Chapter 25
Key received
Initiating soul transaction
Processing memory
Checking sanity
Packaging for transit
Transmitting data
Soul transaction complete
It was completely black.
Sam: Greg? What the hell is this?
He didn’t respond, which seemed off. Then I noticed a system entry.
Communication channels turned off. Any messages written will be sent when communication is re-established.
Ah.
I had no idea where I was, but at least still had a body. I grimaced as I felt at my stomach where little Charlie had plunged his dagger. Blood covered my hand like paint. I popped a health potion, and then shook myself trying to get my numbness to fully release. Somehow, I was still alive.
The blackness faded away, and a familiar place spread out around me, flat and endless. The sky was dark gray and overcast, and the wind slowly blew, bringing with it the scent of pine.
It looked and felt—I decided—an awful lot like the character creation place, but with one key difference. In front of me stood a large circular structure. There was no row of race options, just the structure. A light flicked on coming through the entrance. It was totally white and blared right at me. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust. Finding I could move, I rushed forward, checking a couple things as I went.
I could still see my party menu. Everyone still showed up as Knocked on their party member icons. I noticed Clara and Fred’s immunity buff about to expire, so I double checked the description of Knocked. “Target is ignored by mobs and NPCs,” I read out loud. I relaxed, slowing down as I approached the structure.
If I was reading that right, and I was pretty sure I was, all three of them should be fine until I returned. They would be in incredible pain . . . but they wouldn’t die and they wouldn’t be squished.
I walked through the brightly lit entryway and found myself in a circular hall. Around the edges of the room stood circular daises, slightly raised above floor level. Large text faded in across my interface.
BATTLE HALL
Outfitted for player AnythingButSquished
You unlocked the class system!
In the middle of the room, weapons flickered in and out of existence on top of a raised platform that came up to about waist height. It was made of stone. A two-handed axe appeared, then a two-handed sword, then a staff, then a shield, then a scythe. It kept going for some time, rotating through a lot of options, though it didn’t seem exhaustive. I figured the list had something to do with my race. I didn’t see a blunderbuss, for example.
I walked forward, and the main overhead lights dimmed as I approached the dais. It felt like I was approaching the sword in the stone. Only . . . it wasn’t just a sword. I watched the various weapons rotate through again.
I considered my options. If I was going to reappear in the midst of a horde of skeletons and three high-health bosses, I was going to need to do even more damage. Mie currently had Charle’s two-handed sword. I’d need to coordinate with her to get it back. I looked at the two-handed sword that appeared, and its blade glinted as if beckoning me.
Excitement cascaded through me as I walked forward and grabbed the hilt of the massive sword, then pulled it toward me. Figures appeared all around me, varying in height and weight.
If I was understanding the interface correctly, then three Battle Arts combined made up what the system called a class. Since I had the spear and one-handed axe Battle Arts, picking up the sword gave me options with those three weapons in mind. I inspected each one. Only one showed a class that had a two-handed sword in one hand, and an axe in the other. I pulled that one up.
Race: Mountain Elf
Class: Duelist
Basic Abilities: {Sword Thrust}, {Cleave}, {Arm Strength}, {Spear Throw}, {Axe Crack}, {Quad Strike}
Ultimate Ability: {Crescent Blow}
I spent a few moments looking at the new abilities. Sword Thrust was a base damage multiplier of four . . . which was insane. Cleave was a slow, and Arm Strength was a one-handed passive which explained how the figure in front of me was wielding both the sword and an axe. All the other basic abilities were familiar due to the spear and axe Battle Arts. I looked at the ultimate. I read the description, and it sounded like it would shoot out a ranged half-moon attack that could go up to ten meters and deal a non-fixed seventy-five percent damage. That meant it was . . . relative to the target’s health pool. That seemed . . . really good.
But since Charle’s sword, is one-handed already . . . I looked at the other options. The last figure stood taller and looked a touch bulkier. I inspected him.
Race: Mountain Elf
Class: Blade Master
Basic Abilities: {Solo Target}, {Cleave}, {Guardian Shout}, {Spear Throw}, {Axe Crack}, {Reaper’s Dance}
Ultimate Ability: {Angels Descent}
Oh, hell yeah, I thought as I read through the abilities. Solo Target was sort of like Reaper’s Dance. It locked you into a solo fight with another target and during its fifteen second duration, you were not targetable by other opponents. Guardian Shout was an ability that stole all Threat in a thirty-meter area, and Angels Descent was a little like Vaulting Strike, but it had a greater distance and instead of a spear stab . . . it sounded like I would stun all the enemies around me up to five seconds. Based on the description I would be able to target an area at a distance, fly up, then slam down and hit the earth like a meteor stunning everything within ten meters for up to five seconds.
This is it. This is what we need. I looked at the choice to ‘Confirm’ hovering next to the Blade Master, excitement building, and my mental finger hovering over it and about to press down.
A moment passed. Then another. Fuck.
I let out a sigh and put the sword back on the raised platform. I watched, an ache in my chest, as it got replaced by a dagger, then a scythe, then a shield. Deep down, I knew the sword wasn’t the right call. The Guardian Shout ability on the Blade Master had been a mental catalyst, and I admitted something that I had been resisting for quite some time.
We didn’t have a tank in our party. Mie had diverged from her tank-like path ages ago and only used her defensive abilities to survive while she healed. We had good DPS through Clara, and the one-hit monster Fred . . . most of the time, but what we didn’t have was someone who could sustain through Hearth’s steadily increasing damage output. To be fair, we were all way out-leveled in the dungeon, but every hit we took from the bosses was close to a killing blow if not a killing blow. I was probably the only one who could take a couple hits as it stood.
I sighed again. If we were going to get out of this, I needed to accept the fact that I would have to become the tank, and a damn good one at that. Something inside of me rebelled at the idea of leaving all the damage dealing up to my . . . less experienced party members. But there was nothing for it. If we were going to survive, someone had to be able to take hits. Someone had to be able to sustain and grab aggro.
I waited until the circular shield came back around, and threaded my arm through the leather straps. When I gripped the handle, it was cold to the touch, and as I pulled it out from over the stone, five more figures appeared all around me. They were standing on top of the raised circular platforms all around the outskirts of the room. To my surprise they varied considerably in height and weight as well as armor type. I smiled, a realization setting in.
Race: Mountain Elf
Class: Guard
Basic Abilities: {Guardian Shout}, {Shield Bash}, {Projectile Resist}, {Spear Throw}, {Axe Crack}, {Vaulting Strike}
Ultimate Ability: {Greater Allied Call}
After reading through some of the new abilities, I made a mental note of Greater Allied Call and Guardian Shout. Greater Allied Call summoned ethereal warriors to your aid for five minutes, and Guardian Shout, as mentioned, stole all aggro in a thirty-meter area. Both pretty great, and both definitely abilities we could use, but I was looking for something even tankier.
I still had the celestial Potion of Inheritance which I had stored in my Soul Space. I went ahead and started that thirty second transfer to get it into my character inventory. If I understood how that worked, then I assumed I would be able to pick a second class after this first selection. After my second selection . . . I should have access to both classes?
I moved onto the next option.
Race: Mountain Elf
Class: Shield Master
This one, again, was cool, but most of its abilities were attack based. I did appreciate the look of the figure. He had two smaller round bucklers, one in each hand, and was clad in a light leather armor to improve movement. Ability-wise, there was a Captain America style shield throw and a shield surf . . . which seemed kind of dumb. I moved on, looking to the next option.
Race: Mountain Elf
Class: Spear Guardian
I was liking the look of the one-handed spear and shield, but again the abilities were too attack oriented. The ultimate was a flying ability called Cascading Spears, that would let me stay airborne for thirty seconds and pepper my targets with spears. But . . . it would also make me a more visible target. I moved on.
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Race: Mountain Elf
Class: Sentinel
Basic Abilities: {Guardian Shout}, {Shield Dome}, {Projectile Resist}, {Spear Throw}, {Sweeping Strike}, {Vaulting Strike}
Ultimate Ability: {Greater Allied Cry}
This one stood out, and likely would have been my pick due to the readouts on Shield Dome which was a large area projectile barrier, and Guardian Shout.
But the last class option caught my attention. He was shorter than the rest by a good foot; the dwarf side of the race showed itself more prominently in this option than any of the others.
He wore mystic plate, and other than the height he looked a lot like Charles had when he put on his red armor. In one hand, he held a round shield; in the other, a one-handed hammer resembling a shortened sledgehammer. It looked to be a warhammer of some kind. His presence was dominating, and I knew deep down that this was my man.
Race: Mountain Elf
Class: Warden
Basic Abilities: {Guardian Shout}, {Shield Dome}, {Projectile Resist}, {Hammer Crack}, {Allied Cry}, {Impact Armor}
Ultimate Ability: {Hammer Smash}
Requires dropping the skill {One Handed Axe}, or {Spear} in favor of {One Handed Hammer}
I took a closer look at all those abilities.
Active Ability: {Guardian Shout}
Description: You force surrounding mobs to focus on you, and any damage dealt to you increases your level of threat.
Cost: 40 Stamina. Scales based on player level.
Cooldown: 3 seconds
Active Ability: {Shield Dome}
Description: You throw your shield up to 15 meters, creating a dome-like barrier 5 meters in diameter that prevents all projectiles* from passing through. Lasts 25 seconds.
Cost: 75 Stamina. Scales based on player level.
Cooldown: 1 minute 30 seconds
Passive Ability: {Projectile Resist}
Description: Projectiles of both physical and magical types do 50% less damage to you.
Active Ability: {Hammer Crack}
Description: You deal a crushing blow to your enemy that does 100% additional damage and stuns your target for 7 seconds.
Cost: 70 Stamina. Scales based on player level.
Cooldown: 20 seconds
Active Ability: {Allied Cry}
Description: You call 3-5 allied guardians that match your level to your aid. They have 50% of your health and the ability {Guardian Shout}.
Cost: 100 Stamina. Scales based on player level.
Cooldown: 2 minutes
Active Ability: {Impact Armor}
Description: You grow a layer of armor that absorbs 95% of the damage you take over 10 seconds. This damage is stored within you available for release after the 10 seconds are up.
Cost: 50 Stamina. Scales based on player level.
Cooldown: 1 minute
Active Ability: {Hammer Smash}
Description: You call the power of the mountain into your hammer, dealing a massive blow to the ground beneath your feet that ripples and stuns enemies in a 10-meter radius for 10 seconds.
Cast Time: 1.5 seconds.
Cost: 150 Stamina. Scales based on player level.
Cooldown: 2 hours
It felt like I was playing a completely different game. Weeks and weeks of minimal power gains and then THIS?! I didn’t care what Mie thought. The life credits were officially worth it. I cringed as I remembered myself get eaten, as if by a fucked-up rabbit. A lot of sacrifices had occurred, all for this moment.
I went ahead and confirmed my selections, deciding to remove my spear skill, and watched the nameplate above my head change.
AnythingButSquished
Level 33, Mountain Elf, Warden
I was glad to see that I got to keep the shield and was pleasantly surprised when a hammer also appeared in my main hand. All hammers had knockback effects according to the Hearth manual, but looking at this one I noticed a denotation of ‘Greater Knockback.’ That was cool. I would be able to hit enemies backward and away.
The weapons which had still been rotating in the middle of the room slowed to a stop, and the sword that it landed on vanished. I also felt my bones compress as I got shorter and stockier. I felt the increase to Constitution and Strength, and I knew this class was much, much slower than what I was used to. I wasn’t a huge fan of that, but I held the thought as I popped the Potion of Inheritance into my main hand.
It had been days since I struggled to convince everyone that the path to Charlie’s Crypt would be worth it, not only for the experience gain, but for this exact moment.
The potion glowed orange, and I enjoyed the sound the bottle made as I uncorked it. I sniffed the mixture, and it reminded me of a mix of lavender and eucalyptus—two scents that I wouldn’t normally be drinking, so as I kicked it back, I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth the liquid went down. I waited for something to happen . . . but only felt . . . fuller.
I was beginning to think there was some kind of bug in the system when the weapons began to rotate once more.
As I watched the weapons flick through once more, I couldn’t help but think, This feels . . . waaay broken. But I didn’t care, and I was glad to finally have the opportunity to help the party out in a meaningful way. I thought about them all still Knocked, likely in considerable pain, and with only thoughts of death upon them. That probably really sucks . . . and they probably have no idea what happened to me. I grimaced at the thought. I need to hurry.
I took a few moments to consider my options for my second class. I went back and drooled over the Blade Master again . . . but after a few moments realized that the class lacked mobility which now I desperately needed. I put the sword back and looked back at my other options. The weapons flicked one-by-one in front of me. I tried a bow, then a two-handed battle axe, then a little hammer that looked like it was more for construction than damage. They all presented me with options, but none were exactly what I was looking for.
The weapons rotated through again, and one stood out to me more than I originally thought it would.
What would that do?
As I went to pull the staff out, it wouldn’t budge until I selected an option from a list of three that appeared next to it in midair: Wind, Earth, and Nature. I pulled the staff out a couple times both with Earth and Nature. Earth felt a lot like my Warden with less health, and . . . Nature, I hated to say, was just a bad healer when compared to Mie’s Holy Art.
I pulled the staff out and mentally affirmed Wind. Five more class options appeared around the platforms around me . . . and on the far right, once again, I found what I was looking for.
Race: Mountain Elf
Class: Wind Rogue
Basic abilities: {Wind Spear}, {Hamstring}, {Blink}, {Wind Dive}, {Reaper’s Dance}, {Lethal Wind}
Ultimate Ability: {Spinal Tap}
Requires dropping the basic skill {One Handed Axe}, in favor of {Shortsword}
Three of the abilities were familiar. The Wind Spear ability was basically just my spear throw from earlier. Only now, I could condense spears from the wind itself using the staff. The Reaper’s Dance was the exact same. The Wind Dive ability felt a lot like Clara’s Diving Shot ability, only it went way further. It mentioned you could dive in the direction you targeted, which felt more controllable than my vault or Clara’s backward Dive. I had been using Vaulting Strike mainly as a movement ability anyways, often abandoning the strike portion. Everything else was new, and exactly what I was looking for. With my hefty Warden, I was going to need two things: high damage and, more importantly, mobility. As I read through the abilities, I couldn’t help but hope I could shift between classes during combat.
Active Ability: {Hamstring}
Description: You appear behind your target that is within 5 meters and deal 100% additional damage, cutting their hamstring and slowing them for 1 minute by 90%.
Cast Time: .5 seconds
Cooldown: 15 seconds
Cost: 50 Stamina. Scales with player level.
Active Ability: {Blink}
Description: You instantly teleport up to 15 meters away to a location visually available to you.
Cast Time: Instant
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Cost: 30 Stamina. Scales with player level.
Passive Ability: {Spirit Bleed}
Description: All your attacks inflict Spirit Bleed stacks. A Spirit Bleed stack deals damage over time relative to your stats.
Active Ability: {Spinal Tap}
Description: You appear behind your target that is within 30 meters dealing a blow with a shortsword made from spirit and wind. It passes through the spine of your target dealing 75% of their health pool and Roots them for 5 seconds.
Cast Time: Instant
Cooldown: 2 hours
Cost: 30 Stamina. Scales with player level.
That last ability, the ultimate for the Wind Rogue, is what sold me on the class. A single strike that dealt a percentage-based amount of damage, also Rooted, and could be cast on a target thirty meters away? That felt like it could be a game-changer, especially when I would have three very large health pools to deal with in just a moment. We needed this ability, and despite having seen explosives that had stunned for longer, and Fred’s Arbitrary Blast ability, I knew that this was probably the best it was going to get for my race.
I should say, that last ability and the fact that the Rogue didn’t require mana were what sold me on the class. That was one of my main concerns with using a magic-based weapon. But it looked like since my race was stamina based, the resource pool for all these abilities was stamina. Not mana. That meant, Blackthorn’s Ring would work for both classes, however that worked.
I confirmed the Wind Rogue as my choice, and my body, which had still been in Warden form, grew. I saw my class notation change from Warden to Wind Rogue.
This class was taller and way less bulky, and while I felt a huge decrease in strength, I could feel the speed and agility change make up for it. As with the other class selection, I acquired two new weapons. A shortsword that was . . . short, and a blue staff with an intricate, twisty head. A couple new lines hit my feed.
You unlocked a second class!
You unlocked the class management interface!
Class management interface? I looked around my HUD, not immediately noticing anything new, until I saw my character equipment icon flashing. I pulled that window up, and my breath caught. There were two tabs now. One for Wind Rogue, and one for Warden. As I switched between them, I felt my body change and my perspective shift significantly because of the height difference between the two classes.
Okay, so I can shift between them here. But what about in combat? Remembering that taking damage counted as being in combat, I used my new shortsword to cut myself on the arm. I saw the ‘In Combat’ notification appear in my log and then I mentally shifted to my Warden. It worked! Hell yeah.
Each class section also had its own gear slots, which made me reel at the implications. That meant I could kit out each class individually, and when I switched to them . . . I would already have the correct gear in place.
Excited, I threw my new shield and some plate I had available into the Warden’s slots, since it could equip both plate and mystic plate, and the gear that used to be on my pre-class character, I threw into the Wind Rogue’s slots, since it could wear leather or plate. I stuck with leather there in order to retain speed and agility.
I swapped back and forth between the two and watched as both my body and gear changed. This is broken, I thought. But it was exactly how I had hoped the mechanism would work. Now I could stack each class with the exact gear set that made sense for them—and something registered that I hadn’t thought of. I used a couple quick cooldown abilities with my Rogue and then switched to my Warden, but my excitement died slightly. Blackthorn’s Ring was on my Rogue, and so when I switched to my Warden, I didn’t benefit from the increased stamina regen. It looked like the gear was only in effect while I had that specific class active. That made sense. It was already broken . . . it would be very broken if I suddenly had double the gear slots of everyone else. I guess I technically still did . . . just all the stats didn’t apply to both classes. It was good to know that items associated with one class wouldn’t take effect for the other.
I thought about that for a minute and figured I could just keep the ring on my Warden, as I would likely be able to sustain in that form for longer. I figured if I really needed more stamina generation, I still had some potions, and since it was only a single item, I could pretty easily mentally move it. It wasn’t like I was trying to move fifteen different items at once mid fight. I wondered if moving it would kill its active ability, the Improved Dark Blood ability. I couldn’t tell based on the descriptions and wasn’t keen on testing that out just yet. I thought about the others who were probably still Knocked . . . and in pain . . . They probably wouldn’t love it if I made them wait for a long cooldown.
I took on the Warden form, walked out of the hall, and was delighted to see some additional logs pop up.
You acquired a class!
You received 150,000 XP!
You acquired a class!
You received 150,000 XP!
You gained multiple levels!
You reached level 38!
The hall was definitely hard to get to, but to award that much experience? I guess If we had been attempting the dungeon at the appropriate level I might not have even seen a level-up there. Still, the added stats were great, and with all my new abilities in hand, I headed back out of the hall, where I now noticed a short shimmering portal, similar if not identical to the one I had entered through. I started writing out some messages that would hit the others’ logs when I left. After that I slapped my face and jumped up and down, pumping myself up and readying for the fight.
I was the one who got everyone into this mess, so I was going to be damn sure to get everyone back out. I wasn’t done with this reality yet. I wasn’t . . . fucking done.
Clenching my teeth, I ran and then slid into the shimmering slot, Warden class activated.
