Chapter 12 - First Contact V

Claire’s skin began to mend itself as soon as her prey fell still. The burning agony rapidly receded, replaced by the odd tingling warmth that always came with a level. Hesitantly, she reached for the freshly repaired limb, running her fingers along the once-damaged scales with a nervous lump stuck in her throat. After clenching and unclenching her fist, several times in succession, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Backing herself up into a wall, the halfbreed closed her eyes and allowed the tension to drain from her body. She slowly slid down its length, slumping to the ground as her heart finally stopped threatening to burst from her chest.

The moment of respite was brief.

A loud rattle made her shoot to her feet. Her eyes darted to its source as she raised the antler sword in a panic, only to roll her eyes and lower it again. The sound was nothing of note, just the clattering of a bone against the rocky floor. One of the daggers she’d left inside of its body had fallen to the ground.

Staring at the corpse, Claire furrowed her brows and frowned. It was changing. The former insect’s scales and legs shriveled up and turned to sand as its frame shrank. Parts of its body lost their colour, turning translucent, while others became shinier and more metallic. Its innards, visible through its now clear, crystalline hide, shared the same fate as its limbs. They crumbled away and turned into tiny grains of weathered stone. Her second dagger, the one stuck in its heart, soon followed in the first’s footsteps. Ejected from the creature’s corpse, it fell to the ground and made yet another notable rattle.

When the process was over, she was left staring at an hourglass. Not an hourglass shaped monster, but a literal hourglass. The supposedly inanimate object fit in the palm of her hand. Picking it up, she realized that its copper frame was broken and its glass bulbs visibly cracked. The damage wasn’t extensive enough for the timekeeping rockdust to leak, but the miniscule amount still contained within suggested that most of it was gone with the wind.

That was… morbid. What was that thing anyway?

Claire knew that shapeshifters returned to their original forms post mortem, but she’d never heard of any that started out as literal objects, nor any capable of drastically altering their sizes during their transformations. Not that she was an expert on the subject. Or any subject, for that matter.

Oh well, a kill’s a kill. No point thinking about something I don’t understand.

Dismissing the thought with a sigh, the halfbreed put the hourglass in her pouch, sat back down, and pulled up her log. There were a series of recent acquisitions, some even earned prior to the battle’s conclusion.

Log Entry 507

You have acquired the Club Mastery skill.

Log Entry 508

You have acquired the Sword Mastery skill.

Not bad. More masteries are always welcome. The rogue vaguely recalled that one of her instructors had mentioned that she was only supposed to focus on a small number of weapon masteries.

Why was that again? I can’t remember… Claire tried to recall the lesson for the briefest of moments before dismissing it with a shrug. Oh well. I don’t care what Durham thinks anyway. He’s an idiot. What kind of halfwit tries to teach someone with two legs martial arts for people with four? And he even had the nerve to yell at me when I couldn’t imitate his form.

Shaking her head free of the fool and his memory, Claire turned her eyes back to the glowing blue box.

Log Entry 509

You have slain a level 4 Llystletein mimic.

This feat has earned you the following bonus rewards:

- 3 points of agility

- 1 point of dexterity

- 8 points of strength

- 2 points of vitality

Oh, that’s what it was. I thought mimics were supposed to look like treasure chests. Wait... It was only level 4? That can’t be right. It was stronger than the level 20 caveveaber. Claire double checked the entry to make sure it was correct, which apparently it was. She hadn’t misread any part of the message. Maybe having Llystletein in its name makes it special?

Log Entry 510

One of your spawnable drink items has been upgraded.

Log Entry 511

Achievement Unlocked - Llystletein Hunter

You have started on the path of a true Llystletein Hunter by single-handedly defeating a Llystletein monster. You understand that while numbers provide safety, solitude and risk serve as fuel for self-improvement.

Log Entry 512

Rogue has mutated into Llystletein Rogue.

What’s the difference?

All Rogue bonuses have been doubled. Your agility has been increased by 5 and your dexterity has been increased by 20.

Oh.

You have gained 6 ability points.

The following Llystletein Rogue skill has been acquired: Manathief.

Manathief? That seems a little unnecessary. Maybe if I was still a mage...

Log Entry 513

Cloak and Dagger has reached level 2.

Log Entry 514

Club Mastery has reached level 2.

That was quick.

Log Entry 515

Dagger Mastery has reached level 3.

Log Entry 516

Makeshift Weapon Mastery has reached level 3.

Log Entry 517

You have leveled up. Your health and mana have been restored and all harmful status effects have been cleansed.

Your racial class, Halfbreed, has reached level 12.

Your primary class, Llystletein Rogue, has reached level 11.

Woah, 1 Halfbreed level, and… 4 Rogue levels? That’s a lot of experience for a level 4 monster.

Your agility and dexterity have been increased by 10.

You have gained 14 ability points.

The following Halfbreed skills have been acquired:

- Quadrupedal Bloodrush

- Lashing Tailstrike

Halfbreed skills? Finally.

Claire smiled to herself. Her first set of racial skills was long overdue. Most others obtained them at level 1, halfbreed or otherwise. She, however, had been an unfortunate exception. But no longer. The disadvantage wrought by her lack of racial abilities was finally over. It had come time for her to leverage in battle the traits associated with her unique heritage—or at least that was what she thought at first. Her impression changed the moment she reread the skills’ names.

“Wait, I don’t have four legs! Or a tail! Why am I getting skills I can’t use!?” She shouted, as she hurled a rock at a nearby wall. “Why does this stupid box have to be as dumb as Durham!?”

Still huffing, the rogue turned her eyes back towards the rage-inducing interface. She crossed her arms, narrowed her gaze, and began repeatedly tapping a foot against the ground as she glanced over the details of her new class.

Llystletein Rogue

Unlike their standard counterparts, who work best in parties, Llystletein Rogues are lone wolves. They seek and destroy without assistance, no matter what their prey may be. The power and self-sufficiency that come with this class variant stem not from experience, but necessity. Llystletein Rogues are, without exception, socially inept and incapable of effective communication. Please note that seeking a therapist will result in this class’ immediate revocation.

Becoming a Llystletein Rogue doubles all Rogue-based ability score boosts, including those that have already been awarded. Llystletein Rogues will also gain additional bonuses on the 25th and 50th levels.

Possible class upgrades include Assassin of the Lost Library, Llystletein Edgelord, and Incontinent Librarian, amongst others.

This class was unlocked by fulfilling the following requirements:

- Unlock the Rogue Class

- Actively avoid a social interaction while suffering from extreme social anxiety

- Single-handedly dispatch a Llystletein monster with an ability score total at least 2 times greater than your own.

“W-what are you talking about, Box? I do not have a communication disorder.”

Claire spent a few moments staring at the description with her brow furrowed. She knew that she had never been a social butterfly, but she’d never been under the impression that her communication skills were in any way deficient. That said, she couldn’t deny that she had only avoided the werebears because she didn’t feel safe around them. Oh no… What if it’s true?

No, no, it can’t be. I’m a better negotiator than half of those greasy old men. Or at least I think I am… What if I’m not? Aaahhhhh!

Only after nearly ten minutes of self-persuasion did she manage to convince herself that there was nothing wrong with her. And with that ordeal out of the way, she moved on to inspecting her newly acquired skills.

Manathief - Level 1

As a blueblood, you have lived a life sustained by remorseless thievery. You have stolen endlessly from the masses and given nothing in return. Now, your legacy as the Leeching Lady shall continue in the form of a skill. You will steal as you have never stolen before, taking from their very souls the energy they require to sustain their magics.

Effects

- Phantom strikes are now capable of recovering mana equal to 12% (10% + 2% per level) of the damage dealt.

- The maximum amount of mana that can be recovered from each damage instance is capped at 55% (50% + 5% per level) of the cost of your Double Stab skill.

This skill was unlocked by fulfilling the following requirements:

- Double Stab level 3 or higher.

- Llystletein Rogue level 10 or higher.

- Make use of stolen properties on multiple occasions.

An explicit requirements section? I’ve never seen one of these before.

Club Mastery - Level 2

Acquiring this skill has bestowed you with the knowledge that sharpened weapons are better than blunt ones. Please stop making stupid excuses and sharpen your club. Watching you is giving me an aneurysm.

Well, that’s too bad, Box. You’re just going to have to live with your aneurysm.

Effects

- Unlocks club-based skills.

- Improves your technique with the club.

- Increases damage dealt by 12% (10% + 1% per level) when attacking with a club.

- When wielding a club, strength is improved by 12% (10% + 1% per level) of the sum of all your other ability scores.

Sword Mastery - Level 1

The way of the sword is one of elegance and grace. And while you are not particularly proficient at exhibiting either of these noble qualities, your past experience with the blade has allowed you to clumsily apply the necessary techniques. Unfortunately, the reacquisition of this skill is incapable of reawakening one of the only latent talents you’ve ever had. You are just going to have to live with never becoming a Sword Dancer.

Did this stupid vindictive box just do what I think it did?

Effects

- Unlocks sword-based skills.

- Improves your technique with the sword.

- Increases damage dealt by 11% (10% + 1% per level) when attacking with a sword.

- When wielding a sword, dexterity is improved by 16% (15% + 1% per level) of your strength, and strength is improved by 16% (15% + 1% per level) of your dexterity. Agility is improved by 5.5% (5% + 0.5% per level) of the sum of your strength and dexterity. This effect does not benefit from its own bonuses.

Quadrupedal Bloodrush

You cannot use this skill because you do not have four legs.

Effects

- N/A

What the heck? It doesn’t even have a description!

Lashing Tailstrike

You cannot use this skill because you do not have a tail.

Effects

- N/A

Come on! At least tell me what it’s supposed to do!

After throwing another rock at the wall, Claire decided that it was time to move on. If her halfbreed class wasn’t going to provide her with any real power, then she would just have to rely on Llystletein Rogue instead. Fortunately, it seemed she was going to be able to do just that. The class variant’s description had made it out to be incredibly powerful, and she suspected that she was likely to unlock many useful skills so long as she continued leveling it—assuming she managed to fulfill their requirements, of course.

With that precise goal in mind, she got to her feet, gathered her belongings, and continued her exploratory trek.

Claire

Health: 144/144

Mana: 576/576

Health Regen: 24/hour

Mana Regen: 320/hour

Ability Scores - 20 Points Available

- Agility: 42

- Dexterity: 61

- Spirit: 57

- Strength: 30

- Vitality: 24

- Wisdom: 160

Racial Class: Halfbreed - Level 12.94

- Quadrupedal Bloodrush - Level 1.00

- Lashing Tailstrike - Level 1.00

Primary Class: Llystletein Rogue - Level 11.47

- Cloak and Dagger - Level 2.12

- Double Stab - Level 3.57

- Manathief - Level 1.00

Unclassed Skills

- Club Mastery - Level 2.19

- Dagger Mastery - Level 3.14

- Dancing - Level 5.24

- English - Level 25

- Llystletein Authority - Level 2.83

- Makeshift Weapon Mastery - Level 3.75

- Marish - Level 18.98

- Sneaking - Level 3.97

- Spear Mastery - Level 1.82

- Sword Mastery - Level 1.05

- Tracking - Level 2.61