New Story -- Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Thaden could feel the PICK he had accumulated siphon out of his body and into what was required to Level-up, and he quickly spent another 5,200 and then 5,500 to reach Levels 19 and then 20.

Level up! You are now a Level 19 Assistant Healer!

As part of the Leveling process, you have received the following:

Mentality +2

Celerity +1

Level up! You are now a Level 20 Assistant Healer!

As part of the Leveling process, you have received the following:

Mentality +2

Physicality +1

Thaden stopped for a moment after achieving Level 20; he wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he thought that Level 20 should be one of those pivotal thresholds that might mark some sort of dramatic change.  Maybe it was the games he’d played in the past, or just that it made sense to him for something to happen at that point, so he was disappointed when it didn’t.

Of course, he had momentarily forgotten what this world and its system seemed to favor, as he received what he was expecting a moment later when he spent another 5,800 PICK on reaching Level 21.

Level up! You are now a Level 21 Assistant Healer!

As part of the Leveling process, you have received the following:

Mentality +2

Free Stat Point (4)

(2) Spell selection choices

Congratulations for reaching the pinnacle of your current Class!

Current Class: Assistant Healer

Achievement received: Class Act I

Bonus reward: Additional Classes unlocked

Contender World First Achievement: 1 additional Class selection

Please see a Support Class Representative for help in choosing your next Class! Until then, your accumulated PICK up to your current limit (180,000) will be held in reserve; you will not be able to increase your Level until you receive your new Class.

“Wait… huh? I can’t… no, that’s not right. Is it?” Thaden spoke out loud, completely flabbergasted by what the message feed was telling him. If it was correct, then he was locked at Level 21 until he saw something called a “Support Class Representative” where he could pick a new Class. The thought of a different Class was exciting, though it was tempered quite a bit by the fact that he had to visit a “Support” Rep; he could only assume that he was stuck staying as a Support Class such as Assistant Healer, but perhaps he might find something that would allow him to actually fight or deal damage – to monsters other than Undead, of course.

At the moment, however, he couldn’t even test the proclamation that he was stuck at Level 21 because he wasn’t able to do anything but select more spells – but this time his spell selection was a little different.

Please select (2) spells from the following selections:

Minor Cure Physical Affliction (Single Cast)

Minor Health Reduction (Single Cast)

Minor Cure Mental Affliction (Single Cast)

Minor Mass Healing (Single Cast)

These will be your final selections for your current Class, Assistant Healer; all spells that have been selected may or may not transfer to your new Class, dependent upon your Class selection.

Again, he was shocked at the list of spells available to him, which only contained upgrades to four of his current spells instead of anything new, as well as the information located at the bottom. He was immediately worried that he had made a mistake by not picking one of the more party-oriented spells earlier now that they weren’t available. Then there was the knowledge that his spells “may or may not” transfer to his new Class, and he started to freak out a little. Was this all for naught? Will all my effort to unlock these spells mean nothing?

Whether that was the case was irrelevant at the moment, because he had no idea what would transfer or not – and he had no reference of what other Classes would even be available. He could only conclude that if he chose something extremely similar to Assistant Healer, such as a plain old “Healer”, he might be able to keep them all, but was that what he wanted? Maybe it would be better to start anew?

He couldn’t answer those questions right now, because he had to pick his new spells before he could do anything else. Thankfully, one of the spells was easy enough to pick, Minor Mass Healing, as it had been invaluable against the Undead – and would be great even in a party.

Minor Mass Healing (Single Cast): Heals every ally within a certain radius for a moderate amount.

Healing Amount: 60 Health

Range: 50-foot radius of caster

Casting Time: Instant

Mana Cost: 120

Cooldown: 10 seconds

The upgraded version of the Mass Healing spell healed 60 Health instead of 20 like the weaker version, though it now cost twice as much at 120 Mana per cast. For most Assistant Healers at Level 21, who might have around 330 Mana from their Mentality stat, that meant they could only cast it twice before they wouldn’t have enough to cast it again – but he was still fine to cast it every 10 seconds, of course.

His second choice was a toss-up between Minor Cure Physical Affliction and Minor Cure Mental Affliction, if only because Minor Health Reduction hadn’t been as important of a spell as he thought it might be. If it wasn’t for the fact that it had a casting time that was longer than instant, meaning that it couldn’t be used while he was using one of his channeled protection spells, then he would’ve used it more.

In the end, he went with Minor Cure Mental Afflictions, as he thought he could probably heal himself and others from the damage most of the physical afflictions would produce, but becoming confused, dizzy, or instilled with large amounts of fear could be debilitating.

Once his selections were completed, the window with the spells disappeared, leaving him the chance to test if what it said about not being able to Level-up was correct. Thaden attempted to put more of his PICK toward gaining Level 22, and it technically worked, but the increase didn’t actually activate. It was like a car with a full tank of gas, but it wouldn’t start because he was missing the key.

The last thing the Assistant Healer did was look at the 4 free stat points he received from achieving Level 21. He debated putting them into Physicality, which would give him just a little bit more Health in case he did something stupid like ram his arm into the mouth of an Undead again, but ultimately decided against it. Thaden wasn’t sure if his survival against all the zombies and skeletons had been all because of luck, but he also couldn’t discount it. Therefore, he resolved to double-down on his Fortuity investment, knowing that if he was going to continue to survive in this world, he was going to need all the luck he could get.

With only a few seconds of hesitation, he stuck all 4 of his free stat points into Fortuity.

Before he got up from where he was lying on the ground, Thaden looked at his entire Character Report to see all of the changes.

#32599999-E

Assistant Healer

Level – 21

Progressive Internal Combat Knowledge (PICK) – 6,100/6,100

Adventurer Coalition Rank: Wood 559/90 RP

Health – 40/40

Mana – 330/330

Physicality – 4

Celerity – 4

Mentality – 33

Personality – 4

Fortuity – 8

Spells:

Weak Cure Physical Affliction (Single Cast)

Weak Health Reduction (Single Cast)

Weak Resurrection (Single Cast)

Weak Aura of Life (Reserved)

Minor Healing (Channeled)

Minor Repulsion Field (Channeled)

Minor Regeneration (Single Cast)

Minor Absorption Field (Channeled)

Minor Mass Healing (Single Cast)

Minor Cure Mental Affliction (Single Cast)

Competencies:

Support Spellcasting Competency (Level 67, 45%)

Stronger Healing Advancement

Afterglow Advancement

Defensive Spellcasting Competency (Level 83, 71%)

Even Harder Protection Advancement

Extended Protection Advancement

Natural Regeneration Competency (Level 2, 14%)

Mana Management Competency (N/A)

Achievements:

Monster Hunter I (WF)

Monster Hunter II (WF)

Monster Hunter III (WF)

No Fear I (WF)

No Fear II (WF)

No Fear III (WF)

One Foot In The Grave (WF)

Party Savior (WF)

Dungeon Delver I (WF)

Dungeon Slayer (WF)

Quester I (WF)

SPECIAL Agent I (WF)

SPECIAL Killer I (WF)

SPECIAL Assassin I (WF)

Class Act I (WF)

Bonus Traits:

Natural Regeneration Competency (From One Foot In The Grave)

+10% Permanent casting time decrease for all Support-based spells (From Party Savior)

As a party leader, you can choose to delve through any difficulty of any dungeon without having to complete them in order (From Dungeon Slayer)

Thaden couldn’t help but be amazed at how much it had changed since he had been resurrected in the Vogmite Tunnels. Not only did he have an extra 20 Levels, but he had achieved so much in such a small amount of time that his head felt like it was spinning – or it could’ve been because he was still covered in nasty rotting flesh and juices he didn’t want to think about, as well as being hungry.

The last thought finally got him up from where he lay with a groan, as he looked away from the Mausoleum of Despair. While he needed to stay close to it in order to find a party to join, whenever more Adventurers from the Coalition arrived, he also needed to retreat and get cleaned up enough to eat something, before finding somewhere to stay for the night. He debated traveling all the way back to Ashcleft to accomplish all those things, as well as potentially seeking out the “Support Class Representative” and upgrading his Coalition Rank, but he also didn’t want to miss the arrival of any other parties during that time.

The fog was still rolling in to replace what had been dispersed near the massive mound of rotting flesh and bones he had escaped earlier, but as he headed what he thought was southwest based on the location of the Mausoleum behind him, the fog started to become more of a problem. He walked for a good hour as the fog enclosed upon him, but fortunately he wasn’t accosted by any other Undead during that time, so the dead forest was… dead, for a lack of a better description.

Eventually, Thaden came across a small stream of water to the south that burbled contentedly over the rocks inside its bed, the only real source of sound and movement he’d discovered through almost an hour of walking. It was only about 8 feet across and perhaps 6 inches at its deepest, but it was as if a grand river had presented itself to the Assistant Healer – because it meant he could wash himself.

He bent down at the edge and cupped the cold water in his hands to take a drink, his throat parched from the lack of hydration and the vomiting he had done earlier, but as he brought it up to his face, he smelled something that even overrode the stench of his skin and clothes. Why does this smell like natural gas?

He knew that gas companies specifically injected a smell into their product so that it could be detected if there was a leak, because otherwise it was odorless; this smelled exactly like rotten eggs, a sure sign that it was full of sulfur. Letting the gathered water drop back into the stream, he looked upstream and realized it was coming from the direction of the Mausoleum. Is this why the whole area is dead? The dungeon is poisoning the ground? He didn’t know what sulfur did to vegetation, but he doubted it was anything good.

Regardless, that didn’t matter too much to him, because it was still water – even if it was full of a stinky rotten-egg smell. With a shrug, he washed himself in the water and even took off his clothes one article at a time to clean them as much as he could, before wringing them out and putting them back on. The damp clothing was clammy against his skin, and it all smelled like sulfur, but it was at least absent most of the disgusting rotten flesh and bodily fluids that had permeated it.

Moving further away from the stream, he shivered slightly as the cold of the fog surrounding him chilled him in his recently washed clothing, but he ignored it as he began to run around, working up a sweat as he both heated up his body and dried his clothing. After a while, he nearly ran head-first into a large tree that came out of the fog like an iceberg nearing the Titanic, but he managed to stop before he hurt himself. Looking up, he saw that the tree was a little bit larger than the others he’d seen, and while it was dead, it had a number of branches higher up that looked like they would easily support his weight – and were placed conveniently near each other.

He didn’t know how well the Undead climbed trees, but it was the best solution he could think of for the moment to stay out of their range while he slept. Climbing up approximately 30 feet from the ground was easier than he expected it to be, as if his body had gotten stronger since he’d been on Tarth, though by the time he was able to semi-comfortably wedge himself in between 4 thick branches that nearly made a platform, he was finally able to take a breather.

And eat and drink something, which was the most important of all. As he stuffed his face full of his travel rations and drank at least half of the water he’d brought, he also picked out the one purchase that wasn’t food or water that he’d insisted on, if only because he’d heard that it was a staple of every Adventurer’s pack.

Rope.

It was made from natural fibers and was only as thick as his pinky, but he had nearly 100 feet of it. While he finished the bland food, he began to wrap the rope in between the branches making them crisscross so that they created something like a net or a cradle, which would help him stay on the tree if he were to fall asleep that night. It was already getting late in the afternoon, though with the fog, it was getting dark already pretty quickly.

Satiated by his meal, he debated climbing back down to look and see if any other people had shown up, but ultimately decided against it. There was no guarantee that he would even see anyone, and making it back to his impromptu “bed” in the large tree might be difficult, especially as he didn’t have the greatest sense of direction; he could find his way as well as the average person, but he was no expert. With the thick fog around, that made it even worse.

Therefore, he sat in the tree and wiggled around for a while to get as comfortable as he could while he waited, listening for any sign of fighting or of the Undead approaching. While he was waiting, he rearranged his Access Slots to better reflect what he thought he might need if he was attacked by the Undead again.

Getting rid of Minor Healing for now, since it had a cast time, he instead slotted in his new Minor Cure Mental Affliction, which joined Minor Repulsion Field, Minor Absorption Field, Minor Regeneration, and Minor Mass Healing. All but Minor Cure Mental Affliction were instant-cast spells, but with a casting time of only a single second, it was close enough he thought it might come in handy if he was desperate enough. He also discovered that he could slot in Weak Aura of Life and activate it, and even if he removed it from the Slots it would remain active. He had a feeling it would deactivate if he fell asleep, but it was good to know that it wasn’t necessary to have it taking up a slot while it stayed active while he was awake.

After at least an hour or two of hearing absolutely nothing, he felt himself start to drift off despite still being cold, and before he was aware, he was unconscious and enjoying the sleep of the exhausted.

Something startled him awake so abruptly that he jerked his body far enough that he nearly fell out of the tree, but despite the sudden wakeup, his mind was moving fast enough to register the situation even if his reflexes were still coming online. With bleary eyes, he looked outside the branches of the tree… and was shocked to see that the fog that had been so prevalent during the day had completely disappeared at night.

Unfortunately, the lack of fog cover and the bright moonlight above also revealed what appeared to be an ethereal wave of glowing forms that floated a few feet above the ground, spreading through the dead forest as if searching for something. As they got closer and his heart pounded in his chest, he could make out their forms a little better, and his breath caught in his throat as he realized they were largely transparent though humanoid in appearance, with only the barest hint of diaphanous cloth covering their bodies. Their legs ended at the knees, though they didn’t need feet to walk, as they simply floated silently through the air with no obvious means of locomotion.

They were ghosts. Or spirits, or whatever. When one finally got close enough for him to see some details about it, he saw that he was largely correct.

Phantasmal Shrieker  – Medial

Level 29

Shrieker? But they’re completely quiet.

Almost instinctually by this point, as soon as he saw the Phantasmal Shriekers, Thaden activated his Minor Repulsion Field in anticipation of an attack. The moment the protective Field appeared around his body, there was an immediate reaction from the floating ghosts. He reared back in fear as all of them seemed to home in on his position in the trees, as if he had lit a bonfire in the middle of a pitch-dark night.

It was then that he discovered why they were called Shriekers as a nightmarish wail emerged from what had to be a few hundred ghostly figures, and their effect slammed into him. A sudden bout of dizziness made it difficult for him to concentrate, and he became unbalanced despite lying down in the tree. He felt himself falling but he could barely make sense of what was happening as he couldn’t see clearly; fortunately, when he hit the branches of the tree on the way down, his protective spell considered it to be part of an ongoing attack and prevented him from taking damage, even when he slammed into the ground a few seconds later.

He was so dizzy from the effect of the Phantasmal Shriekers that he couldn’t even get to his knees, but he fortunately had enough cognitive function to figure out what to do. He wasn’t sure how he did it, but he managed to cast Minor Cure Mental Affliction on himself… which did absolutely nothing. Well, it managed to cure a single instance of the Dizzy affliction, but there were hundreds that had been thrust upon him that it did nothing.

Not knowing what else to do and unable to move, Thaden canceled his Minor Repulsion Field and activated his Minor Absorption Field. He could immediately feel a difference as the new Field surrounded him, though he was still dizzy enough that he couldn’t move. As he was lying face down on the ground, he could sense the Phantasmal Shriekers converging on his position, and while they continued to shriek, it wasn’t as impactful against him – as if the effects were being blocked.

When the first of them arrived, an aura of extreme cold arrived with them, making Thaden shiver even more than he was already because his clothes weren’t completely dry yet. From his dizzy vision, he could see the ghostly Undead reaching for him, but were immediately prevented from touching him by his Minor Absorption Field – but they kept trying anyway.

Just as he felt like he was going to freeze to death, the dizziness that had plagued him since the first shriek abruptly disappeared, leaving him with his full faculties, even if he felt a little slow because of the cold. Getting to his knees, he looked around himself and wished he hadn’t, because he was surrounded by Phantasmal Shriekers to the point where even their transparency was so thick that he couldn’t see past them. Thankfully, he had been in a position like this not that long ago and knew what to do.

Switching out his Minor Cure Mental Affliction for Weak Aura of Life, he activated the reserved spell and then began casting Minor Mass Healingand Minor Regeneration on anything he could target. While his Aura didn’t do much to them, he felt an immediate relief in the pervading cold that threatened to freeze his bones, though it was still cold enough that he shivered. What made more of a difference was his Minor Mass Healing spell, which made the nearby Shriekers ripple like blankets on a clothesline in a high wind, and their screams seemed to ramp up from what Thaden could only assume was pain – if ghosts could feel pain, he supposed.

It only took two casts of Minor Mass Healing to kill the nearest spiritual Undead, where they collapsed into a pile of glowing goo. With a little breathing room he was able to get to his feet and do a better job of targeting even more of the incoming Shriekers with his Regeneration, while his Aura continued to damage everything in range.

No more than 5 minutes later, the last of the ghostly monsters gave its last shriek as it collapsed into a goo pile, leaving the night unnaturally silent after the constant screaming. Still not completely awake from the abrupt awakening, Thaden took a few seconds to catch his breath and adjust to his surroundings on the ground, before climbing the tree once again. A minute or so later, he was back in his rope-and-branch “bed”, though he didn’t sleep at all for the rest of the night.