Chapter 2
Isaac could barely wait as they exited the butcher shop, he pulled the book out and flipped it open, his eyes scanning the first page as he's been instructed to do by Skof, it wasn't long before a list of Common rarity skills had appeared in front of his eyes in the form of a screen, He tapped on a few to see what they were.
[[Active] Roll]
[Spend 20 Mana to roll out of danger, most tracking projectiles will drop tracking.]
[[Active] Avenger]
[Only activatable if an Ally has died recently; Gain 50% Action Speed and 5% Maximum HP regen/5 Seconds]
[[Active] Maul]
[100 Mana; Your pet stuns a targeted enemy and applies a bleed]
They were interesting, he didn't know what to choose at first, he scrolled and scrolled, some were far too expensive for him Mana wise, while others had odd activation requirements… But for some reason he found himself coming back to avenger, he tapped it and accepted it as his first active skill.
[Would you like to toggle Avenger with Passivity?]
[[Passive] 5% Action Speed 0.5% Maximum HP Regen/10 Seconds 2.5%Maximum HP Regen/10 seconds out of combat]
His eyes widened, the activation requirement was gone, he was now permanently faster and had a constant regen effect active, sure it was half as good as before, maybe slightly worse but it was still very strong especially this early! He wouldn't have to pay attention to his idiot friend dying to activate it.
Toggling it showed an incredible boon already, his walking speed increased by a decent clip and he grinned, he'd just found the way to power for this character, he still didn't know how his Boon worked towards active skills but if it was anything like that buff then he was gonna be quite strong.
His second quest involved something slightly odd, apparently the town was protected from monster incursion by a barrier that was erected years ago thanks to the crystal spires that circled it, however the barrier seemed to be weakening as of late and he had been given several crystals to go and fix it with.
Skof looked confused as well at first. "That guy gave me a totally different quest, Mine was heading out and saving a delivery girl from another city who had something important for him." Isaac didn't find that too suspicious, it could just be that this man was on a rotation of quests and had reset to something new, so with a shrug he headed out from the town and back into the wilderness.
Nothing happened at the first crystal spire, it glowed and hummed with it's incredible energy and seemed untouched, so they moved on to the second, slowly walking around the outside of town, checking them one by one.
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The Device that Isaac was given lit up, the screen glowing without his knowledge, and miles away a computer lit up in a large marble and glass spire. 'Pulse Registered, Beginning Inheritance Test' It went unnoticed by the many people milling around, joking, and working.
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The first broken spire came about halfway through the walk, it was cracked and the light sputtering, with an almost liquid like magical energy spurting free from the crystal like it was bleeding, but upon stepping closer they noticed it wasn't 'cracked' it had been slashed by a pair of strong claws, thought 'Mauled' was probably a better word. Isaac felt a little chill looking at the claw marks but sighed and pulled out one of the repair crystals, he held it up to the spire and channeled some mana into it, watching it turn to dust in his hand and flow into the damaged places, making it once more a pristine glowing spire of protection.
"I hope we don't have to fight whatever damaged this thing…" Skof said with a shiver of his own. "Those claw marks were huge, and I don't wanna know what could have claws strong enough to harm crystals like this." Almost as if on cue there was a howl, an angry snarling howl that came from the woods to their back, the small stretch of plain that separated them from the tree line
The crack and creaking of wood filled their ears, then a crash as a tree a bit further into the treeline fell from it's tall firm position… Then they saw it, the hulking bestial form of a wolf, but it wasn't quite quadrupedal, it was more like a werewolf, broad muscular shoulders and human like arms ending in large clawed hands, both of which looked mangled and torn up, with what seemed like shards of metal in place of the usual claws. Its howl rent the air around them and Isaac slapped Skofs arm, pointing back the way they came. "Run!"
Isaac had seen more of the creature than he wanted to, from the mangled claws, to the scar riddled body, and the tattered bloody silken cloth that dug into its wrists and neck, it was fast too his senses finely honed from years of ruthless training by Brigid were screaming at him to turn and fight, running was impossible… Then he saw Skof trip and he turned, dashing between his friend and the creature without hesitation, his mind screaming at him that this was real, that his friend would die. He knew it was a game but he couldn't stop his reactions and before he knew it he was standing in front of a charging, slobbering canine creature, he didn't have time to draw his weapon but he tried anyway, reaching for The Answerer on his waist, his other forearm held out like an shield, hoping it would give him the moment he needed.
He was halfway pulling the gun from it's holster when that maw gaping wide, tried to close around his arm and was stopped by an ear rending screech, and then a ding.
[Skill 2: Svallin | Unlocked]
[Svallin is the shield that protects the earth from the scorching rays of the sun, without it oceans would boil, forests would burn… For you it is a shield for your friends, a wall against all enemies that might hurt those close to you And then return Righteous anger back at them...] [Active: Can be used to block one ability or attack while defending an ally Defending an attack returns 35% of damage done as fire damage[5 Hour cooldown]]
He barely glanced at the words, his brain more focused on flicking the switch on the Answerer. "Force | Blade" The almost clear blue energy hummed into the shape of a single edged blade as he swung and the fire exploded from the shimmering golden energy shield that wreathed his free arm, both hit at the same time and Isaac saw several things appear above it's head. First was a big red number, {2125}, That was the damage from the rebound fire no doubt, and then there was his damage a piddly {48}, his eyes hardened but he kept his focus.
He dodged the swipe of those dangerously glinting claws, swinging his blade in swift, concise arcs, easily going from one attack to the next in a chain of dodging and swinging. The wolf was slightly faster than Brigid, which was quite a problem he could barely keep up with that sword lunatic on a good day, but after a short exchange of blows the beast leaped back and seemed to be building up power. "Skof run!" He spoke out and his friend managed to get up and run towards the town.
"I'll bring back help bro, just don't die til then! Damn thing must be a field boss!" His voice was soon lost to the howling and snarling before Isaac and he brandished his blade with a long slow breath out.
"I really hate using stuff like this I hope you know." He said with disdain, his blade moving in a slow circle before it flashed and he was on the other side of the creature, {146}. Normally when he used any of Brigid's ridiculous sword techniques he'd feel searing pain in his muscles and wouldn't want to move for days afterward, but to his surprise there was none of the pain that made him hate sword fighting, his body wasn't rejecting his use in here.
[Claíomh Solais | Learned]
[Style: The Sword of Light in old Irish Claiomh Solais has been taught and perfected since the age of the gods while skills from this Style may not cost Mana they will apply a toll to the mind even here with repeated usage.]
A quick turn and he rushed right back into battle, he had to push his advantage, he swung beautifully, almost as if every slash was a work of art all its own, his blade glowed with magic and power, with the intent to defeat this creature. Of course he didn't have as great an advantage as he thought he might… The beast was injured for sure, it had lost more than half of it's health from the rebound of the shield but it was still an injured, cornered animal that lashed out with the intent to kill or maim him with its grotesque claws. Claws which landed a hit after only a few more exchanges…
He didn't feel it at first, it was like a scalpel slicing through the skin and bone like nothing but a few moments after he screamed out, rage and pain filling his entire world, and then he disappeared in little particles of light…