But the confused and distracted kobold provided me with the perfect opportunity to work on some of my new skills, so I put away my bow and drew my short sword and dagger. With my blades drawn, I charged at the helpless creature, hoping to overwhelm him.
The kobold finally noticed my approach just as I reached him. He managed to raise one hand in a desperate attempt to fend off my attack before my sword came down across his forearm. The wet smack of the blade slicing through his flesh echoed through the tunnel before my sword struck bone and became lodged in his arm.
With the sword firmly wedged in the kobold’s bone, I swung the dagger in my other hand and I felt the blade as I sliced neatly through flesh—unfortunately, that flesh was my own. As the pain lanced up my arm, I remembered the warning about two-handed fighting and severe penalties. Apparently, it had been a serious precaution, and I jumped away from the wounded kobold to gain some space as I recovered from my shock.
As I cautiously surveyed him, the kobold remained on the ground whimpering and held his wounded limb close against his body with my short sword firmly jammed into his bone.
I took a quick glance to inspect my own wound and was relieved to see it was nowhere near as bad as I feared. The dagger had torn through my shirt and padded sleeve, slicing cleanly through the inside of my forearm. The cut was deep, but not bleeding too badly, and my health bar had barely ticked down from the injury—I had been quite lucky. Obviously, I needed some non-combat training before I tried dual-wielding again.
After my quick inspection, I returned my attention to the kobold and could tell right away that he was fading fast. His wound, unlike mine, was bleeding profusely and I had obviously struck a major blood vessel. I could have simply waited for him to bleed out, but a feeling of pity came over me, so I approached cautiously, but the kobold never moved. When I plunged my dagger into his chest, he died instantly.
I waited a moment after he was dead and simply observed my own wound. My last minor wound had healed without me even realizing it, and this time I wanted to watch the process. For the first minute or two nothing happened, but then the slow trickle of blood stopped, and the flesh began to knit itself back together. After just a short time, the wound was gone, as if it had never even existed.
It was good to know my minor wounds would heal themselves after combat. I wondered if that were true for the natives of this Earth as well, or if it was yet another thing I needed to conceal as a Deathless. I would need to be very discreet in my inquiries on that matter, or I might I give myself away.
When I looted the kobold’s body, it yielded only the same assortment of useless items as the others—the only thing worth taking were a few measly coppers. Once I finished with him, I returned to my makeshift camp and packed up my belongings in preparation for resuming my travels.
When I reached the cave’s exit, I was relieved to finally be out of the dark confines and under the dappled sunlight of the forest. The early morning air still held the fresh scent of rain combined with the earthy tones of the slowly drying mud. After my long night in the mine, the brilliance of the open outdoors was gloriously refreshing, and invigorated by the bright world around me, I set off in the direction that would lead me to the road to Sota and near the kobold outpost.
I knew that I was very close to gaining another level, so I resumed hunting any game I came across. After killing and butchering a couple of boars and a small bear, I thought I might have enough XP, so I stopped to check my notifications again.
Experience gained – You have gained 52 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 26 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 26 XP.
Experience gained – You have gained 52 XP.
You have gained a level! – You have earned sufficient experience to advance to level 3.
You have gained five Attribute points. Three of your points have been automatically assigned to CON, INT, and CHA. You may assign the remaining points to any two other Attributes as you see fit.
Your choices are final and must be made now.
Why? Why must this world taunt me? I thought to myself. Charisma again? Didn’t the Gods or whatever serves to control fate in this place know that I needed to keep a low profile? Between the random distribution and my own stupidity, the one stat I needed to keep low had already been raised by three points. My dark hair and green eyes already set me apart enough, I didn’t need anything else working against me.
I finally let out a sigh and resigned myself to my fate as I added my two points to Strength and Dexterity. In the end, I had basically duplicated the increases from my previous level. Wisdom would have to be addressed at some point, but right now my other stats needed to take priority. As the window closed, the next notification appeared in my vision.
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.
Hamstring – The next arrow fired has a chance to cripple your opponent. Cost — 20 Aura.
Flurry – Perform three rapid strikes with a bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance.
Focused Fire – Your next arrow causes increased damage if it hits. Cost – 20 Endurance.
Swarm – Your next arrow duplicates itself in flight. Cost – 20 Endurance and 20 Aura.
Your choice is final and must be made now.
That was impressive. I had some really good Abilities to choose from this time—this would not be an easy decision. The old ones I had bypassed before were still decent options, but the new ones were amazing.
I felt that both Swarm and Focused Fire fit my current tactics perfectly, as either of them would increase the damage I inflicted and allow me to continue to make my kills from a distance. Flurry, on the other hand, would be incredibly helpful when the inevitable enemy got within striking distance… Should I go with my strength, or start covering some other bases?
After some thought, I chose Swarm. Focused Fire was tempting, but I was unsure just how much of a damage increase it would provide. A duplicate arrow, I figured, meant the potential for double damage. Also, on a hunch, I guessed that Swarm’s cost of both Endurance and Aura meant it was the more powerful Ability.
Once I made my choice, I expected the screen to close, but I was surprised when yet another set of options popped up before my eyes.
Having reached level 3, you can now choose your first Spell. You must choose one of the following:
Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or an ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost — 20 Aura.
Muffle – May be cast on self or an ally. Dampens sound in a radius around target. Cost – 20 Aura.
Elemental Arrow – Your next arrow is imbued with elemental energy and causes additional elemental damage accordingly. Cost — 30 Aura.
Your choice is final and must be made now.
Magic?! Things were really getting exciting—if I hadn’t just picked up Swarm, I would have jumped all over Elemental Arrow. It was definitely something I would be grabbing at some point in the future, but at the time, it seemed like excessive duplication.
My recent bumbling in the dark with the kobolds drew me to Enhanced Sight instead. Based on the description, it would not only help me see in the dark but also things like fog. Muffle had its benefits too, and it would help immensely with my Stealth skill, but it would have to wait. With my deliberations over, I chose Enhanced Sight.
With that final choice made, the level up screen closed, and my vision returned once again to an unobstructed view of the forest. After making sure that
the area was clear, I took the opportunity to take a quick peek at my newly updated character sheet.
Dreya Dae
Human Female
Level - 3
2702/4700
Health 140/140 Aura 310/310 Endurance 140/140
Class – Warden – Wardens gain a 10% bonus to skills associated with nature or which have natural effects
Specialization –
Mastery –
STR - 14
CON - 14
DEX - 16
INT - 14
WIS - 12
CHA - 18(+1)
Abilities
Ignore Armor – Your next arrow will ignore a portion of the target’s armor. Cost – 20 Aura. - 7%
Stun – Your next arrow has a chance to stun its target on hit. Cost – 20 Aura. - 18%
Block – You may attempt to use your bow to parry a single melee attack. Cost — 20 Endurance. - 1%
Swarm – Your next arrow duplicates itself in flight. Cost – 20 Endurance and 20 Aura. – 1%
Spells
Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost — 20 Aura. - 1%
Skills
Bow – 20%
Critical Hit – 17%
Blades – 10%
Short Sword – 8%
Dagger – 13%
Critical Hit – 6%
Two-Handed – 5%
Armor – 9%
Medium Armor – 11%
Perception – 20%
Environmental – 22%
Identify Enemy – 7%
Identify Person – 3%
Subterfuge – 13%
Stealth – 17%
Find Trap – 3%
Disarm Trap – 4%
Set Trap – 7%
Manipulation – 7%
Persuade – 9%
Barter – 8%
Survival – 11%
Tracking – 8%
Identify Creature (Beasts) – 3%
Skinning – 7%
Field Dress – 6%
Alchemy – 1%
Herbalism – 1%
The first thing I noticed was my XP total, and I realized that I had gained my level by a scant two points. The slim margin of my success brought an amused smile to my face that remained in place as I examined the rest of the information.
Looking things over, I was pretty happy with my choices, but I realized that I was perhaps becoming a bit too dependent on my bow to keep my enemies at bay. At the next opportunity, I would have to give serious consideration to some of my close-range Abilities, but that thought would have to wait for another time. Once I closed the UI, I resumed my trek towards the kobold outpost.
As I moved through the forest, I was actively using multiple skills. Since I had reached 20% proficiency, my gains in both Perception and its Environmental sub-skill would be minimal but maintaining an awareness of my surroundings was vital for my safety regardless of any gains, so I had those up constantly. I also tried to maintain Stealth as much as possible, for the exact same reason. Utilizing these skills had been my standard practice as I traveled through the forest, and I added my two new Abilities to that routine as well.
I began using Enhanced Sight and recast it whenever the effect started to wear off. While it was in effect, a tiny status icon appeared in my UI letting me know I had the boon. As soon as the icon began to flicker, indicating that the spell’s duration was coming to an end, I instantly recast it on myself. The spell did not last very long and seemed to make no difference in my vision, but since it was broad daylight and there was nothing obscuring my sight, I wasn’t concerned about the lack of any perceived benefit.
The other Ability I started to practice was Swarm. It had the potential to one-shot most foes that were at or near my level and gaining some proficiency with it was my top priority. I stopped frequently and fired a Swarm-infused arrow at any random target, whether it was a small animal or even just a convenient tree.
The shaft duplicated itself mid-flight, but it was difficult to discern the exact moment when that occurred—I would fire a single arrow, and then suddenly, just before impact, it split into two, and both shafts slammed into the target. I imagined the effects of those twin arrows would be devastating on any living target, and then had a moment of inspiration and tried an experiment. If a Swarm arrow was good, wouldn’t a Swarm of Stun arrows be even better?
I tried adding the Stun effect to an arrow I had already infused with Swarm, without success. I then tried the reverse, also meeting with failure—combining Ignore Armor didn’t work either. Apparently, I could not cast two enhancements on a single arrow... So much for my great idea.
I settled for periodically firing Swarm arrows as I made my way through the woods. By late afternoon I was getting close to the area of the second group of kobolds, so I stopped firing arrows and concentrated solely on remaining undetected. I had no idea how many of the little creatures were around, and if there were any surprise attacks to be made, I wanted to be the one making them. I remembered the kobolds’ proclivity for traps, so I also kept an eye out for any trip wires, pits, or other triggers. After traveling quietly for a few more hours, I finally approached the kobolds’ camp just as dusk began to fall. Once I found a spot that provided me cover, I sat down to observe their activity.
Their camp was comprised of two large structures and one smaller one that looked like a storage shed. The ‘buildings,’ if you could call them that, were cobbled together roughly from available materials—logs, branches, and the like—and had simple thatched roofs.
At first, there appeared to be little happening, as only two kobolds moved about the camp. One appeared to be on guard, while the other set about performing a few random activities, but both of them were in obvious discomfort at being outside in the light. Then, as soon as darkness settled in, the rest of the band of kobolds emerged from their makeshift shelters.
Once they were all outside, I counted roughly twenty of them. They were hard to distinguish individually, and they each wore a motley assortment of rags that had clearly been either scavenged or looted, although a few did stand out from the rest. While most of them had the same look as the miner kobolds, five were obviously equipped as guards. Those kobolds had patches of mismatched leather armor and openly wore blades.
There was no way I could ambush over twenty kobolds and have any chance of surviving the encounter, and if I died now, I would probably respawn back in Holly, the town where even now the Bloody Hearts might be looking for me. While I was gazing down upon a rather large chunk of XP, there was just no way for me to capitalize on the situation—all I could do was settle in for a long, uncomfortable night before I could sneak away safely in the morning light.
But then a wild plan came to mind. It would have to wait for daylight, but if I was willing to take the risk, I just might be able to reap a good chunk of the XP that was scampering about the kobold camp in front of me. A wicked smile crept across my face as I sat back and began refining my scheme.
21
By the time morning finally came I was tired and aching. I had spent the night uncovered on the forest floor, unable to set up any sort of camp for fear of being discovered, and my discomfort was only magnified by the total lack of sleep I had during the night. The need to keep a constant watch and ensure that a stray kobold didn’t stumble upon me had overridden any other considerations.
The sight of the kobolds retreating into their shelters to seek refuge from the daylight erased a bit of my discomfort, and the anticipation of the mayhem that I was about to unleash on them took care of the rest.
I waited a while for the kobolds to relax and fall asleep inside their shelters. I had watched them during the night, and they had been up the entire time, maintaining their camp and foraging in the surrounding forests. Their nighttime activities were no surprise to me, as they were nocturnal creatures by nature. After waiting for a good hour or so after they disappeared, I s
et my plan into motion.
As I snuck closer to their camp, only one of the kobolds remained outside and awake—it was a lone watchman, but this one was not even one of the guard kobolds—just a miner tasked with keeping watch. The actual guards had most likely bullied the weaker kobold into the harsh duty of remaining outside in the brutal sunlight.
I silently took position for a clear shot and waited for the lone sentry to take refuge in the shade of a large tree at the edge of the camp. The tree offered the best respite from the sun’s penetrating rays, and I had seen the guard sheltering under it the previous evening. It was also far enough away from the kobolds’ shelters that I figured the sound of the lone kobold’s body hitting the ground would go unnoticed, so I only needed to wait for the guard to find his way under the shade for the rest of my plan to work.
Luckily, it seemed the tree was a well-known spot, and the kobold soon wandered over to seek shelter beneath its broad limbs. Once the kobold was in place, I wasted no time and quickly drew back, infused an arrow with Swarm, and let it fly. The arrow split just before impact, and the two shafts drove deeply into the kobold’s chest before his body fell to the ground in a lifeless heap.
Once the guard was dealt with, I circled around to the back of the camp and approached the occupied structures from the rear. The task was easy enough, as the ground around the kobold camp was trodden down and their activities had cleared the area of all vegetation. When I was in place, I reached into my pack and withdrew the key component that would determine the success or failure of my plan: The bottle of lamp oil I had looted in the kobold mine.
Second Skin Omnibus Page 19
