"What's eating you?" Felix asked as Astrid stood with her lips pursed. She'd dismissed her helmet, as she could with her equipment Skill, and rubbed her face. After a short time, she sighed and read out the first four Skills that were available to her. Her party grew more incredulous with each option she presented, and when she held off without having presented the fifth Skill, Benedict jumped in.
"And what about the last one? You're gonna keep us in suspense like this?"
Astrid didn't say anything, just directly getting into the explanation.
"Warrior's Awakening (Untiered): Once every three hours, at a Severe mana and Heavy stamina cost, increase all physical attributes by 10% and all mental attributes by 5% for 15 minutes.
"With that heavy of a cost," Astrid thought aloud, "I would need to hold half of my mana available at all times. It'd weaken my ability to go as hard in a fight, or hold two charges of Immortal Body in reserve, but either way, it'd be pretty severely limiting. But if it gave that much of a boost even before it reaches Bronze? That'd be huge." The party went silent and still, even Skandr who was quietly dressing himself in his new equipment. All of her allies looked at Astrid in support as she looked for advice, but Skandr, putting his arms through the sleeves of his new robe before buttoning it closed, said, "Frankly, you're stupid if you take one of the Skills that isn't Iron."
Astrid snapped her head towards him, and he shrugged as he continued to explain, "Taking an Iron Skill right now is effectively guaranteeing yourself at least one more boon in Iron. I mean, if you take even a Bronze Skill at 28, it becomes Iron at 37 and you get another boon at 44. If you happen to get another Iron tiered Skill at 28, then you get two boons. With that in mind, I'll tell you again that it's stupid if you don't take one of the Iron skills. Warrior's Awakening? Sounds like a great Skill. Wait for now and see if you can upgrade its rarity, and if not, maybe you can get it in Steel while further strengthening your foundations."
As he said it, Astrid could feel the bitterness in his words. She was talking about maybe slowing down her own path because she was spoiled for choice while Skandr had slowed himself in the hopes of being able to evolve with nearly maxed Skills to try to catch up to her and the rest of the party. Of course he was bitter about her even considering it.
"That's the decision I was leaning towards anyways, but thank you for your input," Astrid nodded. "I think the real question is if I want a finishing Skill or a passive one."
"In the long term, Armor Mastery will get rolled into your equipment Skill at Steel," Felix said. "It'll continue to build on itself that way, making everything a lot simpler for you as you continue to grow, since a single upgrade to your equipment Skill will result in four Skills getting upgraded at the same time. Shield Mastery, Blunt Weapons Mastery, Steady Load, and then Armor Mastery all at the same time? That'd be huge, and only at Steel. And as we continue to climb tiers, we've seen how much more impactful equipment we'll get, like this."
"I don't think that the extra attributes will be worth more than a finishing Skill," Skandr disagreed. "Yes, it might be worth a couple levels right now, but when will she ever be able to afford better armor? Steel? Being able to kill stronger monsters, which we're definitely going to come across, is going to be worth more, especially in the Trials where we're not going to get any new equipment."
"Plus, to add to that, it seems like you got some of the best equipment out of all of us." Benedict couldn't help but complain as he always did.
"I don't know if I'd call it better, but that's not the point of this conversation," Astrid replied. "I want a finishing Skill. Everybody knows I want a finishing Skill. I've always wanted a finishing Skill and I've been holding back from one for years. I can see that Armor Mastery is good, but I can also see a Class evolution offering it or even rolling it into my equipment Skill for free in the future, so I'm not going to take it."
"With that said, your choice is between Spectre Burst and Meteor Strike." Skandr nodded.
"While hoping that Warrior's Awakening is offered again at 28 at Bronze or Iron tier." Astrid nodded.
"I've heard of Meteor Strike," Benedict said, "but I can't say that I've ever heard of Spectre Burst."
"Meteor Strike is very literally explosive, to the level that, without flames being a part of the Skill, it has a secondary or maybe even tertiary burning effect," Astrid explained. "Some things will burn, but mostly, it blows things apart. Spectre Burst, on the other hand, deals mostly unblockable damage. The damage is called deathly because it directly harms the enemy's soul. I've heard my mom talk about how some people on the battle lines have Spectre type Skills, and they're super valuable there. Frankly, anything called 'Spectre' is made for killing before anything and everything else, while Meteor Strike is made for destroying. That, and Spectre Burst is less limited than Meteor Strike."
"How in the name of the Duchess did you get the Skill, then?" Benedict demanded. "You don't have any magical capabilities, just brute force, so Meteor Strike makes sense. This? I don't understand why you could qualify for anything 'deathly'."
"It comes from your Class, does it not?" Muti spoke for the first time in a while. "Your Class functions in the transference of life and death from others to yourself and then from yourself to others. You take death from your allies and inflict it on your enemies instead. This offered Skill is an extension of that aspect of your new Class."
Astrid nodded, impressed but not particularly surprised that Muti had been able to see through this aspect of her Class.
"Do you think it'll synergize particularly well with your Immortal Warrior's Body and Aura cycle?" Skandr asked, scratching at his chin.
"It should," Astrid nodded. "I get the sense that I'll be able to change the size of the impact from Burst, while Meteor Strike is more limited. That's a concussive blast with the same amount of explosion that'll be the same amount of energy, regardless of what I hit with it. On the other hand, Spectre Burst can be concentrated to limit itself inside of my enemy's body or instead to cover an area of up to 3 meters. Spreading it that far won't do much at my current level, though."
"That doesn't matter. It sounds like we have a winner." Skandr said as Astrid chose her new Skill. As the understanding of how to use Spectre Burst settled into her mind, Astrid realized that her own self-absorption had gotten in the way of his evolution. Sure, they'd done it at the same time, but nobody had even looked at his new equipment or asked what Skills he'd been offered. Has his training for Storm Administration been worth it? Nobody even knew.
"Thank you, everybody." Astrid said, maintaining eye contact with her Mage—Wizard, companion. "And, my congratulations, Skandr. Tell me, what Skills did you get offered? Anything to do with Storm Administration?"
He smiled softly and nodded. "I ended up taking the evolution of Storm Administration to Iron. There were a couple other 'good' Skills offered, but they were for Mages, not Wizards. I'm focusing on Spells and enchantments, so, for the next seven levels, I'll focus on Enchantment. That being the case, maybe your hammer will be a good new piece for me to work on for now."
Astrid felt her stomach drop a little, seeing her friend shrug off her attempt at pulling the attention back to him. When had he become so willing to step in the background? Was this just a holdover from his disappointment at the Skills offered at his evolution?
"Let me see your note when you're done with it," she demanded as she took in the sight of what he was wearing. He had knee length tan boots under a long gray robe that fastened together with buttons down the front like a suit coat. She was sure that there was something underneath it, but she could only see the robe, and its stormy gray suited his new Class. On the other hand, he didn't have the large hat that she'd so desperately hoped he'd be "blessed" with. After all, a wizard should have a massive hat, right? Even Benedict had a somewhat large hat!
No, Skandr didn't have a hat. Instead, seeing that she was looking at his head as he held out the note of explanation, Skandr chuckled wryly and pulled his hood over his head. As soon as the hood was settled, from behind his neck billowed out storm clouds until they covered his face. Astrid squinted, then, on a whim, reached out a finger to try to poke where his face was. Skandr, to her surprise, didn't move, and when she touched the cloud, it gave a little, but didn't let her finger go more than a single centimeter forward.
Skandr's voice was a little muffled as he laughed and shook the note in front of her face. She mirrored his laugh and snagged it, looking at its description. Unlike with Felix's equipment description, Muti didn't seem to care about the descriptions of Skandr's equipment and Astrid could read without interruption, though Benedict and Felix stood nearby, waiting to read.
Cloud fleece brigandine: to be worn under the robe. Cloud fleece naturally absorbs blows, is further enchanted for protection. Has segments of boiled iron boar leather as the engraved surface for the enchantments. Provides: +4 to Power, +2 to Alacrity, +10 to Fortitude, +10 to Magical Potency, +10 to Self-Mastery.
Night leopard leather boots: enchanted for quickness and silent steps. Provides: +10 to Alacrity, +2 to Fortitude, +5 to Magical Potency, +4 to Acumen.
Storm wolf fur robe: enchanted to strengthen storm–adjacent spells. Strengthens the potency of storm spells cast by 50%. Its cowl can be raised to serve as a helmet, with some of the essence of the storm wolf protecting its wearer. Provides: +6 to Power, +10 to Alacrity, +25 to Fortitude, +50 to Magical Potency, +18 to Self-Mastery, +12 to Acumen
Total bonuses provided: +10 to Power, +22 to Alacrity, +37 to Fortitude, +65 to Magical Potency, +28 to Self-Mastery, +16 to Acumen. 50% boost to all storm-related Skills and spells.
"They clocked exactly what you were going for, huh?" Astrid laughed as she turned the paper over to Benedict and Felix.
"Perfectly. I'm glad that I qualified." Skandr answered with a wry nod.
"And you have two Iron Skills and one untiered now, right?" She verified as she looked approvingly at Skandr's face as he pulled the hood down.
"Yeah."
As soon as she asked, something occurred to Astrid. "None of these notes have said anything about self cleaning, and I'm only realizing now that none of mine did either. Have any of you noticed if your armor is maintaining itself? Or are we going to be disgusting by the end of the Trials?"
"Like that kid said back in Purcell," Felix answered with a shake of his head, "it's a basic enchantment, tied to everything from Iron onward. It doesn't have much of a draw on your mana, and it's worth it to not be disgusting when you're in the Dungeon for weeks at a time with possibly limited access to water. They don't mention it because it's always going to be there from here on."
Astrid sighed and smiled as she checked how exactly Steady Load had changed with her evolution.
Steady Load, Iron: Increases the Skill holder's Alacrity while wearing armor by 30%. While wearing armor, the Skill's holder will be passively assisted by ambient mana to reduce the strain of wearing heavy armor. While carrying any load of at least 50% of the Skill holder's weight, the Skill holder's Alacrity is increased by 15%.
That was her question answered. It explained why the bonus provided in her Status had climbed as it had, and she could shift her attention back to her companions. As she looked at her party members, another question occurred to her. "For me and Benedict, it won't change, but do any of you want to change your identifying Class? After all, you could be Wizard, Ambusher, or Guardian. By the way, Benedict, don't make us start calling you Caustic Bard. If you do, you'll be twice as pretentious as Christophe ever was with his Gloomstalker garbage."
"No, I'm quite happy to be just Bard, thank you very much." Benedict sniffed down his nose as he said it.
"I like Guardian better than Bodyguard, personally." Felix laughed. "Bodyguard seems like a weaker person than a Guardian. You know?"
"I am an Ambusher." Muti's answer was simple, but unsurprising. Astrid nodded as she looked at Skandr, the last one to give his answer.
"For me, I'm gonna stick with Mage." Skandr said, taking everybody by surprise. "There's no need to show off exactly what I've been able to grow into, and if it helps people to take me less seriously so I can surprise them, I'm willing to make that sacrifice."
Astrid nodded slowly, then she asked a question that she'd been waiting for everyone to tell her.
"Let me see everybody's Status!"
Status
Name: Skandr
Class: Storm Wizard (Iron)
Total Level: 21
Attributes
Current
Per level growth
Power
27 (+10)
+2
Alacrity
30 (+22)
+3
Fortitude
52 (+37)
+4
Magical Potency
141 (+65)
+14
Self-Mastery
75 (+18)
+9
Acumen
75 (+12)
+8
Skill List
Storm Magic (Iron)
Storm Administration (Iron)
Lightning Enchantment (Untiered)
None
None
Locked
Status
Name: Muti
Class: Dread Ambusher (Iron)
Total Level: 21
Attributes
Current
Per level growth
Power
121 (+32)
+12
Alacrity
99 (+43)
+11
Fortitude
74 (+36)
+6
Magical Potency
26 (+23)
+1
Self-Mastery
29 (+17)
+4
Acumen
53 (+22)
+6
Skill List
Ambusher's Aura (Iron)
Dread Ambusher's Equipment (Iron)
Vital Strike (Iron)
Dread Master (Bronze)
None
Locked
Status
Name: Felix
Class: Hewing Guardian (Iron)
Total Level: 21
Attributes
Current
Per level growth
Power
97 (+47) [+10]
+9
Alacrity
96 (+41)
+8
Fortitude
120 (+70) [+12]
+12
Magical Potency
29 (+25)
+3
Self-Mastery
32 (+25)
+6
Acumen
27 (+12)
+2
Skill List
Guardian's Equipment (Iron)
Guardian's Wrath (Iron)
Whirling Blades (Iron)
Immovable Stance (Bronze)
None
Locked
Status
Name: Benedict
Class: Caustic Bard (Iron)
Total Level: 21
Attributes
Current
Per level growth
Power
49 (+12)
+3
Alacrity
52 (+25)
+5
Fortitude
51 (+35)
+5
Magical Potency
99 (+52)
+11
Self-Mastery
75 (+18)
+9
Acumen
74 (+24)
+7
Skill List
Song of Vindication (Iron)
Hasty Rebuke (Iron)
Doubletalk (Iron)
Silvertongue (Bronze)
None
Locked
Astrid grinned widely as she saw how far all of them had come. It hadn't even been two days since they entered the Trials! She nodded and pulled her hammer out from where it hung behind her as she made sure that all of her equipment was ready for her to go into battle. Seeing that, she held the hammer and her fist high, saying, "Let's go finish off the floor."
Her party followed behind her, Muti jogging ahead to take the lead and guiding them towards the stairs that led down to the eleventh floor.
"Do we want to let anybody completely let loose right now? Or do we want to take it easy?" Astrid asked as they made their approach.
"Let loose!" Benedict laughed. "I think we should take a break before the eleventh floor to make sure we get rest before there are any other delvers who can mess with us. Then, fully rested, we can sweep through the eleventh floor and keep pushing until we win this whole thing!"
"I don't know if I share that same overwhelming confidence," Felix smiled, "but I can say that I'm looking forward to not having to hold back while other people work on their evolution quests."
"But the guardians of the floor are only like level 16!" Astrid laughed, forcing herself to not think about how she'd slowed her party to allow her to evolve. "If even one person lets loose, they'll end up killing them all!"
"And it shall be me who slays our foes!" Muti shouted as she rushed ahead. Though Felix had a similar Alacrity stat, Muti was quicker than the centaurs that inhabited these plains as she darted forward. Even as she rushed ahead of everybody else with a laugh, she faded into a nearly invisible state that left only a trail of shifting grass in her wake. Astrid laughed and tried to keep pace, but decided against experimenting with Spectre Burst just yet. Instead, she slowed her pace and stayed beside the two magically inclined men who had given up on being able to let loose themselves today. Skandr ran at a dead sprint, but his Alacrity was so much lower than everybody else's that Astrid maintained an easy jog a while the newly minted Wizard cursed his need to learn how to spellcast Lightning Reflexes instead of relying on the Skill that he'd used until now.
The panicked whinnying of horses filled the air as Muti made her arrival among the small herd of monsters that guarded the passageway out. Astrid hurried along, and could see as Muti decapitated two centaurs in quick succession.
Centaur Raider slain. 200 experience gained, split among party.
Centaur Slaver slain. 254 experience gained, split among party.
Astrid saw as Muti leapt from the back of one centaur to the next, her blades killing in single strokes. Another four of the monsters remained standing, but Felix blitzed into the middle of the group and activated what was obviously Guardian's Wrath. A spectral form of himself flashed into being, nearly twice his size, and the centaurs all turned towards him with unreasonably enraged body language. As soon as they got close, Felix whipped his axe in a circle above his head and let Whirling Blades explode into being. Spectral axes flashed through the air as they shredded his enemies to pieces. Astrid shook her head and watched as he fell four monsters in one quick movement. Looking at her own experience tracker, already she was over 200/50,000.
Astrid grinned as the party entered the stairs to the eleventh floor, ready to rest, so that tomorrow she could indulge in truly rushing down the floors until true difficulties greeted them.