“Times like this,” Rachael said, then paused while shutting her eyes. “I wish I had gone with you to flight school . . .”
Guy stood next to her, sharing the view of the hyperspace light. “But being in the medical field was what you always wanted,” he said. “Remember when we were kids? You always walked around with that toy stethoscope.”
“People change though,” Rachael said. “You always wanted to be a Marine.”
“That’s because dad was one. Well, so they tell me, since he died before I was born.”
The two childhood friends shared a wince. Rachael’s gaze met Guy’s, her face brightening from the light through the porthole view. “Do you still think about her? Your mother?”
Guy nodded while slipping his hand into his trench coat pocket. “Every day.” He felt the book he stuffed inside it, pulled it out, and brought it to his face. “That’s why I got this from a library on the planet Mennaze.”
Her eyes locked onto the book he held. “What is it?”
“A book based on an RPG,” Guy said, his gaze never leaving the sight of the book. “Supposedly written on the human homeworld.”
“Earth?”
He let out a soft chuckle. “Earth is a myth, Rachael. Just some old ass fairytale told to human kids so they’d stop asking why we don’t have a homeworld.”
“Humans had to have had a homeworld,” she said as the two eyed the book’s worn cover. “Humans didn’t just magically evolve on the fleet.”
“Yeah, but the human homeworld is nowhere in the galaxy. We’ve spent thousands of years searching for Earth and found no planet like it or the planetary system it’s supposed to be in. The only thing we discovered is that every habitable planet out there already has a land-dweller society on it. If Earth is real, then it’s not here in the Asteria Galaxy.”
“Hmm, maybe humans came from another galaxy . . .”
He shrugged and pocketed the book. “It’d explain why our history starts on the fleet, before discovering the other races on their homeworlds.”
“What about land-dweller humans?”
“Those folks used to be star-humans. They just lived on the planets for so long and cut off from our tech that they forgot what it was like to be star-dwellers. Those poor fools—”
“Hey!” She punched his shoulder. He barely felt it, and that was too weird. Was it because of the 10 defense the screens told him he had? “Don’t say that!”
“They’re so . . . underdeveloped though,” Guy said. “Fae, elves, and the other races have an excuse for being underdeveloped. They hadn’t advanced yet. Humans did, yet there’s so many of us on planets without technology. Half of humanity lives in the stars and the other half on the underdeveloped planets, and the history books can’t explain why, other than the fact that human land-dwellers used to be star-dwellers.”
“Maybe they chose to live there.”
“Why would they do that?”
“As a land-dweller, you could look at . . .” She paused to watch the porthole again, and the light shone upon her face. “. . . the sky.”
He just folded his arms and shrugged. “So?”
“On a planet, you could see the clouds above,” Rachael said. “Or watch a sun rise or set. You could watch the stars from above instead of a starship observation window. Planets have oceans, and it could rain too, right?”
“Or snow if it’s cold.”
“I’ve never seen snow . . . or rain . . . an ocean . . . sunsets. None of that exists when you spend your life on a ship or space station.”
“And when you spend your life on a planet, you can only look at the stars and wonder what’s it like to fly through them and explore other planets. You can only wonder how the seasons differ on a planet on the other side of the galaxy. Us star-dwellers, though? We know what that’s like because that’s our way of life.”
“No, you know what it’s like, Guy. You have a ship that can give you those wonders. You get to visit all the planets out there, bartering our medicine and technology for the land-dwellers’ food, water, and other goods.”
Guy’s lips remained sealed as she made an excellent point. An awkward silence fell, other than the hum of the engines and air vents.
She stepped away from the porthole, hands behind her back. “How much longer?”
Guy pulled his PDA from his coat’s inner pocket and read their ETA. “Still got awhile.”
She yawned. “Getting tired . . .”
He gestured with the PDA in his hand. “You can rest in the lounge. It’s where my uncle normally sleeps.”
She nodded and glanced at the sliding door leading to the lounge. “Have you heard from your uncle?”
“No, which is strange,” Guy said with a long grimace. “Last I saw him was . . .” When he gave me that sword, Asteria’s Sword. Then I blacked out after touching it. Then some mysterious force wired my body with astral circuits so sophisticated Rachael couldn’t detect them. Now I’m a level 1 Paladin.
When Guy blacked out, his uncle Matthew had rushed him back to the fleet, and nobody had seen or heard from him since. And now, there Guy was, taking the Blue Star out without thoroughly searching for his missing uncle. His quest to keep his rank higher than Ulysses Archambeau blinded him from checking up on the well-being of the last member of his family.
There’s more to it than that, and you know it. This sword, the astral circuits, the quest windows, that Jane Doe fae in the hospital who’s a level 5 Cleric. You want to know why this is happening and going to Faeheim is the only way to learn why. Uncle Matthew vanishing after giving you the sword and getting you back to the fleet is no coincidence.
Rachael had wandered off into the lounge to nap on the couch, leaving Guy alone in the corridor. He grabbed the sword strapped to his back and held it with one hand, still shocked it weighed almost nothing.
He wondered if the books about the Paladin that his mother had read to him were an omen.
The sword didn’t give him the option to select another class.
Chapter Nine
Once Xanthe was certain the imperials and the strange machine men had left, she sent the carriage on its way, out of the woods and in a new direction, the Eucanous Desert. She had no idea where to go at first until she learned how to open and close the magical screens. One screen had displayed a map of the region listing her location while placing a mark over the Eucanous Desert. It was southeast of the carriage and she changed directions.
Hours had slipped by during which some screen offering Xanthe a tutorial quest continued to pester her, insisting that she accept it. She ignored them. The fae noblewoman, Averyl, was more of a concern. She was worth something, so Xanthe kept her tied up and on the carriage floor. Averyl never screamed for help, not even when random travelers had passed their carriage. Averyl did not want to be found. She was a runaway who made a bad deal—
The quest appeared again.
Tutorial I
Objective: Learn the basics with this easy-to-follow tutorial.
Issued by: White Dragon
Reward: 100 Experience Points
Accept quest? Yes/No
Xanthe snarled. “Fine!”
Then she selected Yes.
Multiple screens surrounded Xanthe, forcing her to stop the carriage and leap off onto the dirt road to give herself space to read them.
Blade Dancers are a specialized hybrid class having access to support abilities from forbidden dances and the capacity to strike enemies quickly with their blades. As an AP-focused class, you must remain in combat as long as possible to maximize your power. The best way for you to carry out your duties is to form a party with allies. Look at potential allies and focus, then select the Invite to Party option.
Xanthe rolled her eyes as the tutorial screens went on, talking about attributes, combat stats, and whatnot. She ignored most of them. She was here to make the quest stop pestering her. The tutorial talked about acquiring skills by putting sigils on your body. She winced while th
inking about the imperials and that level 14 Ranger.
The glowing symbols on their bodies . . . those were sigils, and Dolnir and his men had them too. Averyl was right. Xanthe was just like them now. Continuing the tutorial, she learned how to open the main menu and viewed the Party screen. From there, it gave Xanthe the option to take a detailed look at her stats.
Xanthe Eisheth
Class: Blade Dancer
Subclass: None
HP: 75/75
MP: 0/0
AP: 0/100
EXP: 0/1000
Attributes
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 15
Vitality: 11
Agility: 20
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 30
Flight Stats
Flight Speed: 21.2 KP/H
Flight Time: 1 Minute 18 Seconds
Combat Stats
Attack Bonus: 7
Magic Attack Bonus: 5
Healing Potency: 6
Defense: 3
Magic Defense: 6
Critical Hit Rate: 1%
Attack Speed Bonus: 1%
Persuasion: 1
Ranged Attack Bonus: N/A
She viewed her traits next.
Equip Sigil: Enthrall
Enables use of the Enthrall sigil.
Born a Land-Dweller
Enables the use of land-dweller-only items and potions.
Flight of the Eagle
Shadow angel racial trait – boosts flight speed
Born with Wings
As a shadow angel, you were born with wings, negating the need to equip them for flight.
“Blah, blah,” she muttered to herself while forcing the tutorial to continue.
It talked about sigils, how to use inventory, and magic skills.
She skipped all that and jumped into what held her interest, the sigils. The screens asked her to place the one sigil she had in her inventory on her body. As she recalled, Dolnir, his men, and the imperials had the sigils on parts of their bodies not covered by their armor. Xanthe did the same. The dancer’s outfit she wore made that easy too. She pulled the sigil from her Inventory screen, and while holding it, held out her left arm and placed it there. The strange symbol of the Enthrall sigil appeared on her arm, looking like a tattoo pulsing with energy.
New technique learned: Brisk Strike
She viewed Brisk Strike’s tooltip.
Brisk Strike
Attack your foe, then twirl behind them for a second strike. If both hits land, your attack and defense raise by 15% for the next two attacks.
Potency: 15 per hit
Cost: 100 AP
The tutorial had more to say, but she didn’t care and skipped it, pushing her into the next screen, Equipment—namely, the scimitar Dolnir’s body had turned into, which was the only thing she had equipped.
Bronze Scimitar [Scimitar]
Rank: D
Attack: 1
Asteriarite Slot: [EMPTY]
Requires: 30 Charisma
Xanthe skipped the rest of the tutorial, bringing it to an end. She sighed in relief.
Tutorial I - Quest Complete
Obtained: 100 Experience Points
“Finally, over—”
Tutorial II
Objective: Learn the basics of combat with this easy-to-follow tutorial.
Issued by: White Dragon
Reward: 100 Experience Points
Accept quest? Yes/No
“It would appear I have spoken too soon . . .”
It tempted her to hit No, then she remembered the battle with the imperials. They fought using tactics likely learned from the tutorial. If she were to use these newfound powers correctly, it would be in her best interest to continue. Violence always erupted before or after she met with the fae men on her list. The Bronze Scimitar and the screen recognizing her as the Blade Dancer class might be the edge she would need to stay alive.
Xanthe returned to the carriage and looked at Averyl, who sat her tied body up. “I will be back, Averyl.”
Averyl murmured back, “I shall try my best not to flee . . .”
“You are a funny one, I see.” Xanthe grabbed Averyl’s face, forcing their eyes to meet. She felt the young fae tremble. “And very cute.” Averyl’s pale face and shoulders flushed. Her breathing changed too, upping the intensity of her trembles. “Worry not, I will not curse you like everyone claims. Women do not become whores because they looked at a shadow angel too long.”
She left Averyl in the carriage and followed the request of Tutorial II. It guided her to a clearing far from the carriage.
Initiating combat tutorial.
Three growling wolves materialized around Xanthe, circling her with their fangs ready for violence. Xanthe clenched the hilt of the Bronze Scimitar, unsheathing it from the side of her dancer’s gown, bringing its blade to the forward wolf. It surprised her that she got the blade out so quickly. Her speed and ability to move her hands increased. Holding the weapon gave her a level of confidence she had never felt before, like she had mastered the art of sword combat and married swordplay with her ability to dance.
Strike your targets as fast as you can to build action points or AP.
Xanthe ran to the first wolf, swinging her blade at speeds she never thought she could. The first hit connected but drew little blood. It was a vast improvement from the last time she fought. Snarling loudly, the wolf leaped at her, its jaws open wide for a bite. She jumped to the side, evading it, then came about and slashed the wolf again as it landed from its missed strike.
AP: 20/100
She only hit it twice, and got twenty AP—
Two fierce jaws bit into her legs.
The two wolves behind had caught up, but their bites did not hurt as much, only lowered Xanthe’s HP by four, bringing it down to 71. Then came another bite, and that one brought her HP to 69.
If I hit zero, I will die, right? I think the tutorials that I skipped said something about that. She attacked the two wolves, making quick cleaves, each connecting, each one not killing the beast as one would expect. Of course not. The wolves must have HP too. That must be why the imperials did not die. They had a lot of HP. This affliction, as Averyl called it, changes everything. And the beasts I fought in the woods earlier? They must have had this HP too, and my dagger was just a normal one. Magic that works for my class has imbued my Bronze Scimitar.
She continued fighting until she had 100 AP.
Now that you’ve acquired 100 AP, select Brisk Strike.
Select?
Xanthe didn’t have to select anything. She just willed herself to use Brisk Strike as she made her approach to the nearest wolf. Her next attack hit the wolf, causing so much damage that a spray of red had splattered across her face. She performed an elegant twirling leap, landing behind the wolf just to stab it again.
The beast yelped and fell over dead, its body soaking the grass with gore. Xanthe felt a wave of astral energy pass through her veins as a notification pulsed in her vision.
Brisk Strike High
Attack and Defense are increased by 15% for the next two attacks.
The skill had consumed all her AP too. She stood her ground, facing the two remaining wolves, and charged, swinging the blade and watching her AP raise 10 per hit, her first two swings dealing 15 percent more damage.
Defeating hostile targets will yield experience points. The amount varies based on their rank and level. These wolves will give you 25 experience points each.
Good to know. So, it seems that if a target remains still, I can hit them quickly. Holy fuck, this affliction has made me a fast fighter. Xanthe leaped away from two bites from the wolves and struck a dramatic pose with the blade outward. So, the key to winning is to get AP as quickly as possible. If these wolves remained still, it would take me just a few seconds to get 100 AP.
She lunged for the wolf, unleashing a flurry of strikes until her AP hit 100, ignoring the bites an
d claw scratches the wolves gave her. It did not hurt much. She liked HP. Once ready, Xanthe used Brisk Strike, striking the wolf once in the front, then twirled above and behind to stab it again. The technique had twisted her away from one of its bites too. The wolf died, squirting red everywhere. With one wolf left, she spun to it and repeated her combos. The wolf repeated its pouncing bites. Pain struck, forcing Xanthe to rethink things.
She looked at her HP and saw why.
Xanthe | HP: 24/75
Death was coming, and the bites from the wolf were drawing blood, a tiny stream of it raining from her arms and legs. Dodging hurt a lot more now.
Okay, so gaining AP as quickly as possible is only useful if you do not lose HP. I will have to be careful and watch their attacks.
Thankfully, Xanthe had gained 90 AP, meaning she would only have to slash it once more, then use Brisk Strike.
So she did, and her AP skill killed the final wolf.
And that concludes this tutorial. Stay safe out there!
Tutorial II - Quest Complete
Obtained: 100 Experience Points
The bodies of the three wolves evaporated and turned into items. Xanthe kneeled and collected what their bodies had changed into, her screens giving her detailed information about them.
Lesser HP Potion
Drink it to recover 20 HP.
Useable by: Land-dwellers
The second item:
Sigil: Blade
Sigil of the Blade, place on your body to learn new abilities if you meet the requirements.
And the third item, a tiny white glowing gem:
Asteriarite: Charisma +1
Adds +1 charisma when slotted to weapon or accessory.
Xanthe returned to the carriage as she placed the items in her inventory, except the Lesser HP Potion. She popped the wooden quark off the potion and drank the red liquid. Her injuries magically sealed shut as the blood vanished, taking some pain away.
She liked it and was eager to fight again. So instead of returning to the carriage, Xanthe meandered the fields, goading the strange beasts that lurked there. She came across two creatures of the same type she had fought in the woods, gripped her Bronze Scimitar, and made elegant and fast strikes, building AP but keeping a close eye on their jaws. When it looked like they would turn to bite her, she rolled across the grass and quickly got to her feet to cut away at them. Once she had AP, her Brisk Strike gutted them. Blood sprayed across her dress like a broken fountain.
Star Paladin: A LitRPG Space Fantasy (Sword of Asteria Book 1) Page 7
