The tortured decision I faced was who I’d resurrect among the remaining fallen; those who’d been deemed more valuable, a term I found somewhat repugnant, but necessary. Ultimately, no life was more valuable than another, but there were people who were simply more necessary than others. It was just an ugly fact of life, one that I had to accept when I was forced to limit my resurrection attempts to only three individuals.
Most of the losses we suffered were among the heavily armored dwarves who’d been the first to enter the breaches and suffered the onslaught of our enemy’s ambushes. But they were mostly front-line soldiers, and the Curates and others had already attempted their own resurrections on them; there was no more I could do for any of them. I finally chose three from among the so-called critical personnel; one of our Evokers, who’d taken an arrow in the chest, a lieutenant from our spear contingent, and a Curate who had bravely ventured to the front lines attempting to heal the injured. There were others who might have been more deserving, but the wounds they received would have required me to use all three charges of Death’s Embrace, so I chose to raise the three of them rather than restore only a single lost life.
Each came back and opened their eyes with the same confused look I’d seen before. None remembered anything of what had transpired while they’d been gone, but were more than grateful to learn that they’d been brought back. It was a bittersweet feeling to see the three of them restored. There was comfort and even joy in bringing them back, but it was tinged with the sense of regret for the lives I’d been unable to save.
Once I’d done all I could do, I left the infirmary area. It did me no good to see those I couldn’t help, and there was still one more duty I had before I could allow myself the luxury of recovering from the strain of battle.
“Broda,” I said once I’d tracked her down again. “There’s a group of dissident nobles in the city of Ayden. We need to reach out to them, to make one of them the new leader of Zonnia as we did in Hygan. I need you to send an envoy to meet with them and find out if they’re willing to work with us.”
“After this,” she jerked her thumb over her shoulder at the smoldering ruin of Ondale. “I doubt they’ll refuse any terms you offer.”
“You may be right,” I couldn’t help but agree with my Ambassador’s blunt assessment. “But let’s find out for sure.”
That was it—the last loose end I needed to tie up before I could have a few moments to myself. And after all I’d done and been through, I needed those few precious moments.
My darkness and rage had been bled nearly dry during the battle. I’d slung my orbs with true malice and slain with reckless abandon. The effort left me both drained and extremely satisfied, and oddly, to quote Líann, somewhat… stimulated. But Tási could help me with that later…
My first act after throwing myself into the pile of cushions I used for a bed was to open my UI and begin scrolling through what I knew would be a nearly endless parade of messages. I’d killed dozens, probably even more, and Saibra had been quite busy as well. Those kills alone would fill my vision for quite some time, but the Commander’s Bonus effect was also at play, and I had no idea how many kills I’d be getting credit for. Let the games begin, I couldn’t help smiling to myself as the messages began to scroll by.
Valued User: Due to the large volume of your pending notifications, level-up options have been delayed until after you’ve cleared them. We hope this feature enhances your gaming experience.
Experience gained – You have gained 440 XP.
…
Experience gained – You have gained 440 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 770 XP.
…
Experience gained – You have gained 770 XP.
Quest completed — You have completed the hidden quest Blade Master. You’ve defeated a true blade master in battle before becoming one yourself. This is a particularly difficult feat, considering the high degree of skill your opponent possessed. The fact that he was terrified by the creepy green glow in your eyes at the time makes it almost seem like you were cheating. A ‘hack,’ one might even call it. Nonetheless, you have been rewarded with 2200 XP.
Sintári Quest, Control, Advancing – Your companion has feasted on the flesh of one of your own victims, sealing the bond between you. Your Essence is now irrevocably connected to him. He is yours for life.
Experience gained – You have gained 440 XP.
…
Experience gained – You have gained 440 XP
Experience gained – You have gained 770 XP
…
Experience gained – You have gained 770 XP
Commander’s bonus – You have earned party credit for every kill made under your command or the direct command of one of your party members.
Experience gained – You have gained 55 XP.
…
Experience gained – You have gained 55 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 97 XP.
…
Experience gained – You have gained 97 XP.
Boon, Saibra’s Oath – Saibra’s kills belong to you now, and you will receive full credit for every life she takes in your name. In addition to XP credit, you have also received a 1% bonus you may apply to any weapon or armor skill that you currently possess. However, this bonus may not be used to raise any skill above 60%.
Experience gained – You have gained 440 XP.
…
Experience gained – You have gained 440 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 770 XP.
…
Experience gained – You have gained 770 XP.
You have 27 percentage points to distribute amongst your armor and weapons skills.
Quest, The Uniter, Advancing – You have successfully defeated the first Realm to openly defy your rule, in a rather spectacular fashion as well. You have been rewarded with 55,000 XP.
You have gained a level! – You have earned sufficient experience to advance to level 34.
You have gained three Attribute points. Two of your points have been automatically assigned to CON and CHA. You may assign the remaining point to any other Attribute as you see fit.
The messages screeched to a halt, and I was able to finally catch my breath. I’d expected a lot, but the endless scrolling of kill credits and the even more weighty quest rewards and notes were more than I’d been prepared for.
The note about Bane was almost too much in itself. We’d already forged a deep bond, but once the impact of the quest hit me, I felt my connection to him more strongly than ever. The note hadn’t said so directly, but I had a very strong sense that he’d been linked to me much like Líann had. Bane would be by my side for life; another constant companion to help me endure the pain of my losses over the many centuries ahead.
The Blade Master quest had a completely different effect on me—in contrast to the weighty news about Bane, I appreciated the humor that had been included in that note. One of the Gods had even bothered to learn something about Second Skin as a game and taunted me like a scorned griefer. I couldn’t help but actually ‘laugh out loud’ at the use of the gamer term I recognized from the dead man’s memories.
Saibra’s Oath had brought me a huge boon as well, but that wasn’t what I focused on as the message scrolled past. With every kill credit she gave me, I felt her pulling me towards her, deepening the connection between us. It was nothing like a true bond, or the connection I felt with my Tári, but there was definitely a strengthening of my link with her that came with every invocation of her oath. Perhaps I needed to speak with her when I was done here—not only about the consequences of her oath, but also about her watching me torture someone the same way I’d done to Insleí.
I shook the thought off for the time being and put my point in Strength. I had no idea how many levels I would be gaining, but based on the interesting message that my notes had begun with, and the sheer volume of notifications I’d received, I knew it wouldn’t be just this f
irst one.
You have gained a level! – You have earned sufficient experience to advance to level 35.
You have gained three Attribute points. Two of your points have been automatically assigned to WIS and CHA. You may assign the remaining point to any other Attribute as you see fit.
Strength it was again, and the next menu appeared.
You can now choose a new Ability. You must choose one of the following:
Rapid Fire – After firing an arrow, your follow-up shot takes half as long as normal to be fired. Cost – 10 Endurance.
Seeker – Your next single shot has an increased chance to hit. Cost – 10 Endurance.
Body Blow – Your next dagger attack, if it lands, will cause your opponent to suffer an Endurance penalty. Cost – 20 Aura.
Impale – Your dagger inflicts a damage-over-time bleed effect. Cost – 20 Endurance.
Focused Fire – Your next arrow causes increased damage if it hits. Cost – 20 Endurance.
Long Range Shot – Increase the effective range of your bow. Cost – 30 Aura.
Siphon – Advanced Ability – On a successful hit, your arrow bleeds health from its target, transferring a portion of the damage back to you in the form of restored Health. Damage and restoration rates are dependent on proficiency. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 100 Aura.
Companion’s Might – Advanced Ability – Provides additional offensive power for your companion animal. The selection of this Ability provides a permanent boost to your familiar’s attack strength.
Disarm – Advanced Ability – On a successful hit and a failed Dexterity check by your opponent, your arrow causes your enemy to fumble and drop their weapon(s). Chance of success improves with increased proficiency. Modifier – Dexterity. Cost – 100 Aura.
Your choice is final and must be made now. Choose wisely, as you will now only gain a new Ability every five levels.
That wasn’t even an option. By this time, I really didn’t bother look back at any of the basic Abilities, and while Siphon and Disarm could be very useful, the chance to add more power to Bane’s already impressive capabilities was far more tempting, and I chose it without hesitation.
You have gained a level! – You have earned sufficient experience to advance to level 36.
You have gained three Attribute points. Two of your points have been automatically assigned to DEX and CHA. You may assign the remaining point to any other Attribute as you see fit.
Yep, Strength.
You have gained a level! – You have earned sufficient experience to advance to level 37.
You have gained three Attribute points. Two of your points have been automatically assigned to DEX and CHA. You may assign the remaining point to any other Attribute as you see fit.
And again, Strength.
You have gained a level! – You have earned sufficient experience to advance to level 38.
You have gained three Attribute points. Two of your points have been automatically assigned to STR and CHA. You may assign the remaining point to any other Attribute as you see fit.
At least that broke up the monotony of my decision-making process. I finally had something to consider. I’d focused on these two Attributes as they were my true strengths, but I didn’t want to become too one-dimensional either. Well, two-dimensional. Whatever.
It came down to hit points, so to speak. There were never enough to go around when you truly needed them, at least that’s what the faded memories in my mind told me, so I picked Constitution, and the notifications finally came to an end.
Obviously, after so many changes, I had to pull up my personal sheet and look myself over.
Dreya Dae
Sintári Female
Titles: Sintári, Empress
Level - 38
612611/631200
Health - 374/374 Aura - 746/946 Endurance - 374/374
Sintári – Sintári interact with their surroundings in unusual ways. The effects of these interactions can be unpredictable
Class – Warden – Wardens gain a 10% bonus to skills associated with nature or which have natural effects
Specialization – Protector
Mastery –
STR - 46 (+4)
CON - 31 (+3)
DEX - 28 (+2)
INT - 26 (+2)
WIS - 25 (+2)
CHA - 54 (+5)
Abilities
Ignore Armor – Your next arrow will ignore a portion of the target’s armor. Cost – 20 Aura. – 36%
Stun – Your next arrow has a chance to stun its target on hit. Cost – 20 Aura. – 35%
Block – You may attempt to use your bow to parry a single melee attack. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 20%
Swarm – Your next arrow duplicates itself in flight. Cost – 20 Endurance and 20 Aura.– 47%
Flurry – Perform three rapid strikes with a bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 42%
Parry – Chance for your blades to block next melee attack targeted at you. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 43%
Hamstring – The next arrow fired has a chance to cripple your opponent. Cost – 20 Aura. – 32%
Hilt Bash – Stun your opponent with a successful hilt strike from your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 41%
Blood Price – Your arrow inflicts a damage-over-time bleed effect. Cost – 30 Aura.- 37%
Blind – Your next arrow has a chance to inflict blindness on a successful hit. Cost –30 Aura. – 37%
Achilles Strike – Cripple your target with a slash of your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 41%
Penetrator – Advanced Ability – Your arrow pierces through armor easily. With increased proficiency it may penetrate through even greater barriers. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 60 Aura. – 20%
Disable – Advanced Ability – A successful strike of your blade to an extremity renders the affected limb completely useless until healed. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 60 Endurance. – 41%
Shockwave – Advanced Ability – Your arrow explodes on contact, dealing minimal damage but generating a stunning Shockwave in a radius around its detonation. Size and scope of this effect increase with proficiency. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 120 Aura. – 27%
Sintári Abilities
Natural Affinity – The Sintári’s unique connection with the natural world may manifest itself in random ways at times. While these effects are generally beneficial they are also typically outside the direct control of the Sintári. Modifier – Charisma.
Control – Effect varies, applies to all Sintári Abilities. – 68%
Protector Abilities
See Truth – Twice per day, the spoken words of your target become visible to you, allowing you to see the truth held within them. Strength and duration of this effect increase with proficiency. Cost – 60 Aura. Modifier-Wisdom. – 44%
Spells
Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost – 20 Aura. – 52%
Create Trap – Place a magical trap upon an area. Size, type, and trigger of traps is determined by your proficiency. Cost – 40 Aura. – 53%
Elemental Arrow – Your next arrow is imbued with elemental energy and causes additional elemental damage accordingly. Cost – 30 Aura. – 28%
Spike – Launch Ice Spike(s), delivering bonus cold damage on a successful hit. Cost – 40 Aura. – 20%
Bolt – Release a Bolt of pure Lightning at your target(s). Cost – 40 Aura. – 27%
Find Weakness – Highlights vulnerable points on the target. Modifier – Intelligence. Cost – 80 Aura. – 20%
Summon Elemental – Summons an Elemental creature. If you succeed in binding it to your will, the creature will serve you faithfully until the spell’s expiration. Modifier – Charisma. Cost 100 Aura. – 40%
Shield – May be cast on self only. Manifests a forward-facing barrier against incoming projectile attacks. Duration and resistance of the barrier are based on proficiency and modi
fier value. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 80 Aura. – 24%
Skills
Bow – 58%
Critical Hit – 45%
Blades – 51%
Long Sword – 50%
Short Sword – 53%
Dagger – 41%
Critical Hit – 44%
Two-Handed – 57%
Pole Arms – 14%
Spear – 23%
Armor – 43%
Medium Armor – 45%
Perception – 55%
Environmental – 56%
Identify Enemy – 51%
Identify Person – 54%
Combat Dodge – 26%
Subterfuge – 41%
Stealth – 41%
Find Trap – 20%
Disarm Trap – 20%
Set Trap – 20%
Manipulation – 55%
Persuade – 67%
Barter – 40%
Survival – 24%
Tracking – 27%
Identify Creature (Beasts) – 19%
Skinning – 16%
Field Dress – 15%
Alchemy – 19%
Herbalism – 31%
Potion Craft – 27%
Lore – 8%
Identify Magical Item – 14%
My notifications told me that I’d killed dozens and gotten full credit for several dozen more. In addition, there was the Commander’s Bonus and the quest rewards I’d received, yet I’d only gained five levels. While it was nothing to complain about, and far more than I’d been able to achieve during my long months of governing, it was obvious that advancing from here on was going to be a very slow grind.
I wondered how the players had done it—there had to have been some higher-level dungeons or raids for them to undertake. I couldn’t imagine slugging through the ludicrous number of typical quests it would take to earn even a single level at this point. And without a war, I wondered if it was even possible for me, as Empress, to get the XP I needed to gain even a single additional level. It wasn’t a very productive thought, so I tucked it away and moved on to something more positive.
Second Skin: Unified: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 3) Page 86
