[Voidknight Ascension] Chapter 44: Second Order

Volquist staggered out of the portal and placed a steadying hand on a starfield pillar. He was free. Actually free!

And the person who had freed him… he just couldn’t shake the strangeness of it all. “I’m sorry, old friend,” he said to a distant memory.

While he hadn’t lied to Sam, he hadn’t told him the whole truth, either. But what else would you expect from the God of hidden truths and the darkness that veils them?

Still… he wondered if those two Incarnates would ever realize the magnitude of the Blessing he gave them and what it cost Volquist to do it.

“Probably not,” he said, easing himself down into a soft chair in his private demesne. Nobody, not even the Highest, could touch him here. Not unless he allowed it.

He needed time to think. To regroup, and most of all, to recover from the life-threatening drain by imparting a greater portion of his essence to those two upstart Incarnates and that soul aeder.

A faint pop echoed through his domain of darkness and starlight, followed by a faded parchment envelope sealed with black wax.

Volquist snatched it out of the air and broke the seal, reading the contents within. There was only one person—though using the term “person” was stretching the word to its breaking point—that could know the Hidden One had returned. “Apostos knows you two? Just who the hell have I gotten involved with?”

***

Dark Vault complete!

You gain substantial Experience for clearing a Vault!

You gain extra Experience for completing 100% of the secret objectives!

First time clear of a Dark Vault bonus Experience!

“Woah, that is a lot of Experience,” Sam said, eagerly waiting for the level ups to roll in. He could already feel the surge of energy and dopamine kick in.

“I’m finally catching up!” Komachi said.

Level Up!

Your [Fighter] Job has reached Level 10.

+2 Strength | +2 Vigor | +1 Agility

+1 Bonus Point

Second Order Advancement Unlocked!

You have multiple Job Advancements to select from.

Level Up!

Your [Fighter] Job is unable to attain another Level.

Horror overwhelmed Sam as he started to choke. “My… my level up! No! Why?”

He rapidly began to go through the five stages of grief. First denial, anger, then bargaining. “Please, no, you can’t give it to me, then immediately take it back!”

“Sam, calm down.” Raiko placed a hand on his chest. “It’s not… okay, maybe it’s not gone. Probably. Not sure.”

“So what you’re sayin’ is,” Komachi said. “You dunno.”

Raiko’s glowing eyes thinned at the cat.

The two engaged in a brief, if intense, stare off.

“What happened exactly?” Raiko asked.

“My Job Advanced to the Second Order, then leveled up again and… couldn’t.” He hastily sifted through the deluge of notifications and searched for anything to do with the Second Order Advancement.

Nothing directly explained what a “Second Order Advancement” was, but he did recall Volquist talking about them. They were also mentioned when he first selected his Job, each one was clearly labeled as a “First Order Job”.

While there was no obvious explanation, he was beginning to move from depression to acceptance with alacrity as he realized the truth of the matter.

His Job now had the opportunity to become something more. And considering the wide array of interesting Jobs on display, Sam had to wonder if his newly gained [Treasure Hunter] trait was working on Job Advancement as well.

The choices offered were quite the smorgasbord to pick from. Really, there were only two that fascinated him, but each one had incredible traits and skills to pick from.

Fighter, it seemed, was only scratching the surface of what Jobs were capable of.

He could scarcely imagine what kind of power a Third Order Job would grant.

Sam could only desperately hope that upon selecting one of these new and shiny Jobs, the Level Up would then be applied to the Second Order Job.

[Duelist]

Duelists are the ultimate in one-on-one combat. They are masters of the ebb-and-flow of battle, conducting it much like a maestro. Their flaw, however, is in their single-mindedness. While excellent as a melee Boss-killer, Duelists lack the ability to deal with multiple enemies at once, but they make up for this detriment by possessing an overwhelming ability to succeed against single targets. As a Second Order Job, Duelists gain the following Stats per Level Up:

+3 Strength | +3 Vigor | +3 Dexterity

+1 Bonus Point

Starting Skill Spheres

[Flowing Combat], [Dual Wield], [Combo Points]

Starting Ability

[Riposte]

Starting Trait

[Counter]

Mana Types

[Wind Mana] | [Lightning Mana]

Health Growth: B++

Mana Growth: D-

While Sam considered Strength, Vigor, and Dexterity not a bad stat spread at all, he didn’t want to be locked into a singular purpose.

Being a boss-killer sounded cool and all, but while still on the starting island, Sam encountered many other types of enemies. And there was really only the one time where it was an actual one-on-one battle.

Monsters tended to fight in groups, and they certainly didn’t take turns one after another, so it’d be a “fair fight”.

So that’s 10 stats total, if I’m including the single bonus point. Even if I had to pick Duelist for some reason, that’s still a solid upgrade from Fighter’s 6 stats.

As soon as Sam saw the next Job, he was immediately impressed. Not only because it seemed more in line with Scout’s progression, but because it showed that it was possible to switch from one branch to another.

And it didn’t hurt to have confirmation from the unbiased Shard that Volquist was who he said he was.

[Assassin]

Blessed by the Hidden One, as all Assassins hope to be, you have gained access to a divergent path of Advancement. Many of your traits and abilities will be morphed to fit the Assassin’s path if you select this Advancement. Striking from the shadows, never seen, nor heard, is the creed of the Assassins.

Boasting impressive abilities that ramp up their damage potential for that one-hit-kill, Assassins are feared across the Shardrune Realms for their ability to spring from the shadows and retreat before anybody has noticed their target’s demise. However, such power comes at a cost. Many of their abilities and spells are costly, and they are prone to a unique debilitating condition, [Exposed], that dramatically lowers their damage potential. As a Second Order Job, Assassins gain the following Stats per Level Up:

+2 Strength | +4 Dexterity | +3 Agility

+3 Awareness

+2 Bonus Points

Starting Skill Spheres

[Stealth], [Subterfuge], [Poison Imbuement]

Starting Ability

[Sneak Attack], [Fade]

Starting Trait

[Execute]

Mana Types

[Shadow Mana]

Health Growth: C+

Mana Growth: B+

Sam’s eyes went wide. He double checked the stats on Assassin, uncertain if it truly was that high a number.

It astounded Sam that the Second Order Jobs weren’t made equal. All the First Order ones had the same number of stats. These things were supposed to be on a similar, if not the same, echelon of power, weren’t they? And yet one was clearly better than the other.

Was rarity at play here, or were certain Jobs simply more difficult to attain, and therefor offered superior gains? Nothing about the description of the Job suggested it was a higher rarity. The only tell seemed to be the number of stats awarded per level.

And as much as he wasn’t interested in Assassin, it was well over double the number of stats awarded per level compared to his Fighter.

“Assassin is flat out better than Duelist,” he said numbly.

“Assassin?” Raiko perked up at that. “Fast, high damage? Sounds more like me, if I wasn’t a mage. And if I was a coward.”

“Mage? But you have a sword.”

“Mages can’t use weaponry?” She laughed at that. “Maybe if they’re eking out a trash existence. To be clear, I mean the mage archetype. Much like you appear to be the warrior archetype.”

“I don’t think those exist anymore,” Sam said, skipping to the next Job on the list.

“I’m speaking generally,” Raiko clarified. “It’s useful to be able to identify specializations when there is such a diverse selection of Jobs now, even if it is as simple as the distinction between physical and magical damage dealers.”

[Beast Master]

Many Fighters take up an animal companion, but few possess the bond that you do with yours. Beast Masters train tirelessly to communicate not only with their designated Familiar, but also with the greater monsters and animals of the Shardrune. Beast Masters are capable of charming monsters to fight by their side, summon Familiars to do their bidding, and even create new pets to call into battle. As a Second Order Job, Beast Masters gain the following Stats per Level Up:

+2 Strength | +4 Vigor | +4 Control

+2 Bonus Points

Starting Skill Spheres

[Familiar], [Tame], Choice of (1) [Weaponry Skill]

Starting Abilities

[Charm], [Recall], [Call Pet]

Starting Traits

[Animal Speech], [Monster Killer]

Mana Types

[Light Mana]

Health Growth: B

Mana Growth: C++

Another Job that was just frankly better than Duelist. Perhaps Duelist was a fluke or a “basic” Second Order Job.

That would make a bit more sense.

Unfortunately, Beast Master was another Job that Sam had no interest in. Though he did notice that it has a very large suite of skills and abilities compared to either Duelist or Assassin.

Is that another trademark of higher rarity?

At least Beast Master had a stat alignment closer to what he preferred. Sam reached down and stroked Komachi’s golden-blonde fur. Maybe being a Beast Master would mean she actually paid attention to him when he told her not to get on top of the counter.

[Barbarian]

Crude. Ferocious. Terrifying. These are just a few of the words commonly associated with the Barbarian Job. These uncouth peoples are often seen as simple as the blades they carry into battle full of rage and fearlessness in equal measure. Barbarians are powerhouses of might and mayhem, they tear through large groups and stand toe-to-toe with powerful enemies alike.

Inspiring fear into the most stalwart of hearts, Barbarians roar into battle like a natural disaster. What these fearsome warriors lack in skill and finesse, they more than make up for with raw power and unfettered destruction. However, Barbarians are restricted from wearing armor, instead investing heavily in the sturdiness of their own flesh and blood. If they choose to ignore this limitation, they are given a stacking affliction, [Ancestor’s Disgrace], gained for each piece of armor worn. As a Second Order Job, Barbarians gain the following Stats per Level Up:

+5 Strength | +5 Vigor

+4 Bonus Points

Starting Skill Spheres

[Unburdened], [War Paint], Choice of (2) [Weaponry Skills]

Starting Abilities

[Berserk], [Furious Warcry]

Starting Trait

[Blood of Iron]

Mana Types

[Blood Mana]

Health Growth: A+

Mana Growth: F+

Sam’s eyebrows climbed to the roof at Barbarian. It was tempting, to say the least. Very tempting.

High damage, high Vigor, and a whopping 4 bonus points so he could shore up his weaknesses. Not to mention they gained two new Weaponry Skills and a total of 5 other abilities. All of which were quite tantalizing.

Unfortunately, he had no idea what any of them did, which slightly dampened his desire.

And then there was [Ancestor’s Disgrace].

Sam enjoyed wearing armor. He always did, even back during HEMA tournaments. There was something weirdly cozy about being protected from both the elements and your opponents.

Plus, where would Komachi go if not in his armor? A loincloth? Gross.

He could practically see the obstinate look on her face and flat-out refusing to go in. Not that he’d ask.

Moreover, where would Barbarian end up down the line? If level 10 was the Second Order of Jobs, where was the Third Order? Would all of Barbarian’s lineage be different variations of Conan?

Not that he minded rocking the Kratos look, but it seemed restrictive, even if very alluring.

He might have picked it for Blood mana alone, if he could have used it. But like with every other type of attunement, his Void mana would simply absorb it and that would weaken the Job further.

Especially if they relied on Blood mana to recover their HP or bolster themselves somehow.

With just one more Job to go, Sam wasn’t feeling that optimistic. Barbarian still seemed to be the best of the choices, and he told himself it would probably Advance to something else down the line, but he still didn’t want to pick it unless he had to.

As soon as Sam saw the next Second Order Job, his eyes lit up, and he realized that he had found the Job for him.