Book 4: Chapter 28: Weighty Decisions
“You’re level forty already?” Valla asked, her face twisted in something between admiration and disgust.
“Actually, I’m level forty-two, but the System says it’s holding two levels until I go through my Class refinement . . .”
“Ancient Fathers! Weren’t you thirty-six back in Coloss?” Valla shook her head and then sat on a rock to more easily scrub the ichorous black blood from her sword. Barn sat in the shade of a boulder nearby and worked with a small sledgehammer, trying to straighten his shield. Victor turned to Tes and shrugged.
“It’s a product of your high Energy affinity and, well, the fact that you did a lot of killing—the killing of things far more Energy dense than yourself.”
“Is that how you describe levels? More dense with Energy?”
“Creatures like giant spiders and night brutes don’t necessarily have levels, but they gather Energy, yes, and they evolve and grow in strength. These night brutes were once a colony of cave scavengers. Over a century or two, they gathered Energy and natural treasures to become what you fought down there. The prince was on another scale; it’s likely he stumbled upon a potent bloodline treasure deep below the surface.”
Victor frowned, contemplating her words. Tes looked from Victor to the others, then said, more loudly, “We’ll rest for a while; clean up your gear and contemplate your improvements. I’ll help Victor with his Class, and then we’ll harvest the night brutes.”
“My armor’s wrecked,” Victor said, looking at the tattered shreds of his scale shirt. It had completely lost its integrity and luster when the night brute prince raked its talons through it.
“Well, it’s a pity, but you need something more sturdy anyway. I’m sure one of the Degh back with the caravan will have an old breastplate or something you can barter for. You can look for something better when you get back to town.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Victor shrugged out of the ruined armor, sending it into his storage ring, and then he took off his shredded, blood-stained shirt. Tes stepped forward and traced one of the new, pinkish-white scars traversing his torso from the left shoulder to the right side of his stomach.
“You’re lucky you have such rapid healing while enraged.” Her light, cool touch had brought goosebumps to his flesh, and Victor shifted uncomfortably, forcing himself to look within his ring for a clean shirt. He pulled it out and stuffed his head through the neck hole.
“Yeah, I know. I’d be dead two dozen times if it weren’t for my ability to heal when I cast Berserk.” He shrugged his arms into the shirt and pulled it down.
“Well? Tell me about your Class choices.”
“I haven’t looked yet. Should I allocate my free attribute points first? I always wonder if the choices are determined the moment I hit the refinement level, or if I can still influence them . . .”
“No, the System isn’t so flexible. It has made its decision on what to offer you, and nothing you do will change that, short of a System-granted boon designed to enhance those choices.”
“Are those hard to come by?”
“Exceedingly. When individuals win them from dungeons or challenges, they rarely put them up for public sale.” Tes stepped a few yards away to pick up a large, flat boulder that had to have weighed three hundred pounds and carried it over so she could more comfortably sit near Victor. Victor shook his head and smirked, and Tes said, “What’s so amusing?”
“I mean, don’t you have chairs in your storage rings?”
“Hah! Indeed I do. Still, I’m comfortable enough. Come, let’s see what the System has thought of your progress these last ten levels.” She leaned forward, eyes eager.
Victor nodded, opened his status menu, and then selected the Class refinement option. He read through the first option:
***Class refinement option 1: Titanic Warrior - Epic. Pre-requisite: The strong presence of a titanic bloodline originating from an Elder race. You’ve begun to unlock the secrets of your ancestry. By leveraging your bloodline to form class abilities, you will continue to build on the synergy between your Class and your heritage. Class attributes: Strength, Vitality, Will.***
“The first option I’ve seen before. It’s called Titanic Warrior.”
“Read it to me,” Tes said, resting her chin atop a fist as she leaned her elbow onto her knee. Victor complied, and she nodded, grinning. “Your current Class is epic-tier, correct?” When Victor nodded, she continued, “I like this option; it’s good to lean into your bloodline, considering its strength. Still, let’s see what else the System has in store for you.”
Victor swiped the option aside, and a new one appeared in his vision:
***Class refinement option 2: Spirit Warden - Epic. Prerequisites: Spirit Core, ability to manifest spirit aspects and traverse the Spirit Plane. Your forays into the realm of spirits have given you deep connections to those lands that border the veil. Harness that understanding to further your abilities and enhance your potency. Class attributes: Will, Intelligence, Unbound.***
“That’s a new one,” Victor said, eyes narrowing as he read it aloud.
“Interesting! Your spirit companions—totems—are already quite powerful. I imagine great versatility lies down this path. Well . . . let’s not overly contemplate this yet. What’s the third option? The System isn’t very creative—if it’s going to offer you a legendary refinement, it will likely be the final option.”
“All right,” Victor waved the option away, and the third came into view:
***Class refinement option 3: Titanic Rager - Legendary. Prerequisites: Spirit Core, Rage Affinity, Titanic Bloodline. Your deep connections to your titanic bloodline and powerful rage affinity have converged to bring forth your legendary potential. Class attributes: Strength, Vitality. System Note: Selecting this refinement will alter several of your abilities and have an extreme impact on your Energy affinities.***
“Shit,” Victor said, reading the description.
“Do tell!”
“You were right; it’s a legendary Class, but . . . well, here, I’ll read it to you.” As Victor read the wording of the selection to Tes, her eyes widened, and her grin broadened, but she surprised him by ultimately shaking her head.
“I don’t like it.”
“Huh?”
“The System ‘note’ at the end; I’ve only seen that a few times in my travels and studies, and it generally accompanies truly profound changes in the individual. Some people don’t care; they want power at any cost and embrace the change, but with this Class, with rage as its focus, I worry that you might be changed very much indeed—to the point where you wouldn’t recognize yourself, and I don’t mean physically.”
“Damn,” Victor said, rubbing his chin with his long, powerful fingers. He held his hand out in front of his face, made a fist, and then said, “I’ve changed a lot, Tes. I’m not much like the kid who got summoned to Fanwath, but, well, inside, I know I’m still me. Do you think this Class would change that?”
“That’s exactly what I worry about. That was your final option, yes? Usually, the System only offers three options as people progre . . .”
“Hang on,” Victor said, having just swiped the option aside to see if there were more. “There’s another!”
***Class refinement option 4: Titanic Herald - Legendary. Prerequisites: Sufficiently advanced titanic bloodline. You have embraced your ancient bloodline, giving air and light to a people who have faded from this universe. Continue down this path; give this world and others a reason to know the name of your great, ancient progenitors. Class attributes: Strength, Vitality, Agility, Dexterity, Intelligence, Will.***
“The System is warning you about this for a reason; I believe if you accept the Titanic Rager Class, your rage will grow lopsided in your Core to the point that it may drive out the other affinities. The Herald Class, though, offers you a balance of attributes. It offers you a chance to gain power and knowledge and learn from your Bloodline to find a specialization you can happily embrace. I’m certain it’s the right choice for you. What causes you to hesitate?”
“You’ll scoff at me, but I’m worried about becoming too much like the Quinametzin ancestor I see in my bloodline visions; already, I act differently when I’m Berserk through my Titanic Rage feat. I not only act differently, I think differently—sometimes I catch myself thinking and speaking like I’m a Quinametzin, and . . . it’s weird. I get so fucking full of myself and, like, reckless. I act as if it's my right to smash anyone who dares to stand up to me.”
“Ah. So these Quinametzin from which you gain your titan blood were a haughty people? Likely they dominated their place in the universe for millennia, long enough to grow certain that they were the strongest of peoples. We Degh suffered from similar delusions for a while, but we had our challenges. Still, it’s possible we never reached the heights of your progenitors—I don’t believe we ever felt it our right to conquer all whom we met—a difference in culture, perhaps.
“Still, no matter the strength of your bloodline and how sincerely you embrace it, you are still Victor, and if you assert your will against your instincts, if you keep in mind your desire to keep those traits that you value in your heart and spirit, your bloodline will not overpower that nature. It’s possible the ancestor you’ve witnessed through your visions does not holistically represent the Quinametzin; could it not be possible that you had other ancestors who weren’t so brutally domineering? Perhaps you’ll meet others as you explore more deeply.”
“Uh, I guess it’s possible, yeah.” Victor liked the way Khul Bach spoke, the rhythm of his words, and his logical, positive way of exploring the topic. “I feel better about things, Khul Bach. Thank you for your advice.”
“I’ve had a long time to think and vicariously experienced many lives, Victor. I’m happy to share my wisdom with you because I want to see you succeed, and I’ll always be honest in reminding you that I have selfish reasons for that. Still, I have begun to grow fond of your spirit, and I’d like to help you prosper and flourish. Trust my advice.”
“I’ll give it the weight it deserves. Thanks again. I’ll be back soon,” Victor said, then he severed his connection to the shard. The world snapped into being around him; the bright blue sky, Valla speaking softly to Tes, Barn banging away at his shield, and the hard rock under his butt. Victor sighed and opened his status sheet, pushing his sixteen free points into will; for all he knew, they were the last free points he’d ever get, and he wanted to give his will a final boost. He looked at his status:
Status
Name:
Victor Sandoval
Race:
Human (Quinametzin Bloodline) - Advanced 2
Class:
Spirit Carver - Epic
Level:
40 (42)
Core:
Spirit Class - Improved 2
Energy Affinity:
3.1, Fear 9.4, Rage 9.1, Inspiration 7.4
Energy:
3963/3963
Strength:
135
Vitality:
200
Dexterity:
40
Agility:
63
Intelligence:
32
Will:
413
Points Available:
0
Titles & Feats:
Titanic Rage, Ancestral Bond, Flame-Touched
“Well, here goes,” he said, then opened the refinement menu and selected the fourth option, Titanic Herald.
