Frostbite Nunchucks
The remnants of a beast imbued with ice mana, these two femurs are strung together with enchanted iron to prevent damage to the user while enhancing blows with ice imbued attacks.
Slows movements of damaged target
Enhanced Durability
Increased effectiveness of channeling Ice Mana into the weapon
It was a pair of white sticks attached with a small chain linking them. I looked at them with confusion after pulling them out of the box. They felt cold to the touch, but not dangerously so. Deacon’s brow furrowed as he looked at them. “That’s an unusual weapon.”
I set them down on the table. “Not sure how useful that is.” I said as I pulled the next box out. “I’ve already got a few other weapons I don’t know how to use, though. What’s one more, right?”
I opened the new box.
Shadebolt Wand
A training aid for early magic users. Made of umbral pine and enhanced with the essence of a shade, this wand is capable of assisting with the development of Darkness and Shadow affiliated spells.
Grants access to the Dark Bolt spell at Tier 0
Increases proficiency with the Dark Manipulation skill
Reduces mana of spells channeled through the wand by 5% (Tripled for Dark spells)
I looked at the stick of polished black wood that I pulled out curiously. Examining it from different angles, I found a slot for a crystal on one end, and the other had a curved handle that had some kind of black cloth wrapped around it. It didn’t look visually interesting, except light seemed to move around it in a manner that made the whole thing look a bit like a hole in the world. “Freaky…”
“Wow, I haven’t seen a wand like that in a while.” Deacon reached over and gently pulled it from my hands. “Built in spell too. With some work, you can learn to cast it without the wand.”
“Really?” I asked, looking at the stick with a bit more appreciation. “I’m not sure what Dark Bolt will do, but it likely isn’t a friendly spell.”
Deacon shrugged, “Probably like all the other bolt spells. It’s like throwing a magical rock attuned with a special element. Useful in a pinch, but limited.”
“What’s the difference between that and just… throwing dark mana at someone?” I asked, taking the wand back and setting it next to the nunchucks.
“Less mana and less effort required. They’re spells, which means it falls under Extrinsic and can use external power to… well… power the spell.” He said, shrugging. “Intrinsic lets you do more, but you’re covering all of the costs.”
I furrowed my brow as I took out the first Armor case. “So… can you make a bolt spell with just intrinsic mana?”
Deacon nodded, “You can make any spell with internal mana. It’s a big part of manually learning a new spell, actually. The hard part is powering it externally.”
I paused before opening the armor box. “...couldn’t I just use a PEC?”
The bard paused, “You… could. Though I don’t know how you’d go about transferring the energy.”
I shrugged and popped the top.
Cross Country Greaves
Enchanted leg armor designed to improve endurance on long journeys.
Increases walking and running speed by a minor amount.
Can run at top speed for Endurance/10 hours before beginning to feel tired.
The armor was a pair of metal plates that looked like they’d go over the front of my legs, based on the straps. I set them next to me on the couch before pulling out the last box and opening it.
Rosewood Brigandine of Flames
An elegantly designed protective coat covers hundreds of small, enchanted planks of wood that serve as the armor’s primary form of protection. While not as immediately protective as metal, the wood automatically repairs itself and the cloth of the coat is coated in a cut resistant oil. Due to the nature of the materials, the power of the wearer’s fire attributed mana skills or spells are enhanced by a moderate amount.
Automated Repair
Slash Resistant
Fire Resistant
Enhance Fire Manipulation
Fire Spells cost 10% more and do 20% more damage
I brought out the beautifully decorated, and surprisingly heavy, coat from the box. The cloth had a faint sheen to it, and there were tiny vines with roses embroidered into the seams of the exterior. The interior had rows and rows of wooden planks that had familiar, angular designs. I tried to focus on that feeling of familiarity and got to watch it disappear in real time.
Deacon had leaned forward to look closer at it, “That pretty. Automatic repair is a nice function too.”
“I figured it’d be a common one too.” I muttered as I stood up to try it on. It went on pretty easily, and while my shoulders and arms were more exposed than my leather armor, it covered the important parts quite well. It also wasn’t too heavy.
After some movement and flexibility tests, I was happy with the armor and took it off. “Think it’ll look paranoid if I wear that around town?”
Deacon looked confused, “What do you mean?”
“It’s comfortable enough and I kind of want to get used to wearing it. I don’t usually see a lot of people wandering around with armor, though.” I said, setting all my new gear into my Spatial Closet. “Would it look weird?”
“Dani, the reason you don’t see people wearing armor around town is because it’s uncomfortable and gets heavy after a while. That was… what, twenty kilograms?” He asked.
I considered it, “Way less than that. It was about as heavy as the warhammer I bought.”
The bard shrugged, “Then wear it. It looks close enough to a waist coat that I doubt even other nobles could complain.”
I yawned as I looked around the room, “Must be pretty late. I should get to sleep.”
“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Deacon asked as he stood up as well.
“Paige and Zaion both need to level and claim their rewards. I was going to help with that and maybe mess around with the wand and see how it works before we go out again.” I looked at his arm, “What about you? Do you have another appointment soon?”
He nodded, “A few days. I can join you out for a hunt if we only go out for a day trip.”
I shook my head, “You called in your favors for this, I’m not gonna risk you missing an appointment.”
The bard rolled his eyes, “Dani, you’re asking me to not do my job, you recognize that, right?”
“Huh?” I stopped as I started to head out the door. “What do you mean?”
His stance shifted and he had the look about him that said my Intelligence stats was wasted on me. “I’m your bodyguard. I’m supposed to go with you, and I’m capable enough without the hand to do my job.”
I sighed, “Yes, but…”
“No buts!” He stated, pointing a finger at me. “If you go out, I’m coming with to at least provide barriers.”
I tried to think up an argument against, but nothing was coming to me. He had… multiple points. My shoulders slumped as I admitted defeat, “Fine. I’m sure I can find something to do around town and I’ll send the others out. Maybe they can group up with that one guy we helped out.”
Deacon smiled, “I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
As we left the lounge and started our separate ways, Deacon let out a shout. I turned to face him and he was snapping his fingers, “Make sure to use the spell tome sooner than later. The more time you have to practice, the better.”
I nodded and went into my room. Looking through my character sheet, I shook my head as I went to my desk and sat down, “This is going to be a mess.”
I’d already gained a bunch of levels today, which had also triggered trait selection in Endurance, Constitution, and Perception. Plus I had enough experience to level to 16 in Outdoorsman. With the tokens…
I drummed my fingers on the desk as I navigated the menus. I paid for level 16 and then focused on using the Class tokens for 17-20. The stats hit me, but it felt muted. Like something was being changed, but too far away to matter. It was weird, but not painful or uncomfortable like before. What changed?
With 45 free points to spend, I brought Mana and Mana Control up first, spending 30. Power only needed 9, which left…
Huh. I thought as I looked and noticed Strength and Dexterity could be brought to 30 with the remainder. Neat. I thought as I used the rest of my free points on that.
The points in strength and dexterity acted normally, unfortuantely. My nerves seemed to burn as new connections formed while old ones were reinforced. The tendons in my muscles shifted and I could feel them growing denser. I felt a little raw after everything settled down, but it faded faster than before. Something I was thankful for, even if it was weird.
That meant I now had Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Constitution, Perception, Mana, Mana Control, and Mana Power traits to pick. I had nine traits to pick though.
I considered them all and shrugged, “Start from the top I guess.”
Strength Trait Options
Monkey Grip
You can wield weapons larger than your hands would typically allow in one hand, with only a minor decrease in efficiency. Grip strength is increased by 2 x Strength in kilograms.
Titan Stance
Strength is better applied with the proper stance. Your stance naturally settles into the best position to apply the most force. After getting into the proper stance, lifting, throwing, and swinging speed and strength is enhanced by Strength percent.
Monstrous Force
Each of your blows comes with more kinetic energy than a person of your size should be capable of. For the purposes of combat, your blows connect with Strength divided by 10 more kilograms of force.
I wasn’t sure how important grip strength was, but if that was just something that was always on I could Monkey Grip being a problem. I also didn’t really see a reason why I’d want to use something that didn’t fit in my hand properly. Titan Stance sounded like it’d be good… but Monstrous Force tickled something in the back of my brain. It reeked of ‘this is not how things work’ that the system tends to have with some things.
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I picked Monstrous Force and moved on.
Dexterity Trait Options
Enhanced Proprioception
You have absolute control of your motor functions and it is nearly impossible to lose your balance by non-magical means.
Mirror Learning
You are able to perfectly mimic anyone you see and use the motions to learn or improve your personal skills. Mimicry survives up to one hour without external reinforcement.
Bullet Hell
You reflexively avoid projectiles, even ones that you shouldn’t be able to. Any projectile you can visibly see, or predict, will be avoided by the smallest margin automatically (based upon Agility and Dexterity stats).
I picked Bullet Hell. Especially after looking at the shop to check ont he prices for the other two. They were still pretty high in cost, Enhanced Proprioception being the cheaper one at 100,000 EXP but it didn’t even compare to what I saw for Bullet Hell. I didn’t even realize the system could put eight zero’s behind a number.
Endurance Trait Options
Tireless
Endurance is four times as effective when calculating needed rest. Only an hour of sleep is needed to become fully rested. Note: Does not account for mental fatigue.
Stand Your Ground
You’ve planted your feet and refuse to move. Negates a portion of all force applied towards you from external sources.
Juggernaut Charge
You cannot be stopped. Negate exhaustion and increase effective mass of user while in motion for up to an hour at a time. Increased mass will additionally be added again onto each swing of the user’s melee weapon. After an hour of use, user will immediately collapse from exhaustion.
Tireless was very tempting, but I was already needing less sleep than normal. I also didn’t like the idea of standing and taking a charge from anything. I much preferred to be the one attacking, even if the downside seemed pretty serious. I grabbed Juggernaut Charge.
Constitution Trait Options
Hearty
You are harder to damage than the average person. Falls that would break bones will only bruise. Cuts that would sever will only scratch. Damage reduction is based on total Constitution amount.
Regeneration
You heal faster than average, and more completely. You can now perfectly heal from any injury naturally, up to and including severed limbs. Rate is based upon total Constitution amount.
Poison Resistance
Not everyone wants you to succeed, and some are going to try and poison you. Grants a resistance to poisons based on the user’s Constitution.
I looked at my arm where a blade had cut deep into the bone when my tonfa had failed to stop it.. I scratched at it, even though it’d long since healed. It made Hearty a tempting grab, and at a cost of 10,000,000 EXP it would make a lot of sense. Regeneration wasn’t even as expensive, for some reason only costing 500,000 EXP.
But thinking about Deacon’s missing arm and how much of a headache getting it regrown is made me select Regeneration. I’d have other chances to get Hearty, even if it took me years to save up for it. Even though it’s been pretty easy to get EXP.
Perception Trait Options
Precognition
Using a mixture of Insight and Perception, gain an awareness of the opponent’s next moves. Visual only.
Visual Aid
Focusing on an item, person, or building will bring up all relevant information on them based upon what you already know. Access to Encyclopedia function enhances quality of available information. Other functions provide more or different types of information.
Night Vision
The night becomes as bright as day, with colors shifting based on the time of day. Skills relying on darkness to hide are less effective against you.
I took Night Vision. Visual Aid seemed nice, but I could afford it now from the shop. Precognition still sounded like more trouble than it was worth. And this way, I wouldn’t have to worry about goggles breaking.
Mana Trait Options
Mana Bank
Excess Mana will now begin to fill the Experience Bank at a rate of Mana divided by 60 per hour. The Experience Bank can now be used to cast spells. Experience Bank cannot be used for Manipulation skills.
Channeled Spell
You are able to channel mana into spells to cause them to cast at a continuous rate. Effects will vary depending on spell. Cost increases the longer a spell is channeled.
Mana Furnace
You are able to convert calories into mana. The more calories in something consumed, the more mana created. Must be able to fit entire object into mouth to consume.
After the last two, this selection made me pause. Wait, can’t I already channel spells? I considered the times I’ve tried it with Heal. It had been less… one spell at a steady rate and more me shouting HEAL HEAL HEAL in my head over and over again. It seemed like something I could work around or learn to do without this.
The other two though! I checked and they were both over a hundred million mana, but that didn’t surprise me.
So far I hadn’t figured out a way to regenerate mana at a steady rate. I hadn’t asked Deacon or any other caster yet either about it. But Mana Bank bypassed the need entirely. It could also, maybe, give me values for spells so I could plan ahead a little better. While Mana Furnace would also be nice… I grabbed Mana Bank.
Mana Control Trait Options
Mana Control Range Increase
Doubles effective range you are able to control your mana.
Aura Manipulation
Improves control of the user’s aura allowing them to smother others with it, prevent it from interacting with some people, or attack another person’s aura. Control improves with Mana Control and Charisma.
Enhanced Internal Control
Mana Control has twice the effectiveness when controlling mana inside yourself.
I grabbed Mana Control Range increase. Aura Manipulation I was already learning to do, and the low cost to buy in the shop seemed to reflect it. I’d have grabbed the Enhanced Internal Control, but I still didn’t really understand what internal magic was good for. I didn’t have a lot I could do with it, but I was looking at picking up a spell that could probably use the help.
Mana Power Trait Options
Empowered Spell
All spells increase their power by 10%
Mana Blast
Gain the ability to release a blast of raw mana. Empties the users Mana to deal damage based on Mana times the result of Mana Power divided by 10. Mana Regeneration is halted for up to an hour after each blast.
Overcharge
Gain the ability to overcharge certain spells. Spend up to (Spells Cost times Spells Tier) times more mana to increase the power by up to the spells Total Effective Rank percent.
This one was easy, since Mana Blast wasn’t gonna happen. Maybe if I didn't have other stuff I could do with it. Of the other two, Overcharge gave more control while Empowered Spell looked kind of flat and boring. So I added another knob I could use for my spells.
That was the end of the stats, but I still had two more traits to pick.
Exalted Trait Options
Prime Example
Increases the effective limit of stats from 30 to 45.
Second Chance
Congratulations! You died. However, unlike others, you got better. Since you defied death once, you should be able to do it again, right? Once per month, you can be fully healed from death at the greater cost of 1 Class level or the total amount of banked experience available. Try not to make it a habit.
Personal Armory
You are now able to store equipment in it’s own private space. With an effort of will, summon anything from this private space already equipped and ready to use. Who needs a squire?
My eyes bulged out a little as I looked at the options. Specifically, seeing Second Chance again. It looked weird next to the other two, and I had to wonder if these options were given randomly, or if there were requirements to unlock better ones? Or was it all random?
Out of curiosity, I tried selecting Second Chance.
Second Chance II
We should really stop meeting like this. Not only have you died and come back once, but you’ve turned this into a recurring theme. You may now resurrect once per week at the greater cost of 1 Class level or the total amount of banked experience available. Seriously, stop. It’s not healthy.
I just stared. That’s… insane. I did a quick search and couldn’t even find an option to buy Second Chance or improve it. Personal Armory wasn’t available either, for some reason, and neither was Prime Example. What the…
I was actually kind of stumped with this. Rather than make a decision, I went the next trait selection.
Outdoorsman Level 20 Trait Options
Seven League Gait
After an hour of travel, the distance each step travels seems to lengthen without actually growing longer. For each minute after the first hour, distance traveled per step increases by 10%, up to a total of 700% per step.
Hunter’s Radar
You innately know where animals and weaker monsters are in the immediate area. If the Local Map function is available, shows their location and any tracks you have found.
Bountiful Harvest
Plants and animals that you harvest have their quality automatically improved. Plants you harvest yield slightly more than average.
This one was easier. The other two were nice, but Seven League Gait just sounded like the most interesting. A quick look also told me that Hunter’s Radar was available as an add-on to the Local map as well, for around 10,000 EXP, but it was there. Bountiful Harvest could probably been found another way too.
I went back to the Exalted Traits and thought about them for a while before putting it off for tomorrow. Upgrading Second Chance would be a good, safe option, but unlike most traits, I didn't have information on the other two options. It wasn’t urgent, either, so I headed to sleep and hoped tomorrow would give me clarity.
Or a chance to ask around.
I took a quick look at my Stats Sheet before trying to drift off.
Name: Danielle Rosecrest
Age: 17
Race: Human
Class: Royal Outdoorsman 20 MAX
Total Level: 51
Class EXP: 0/0
Experience Bank: 28,633/128,000
Unspent Attribute Points: 0
Statistics
Physical
Strength: 30
Dexterity: 30
Agility: 34
Endurance: 43
Constitution: 41
Mental
Intelligence: 46
Insight: 44
Charisma: 39
Perception: 42
Magic
Mana: 30
Mana Control: 30
Mana Power: 30
Skills
Assessment: Tier 2, Rank 2
Cheap Shot Tier 1, Rank 4
Dancing: Tier 1, Rank 8
Deception: Tier 0, Rank 3
Fire Manipulation: Tier 0, Rank 4
Freerunning: Tier 1, Rank 1
Light Armor: Tier 0, Rank 4
Mana Sense: Tier 3, Rank 14
Mathematics: Tier 2, Rank 13
Riding: Tier 0, Rank 2
Small Blades: Tier 0, Rank 3
Speed Reading: Tier 1, Rank 2
Sprinting: Tier 1, Rank 2
Staff Combat: Tier 1, Rank 2
Swords: Tier 1, Rank 6
Throwing: Tier 1, Rank 6
Tonfas: Tier 2, Rank 7
Traction: Tier 1, Rank 7
Two-Weapon Fighting: Tier 2, Rank 2
Wind Manipulation: Tier 0, Rank 5
Unarmed Combat Tier 2, Rank 5
Traits
Attentive Student
Aura of Authority (Disabled)
Backpacking
Bullet Hell
Experience Absorption
Experience Conversion
Extrinsic Mana Manipulation
Flight or Fight
Honor thy House
Intrinsic Mana Manipulation
Juggernaut Charge
Mana Bank (.5 EXP per hour)
Mana Conduit
Mana Control Range Increase
Moderator’s Veil
Monstrous Force
Night Vision
Noble Birth
Noble Pursuits
Overcharge
Personal Library
Regeneration
Second Chance
Second Wind
Seven League Gait
Spatial Closet (Tier 1)
Treasury (51 EXP/Day)
Spells
Healing: Tier 1 Rank 7
Scan: Tier 0 Rank 3
Functions
Calculator
Encyclopedia
Inventory
Local Map
Map
Notes
Quests
Classes (Total: 51)
Noble - 30 (Max)
Outdoorsman - 20 (Max)
Trainee - 1
Titles
Royal
Insecticide II (Levels Acquired: 12)