Joe began to look through the new list of both spells and the recipes for medicine. Apparently, because of his ability in Life Magic, he was able to jump to a higher profession level than his other two professions. He made a note not to attempt to learn another profession in the next 24 hours. He didn't need another debuff. Finally, at the end of the list, he found what he was looking for.
L8 Mass Life Synergustification- This spell allows the caster to release their life mana in a whirlwind of healing power. Size of the area affected is based on the combination of available mana and the skill level of the caster. Note: when used on the severely injured, the power of this spell can cause a dangerous feedback to the caster.
As quick as Joe was able, he moved the spell to one of the prime spots in his hotkeys. Immediately pressing the action button, Joe's whole body began to glow white. He said the words of power and moved his whole body in movements that bore a striking resemblance to Tai Chi. He continued to move and everyone had turned their eyes to watch him. They were not afraid, for the white glow had a comforting intensity about it. The cast time on the spell was not short, but everyone waited patiently to see what would happen. Finally, the spell completed and the white glow began to swirl around Joe, growing larger and larger, eventually encompassing everyone within fifty feet of the altar. They weren't growing new limbs, but their pain was receding and their hope was being kindled. There was so much damage. It was impossible for Joe to not be affected by the feedback. It hit him hard, but he did not resist it, wanting to understand what the slaves had gone through.
His mind drifted through memories, none of them his own.
The nameless slaves had felt the death of their owner Neg the vampire, but something strange had occurred. Their ownership had passed to someone named Joe. Normally, when a vampire died, all of the vampire’s possessions were immediately transferred to the house they belonged to. Neg had been a sentinel guard and a low-ranking member of the vampire house, Veil. The moment of Neg’s death, his slaves should have felt their ownership transfer to House Veil and then been compelled to gather all of Neg’s possessions and travel to the location of the head of the house. And indeed, they did feel compelled to travel to their new owner, but he was nowhere in the vampire territory. All of them could feel their new owner’s location and he seemed to be moving up and away from the vampire kingdom. As they gathered their owner’s new possessions and prepared for travel, some of them ventured to look at each other with hope. Being owned by this Joe had to be better than life under a vampire.
This group of nameless slaves was not a homogeneous lot. No more than any three of them were of the same species. The only things that were the same about them was that they were slaves, their tongues had been removed, and their former owner had been, Neg. Though there had been myths and legends about vampires who were kind and even some who were beautiful and sparkly, Neg was not one of those. Nor were any of the vampires in his kingdom. Every last one of them was the very definition of evil. It was common practice in the vampire community that all slaves would have their tongues removed, but that was the least of their cruelty. For vampires, slaves were a necessity, not for common labor, but for a food source. This was one of the reasons a low-ranking member of House Veil had owned so many of them. The other reason was that, as a sentinel, Neg had lived alone on the very edge of the kingdom and had been required to sell slaves to vampires leaving the kingdom's territory. Their master had taken his job seriously. He had gathered as many different species as he could. He had wanted to make sure his customers could choose whatever species tasted best to them. As a sentinel, his job had been to patrol the caves that led into their outermost territory. This had left him a great deal of free time. Sadly for his slaves, this had meant more torment for them. He had spent his free time forcing different species to breed, attempting to produce crossbred children. Children whose heritage came from multiple species were prized in the vampire community for the unique taste of their blood. As a breeder, Neg had been a tremendous success.
As vampires go, Neg had been weak. He had made up for this with cleverness and ruthless practicality. In order for him to be able to control so many slaves, he had taken draconian measures. Any of them who had come from a species strong enough to best him had anywhere from one to eight limbs amputated. The small little colony of slaves looked like the most unhygienic and depressing hospital amputee ward ever to exist. But Neg was dead, and it appeared their new owner was not a vampire.
The slaves hurried to prepare for travel, knowing that at any time an outbound vampire could discover them and halt their exodus. Before Neg’s death, none of them could have left the kingdom because of the binding spells placed upon all slaves. At the time of Neg's death and the transfer of ownership, all of those spells had been superseded by the imperative of presenting themselves to their new owner. This loophole was something they knew they had to take advantage of as soon as possible. With the desperate efficiency of fleeing slaves, they broke down furniture and constructed stretchers and even wagons for those with mobility issues.
Faster than one might believe, they were ready for their escape. Slaves with no arms had ropes attached to their waists so that they could help pull the wagons that were full of items and people. With an enthusiasm never seen in their service of Neg, they began to pursue their new owner, leaving the vampire kingdom for the first, and hopefully last, time.
Joe opened his eyes and saw he was lying on the mithril-covered altar. The slaves had all gathered around him. Some of them had put their children close to him. He noticed that, unconsciously, he had been gently holding two small dwarven children. The feedback loop had helped him understand these slaves. During it, his Empathetic Learning gift had also played a part. He now knew many, many languages. While still holding the children, he began to gesture with his fingers and with his face. He was gesturing the language of slaves. It was the only common language that all of them had.
“I'm so sorry for what you've been through,” he gestured, “That is over now. I will free each and everyone of you, but do not fear. You are welcome in this castle for as long as you want to be here,” Joe said. Then Spooky flew over top of him with a worried look on her face.
“Joe, you've been out for a long time. The party has not crossed the trench, but they appear to be arming themselves. Even though it appears most of them are slaves, we should not take this lightly. My avatar has been able to identify several strong magical buffs being placed on heavily armored knights. The chief has lined up his yetis on top of the mound, but I'm not sure that will deter this group,” Spooky said.
“I said I would free the slaves first,” Joe said, but then Joe felt a hand tapping his shoulder. He looked over and it was one of the halfling slaves. He began gesturing and Joe watched, listening with his eyes.
“We are already free, you can remove the marks after you go. Keep us this way. I speak for all of us, as I always have. Please go, my king.”
“Okay,” he gestured in reply. Speaking to Spooky, he said, “I need to quickly assign the points of power that I've gathered. Otherwise I may be going into battle weaker than I need to be.” He began going through his leveling messages.
Congratulations! Leading from the front, your diverse group has won the day. You personally have defeated one Human Vampire and caused one Halfling Vampire to surrender.
XP received: base 1,166. Plus 1,166 for Voice of Monty Ring bonus. Total XP received: 2,332. Your co-Champion earned 714 XP through her assistance in the battle. New total XP received: 3,046.
You have moved up a Level.
Current Level- 61.
You have moved up a Level.
Current Level- 62.
You have moved up a Level.
Current Level- 63.
Power and Stat Allocation
Note: Not all levels are created equal. Work hard and distinguish yourself to prepare well, and you may receive more stat and power allocation points.
Joe
&nbs
p; Level 61 through Level 63-
You’ve received 1 point of power.
You’ve received 2 points of stat, allocated based on achievement:
Plus 1 to Dexterity
Plus 1 to Wisdom
It was frustrating to get only one point of power, but you get what you get. With only one point, he didn't even have to look at his HUD to know what he was going to choose. It was time to get Fire Magic. As fast as he could, he navigated through the drop-down menus and selected Fire Magic, quickly clicking yes at the prompt.
You are now a novice in Fire Magic
Luckily, Joe felt a few Fire Magic spells immediately pop up for him. They were not as powerful as he would have liked, but they would deal damage and he didn't have enough damage dealing spells.
Joe quickly scanned over his character sheet, noticing that he now had a section for his professions.
Level- 63
Character- Joe
Race- Human Machine Hybrid
XP- 63,394
Mana- 466
Hitpoints- 1,080
Weight- 2,350 lbs
Height- 7ft 8in
Charisma- 36 + 14
Constitution- 31 + 43
Dexterity- 19 + 4
Intelligence- 27
Muscle/Gears- 27 + 1
Wisdom- 14 + 1
Luck- 35
Profession
Amateur Hobbyist Cartographer
Hobbyist Crier
Journeyman Healer (Primary)
Gifts
Empathetic learner
Sight of the encourager
Skills
Chameleon, ChaMod + 1
Creative mechanic: Level 7, GearMod + 1
Grappler: Level 80, ConMod + 8
Innate courtly etiquette, ChaMod + 2
Journeyman bather
Mind-click: Level 2, WisMod + 1
Multi-plane hands
Penetrating steel silver claw
Pierce
Rock eater
Rock-woven skin, ConMod + 5
Sapphire vision, ConMod + 2
Space age alloy big boned, ConMod + 15
Stryker: Level 41, DexMod + 4
Unrivaled vocalist, ChaMod + 4
Magic
Novice Fire Magic
Apprentice Force Magic
Apprentice Mind Magic
Apprentice Portal Magic
Journeyman Life Magic, ConMod + 2
Journeyman Spirit Magic, ConMod + 2
Contracts
Defend capital castle
In Jeopardy!
Lender to Rook
Protect yeti children
Servant of Rook
Contend evil
Contend Rook
Achievements
Aura of Authenticity. Rank 1
Aura of Benevolence. Rank 1 ChaMod +1
Let My People Go. Rank 1 ConMod + 1
Open Book. Rank 1
Stick to Your Guns. Rank 1 + 10% to Pierce
You Ain't So Big. Rank 2 + 20% attack & defense against higher level enemies
Disadvantages
Fear of silence
Lack of focus
Active Spells
Elastic Muscles
Fast Twitch
Increased Oxygenation
Natural Jumper
Regen
Smart Adrenaline
Spirit Shield
Ultra Balance
“Joe, I still can't read your stats. I can tell you've picked something by your expression, but I don't know what it is. How many points of power did you get, and what did you allocate them to?” Spooky asked.
“This time I got one point of power, and I chose to become a novice in Fire Magic,” Joe said.
“Thank you, Joe, for that small bit of information. I'm going to go ahead and show you my full stats and then you can show me yours. I am an open book,” Spooky said. Before Joe could stop her, Spooky opened her stat window to Joe.
Level- 63
Character- Spooky Joy
Race- Machine Fairy Hybrid
XP- 63,394
Mana- 528
Hitpoints- 610
Weight- 8 lbs
Height- 6 in
Charisma- 8
Constitution- 10 + 4
Dexterity- 38 + 2
Intelligence- 38 + 105
Muscle/Gears- 15 + 4
Wisdom- 12 + 6
Luck- 9
Gifts
Channeler
Fast processor, IntMod + 100
Magic diamond dust maker
Skills
Castle management, IntMod + 1
Creative mechanic: Level 11, GearMod + 2
Hard drive partitioning:
Current maximum number of partitions
Angels, 6-in version: 125
Angels, 6-ft version: 15
Obsidian Automaton: 1
Loyalty assessments: Level 87
Mind-click: Level 11, WisMod + 2
Mithril silicon integration, IntMod + 4
Magic
Journeyman Binding Magic, ConMod + 2
Journeyman Energy Mass Conversion Magic, ConMod + 2
Achievements
Fire in the Sky. Rank 1 + 10% to falling angel impact
Namer. Rank 1 + 1% to processing information
Disadvantages
Chronic Ambivalence
Fake Emotions
Joe looked over the stats that Spooky Joy was presenting to him. Then his twenty-sided eye spun and stopped at 10. His eyes narrowed and his jaw firmed. Then he spoke slowly, with a careful measured calm.
“Outside that window, I can see knights preparing to attack this castle. Looking at what they have, I don't think it's enough that they can kill us all, but most of the yetis are NPCs. I'm not sure, but I believe that means when they die, they stay dead. So if you want to be my co-Champion and come out and help me defend what we're attempting to build here, go ahead and be a buddy and do that. The stats that you just showed me are impressive. However, I spy with my little eye, a cow pie. I'm not judging your ability to work hard. I'm out right saying you're not showing me everything. Here's the kicker, since we're no longer partners, you don't have to show me everything. Only you keep saying that you are. You want to keep secrets. Fine, keep secrets. Just don’t try to make it appear as if you have none. Now I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I can tell when I'm being used as a pooper scooper. Maybe these are your stats, but at this point, I'm not sure that they even are. However, I can tell that there's a whole different system showing your true growth,” Joe said.
Spooky immediately broke in, “Wait! I didn't know you wanted to see the castle progression system. It's not exactly mine. I'm not a building. I was showing you my stats. If you want to see where we are in castle progression, I am fine with showing you that.”
“Stop it, Spooky. I caught you trying to deceive me and now you're trying to pretend that that's not what you were doing. I'm not okay with that,” Joe said.
“Joe, you're being unreasonable, if you look at it from my perspective…” Spooky began.
“Again! Don't make me shovel that. And I don't want to hear any of that ‘Obi-Wan,’ my lies are truth bull. Maybe that works on a grand galactic scale. I don't know. I've never had any experience with that. But I do know, in personal relationships, deception only creates distance. If distance is what you want, then good job, Spook. If you want to come help, come help. See you later,” Joe said as he turned toward the window and used his Portal Magic to open a portal just for him and jump through without another word.
“Why did I try to hide the castle progression system from him?” Spooky mumbled to herself. Then, suddenly she stiffened and responded as if someone had just spoken to her. “…Where have you been?! …What do you mean you were sleeping? Nevermind, don’t answer that question now, we have more important things at the moment. It’s difficult for me to say this, but I’m desperate. I need your help, and not just for combat. The use o
f my protocols has caused Joe to view me in a way that causes me pain. I don’t know how to fix what I’ve broken. I don’t know how to be different. I want to go back to the way he viewed me before. Can you help me? Can you help us? …Yes, please bring me to that place where we can speak more openly together,” Spooky said. Dropping to the castle floor, ignoring the crowd, Spooky laid down and lost consciousness.
Chapter 24 - Epilogue: Part 1
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Thread- This is a weird dream… Continuation
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wannaBEprince34
Human, Male, Knight
Magic- Fire, Affinity Metal
Post 12
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Are you there pain42? If you are I have some questions for you. I'm going to keep this polite and non-threatening because I don't want to get banned and have my posts removed. Right now I need answers more than I need revenge. Did you just know my uncle was going to kill himself or did you have a hand in it? If you did have a hand in it, did you use me to somehow cause my uncle to do what he did? The moment I woke up from that last terrible forum session, I went to my uncle and told him everything. I told him how much I valued him and that he had too much to live for to do something so awful and permanent. He smiled and told me that everything was going to be okay. I believed him. Later that day, I was called before the king, and my uncle was standing beside him beaming. The king informed me that I had been made the new heir of the earl, my uncle. The king threw me a party and I forgot all about the horrible prediction that you gave me. While I was sitting next to the king, drinking my fill, we heard a cry. My uncle had ended his own life in one of the side rooms. The king didn't even bat an eye, he just congratulated on becoming an earl and slapped me on the back. My uncle was the only family member who had ever treated me like I was worth anything. Now my cousins and my aunt hate me for becoming the earl and my father is angry that I now have a higher title than he does. Was this all your plan pain42?
But Death is Not Forbidden Page 34
