Glory to the Brave (Ascend Online Book 4)
Page 100
Creativity paused for a second to regard the pattern she had focused her attention on and then looked ahead to what potentially waited in its future, her head slowly beginning to nod.
“A place which, when I look now, is perhaps the best one that can be had for you,” she added, the brief moment of thought all that she needed to see where the strand’s future would have likely ended up. “There was nothing but darkness ahead of you, both for those you touched and for yourself.”
Turning her attention away from the crimson strand, she shifted her focus to another brightly glowing thread beside it, its silver light shining brightly in her eye, even more so than the last time that she’d seen it. So much so, in fact, that it was starting to attract other nearby strands towards it, pulling not only a substantial number of them from their original course but also causing a few of those pulled closest to it to also begin to gain a silver hue.
Something that only filled her with another burst of joy, except this time even greater than first.
“Oh,” she said as she gazed at the strand, barely able to contain herself as she inspected it. “You are ready. I’d thought…well, it doesn’t matter what I thought. Preparations must be made!”
Humming to herself excitedly, she reached out to the tapestry with purpose, following the silver thread into the future, watching and reading where Fate was likely to lead it.
“Hm, yes, a final tempering,” she whispered as her hand reached out towards the nebulous edge of her work, quickly cleaning away a handful of lesser threads that would only serve to distract and adding a few others in their place. “This will help to see just how far you will rise when the time comes. Ah, I am so excited to see what you will become!”
Her work finished, she stepped back away from the section she’d focused her attention on giving one last look of satisfaction before moving on, the sight she’d seen filling her with a new curiosity of how her other silver threads were faring.
“Good, very good,” she said while glancing towards another argent strand near the first, its light not nearly as bright or its pull as strong on those around it, yet it was still enough to win a nod of her approval. So too were the half-dozen other threads that she saw farther away from the first pair, each of them glowing with the same promise and pull that she’d hoped to see. “This will do—”
Creativity stopped as a bloom of darkness caught her eye, its appearance instantly causing her movement to freeze and eyes to widen. Spreading outwards from its source, dozens of dark lines spread outward, causing nearby threads to fray and snap, snarling the tapestry and turning what an instant earlier had been a beautiful work of art in her eyes something ugly and stained. Yet it wasn’t that damage that sparked the sudden rage that Creativity felt shoot through her, but rather the brief glimpse of the threads she managed to see before the darkness erupted from it.
“Oh, sister, that is low, even for you,” she said with bitter anger as she watched the nemesis unfold before her. “To think that you would do such a thing…”
Creativity let her words drop off, knowing that nothing she said would matter, save to further enrage her and steal her focus—something that she was sure to need if she were to mitigate the damage that had been done.
“Or should I at all?” she mused a second later, wondering if she perhaps couldn’t use this development to her advantage, to arrange things in a way that it would task the souls that her sister had pulled around her and push them to their breaking point. If they thrived under such pressure, it would still serve her goals, nemesis or not. But if they broke or faltered, then her sister’s plans would unravel right before her.
Yet even if it doesn’t, there is the other to rely on, she thought as she followed a thread that had slipped her mind since the last time she’d seen it, watching where it had come from and where it had yet to go. Yes. I can see it now. A twist here, a nudge there, and it will all come together flawlessly.
Decision made, Creativity prepared herself for the task, extending her will to draw countless spare threads towards her, their potential, their promise to change the world as she saw fit, hovering in the air before her, waiting to be put to use. Destruction, through all her efforts, may have been able to nudge events on occasion, to twist them away from their original purpose, but she could not create anything herself, for the threads of fate were Creativity’s—and only Creativity’s to command.
And so it was, with an eager smile, that she plucked one of the hovering threads before her, glanced at it carefully, and stepped even closer to the tapestry.
It was time to change Fate.
Lyrian’s Character Sheet at the End of Glory to the Brave
Lyrian Rastler – Level 31 Spellstriker
Human Male (Eberian)
Statistics:
HP: 2074/2074
Stamina: 1700/1700
Mana: 2318/2318
Experience to next level: 8,800/147,500
Renown: 7110
Attributes:
Strength: 114 (189)
Agility: 134 (235)
Constitution: 97 (98)
Intelligence: 141 (163)
Willpower: 54
Abilities:
Sneak Attack II (Passive) – Attacks made before the target is aware of you automatically deal weapon damage+35.
Power Attack III (Active: 120 Stamina) – You slash viciously at the target putting extra strength behind the blow. Deal weapon damage+75.
Kick (Active: 20) – You kick your enemy for 10-20 points of damage, and knock them back 1-2 yards. Depending on your Strength/Agility score, you may also knock down the target.
Shoulder Tackle (Active: 40 Stamina) – Stun enemy for 1-2 seconds with chance to knock enemy down based on Strength and/or Agility attribute.
Unarmed Mastery I (Passive) – All Unarmed attack damage is increased by 12.
Perfect Strike (Active: 300 Stamina) – You strike your enemy for +300% weapon damage with an increased chance of it being a critical hit, dealing triple damage. Due to the toll that this ability takes on your body, it can only be used every three minutes.
Skills:
Magic:
Evocation – Level 30 – 32%
Alteration – Level 30 – 1%
Conjuration – Level 29 – 94%
Abjuration – Level 29 –82%
Weapons:
Unarmed Combat – Level 29 – 98%
Swords – Level 30 – 12%
Axes – Level 11 – 35%
Daggers – Level 28 – 34%
Other:
Stealth – Level 28 – 83%
Wordplay – Level 24 – 33%
Perception – Level 30 – 4%
Tradeskills:
Blacksmithing – Level 30 – 10%
Carpentry – Level 29 – 0%
Leatherworking – Level 29 – 0%
Tailoring - Level 27 – 79%
Mining – Level 16 – 1%
Herbalism – Level 11 – 4%
Cooking – Level 5 – 54%
Cartography – Level 2 – 3%
Advanced Tradeskills:
Artificing – Level 1 – 0%
Leadership Skills:
Health Regeneration +10. Rank: 10/10
Mana Regeneration +10. Rank: 10/10
Stamina Regeneration +10. Rank: 10/10
Enhanced Movement +10%. Rank: 10/10
Improved Health: +2.5%. Rank: 5/5
Improved Mana: +0.5% Rank: 1/5
Improved Stamina: +0% Rank: 0/5
Improved Leadership I. Rank: 1/1
Spells:
Flare
Light
Blink Step
Shocking Touch
Lesser Shielding
Flame Dagger
Jump
Alacrity
Arcane Chains
Blink Strike
Flameburst
Arcane Shield
Concussive Blast
Frigid Grasp
Shocking Touch III
>
Cone of Cold III
Protective Shielding
Strikes:
Frost Strike – When you strike your next target, you deal Weapon Damage +170-230 points of Cold Damage. On strike there is a chance you will [Frostbite] the target, slowing their attack speed and movement speed by 30% for the next 3 seconds. This effect only stacks once.
Fire Strike – When you strike your next target, you deal Weapon Damage +250-350 points of Fire Damage. On strike there is a chance you will [Burn] the target, dealing an additional 75% of the Fire Damage inflicted over the next 5 seconds. This effect only stacks once.
Thunder Strike – When you strike your next target, you deal Weapon Damage +200-300 points of Lightning Damage. On strike there is a chance you will [Shock] the target, stunning them and preventing any action for up to 3 seconds. This effect can only occur every 30 seconds on the same target.
Spellstriker Class Ability:
Elemental Strike – Thanks to their constant use of magic, Battle Sages have learned how to suffuse either their weapon or physical strike with any element they have mastered, adding an extra potency, and special effects to their attacks.
Racial Ability:
Military Conditioning (Passive) – All defenses are increased by 5% and total hit points are increased by 10%.
Traits:
Open Minded – Accepting of racial differences and radical ideas, you have learned to accept wisdom and the opportunity to learn no matter what form it takes, allowing you to make intuitive insights where others would give up in frustration. Grants a substantial increase in learning new skills, and the ability to learn all race locked traits, skills, crafting recipes, and abilities that are not otherwise restricted.
Re-Forge – You have learned the basics of how to recreate a broken relic and are able to bring back some of its former glory. This skill will function across any and all Tradeskills you acquire.
Improvisation – Your study of goblin craftsmanship has given you the insight to make adjustments to standard and learned recipes by replacing required materials with something else. E.g., Replacing metal with wood in an armor recipe will create a set of wooden armor instead of metal. The higher your level in a Tradeskill, the more changes can be made and the fewer materials they will require.
Ætherwarped – Due to high exposure of Raw Æther, your body has undergone unpredictable changes! You have gained the following Sub-Trait(s) and Abilities as part of your condition.
True Sight – Your eyes have been enhanced by exposure to Æther to the point where they are able to pierce through natural darkness and all facets of magic to see things as they truly are. This ability replaces Arcane Sight and can be suppressed at will. When this ability is active, the player’s eyes will visibly glow a bright blue.
Mana Devourer – For as long as you have mana, you do not require to eat or drink, however as your mana reserves diminish, your hunger will increase correspondingly until it becomes impossible to ignore. Should you completely deplete your mana reserves, your body will immediately enter a feral state as it begins to consume itself at a rate of five hit points for each second in a mana deprivation state, the rate increasing by another five hit points every second afterward until at least 50% of your total mana is restored or you are consumed. All mana regeneration is permanently reduced by 100%.
Mana Leech – Its power enhanced by the effects of the [Mana Devourer] trait, you are now able to enhance your mana leech ability by expending your life force, allowing it to disrupt a single nearby spell. At the cost of 8% of your total health, you are now able to disrupt the formation of any spell within 30 feet, absorbing 50% of mana used to cast it, and prevent your target from casting spells for the next two seconds. Due to its strain on your body, this ability can only be used once every five minutes.
Mana Torrent – By fueling the ever-present hunger that now lurks within your body with your life force, you are able to draw in all nearby sources of mana directly towards you and absorb it. At the cost of 20% of your total health, this ability will instantly drain all mana sources within a 15-foot radius of you for 200% of your [Mana Leech] rate, and temporarily disrupt the formation of any spells for the next three seconds. Due to the strain on your body, this ability can only be used once an hour.
Arcane Touch – After much practice and honing both your martial and magical prowess, you have become well-practiced at using spells channeled through your weapon or body, learning how to empower their effects while reducing their mana cost. Any spell or magic based traits that you channel through your weapon or natural body to attack a target, has its effects increased by 15% and mana cost reduced by 35%.
Player versus Player:
Ranked Duel Statistics:
Current Title: Neophyte
Regional Rank: 8
Global Rank: 3,324,542
Glory Points: 121
Personal Rating: 1676
Wins: 4
Losses: 1
Draws: 0
Current PvP Skills Available for purchase:
Increased Health – Increase total health by 2.5%. 5/5
Increased Mana – Increase total Mana by 2.5%. 5/5
Increased Stamina – Increase total Stamina by 1%. 2/5
Amaranth’s Character Sheet at the end of Glory to the Brave
Amaranth – Level 31 Familiar
Male Puma (Ætherwarped)
Statistics:
HP: 1904/1904
Stamina: 1837/1837
Mana: 1230/1230
Attributes:
Strength: 180 (216)
Agility: 146 (194)
Constitution: 107
Intelligence: 61
Willpower: 49
Abilities:
Sneak Attack IV (Passive) – Attacks made before the target is aware of you automatically deal Natural Weapon Damage +125.
Ambush IV (Active: 150 Stamina) – You ambush your target, striking them in a vulnerable location. Deals Natural Weapon Damage +500. This ability can only be used on a target unaware of you.
Power Attack IV (Active: 150 Stamina) – You viciously attack your target putting extra strength behind the blow. Deal Natural Weapon Damage +100.
Pounce & Rake (Active: 60) – You leap upon your target, potentially knocking it down, where you then brutally rake it with your hind claws. Deal Natural Weapon Damage +120.
Primal Mastery IV (Passive) – All Natural Weapon attack damage is increased by 150.
Skills:
Martial:
Primal Combat – Level 30 –4%
Other:
Stealth – Level 29 – 93%
Perception – Level 30 –1%
Racial Trait:
Primal Predator – Built for the hunt, you are without peer when it comes to tracking prey by either sound, smell, or sight.
Spells:
Jump
Blink Strike
Flameburst
Help me reach my goal!
Thank you for reading Ascend Online: Glory to the Brave! Hopefully, you enjoyed Lyrian’s and the gang’s latest adventure! This book was an absolute pleasure to write and I hope it was a fun ride for you all! I’m here again asking for all of your help in reaching my review goals for this series and seeing if I can’t hit 1000 reviews on each and every single one of my Ascend Online books.
As I am sure you all know by now, reviews are the lifeblood of an independent author and give me the help and support I need to keep writing fulltime! If you’re interested to help keep me writing, please consider either flipping to the very end of this book if you’re on a kindle or clicking here to be taken straight to the store page where you can leave a review for this book!
Afterword
Hi, Readers! Thank you again for reading my story! As I mentioned on the previous page, please consider leaving a review for this book, they help more than you know! I really hope that you enjoyed reading Glory to the Brave and that you’re excited to see what’s next for Lyrian and gang!
> If you’re looking to get in touch with me directly at LyrianRastler@gmail.com, friend me on Facebook, join my Author Group, or find me on my Discord, where I hang out daily! Also, if you happen to spot any errors, please let me know and I will fix them right away!
If you are interested in other books that fall into the “LitRPG”, “GameLit”, “Cultivation” and/or “Progression Fantasy” genres, you should also check out both the GameLit Society and the Progression Fantasy Facebook group! They are both awesome community filled with authors, contests and book release news!
If my book has you hooked and you’re looking to get in on my monthly news and writing updates, sign up for my mailing list! I really do promise I won’t be bothering you too often either! If you’re interested in getting your hands on some hot Ascend Online merchandise you can also check out my store! We have T-shirts, mugs, posters, and more available for purchase!
And lastly if you are interested in following me on reddit you can find my very own subreddit over at /r/Aetherworld! It’s a great place to hang out and ask questions!
Before you go however, be sure to check out the exclusive sneak preview of my and Bryce O’Connor’s next upcoming book, Stormweaver: Iron Prince at the end of this book!
Other Series by Luke Chmilenko
The Shattered Reigns (Co-written with Bryce O’Connor)
A Mark of Kings
Warformed (Co-written with Bryce O’Connor)
Stormweaver: Iron Prince (Coming Soon, October 2020!)
Thank You, Patrons!
I would like to give a special shout out to all of my Patreon subscribers! All of your feedback and encouragement has helped shape this book into what it is today and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without you all. However, there are a number of people I’d like to call out by name due to their exceptional support! I wouldn’t be able to write as much as I do or tell the stories that I have to tell without your support. Thank you all for your incredible support and for subscribing to my Patreon page! You all keep me motivated to write every day, and I am ecstatic beyond words to count you among my fans!