Battle Warden - Druids often become a walking force of nature, using heavy weaponry and powerful magic to defend their allies and disrupt enemies.
Requirements: Strength 45, Intelligence 35, Any weapon skill 30
Special Ability: Protector Aura - Battle Warden can activate protector aura reducing the damage all allies within thirty feet receive from any source by 30%. Activation Cost - 75% of Mana Reserved until canceled
Ravager - Druids who make powerful connections to the primal forces of nature become Ravagers, deadly fighters whose only purpose is to wreak havoc on a battlefield channeling their inner fury to enhance their physical combat abilities.
Requirements: Strength 45, Constitution 30, Great Weapons 30
Special Ability: Reckless Rage - Ravagers lose themselves in the blood and carnage of battle. Increase melee damage by 300%, Increase damage received by 50%, Lose ability to cast spells during Reckless. Once activated, a Ravager cannot cancel Reckless Rage until combat is over or the Ravager dies.
Pestilent Druid - A druid who falls from the natural order of life and death can become a Pestilent Druid, gaining powerful abilities that spread disease, sickness and rot amongst enemies.
Requirements: Intelligence 45, Wisdom 30, Death magic 30
Special Ability: Wilting Aura - Pestilent Druids are so warped by death magic they radiate a debilitating aura. It afflicts all living creatures including allies with Wilting - 25% reduction in all attributes. Activation cost: 50% of total mana reserved until canceled.
Pack Leader - Some druids forge a bond with animals so strongly that they can aquire multiple animal companions, leading a pack of deadly hunters in combat.
Requirements: Charisma 45, Wisdom 30, Survival 30
Special Ability: Commanding presence - Pack leaders can activate an aura that increases the health and damage of all Animal Companions. 30% increased health and damage for all Animal Companions. Activation Cost: 75% of Mana Reserved.
Monster Hunter - Monster Hunter Druids dedicate their entire lives to hunting monsters outside the natural order, beasts warped by dark magic and mana.
Requirements: Dexterity 45, Wisdom 30, Tracking: 30
Special Ability: Precision Aura - Monster Hunters can activate this aura to mark weak points on monsters, increasing the critical strike chance of all party members by 40% when fighting Mana-Warped or Non-natural creatures. Does not affect normal beats or humanoid races. Activation Cost: 75% of Maximum mana reserved.
Each one provided serious benefits, but each inferred a cost of mana reservation. At least two of the advanced classes he already had the attributes for and with some training from Master Crox, he could get his Great Weapon skills to the level he needed for the Ravager and Battle Warden classes.
He closed the primer and slid back into his bag. He had more primers to read, but it was getting late and his thoughts were a jumbled mess now that he had so much information to rummage through in his mind. It was a strange sensation. Not that he knew everything in the tomes, but if he needed to recall it, the words appeared in his mind's eye and he could re-read whatever he needed to.
It was like a puzzle; he knew what it looked like, and he knew where to find every piece, but he still had to assemble it each time he needed to and the moment he looked away from the puzzle, it was back in pieces. Maybe the knowledge would settle in his mind, becoming more organized the more he recalled the different pieces, but that was a problem for another day. Tonight he needed to rest, and in the morning he would train with Master Crox.
Chapter 42
“Today, we will perform a series of exercises, created by yours truly, that will help me learn what weapon you have a natural affinity for. I call it Dr. Crox‘s standard battery of tests. I watch you attempt to wield a weapon, and I’ll tell you why it’s not for you. You select a different weapon and I’ll tell you why it’s not for you. We repeat this process until there are no weapons left. At any point you can disagree with me and that’s the weapon you learn.” Master Crox said, his voice dripping with cynicism.
“But what if I want to learn Great Weapons?”
“Listen hear lass, if you disagree with me, that‘s your choice. You’d be wrong, but it would be a choice. But ask yourself, wouldn’t you rather be wrong than stubborn?”
Skree paused, reflecting on his question. What if he was wrong after all and Great Weapons weren’t his best choice?
“I don‘t know?”
“What do you mean you don’t know? It’s a simple question. Wouldn’t you rather be wrong?”
“But you said if I disagreed, I‘d be wrong, and asked wouldn’t I rather be wrong? Do you want me to disagree with you?”
Master Crox opened his mouth to object but stopped. “Stop asking stupid questions. Besides, you already learned Great Weapons. Now you need to learn how to use them.” He stepped in front of Skree and put his hands on his shoulders with a serious glare. “My question lass, is wouldn‘t you rather be wrong so you can stop being wrong? At some point, you have tobe honest with yourself and know when to listen to someone that isn’t you.”
Skree liked the notion. Knowledge was power, and he wanted more of both. To be the best, he had to learn from the best. He nodded to Priestess, a subtle gesture telling her this was the right man to teach them. She shrugged and nodded back.
“I would.”
Master Crox grunted, stepping up to a nearby wall and flipped it, revealing a wall of mounted great weapons. “Choose wisely.”
Hesitantly he walked up to the impressive display of weapons. His eyes came to rest immediately on a black Great Sword. Among all the weapons there, he wanted to reach out for it. He didn’t know if it was familiarity or not, but it stood out. He tore his gaze from the weapon and scanned the others. There were spears, hammers, axes and more. Skree grinned when he saw a staff that ended in three chain flail.
Skree reached out, hand resting on the dark-grained staff.
“Wrong.” Crox said, putting an end to that quickly. They repeated this process a half dozen times, the master barking objections until his hand came to rest on a heavy spiked hammer. It looked like someone had stuck a cinder block on the end of a lead pipe. He honestly didn’t know if he could even swing the damn thing. Regardless, he picked it up, testing the weight by tossing it in his hands.
“It’s heavy.”
“No kidding, it’s an anvil on a tree branch.” Crox said. “But go ahead, attack the dummy.”
Across the pit a dummy stood motionless. Skree marched up to the dummy, hefted the hammer and attacked it. In a flash of movement, the dummy jumped out of the way and struck him upside the head. He stumbled away, the weight of the hammer throwing him off balance.
“Wrong.” Crox said flatly, as if thedummy hadn‘t just come to life and hit Skree in the face.
“What the hell is that thing?” Skree asked, rubbing the back of his head and glaring at the motionless dummy.
“It’s a training dummy. What did you think it would do, stand there and let you hit it?”
“Honestly, yeah, that is what I expected!” Skree said.
Crox chuckled, “That would be terrible training. Next.”
Skree approached the arsenal, looking over his shoulder a few times to see if the dummy had moved, but it just stood there all creepy like, exactly where it had stopped moving.
This time, Skree closed his eyes and reach toward two different bladed staffs. One had a longer, curving blade while the other had a straight almost sword-like point. To him, they looked basically the same. When Crox didn’t shout wrong or no or absolutely not, he opened his eyes and found a light-colored haft his hand. It was the sword-spear. When he pulled it from the wall, the weight of the bladed end sent it crashing to the ground.
“That’s why there’s sand instead of wood, in case you were wondering.”
Skree rolled his eyes, lifting the weapon with both hands. He worked out what seemed like a basic attack pattern and moved toward the dummy. He thrust the
blade forward, aiming for the center of its chest and knew he had made a mistake. Again, it moved, rolling along the haft of the spear and back handing him on the side of the head. He shoved the dummy away, yanking the sword end toward the dummy with all his strength. The weapon moved much easier than he expected and the dummy ducked under the high swing, and closed in, delivering a series of body blows to his ribs.
He yelped in pain, stumbling away from the blows. “This thing is far too skilled for me.” he said, pointing at the once-again motionless dummy.
“Do you know why we call it a training dummy?”
“No, obviously not.”
“We call it that because it only has half the master’s skill ranks.”
Skree watched the dummy cautiously. This thing only had half Crox’s skill levels and was trouncing him this easily? It was absurd to think about but it really drove home the need for training.
“Does it have a name?” Priestess asked seriously.
Crox rolled his eyes. “Training Dummy.”
With a grumble, Skree hoisted the Sword-spear over his shoulder and hung it back in place. He didn’t care what Crox might say and grabbed the great sword. He hefted it, grabbed the pommel and held it out for inspection.
You have found Darkshiver’s Dream, Rarity: Unique, Quality: Masterwork, Damage: 220, Durability: 850/850. Description: Abilities: locked. Darkshiver fought the endless night, but was it only a dream?
Skree nearly dropped it as if it was a snake. It was more powerful than anything he had ever seen. “Where did you get this?” He asked, unable to tear his appreciative gaze from the weapon.
“Who cares.” Crox said, pointing at the dummy. “Go.”
He stepped before the dummy and bowed. To his surprise, the dummy bowed back, and dropped into a fighting stance. He moved forward, sword trailing at his hip. He delivered an upward slash that crossed from his right foot to left shoulder. This time, the dummy leapt away, unable to move past the sword. Skree twisted his body, reversing the slash. Again, the dummy jumped away.
Not waiting for the dummy to recover, he drove his foot into its chest, sending it rolling through the sand. Dragging the sword through the sand, he rushed forward, slashing upward with less force than before. He stopped the blade mid arc and thrust at the retreating dummy, impaling it. The dummy fell to its knees, looking down at the sword. It clutched at the wound and then stared at its hands as if covered in blood.
Skree had a moment of terror as he considered this thing might be alive in someway. Its head slowly lifted and he could swear it was staring into his eyes. It reached up toward him, arm shaking before slumping lifelessly, blade still buried in its chest.
“Holy shit, did I kill training dummy?” he asked in horror.
Crox scoffed. “No, you idiot.” He waggled his fingers. “It’s magic.”
He looked back at the pitiful dummy, stuffing hanging out and he withdrew his sword. As if affected by a healing spell, the cotton receded into the dummy and its leathery flesh sealed together. It leapt to its feet, booped him on the nose and hopped back to the middle of the pit like a child playing hopscotch.
“Okay, that thing is both amazing and creepy.” Skree said as Crox approached.
“So you found your weapon. I knew it all along.” The master said, prying the blade away from Skree. He hung it, spun the wall hiding the weapons from sight once more.
“Then why did you give me that “wouldn’t it be better to be wrong” speech?”
Perrimus Crox looked him dead in they and grinned. “Sometimes it‘s better to be right”
Priestess walked onto the sand, tail wagging excitedly. “Now it is my turn?”
Crox walked to a wall, touched a spot, and the wall flipped, revealing only two items. “This is what you will learn.”
She frowned. “But he got to fight Training Dummy and touch all the weapons.”
“And this is a perfect example of when it’s best to be wrong.” Crox said to Skree. He grabbed what looked like a rolled up leather sleeping mat, but much smaller and a dagger. On second thought, Skree through it looked more like a steak knife than a dagger. He pushed them into her arms. “Throwing knives and a non-throwing knife.”
She held the bundle awkwardly. “And you’re sure these are right for me?”
“Pull out a throwing knife and lob it dummy over there.” Crox instructed. Priestess unrolled the bundle on the ground, withdrew a throwing knife and focused on the training dummy. She drew her arm back and launched the projectile. It thudded directly into the dummy’s crotch and it grasped at its imaginary bits, curling into a fetal position in the sand.
Crox shrugged. “Not a killing blow, but an incapacitating one. We’ll work on it.”
“How did you know?” Priestess asked, staring down at her hands in amazement.
“You're a slinger. Every one of your fireballs would have hit the mark yesterday if you were facing a lesser opponent. You have a natural talent for thrown weapons thanks to your casting style.”
She bent down and grabbed the regular knife. “What about this?”
“In case you need to cut your steak.”
Chapter 43
The sun was cresting the horizon, coloring the sky like a beautiful painting. The weather was once again perfect in the city of Theseldora. Skree found it surprising, he always assumed it rained like once a day, or at the very least, once a week. The worst he had seen was a momentary sprinkle that ended in minutes. He hoped they found time to practice outside at some point. It would be a shame to waste a nice day.
“Well, if it isn’t my two favorite ladies.” Crox said from his position in the pit. He was shirtless, and sweat soaked his dark hair. “Let me guess, you‘re late because you were doing your hair?”
Skree and Priestess exchanged a concerned glance. It was just past sunrise, and here they were.
“I don‘t have hair.” Priestess said, feeling her scaly scalp.
“Huh. I hadn‘t noticed, but now you mention it, I guess that can‘t be why you're late?”
“But he has hair.” She said, pointing at Skree.
“Are you telling me it’s his fault?” Crox said, pointing at Skree
“Hey, it‘s not my fault. And that is beside the point. You said bright and early.” Skree pointed back toward the entrance and the sky outside. “It bright and early out there.”
Crox closed the distance between them and crossed his arms as if holding himself back. “But you‘re not out there are you? And everyone knows bright and early means an hour before dawn.”
“I’m not sure that’s true.” Skree said, looking to Priestess for confirmation. She shrugged.
The weapon master returned to the center of the pit. “If you’re not here before me, then you‘re late.”
Priestess’ head tilted in confusion. “Don‘t you live here?”
“That’s no excuse.” He gestured for them to join him in the sands. “If you please.”
They strode into the pit with confidence and excitement. Despite his attitude, Skree considered Master Crox the best person to teach them. After his display of prowess, Skree had witnessed firsthand the chasm of skill separating them. Yes, he was sure he wanted this man to teach them.
Crox tossed a wooden great sword to Skree and hoisted his own. “Do as I do.”
“What about me?” Priestess asked, reaching for her knife.
“You‘re with the dummy.” He said, hooking a finger over his shoulder at the training dummy standing motionless as usual.
She squealed in excitement. “You want me to play with Training Dummy?”
“No, I want you to throw knives at him until you hit him.” He said.
Priestess shrugged and skipping through the sand to play with Training Dummy.
Crox sunk into a fighting pose. “Do as I do.” He moved through a series of attacks, his motions fluid. He whirled the blade to his left, then right in an alternating rhythm. With a final stab, he drove the blade into the sand.
Skree attempted to follow his pattern, but found it nearly impossible. Each time he intended to roll the blade, he lost control. Crox stopped him.
“You are holding the hilt all wrong. “It’s heavy, so you hold it like it’s heavy.” He adjusted Skree‘s grip. “But it’s only heavy once.”
“That doesn‘t make sense.” Skree said, trying to find the meaning.
Crox rolled his eyes. “One swing of the sword put it in motion, and you can act upon that motion. The true strength of the great sword is its momentum. Once in motion, your blade should remain in motion.” He sunk into the stance again, and Skree watched him carefully.
The weapon master stepped forward, using his body weight to slash upward, and the blade reached the top of its arc. Instead of trying to reset, he let the blade fall freely toward the earth, turning his wrist and hips to conserve its momentum. The wooden blade nearly touched the sand before it rocketed upward again in a mirror slash of the first, only this time, the blade moved faster than his initial attack. Each rotation of the blade allowed the dwarf to apply more force when it mattered most.
Master Crox moved through the sand, blade never slowing as he became a tornado of deadly intent. It was poetry in motion. Thrusts, kicks, slashes, all with perfect control. Never did the master lose his footing. Never did his attacks slow. Skree wanted to throw down his blade. He could train an entire lifetime and not be as good as Master Crox.
“This is what it means to wield a Great Sword. You must embrace its strength. Do as I do.” he said, settling into the first stance before repeating the first simple attack pattern. This time, Skree let the momentum carry the blade, instead of trying to start new with each swing and he performed much better. He was still a far cry from mastering the forms, but he could already feel a difference.
“Fighting is applying force in the correct way at the right time. Again.” he said, gesturing for him to continue. And Skree did, again and again, until the blade weighed as much as an elephant. Until every muscle burned as if lava coursed through him. Never once did the master let him cease. Until the sun’s light streaming through the windows darkened.
Raiya- Early Game Page 30
