Aliandra The giant, coal-bck Timber Wolf stalked across the littered ground, oozing lithe power and malevolence from every pore. It bared yellowed, razor-sharp fangs lohan Ali’s handspan from behind a snarling lip, and the gleaming green eyes roamed the battlefield; a predator sizing up their prey.
Thick, reinforced sheets of scuffed sturdy-lookiher armor protected the wolf’s fnks. Mounted upon its back was the fearsome Hobgoblin.
Ali shivered as its gaze brushed past her, dismissing her with ptuous indifferehe books she had read had not prepared her for his sheer presence. He sat tall, rger and heavier than a man. Lean and muscur, with battle-scarred skin of deep crimson, his long bck hair worn up in a topknot streamed out behind him as he rode across the battlefield like he ow, down to every st bde of muddy grass. Heavy mail gleamed in the sunlight, and he wielded a stout steel shield and a longsword while deftly trolling his mouirely with his legs.
He snarled something guttural in the harsh nguage of the Goblins, and the scrambling and fleeing remnants of the previous Warbands froze in pce as if the mere sound of his voice had the power to glue them to the ground.
A k of Ali’s mana slipped away, stolen by her Sage skill, as the routed Goblins rallied.
Warrior – Hobgoblin – level ??
Oh no, a Hobgoblin! What do we do? It was even higher level than she could properly Identify, and it was riding right for Malika.
Vivian Ross had insisted they run if they saw a Hobgoblin, but before Ali could evehe, the steel longsword fshed in a sweeping strike so fast she could barely eve. Suddenly, Malika was airborne, leaving bright red streamers of blood spraying from her chest as she flew through the air.
Malika!
Mana coursed through Ali’s fingers, maing in a snap of golden barrier magic right ih of Malika’s flight. In the suddeion of melee chaos, the Timber Wolf ss jaws, biting down on the arm of one of Ali’s Kobold warriors with a siing ch. Shaking its head violently from side to side, it tore the arm off, tossing the maimed Kobold screaming to the side.
Mid-air, Malika tucked her body into a ball, collidi first with Ali’s barrier. She fshed with a pulse of healing magid the back toward the Hobgoblin.
“Everyotack the Hobgoblin,” she anded, and all her Kobolds whirled about and mobbed the wolf-rider.
With a casual-looking swipe of his sword, the Hobgoblin almost bisected one of Ali’s attag rogues while he expertly deflected ’s arrows with his shield. The wolf snapped viciously, this time crushing a Kobold warrior’s leg in its powerful jaws. The Fire Mage’s Firebolts were swatted away just as easily as the arrows, while the Hobgoblin systematically decimated her Kobolds. Ali thrust hastily summoned barriers in the way to block the sword or the jaws, but every time she did, her barrier was easily shattered with no more than a siack.
We o run! But Ali couldn’t say anything. Without a doubt, if they ran, Malika and Mato would be the first to die. But if we stay, we’re all going to die …
I won’t leave my friends!
Ali gritted her teeth and unleashed her Are Bolts at the Hobgoblin, arg them up and over to avoid his shield. The magic shone brilliantly as it smmed into the crimson-skinned Goblin ander with a series of sizzling pops, earning her a hateful stare as the monster guided his wolf in her dire. Ali summoned a barrier, knowing in the depths of her shaking bohat it would barely slow the powerful Hobgoblin down.
Without warning, a silver blur streaked across Ali’s vision, crossing the battlefield in an instant. A loud crash rang out as an unimaginably heavy shield smashed into the Hobgoblin’s mail, knog him off his wolf mount and sprawling across the ground. Ali blihe Goblin spat several vile curses in on as it skidded to a stop and made to return, but the lean form of ander Brand stood in his way, his once-shining pte armor covered from head to toe in spttered blood and dirt.
“Stand down. This foe is beyond you,” the ander bellowed, but his eyes never left the Hobgoblin even for an instant. He shed out with his sword and the Hobgoblin blocked the strike, the force of their csh ringing out across the battlefield.
Malika and Mato immediately switched their focus to the Timber Wolf. Several brightly shining arrows shot by and buried themselves in the wolf’s fnk as all her allies pivoted to the arget.
“Switch to the wolf,” Ali instructed, and her few remaining Kobolds scrambled to readjust. If only I could summon some more, she thought, but her Grimoire’s magic took several minutes per Kobold. That could be a problem in a tight battle. Hmm.
The wolf bit down hard, ripping brutally through the flesh of Mato’s shoulder, spraying blood across the approag Kobolds, but Malika was right there with her ter. Healing magic pulsed in rapid fshes – brighter than Ali had ever seen – and Mato’s wounds closed before her eyes. Struggling in vain to get a grip on her shallow breathing, Ali immediately added her Are Bolts to the onsught, filling the air with wisps of smoke and the sharp stench of burning fur.
At the crest of a rise in the distance, a tall, lithe scale-armored figure appeared. She took oep forward, and then, with a flicker of mana, Vivian Ross appeared right behind the Hobgoblin with the crash of her bzing sword striking the monster’s hastily raised shield. Her bck hair had e unbound and flew behind her as she danced gracefully, wielding two fme-wreathed, curved swords in a blur of mesmerizing arcs.
That was a teleport!
What followed was a high-speed chaotic exge of blog and terattag that Ali could barely follow, if at all. ander Brand executed a stunning shield sm that rang painfully in Ali’s ears, knog the Hobgoblin stumbling backward while Vivian Ross weaved her burning attacks into her dance. Ali studied the dizzying bad-forth for a few moments searg for an opportunity. Into a gap, a slight pause in the Hobgoblin’s rhythm, Ali thrust a barrier, blog the inside of his right arm for a fra of an instant before he shattered it by sheer force of strength. But the momentary dey was enough – in that tiny window of time, Viviahree sshing strikes, sundering the mail beh his armpit, and g the air with trails of wine-red blood. As the Hobgoblin staggered backward, a spike of blue-white ice suddenly appeared protruding right through his chest, pierg armor and body with equal ease. Ali shuddered at the gruesome sounds of bones g and flesh tearing.
“Got him.” The sneering voice matched the face of the Human Ice Mage suddenly appearing from behind the sin Hobgoblin with incredibly dense white mana radiating from his body as if he tained a blizzard within his chest. He was dressed in white robes embroidered with spell-thread bearing the eye symbol of the Town Watch. Ali had never seen him before, but his demeanor filled her with a chilling unease.
ander Brand spun on his heel and stamped against the ground, causing it to crack beh his feet. His shield smmed into the wolf’s left fnk, knog it tumbling across the muddy ground and freeing a rather mangled-looking Mato. As soon as the Timber Wolf nded, a devastating bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, leaving it twitg and sm on the ground. Ali looked up in awe, finding a flying Gnomish mage dripping sparks of lightning from her eyes and her outstretched fingers.
Vivian Ross extinguished her swords and then wiped the blood from them before sheathing them. “Good work, you guys, it would have been a real pain to track down this hob ter.”
Ali sighed, tension flowing out of her like a wave reg after breaking on the shore. She was a hundred pert vinced she and her friends would all have been paste by now without the intervention of the Guildmaster and her group.
“The battle is over,” ander Brand put in. “Orders. The Goblier broke twenty minutes ago. Most of the remaining Goblins are routed and fleeing. If any of you heal, report to the field hospital and offer yic to help the priests of Lunaré. Likely they’re running low on mana by now. The rest of you; search the battlefield for the injured and help bring them in.”
As he doled out quickfire orders with a no-nonsense snap to his voice, Ali breathed a huge sigh of relief. Her head throbbed from hours of focus, and magic, battling Goblins without a single moment’s rest. Dimly, in the distance, she heard cheering from the battlements, but she was far too numb and tired to join in. Ali stared bnkly at the surroundiation, and the corpse of the unimaginably powerful Hobgoblin, just gd for it to all be over.
To think that this was her life, now.
Malika Malika eown via the open south gate, nodding respectfully to the garrison guards who were still on duty proteg the town from any stray Goblins. To her surprise, several of them returhe gesture. They even look sincere…
“Why am I ing again?” Mato asked. He didn’t sound belligerent, simply weary.
She was growing fortable fighting alongside the bear, and much more used to their adjusted roles. He had seemed so reckless – even careless – when she had first met him, but her opinion of Mato had ged.
Steady. He’s reliable; big-hearted in the best possible way.
Whatever he had experienced down in that dark ruin had ged him much more than he had let on. Mato acted more even-tempered and resilient, and he seemed to care much more for those around him. Perhaps he always had, but it had grown much more noticeable to Malika i several days. Even if he tries to hide it behind that gruff exterior, it’s so clear in the way he fights.
“Healing costs a lot of mana,” she expined. “The Priests of Lunaré might appreciate your aura.”
“Fair enough,” Mato nodded, as she led the way to the field hospital that had bee up iemporary warehouse headquarters right o the gate.
As she walked, she pulled her shoulders back, stretg her chest. It still felt unfortable – the spot where the Hobgoblin’s sword had cleaved right through her ribs and sternum. She had healed it pletely in midair while doing a flip and kick off of Ali’s barrier – which just went to show how much better she was getting with her powerful Diviep skill. But her mind refused to give up the afterimage of the injury, insisting that something was still wrong. It seemed to be a rather on side-effect of instantly healing severe injuries and one which would fade pretty rapidly. Hopefully. She had already experie several times but, other than her body feeling like something must be wrong, she would be fine.
Malika grinned wryly at the sound of her inner voice trying to vince her she should be fine. But, as she well knew, it was calm and tranquility that was the foundation of a strong body and mind. She breathed deeply and stilled the void all the left-over buzzing from a day of battle, before stepping through the busy doorway and into the area set aside for the priests to tend the ihe sounds of assistants rushing about frantically mingled discordantly with the background moaning of the injured, while Malika’s nose was assaulted by the stench of blood and aictures.
“What are your injuries?” It was the voice of an Elf, pushed far beyond exhaustion, but still trying to hold onto the remaining shreds of propriety and dignity, denying themselves rest in the face of so many injured.
Lamyndra Duskwind, Malika easily reized the promi priestess of the temple. She had been out ihick of battle all day, and now she was here healing the injured. She hadn’t even had time to ge or wipe the blood from her dark skin.
“We’re not injured, we’re here to help if you need us.”
“A Druid and a Monk? What are your abilities?” She stared at Mato with what looked like desperation and the dying embers of hope.
She’s probably hoping for the vaunted efficy of Druidic healing. Malika gnced around the field hospital taking in the se. On one side, two robed Night Elf priests were sitting slumped on a bench, ao them, another was id out breathing heavily, all showing signs of the profound exhaustion that came from persistently running yourself empty without a ce to recover. Malika had personal experieh that after having been forced to wear the Cuffs of Suppression.
Across the floor were dozens of makeshift pallets with guards and adventurers, and even a few of the townsfolk id out on them, many still bleeding roaning in pain.
They’re out of mana and people are still dying, no wohey’re exhausted.
“I’m Malika, I have an instant touch heal, I use mana and stamina, and I have Meditation,” Malika summarized quickly.
“Mato. I ot heal, but I have a passive regeion aura,” Mato added.
“Health regen?” Lamyndra asked, crifying, a flicker of disappoi crossiired eyes.
“Health, stamina, and mana,” Mato answered. “And advanced regeion which eventually heal severe injuries.”
The Night Elf raised an eyebrow. “That’s… more than wele.” She turned baalika. “Very well, Malika, was it? you heal this patient?”
Malika looked at the woman Lamyndra poio. She was clearly in bad shape, unscious, and bleeding through some hastily applied bandages. Quickly, Malika bent over and touched her shoulder, charging her Healing Mantra with stamina. Her magic fshed brightly as her energy surged out through her fiips and into the dying woman. Instantly, the bleeding ceased, and the wounds began to close up with i haste. Bone cracked loudly as her shattered arm realigself, and several fingers abruptly regrew on her right hand.
“Good. I have you e and stabilization? You don’t o fully heal them; just ehey don’t die when they e in. The most critical patients are these here.”
She turned briefly. “Mato, I have you sit right here? That way your aura replenish the priests, and you help regee any stabilized patients we put on these pallets.” She immediately began calling out crisp orders for the assistants to rearrahe patients.
Malika immediately set to her work, pulsing her magito the most severely injured people, trying to stabilize them as best as she could while serving her resources so that she could have enough to save everyone. She worked non-stop as more and more injured people began trig in, recovered by the teams w out otlefield, or pulled off the battlements with burn injuries, htning damage.
After about half an hour, when she was beginning to run low, one of the other Elven priests took iving her a few mio Meditate in Mato’s aura, before she jumped right bato it.
It was hard work, and of course, draining. Too often the assistants covered those who had not made it with sheets and carried them off to the far wall to join the ever-increasing line of the dead. Malika gritted her teeth and tinued healing.
“Hi, I’m Teagan. Lamyndra asked me to help you.”
Malika looked up in surprise, reizing the red-haired and bare-footed shaman girl from the sewers. She hadn’t even seen her e in.
“I’m only level four, but I heal.”
“Here, you start with these three. Try and heal just the critical injuries if you . Mato’s aura will take care of the rest over time.”
She nodded in ear, shooting a shy g Mato, and Malika smiled at her obvious itment to help.
An hour ter, things began to ease up. The rest of the priests had regeed enough mana to resume their work, and Lamyndra had too, activating a broad healing aura that enveloped the entire hospital with the warmth and glow of her advanced magic.
Malika finally sat, sprawled on a box, not g o for the hard edges of her unfortable seat. She was bone-weary in a way that could only e from stantly drainiamina and mana. She looked happily at the mostly empty pallets on the ground, only a few remaining patients rec slowly uhe bination of Lamyndra’s potent healing aura and Mateion. She hadn’t been able to save everyone, but she kneeople would be going home to their families tonight because she had been here.
Teagan y passed out on the ground beside the box, and Mato had moved a little closer so that she was within his regeion aura. She’s a trooper. The shaman had literally worked herself till she dropped.
“I think we’re done,” Lamyndra said, walking up to Malika. “You guys head out if you like, I’ll finish up. I’ll let Vivian know how grateful I am that you three could help out.” The Night Elf bowed her head, touched her right hand to her heart and finished with a beion, “May Lunaré guide you on your path.”
Malika stood and offered a respectful bow iurn.
“Back to the guild?” Mato asked.
“Yup,” Malika answered tiredly. “Even my bones hurt.”
Mato Mato bent down and scooped up the passed-out form of Teagan, cradling the surprisingly light Human shaman in his arms. He g Malika, swaying beside him as if struck by an ued breeze, with a newfound respect. It had been a battle in here, one in which he had been powerless to fight. It mattered not that it had been fought by elegantly robed Elven priests pig their way carefully among the wounded and dying with kind words and the geouch of healing. It had been a war against death itself, and all he had been able to do was watch from the sidelines while Malika darted around saving the lives of endless people.
I’m not sure she even stand anymore, he thought, prodding Malika to move, before she fell asleep on her feet.
“Thank you, both,” Lamyndra said, a weary smile grag her delicate face.
“I’m not sure I was able to do much,” Mato admitted.
“You worry, young Druid,” Lamyndra offered with a kindly kle f around her eyes. “Your aura kept my Priests and Priestesses revitalized far beyond our normal limits. Perhaps you don’t feel it, but your tribution was essential to saving many of the ioday.”
“I… thank you,” he said, moved beyond his expectations at her words.
“Look after those two,” she said, gesturing toward Malika and Teagan.
“I will,” he said, nodding. It was the least he could do.
With a small smile curving his lips, he guided Malika and carried Teagan out of the field hospital. As he made his way slowly back toward the Adventurers Guild, he looked inward, visiting the giant tree within his mind.
I did good today… I think, he told it, w, not for the first time, if it could hear him. Perhaps I’m just talking to myself.
As if in respoo his words, the tree revealed his notifications.
Druidic Shapeshifter has reached level 19 (+5).+50 attribute points.
Arboreal Sanctuary has reached level 11 (+3).Swipe has reached level 13 (+4).Brutal Restoration has reached level 12 (+2).Bear Form has reached level 11 (+2).Bestial bat has reached level 12 (+7).Natural Prowess has reached level 8 (+4).
Cooking has reached level 5.
Mato’s eyes wide the green glowing words and numbers rapidly appearing before him. That’s… a lot… Five levels? His css was far strohan it had been whearted out this m. But then, he had been fighting for most of the day. Even Arboreal Sanctuary had leaped ahead, lendi to the Night Elf Priestess’s assessment of his aura’s worth.
Finally, the st of the tension from the long day faded as the muscles in his ned shoulders rexed. By the time he reached the guild hall, his steps were light – lighter – and his mood began to settle back to normal. We won!
As soon as they ehe guild hall, Malika colpsed on a coud passed out.
Carefully, Mato id Teagan down on a nearby chair and wandered off to see if Mieriel had any bs.
crouched in the middle of the battlefield, gently holding Ali while she threw up. The first advehey had found was very clearly dead, hacked to pieces by Goblin axes and daggers. It looked like the work of Bugbears, judging by the bloody tracks and the unnecessary mutition of the corpse.
Ihroes of battle, such sensibilities hadn’t affected him much, but seeing the corpse iermath turned his stomach also.
As Ali struggled to get her nausea under trol, reflected otle, mostly as a way of distrag his mind from the gore and the stench of death. He had fought hard, and for hours, but a rge amount of his time had to be spent regeing his mana. He had used every single mana potion he had bought, but he still hadn’t brought enough. He had even tried fighting closer to take advantage of Mato’s aura, but it put him perilously close to the Bugbears. And he had little desire to face a huge leaping monstrous Goblin with a two-handed ma melee. Or the whirling axe-blenders.
Even Malika and Mato, with their powerful regeion skills, were still forced to take breathers whehey could, but Ali had fought non-stop for hours. Her strange destru skill allowed her to tinuously replenish her mana supply while her minion army took care of the bulk of the fighting. The Kobolds had capitalized on Mato’s aura for stamina regeion, which made them even more effective in the hours-long battle.
Does she even knoerful she is? He gnced down at the forlorn and pitiful Fae croug in the dirt, now reduced to dry heaving.
“Better?” he asked.
“No.”
“We go back.”
“No, I won’t let anyone die because I’m squeamish.”
He helped Ali to her feet, and together, they began to search the battlefield for any survivors. Between his eyes and her remaining Kobolds, they should be able to cover an enormous amount of ground quickly.
Idly he picked up a Hobgoblin sword, half buried in the mud, and stored it in his ring. It seemed to be a det quality and he was certain Ali would like it, perhaps for one of her warriors. Or maybe she could even learn to make it. Her creation skill was astonishing – she had manufactured several gold worth of high-quality arrows using only mana and time. Without her, he would have been forced to spend rge amounts of time sging for ammunition otlefield.
He looked at the three arrows he had collected automatically as he walked by Goblin corpses. Habit, he thought, but he stored them anyway, they were still usable. Wish I could make my own arrows – now that would be a skill!
“Hey Ali, maybe have your Kobolds keep a for det armor or ons while you go. You might find something useful to learn before the looters and sgers clear the battlefield.”
Ali nodded, looking somewhat better already. At least her face was no lohe same green as her hair.
***
sat outside the field hospital with Ali, resting. Ohey had gotten going, their bination of skills had proved excellent for log the unscious and wounded. Betweewo of them, they had found and rescued about a dozen people across the broad expanse of the entire eastern fnk, and about half of the ter.
“I guess we’re free to go,” Ali said.
Malika and Mato would probably be busy for a while still, so he got up and the two of them headed back to the guild.
There were way too many kill notifications in his list, so skipped to the end, stunned by the number of levels he had earned in just one day.
Archer of Light has reached level 15 (+5).+50 attribute points.
Radiant Archery has reached level 10.Arrows of Brilliance has reached level 11 (+3).Blessing of the Dawn has reached level 10 (+3).Eclipse has reached level 8.Eyes of the Ar has reached level 6 (+5).
Gra had taken almost aire day of tinuous battle against dangerous foes, but this amount ress meant he was being substantially stronger.
Arrows of Brilliance has gained a new enha.Blinding FshMana: Cause aremely bright fsh when your arrow hits, blinding nearby targets. Range: 20 feet.Light, Area, Ranged, Intelligence
Increased Raamina: Ye is increased by + [skill x 10] %Physical, Ranged, Dexterity
Armor PiergStamina: Your arrows will pierce armn a pertage of the target’s armor value.Physical, Ranged, Dexterity
Mote of LightMana: Attach a Mote of Light to your arrow, fixing it at the destination.Light, Ranged, IntelligenceChoose one enha.
My first skill adva!
He read through all four options, weighing them up, immediately discarding Mote of Light. I already have a skill for that without needing to shoot. Blinding Fsh looked like a straightforward fshbang skill. Probably sometimes useful.
The two remaining enhas were both amazing – increased rahat would grow with his skill level, and armor pierg. I wish I could choose them both. He spent most of the walk back to the guild debating the choices, but by the time he reached the guild hall he had made up his mind. He selected Increased Range, simply because most of the oppos he had fought up till now hadn’t been wearing too mu the way of armor. Or in the case of the Bugbears, he could pensate for their partial pte armor with accuracy. Increased Range, however, would have been useful in almost every fight he had, especially now that he could see so much further with Eyes of the Ar.
It's going to be fantastic to have extra range if I unlo Ambush skill. And with Ali’s ingenious solution to his stealth and light skill issues, he was at least hopeful he might be able to achieve it.
Arrows of Brilliance – level 11You may enhance your shot with up to 2 [1 + skill tier] enhas.Granted Enhas: Light Damage, Increased Range.Light, Physical, Ranged, Dexterity, Intelligence
Oh, I use both simultaneously! It would of course require both the mana and the stamina costs to power it, but he could choose how he spent his resources. sat down at a small table in the guild hall, pulled out his notebook, and chewed thoughtfully on the back of his pencil. What does skill tier mean? Is that the ge that supposedly happens at level one hundred? He made a o ask the Guildmaster the ime he saw her. If anyone k would be her.
All in all, a fine day’s work and I’m alive to enjoy the fruits.
***
Name: AveryRace: Half-ElfActive Buffs: Blessing of the Dawn
Css: Archer of Light – level 15- Radiant Archery – level 10- Arrows of Brilliance – level 11- Motes of Light – level 5- Explorer – level 9- Blessing of the Dawn – level 10- Eclipse – level 8- Eyes of the Ar – level 6- [Locked]- [Locked]- [Locked]
General Skills- Bowcraft – level 6- Wood Carving – level 3- Cartography – level 4
Aptitudes- Languages: ana (Affinity): Light- Perceptive (Racial): +11 to Perception- Quick (Racial): +5 to Dexterity- Timing (Css): You have an innate sense of timing
Attributes- Vitality: 22- Strength: 9- Endurance: 15- Dexterity: 108 (+38)- Perception: 81 (+28)- Intelligence: 72 (+25)- Wisdom: 20
Equipment- on: Hunter's Bow – level 10- Body: Leather Vest – level 1: Bronze Guild Ring – level 10
Evasion: 120Dodge: 22.22%
Health: 220/220Stamina: 150/150Mana: 160/200 (40 Reserved)
Aliandra
Ali cmbered up onto the cou the guild hall and simply spaced out for a while. It had been a grueling day, fighting the monsters of the Goblin horde. As if that hadn’t been enough, she had found several mutited corpses otlefield that were far past saving, and while she hadn’t thrown up again after the first, none of the bodies had been easy to see. She had felt relief that she hadn’t been turned into a corpse by the Bugbear meatgrinders, and then instantly felt guilty that she had survived when so many had not.
It was all overwhelming, and she simply sat and stared at the ings and goings of the guild, allowing it all to wash over her for a while. was busy scribbling in his notebook, and adventurers walked in and out. Most looked very much the worse for wear. At some point, the Guildmaster must have returned because she was sitting across from Ali doing some paperwork.
Someone came in and colpsed on the couch beside her and instantly passed out.
Malika? Ah, with Mato. Yes.
Ali gnced up as Mato wordlessly handed her a sandwid found himself a seat. She stared unprehendingly at the sandwich for a moment before her stomach decided it was suddenly starving. She haden anything sihe m, and she had emptied her stomach a while ago.
The sandwich vanished, and in minutes, Ali began feelier, more alert, and having a little more energy.
“Thanks, Mato,” she said, popping the st crumbs into her mouth.
“grats,” he said.
“What?”
“You’re level twenty. Did you unloything good? You should take a look.”
Oh! Suddenly eager, she viewed her notifications.
Grove Warden has reached level 20 (+5).+50 attribute points.
Twenty looked like such a big milestone – a nice round number. And that’s a lot of attribute points, too. Ali rubbed her hands together. Progress. Let’s see…
Are Insight has reached level 10 (+3).Are Bolt has reached level 13 (+2).Barrier has reached level 16 (+3).Grimoire of Summoning has reached level 13.
Imprint: Goblinoid pleted.Variant: Shirt added to Imprint: Armor.Imprint: Starving Wolf updated to Imprint: Wolf.Variant: Timber Wolf added to Imprint: Wolf.
The skill notifications spoke trowth throughout the long battle. Even her Grimoire of Summoning had grown from the aggressive use of destru during bat. She typically used it to recover after fights, but today it had been the primary fuel that kept her magining tinuously. The steady stream of gear and Goblin corpses had simply been turned into mana, fuel for her barriers and Are Bolts.
Her eyes dropped to the imprint.
Goblinoid. Ugh, I guess I should have expected this.
Her Grimoire seemed to have categorized at least some of the Goblins into a single imprint, providing her one for the entire family of races. She kly when she had lear too – it had happened when she had destructed a particurly rge Bugbear in the middle of the fight and her Grimoire had appeared, so she k at least included them.
Do I want Goblins?
She very much disliked the smelly and vicious creatures they had been fighting all day, and she wouldn’t have minded discarding the imprint due to space. But she had just earned a new bnk chapter for the day-long battle.
Some of the elites are powerful, she thought. She already had a Fire Mage, but there had been several Goblin shamans, and their lightning magic otent and rather terrifying. Not to mention she might be able to make Bugbears.
I guess I have Kobolds and slimes, and those worked out so far. She finally decided she could simply take the Goblinoid imprint and if somethier came along, she wouldn’t have a problem switg it out. If the imprint came with a useful elite, it might prove worth it in the end.
She opened her Grimoire and itted the new imprint.
“You get something new?” Mato asked curiously.
“Goblins,” Ali answered, twisting her mouth.
Vivian Ross g her and arched an eyebrow but returo her work without ent.
“Maybe don’t summon them yet, people might freak out,” Mato said with a chuckle. “Although, if you dressed like one…”
“Mato,” Ali warned with a smile.
“What?” he asked, shrugging, and raising both palms.
“Being called out for my smelly Kobold robes by Lydia was more than enough, I don’t o smell like a Bugbear, thank you very much.”
He just chuckled and she returo the long stream of notifications.
Css skill slot unlocked.
New skills are avaible frove Warden.
New skill unlocked.
Css level has reached 20.Intelligence has surpassed 45.Defeated more than 200 enemies with are magic.Are RayMana: el your mana in a beam of are energy doing damage to all it touches. Range: 20 meters.Are, Ranged, eled, Intelligence
New skill unlocked.
Css level has reached 20.Intelligence has surpassed 50.Fought more than 10 e once.Poison a a cloud of poison in a e in front of your hand. Duration: 3 minutes. Range: 10 meters.Nature, Area, Intelligence
New skill unlocked.
Css level has reached 20.Intelligence has surpassed 50.Summoned an army of more than 25 minions.Killed more than 100 enemies with your minions ihan one day.Empowered SummonerMana: Your minions gain added nature damage on hit. Choose a Minion. You gain + [40 + skill + base intelligence x 0.15] % of their highest base attribute. Range: 15 meters. Reserve: 10%0: Repce a minion target for your attribute enha. Recharge: 1 hour. Nature, Minion, Buff, Intelligence
So, twenty does unlock the sed skill! Iing.
With a quick look, Ali firmed that her discarded options from earlier were still avaible, meaning she could pick Grasping Roots or Berserk Summoner in addition to the three new skills offered.
A ray, a cloud of poison, and a minion buff. Ali carefully read each of the skill descriptions.
“What do you guys think of these skill options,” she asked. Malika was still sound asleep, but Mato and looked over with i as she shared her three new choices with them.
“Some nice damage skills,” Mato observed. “Poison ight have been good today otlefield.”
“True, but I would have to be careful of my allies – and my minions.” Ali gnced over at her Kobold Fire Mage standing behind the couch. She had had to keep a close eye on him during the battle because his eagero Fireball everything in sight might have hurt some of her friends.
“That ray thingy looks oo,” Mato said. “I wonder if you just turn it on and wave it around?”
“Oh, iing. It says it’s eled, so that might work. What do you think ?” Ali had noticed was showing i in the versation, but he hadn’t said anything so far.
“It probably does work like that, but if it were me, I would take the Empowered Summoner skill,” he said, poking his lip with the back of his pencil.
“It seems very expehough. It reserves ten pert of my entire mana.” Ali had thought the skill looked nice, but the others seemed a little more attractive because they didn’t lock away so much mana. She was already reserving so much just to have minions.
“Your minions are your most powerful skill,” retorted, a quirky smile to soften his words. “Anything that makes them all stronger is multiplied by the number of minions you summon. I think this skill is worth way more than a ten pert reservation – you get an attribute bonus, and all your minions gain nature magic damage whehey hit something. Most of your minions are physical damage only – with this skill, they all have a souragical damage, too.”
“I didn’t think of it that way. That seems very powerful.”
Ali was about to make the choice wheiced Vivian Ross still sitting in the chair across from them, clearly having overheard the entire versation, but she still hadn’t ented. Perhaps she was being polite, but she had demonstrated araordinary level of experience during their first interview.
“Guildmaster, what do you think?” Ali inquired.
Vivian Ross looked surprised for a moment before she schooled her expression. “I think it’s excellent that you discuss your choices with your friends, Aliandra. Too few people have that level of trust and it’s a great way to get multiple perspectives. Ahe minion buff skill is by far the stro of your choices, given what I saw otlefield today. One additional point to the excellent analysis gave – you probably ’t el your missiles and that ray simultaneously. So, you’d always be effectively fighting with one fewer skill if you picked that one.”
“If that’s the case, I would be better off repg the bolts with the ray, right?”
“Yes.”
“I think I like the bolts better, they’re guided, and I focus my attention on my minions and my barriers.”
“That seems like a smart choice. And you always ge your mind ter if you have to.”
“Thank you.” It was o firm that her ued skills would remain avaible – albeit at the cost of losing any earned skill levels. Happy with the decision, Ali selected Empowered Summoner for her newly unlocked skill slot. Immediately the familiar golde appeared on the part in her mind’s eye:
You have learhe css skill Empowered Summoner.Empowered Summoner has reached level 1.Empowered Summoner – level 1Mana: Your minions gain added nature damage on hit. Choose a Minion. You gain +51.2% [40 + skill + base intelligence x 0.15] of their highest base attribute. Range: 15.45 meters. Reserve: 10%0: Repce a minion target for your attribute enha. Recharge: 1 hour. Nature, Minion, Buff, Intelligence
To test it out, she tur on, reserving ten pert of her entire mana pool. Immediately, her Kobolds g her with ing smiles curving their lips upward to reveal eoo many wicked fangs. Even the mage? Does that meas the nature damage on hit be also? With his Fireball?
Ali wriggled unfortably in her seat, unsure whether a det person really should be so delighted by the prospect enemies more effectively with nature magihanced Fireballs.
“Thank you, A Mistress.”
Ali aowledged them with a nod and theed her Fire Mage as the target for the skill. The activation for choosing her Fire Mage was written as a rather obscure ‘0’ in the skill description, but it turned out to be much simpler than she had feared; she simply chose, and there was no mana or stamina cost. Acc to the skill, whichever of his base attributes was the highest would be the one she would be from.
And he’s a mage, so…
Sure enough, her intelligeribute suddenly jumped by a whopping twenty-nine points. The jump was so signifit that it was instantly noticeable. Her mind’s focus immediately sharpened, and she felt a heightened awareness. Most of her skills beed from intelligence, which meant her barrier and her bolts would both be stronger in turn.
“Wow, this is nice!” And all I have to do is keep my mage within fifteeers. I buff him, and I get a buff iurn. Sweet.
She now had two potent minion buffs, atributes had improved. Ali finally turned her attention to her attribute points. Recalling the crazy stunt with her hanging from her barrier above the cavern floor, she put ten of the points into dexterity without hesitation. The rest she split among wisdom, intelligence, and perception. She had not fotten that she had three skills that scaled with perception.
While she was assigning her points, Vivian Ross broke the silence.
“What are you guys doing tomorrow?”
“No pns,” Mato answered quickly, and Ali looked up curiously.
“I’m worried about that Goblin dungeon. I know you said Kieran Mori’s meraries killed it to provoke the dungeon-break, but I simply ot trust their word. If there’s any ce that dungeon is still alive, we could be fag a far worse disaster in a few weeks or months – you know the drill. We absolutely must ehat it is destroyed. I’m tied up here for the few weeks, so I was hoping that a couple of you guys could go on a scouting job for me. I ’t pay, but I cel yuild membership debt as a reward.”
“You want us to kill a duhat spawns Hobgoblins?” Mato asked warily, clearly sidering how many body parts that might cost him.
Drumming her fingers on the armrest of her chair, Vivian replied, “No, you’re wise to be cautious – just find out if it’s really destroyed. If it’s alive, report bad I think that will be enough for me to motivate ander Brand to get involved.”
Oh. Ali hadn’t evehinking beyond today’s battle, and already the Guildmaster was several steps ahead. The idea that the dungeon was still out there preparing another, perhaps even bigger horde, was terrifying.
“I’m not sure I’m that useful for a scouting mission,” Ali said. She did have some wolves, but it wasn’t really a trag mission, and she still had to worry about her domain withdrawal.
“I was thinking of and Mato for this particur job,” Vivian answered. “Buddy system – and both of you have good scouting skills.”
Oh, that makes sense, Ali thought seeing both and Mato agreeing to the scouting mission.
I guess Malika and I will have a few days to ourselves then.
***
Name: Aliandra AmarielRace: FaeTitles: A
Active Buffs: Empowered Summoner
Css: Grove Warden – level 20- Are Insight – level 10- Are Bolt – level 13- Barrier – level 16- Grimoire of Summoning – level 13- Runic Script – level 9- Sage of Learning – level 9- Martial Insight – level 7- Empowered Summoner – level 1- [Locked]- [Locked]
General Skills- Reading – level 7- Identify – level 8- Sculpting – level 2
Aptitudes- Languages: A Dal'mohran, Elvish, Dwarven, on, Draic- Mana (Affinities): Nature, Are- Tiny (Racial): The effects of Strength and Vitality are reduced by 50%- Magical (Racial): The effects of Wisdom and Intelligence are increased by 50%- Domain (Css): Your maximum mana increases with the size of your domain, up to +100%- Domain: -10% maximum health per day domain withdrawal. You have Domain Seributes- Vitality: 50- Strength: 4- Endurance: 15- Dexterity: 20- Perception: 41- Intelligence: 97 (+29)- Wisdom: 72
Equipment- Body: Tailored Cotton Clothing – level 15- Hands: Wooden Bracelet – level 11- Ring: Bronze Guild Ring – level 10
Resistance: 216Magical Damage Redu: 27.83%+21% to mana regeion.
Health: 250/250Stamina: 150/150Mana: 1526/2160 (634 Reserved)
Grimoire Imprints1- Moss 2- Arrow 3- Armor (Body)4- Dagger 5- Wolf 6- Mushroom 7- Stone 8- Kobold 9- Sword 10- Tree 11- Ivy 12- Toxic Slime 13- Goblinoid
timewalk
