by Kyle Johnson
Associated Stat: Wis
Requirements: Wis 50+, Lore (Mysticism) or Meditation Expert 1
Using Soul Mana: Soul mana can be used to affect the souls of living or undead creatures. It has no effect on objects or creatures without a soul. It can also be used to empower Spells using Primary or Composite mana, except for void-based Spells: one point of soul mana can be converted into ten points of lesser mana or give a 10% boost to any Spell using lesser mana.
Stat Damage: A caster can safely use only a limited amount of soul mana without damage. You can use SP of soul mana equal to or less than double your Wis Stat per hour. Exceeding this limit drains your Wis Stat: you lose 1 point of Wis per 1% of your max SP of additional soul mana you use. This damage heals at a rate of 10% per hour of rest or meditation.
Soul-Boosted Spells: Soul-boosted Spells are more difficult to resist or disjoin, especially for creatures with a different Light/Dark affinity than you. Every point of soul mana used in a Spell decreases other creatures’ resistance to the Spell and increases the difficulty of disjoining it by 1%. Resistance cannot be lowered below 5% in this way. These bonuses and penalties are doubled if your opponent has a different Light/Dark affinity.
+450 XP
You have unlocked Enhanced Mana!
Enhanced Mana: Enhanced mana, unlike standard mana, does not come from an external source. Instead, it flows from within the caster and represents some integral part of the caster’s existence. Enhanced mana is more potent and powerful than primary or composite mana but is also more dangerous to use, as it can drain the caster’s vital essences if overtaxed.
Requirements: Unlike primary mana, enhanced mana cannot be wielded equally by every mage. To use a type of mana effectively, a caster must meet certain basic requirements. This usually involves having the relevant Stat at least 50 and possessing the Adept rank of one or more Skills. A Wizard or Priest without these basic qualifications suffers a 50% penalty to the Spell power of Spells of that mana type. A Sorcerer without these qualifications is unable to use this type of mana at all.
Associated Stats: Every enhanced mana type is linked to one Stat. A caster can safely use SP equal to double this Stat every hour. Exceeding this amount drains the relevant Stat: the caster loses one point of this Stat per 1% of their max SP they use in excess of this limit. For example, a caster with a relevant Stat of 60 and 5000 max SP can use 120 SP of enhanced mana per hour safely. Above this, they lose 1 point from that Stat for every 50 SP they use (1% of 5000). This damage heals with rest: 10% per hour of rest or meditation.
Enhanced vs. Primary Mana: Primary and composite mana types have difficulty defending against or overcoming enhanced mana. Spells that use enhanced mana are 50% more effective at penetrating shields or barriers composed of lesser mana, while Spells of lesser mana are 50% less effective at penetrating barriers of enhanced mana.
You have slain unknown creature! 1940 XP Gained (Base 8620, -10% Fallen Companion penalty, divided among party members)
Congratulations: You Have Leveled Up!
Sorcerer Level: 13
Current XP: 78702/91000
Int +3, Wis +3, Cha +2, +3 Stat points
You may call me Sorcerer Supreme-ish!
Congratulations!
You have increased your Cha Stat to more than 100 points! By surpassing this threshold, you have advanced this Stat to a new level and gain a bonus based on your playstyle:
Charisma-based Skills: Any Skill with an Ability, opposed check, or bonus based on your Charisma Stat treats your Charisma as 50% higher
Leadership: Leadership bonuses to all members of your party are increased by 50%.
He felt a surge of relief as he realized that all he had to do was rest for the rest of the night to regain his lost Wis. That meant he wouldn’t be able to train his Physical Stats and couldn’t do any Enchanting as he’d hoped, but at least his spellcasting wouldn’t be effectively crippled. Plus, he’d finally managed to unlock an Enhanced aspect at last. He only hoped that the rest wouldn’t require such extreme circumstances.
He’d forgotten that Enhanced mana had basic requirements; he still hadn’t cracked that book that Ruehnar gave him, meaning he wasn’t anywhere near unlocking mind mana. He also needed to figure out some examples of different mana types if he was going to find them within himself. The faymetal ingot would be a good start for learning about spirit mana, but he wasn’t sure where he could find examples of mind, spatial, or nature.
His thoughts were interrupted as Saphielle settled in next to him, her eyes staring out the window. Instantly, he felt a pang of guilt; she’d comforted him, and he’d lashed at her in response. “Saphielle,” he began, but the woman held up a hand.
“I assume you are about to apologize for your tone earlier, Redeemer,” she said quietly. “I assure you that it is utterly unnecessary. You had forgotten that your Companion would return, and at that moment, you grieved her loss. That makes your response to my words appropriate, and I take no offense.
“In fact,” she continued, turning to gaze at him, “seeing that response is heartening. You treasure your Companion’s life and grieved at her loss, which comforts me. From speaking to the other Travelers, I can tell that most of them see us – those of us born on Ka – as tools that can be used for their growth, nothing more.
“You are different, and you see us as we are and value us. Seeing you grieve for your Companion reminds me that you would never spend our lives cheaply, nor would you treat us as nothing more than useful tools.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” Aranos agreed, shaking his head. “You’re all important to me, and not just because you make battles easier. I’d miss any of you if you weren’t here.”
Saphielle smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. “And that is why I am here now. Earlier, when you wept, it caused me pain and sorrow. I felt compelled to comfort you, and being able to do so gave me pleasure. At the same time, knowing that your sorrow causes me pain makes me anxious, for it implies that I am not fully in control of my own emotions. It is an odd feeling, Redeemer, but one that I am enjoying. Do you understand?”
“Completely,” he smiled at her. “And thank you for being there for me. I appreciate it.”
The woman’s hand crept into his, and the two sat in silence for a long while, enjoying each other’s company quietly. Aranos liked this Saphielle better than the one who’d been so demanding earlier. She was strong, capable, and yet vulnerable, and he was strongly drawn to her.
After a while, Saphielle released his hand and lifted her head, looking down at the gruesome remains of the creature below. Already it was being fought over by small, dark creatures that Aranos didn’t recognize but that he assumed were some type of scavengers. He figured that eventually, larger predators would be attracted as well, and by the time the sun rose, he doubted there would be much of the thing left
“We should not have been able to so effectively defeat this creature, Redeemer,” the woman said at last, her voice oddly speculative. “Considering its size, strength, and how much damage it withstood, I must assume that it was at least level 20. At best, we might have been able to drive it off, or to escape with our lives, but not to destroy it so utterly.”
Aranos nodded in agreement. “You’re probably right,” he told her. “That thing had to have taken close to ten thousand LP damage or more from my Ward alone. Even if it was regenerating twenty LP per second, it would have taken almost two thousand LP damage before we even started to fight it. All told, between the Ward, my Spells, and you guys’ attacks, we probably did almost fifteen thousand damage to it. If it hadn’t been vulnerable to light and acid, we’d have lost that fight.”
Saphielle looked at him askance. “I find it difficult to believe that your Spell did ten thousand LP damage to it,” she observed, her voice amused. “There are not many creatures in all of Ka that could survive so much damage, and this was no Nightmare Beast, Redeemer.”
“Well,” he hedged, rechecking his mental m
athematics, “probably not. In fact, it probably did less than half of that; maybe only a quarter. Still, we probably did a few thousand total LP damage to it. It must have been regenerating at least thirty LP per second.”
“That was my calculation as well,” she agreed. “And yet, somehow your Spells defeated it. I do not understand how this is possible, and that lack of understanding makes me nervous.”
“I tapped into my soul mana,” he explained, quickly summarizing what had happened. “And now, I’m stuck with this debuff to my Wisdom that requires me to rest for a while. That’s why I couldn’t cast the ward again: right now, even if I wanted to, I don’t have the SP for it.”
“Then you must go rest, Redeemer,” she declared, moving away from him. He started to protest, but she placed her hand on his lips. “You must, for just as I am our shield, you are our strongest blade. And you have been wounded tonight, not in the body, but in the soul. Go, heal, and let me guard you.”
Aranos nodded and rose to his feet. She was right; it was important for him to recover. What if they faced another foe like the Evolved kerruk, or whatever the creature they’d just fought had been, and Aranos had only half his SP to use? They’d barely made it through the day with everyone at full strength. And that realization brought something else to his mind, something that gave him pause.
What if Phil and his party had run into this thing instead of us? I never even considered that they might not even make it to Antas...
Chapter 9
“Who on God’s green Earth let so many damn trees grow together like this?” Meridian groused as she laid another heal on Phil. “That’s where all these bugs are coming from!”
Longfellow chuckled and loosed a pair of bolts from his hand crossbows, each shaft punching through the chitin of a creature that sort of resembled a hand-sized flying scorpion, releasing a shower of green ichor on Phil. “Granting that’s probably true,” he replied as he reloaded, “what do you think we should do about it? Don’t imagine your bonded sprite would be too keen on us burning all this down, would it? Seriously, want to know, because I’m totally game for starting an uncontrolled burn or two.”
“Ignoring the fact that this is all living wood that wouldn’t burn like that – well, sort of living, that is,” McBane called out as his twin short swords wove a web of steel, carving through the insects, “you do realize that we’d be left standing in the middle of the burn, right?”
“At this point, respawn might be a welcome break,” Longfellow said brightly. “Just think, three hours of relaxation and holo-vision! We could go back and watch that moment where Meridian tried to bathe in that pond filled with tiny crocodiles again. And again. And again.”
“I’ll pass, and I want to say plainly that I’m embarrassed to know you,” McBane laughed. “Of course, so is everyone, so that’s not saying much, right?”
Meridian simply tossed her head and kept healing. “I don’t blame you, Shortfellow,” she said proudly. “We both know you’re never going to get a chance to see a woman this fine again. Might as well get your jollies while you can.”
Phil grunted as he swatted two of the bugs with his shield and slashed the wings off a third. His swordsmanship had improved markedly since he’d taken Jeff’s advice and started actually practicing it, along with training his Strength and Endurance nightly. Even so, the blade wasn’t very effective against such small, agile targets, so he was using his shield like a crude flyswatter.
The two bugs he’d smacked crunched and dropped to the ground, squirming but incapacitated; although he hadn’t gotten his Shield Mastery up to Adept rank yet, he’d taken a page from Jeff’s book and simply tried using the shield as a secondary weapon. It had taken a few battles, but he’d gotten a cool Skill as a result:
Skill Gained: Shield Expertise (Untrained)
Rank: Novice 1
Use your shield as a secondary weapon
Effect: You are able to attack with your shield. A basic bludgeoning attack does 2-7 LP damage and can be combined with the Shield Bash Ability. Damage increased by 1% per Skill Level.
Str +1
Since unlocking that Skill, he’d added the Skills Unarmed Combat, Athletics, and Mana Manipulation just by practicing. He’d passed Jeff’s nuggets of wisdom on to his party members, who eagerly began carefully and methodically trying new things in the hopes of gaining Skills. McBane had gotten the Skills Acrobatics, Tracking, and Harvesting, as well as a new Ability called One-shot that allowed him to make a particularly deadly attack from Stealth using both blades. Longfellow had gained Stat Mastery: Perception, Keen Senses, and two Abilities: Steady Aim and Indirect Fire, which allowed him to target something he could hear but not see with only moderate penalities. Meridian had figured out Mana Manipulation, First Aid, Herbalism, and Healing Mastery; she’d also been experimenting with the bond she shared with her spirit and gained two new Spells.
They’d each grown significantly from following Jeff’s advice, and Phil had not been hesitant at all to tell them where the ideas had come from. They’d also all hit level 10 and were considering their Advanced Classes, although they’d all agreed to hold off until they’d completed this Quest. Phil knew that the more things like Perks and Titles you had, the more options you’d have for your Advanced Class, so it was worth holding off on the level now to get something awesome later. Now, the others were even more excited to join up with Jeff, especially since Phil had told Meridian that Jeff was Expert-ranked in Meditation, Mana Manipulation, and Mana Control, and as such he could actually act as her trainer in those Skills, allowing her to improve them much quicker. He’d also pointed out to Longfellow that Jeff’s elf Follower was an archer and would probably be happy to train him, as well, although Phil honestly didn’t know how skilled she really was.
Another swarm of the foot-long insects buzzed from the trees, and Phil cast his Taunt Spell to grab their aggro and make sure they all attacked him. The bugs weren’t dangerous, really – each sting only shaved off a handful of LP – but they were venomous, which kind of sucked. Their toxin was a paralytic, so every sting slowed Phil just a little bit more. Meridian was working hard to neutralize the poison, so it never quite overwhelmed Phil, but the constant debuff was just annoying.
When the nasty little creatures approached, Phil struck with his shield first, swatting several of them from the sky. He’d tried using his Flame Blade Spell, hoping that the insects might be flammable, but the Spell just drew more of the bugs his way. So, he swatted and smashed the bugs while McBane carved them up and Longfellow punctured them with his bolts, and finally, Phil squashed the last one underfoot.
He’d just lowered his shield when Meridian spoke quietly behind him, “Something else is coming. Four creatures, but they all feel…strange.” Phil nodded and raised his shield once more. The Shaman’s Ability to sense living creatures – an effect of her bond with her powerful life sprite – had saved them all on more occasions than he could count. It was hard to surprise someone who could literally feel you coming from a quarter mile off.
They had managed to make it right to the borders of the Fallen City of Antas, somewhat to Phil’s surprise. The uruks they’d been facing had been joined by more powerful, armored warriors and tall, pink-skinned spellcasters, and the battles had become far more intense. Several times, Phil or McBane had only avoided respawn by a well-timed heal from Meridian, and even Longfellow had come close to death a time or two.
To circle the city and meet up with Jeff, though, they’d been forced to leave the High Road and had descended into a heavily forested valley. At first, the trees were a welcome reprieve from the bleak Blightlands, even though the leaves were so dark as to seem almost black and the trees were covered with unhealthy looking growths and funguses. That feeling was short-lived, as they quickly learned that in a Corrupted forest, every plant could be deadly, and the trees hid awful things in their hollows and branches. The wind that whispered in the leaves tasted of decay and blood in Phil’s mouth, and he
could swear sometimes that he heard it whispering terrible things in his ears. He found his mind drifting often to dark thoughts that weren’t really normal for him, and he’d been unnaturally tense and nervous most of the day.
It had been far worse for Meridian, though. Through her deeper connection to life energy, she could apparently feel the trees around them, and she swore that the twisted boles were hostile and even malevolent toward the interlopers. Their presence seemed to weigh on her, and she’d been increasingly waspish as they’d carefully circled the city, using Longfellow’s Cartographer Skill to avoid accidentally crossing the border and possibly activating some sort of alarm.
Phil readied himself for whatever new horror was approaching. A couple days ago, he’d have been glad that it was only four creatures instead of a swarm heading their way, but they’d learned the hard way that the AIs seemed averse to giving them easy encounters. A smaller number of enemies probably meant that each of their opponents was stronger and more dangerous.
“Wait,” Meridian said hesitantly. “There’s something...” Her eyes widened. “Behind us!” she shouted, spinning and pointing at the wall of dark-leaved underbrush they’d just passed through. Phil moved quickly to the back just as the leaves parted and a swarm of warped, twisted creatures burst from the foliage. The monsters were humanoid but were hunched so severely that they moved on all fours. Their bodies were skeletal, looking like bones wrapped in a layer of wiry muscles and parchment-like skin, gray in color, and the stench of decay and rot swept from them. Long, snakelike tongues whipped from gaping mouths filled with broken, jagged teeth.
“Undead!” Phil shouted as bolts sped past him, lodging in the nearest creature’s chest. “Head or heart only!” Undead creatures were especially dangerous because they could usually ignore wounds that would cripple or incapacitate living creatures, and they didn’t feel pain or fear. They were generally vulnerable to fire, though, as well as to damage to their brains and hearts. It would be a tough battle, but he wasn’t really worried.
