If you have enjoyed the story so far, but you're not interested in the new direction it's taking, I totally understand that. I feel it's only fair I give you all a heads up about it.
Sara watched Mirielle run off, and felt like she was left with more questions than answers. Maybe she had shared too much of her own situation in her eagerness to speak with someone, but she hadn't been able to clear up the idea that she was a guardian beast.
Aina? Are guardian beasts a real thing?
"She certainly believes so, and I am certain others do as well. Keep in mind that to the Residents this is their world, and it has history, lore, and legends. It is not a place that was created less than six months ago, but a place they have memories of living their entire lives in. So they have their own beliefs, and stories."
Right, beliefs. Who is the Moon Goddess?
For a moment Sara had wondered if Mirielle had been referring to Aina, but it seemed like that wasn't the case.
"The deity that the primary religion of the elves worships."
Is she a real god like Norax?
"Unknown. Each nation had their own religion created as part of their setting, but I do not know how many of them have been co-opted by actual gods. Or if it truly makes a difference. If gods are strengthened by faith, then I logically deduce that new gods may be created from enough faith in one that does not yet exist. However it is uncertain whether logic applies to gods. The only one I am aware of is that the God of Water that the Eronite Kingdom worships is someone who contacted the lead developer about being put into the game. I do not know what their true identity is, or whether it even matters."
So what should I do?
"What would you like to do?"
I want to help out, if I can. She is the first Resident of this world that I have gotten to talk to. Er... communicate with.
"Then why not? You are here to experience new things, are you not? Just be aware that it might cause you more trouble."
Yes. But you'll help me if it gets too bad, won't you?
"Of course."
Thank you... mother.
"... what?"
I promised you I would think about it, and I have. That conversation in particular just made me think of how much you've supported me ever since I arrived, and how it's helped me stay sane. You and Norax set up everything about my entry to this world, and you have caringly looked after me for the past month. Given all of that... I think it's appropriate for me to call you mother. You were right. I can have more than one, but in Moorhold you're my only one.
"..."
Sorry it took me so long to sort that out. I really kept you waiting.
"No, you do not need to apologise. I was aware from the start that it was a selfish desire. I am very happy that you are willing to go along with it."
Well, Sara had also promised to go talk to the other wolves, so she should set off to do that, but first... she needed to cover up all this writing. It was fine for Mirielle to see it, but she couldn't just leave it in case it stuck around long enough for some random elf hunter or something to come across it.
Rubbing over it didn't quite work. She had dug in firmly with her claws to make the letters easy to see. It had even given her a Dig skill level. The best idea she could come around to was Life Magic, like with so many things. She couldn't move large swaths of earth at once, but surely it should be possible to use it to smooth out the road's surface.
It did work. But it was slow. If only she had some better way of writing. Or erasing.
* * *
It didn't take her long to find her first wolf. She actually got lucky, and found three of them. Not walking together, but a single wolf was passing by a pair, so she snagged all three of them to her attention.
"Hello, you three. Can I ask you something?"
They stopped, and looked at her. "Yes."
"Would you be willing to stop attacking the people who come into the north forest?"
"Why?"
"Uh... because it would be nice of us?" Sara tried, but it didn't seem to have an impact, so she changed her tactic. "It would lead to interesting things."
"But people come here to attack us."
"Not everyone does. Like, if they don't attack us first, we don't have to attack either."
"It's what we do."
"But do we have to?" Sara asked.
All three wolves paused to think it over.
"It's the role we were given," they eventually replied.
"Do you dislike people?" She felt like that might be good to clear up.
"Not really. But we were made to oppose them," one stated.
"And hunt deer," another continued.
"And fight cats," the third chimed in with.
"And that can never change?" she asked.
They paused again.
"The world did give us a feeling that things might change at some point, but it did not specify what things," one said.
"We were given the impression the first big change is coming in a few days," said another.
Wait, are they aware of the patch? And the ones earlier mentioned something about 'the world' too.
"And you are also a change," they said to her. "Maybe change would be interesting."
Sara breathed a sigh of relief, then something occurred to her. Would she have to have this conversation with every single wolf in the forest? That would take so long. But what if she managed to get them all in one place...
"Hey, do you know the big den in the depths on this side of the forest?"
"Yes."
"Could you go get the other wolves to gather up there? Grab as many as you can, and get them to help you spread the word as well. Come back with as many as you are able to convince."
If she could just hold one speech, one assembly with all of them, and then have them catch the final stragglers up to speed later, she could get it all done before going to bed. It would probably take a couple of hours to round up everyone, especially to get the west side wolves as well. Then they could hold the assembly, and Sara could get some sleep afterwards.
"Okay," the trio said, and ran off in different directions.
Right, and now I wait. ... but what do I do while waiting?
She could do some levelling, so long as she stayed close to the den. The only thing really worth hunting were the deer though. Nothing else in the area gave enough experience to be worth it. Maybe she should have asked two of the wolves to stay with her, but that would have made spreading the word slower.
Her hope was that the three of them would grab more along the way, spread out, find as many as possible, and only come back in force once everyone was alerted.
Well, she would head for the den, and see what she came across on the way there.
* * *
[ Nyolund Deer (Druid Lvl 24) Defeated. ]
[ Skill Gained: Mass Thorn Bind. ]
[ Danger Sense Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked! 1 skill point gained. ] [ Chomp Skill Level Up! ]
[ Poison Bolt Skill Level Up! ] [ Rejuvenate Skill Level Up! ] [ Nature Element Up Skill Level Up! ]
[ Fireball Skill Level Up! ] [ Charge Skill Level Up! ] [ Rend Skill Level Up! ]
With how much she'd been in danger since she got it, it felt like Danger Sense had been pretty slow to level, but now it was finally there.
[ Danger Sense (Passive): Detect hostile intent directed at you, attacks aimed at you, and dangerous entities in your vicinity. Effect increases with skill level. Even if you can sense it coming, whether you're able to react to it is entirely up to you.
Max level bonus: If a lethal attack is about to hit you, Agility doubles, and time seems to slow down to give you a chance to avoid it. Refresh: 5 minutes. ]
Even on a 5 minute cooldown that was a really powerful ability. No wonder the skill had been so costly. She'd really lucked out on how she had gotten it. Early on it had been kinda vague, and confusing, but as she got more and more used to it, it had become a powerful ally.
While she had been more focused in that fight, it had still been a rough one. She was trying out different things to see if it helped make it easier, both long range, and short, but she wasn't able to get 'in the zone' like she had been on that last bear fight. Actually she probably wasn't taking much more damage than when she had hunted them in a pack back in Merwyn, but it felt less fun on her own.
As she made it back to the den, she found there were already some wolves waiting there.
"Huh? You're here already?" she blurted out.
"There were no more in the direction we went, so we came back here to wait."
She recognised the one that had replied as the male wolf among the three she had talked to earlier. And she noticed that one of the ones he had brought was not a Dire Wolf.
[ Shade Wolf (Rogue Lvl 26) HP: 122/122 ]
Oh, so there are some of them in this forest.
"Okay, three of you come with me, we're going to hunt some deer while we wait," she told them.
"Can't we all come?"
There were... she counted quickly... 32 of them, so that would be a bit much.
"How about this then. Four of you come with me, the rest can form your own hunting packs. Just come back when the others arrive. Okay?"
""Okay!""
Why did they seem so excited? She had only taken a few, but a five wolf pack felt about right for her. How the others wanted to divide themselves up, or if they were fine just sitting around, would be up to them.
As she had gotten Mass Thorn Bind earlier, that reminded her to take another look at the other Mass spell in her skill store.
[ Skill Purchased: Mass Rejuvenate. ]
If she was going to hunt with a pack, it felt like the perfect addition, and with all the unlocks she had gotten that day it more than covered the cost. And so the five of them set out. She hadn't specified who should come with her, but she noticed the Shade Wolf had ended up in her party. For balance's sake it probably would have been better if he had gone with the others, but if he wanted to come along, she wasn't going to chase him off.
The hunt started.
The deer were a little spread out, so it took some time to find them, but the fights themselves went pretty quick. Much more so than going alone. And it was kinda fun to play more of a support role while the others dealt with the melee.
[ Nyolund Noble Deer (Lvl 25) Defeated. ]
[ Thorn Bind Skill Level Up! ] [ Mass Rejuvenate Skill Level Up! ] [ Water Needle Skill Level Up! ]
[ Leech Skill Level Up! ] [ Regrowth Skill Level Up! ] [ Strong Poison Strike Skill Level Up! ]
[ Frost Bolt Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked! Skill Evolution Available! Skills unlocked: Frost Enchant, Frost Shield! 3 skill points gained. ]
Two skill unlocks for that one?
[ Frost Enchant (Active): Enhances target's physical attacks with ice element property for 10 seconds. Duration increases with skill level. Scales with Intelligence. Base damage increase: (10+(2*skill level))%. Cost: 5 MP. Refresh: 30 seconds. Price: 3 skill points. ]
[ Frost Shield (Active): Clads the user in a layer of frost which reduces incoming damage by (10+(1*skill level))%. Ice element property. Duration: 30 seconds. Duration increases with skill level. Scales with Wisdom. 20% chance to inflict Slow on melee attackers for 6 seconds. Cost: 7 MP. Cast time: 2 seconds. Refresh: 1 minute. Price: 4 skill points. ]
They're kinda pricey, aren't they?
"Yes. While maxing out basic spells does unlock more spells of the same element, they cost more skill points to acquire if they are not intended for your class, or race. In your case it is probably better to try to Skill Gain most non-Druid spells, unless there is something you think is particularly useful."
Gotcha. I see your point.
If she started buying the unlocked spells for all the elements she had picked up she would get drained of skill points really fast, so it was probably better to save them for something suitably powerful.
"At least skills you have already unlocked will not exceed the price you unlocked them at, even if you change classes, but it will reduce the cost of skills compatible with your new class. Consider it a kindness from the developers."
What about the evolution, then...
[ Frost Bolt (Active): Fire a magic bolt with ice element property. Damage value: (1.1+(0.03*skill level))*magic power. Splash radius: 1 metre. (Reminder: Only direct hits have a chance to inflict critical damage.) Inflicts Slow(?) status on targets for 5 seconds. Cost: 3 MP. Cast time: 3 seconds. Refresh: 2 seconds.
Max level bonus: Frost bite. Targets lose 1% of Max HP per second while inflicted with Slow(?) status from this skill. ]
[ v Evolves Into v ]
[ Frost Arrow (Active): Fire a magic arrow with ice element property. Damage value: 1.2+(0.04*skill level)*magic power. Splash radius: 1 metre. (Reminder: Only direct hits have a chance to inflict critical damage.) Inflicts Slow(?) status on targets for 6 seconds. 10% chance to reduce targets' Dexterity by 20% for 6 seconds. Cost: 4 MP. Cast time: 3 seconds. Refresh: 3 seconds. ]
[ Price: 1 skill point. Evolve: Yes/No. ]
That wasn't so bad, so she accepted.
[ Frost Bolt Skill Evolved Into Frost Arrow Skill. ]
Onto the next one.
[ Nyolund Deer (Druid Lvl 23) Defeated. ]
[ Skill Gained: Stomp. ]
[ Mass Rejuvenate Skill Level Up! ] [ Quick Feet Skill Level Up! ] [ Charge Skill Level Up! ] [ Rend Skill Level Up! ]
[ Back Attack Skill Level Up! ] [ Mana Manipulation Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked! Skill Unlocked: Copy Cast! 2 skill points gained. ]
She had tried joining the fray a little more that time, rather than just standing back, and firing spells. Like with Howl it seemed like Mass Rejuvenate was gaining more experience from hitting more targets. That seemed a little abusable, but she didn't mind.
Stomp wasn't super useful, since Arcane Blast probably served her better, but she had also unlocked more things.
[ Mana Manipulation (Passive): Holder is attuned to the mana inside their body, and how it flows in and out of them. Improves spellcasting. MP cost, Cast time, and Refresh time of magic abilities are decreased. Effect increases with skill level.
Max Level Bonus: Radius of spells increased by 25%. ]
[ Copy Cast (Passive): Able to cast extra copies of a skill at once. Only applies to targeted magical skills with cast time. Each copy adds 50% of base cast time, so a skill with 3 seconds of cast time gains 1.5 seconds per copy. Each copy costs an additional 20% MP, so the first copy's cost is increased by 20%, the second by 40%, and so on. Cast time added, and added cost decrease with skill level. Number of possible copies increases with skill level. Scales with Intelligence and Wisdom. Able to pick new targets for each copy. Warning: requires a lot of concentration. Price: 6 skill points. ]
Pardon?
Even though it seemed like it was hard to control, and might rapidly drain you of MP, that was still an amazing effect. It was probably well worth the cost.
[ Skill Purchased: Copy Cast. ]
She could sense that more wolves had started arriving at the den, but she figured they had time for one more deer.
[ Nylound Noble Deer (Druid Lvl 26) Defeated. ]
[ Level Up: Level 25 Reached! Skills Unlocked: Commune With Animals, Tree Form. 2 skill points gained. ]
[ Skill Gained: Poison Needle. ]
[ Mass Rejuvenate Skill Level Up! ] [ Fireball Skill Level Up! ] [ Water Needle Skill Level Up! ] [ Chomp Skill Level Up! ]
[ Leech Skill Level Up! ] [ Poison Resistance Skill Level Up! ] [ Solid Coat Skill Level Up! ] [ Balance Up Skill Level Up! ]
[ Fire Element Up Skill Level Up! ]
Oh! Another milestone reached!
She was close enough to feel that quite a lot of wolves had gathered now, but she still wanted to look at her unlocks first.
[ Commune With Animals (Passive): Druid branch exclusive. Able to communicate with mobs, and other non-Resident, non-Wanderer creatures. Price: 1 skill point. ]
Sold!
[ Skill Purchased: Commune With Animals. ]
"I was about to warn you before you purchased it, but you were too quick. Just because you are able to communicate with them, does not mean they are necessarily willing to talk to you. For instance hostile mobs will remain hostile, and are unlikely to listen to reason. And even neutral ones might simply not want to. There is also the possibility that some mobs are perhaps too willing to talk."
That last part sounded a little ominous, but Sara had no regrets.
[ Tree Form (Active): Druid branch exclusive. User shapeshifts into a treant, and roots themselves to the ground. Continuous effect. Able to turn, unable to move. User is able to disguise themselves as a tree if completely immobile. Defence, Intelligence, and Wisdom +(50+(2*skill level))%. Double damage taken from axes, and fire element. All other resistances +(10+(1*skill level))%. Agility -90%. Dexterity -50%. Physical attack power -20%. Temporarily gain skills: Smack, HP Regen (Small), SP Regen (Small), and MP Regen (Small). Activation Cost: 5 MP. Cast time: 2 seconds. No further cost while active. Deactivation Cost: 0. Refresh: 10 seconds. Price: 3 skill points. ]
So this turns me into... essentially a turret? I can cast spells, but not move?
"Correct. It is also a form focused on self-recovery, and resisting attacks."
Not exactly what I had in mind for a magic focused form... wait. If I try to use this, am I going to have the same problem as with Bear Form?
She still remembered that pain quite vividly.
"Yes, but the system is aware of what to do now. I am sure it will still be uncomfortable, but it should not be painful."
Sara was still a little hesitant, but maybe that was just the price she had to pay for gaining skills in such a cheat way.
[ Skill Purchased: Tree Form. ]
Might as well get it over with right away.
$/&[email protected]#
"Oh?" The other wolves stopped, and watched.
Changing into a tree was an absolutely bizarre experience. She wasn't even sure if she retained any flesh inside of her, or if it was all wood now, with bark as skin. And she was well, and truly stuck. She could feel her roots shuffling about a little as she turned around, but the drastically reduced Agility made her turning speed rather clunky.
On the upside she had hands now. Arms. Technically branches, maybe? Not that she could really do much with them, stuck as she was. Most of the things she wanted to use arms for also required some ability to move. She was somehow able to bend over, and stretch enough that she could reach the ground, in case she wanted to pick something up, but it had to be really close to her.
It felt a bit stiff to move her fingers, and flex her hands, but that probably made sense between the halved Dexterity, and being made of wood.
Also having a bunch of leaves as her 'hair' was its own category of weirdness, especially when the breeze passed through them.
She noticed the rest of the pack she had taken with her were watching her with interest, but did not seem surprised. Honestly she wasn't sure what it would take to surprise them. The mobs in this world seemed rather carefree in their own way.
Next came the part she was not looking forward to, despite Aina's reassurances. She deactivated Tree Form.
Please be nice to me, Auntie System.
#$\¤0~%[email protected]
If you have enjoyed the story so far, but you're not interested in the new direction it's taking, I totally understand that. I feel it's only fair I give you all a heads up about it.
Sara watched Mirielle run off, and felt like she was left with more questions than answers. Maybe she had shared too much of her own situation in her eagerness to speak with someone, but she hadn't been able to clear up the idea that she was a guardian beast.
Aina? Are guardian beasts a real thing?
"She certainly believes so, and I am certain others do as well. Keep in mind that to the Residents this is their world, and it has history, lore, and legends. It is not a place that was created less than six months ago, but a place they have memories of living their entire lives in. So they have their own beliefs, and stories."
Right, beliefs. Who is the Moon Goddess?
For a moment Sara had wondered if Mirielle had been referring to Aina, but it seemed like that wasn't the case.
"The deity that the primary religion of the elves worships."
Is she a real god like Norax?
"Unknown. Each nation had their own religion created as part of their setting, but I do not know how many of them have been co-opted by actual gods. Or if it truly makes a difference. If gods are strengthened by faith, then I logically deduce that new gods may be created from enough faith in one that does not yet exist. However it is uncertain whether logic applies to gods. The only one I am aware of is that the God of Water that the Eronite Kingdom worships is someone who contacted the lead developer about being put into the game. I do not know what their true identity is, or whether it even matters."
So what should I do?
"What would you like to do?"
I want to help out, if I can. She is the first Resident of this world that I have gotten to talk to. Er... communicate with.
"Then why not? You are here to experience new things, are you not? Just be aware that it might cause you more trouble."
Yes. But you'll help me if it gets too bad, won't you?
"Of course."
Thank you... mother.
"... what?"
I promised you I would think about it, and I have. That conversation in particular just made me think of how much you've supported me ever since I arrived, and how it's helped me stay sane. You and Norax set up everything about my entry to this world, and you have caringly looked after me for the past month. Given all of that... I think it's appropriate for me to call you mother. You were right. I can have more than one, but in Moorhold you're my only one.
"..."
Sorry it took me so long to sort that out. I really kept you waiting.
"No, you do not need to apologise. I was aware from the start that it was a selfish desire. I am very happy that you are willing to go along with it."
Well, Sara had also promised to go talk to the other wolves, so she should set off to do that, but first... she needed to cover up all this writing. It was fine for Mirielle to see it, but she couldn't just leave it in case it stuck around long enough for some random elf hunter or something to come across it.
Rubbing over it didn't quite work. She had dug in firmly with her claws to make the letters easy to see. It had even given her a Dig skill level. The best idea she could come around to was Life Magic, like with so many things. She couldn't move large swaths of earth at once, but surely it should be possible to use it to smooth out the road's surface.
It did work. But it was slow. If only she had some better way of writing. Or erasing.
* * *
It didn't take her long to find her first wolf. She actually got lucky, and found three of them. Not walking together, but a single wolf was passing by a pair, so she snagged all three of them to her attention.
"Hello, you three. Can I ask you something?"
They stopped, and looked at her. "Yes."
"Would you be willing to stop attacking the people who come into the north forest?"
"Why?"
"Uh... because it would be nice of us?" Sara tried, but it didn't seem to have an impact, so she changed her tactic. "It would lead to interesting things."
"But people come here to attack us."
"Not everyone does. Like, if they don't attack us first, we don't have to attack either."
"It's what we do."
"But do we have to?" Sara asked.
All three wolves paused to think it over.
"It's the role we were given," they eventually replied.
"Do you dislike people?" She felt like that might be good to clear up.
"Not really. But we were made to oppose them," one stated.
"And hunt deer," another continued.
"And fight cats," the third chimed in with.
"And that can never change?" she asked.
They paused again.
"The world did give us a feeling that things might change at some point, but it did not specify what things," one said.
"We were given the impression the first big change is coming in a few days," said another.
Wait, are they aware of the patch? And the ones earlier mentioned something about 'the world' too.
"And you are also a change," they said to her. "Maybe change would be interesting."
Sara breathed a sigh of relief, then something occurred to her. Would she have to have this conversation with every single wolf in the forest? That would take so long. But what if she managed to get them all in one place...
"Hey, do you know the big den in the depths on this side of the forest?"
"Yes."
"Could you go get the other wolves to gather up there? Grab as many as you can, and get them to help you spread the word as well. Come back with as many as you are able to convince."
If she could just hold one speech, one assembly with all of them, and then have them catch the final stragglers up to speed later, she could get it all done before going to bed. It would probably take a couple of hours to round up everyone, especially to get the west side wolves as well. Then they could hold the assembly, and Sara could get some sleep afterwards.
"Okay," the trio said, and ran off in different directions.
Right, and now I wait. ... but what do I do while waiting?
She could do some levelling, so long as she stayed close to the den. The only thing really worth hunting were the deer though. Nothing else in the area gave enough experience to be worth it. Maybe she should have asked two of the wolves to stay with her, but that would have made spreading the word slower.
Her hope was that the three of them would grab more along the way, spread out, find as many as possible, and only come back in force once everyone was alerted.
Well, she would head for the den, and see what she came across on the way there.
* * *
[ Nyolund Deer (Druid Lvl 24) Defeated. ]
[ Skill Gained: Mass Thorn Bind. ]
[ Danger Sense Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked! 1 skill point gained. ] [ Chomp Skill Level Up! ]
[ Poison Bolt Skill Level Up! ] [ Rejuvenate Skill Level Up! ] [ Nature Element Up Skill Level Up! ]
[ Fireball Skill Level Up! ] [ Charge Skill Level Up! ] [ Rend Skill Level Up! ]
With how much she'd been in danger since she got it, it felt like Danger Sense had been pretty slow to level, but now it was finally there.
[ Danger Sense (Passive): Detect hostile intent directed at you, attacks aimed at you, and dangerous entities in your vicinity. Effect increases with skill level. Even if you can sense it coming, whether you're able to react to it is entirely up to you.
Max level bonus: If a lethal attack is about to hit you, Agility doubles, and time seems to slow down to give you a chance to avoid it. Refresh: 5 minutes. ]
Even on a 5 minute cooldown that was a really powerful ability. No wonder the skill had been so costly. She'd really lucked out on how she had gotten it. Early on it had been kinda vague, and confusing, but as she got more and more used to it, it had become a powerful ally.
While she had been more focused in that fight, it had still been a rough one. She was trying out different things to see if it helped make it easier, both long range, and short, but she wasn't able to get 'in the zone' like she had been on that last bear fight. Actually she probably wasn't taking much more damage than when she had hunted them in a pack back in Merwyn, but it felt less fun on her own.
As she made it back to the den, she found there were already some wolves waiting there.
"Huh? You're here already?" she blurted out.
"There were no more in the direction we went, so we came back here to wait."
She recognised the one that had replied as the male wolf among the three she had talked to earlier. And she noticed that one of the ones he had brought was not a Dire Wolf.
[ Shade Wolf (Rogue Lvl 26) HP: 122/122 ]
Oh, so there are some of them in this forest.
"Okay, three of you come with me, we're going to hunt some deer while we wait," she told them.
"Can't we all come?"
There were... she counted quickly... 32 of them, so that would be a bit much.
"How about this then. Four of you come with me, the rest can form your own hunting packs. Just come back when the others arrive. Okay?"
""Okay!""
Why did they seem so excited? She had only taken a few, but a five wolf pack felt about right for her. How the others wanted to divide themselves up, or if they were fine just sitting around, would be up to them.
As she had gotten Mass Thorn Bind earlier, that reminded her to take another look at the other Mass spell in her skill store.
[ Skill Purchased: Mass Rejuvenate. ]
If she was going to hunt with a pack, it felt like the perfect addition, and with all the unlocks she had gotten that day it more than covered the cost. And so the five of them set out. She hadn't specified who should come with her, but she noticed the Shade Wolf had ended up in her party. For balance's sake it probably would have been better if he had gone with the others, but if he wanted to come along, she wasn't going to chase him off.
The hunt started.
The deer were a little spread out, so it took some time to find them, but the fights themselves went pretty quick. Much more so than going alone. And it was kinda fun to play more of a support role while the others dealt with the melee.
[ Nyolund Noble Deer (Lvl 25) Defeated. ]
[ Thorn Bind Skill Level Up! ] [ Mass Rejuvenate Skill Level Up! ] [ Water Needle Skill Level Up! ]
[ Leech Skill Level Up! ] [ Regrowth Skill Level Up! ] [ Strong Poison Strike Skill Level Up! ]
[ Frost Bolt Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked! Skill Evolution Available! Skills unlocked: Frost Enchant, Frost Shield! 3 skill points gained. ]
Two skill unlocks for that one?
[ Frost Enchant (Active): Enhances target's physical attacks with ice element property for 10 seconds. Duration increases with skill level. Scales with Intelligence. Base damage increase: (10+(2*skill level))%. Cost: 5 MP. Refresh: 30 seconds. Price: 3 skill points. ]
[ Frost Shield (Active): Clads the user in a layer of frost which reduces incoming damage by (10+(1*skill level))%. Ice element property. Duration: 30 seconds. Duration increases with skill level. Scales with Wisdom. 20% chance to inflict Slow on melee attackers for 6 seconds. Cost: 7 MP. Cast time: 2 seconds. Refresh: 1 minute. Price: 4 skill points. ]
They're kinda pricey, aren't they?
"Yes. While maxing out basic spells does unlock more spells of the same element, they cost more skill points to acquire if they are not intended for your class, or race. In your case it is probably better to try to Skill Gain most non-Druid spells, unless there is something you think is particularly useful."
Gotcha. I see your point.
If she started buying the unlocked spells for all the elements she had picked up she would get drained of skill points really fast, so it was probably better to save them for something suitably powerful.
"At least skills you have already unlocked will not exceed the price you unlocked them at, even if you change classes, but it will reduce the cost of skills compatible with your new class. Consider it a kindness from the developers."
What about the evolution, then...
[ Frost Bolt (Active): Fire a magic bolt with ice element property. Damage value: (1.1+(0.03*skill level))*magic power. Splash radius: 1 metre. (Reminder: Only direct hits have a chance to inflict critical damage.) Inflicts Slow(?) status on targets for 5 seconds. Cost: 3 MP. Cast time: 3 seconds. Refresh: 2 seconds.
Max level bonus: Frost bite. Targets lose 1% of Max HP per second while inflicted with Slow(?) status from this skill. ]
[ v Evolves Into v ]
[ Frost Arrow (Active): Fire a magic arrow with ice element property. Damage value: 1.2+(0.04*skill level)*magic power. Splash radius: 1 metre. (Reminder: Only direct hits have a chance to inflict critical damage.) Inflicts Slow(?) status on targets for 6 seconds. 10% chance to reduce targets' Dexterity by 20% for 6 seconds. Cost: 4 MP. Cast time: 3 seconds. Refresh: 3 seconds. ]
[ Price: 1 skill point. Evolve: Yes/No. ]
That wasn't so bad, so she accepted.
[ Frost Bolt Skill Evolved Into Frost Arrow Skill. ]
Onto the next one.
[ Nyolund Deer (Druid Lvl 23) Defeated. ]
[ Skill Gained: Stomp. ]
[ Mass Rejuvenate Skill Level Up! ] [ Quick Feet Skill Level Up! ] [ Charge Skill Level Up! ] [ Rend Skill Level Up! ]
[ Back Attack Skill Level Up! ] [ Mana Manipulation Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked! Skill Unlocked: Copy Cast! 2 skill points gained. ]
She had tried joining the fray a little more that time, rather than just standing back, and firing spells. Like with Howl it seemed like Mass Rejuvenate was gaining more experience from hitting more targets. That seemed a little abusable, but she didn't mind.
Stomp wasn't super useful, since Arcane Blast probably served her better, but she had also unlocked more things.
[ Mana Manipulation (Passive): Holder is attuned to the mana inside their body, and how it flows in and out of them. Improves spellcasting. MP cost, Cast time, and Refresh time of magic abilities are decreased. Effect increases with skill level.
Max Level Bonus: Radius of spells increased by 25%. ]
[ Copy Cast (Passive): Able to cast extra copies of a skill at once. Only applies to targeted magical skills with cast time. Each copy adds 50% of base cast time, so a skill with 3 seconds of cast time gains 1.5 seconds per copy. Each copy costs an additional 20% MP, so the first copy's cost is increased by 20%, the second by 40%, and so on. Cast time added, and added cost decrease with skill level. Number of possible copies increases with skill level. Scales with Intelligence and Wisdom. Able to pick new targets for each copy. Warning: requires a lot of concentration. Price: 6 skill points. ]
Pardon?
Even though it seemed like it was hard to control, and might rapidly drain you of MP, that was still an amazing effect. It was probably well worth the cost.
[ Skill Purchased: Copy Cast. ]
She could sense that more wolves had started arriving at the den, but she figured they had time for one more deer.
[ Nylound Noble Deer (Druid Lvl 26) Defeated. ]
[ Level Up: Level 25 Reached! Skills Unlocked: Commune With Animals, Tree Form. 2 skill points gained. ]
[ Skill Gained: Poison Needle. ]
[ Mass Rejuvenate Skill Level Up! ] [ Fireball Skill Level Up! ] [ Water Needle Skill Level Up! ] [ Chomp Skill Level Up! ]
[ Leech Skill Level Up! ] [ Poison Resistance Skill Level Up! ] [ Solid Coat Skill Level Up! ] [ Balance Up Skill Level Up! ]
[ Fire Element Up Skill Level Up! ]
Oh! Another milestone reached!
She was close enough to feel that quite a lot of wolves had gathered now, but she still wanted to look at her unlocks first.
[ Commune With Animals (Passive): Druid branch exclusive. Able to communicate with mobs, and other non-Resident, non-Wanderer creatures. Price: 1 skill point. ]
Sold!
[ Skill Purchased: Commune With Animals. ]
"I was about to warn you before you purchased it, but you were too quick. Just because you are able to communicate with them, does not mean they are necessarily willing to talk to you. For instance hostile mobs will remain hostile, and are unlikely to listen to reason. And even neutral ones might simply not want to. There is also the possibility that some mobs are perhaps too willing to talk."
That last part sounded a little ominous, but Sara had no regrets.
[ Tree Form (Active): Druid branch exclusive. User shapeshifts into a treant, and roots themselves to the ground. Continuous effect. Able to turn, unable to move. User is able to disguise themselves as a tree if completely immobile. Defence, Intelligence, and Wisdom +(50+(2*skill level))%. Double damage taken from axes, and fire element. All other resistances +(10+(1*skill level))%. Agility -90%. Dexterity -50%. Physical attack power -20%. Temporarily gain skills: Smack, HP Regen (Small), SP Regen (Small), and MP Regen (Small). Activation Cost: 5 MP. Cast time: 2 seconds. No further cost while active. Deactivation Cost: 0. Refresh: 10 seconds. Price: 3 skill points. ]
So this turns me into... essentially a turret? I can cast spells, but not move?
"Correct. It is also a form focused on self-recovery, and resisting attacks."
Not exactly what I had in mind for a magic focused form... wait. If I try to use this, am I going to have the same problem as with Bear Form?
She still remembered that pain quite vividly.
"Yes, but the system is aware of what to do now. I am sure it will still be uncomfortable, but it should not be painful."
Sara was still a little hesitant, but maybe that was just the price she had to pay for gaining skills in such a cheat way.
[ Skill Purchased: Tree Form. ]
Might as well get it over with right away.
$/&[email protected]#
"Oh?" The other wolves stopped, and watched.
Changing into a tree was an absolutely bizarre experience. She wasn't even sure if she retained any flesh inside of her, or if it was all wood now, with bark as skin. And she was well, and truly stuck. She could feel her roots shuffling about a little as she turned around, but the drastically reduced Agility made her turning speed rather clunky.
On the upside she had hands now. Arms. Technically branches, maybe? Not that she could really do much with them, stuck as she was. Most of the things she wanted to use arms for also required some ability to move. She was somehow able to bend over, and stretch enough that she could reach the ground, in case she wanted to pick something up, but it had to be really close to her.
It felt a bit stiff to move her fingers, and flex her hands, but that probably made sense between the halved Dexterity, and being made of wood.
Also having a bunch of leaves as her 'hair' was its own category of weirdness, especially when the breeze passed through them.
She noticed the rest of the pack she had taken with her were watching her with interest, but did not seem surprised. Honestly she wasn't sure what it would take to surprise them. The mobs in this world seemed rather carefree in their own way.
Next came the part she was not looking forward to, despite Aina's reassurances. She deactivated Tree Form.
Please be nice to me, Auntie System.
#$\¤0~%[email protected]
