Second Skin Omnibus

by M Damon Baker

  After clearing the ground, I began to encircle our camp with my usual array of conjured traps. The hazardous nature of the area we were in had only been reinforced in my mind by the battle we had just fought with the Forest Ogre. Considering that fact, I made sure to carefully place as many traps as possible around us.

  I thought it was my turn to take first watch that night, but Venna assured me that I was mistaken. I finally accepted her decision after she made it quite clear that she would be taking first watch alongside me if I chose to ignore her ruling on the matter. Reluctantly, I curled up on my bedroll, certain she was favoring me, but powerless to do anything about it.

  Sometime in the middle of the night, I was startled awake by a series of guttural shouts and the sound of a wet ‘thunk’ somewhere nearby. Even in my sleepy haze, I knew the sounds were too close for me use my bow, so I drew my blades instead and rose to face the unseen threat.

  The first thing I saw was Khorim, laid out on the ground with a crude black arrow jutting out from his chest. I only had enough time to see the thin sliver of his remaining health bar slowly dwindling down before I was confronted with the first of our ambushers.

  A fearsome orc leaped out at me from the cover of the forest. I wasn’t sure how he had managed to get past my circle of traps, but I was certainly going to make the foul savage pay for what had happened to Khorim.

  Parrying his initial thrust, I countered with the long steel of the Essence Blade. The blade’s edge caught the orc across his chest, slicing through his rudimentary armor plate easily. I watched the shocked look on the orc’s face as the Blade passed effortlessly through his armor, opening up his chest from side to side. The surprised expression remained stuck on his face as his body fell lifelessly to the ground.

  I turned around quickly, circling to find my next foe. Although I could still hear the loud cries of many orcs, I only saw a handful of dead ones littered across our campsite. With alarm, I suddenly realized exactly where the rest of the orc horde was—in the initial haze of waking up, I had missed the subtle notification that my traps had been triggered... All of them.

  “The traps!” I called out as I rushed forward, hoping my friends would understand the urgency.

  Reaching the closest one, I saw nearly a half-dozen of the foul orcs bound tightly in the trap’s entangling vines. I began mercilessly stabbing and slashing at the imprisoned orcs, never allowing them even the slightest chance to work themselves free. When every last orc in front of me lay dead, I moved on to the next section of traps, hoping they would manage to restrain the orcs long enough for me to arrive.

  As I reached the trap, Broda appeared across from me. Wordlessly, we began dispatching the orcs, ending their lives without regret, much as they had sought to do to us. Together, we ran a quick circle of the camp, inspecting each trap’s location as we came to them. But aside from the few in the first two traps, we found no more live orcs, only the dead corpses of those that either Stel or Venna had already dispatched ahead of us.

  We returned to camp, and I dreaded the sight that I knew awaited us there.

  Mercifully, Stel and Venna had cleared away the dead orcs from our camp, allowing Broda to approach Khorim without his killer’s presence. His body lay still on the ground, with the wicked arrow still protruding from his chest. When we broke through the brush, Broda ran to him, collapsing beside his lifeless form.

  For the first time since I had known her, I saw tears fall from the strong dwarf’s eyes. She hid it well behind her mask of bluff and bravado, but I knew the true depth of the love she had for Khorim—or at least I thought I did. Seeing her holding his head in her hands and watching as the tears fell from her pained eyes made me realize I has sorely underestimated the depth of her feeling for him.

  My heart broke when those pained eyes turned to look at me.

  “Please,” she whispered pleadingly, her voice cracked with emotion, begging me to restore her love.

  Without hesitation, I withdrew one of the precious resurrection scrolls and hurried over beside her. Realizing that I had never attempted this before, I looked up to Venna.

  “What do I do?” I asked, my own voice breaking as well.

  Venna joined us beside Khorim’s body. She sat down beside us and then reached out and grasped the arrow stuck in his chest.

  “You may want to look away for just a moment, Broda,” she said, before allowing the dwarf a moment to avert her gaze.

  Venna yanked the arrow out, and although she had indeed averted her eyes, I saw Broda flinch as the arrow pulled free. She may not have had to endure the sight, but there was no escaping the sickening sound of tearing flesh as the arrow was ripped from Khorim’s chest.

  Venna tossed the foul shaft aside contemptuously before returning to our task.

  “Dreya,” she instructed calmly. “Open the parchment and read the words. You do not have to speak them, just read them. The scroll will do its work, all you must do is open yourself to it’s magic.”

  I nodded my understanding, then did as she instructed.

  Opening the small, rolled paper, I gazed at the lettering that was inscribed upon it. I cannot say that I truly ‘read’ it, as I didn’t comprehend it’s writing. Nonetheless, the meaning was somehow clear to me, and I felt it begin working through my body.

  I felt a force being drawn through me. It was like using my own Aura, but at the same time, completely different as I suddenly experienced a tremendous surge in power beyond anything I had ever felt or could even imagine. For a split second, the power of the entire universe seemed to flow through my veins, and I watched as countless suns and planets whisked by in a heartbeat and felt the combined energy of all of their inhabitants coursing over my body. The sensation lasted only the barest of moments, less than half a second before it was over. After that, I knew only the blackness of unconsciousness.

  I awoke to find Khorim not only alive but also staring at me. I gasped in shock, a reaction to both what had transpired, and how close he had been when I had opened my eyes.

  “What… what happened?” I asked, as I recovered.

  Venna appeared immediately by my side.

  “I was hoping you could tell me,” she said uncertainly.

  “You saw me use the scroll, that’s what happened,” I replied in confusion.

  “I know,” Venna replied, patiently attempting to calm me. “It should only have channeled a bit of your life force to power its magic. The worst reaction I’ve ever heard was a mild headache. You’ve been… unconscious for quite a while.”

  “What do you mean ‘unconscious?’” I said, picking up on her odd tone.

  “She means you’ve been just sitting there, staring off into space for hours,” Stel replied. “We tried everything to wake you at first, but nothing worked. Venna finally decided it would be best to let you come out of… whatever that was on your own.”

  I had no idea what it had been either, but decided to save any further discussion until after I had a chance to speak privately with Venna. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the others, but I had begun to think of Venna as my special counselor and confidant on all things Sintári. I considered it most likely that my strange experience using the resurrection scroll had something to do with that and wanted to hear her thoughts before discussing it any further. Glancing at Khorim, I quickly change the subject.

  “I guess this means it worked?” I said, gesturing at the risen dwarf.

  “Aye, girl, that it did,” he replied. “I’d say that I owe you my life, but all things considered, it’s almost an empty offer.”

  “Keep it up, master dwarf,” I retorted. “Now that I know I can raise you from the dead, I might just decide to kill you myself a few times.”

  I flashed him a wicked smile, doing my best to impart a sense of conviction to the clearly idle threat.

  “Now, now,” Khorim objected. “Like my grandad always said, ‘when a pretty girl brings you back from the dead, you should stop annoying her.’ At least I t
hink that’s what he said. It was either that or something about carving rocks.”

  The return of Khorim’s unique sense of humor turned my smile genuine, and I got up from the ground. It was already morning, and probably past the time we should have left. I felt fine and didn’t want to delay us any further, but before I could pronounce myself fit for the road, I heard the sound of a firm smack behind me.

  I looked over my shoulder and saw Khorim rubbing the back of his head while Broda stared at him reproachfully. Her words were a bit muffled, but I caught the last few as she finished speaking.

  “…and not in your second life either.”

  Khorim grumbled as he stalked off, still rubbing the back of his head gingerly.

  “If there’s isn’t anything else,” I said, pointedly looking at Broda. “I’m ready to hit the road.”

  “We gathered all the loot already, so we can leave right now if you truly are ready,” Venna replied. Her eyes searched mine, trying to ensure that I really was alright and not just trying to push forward for their sake.

  “Then let’s go,” I answered, returning her gaze with one of affirmation.

  As we walked the short distance back to the trail, Broda stepped alongside me. Unexpectedly, she grasped my shoulder tightly. When I looked to her, her eyes had grown misty once more. She wiped her eyes and silently mouthed ‘Thank You’ before rushing off ahead.

  I knew Broda was a strong woman, but I also knew she was a woman with a dark secret in her past, a secret that I thought might be the reason she was so reluctant to display her feelings. Her open mourning the night before had been the only display of her emotions I could recall, and to see her once again near the point of tears and unable to speak let me know the true depth of her gratitude.

  We traveled more cautiously that day. If the previous day’s battle against the Ogre hadn’t been warning enough, last night’s ambush had certainly reinforced the point. Khorim’s death, however brief it had been, only served to further underscore the perils we faced.

  As we slowly approached the junction with the main road, the narrow trail grew slightly wider and the trees began to thin out a bit. Coming around the final bend in the trail, the main road came into view ahead. Miraculously, a caravan was just beginning to pass the small side road as we emerged from the forest.

  I couldn’t help but smile as I wondered at just how ‘miraculous’ the incredible timing seemed to be—I knew that whoever or whatever was looking out for me couldn’t wave away all the threats I would be facing, but I was becoming increasingly grateful for the obvious aid and comfort.

  We hailed the caravan and approached cautiously once they waved us in. The long train of wagons was bound for the great elven fortress of Oróna, the same destination as our previous caravan. As expected, they agreed to allow us to travel the hazardous roads with them, and we fell in step alongside the lumbering wagons.

  My companions and I soon fell into the familiar pattern we had adopted as we walked alongside the caravan. Venna and I walked side by side, chatting occasionally, but mostly passing the time in a comfortable silence. The others came and went, spending various lengths of time with us and each other as the day went by.

  I took the opportunity to pull up my XP notifications. We had killed a large number of orcs the previous night, and I wanted to see just how many points I had gained from it all.

  Experience gained – You have gained 385 XP.

  . . .

  Experience gained – You have gained 385 XP.

  Experience gained – You have gained 77 XP.

  . . .

  Experience gained – You have gained 77 XP.

  Quest completed — You have completed the optional quest Life-Saver. For restoring the life of another, you have been rewarded 210 XP.

  Ha! I laughed to myself. Resurrecting Khorim fulfilled a quest I didn’t even know existed. The thought amused me, and I shared the news with Broda as she happened to be walking with us at the time.

  “It figures my fool of a husband would prove to be more useful dead than alive,” she grumbled.

  The mirth in her voice once again gave away her true feelings, and I knew she would be turning this knowledge into biting jabs against Khorim very soon. Leaving Broda to her mischievous scheming, I turned back to my notifications.

  While the orcs individually hadn’t provided much XP, there had been an awful lot of them. It seemed that one of the threats we would be facing in these dangerous lands would come not from the increased power of our foes, but rather in their increased numbers.

  Looking over the totals, it seemed that between my blades and my traps, I had managed to get full credit for the majority of the orcs we had killed. Only a mere handful of the notifications indicated that the rewards had been reduced to the number that signified a mere party kill credit. I had a rough idea on the total amount I had gained, but pulled up my personal sheet in order to confirm it.

  Dreya Dae

  Sintári Female

  Title: Sintári

  Level - 13

  59252/61200

  Health 210/210 Aura 470/470 Endurance - 210/210

  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 - 24

  CON - 21

  DEX - 22 (+1)

  INT - 20

  WIS - 17 (+1)

  CHA - 28 (+1)

  Abilities

  Ignore Armor – Your next arrow will ignore a portion of the target’s armor. Cost – 20 Aura. – 28%

  Stun – Your next arrow has a chance to stun its target on hit. Cost – 20 Aura. – 25%

  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. – 35%

  Flurry – Perform three rapid strikes with a bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 24%

  Parry – Chance for your blades to block next melee attack targeted at you. Cost – 20 Endurance. – 23%

  Hamstring – The next arrow fired has a chance to cripple your opponent. Cost – 20 Aura. – 24%

  Hilt Bash – Stun your opponent with a successful hilt strike from your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 22%

  Blood Price – Your arrow inflicts a damage-over-time bleed effect. Cost – 30 Aura. – 26%

  Blind – Your next arrow has a chance to inflict blindness on a successful hit. Cost – 30 Aura. – 27%

  Achilles Strike – Cripple your target with a slash of your bladed weapon. Cost – 30 Endurance. – 22%

  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.

  Protector Abilities

  See Truth – Once 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. – 11%

  Spells

  Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost – 20 Aura. – 36%

  Create Trap – Place a magical trap upon an area. Size, type, and trigger of traps is determined by your proficiency. Cost – 40 Aura. – 31%

  Elemental Arrow -Your next arrow is imbued with elemental energy and causes additional elemental damage accordingly. Cost – 30 Aura. – 22%

  Bolt – Release a Bolt of pure Lightning at your target(s). Cost – 40 Aura. – 22%

  Skills

  Bow – 36%

  Critical Hit
– 31%

  Blades – 30%

  Long Sword – 29%

  Short Sword – 28%

  Dagger – 26%

  Critical Hit – 22%

  Two-Handed – 27%

  Pole Arms – 14%

  Spear – 23%

  Armor – 25%

  Medium Armor – 27%

  Perception – 31%

  Environmental – 33%

  Identify Enemy – 28%

  Identify Person – 28%

  Combat Dodge – 21%

  Subterfuge – 26%

  Stealth – 27%

  Find Trap – 5%

  Disarm Trap – 4%

  Set Trap – 10%

  Manipulation – 18%

  Persuade – 21%

  Barter – 17%

  Survival – 23%

  Tracking – 24%

  Identify Creature (Beasts) – 10%

  Skinning – 13%

  Field Dress – 12%

  Alchemy – 12%

  Herbalism – 21%

  Potion Craft – 12%

  The totals were in line with my own rough math, and after I glanced over the rest of my sheet, I closed the UI completely.

  I was gaining XP rapidly, each battle adding a tremendous number of points to my total. This wasn’t too surprising since I was still at a very low level, and we were encountering truly deadly threats in a very hazardous land. Despite Khorim’s death the night before, I thought that we were doing remarkably well, a fact that I attributed to both the skill and the diversity of our group.

  As we marched slowly towards Oróna, I toyed briefly with the idea of grabbing the amulet to see which direction it might indicate. I set the thought aside almost immediately—we had just been through a great deal of danger, and even traveling with the caravan we still weren’t quite safe just yet. I decided to wait until after we were settled in Oróna before consulting the amulet about our next destination.