Chapter 3 - A Mossy Awakening III

The first thing Claire did after slaying the beast was to go through the tent and see if there was anything usable. She wanted to select a class immediately, but held off because she had every intention of allowing the resources she had available to play a role in her choice.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much. The bags within the tent had contained little of interest, featuring mainly old rags, sticks, rope, and stone. Both the old club and the wooden shield she’d found lying around were damaged beyond the point of use or repair—not that she was familiar with either option in the first place. Only the sticks, the rope, and the bags are going to be useful. I might be able to somehow wear the rags like a cloak too, but I don’t want to look like a beggar if I’m not getting any stats out of it.

She grabbed a stick, a sharp broken rib, and a piece of rope and began fashioning a weapon that somewhat resembled a dysfunctional spear as she finally started to go through her options and acquisitions in more detail.

Tracking - Level 1

Congratulations, you have proven yourself to be disgustingly proficient in the art of following someone around without their knowledge. This skill will make you better at silently stalking anything that you deem to prey, regardless of whether it is an animal, a monster, or a young, innocent child. Please reflect on your behaviour and at least try not to get arrested.

Effects

- The tracks left behind by others become more clear to you.

- You are able to designate a creature as your target and track it if it is nearby.

Why does this stupid box start insulting me every time I check for details?

Makeshift Weapon Mastery - Level 1

Apparently, you didn’t get the memo when your combat instructor taught you that possessing a finely crafted weapon would serve as an advantage in a duel. While this skill won’t be doing anything for your lack of intellect, it will aid your body in adapting to your brainless antics. And just for your information, destroying the chair was entirely unnecessary. You just wasted a perfectly good piece of furniture.

Effects

- You instinctively understand how to use miscellaneous objects as effective weapons.

- Increases damage dealt by 11% (10% + 1% per level) when attacking with anything that isn’t a real weapon.

What do you mean using the chair was unnecessary!? It was totally necessary!

Rogue

Swift, silent, and disgustingly edgy, Rogues specialize in the quick elimination of isolated targets. Their techniques, dextrous and swift, make plentiful use of whatever resources are available, but they function best when equipped with a cloak and a dagger. If you want to be the neckbeard that sits in a corner and broods with a hood over your face while everyone else makes merry, then this class is for you.

Becoming a Rogue provides an immediate bonus to dexterity. Every 5 Rogue levels will provide an additional bonus to your agility and dexterity scores.

Possible class upgrades include Assassin, Nightblade, and Venomancer, amongst others.

This class was unlocked by fulfilling the following requirements:

- Catch an enemy off guard

- Slay an enemy through the use of a poison

- Slay an enemy that you have attacked with a dagger or dagger-like weapon

It’s about what I expected. Do I even bother looking at the Barbarian class? I already know I’m not going to pick it. After a moment of deliberation, she decided to at least skim over the class’ details. It’s not like there’s any reason not to.

Barbarian

Barbarians are unmannered warriors that thrive on the thrill of the hunt. Many use axes and clubs to fulfill their goals. Others may occasionally break chairs for no particular reason. The barbarian way of life puts strength over intellect. Most barbarians focus on brute forcing their way through combat situations regardless of the risks or factors involved. Their abilities facilitate this behaviour by providing regeneration and numerous bonuses to strength and intimidation. Individuals with underdeveloped frontal cortices often find this class effective.

Becoming a Barbarian provides a significant, one time bonus to strength at the cost of an equal amount of Wisdom. Wisdom is further decremented with each Barbarian level. No additional strength bonuses are awarded.

Possible class upgrades include Berserker, Skullcrusher, and Barbarian Too, amongst others. Your overwhelming affinity for this class ensures that a unique class upgrade will be made available by the 50th class level.

This class was unlocked by fulfilling the following requirements:

- Beat an enemy to death after it has lost its will to fight

- Vandalize someone else’s property in the slaying of an enemy

Why is the box so obsessed with the chair, and why does it seem to be trying to push this class on me!? I am a genuine high-class noble lady, not some filthy barbarian!

Log Entry 483

You have been disowned. “Augustus” has been removed from your name.

I was expecting my father to write me off sooner or later, but did it really have to happen right then? Claire groaned. Okay, fine, whatever. I’m not a high-ranking noble lady anymore, but that still doesn’t mean I’m a barbarian! And what the heck is up with Barbarian Too!? Why did I even read this!? Screw it! I’m moving on.

Hunter

Specialized in ranged attacks, Hunters are lone wolves capable of pursuit and elimination. Their arrows are swift and deadly, second only to their ability to trace targets even through unfamiliar territory. This Ranger sub-class focuses primarily on dexterity and spirit, with many techniques revolving around the concept of enhancing one’s senses. Hunters are capable of gaining bonuses by consuming their prey. Individuals with social anxiety tend to prefer this class.

Every Hunter level provides a small bonus to dexterity. Every 10 Hunter levels provides a significant bonus to Spirit.

Possible class upgrades include Trapper, Brushstalker, and Hawkeye, amongst others.

This class was unlocked by fulfilling the following requirement:

- Stalk and kill a wounded target in its own domain

I’d pick this one if I had a bow.

After spending a few moments deliberating, Claire picked Rogue. She had no intention of becoming a Barbarian, and while the Hunter class seemed fairly decent, she wasn’t able to put it to immediate use.

Log Entry 484

You have become a Rogue.

Your dexterity has been increased by 15.

Rogue-related achievements have been unlocked.

The following Rogue skills have been acquired:

- Cloak and Dagger

- Double Stab

Only two skills? Didn’t I get seven when I became a ritual mage?

Cloak and Dagger - Level 1

As an edgelord, you grow more powerful when you think you look cool, even if the impression is yours and yours alone. Unfortunately, your choice of outfit provides little benefit, but the people around you will actively avoid voicing their doubts. The thought of speaking to you invokes little but reluctance. Please do us both a favour and learn the meaning of shame.

Effects

- Your dexterity and agility are increased by 21% (20% + 1% per level).

- You gain a bonus to all stealth-based abilities when hiding in a shadow.

- These effects only apply when both a cloak and a dagger are equipped. If either piece of equipment is removed while you are engaging an enemy, then this bonus will remain until you exit combat.

This would be nice if I had a cloak. If.

Double Stab - Level 1

Stabbing things is not exactly a good way to relieve stress, but apparently you disagree. Please stop thinking about taking your knives to school and go see a psychiatrist.

Effects

- Consume 15 mana to empower your next stabbing attack and transform it into a Phantom Strike.

- Phantom Strikes target the health pool directly and are considered magical in nature.

- Phantom Strikes deal additional damage equal to 27.5% (25% + 2.5% per level) of the damage dealt by the initial attack.

This would be really expensive if my mage stats didn’t carry over. It seems pretty useful, but there’s no mention of a cooldown. Can I use it as much as I want?

Claire was eager to test out her new skills’ effects and determine their specific properties and interactions, but there was something else she first had to attend to, something she had recalled upon watching the hog consume its quarry. Sustenance. Like any other living creature, she needed both food and water to survive. And it had been several hours since she had either.

Reluctantly, she shifted her gaze to one of the only sources of nutrients around, the creature that she had only just slain.

Eating monster meat was, in and of itself, not an abnormal practice. In fact, many monsters were considered high class goods and some had even been domesticated to be used as livestock. Claire was an avid gourmet when it came to raptorbeaks, sucroswines, and steakhorns, with the last of the three serving as a key component of her favorite dish. But the hellhog was different, its flesh was stringy and too tough to be fit for human consumption. Or halfbreed consumption for that matter. Worse yet was the creature’s rancid stench, a thousand times worse than the spoiled fish she had once found in the trash whilst roaming around the mansion.

It was like the creature’s flesh had already been predigested by something else. And that, in fact, was exactly what it was. The acid that much of the beast was covered with, which by the way was certainly not making it any more palatable, was something eggeyes magically secreted in order to digest their food prior to consuming it. She couldn’t even begin to imagine stomaching the creature, not when the literal dump she had seen and smelt in her dreams somehow seemed more appetizing. Having a balanced diet is going to have to wait until I get out of here. Or find a more tasty-looking monster.

Her mind made, the halfbreed grabbed a handful of moss and began her life anew as a cow.

Claire

Health: 92/92

Mana: 546/546

Health Regen: 10/hour

Mana Regen: 316/hour

Ability Scores - 6 Points Available

- Agility: 16

- Dexterity: 27

- Spirit: 57

- Strength: 12

- Vitality: 10

- Wisdom: 158

Racial Class: Halfbreed - Level 10.67

- No affiliated skills

Primary Class: Rogue - Level 1.00

- Cloak and Dagger - Level 1.00

- Double Stab - Level 1.00

Unclassed Skills

- Dancing - Level 5.24

- English - Level 25

- Makeshift Weapon Mastery - Level 1.00

- Marish - Level 18.96

- Sneaking - Level 2.85

- Tracking - Level 1.00