Now that's more like it… Nar thought grinning to himself as he checked his gains.

You have leveled up!

 

You have gained:

Strength 37 -> 38

Constitution 44 -> 48

Stamina 53 -> 56

Vigor 10 -> 11

Speed 56 -> 58

Agility 54 -> 57

Hearing 34 -> 37

Sight 28 -> 31

Smell 12 -> 16

Dexterity 14 -> 16

Reflex 58 -> 63

Accuracy 8 -> 10

Awareness 17 -> 18

Perception 10 -> 11

NPC 18 -> 19

Ego 66 -> 67

Aura*** 668 (266 + 402 Mod.) -> 787 (301 + 486 Mod.)

Instinct 42 -> 43

[???] 32 -> 35

 

Skills upgraded:

Skill [Pathways of the Champion 9] (Passive) was upgraded to [Pathways of the Champion 10] (Passive).

 

Lunch time had in the meantime arrived, and Kur's team had swapped out with Row's, and headed over to handle the momentous task of harvesting the XP rich boars while Leon's team returned to the pond to gather the white glowing flowers that grew over its purple, murky waters.

Fortunately, the damage from the patriarch's sudden [Vicious Charge] hadn't been as severe as Nar had feared, and Sarke had declared that there were more than enough flowers left for them to fulfill their requirements for the asretar.

Hmm, 42 points gained across the board, excluding the 119 gained for [Aura***]. And if add in all the bonus points, that's another 36 points! he counted, grinning to himself. According to Tys, anything above 40 points gained per level in here is excellent, and I'm not even taking into consideration the aura gains!

It was also good to see his [Constitution] leaping forward thanks to his continued damage taking and self-healing, as promised by Tys.

And [Vigor] went up again, too… I wonder if that's because all this self-healing is accelerating my body's transformation into aurium, he wondered, rubbing his chin. Tys hadn't mentioned anything about that, but it felt like a logical conclusion. Plus, just like the Master of Blades, she was want to leave out anything that wasn't crucial for his current stage of growth. But maybe the biggest surprise here is 1 point in [Ego], and 3 whole points into [???]... Oh?

Another window popped open above his gains.

 

A new effect has been applied following the latest gains application.

[???] now applies a +10 extra points to [Instinct].

Oh, it's you again… From +5 to +10, uh? Nar thought, blinking at the words. Crystal, what in Creation are you?

He shook his head and closed that window. There was no way to know until the attribute revealed itself, and both his master and Tys seemed decided to remain mum on the subject, so there went his only venue of finding it out. He could ask the aethermancers, he realized, but, maybe it was best to keep such things to himself. After all, he had glimpsed [???] attributes on across their party as well, so maybe, they couldn't really help him.

Leon in particular has almost as much as I do, Nar remembered. Anyways, pathways went up, but [Mastery] didn't. You're really making me work for it.

Though, given the Master of Aura's words on the subject, that slowdown was to be expected. I guess 526 points will have to do for now… And at least we're seeing those promised gains. Thank Crystal for those [Aura***] gains too. I blew through half my aura in that fight!

Nar blinked away his gains window and over to where Sarke and the others were using long poles with hooks to pull the flowers ashore. As it turned out, it was actually the long, stringy roots of those glowing white bulbs that they cared about, and together they heaved ashore the surprisingly thick, and far-reaching brown and, unsurprisingly, poisonous things, where Sarke was showing Jul the best way to cut them for storing.

Who's buying so much poisonous stuff anyways? Nar wondered. Are there a lot of poison-based classes? Then again, if Lim's going to use poisonous bullets one day, that means that a lot of ranged classes probably do so as well… Uh, Rel uses poison too, actually.

"So, you are forbidden from being healed."

"Uh… What?" Nar asked, pulling his eyes away from gathering efforts.

Calli smiled at him. "Earlier, you got poisoned but Jasphaer said you were fine. And then I asked him and spilled the beans."

Tanned gunslinger sat in between Nar and her brother, and her glimmering eyes danced with curiosity.

Well, there was never any way to hide from them, Nar thought. Nor a need to, right?

The three of them were now sitting upon a flat, black, and surprisingly clear stone, which was sheltered from the rain by a large gathering of glowing purple, big fronds, and Cen sat nearby but alone, as she messed with a glob of her own aura with a focused frown.

Peace had descended upon the pond once more, and the thick, murky waters were back to its peaceful pockmark of raindrops, and even with the poles pulling the flowers ashore, the waters barely stirred.

The rain continued as it had since the previous night, and it showed no signs of stopping, nor of even easing up and giving them all a respite. And from around the pond, toxitoads croaked without a care in their little domain, having no idea that once all the flowers and their roots were gathered, that it would be their turn next.

As for the water itself, despite being poisonous and filled with aether, according to Sarke, it was not profitable enough to bother with collecting. In such low concentrations of poisonous aether, such waters were considered a very low-cost commodity, and it was worth it in the market only in massive quantities in order to turn a profit.

"Uh, yes," Nar said, a little unsure. "I'm working on a skill. Passive healing, and my… Master forbade from getting healed. Unless I'm dying of course."

"What?" Leon shouted, leaning forward. "Not just self-healing, but passive self-healing?"

Calli just gaped at him.

Nar shifted awkwardly under their intense staring.

"Are you serious?" Leon asked, his glowing eyes growing wide.

Nar grimaced. "I almost wish I was."

"Damn, that's insane…" Calli whispered. "I don't think I know anyone our age that has gotten something like that in their skills sheet… Azzin… How long have you been going at it? Are you close to getting it?"

"About a month and a bit, and yes, I'm hoping to gain the skill here," Nar said, casting a glance at the quiet jungle around them. From the distance, he could hear the other group too, as they performed their much dirtier and grim task.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

There was no point in hiding his goals from these people, Nar decided, though for the moment, he was still decided to not to mention Tys. The whole Ascendant teacher thing was something he had no idea how it was going to play out once he let it out into existence, so, for the moment, he figured it was best to just keep that close to his chest. He wasn't about to start blabbing about his hidden [The Aspiring Champion] skill either.

Calli frowned at his answer. "But if you've only been doing it for a month… How have you managed to get so good already? You would have to be practicing non-stop for…"

Her words died at Nar's closed expression.

"Yeah… We made do."

"That's pretty damn insane," Leon said, shaking his head. "And you're a hybrid class, aren't you, Nar? DPS and tank. Or, more like, self-tanking I presume?"

Nar nodded, a little surprised at the paladin's accuracy.

"You're my opposite then," Leon said, grinning.

"Your…" Nar gaped at him. "You're a hybrid?"

Leon chuckled. "Tank and DPS. As Calli said, my offensive skills are very strong, but they also cost me a lot, so the tanking side is a lot easier for me and my usual focus. I really on the usual tanking attributes, big [Constitution], [Toughness], [Awareness] and so on, but you're much more mobile, aren't you?"

"Right," Nar said, still stunned by the revelation. "I mostly rely on [Speed], [Reflex], [NPC] and [Instinct] to survive, though self-healing is coming in to help that…"

"Right, and you also gained 4 points in [Constitution], so I'm guessing self-healing will boost that too," Calli said, her eyes unfocused as she read through his updated status. "No [Toughness] though?"

"Ah… Yes. Hopefully that comes from this delve too," Nar said, stumbling upon something else that he shouldn't be babbling about.

"Right…" she said, leaving at that. "One of those attributes just said came out all gibberish, but I assume you're like Jul then?" Calli asked, while Leon stared at him in pure amazement. "You also unlocked that… Predictive attribute early on?"

Oh right, they don't know about [Instinct] yet, he remembered.

"Well, no one's like Jul… And hers is a lot better than mine," he explained. "Mine just covers me, while hers is a lot more encompassing… Well, she can predict danger from a lot farther away and a lot more in general. Uh, like…"

Calli raised a hand to stop him, a smile dancing on her lips. "It's okay. No need to explain. Half of what you're saying is just getting mangled by the System anyways."

"Oh, is it like that?" he asked.

She nodded.

"It's a very powerful skill, so it gets a lot more censured than something like [Vigor] for example," she explained. "So, you're a hybrid then. That means I was worried for nothing when I sent you to taunt those boars… Kur kept insisting that I put you to heavy, dangerous work, so I just went ahead with it, but I was worried."

Nar chuckled. "Did he now?"

She sighed. "Yes, but that's a relief, then. And I'll be making proper use of you from now on, don't you worry about it."

"Erhm, thanks. I'm in your hands, then," he said, unsure of the predatory glint in her glowing eyes.

"A hybrid path, and someone's working that passive into you," Leon said, frowning. "That's some path you're building, man. Wait, you're not aiming for pain resistance too, are you?"

"Ah…"

"Azzin!" Leon breathed, going pale. "How much are you suffering for these skills, man?"

"As much as necessary, I guess," Nar muttered. "It will be worth it, though. I hope."

"You can bet your right arm they will!" Leon shouted. "I've been eyeing those skills for years!"

"Really?" Nar asked.

"Of course, they're fucking great for a tank!"

"Language," Calli warned him.

"Uh… I'll pray for that one later. Anyways, especially for an elite tank, pain resistance at the very least is a must! Of course, I'm doing it the logical way… Over time! But it will be a while yet!" Leon said, shaking his head. "Gods! You must be getting tortured for these skills!"

Nar grimaced and looked away.

"Shit," Calli whispered, wincing. "Your master must be insane…"

"Ah, I trust them. They seem to have a pretty good idea of what they're doing," Nar said, vaguely. "And if they give me what I want, then a little pain is more than worth it."

"A little pain…" Leon scoffed. "You Climbers really are built different. That's some legendary stuff you're working towards, you know."

"Legendary?" Nar asked.

Calli elbowed the paladin.

"Right, right. Never mind," the paladin said, sighing. Then he grinned at Nar.

"What?"

"You and I, I think we're going to work great together," Leon said. "And if we add Eum to the mix, we're going to be unstable! Me, covering you guys, and you guys just going wild? This is going to be awesome!"

Calli sighed.

"And insane to control," she muttered. "Anyways, don't you have prayers to do? And add that swear to it too!"

"I know! I know!" Leon said, pursing his lips. "The convo was just flowing, sis!"

He wiggled his eyebrows to Nar.

"Anyways, we have loads to talk about, man!" he said, standing up. "Let's continue later!"

"Right," Nar said.

He tracked the paladin with his eyes, and frowned as Leon kneeled on the mud a few steps from them. And his confusion only grew when Leon opened his arms wide above his head and bowed his chin to his armored chest.

"What is he… Doing?" Nar asked, carefully.

"Hmm?" Calli asked, looking away from the gatherers. "Leon? He's praying… Oh, right! Auramancer, sorry."

She smiled at him.

"Six times a day, he needs to carry out his Six Liturgical Prayers of the Day," the gunslinger explained. "It shows Leon's devotion and loyalty to his bonded spirit, as no matter the time of day or night, he is showing that he's ready to answer the call of duty in the defense of the Nexus and its peoples, as well in obedience to his patron's command."

"Oh…" Nar said. "I see."

So it's one of those pray to me or lose your aether kind of thing, he thought, keeping his expression neutral. Crystal… So it really is like that?

"Furthermore, for each Liturgy that he completes, he gets to hold a counter within him," Calli continued, raising an open hand to her heart. "You can see them on his status, and the more counters he has, the stronger his defensive skills will be. And for his offensive skills, he needs to actually spend those counters, and that, plus the massive amount of aether they cost, is what makes those offensive skills so prohibitively expensive to use. So, we never actually use them unless in case of an emergency. It's much better for us to hold onto those counters."

"Wow," Nar said. "So without those… Prayers, he can't even use his skills?"

"Exactly," Calli said, and in his shock, he missed the strange look that flickered through her face.

"And if he doesn't do those prayers to his patron, what happens?" Nar asked.

"He gets punished," Calli said, sighing. "He gets a debuff instead that lasts a full twenty-four hours, until he gets to make that same Liturgy again."

Damn… Nar thought, staring at the paladin kneeling in the mud under the pouring rain, his head bowed in obedience.

"It is a very powerful path, but it demands sacrifice and loyalty. That's what it means to be a paladin," Calli said, eyeing her brother as well. "His spirit is not unreasonable of course, and there are extenuating circumstances… But the prayers should still be done whenever he can, as without them, he cannot bring out the full potential of his path or paladin class to bear"

"Got it," Nar said, nodding slowly.

"And speaking of potential…" Calli said. "You stopped using your [Aura Blade] mid-fighting. You got worried about friendly fire, didn't you?"

Nar startled at her.

"I noticed," she said, grinning. "I'm not the strategist without reason."

I can see that, Nar thought.

"Well?" she insisted in a soft tone.

"Yes," he eventually said. "Jul was way too close…"

"It is a very powerful skill," Calli said, and she shivered as a heavy raindrop fell on her neck. "Ugh… When's this going to stop? Anyways, your skill is like Eum's [Primal Claws of Carnage], except he can't control their path. And his range is a lot shorter than yours."

Now that sounds like a proper devastating skill, Nar thought to himself, remembering reading about it on the tygaris' skills sheet.

"Did you only recently unlock it?" she asked. "Wait, you guys only just left the gates, right? So you've got this skill for what, a few weeks?"

"Month and half," Nar said.

"Radiants… Fast-track indeed," she mumbled.

Nar laughed at her expression.

"It's the same for everyone else too. The masters are… Crazy, and I actually don't know if they're fully sane anymore," Nar said. "But thanks to them, we've all grown a lot since we've left the Gates."

"I bet… Tsurmirel's reputation precedes it, of course, but hearing and seeing are two different things," she said to herself, biting her nail. "If it's like this, then maybe…"

She shook her head.

"Well, it doesn't matter right now," she said. "Back to your [Aura Blade]. The skill is powerful, but the risk of friendly fire isn't small… Have you thought about compressing the blade of aura? Is that possible?"

Nar blinked at her.

"It's not?"

"That's what I'm working on now," he said, frowning. How did these people guess so much? Or knew so much? Was this the advantage of over a decade of elite training?

"Oh! How's it going?" she asked. "Auramancer skills take a lot longer to master, right?"

Again, is that something they'd teach at an aethermancer academy? He wondered.

"I've got an idea, but I need more time to figure it out," he said. "And space… This is not the kind of skill I can train too close to people, or during a fight."

"Yes, that makes sense. Eum's the same for a lot of his training too… Bloodlust based path and all that," she grimacing. "But you can shoot your [Aura Blade] every what? 5 seconds? 6? That's some really good pathways and [Mastery] you've got there."

Nar gaped at her. Honestly, he couldn't be any more surprised at this point.

"I know a lot about auramancers," she said, smiling. "It's a secret though!"

"Right…"

"So, all in all, that's quite the painting," she said, her glowing eyes turning unfocused. "Massive aua with three attribute modifiers, class specific passives, and a rare class to boot…. Plus, a bunch of rare skills and even an epic one… Truly, quite the painting."

"I mean, you all have rare and epic skills, right?" Nar asked, lost as to where that conversation was headed.

Calli tapped a long, sculpted index against her chin.

"Yes, but when you put the whole thing together it is quite exceptional," she said. "Eum and Leon are exceptional, and even in a giant, elite academy of rich brats it's hard to find combat class holders like them…"

"Right…" Nar said, feeling more and more lost. Was there a point to any of this, or was the aethermancer just filling in the blanks for her strategizing?

A chuckle rumbled from Nar's left and a drenched Leon strode back under their shelter.

"Stop bullying him," Leon said.

"Ugh! You're dropping rain everywhere!" Calli said, leaning away from her brother. "And I'm not bullying! I'm understanding. And not just Nar! Everyone!"

"Ah, ignore her," Leon said, ruffling through his hair and causing Calli to groan in disgust as she got flooded by muddy droplets. "She's one of those crazy types, you know?"

"You're one to talk!"

"Meh! Scooch!"

A still fuming Calli shifted to the right, and Nar followed after her on reflex. It was only after Leon was seated on his other side that he realized he was sitting in between aethermancers.

Well, now here's something I didn't expect to see, he thought. Given all the gloom and doom they've been told, he'd come to expect to never see an aethermancer in the same room as him, let alone two sandwiching him under as they sought shelter from the rain.

"I still think we're going to do great things together!" Leon said, slapping Nar's back. "Mark my words! You and I are meant to become battle brothers!"

Nar laughed alongside the paladin. He had to admit he liked the guy, as well as Eum, and if they managed to find a way to actually go all out without blasting each other to smithereens, they might actually have a great time in that jungle.

"I think so too, actually…" Calli said. "Nar provides the DPS you lack, Leon, and your [Oath of the Ardent Protector] protector will help absorb 16% of all the damage that Nar can't dodge. It's a win-win, really!" Calli said, her eyes wide with unbridled excitement. "From now on, you're sticking to us, Nar. With Leon's passive skill helping you absorb any damage you can't avoid, you'd be unstoppable as long as you can stay close enough! Eh… I mean, if you want to. But I'm willing to fight Kur and Row over it!"

Leon shook his head. "Don't be so pushy, sis."

"I don't mind tagging along with you guys sometimes, but Kur has the last word on it," Nar said, smiling.

"I'll convince him! I promise!" she declared, and her eyes glowed a little bit brighter.

I wonder why that is? Nar thought, glancing between the sibling's golden, pink and rainbow shimmering eyes. Their eyes actually look like those lift engine orbs…

"Hey! We're done! Come help us catch some frogs!" Sarke shouted.

"Right. We can continue this later," Leon said.

"Oh, we will!" Calli said, eyeing Nar with a stare so intense, it made him sweat even harder in the jungle's humid heat.

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