Varewulf What a week.
Sara rushed into the den, and onto her shelf bed before she started to look at anything.
She'd parted ways with Mirielle, and told Gloria that she was ready to evolve as she had expected, then reminded her that she would be asleep while she evolved. And on the way back she had made sure to tell Kathleen, and the other wolves to not disturb her for anything until she awoke by herself. She wasn't even sure if it was possible for anyone else to wake her while evolving.
The excitement, anticipation, and nerves were getting to her as she finally brought up her popups. Two weeks since last time. Roughly two weeks. It had been about the same between Limber Wolf, and Mystic Wolf, hadn't it? So maybe level 40 by New Year's wasn't impossible, but... it was limited how much further she would be able to level in this forest, and it wasn't easy to leave for elsewhere. Especially not for long.
So long as she took her time, and seized whatever opportunities she got, she'd get there. There was no need to be in a rush. Having a life that made it hard to only focus on herself was honestly not a bad thing. She liked having others to care about too.
She wanted to slow roll this, so she started with the less important ones. The 'enemy defeated' boxes she summarily dismissed. She had gotten at least partial credit for... probably every bandit.
For the skill level ups she looked for any further max levels. There were honestly not that many boxes at all. She had mostly avoided using her concealed skills since there was no real need, but she had tried to throw around a few extra Greater Fireballs while she could. She hadn't managed to max it out, but she had maxed a related skill.
[ Fire Element Up Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked! 1 skill point gained. ]
[ Fire Element Up (Passive): Increases the effect, and power of fire element skills. Increase: 10+(1*skill level)%.
Max level bonus: Refresh timer of fire element skills reduced by 20%. ]
Not a bad thing to get, even though she only had the one fire spell.
There wasn't just the sparkly box left though, there were a couple of those fancy ones too.
[ Title Gained: Human Killer: Defeated at least 50 humans! ]
[ Title Gained: Pushed It: Reached character level 30! ]
Sara hadn't really paid that close attention, but perhaps she could surmise that the majority of the bandits were humans?
Alright, enough putting it off. Let's see what it says. She was really only tormenting herself by delaying it.
[ Level Up: Level 30 Reached! Skills Unlocked: Flanking, Vine Whip, Swim Form. New skill evolutions available. 2 skill points gained. Evolution Available. ]
That blinking button at the end was the most tempting part, and... she couldn't hold back. She could look at the rest afterwards, she just needed to know first!
[ Name: Sara ]
[ Species: Nyolund Mystic Wolf (Nyolund Guardian Beast) | Gender: Female ]
[ Genus: Wolf ]
[ Class: Druid (Beast) ]
[ Role: Nyolund - Northern Great Forest of Ildhena Zone Boss ]
[ Level: 29 -> 30 (30) ]
[ HP: 209/209 -> 225/225 +20 (212/212 +19) | SP: 216/216 -> 233/233 +22 (216/216 +20) |
MP: 217/217 -> 237/237 +33 (219/219 +24) ]
[ VIT: 89 -> 101 +20 (95 +19) | END: 101 -> 114 +22 (102 +20) ]
[ STR: 95 -> 107 +21 (89 + 17) | DEF: 74 -> 86 +21 (71 +17) ]
[ AGI: 121 -> 134 +26 (123 +24) | DEX: 86 -> 98 +19 (81 +16) ]
[ INT: 124 -> 138 +26 (120 +24) | WIS: 118 -> 133 +33 (124 +24) ]
[ LUK: 184 -> 200 +40 (75 +15) ]
[ Bonus Attribute Points: 16 -> 20 ]
[ Evolution Available ]
It brought up her status screen first, which was fair enough. Between the level up itself, and it looked like two more levels in All Attributes Up, the numbers had risen by quite a lot. She'd consider how to spend her bonus points after evolving.
[ Evolution Available ]
[ Please Choose One: ]
[ Werewolf Warrior/Vanguard Captain (Warrior) ]
[ Werewolf Claw Adept/Claw Master (Monk) ]
[ Werewolf Mist Warrior/Mist Dancer (Ninja) ]
[ Werewolf Hide Hunter/Huntmaster (Shapeshifter) ]
[ Werewolf Shaman/Chief (Naturalist) ]
Uh... mother? What's all... this?
"In order to evolve into a Resident, you will need to go through the middle stage of being a werewolf. You could call it the not-so-missing link between wolf, and wolfkin. With that in mind I have already excluded all the other types of wolf you qualify for. Have you changed your mind?"
No, I... I still want to get a Resident form eventually, but... are werewolves not Residents?
"No. Similarly to the cyclops you saw, werewolves are humanoid mobs who show nothing but hostility towards Residents. Werewolves do tolerate wolfkin, but there isn't really a 'cyclopskin' equivalent. However towards anyone other than wolfkin, even other types of beastkin, the werewolves only show hostility. At least... that's the lore behind it.
As you have come to experience for yourself, the actual mentalities of the mobs are rarely so simple. I do my best to assign scripts to all the mobs that fit what the designers had in mind for their behaviour, but only in a few rare cases do they get anything more than a general directive. Not many of them get treated like individuals, so they need a one-size-fits-all solution. It is tricky to instil any really strong feelings of like or dislike into something with basically no personality when they also have no life experiences to draw upon. For the Residents entire histories, cultures, and memories were generated, which gave us a lot more to work with, but for a lot of mobs it's more of a case what they do, rather than what they are. Especially for social creatures like the werewolves. They are sticking to their roles, and none of the various werewolf tribes have so far made any attempts at holding any discussions with the wolfkin."
So... they aren't actually hostile?
"They are, but only in the same way your wolves were, or the bears are. Perhaps the bears in this forest are a bad example. Their scripts ended up giving most of them a great love for fighting things. Sometimes the process succeeds in instilling a sort of personality onto them, even if it isn't always exactly what was intended. But to the werewolves they are just doing what they were told to by the system. It's more like their job, rather than what they are truly like. There's no enmity, hatred, or personal feelings behind it, at least not for most of them. They're pretty much content to stay within their little tribes, and live their lives together. Most of them live in some form of village, and the leaders are generally pretty smart, or at least clever. There are a couple of tribes that have started talking to each other, even though they're supposed to be rivals. So it's possible that if some dedicated wolfkin Wanderers or Residents wanted to try reaching out to them, at least a few of the tribes might be willing to listen. After what you've done here, maybe the odds of someone wanting to try have gone up."
Huh... that could be neat.
"Before I get too distracted I really should mention that just like the cyclopes, the werewolves can speak."
Speak? W-wait, you mean like...
"I mean they have vocal capability, the Languages skill, can speak a rough version of Common, and also speak a heavily accented variant of the wolfkin dialect of the Beastkin language. They can speak to anyone they wish, but they're not particularly interested in speaking to anyone who isn't a werewolf. Even wolfkin they mostly just tolerate, rather than show an interest in."
So... so I'll be able to speak directly... with Mirielle? And other non-Druids?
"Correct. Though based on how you've conducted yourself so far you might want to be careful who you reveal that to. Mirielle will be fine, and possibly Laroni, and Luneria as well, but everyone else know far less about you. They would raise questions about how you suddenly acquired the ability to speak to anyone. I have some ideas in mind for how you might sort that out, but I would prefer to let things play out a bit further, and see which one would fit best. Worst case you will have to hide it from everyone but Mirielle."
That... might not be easy, but I will try... actually I'm not even sure how I should interact with people after this... I mean, even if I try to hide that I can speak, I'll still look completely different. Unless I only show myself in Tree Form.
"We can discuss it more after you've evolved. There are risks involved, but I do not want to put you off of evolving, so I will put some extra effort into helping you figure out what to do afterwards. It is truly better to cover that afterwards though, since you will unlock certain things that are easier to see for yourself than me trying to explain right now."
Alright, mother. Then... um... what about those species names... why are they split?
"That's because of your Leadership skill. Thanks to that, whatever you pick will be upgraded into the leader version of it. The majority of werewolf tribes are shamanistic, or druidic if you prefer that term. That's why the Naturalist is the Chief. The Shapeshifter is the other Druid class upgrade, and they are the hunters of the tribes, using their different forms to capture prey. The Huntmaster is the second most important leader in those tribes.
I will say that although I listed all the types you qualify for, in order to keep going as the Guardian Beast, and keep your Commune With Animals you will need to upgrade into Shapeshifter, or Naturalist. I feel like I know you well enough by now to say that those other three will not help you much. I still wanted to show them to you just to give you a broader picture of what's out there."
I understand, mother. Thank you.
Aina was right that class-changing now would just needlessly complicate everything Sara was trying to do. So as funny as the idea of being a ninja werewolf was, she would look at the two Druid branch ones. She was most curious about the Chief, the Naturalist.
[ Werewolf Chief (Naturalist): Most werewolf tribes revere their ties with nature, and have a Naturalist as their Chief. One could say their innate ability to see, and communicate with spirits makes them a spiritual leader, as well a physical one. Werewolf tribes are found in several places across the continent, but most of them are in beastkin territory, mainly around the wolfkin region in the south-west.
Skills gained: Spirit Form, Summon Lesser Spirit. ]
[ Spirit Form (Active): Naturalist branch exclusive. You shapeshift into a nature spirit. Your element can be changed to match any spirits you have currently summoned. Continuous effect. You can hover up to 3 metres off the ground, but active movement abilities are disabled. Agility, Intelligence, and Wisdom: +(40+(2*skill level))%. Magic power: +20%. Physical damage taken: -25%. Vulnerability to opposing elements: +25%. Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance: -50%. Attack power: -20%. Temporarily gain skills: Spirit Bolt, Spirit Bomb, Spirit Guidance. Activation Cost: 5 MP. Cast time: 2 seconds. No further cost while active. Refresh: 10 seconds. ]
[ Summon Lesser Spirit (Active): Naturalist branch exclusive. You summon a lesser spirit of your element of choice. Spirits tend to be stronger when they're in their natural environment, and some elements may be unavailable in certain areas. Spirit strength increases with skill level, and scales with your own level. Non-Naturalists will also be able to see spirits you have summoned. A spirit will support you with offensive and defensive spells in combat, but they can have other uses as well. The amount of spirits you can have summoned at once depends on skill level, and your Wisdom score. Spirits remain summoned until dismissed, or exhausted. When you are in Spirit Form you can match your element to any spirit you have currently summoned. Cost: 20 MP. Cast time: 10 seconds. Refresh: 10 seconds. ]
Naturalists are about spirits?
"Correct. Before class bonuses were introduced they used to have passive skills called Commune With Spirits, and Spirit Vision, but those were rolled into how the class works instead. They are also strong casters, as they specialise in the magic side of the Druid branch, while the Shapeshifters specialise into the form side. Whichever you pick will make you favour one over the other, in terms of attribute growth, which skills you gain access to, and class bonuses. Shapeshifters remain casters as well, but if you wish to make spells your true focus, then Naturalist is the best choice."
That made sense to Sara, plus it sounded neat to be able to interact with the spirits, but she might as well look at the other one too.
[ Werewolf Huntmaster (Shapeshifter): The werewolf Hide Hunters rely on their shapeshifting abilities, combined with useful spells to hunt their prey, rather than using a Hunter's ranged abilities. They also serve as scouts. The Huntmaster guides the Hide Hunters, and is the Chief's main advisor. Werewolf tribes are found in several places across the continent, but most of them are in beastkin territory, mainly around the wolfkin region in the south-west.
Skills gained: Flight Form, Tracking. ]
[ Flight Form (Active): Shapeshifter branch exclusive. You shapeshift into a large bird. Continuous effect. You are able to fly at significant speed, and hover in the air, but ground movement is highly limited. Terrorise your foes with a spell barrage from above. Warning: tricky to learn, and trickier to master. Agility, Dexterity, and Intelligence: +(40+(2*skill level))%. Magic power: +10%. Critical hit chance: +10%. Vitality, Strength, and Defence: -50%. Attack power -10%. Temporarily gain skills: Flight, Glide, Gust. Activation Cost: 5 MP. No further cost while active. Refresh: 10 seconds. ]
Pardon? Flight form? I can fly?
"Correct. They wanted Shapeshifters to have at least one really unique ability, and decided on flight. Swim Form used to be Shapeshifter only as well in the beta, but it got changed to be simply Druid exclusive at launch. The Shapeshifter's class bonuses are having no casting time when changing into a form, and to be able to jump from one form to another without having to revert to the base form first. It is the best class in terms of ability to travel, and has unparalleled flexibility."
But my spells will suffer?
"Not right away. It won't make your casting any weaker right now, but long-term you won't see the same spellpower growth as with Naturalist."
Ugh... so... spirits, and spellpower... or flight?
"There's a bit more to it than that, but for now yes."
She had been relying on her spells more and more. While she could still hold her own in melee, it was definitely the slower option. Going harder in on spells seemed like the smarter choice, but... flight. She could fly. Was that even possible to pass up? Well, she had seen one Naturalist already, so clearly it was for some people. Well, Naahl was a Resident, so it probably hadn't been by choice. But for Sara... flight!
Since mounts were a thing, it was quite possible flying mounts were too, or would be in the future. But she could get the ability to fly right now. Well... after she woke back up. The more she thought about it, the more it felt like the only possible choice. The travel possibilities were also a real factor. Depending on how fast she could fly, she might stand a much better chance at seeing more of Moorhold.
It was probably hell to master, but she had made her decision. Though she remembered that she had other things to look at as well.
There were some skills...
"Feel free to look at them, but I recommend you don't buy, or evolve anything until after you have evolved."
Uh... okay. Aina seemed full of advice, and things to say this time, so Sara figured she might as well stop questioning it.
She had already seen Flanking on the other wolves, so the final two were Vine Whip, and Swim Form.
[ Vine Whip (Active): Druid branch exclusive. You summon a thick vine that can be used to attack, to grab onto things, and even to manipulate objects. Nature element property. Channelled effect. Does physical damage. Base damage value: (1.1+(0.2*skill level))*attack power. Damage varies based on how hard you strike. Hard to master. Vine can be destroyed. Vine strength, and ease of control increase with skill level. Scales with Wisdom. Activation cost: 6 MP. Slowly drains MP while channelled. Increased effort increases MP drain. Refresh: 2 seconds. Price: 3 skill points. ]
That seemed pretty cool. It might honestly be one of those skills that is far more cool than truly useful, but she wanted to get it. After she had evolved.
[ Swim Form (Active): Druid branch exclusive. You shapeshift into a large marine creature. Continuous effect. You can breathe underwater, and your swim speed and ability are greatly enhanced. It is cumbersome to move on land. Agility, Dexterity, and Endurance: +(40+(2*skill level))%. Vitality, Defence, and Wisdom: -50%. Temporarily gain skills: Swim, Dive, Water Jet. Activation Cost: 5 MP. No further cost while active. Cast time: 2 seconds. Refresh: 10 seconds. Cost: 4 skill points. ]
Another one she figured she'd probably get, but it was time to go into evo-sleep. She was just going to have a quick look at her Skill List before pressing the Evolution button.
[ Active: ]
[ Chomp Lvl Max (Max) | Rend Lvl Max (Max) | Body Slam Lvl Max (Max) | Savage Blow Lvl 7 -> 9 (Max) |
Pack Leader's Howl Lvl Max (Max) | Sprint Lvl Max (Max) | Root Bind Lvl 8 -> Max (Max) |
Poison Arrow Alt. Lvl 9 -> Max (Max) | Frost Arrow Lvl 9 -> Max (Max) | Greater Fireball Lvl 7 -> 9 (Max) |
Water Jet Lvl Max (Max) | Arcane Blast Lvl 9 -> Max (Max) | Thorn Armour Lvl Max (Max) |
Growth Lvl Max (Max) | Budding Regrowth Lvl 9 -> Max (Max) | Rejuvenate Lvl Max (Max) |
Mass Rejuvenate Lvl Max (Max) | Bear Form Lvl Max (Max) (Can Evolve) |
Cat Form Lvl Max (Max) (Can Evolve) | Tree Form Lvl Max (Max) ]
[ Concealed Active: ]
[ Charge Lvl Max | Ambush Lvl Max | Throw Lvl 1 | Strong Poison Strike Lvl Max |
Death From Above Lvl 9 -> Max | Solid Kick Lvl 3 -> 5 | Back Attack Lvl 4 -> 5 | Struggle Lvl 1 |
Stomp Lvl 1 -> 2 | Pounce Lvl 5 -> 7 | Shred Lvl 5 -> 8 | Crush Lvl 1 -> 4 | Smack Lvl 2 |
Rock Blast (Evolved) Lvl 1 -> 3 | Lightning Arrow Lvl 3 -> 5 | Arcane Missile (New) Lvl 1 |
Rock Hammer (New) Lvl 1 | Mass Thorn Bind Lvl 1 | Poison Cloud Lvl 2 -> 4 | Thorn Barricade Lvl 1 -> 2|
Poison Enchant Lvl Max | Water Bubble Lvl 1 -> 2 | Water Film Lvl 3 -> 4 | Earth Wall Lvl 2 -> 4 |
Leech Lvl Max | Recovery Cocoon (New) Lvl 1 | Roar Lvl 1 -> 2 | Taunt Lvl 1 -> 3 | Vanish Lvl 1 -> 3 |
Erase Presence Lvl 17 | Extrasensory Perception | Slow Fall ]
[ Passive: ]
[ Keen Senses | Danger Sense Lvl Max (Max) | Claw Expertise Lvl Max (Max) | Firm Grip Lvl Max (Max) |
Enhanced Movement | Insulation Lvl Max (Max) | Solid Coat Lvl Max (Max) | Leadership Lvl Max (Max) |
Nature Element Up Lvl Max (Max) | Mana Manipulation Lvl Max (Max) |
All Attributes Up (Medium) Lvl 7 -> 9 (Max) | Commune With Animals ]
[ Concealed Passive: ]
[ Trap Sense Lvl 4 | Intuition Lvl 4 -> 5 | Dig Lvl Max | Burrow Lvl 2 | Spider Climb Lvl Max |
Spider Silk Lvl Max | Thread Manipulation Lvl 5 | Paralysis Venom Lvl Max | Swim Lvl 7 | Dive Lvl 1 |
Chameleon Lvl Max | Pursuit Lvl 5 -> 7 | Desperation (New) Lvl 1 | Ranged Attacks Up Lvl 1 |
Copy Cast Lvl Max | Fire Element Up Lvl 9 -> Max | Water Element Up Lvl 7 -> 8 |
Earth Element Up Lvl 1 -> 2 | Poison Immunity | Heavy Immunity | Fire Resistance Lvl 6 |
Dark Resistance Lvl Max | All Regen (Medium) Lvl 3 -> 6 ]
[ General: ]
[ Identify Lvl Max (Hidden) | Communicate: Family (Hidden) | Conceal Status Lvl Max (Hidden) ]
[ Concealed General: ]
[ Skill Gain (Hidden) | Languages (Hidden): Common, Beastkin, Goblin, Elf, Human, Troll |
Life Magic Lvl 9 -> 10 | Decryption Lvl 1 | Double Skill Experience (Hidden) ]
[ Disabled (All Hidden): ]
[ Tough Scales | Flight | Spider Net Trap | Logging | Cleave | Chop | Bow Expertise | Woodworking |
Power Shot | Glide | Disarm Trap | Skewer | Spear Expertise | Cooking | Slash | Blacksmithing |
Sweep | Medium Armour Expertise | Snipe | Fire | Tailoring | Sword Expertise | Lockpick | Alchemy ]
[ Skill points: 18 -> 23 ]
So it was her forms that could evolve. Bear, and Cat at least. Maybe Tree was later. But she would check it out after evolving.
She went back to the Evolution screen, selected Werewolf Huntmaster, selected Yes, and immediately her vision started to fade to black.
"Good night, Sara."
Good... night... mother...
Varewulf What a week.
Sara rushed into the den, and onto her shelf bed before she started to look at anything.
She'd parted ways with Mirielle, and told Gloria that she was ready to evolve as she had expected, then reminded her that she would be asleep while she evolved. And on the way back she had made sure to tell Kathleen, and the other wolves to not disturb her for anything until she awoke by herself. She wasn't even sure if it was possible for anyone else to wake her while evolving.
The excitement, anticipation, and nerves were getting to her as she finally brought up her popups. Two weeks since last time. Roughly two weeks. It had been about the same between Limber Wolf, and Mystic Wolf, hadn't it? So maybe level 40 by New Year's wasn't impossible, but... it was limited how much further she would be able to level in this forest, and it wasn't easy to leave for elsewhere. Especially not for long.
So long as she took her time, and seized whatever opportunities she got, she'd get there. There was no need to be in a rush. Having a life that made it hard to only focus on herself was honestly not a bad thing. She liked having others to care about too.
She wanted to slow roll this, so she started with the less important ones. The 'enemy defeated' boxes she summarily dismissed. She had gotten at least partial credit for... probably every bandit.
For the skill level ups she looked for any further max levels. There were honestly not that many boxes at all. She had mostly avoided using her concealed skills since there was no real need, but she had tried to throw around a few extra Greater Fireballs while she could. She hadn't managed to max it out, but she had maxed a related skill.
[ Fire Element Up Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked! 1 skill point gained. ]
[ Fire Element Up (Passive): Increases the effect, and power of fire element skills. Increase: 10+(1*skill level)%.
Max level bonus: Refresh timer of fire element skills reduced by 20%. ]
Not a bad thing to get, even though she only had the one fire spell.
There wasn't just the sparkly box left though, there were a couple of those fancy ones too.
[ Title Gained: Human Killer: Defeated at least 50 humans! ]
[ Title Gained: Pushed It: Reached character level 30! ]
Sara hadn't really paid that close attention, but perhaps she could surmise that the majority of the bandits were humans?
Alright, enough putting it off. Let's see what it says. She was really only tormenting herself by delaying it.
[ Level Up: Level 30 Reached! Skills Unlocked: Flanking, Vine Whip, Swim Form. New skill evolutions available. 2 skill points gained. Evolution Available. ]
That blinking button at the end was the most tempting part, and... she couldn't hold back. She could look at the rest afterwards, she just needed to know first!
[ Name: Sara ]
[ Species: Nyolund Mystic Wolf (Nyolund Guardian Beast) | Gender: Female ]
[ Genus: Wolf ]
[ Class: Druid (Beast) ]
[ Role: Nyolund - Northern Great Forest of Ildhena Zone Boss ]
[ Level: 29 -> 30 (30) ]
[ HP: 209/209 -> 225/225 +20 (212/212 +19) | SP: 216/216 -> 233/233 +22 (216/216 +20) |
MP: 217/217 -> 237/237 +33 (219/219 +24) ]
[ VIT: 89 -> 101 +20 (95 +19) | END: 101 -> 114 +22 (102 +20) ]
[ STR: 95 -> 107 +21 (89 + 17) | DEF: 74 -> 86 +21 (71 +17) ]
[ AGI: 121 -> 134 +26 (123 +24) | DEX: 86 -> 98 +19 (81 +16) ]
[ INT: 124 -> 138 +26 (120 +24) | WIS: 118 -> 133 +33 (124 +24) ]
[ LUK: 184 -> 200 +40 (75 +15) ]
[ Bonus Attribute Points: 16 -> 20 ]
[ Evolution Available ]
It brought up her status screen first, which was fair enough. Between the level up itself, and it looked like two more levels in All Attributes Up, the numbers had risen by quite a lot. She'd consider how to spend her bonus points after evolving.
[ Evolution Available ]
[ Please Choose One: ]
[ Werewolf Warrior/Vanguard Captain (Warrior) ]
[ Werewolf Claw Adept/Claw Master (Monk) ]
[ Werewolf Mist Warrior/Mist Dancer (Ninja) ]
[ Werewolf Hide Hunter/Huntmaster (Shapeshifter) ]
[ Werewolf Shaman/Chief (Naturalist) ]
Uh... mother? What's all... this?
"In order to evolve into a Resident, you will need to go through the middle stage of being a werewolf. You could call it the not-so-missing link between wolf, and wolfkin. With that in mind I have already excluded all the other types of wolf you qualify for. Have you changed your mind?"
No, I... I still want to get a Resident form eventually, but... are werewolves not Residents?
"No. Similarly to the cyclops you saw, werewolves are humanoid mobs who show nothing but hostility towards Residents. Werewolves do tolerate wolfkin, but there isn't really a 'cyclopskin' equivalent. However towards anyone other than wolfkin, even other types of beastkin, the werewolves only show hostility. At least... that's the lore behind it.
As you have come to experience for yourself, the actual mentalities of the mobs are rarely so simple. I do my best to assign scripts to all the mobs that fit what the designers had in mind for their behaviour, but only in a few rare cases do they get anything more than a general directive. Not many of them get treated like individuals, so they need a one-size-fits-all solution. It is tricky to instil any really strong feelings of like or dislike into something with basically no personality when they also have no life experiences to draw upon. For the Residents entire histories, cultures, and memories were generated, which gave us a lot more to work with, but for a lot of mobs it's more of a case what they do, rather than what they are. Especially for social creatures like the werewolves. They are sticking to their roles, and none of the various werewolf tribes have so far made any attempts at holding any discussions with the wolfkin."
So... they aren't actually hostile?
"They are, but only in the same way your wolves were, or the bears are. Perhaps the bears in this forest are a bad example. Their scripts ended up giving most of them a great love for fighting things. Sometimes the process succeeds in instilling a sort of personality onto them, even if it isn't always exactly what was intended. But to the werewolves they are just doing what they were told to by the system. It's more like their job, rather than what they are truly like. There's no enmity, hatred, or personal feelings behind it, at least not for most of them. They're pretty much content to stay within their little tribes, and live their lives together. Most of them live in some form of village, and the leaders are generally pretty smart, or at least clever. There are a couple of tribes that have started talking to each other, even though they're supposed to be rivals. So it's possible that if some dedicated wolfkin Wanderers or Residents wanted to try reaching out to them, at least a few of the tribes might be willing to listen. After what you've done here, maybe the odds of someone wanting to try have gone up."
Huh... that could be neat.
"Before I get too distracted I really should mention that just like the cyclopes, the werewolves can speak."
Speak? W-wait, you mean like...
"I mean they have vocal capability, the Languages skill, can speak a rough version of Common, and also speak a heavily accented variant of the wolfkin dialect of the Beastkin language. They can speak to anyone they wish, but they're not particularly interested in speaking to anyone who isn't a werewolf. Even wolfkin they mostly just tolerate, rather than show an interest in."
So... so I'll be able to speak directly... with Mirielle? And other non-Druids?
"Correct. Though based on how you've conducted yourself so far you might want to be careful who you reveal that to. Mirielle will be fine, and possibly Laroni, and Luneria as well, but everyone else know far less about you. They would raise questions about how you suddenly acquired the ability to speak to anyone. I have some ideas in mind for how you might sort that out, but I would prefer to let things play out a bit further, and see which one would fit best. Worst case you will have to hide it from everyone but Mirielle."
That... might not be easy, but I will try... actually I'm not even sure how I should interact with people after this... I mean, even if I try to hide that I can speak, I'll still look completely different. Unless I only show myself in Tree Form.
"We can discuss it more after you've evolved. There are risks involved, but I do not want to put you off of evolving, so I will put some extra effort into helping you figure out what to do afterwards. It is truly better to cover that afterwards though, since you will unlock certain things that are easier to see for yourself than me trying to explain right now."
Alright, mother. Then... um... what about those species names... why are they split?
"That's because of your Leadership skill. Thanks to that, whatever you pick will be upgraded into the leader version of it. The majority of werewolf tribes are shamanistic, or druidic if you prefer that term. That's why the Naturalist is the Chief. The Shapeshifter is the other Druid class upgrade, and they are the hunters of the tribes, using their different forms to capture prey. The Huntmaster is the second most important leader in those tribes.
I will say that although I listed all the types you qualify for, in order to keep going as the Guardian Beast, and keep your Commune With Animals you will need to upgrade into Shapeshifter, or Naturalist. I feel like I know you well enough by now to say that those other three will not help you much. I still wanted to show them to you just to give you a broader picture of what's out there."
I understand, mother. Thank you.
Aina was right that class-changing now would just needlessly complicate everything Sara was trying to do. So as funny as the idea of being a ninja werewolf was, she would look at the two Druid branch ones. She was most curious about the Chief, the Naturalist.
[ Werewolf Chief (Naturalist): Most werewolf tribes revere their ties with nature, and have a Naturalist as their Chief. One could say their innate ability to see, and communicate with spirits makes them a spiritual leader, as well a physical one. Werewolf tribes are found in several places across the continent, but most of them are in beastkin territory, mainly around the wolfkin region in the south-west.
Skills gained: Spirit Form, Summon Lesser Spirit. ]
[ Spirit Form (Active): Naturalist branch exclusive. You shapeshift into a nature spirit. Your element can be changed to match any spirits you have currently summoned. Continuous effect. You can hover up to 3 metres off the ground, but active movement abilities are disabled. Agility, Intelligence, and Wisdom: +(40+(2*skill level))%. Magic power: +20%. Physical damage taken: -25%. Vulnerability to opposing elements: +25%. Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance: -50%. Attack power: -20%. Temporarily gain skills: Spirit Bolt, Spirit Bomb, Spirit Guidance. Activation Cost: 5 MP. Cast time: 2 seconds. No further cost while active. Refresh: 10 seconds. ]
[ Summon Lesser Spirit (Active): Naturalist branch exclusive. You summon a lesser spirit of your element of choice. Spirits tend to be stronger when they're in their natural environment, and some elements may be unavailable in certain areas. Spirit strength increases with skill level, and scales with your own level. Non-Naturalists will also be able to see spirits you have summoned. A spirit will support you with offensive and defensive spells in combat, but they can have other uses as well. The amount of spirits you can have summoned at once depends on skill level, and your Wisdom score. Spirits remain summoned until dismissed, or exhausted. When you are in Spirit Form you can match your element to any spirit you have currently summoned. Cost: 20 MP. Cast time: 10 seconds. Refresh: 10 seconds. ]
Naturalists are about spirits?
"Correct. Before class bonuses were introduced they used to have passive skills called Commune With Spirits, and Spirit Vision, but those were rolled into how the class works instead. They are also strong casters, as they specialise in the magic side of the Druid branch, while the Shapeshifters specialise into the form side. Whichever you pick will make you favour one over the other, in terms of attribute growth, which skills you gain access to, and class bonuses. Shapeshifters remain casters as well, but if you wish to make spells your true focus, then Naturalist is the best choice."
That made sense to Sara, plus it sounded neat to be able to interact with the spirits, but she might as well look at the other one too.
[ Werewolf Huntmaster (Shapeshifter): The werewolf Hide Hunters rely on their shapeshifting abilities, combined with useful spells to hunt their prey, rather than using a Hunter's ranged abilities. They also serve as scouts. The Huntmaster guides the Hide Hunters, and is the Chief's main advisor. Werewolf tribes are found in several places across the continent, but most of them are in beastkin territory, mainly around the wolfkin region in the south-west.
Skills gained: Flight Form, Tracking. ]
[ Flight Form (Active): Shapeshifter branch exclusive. You shapeshift into a large bird. Continuous effect. You are able to fly at significant speed, and hover in the air, but ground movement is highly limited. Terrorise your foes with a spell barrage from above. Warning: tricky to learn, and trickier to master. Agility, Dexterity, and Intelligence: +(40+(2*skill level))%. Magic power: +10%. Critical hit chance: +10%. Vitality, Strength, and Defence: -50%. Attack power -10%. Temporarily gain skills: Flight, Glide, Gust. Activation Cost: 5 MP. No further cost while active. Refresh: 10 seconds. ]
Pardon? Flight form? I can fly?
"Correct. They wanted Shapeshifters to have at least one really unique ability, and decided on flight. Swim Form used to be Shapeshifter only as well in the beta, but it got changed to be simply Druid exclusive at launch. The Shapeshifter's class bonuses are having no casting time when changing into a form, and to be able to jump from one form to another without having to revert to the base form first. It is the best class in terms of ability to travel, and has unparalleled flexibility."
But my spells will suffer?
"Not right away. It won't make your casting any weaker right now, but long-term you won't see the same spellpower growth as with Naturalist."
Ugh... so... spirits, and spellpower... or flight?
"There's a bit more to it than that, but for now yes."
She had been relying on her spells more and more. While she could still hold her own in melee, it was definitely the slower option. Going harder in on spells seemed like the smarter choice, but... flight. She could fly. Was that even possible to pass up? Well, she had seen one Naturalist already, so clearly it was for some people. Well, Naahl was a Resident, so it probably hadn't been by choice. But for Sara... flight!
Since mounts were a thing, it was quite possible flying mounts were too, or would be in the future. But she could get the ability to fly right now. Well... after she woke back up. The more she thought about it, the more it felt like the only possible choice. The travel possibilities were also a real factor. Depending on how fast she could fly, she might stand a much better chance at seeing more of Moorhold.
It was probably hell to master, but she had made her decision. Though she remembered that she had other things to look at as well.
There were some skills...
"Feel free to look at them, but I recommend you don't buy, or evolve anything until after you have evolved."
Uh... okay. Aina seemed full of advice, and things to say this time, so Sara figured she might as well stop questioning it.
She had already seen Flanking on the other wolves, so the final two were Vine Whip, and Swim Form.
[ Vine Whip (Active): Druid branch exclusive. You summon a thick vine that can be used to attack, to grab onto things, and even to manipulate objects. Nature element property. Channelled effect. Does physical damage. Base damage value: (1.1+(0.2*skill level))*attack power. Damage varies based on how hard you strike. Hard to master. Vine can be destroyed. Vine strength, and ease of control increase with skill level. Scales with Wisdom. Activation cost: 6 MP. Slowly drains MP while channelled. Increased effort increases MP drain. Refresh: 2 seconds. Price: 3 skill points. ]
That seemed pretty cool. It might honestly be one of those skills that is far more cool than truly useful, but she wanted to get it. After she had evolved.
[ Swim Form (Active): Druid branch exclusive. You shapeshift into a large marine creature. Continuous effect. You can breathe underwater, and your swim speed and ability are greatly enhanced. It is cumbersome to move on land. Agility, Dexterity, and Endurance: +(40+(2*skill level))%. Vitality, Defence, and Wisdom: -50%. Temporarily gain skills: Swim, Dive, Water Jet. Activation Cost: 5 MP. No further cost while active. Cast time: 2 seconds. Refresh: 10 seconds. Cost: 4 skill points. ]
Another one she figured she'd probably get, but it was time to go into evo-sleep. She was just going to have a quick look at her Skill List before pressing the Evolution button.
[ Active: ]
[ Chomp Lvl Max (Max) | Rend Lvl Max (Max) | Body Slam Lvl Max (Max) | Savage Blow Lvl 7 -> 9 (Max) |
Pack Leader's Howl Lvl Max (Max) | Sprint Lvl Max (Max) | Root Bind Lvl 8 -> Max (Max) |
Poison Arrow Alt. Lvl 9 -> Max (Max) | Frost Arrow Lvl 9 -> Max (Max) | Greater Fireball Lvl 7 -> 9 (Max) |
Water Jet Lvl Max (Max) | Arcane Blast Lvl 9 -> Max (Max) | Thorn Armour Lvl Max (Max) |
Growth Lvl Max (Max) | Budding Regrowth Lvl 9 -> Max (Max) | Rejuvenate Lvl Max (Max) |
Mass Rejuvenate Lvl Max (Max) | Bear Form Lvl Max (Max) (Can Evolve) |
Cat Form Lvl Max (Max) (Can Evolve) | Tree Form Lvl Max (Max) ]
[ Concealed Active: ]
[ Charge Lvl Max | Ambush Lvl Max | Throw Lvl 1 | Strong Poison Strike Lvl Max |
Death From Above Lvl 9 -> Max | Solid Kick Lvl 3 -> 5 | Back Attack Lvl 4 -> 5 | Struggle Lvl 1 |
Stomp Lvl 1 -> 2 | Pounce Lvl 5 -> 7 | Shred Lvl 5 -> 8 | Crush Lvl 1 -> 4 | Smack Lvl 2 |
Rock Blast (Evolved) Lvl 1 -> 3 | Lightning Arrow Lvl 3 -> 5 | Arcane Missile (New) Lvl 1 |
Rock Hammer (New) Lvl 1 | Mass Thorn Bind Lvl 1 | Poison Cloud Lvl 2 -> 4 | Thorn Barricade Lvl 1 -> 2|
Poison Enchant Lvl Max | Water Bubble Lvl 1 -> 2 | Water Film Lvl 3 -> 4 | Earth Wall Lvl 2 -> 4 |
Leech Lvl Max | Recovery Cocoon (New) Lvl 1 | Roar Lvl 1 -> 2 | Taunt Lvl 1 -> 3 | Vanish Lvl 1 -> 3 |
Erase Presence Lvl 17 | Extrasensory Perception | Slow Fall ]
[ Passive: ]
[ Keen Senses | Danger Sense Lvl Max (Max) | Claw Expertise Lvl Max (Max) | Firm Grip Lvl Max (Max) |
Enhanced Movement | Insulation Lvl Max (Max) | Solid Coat Lvl Max (Max) | Leadership Lvl Max (Max) |
Nature Element Up Lvl Max (Max) | Mana Manipulation Lvl Max (Max) |
All Attributes Up (Medium) Lvl 7 -> 9 (Max) | Commune With Animals ]
[ Concealed Passive: ]
[ Trap Sense Lvl 4 | Intuition Lvl 4 -> 5 | Dig Lvl Max | Burrow Lvl 2 | Spider Climb Lvl Max |
Spider Silk Lvl Max | Thread Manipulation Lvl 5 | Paralysis Venom Lvl Max | Swim Lvl 7 | Dive Lvl 1 |
Chameleon Lvl Max | Pursuit Lvl 5 -> 7 | Desperation (New) Lvl 1 | Ranged Attacks Up Lvl 1 |
Copy Cast Lvl Max | Fire Element Up Lvl 9 -> Max | Water Element Up Lvl 7 -> 8 |
Earth Element Up Lvl 1 -> 2 | Poison Immunity | Heavy Immunity | Fire Resistance Lvl 6 |
Dark Resistance Lvl Max | All Regen (Medium) Lvl 3 -> 6 ]
[ General: ]
[ Identify Lvl Max (Hidden) | Communicate: Family (Hidden) | Conceal Status Lvl Max (Hidden) ]
[ Concealed General: ]
[ Skill Gain (Hidden) | Languages (Hidden): Common, Beastkin, Goblin, Elf, Human, Troll |
Life Magic Lvl 9 -> 10 | Decryption Lvl 1 | Double Skill Experience (Hidden) ]
[ Disabled (All Hidden): ]
[ Tough Scales | Flight | Spider Net Trap | Logging | Cleave | Chop | Bow Expertise | Woodworking |
Power Shot | Glide | Disarm Trap | Skewer | Spear Expertise | Cooking | Slash | Blacksmithing |
Sweep | Medium Armour Expertise | Snipe | Fire | Tailoring | Sword Expertise | Lockpick | Alchemy ]
[ Skill points: 18 -> 23 ]
So it was her forms that could evolve. Bear, and Cat at least. Maybe Tree was later. But she would check it out after evolving.
She went back to the Evolution screen, selected Werewolf Huntmaster, selected Yes, and immediately her vision started to fade to black.
"Good night, Sara."
Good... night... mother...
