Dungeon Reactivation Energy: 4870/5000

Today was the day! At last, after all the effort that had been put into the city, we would have enough to reopen the dungeon. Not that we necessarily would, considering what dwelt within it, but today was the day when my quest from Ephesis would finally be completed.

As for the other item I was eagerly tracking, my results were less ideal.

Archery: 9

After a week of throwing myself into training, sparring with my friends whenever they had the time, I could practically feel how close it was to leveling the skill. To that end, I currently found myself in the middle of the forest with Cal and Hartha. The former had little she really needed to do, and with the fighters helping more and more with the hunting, the latter had also found the time to help out.

“I think we have time for a few more?” After that, we’d likely want to get ready for Ephesis to awaken.

Cal shrugged. “Sure. Always happy to help you avoid Nadja. It’s some really good moonshine they have, by the way.”

“Not why I’m doing this!” I stammered. Sure, training deep in the forest meant that the bartender would have no way of finding me, but that was just a coincidence. I definitely was not avoiding Nadja at all costs and hoping that if I ignored her for long enough, she would go back to Ftheran or stop trying to kill me. Nope. Not me.

“And anyway,” I continued, “why are you even drinking there? I thought you were worried people would recognize you. You also knocked her out the last time you saw her in Ftheran.” It was bad enough that Nadja had somehow found her way into the city. That Cal was going to her bar and prodding me about it only made it worse.

“Eh. With so many fighters around, I figure if I dress up in rogue clothes, everyone will just assume I’m from Drawgin. A lot more reasonable than thinking that I’m the princess.” She seemed surprisingly blasé about it considering how adamantly she’d been avoiding the spotlight lately, but then again, I supposed there was only so long you could go without serious human interaction.

“Hate to pull us away from talking about Tess’s messy not-exactly-love life, but if we’re going to spar again, we should really get to it. Don’t want to be late for Ephesis to wake up, right?” Hartha thankfully cut the conversation short.

We agreed, and a moment later, the duel request was sent out. After accepting the prompt, we began.

Ack! I sped through the forest, blood trickling down my arm as I eyed my status: HP - 170/220. I cursed. How had I already lost nearly a fourth of my health?

Not daring to stop, I extended my senses out as I ran, straining my Perception for all it was worth. It was no easy task given my current predicament, but only moments later, it paid off.

There. I caught the barest glimpse of steel out of the corner of my eye and threw myself out of the way as a knife soared between the trees towards me.

At least, I tried to throw myself out of the way. A thick root shot out from the earth and ensnared me, and instead of jumping forward, I tumbled to the ground. Thankfully, the move still had its intended effect as the knife flew harmlessly above my head, but things weren’t looking so great for me right then.

You are rooted! Duration: 10s

“Get her while she’s down! Easy win!” From the direction of the voice came a thin whistling sound, and I scrambled to my feet only to find another knife honing in on me.

While my Perception could track its flight and the spatial reasoning boost I’d gained from my Intelligence could determine where it would strike, it wasn’t enough. Rooted as I was, my Dexterity was just too low to contort my body completely out of the way, and a second later, the blade cut a thick line into my calf.

Thrown knife hits you for 7 damage.

You are bleeding! Lose 1 health every 3 seconds for 15 seconds.

Shit. If I let this last any longer, I knew I was done for. If I could snipe the two of them down, I might still have a chance, but as soon as the thought entered my mind, I realized it was no use. Both Hartha and Cal were using the trees as cover, rendering my archery skills useless as they approached.

Maybe… Fuck it. It’ll have to do.

In less than a second, a plan of action sprung into my head, and I once again thanked whatever dumb luck had resulted in so many of my points going into Intelligence. The bump I’d received to my mental processing speed was undoubtedly pulling its weight.

Battle plan in hand, I burst into action. An instant later, a bow appeared in my hands, glistening yellow with its new light enhancement.

Here goes nothing, T. A glistening mana arrow appeared on the bowstring, and I aimed the bow in the general direction of my knived attacker, activating a skill I’d barely used since purchasing it: Overload Weapon. More and more mana flooded into bow and arrow alike, increasing the intensity of their light until I was forced to completely close my eyes.

Eyes shut, I released the arrow, at the same time activating the ability on my necklace.

Cleansing Shower Gem Pendant activated.

You feel clean and refreshed.

Root debuff removed.

(Cooldown: 1hr)

A wave of cleansing blue mana surrounded me, and at its touch, the root that bound me uncoiled, releasing me from its grip. As much as I was happy to be free, however, I winced at the long cooldown time, knowing that if I got caught again, it would be over.

Even with that in mind, things were looking bright. Very bright, depending on who you asked: A loud yelp sounded through the woods as my arrow had the intended effect, the overcharged light mana blinding Cal even though I hadn’t landed a hit.

Pouncing on the brief opportunity, I Jet Stepped away before Hartha could root me once more. With a new vantage point, I easily spotted the recently blinded Cal, and I shot as quickly as I could. One, two, three arrows raced forward, all three on target.

As I watched them fly, a feeling of deep elation filled me. I was actually doing it! I could win this! Two of the arrows found their mark, sinking into their target’s side before their mana dissolved into nothingness.

Somehow, however, even while blinded, the dextrous rogue twisted away from the third arrow, and a moment later, I found another blade headed my way. The aim wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t hard to dodge, but the unexpected attack interrupted me, keeping me from firing off a fourth arrow.

As soon as the knife passed, I tried to shoot her again, but it was too late. I’d spent too much time.

A sudden tremor shook the ground beneath me, and caught off guard, I stumbled to the forest floor. I shoved myself off the dirt, hoping to get out of the spell’s range, but the damage was done: For the second time, a thick root grew from the soil and gripped me firmly, preventing my escape.

You are rooted! Duration: 10s

I caught sight of Hartha off to the side and sent a few light arrows in her direction even as I was on the ground being tossed about. One even managed to find its mark, though likely more due to luck than skill, but in the end it was useless.

Having recovered from the blind, Cal darted towards me as the tremor subsided. Still held fast by the roots, I could only watch as she straddled me a moment later and pressed a knife to my throat.

It was over.

“Ugh, fuck, fine. I yield… Again.” At my words, a screen appeared before me.

Battle Completed. You have lost!

Victors: Hartha and Calilah

Wins: 0

Losses: 22

The battle finished, Cal got off me and helped me to my feet. “Ah, lighten up. You weren’t the one who got your corneas roasted off. And hey, no one was expecting you to win.”

“Gee, thanks. Nice to know I have your vote of confidence.” I cast Minor Healing, instantly feeling less grumpy as the healing magic seeped into me.

“She’s right, you know. The overcharged light arrow was impressive, but it’s two on one, and you’ve only hit level 8. Even if your stats are high for your level, both of us have spent a lot more class points than you have.” Hartha cast a healing spell as she spoke, bringing me back to full health. “And in any case, you were only using your bow. You didn’t even use your armor. Speaking of which: Progress?”

Realistically, I knew they were right. While I’d known at the offset that I wasn’t going to win any fights against the two of them, that didn’t change the fact that losing for a 22nd time flat-out mega sucked. Apparently the same competitive spirit that had made me love board games back on Earth also translated to magical battles. Who would have guessed?

As to Hartha’s question, I’d received a notification mid-fight that I’d largely ignored. No longer in the heat of battle, however, I focused on it more fully, letting out a triumphant shout.

“I did it! It’s done! Amazing, superb, marvelous! Thank you both!” I hugged them both, and the two congratulated me. They, however, were not the only ones to do so:

Congratulations! You have reached the Initiate rank in Archery!

Based on your skill usage, you have been granted a skill augment for achieving a new skill rank.

Augment of Piercing

Your arrows have an easier time punching through armor and also deal +10% to magical shields or shield skills.

Neat! Based on the message, it looked like I’d probably gained this from shooting all those arrows at Brecker’s shield. The fact that it worked on regular armor too was a major plus.

Not only did Piercing look like a decent augment, but also, that wasn’t the last of my notifications.

Class Quest Completed: Raise a weapon skill to level 10 (Repeatable)

+1 Class Point

+2500xp

Success! The experience wasn’t enough to level me, but the class point was well appreciated. I ducked into my class space immediately and spent it on my Resist Magic before I could second guess myself. I would get the fun stuff eventually. Not dying was sadly a bigger priority for me, though.

“What about the energy? How’s it looking?” Cal prodded me in the side, pulling me from my class musings.

“Lemme check.” I pulled up my settlement interface, grinning wildly as soon as I did so.

Dungeon Reactivation Energy: 4993/5000

“We’re just about there! Let’s head over.” Even tired as I was from just getting my ass whooped, I felt a rush of energy at seeing the number. After all that hopping across the map, completing quests, and patiently waiting, we finally would have all the settlement energy we needed!

My excitement was mirrored in the other two as we headed out of the forest and towards the dungeon entrance. Soon, Ephesis would awaken, and we would be there when he did.

Stat & Level Updates:

Archery 9→ 10 Light Magic 2→ 3 Spears 8→ 9

Character Sheet:

Name: Tess Age: 26 Race: Human Class: Arcane Arsenal Level: 8 Experience: 3288/9250 Prestige: 770 Health: 220/220 Mana: 220/220 Stamina: 210/210 Stats: Constitution: 22 Strength: 22 Endurance: 21 Dexterity: 19 Intelligence: 26 Wisdom: 22 Perception: 26 Charisma: 19 Luck: 24

Skills:

Weapon & Armor Spears: 9 Archery: 10 Small Blades: 4 Unarmed Combat: 4 Swords: 3 Hammers: 2 Staffs: 2 Axes: 1 Medium Armor: 5 Heavy Armor: 1 Movement Dodge: 3 Magic Life Magic: 5 Water Magic: 5 Fire Magic: 4 Light Magic: 3 Spells: Minor Healing: 6 Conjure Water: 6 Flameploof: 4 Illumination: 2 Resistances Trauma Suppression: 9 Poison Resistance: 6 Heat Resistance: 2 Detection God's Eye: 6 Detect Trap: 5 Detect Secret: 4 Tracking: 2 Social Drinking: 4 (+5) Conversation: 4 Trade: 3 Flirt: 2 Deception: 1 Gambling: 1 Craft Woodworking: 6 Jewelry Making: 5 Herbalism: 2 Alchemy: 2 Construction: 6 General Reading: 1