by Tao Wong
I lean backward, huffing out a breath as I shake my head. Idiots. “Let’s add one of their settlements to the hit list, will you?”
“DONE.”
“Cancel that, bits for brains,” Ali says and crosses his arms, glaring at me. “You are not starting a war with the mermen. Not over one phone call.”
“They only have six settlements,” I say grumpily.
“Right now. Unless the Waz or the Loom arrive in greater number, they will have full run of your coasts. And unless you intend to go swimming constantly, there’s little you can do to slow them down,” Ali points out.
I can’t help but let out a little shudder. Months underwater? Ugh… “Fine. We’ll look into another way of dealing with them.”
“Good. And they were the last one,” Ali says. “But overall, well done.”
“No comments about how I handled myself today?” I blink, finding the sudden turnaround surprising.
“None from me,” Katherine speaks up from the door.
I blink, realizing I must be more tired than I thought to have missed her. Or else I unconsciously file her away as a non-threat.
“I’m surprised,” I say, scratching the side of my head. “I figured I was playing it too rough.”
“Do you think every party should be handled the same way?” Katherine smiles slightly as she walks forward. “Negotiations are multi-faceted, and the tactics employed differ depending on the party. Some, a more genteel approach is required. Others, a longer, slower, and more circuitous route”—Katherine places a hand on her chest as she makes the last statement, almost as if indicating that’s her specialty—“while others need a firm, some might even say aggressive, approach to get the best results.”
“You split the list to me for people I could pound on,” I say, my lips twitching upward slightly.
“Crudely put, yes. Though I would recommend some moderation. We are seeking allies, not enemies.”
“Fair enough.” I stand, stretching. “Did you need anything or…?”
“Just the casting portal at your desk. Kim informed me you intend to train?”
I nod and slip aside. Katherine walks over and casts a Chill spell on my chair before she sits down and adjusts it to ensure the vidcaster catches her just right. I smirk slightly at her vanity, then realize perhaps it’s not vanity. After all, looking good might actually be important. Or perhaps, giving off the right impression rather than looking “good.”
As I muse about the line between vanity and practicality in diplomacy, I wander out, headed for another dungeon and more violent concerns. Time to grind.
***
I spit out a tooth, grateful that one of the advantages of a greater-than-human Constitution is the replacement of teeth. Otherwise I’d be walking around with dentures, clicking them at little children on the street and giggling as they run away screaming. Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad…
“You can stop kicking it,” I say to Ali, the Spirit growling as he wails on the dead Ice Drake.
We’re near the edges of my domain, in the northern part of British Columbia where the Rockies meet, helping to trim down the number of monsters. Unfortunately, the dungeon I expected to find had actually been cleared by an enterprising group of Adventurers. Still, the Level 90 zone has enough regular monsters for me to get in some decent training.
“You overgrown pair of boots. You’re supposed to eat the human!” Ali growls, kicking the drake one last time before he makes it disappear in my Altered Space.
I get a notification a second later, laughing as I read Ali’s comments.
Wannabe-Dragon Hide (Drake Hide)
4 * Good Quality Pieces
11 * Damaged Pieces
Perfect for making a pair of high-quality boots
Wannabe-Dragon Teeth (Drake Teeth)
2 * High Quality pieces
Only desired by crazy alchemists and tasteless collectors.
“I figure that’s it?” I say, cocking my head at Ali.
The Spirit disgruntledly waves at me, and my notification belatedly blooms.
Congratulations! You have reached Level 20 as a Paladin of Erethra
Attribute gains automatically assigned. You have 67 free attribute points and 6 Class Skills.
Perfect. This time around, I look at my Class Skill options first. At Level 20, I get access to the second tier at last, which is all I’ll have access to till Level 40, when I’ll get the third and last tier. In some ways, having fewer tiers of Skills is actually better for me, since I’ll be able to focus my Class Skill points rather than having my Skills spread out like in my previous Class. It’s a good combination, versatility in my Advanced Class and more focus in my Master.
I still dump a point into every Skill available at this newly unlocked tier. Just because I want to focus doesn’t mean I don’t want a taste of everything first.
Beacon of the Angels (Level 1)
User calls down an atmospheric strike from the heavens, dealing damage over a wide area to all enemies within the beacon. The attack takes time to form, but once activated need not be concentrated upon for completion.
Effect: 1000 Mana Damage done to all enemies, structures and vehicles within the 20 meter column of attack
Mana Cost: 500 Mana
I’m rather tempted to toss another point into the Skill, but I’m a little concerned the attack might be limited to certain environments. Of course, this is the System, so while the Skill describes the attack as coming from the heavens, it might just port the attack into the center of a dungeon without tearing through the surroundings. It’s something I’ll have to check out, but I finally have my first area effect Skill. This is perfect for dealing with large groups of enemies. Especially since the damage is direct Mana damage, which bypasses most resistances.
Eye of the Storm (Level 1)
In the middle of the battlefield, the Paladin stands, seeking justice and offering judgment on all enemies. The winds of war will seek to draw both enemies and allies to you, their cruel flurries robbing enemies of their lives and bolstering the health and Mana of allies.
Effect: Eye of the Storm is an area effect buff and taunt. Psychic winds taunt enemies, forcing a Mental Resistance check to avoid attacking user. Enemies also receive 5 points of damage per second while within the influence of the Skill, with damage decreasing from the epicenter of the Skill. Allies receive a 5% increase in Mana and Health regeneration, decrease in effectiveness from Skill center. Eye of the Storm affects an area of 50 meters around the user.
Cost: 500 Mana + 20 Mana per second
Aura of Chivalry makes everyone look. Eye of the Storm makes everyone charge. It’s a nasty on-going taunt, though it’s not as powerful as a direct taunt Skill would be. But considering it’s on-going, does damage, and affects a wide area, I’m not complaining at all. It also has the side benefit of boosting health and Mana regeneration, though I do note there’s no indicator it can be stacked. That generally means it either won’t, or the benefit will be significantly lower. Better than nothing though.
Vanguard of the Apocalypse (Level 1)
Where others flee, the Paladin strides forward. Where the brave dare not advance, the Paladin charges. While the world burns, the Paladin still fights. The Paladin with this Skill is the vanguard of any fight, leading the charge against all of Erethra’s enemies.
Effect: +30 to all Physical attributes, increases speed by 50% and recovery rates by 30%. This Skill is stackable on top of other attribute- and speed-boosting Skills or spells.
Cost: 500 Mana + 10 Stamina per second
My first major Skill that uses Stamina. Most of those I purchase don’t use Stamina since I like not running out of breath and being too tired to move my arms in a fight. It’s amazing how many monsters and individuals go for the burst damage approach, then they get caught out after a few minutes and realize they can’t finish off their opponent. Vanguard is a nasty, nasty burst Skill, giving me a ton of benefits which can be stacked on top of
other Skills and spells. But at the rate of drain, it’s something I only want to use in short bursts. It’s perfect for shattering a battle line, getting behind your opponents, and then getting down to business.
Society’s Web (Level 1)
Where the Eye of Insight provides the Paladin an understanding of the lies and mistruths told, Society’s Web shows the Paladin the intricate webs that tie individuals to one another. No alliance, no betrayal, no tangled web of lies will be hidden as each interaction weaves one another closer. While the Skill provides no detailed information, a skilled Paladin can infer much from the Web.
Effect: Upon activation, the Paladin will see all threads that tie each individual to one another and automatically understand the details of each thread when focused upon.
Cost: 400 Mana + 200 Mana per minute
This is another of those Skills which I’m going to have to spend some time exploring. Thankfully, I can attempt to figure out what the heck it does outside of a dungeon. Though I’ll admit I’m curious to see what it does in a dungeon. I mean, do dungeon monsters have a social web? If so, what would it look like? But I picked up this Skill on a hunch it could be of use during the negotiation process rather than any expectation it’ll help me Level.
In truth, I’m finding that more of the important parts of my life are revolving around political and social battles than the next settlement or dungeon I have to clear. Sure, those are important, as my ability to kick ass and take land are the pillars which reinforce my ability to negotiate with political parties. They are not, in themselves, the orbit of my life anymore. In some ways, I’m grateful for the de-emphasis in violence in my life. While I’m scarily skilled at dishing out damage and calculating the flow of a battle, I spent too many years recently being nothing but a kill-monger. My future, our future, cannot be one soaked in blood.
With the Skill points allocated, I dismiss the Skill information. I still need to figure out what to do with my extra points, but I want to see the effects of these Skills first. Afterwards, assigning attributes is a simple enough matter. I’ve got such a large surplus of free attributes now, I can use them to iron out some of the areas I feel are lacking.
I start by adding a few points into Luck, Perception, Intelligence, and Strength. Luck because the gradual effect on loot drops generally pans out. I’ve noticed the difference between the quantity and quality between myself and Ingrid or Mikito, who both have focused on other Stats. It’s not exaggerated, but an extra high quality material or two every couple of drops does eventually add up.
Sadly, Luck, much like Willpower, is one of those attributes I’ve yet to understand how to manipulate. It’s a failure of knowledge and understanding, of course. While I can, say, push my Perception to increase or dull my senses as needed, I’m not sure what I’m doing with Luck or Willpower. And I’ll admit, I’m a bit concerned about testing out either.
Perception is easy enough to understand. In the middle of combat, I rarely have time to adjust how I’m shifting the emphasis of my attributes around, which makes a higher base stat important. It lets me keep up with speed builds like Mikito and, heck, my own body. As for Strength… well, if fighting the damn hippo was anything to go by, I still need to hit harder.
Once I’ve allocated over ten points to each of those attributes, I dump the remaining four points into Willpower because I desperately need more Mana Regeneration. All my recent purchases of Skills have seriously hampered it. In fact, I sometimes wonder if I would be better off increasing my Willpower more.
Once done, I pull up my character sheet to admire myself for a moment.
Status Screen
Name
John Lee
Class
Erethran Paladin
Race
Human (Male)
Level
20
Titles
Monster’s Bane, Redeemer of the Dead, Duelist, Explorer
Health
3320
Stamina
3320
Mana
3100
Mana Regeneration
229 (+5) / minute
Attributes
Strength
215
Agility
295
Constitution
332
Perception
160
Intelligence
310
Willpower
334
Charisma
98
Luck
65
Class Skills
Mana Imbue
3*
Blade Strike*
3
Thousand Steps
1
Altered Space
2
Two are One
1
The Body’s Resolve
3
Greater Detection
1
A Thousand Blades*
3
Soul Shield
2
Blink Step
2
Portal*
5
Army of One
2
Sanctum
2
Instantaneous Inventory*
1
Cleave*
2
Frenzy*
1
Elemental Strike*
1 (Ice)
Shrunken Footsteps*
1
Tech Link*
2
Penetration
2
Aura of Chivalry
1
Eyes of Insight
1
Analyze*
2
Harden*
2
Quantum Lock*
3
Elastic Skin*
3
Beacon of the Angels
1
Eye of the Storm
1
Vanguard of the Apocalypse
1
Society’s Web
1
Combat Spells
Improved Minor Healing (IV)
Greater Regeneration (II)
Greater Healing (II)
Mana Drip (II)
Improved Mana Missile (IV)
Enhanced Lightning Strike (III)
Firestorm
Polar Zone
Freezing Blade
Improved Inferno Strike (II)
Mud Walls
Ice Blast
Icestorm
Improved Invisibility
Improved Mana Cage
Improved Flight
Haste
“Now what, boy-o?”
“Find me another drake or two,” I say, grinning as I bounce on the balls of my feet. Best to test out my new attributes and get used to them now.
A look at the night sky which still shroud the mountains indicates I have maybe another couple of hours before dawn. Enough time to trim the population a little more.
***
“I said one or two,” I send to Ali as we crouch low, staring at the family of five drakes sleeping in the cavern. Damn Spirit even hid most of their signatures till I had sneaked into the cave, revealing the other three once I was within.
“Whine, whine, whine.”
I don’t bother answering the Spirit, rubbing my chin in thought. These aren’t shadow drakes, they’re astral drakes. From what I recall, they have lower hit points but are even sneakier, able to shift dimensions and attack while half-corporeal. It makes them incredibly tough to see when they’re active, making them powerful ambush predators. They even have a ranged attack of sorts, an attack which basically sends disruptive energy from the Astral plane into this world. The attack ignores most defenses, which makes it even more dangerous. A single astral drake would be a tough fight for any Advanced Class team.
Unfortunately for them, I’m not an Advanced Class any longer. And they’re asleep.
Step one, test Beacon of the Angels. Since the drakes chose a relatively high and steep
cave to rest in, it makes the amount of earth the Skill has to blast through—if it does come straight from the heavens—minimal.
Rather than potentially wake the monsters with the use of Mana, I skip activating my usual complement of buffs. Instead, I focus within and reach into the new bundle of knowledge in my mind, caressing the information for a moment before I activate it.
Mana surges through my body, pulled from my pores in such a violent fashion it churns the air around me and reveals my location. The drakes wake even as my mind is cast thousands of meters into the night sky. I float, seeing the formation of the beam of light, and a part of me suddenly understands. I can let it come down like the wrath of a Greek god, a column of fire and flame, of the inexplicable force that is Mana, and let it destroy everything as it does. I can be flashy and make a statement, which is how a Paladin should do battle.
Or I can adjust the Skill, the attack coming from the heavens but manifesting only when it nears the ground. In this way, the attack will bypass the stone and trees and strike through terrain without damaging what is between, all for a minor loss in effectiveness. Subtler, but useful in an indoor fight.
I choose the latter of course. It all takes less than the blink of an eye, knowledge understood and decision made. The Skill manifests as a cylinder of pure energy, a column of destruction which burns and tears as it strikes. The drakes scream, thrashing as the Mana rages, while I channel a firestorm.
When the Beacon is over, the drakes are only just beginning to recover from the surprise attack before the firestorm lands, sweeping them up again in further hellish flame. Fast as I am though, a pair of drakes disappear into the Astral Plane.