence of their simple conversation, and the gentle sounds of the forest.
CHAPTER 17
They returned to the village
with no other difficulty. Matching the speed of the laden mist workers, it took a couple hours to make it back to the gates, but it was worth the wait. Sedrin, Ulinde, Sumiko, and Randolphus were waiting with several other guards at the gate. Sedrin looked pale, but he gave a wan smile at seeing everyone approach.
“Now you’ve seen them,” Sumiko said in a scolding tone. “No more stalling. Go rest.”
Sedrin was leaning on a makeshift crutch with an irritated look on his face. “I appreciate you healing me, Lady Sumiko, but like I said, I don’t take orders from you!”
Richter and the others crossed through the gate in time to hear Sedrin’s response. Richter wasted no time saying, “But you do take orders from me. You and you,” he said, indicating two guards, “take him back to one of the longhouses.”
Sedrin started protesting again, but Richter would hear none of it. “Sedrin. You have fought hard for your village and for me. You have done enough for now. You need to rest.” Richter’s voice softened a bit and he leaned in, his words for the guard’s ears alone. “Remember Petal. Remember your vengeance! You must heal for a few days so that you can fight again in the days after. Will you follow my command?”
The guard looked at Richter with both emotional and physical pain on his face. He then stood straighter, and with a bit of balancing, managed to salute with his fist to his heart. “As you command, Lord Richter.”
Richter nodded and turned to address Sumiko, though he waited to speak until after Sedrin had moved off. “Were you able to heal him?”
She exhaled heavily. “Yes. Though it took several types of spells. He wasn’t just missing fingers. He was also missing pieces of flesh and bone. The bites of the river skath are also poisoned. The effects would not take hold for several days, but if I waited then he would have been raving with hallucinations. Come here, each of you.”