“Has Saibra taken Tási’s place?” Líann spoke up almost immediately when I paused.
“No one will ever take Tási’s place,” I immediately corrected her. “If you’re asking about individual V’Ríels, you may discuss that among yourselves if you wish; I have no objection. But I will not disclose that information otherwise.”
“I have no place,” Saibra spoke bluntly in response. “Not yet. My powers as a Tári still haven’t emerged.”
“I’ve always known about Tási, and it never bothered me that you were with her,” Ella admitted. “I thought that was strange, until now. I think I always knew things were different between us, and now it makes sense to me.”
“I may not fully grasp the concept of being a Tári, but this is fine with me,” Líann jumped back in. “I always wanted to know who the rest of them were.”
I was glad to see that she’d remembered not to bring up the fact that she was Táriel, not Tári.
Saibra simply nodded her agreement—she’d been able to pick the rest of them out on her own, so my revelations changed nothing for her.
I was concerned that there might have been a great deal of resistance to my bringing them all together and revealing them to each other, but their acceptance was a great relief. We spoke for a while longer, and they seemed to develop an almost instant sense of camaraderie, bolstered in my mind by the bonds they shared with each other through me. My words to them had not been a mere figure of speech—we truly were one, connected by our shared V’Ríel.
Only one of them didn’t join in the conversation, and it pained me to see her looking so morose.
“Venna, you haven’t spoken a word to me since… in days,” I offered her carefully. “Say something.”
Venna stared down at the ground between her feet and just shook her head slowly in response. I’d let Tási go to save Stel, and she clearly had no idea how to respond to the sacrifice I’d made for her.
“You two need some time alone,” Líann observed. “We understand what it is you want from us Dreya; the three of us should go now.”
With that, Saibra and Ella joined Líann, and they left me with Venna, who sat uncomfortably in front of me, looking completely lost.
“I don’t regret it,” I told her plainly, trying to open our dialogue. “Tási’s not gone, not really, and I’ve still got you and Stel.”
“You’ve given me a gift I would have never dared to ask for,” Venna finally met my gaze. “I don’t know how to repay you, or if I even can.”
“A true gift never needs to be repaid, Venna,” I held her eyes as I spoke. “All I want is for you and Stel to be happy, and to make the most of your second chance together.”
Venna still seemed lost, so I got up and knelt beside her chair, looking into her eyes as I gently stroked her cheek. As my fingers crossed Venna’s soft skin and traced along her neck, I sent the slightest thread of her gentle V’Ríel into her. Venna’s eyes slowly closed shut as the warm tendril flowed into her, and she shed a single tear as I sent her the thread of emotion that bound us so closely together. With my point made, I slowly pulled back and withdrew the thin band from her, and when she opened her eyes again, I held her gaze.
“Did that feel any different than before?”
“No, Dreya,” she whispered. “It was as wonderful as ever.”
“That’s because nothing has changed between us, Venna,” my eyes pleaded with her as I spoke. “Please help me make sure that it stays that way. Don’t push me away.”
Venna nodded back at me slowly, and I could tell that she was on the verge of tears once more, so I stood up and dragged her over to the pillows where I slept. She mistook me for a moment, and I smiled back at her when I realized what she’d thought I intended.
“I know that I have a lot of Deathless messages to go over from the battle,” I explained, giving her a friendly nudge as I spoke. “I’d like for you to stay with me while I look through them. I don’t want to do this alone, in case there’s something about Tási.”
“Of course,” she flushed as we sat down together.
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 slight modification improves your gaming experience.
Skill Discovered – You have discovered the Sintári Skill, Shadow Armor.
That certainly explained the darkness I’d seen swirling around me in my detached state. Hopefully, there’d be some additional details about that on my personal sheet.
Experience gained – You have gained 440 XP.
…
Experience gained – You have gained 440 XP.
Quest Completed, The Uniter — You’ve brought the last of the Realms under your influence and successfully united the people of Arrika. For this amazing achievement, you have been rewarded with the maximum allowable reward of 55,000 XP.
Quest assigned – Conqueror. Defeat the evils of the Dark Lands. Rewards for completing this quest are variable.
Valued User: You have gained 21 levels. In order to streamline the level-up process, your accumulated discretionary Attribute points will be allotted at once. However, you still may not assign more than one point per level gained to any single Attribute. Skills and other bonuses you have earned will be granted after you have assigned your Attribute points.
Your non-discretionary points have been allocated as follows: Strength, 3 points, Constitution, 5 points, Dexterity, 5 points, Intelligence, 3 points, Wisdom, 5 points, and Charisma, 21 points.
We hope this slight modification improves your gaming experience.
Wow. Twenty-one levels from that one battle. It was rather amazing, to be sure, but I had wiped out an entire army with only Bane’s help, so the rewards were certainly in line with the achievement. I wasn’t sure that I could ever duplicate that feat—the amount of pure darkness that I’d summoned was almost beyond my comprehension, and the price I had to pay for it was not one I’d ever wish to repeat again, but in light of the new Quest I’d been assigned, I probably needed every single one of those levels.
Putting aside the ridiculous Charisma boost, my points had been fairly evenly split. But I didn’t do the same with my discretionary points; instead, I focused on the stats that I anticipated would help me most in my efforts against the evils in the Dark Lands, and put seven points in both Strength and Dexterity, five in Constitution, and two in Intelligence, just to keep it from falling too far behind the others. I really wanted to look at the changes, but the level-up menus popped up immediately after I assigned the points.
You can now choose new Abilities. You must choose four 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.
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.
Companion’s Fortitude – Advanced Ability – Provides additional vigor to your companion animal. The selection of this Ability provides a permanent boost to your familiar’s
Constitution.
Enlarge – Advanced Ability – Your arrow grows to massive size in flight, taking on the power of a ballista bolt. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 120 Endurance.
Shield Strike – Advanced Ability – Bypass an opponent’s shield with your blade attack. Modifier – Strength. Cost – 120 Endurance.
Combine Abilities – Advanced Ability – You may channel more than one Ability into a single attack. Success depended on your proficiency with each individual Ability. Modifier – Intelligence. Cost – 150 Aura.
Skill Boost – Advanced Ability – You may apply a 5% bonus to the proficiency of any Skill or Ability you currently possess. This bonus may not be used to raise any proficiency above 50%. This perk may be selected more than once.
Your choice is final and must be made now. Choose wisely, as you will now only gain a new Ability every five levels.
The multiple levels I’d gained also triggered the Ability menu to combine into one single selection screen, which was actually a really beneficial perk. Being able to effectively plan my levels ahead of time made my choices much easier to make.
I wasted no time taking Companion’s Fortitude. Any boon I could offer Bane would be my highest priority. We’d spoken briefly while he’d been hovering overhead that day, and I planned for him to share my tent with me later that night, once the rest of my business had been tended to. It would be a tight squeeze for him, but there was no way that I would be without him. Not only did I love him dearly, but I wasn’t ready to share my bed with one of my Tári yet, and couldn’t bear the thought of being alone either. Bane always offered me the comfort I needed, and I tried to repay him for that as best I could.
With my other three choices, I took Combine Abilities and Skill Boost twice. I was hoping that Combine Abilities might work in conjunction with my God-forged arrows, but even if it didn’t, it would make my attacks with my normal arrows all the more powerful. Skill Boost, on the other hand, would help me get some of my important, but less frequently used talents up to par.
Having surpassed level 60, you can now choose new Spells. You must choose two of the following:
Muffle – May be cast on self or ally. Dampens sound in a radius around target. Cost – 20 Aura.
Detect Life – Casting this spell allows you to detect the essence of nearby living creatures. Cost – 20 Aura.
Restore Health – May be cast on self or ally. Heals a small amount of damage. Cost – 30 Aura.
Silence – Surround target with an aura that cancels all sounds. Cost – 40 Aura.
Stone Skin – May be cast on self or ally. Hardens skin, increasing effective armor against attack or certain effects. Cost – 30 Aura
Flare – Throw a ball of fire at your enemy, which may set combustible items ablaze. Cost – 40 Aura.
Shard – Hurl Shard(s) of rock against your foes. Cost – 40 Aura.
Summon Creature – Summons a creature to aid you or fight by your side. The type of creature summoned depends on the environment. Modifier – Charisma. Cost – 100 Aura.
Charm – Beguile your target into doing your bidding. The strength of your hold over them will depend on just how powerfully you can dominate their will. Modifier – Charisma. Cost – 200 Aura.
Slumber – Area-of-effect sleep Spell. All enemy creatures caught within the boundaries of this magic who fail a Constitution check will fall into a deep state of unconsciousness. Modifier – Charisma. Cost – 350 Aura.
Fireball – Launch an orb of raw fire energy at your foes, which will explode on contact. The force and magnitude of this blast will vary depending on your proficiency and modifiers. Modifiers – Intelligence and Wisdom. Cost – 300 Aura.
Your choice is final and must be made now. Choose wisely, as you will now only gain a new Spell every 10 levels.
Considering my Quest and exactly where I’d be heading in the somewhat near future made my decision easier. Plus, it seemed like I was gaining fewer and fewer Spells and Abilities to choose from, and the newest ones were almost always better options than anything I’d passed on before, so Fireball and Slumber it was.
That should have been it, but even more came up after I made my choices.
You have reached level 60 and are now counted among the most powerful of adventurers. It is time for you to choose your final path. Will you pursue the powers of Light and devote your efforts to their healing and restorative magics, or the path of Shadow, and focus your might on death and destruction? This is perhaps the most definitive choice you will ever make. Choose wisely.
I would have liked to have been able to say that I pondered my decision for a while, but there was nothing to even consider. I had no real talents in the sphere of Light magic, but my Shadow magic was incredibly strong. I also knew that while Shadow magic tended to appeal to the darker side of people it wasn’t inherently evil, just as the Light was not necessarily good. It was what one actually did with their power that defined them, not the power itself. Or at least I hoped that was true. Either way, I really had only one option, and selected the Shadow magic path.
Your choice has granted you your first Shadow magic Spell, Life Drain.
Awesome, just what I needed—I could practically feel my own internal eyes rolling with sarcasm.
Having reached level 60, you have earned another Sintári Bonus.
The world is a harsh place for a lone Sintári. To aid you in your efforts, you have been granted a bonus to your defenses. Any armor you wear will have an increased effectiveness beyond its normal limits.
I guess that was going to happen every 20 levels too, but I wondered just how much of a difference it would make considering that I already wore God-forged armor. With that final message, the scrolling ended, and I pulled up my sheet.
I hadn’t realized just how limiting the restrictions of Skill Boost were. It made no sense to apply them to anything below 20%; that would be a total waste since I could train my talents up to that level on my own. But with the upper limit of 50%, it was also fairly inefficient to boost anything close to that number either. Considering my path into the Dark Lands helped me focus on what I needed the most, so I put the full 10% into Shockwave. It was by far the most powerful talent I had with my regular arrows, and it had saved many lives during the battle at Ondale and the beastkin attack on the road home. Besides, my proficiencies with almost everything else were either too low or too high for any other choice to make much sense.
With that done, I took a look over my fully updated sheet.
Dreya Dae
Sintári Female
Titles: Sintári, Empress
Level - 64
1883385/18911200
Health - 506/506 Aura - 1364/1364 Endurance - 506/506
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 – Warlock
STR - 61 (+6)
CON - 42 (+4)
DEX - 42 (+4)
INT - 33 (+3)
WIS - 33 (+3)
CHA - 80 (+8)
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. – 42%
Combine Abilities – Advanced Ability – You may channel more than one Ability into a single attack. Success depended on your proficiency with each individual Ability. Modifier – intelligence. Cost – 150 Aura. – 1%
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. – 81%
Shadow Armor – Use your shadows to form a barrier that not only absorbs incoming damage, but also lashes out at any foes within its reach. The power of this armor’s offense and defense depend on how much of your darkness you channel into it. Modifier – Shadow Magic Affinity. Cost N/A. – 12%.
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%
Second Skin: Unified: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 3) Page 100
