“C’mon, Talia. Roan will respawn and meet us back in Blackhill. Right now, we need to check on Fera.”

Sirius helped the sniffling girl to his feet. She’d reacted quite strongly to the death of her friend; maybe a little too intensely for him to fully understand. But he wanted to cut her some slack. During battle — it was easy to lose yourself in the intensity of the moment as he’d already experienced many times.

“Right… sorry.” Talia unsuccessfully wiped the mess of tears and water from her eyes with a soaked sleeve before casting a [Mending Rain] over the remaining party members.

A warm golden drizzle mixed in with the pelting rain as Sirius watched his health bar climb. He was just deliberating on how to quickly distribute his new attribute points when a familiar figure dropped down next to them.

“Well, it looks like you all managed to hold on just fine,” Fera observed, coolly.

Sirius bit back a retort as a sneaking suspicion that she’d been watching them from afar rose to the forefront of his mind.

“Yes. It was a hard-fought victory. I take it you didn’t run into any trouble?” Shadowfire remarked, unable to prevent a hint of sarcasm from entering his voice.

Fera adjusted her coat, looking as impeccable as ever. It was as if she was surrounded by a bubble of wind that prevented the rain from reaching her. “A few decently leveled templars, nothing serious,” she replied, flipping a shiny new dagger over in her hand. With a flick of her wrist, a blade of wind severed all the lines that tethered the two ships.

And that was that. She didn’t appear keen on discussing the matter further as she returned to the stern to take over the rudder and left them to their own devices.

Talia meandered off listlessly to find some cover while Sirius exhaled a discontent sigh and plopped down onto what remained of the main deck. The damage to their ship wasn’t too severe, but there remained a sizeable hole in the upper right side in the hull where Sirius’ Skill had torn its path.

It almost looked as if a massive sea creature had leaped from the water to take a bite out of the ship.

“I’ve got to hand it to you, Sirius…” Shadowfire wrapped his cloak tighter around his body and sat down next to him. “...you really saved us back there. If you hadn’t been able to take care of two of them by yourself — we definitely would have been overwhelmed.”

“Ah, it wasn’t much,” Sirius scratched his head. “I didn’t really succeed at my job as the group’s tank either. I don't have a great way to draw aggro.”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short. And as far as I’m aware — there isn’t any.” Shadowfire finished with a grumble. “Out of all Skills and Spells my guildmates have gathered, there weren’t any surefire taunts. My take is that Threat is more of a gauge of the enemy’s wariness. They’ll be more likely to go after targets they deem dangerous, leaving damage dealers much less secure.”

“That makes sense…” Sirius acceded.

Shadowfire groaned loudly. “Still… the combat really makes me regret all those years I’ve spent sitting at my desk playing games when I’m stumbling around like an uncoordinated fool…”

Sirius glanced over and saw a smile sneaking across the man’s face. “You don’t regret it at all, do you?”

“Not one bit.” Shadowfire laughed. “But man, the AI on those squires was really unforgiving. I can’t imagine how skilled the even more advanced enemies will be.”

“Yeah… Their speed and body control in all that armor was impressive. Though, I suppose it makes sense. It’d feel weird if these men who’d been training from a young age fought in the same manner as the men-at-arms.”

“You’re right, and truthfully — I enjoy the challenge. Makes it feel more real, you know? However, I’m glad I stepped back from the competitive scene when I did. This is a game for the youths to shine...” Shadowfire chuckled again as he shoved Sirius jokingly. “Kids like you who have clearly been hitting the gym and martial arts schools! Is it something you did in the past? Or have you picked it up recently?”

“I only started training full-time a little over a year ago — right after AoA was announced,” Sirius replied, frowning briefly but it was gone in a flash.

“Hoh? And what's wrong with that?" Shadowfire had immediately picked up on his displeasure. "Sirius... I admire that drive. It takes guts. To go after what you want, and be willing to put in the effort. I’m assuming you’re not in school anymore then?”

“Yeah… I dropped out after my second year of University. Parents weren’t too happy with the decision, though.”

“Eh, that’s just their job. Actually... I was in a similar position myself around your age."

"Oh, yeah? What happened?" Sirius turned and asked.

"Well, as I said — I've always played a lot of games. Got really good at one in particular when I was back in high school. Towards the end of my senior year, I got an offer to join an eSports team. In the end, I accepted, foregoing a higher education. I didn't make all that much money, but I made a lot of lifelong friends and enjoyed every minute of it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad I lived without regrets."

Shadowfire let out a long sigh before continuing, "I can't claim that the way you or I did it is the right way. But I can confidently say this: You can always go back and finish school later, but in 2 years — it might already be too late to carve out a nice piece of the pie in this world."

“You think so?” Sirius saw the lights dancing in Shadowfire’s eyes and felt his own anticipation mounting. He knew he wasn’t alone in his way of thinking, but it felt nice — to finally talk to someone who shared his passion and saw the potential of the game in the same he did.

“I know so. Haven’t you seen the player numbers recently?”

“I saw that pre-orders had almost climbed up to 15 million…”

Shadowfire smirked. “Take a guess. What do you think that number is up to now?”

“Hmm…” Clearly, it would be much higher than his expectation based on Shadowfire’s reaction. “25 million. Maybe, 26?”

“Ha! It was already past 32 million orders last I checked!” Shadowfire exclaimed. “Their production of the capsules just can’t keep up with the demand. That’s why people are still arriving in small numbers.”

“That’s crazy.” Sirius shook his head. “More than doubled already…”

“It makes sense to me. You gotta think there were probably a lot of people on the fence. Gaming companies make so many promises, and a lot of people have been bitten by that in the past. They want to believe in the game, especially one as big as this, but most have to see it first nowadays.”

“I suppose so…” Sirius nodded.

“However, that’s just the start.” Shadowfire was waving his arms around, gesticulating wildly as get got caught up in his own excitement. “It’s a whole world — a whole new fucking world! Once businesses and other organizations are drawn in by the player numbers… it's going to be mayhem. The people standing at the top of those companies aren’t dumb, after all. They’ll quickly see the massive, untapped potential of this world’s economy and seek to stake their claim.”

“Right. And they’ll need powerful players to help them do so.”

“Exactly!” Shadowfire smiled. “I knew I liked you for a reason, Sirius. So… shall we get to it?”

“Get to what?” Sirius glanced around. The ship was rocking amidst the strait’s violent waves, but Fera looked to have everything under control.

“Looting, of course! Power won’t come to those who wait,” Shadowfire chuckled.

Sirius smacked his forehead. “Shit. I keep forgetting about that without any prompt popping up.” Then, his lips curled up in a devious grin. “I’m sure Rhis has got a few nice things on him…”

“I’m guessing they all do. Let’s get to it.”

***

Their subsequent search was met with mixed results. Two of the squires had been thrown overboard by Sirius, leaving them with just three bodies to loot. And of the three — Rhis was the only one with non-standard equipment.

Talwar Family Signet Ring

Equip Requirement: None

Rating: Excellent

Inscribed with the Talwar Family Crest, this ring provides the wearer proof of identity and the corresponding authority.

Greater Vitality Enchantment: Provides a 10% bonus to Health and Stamina Regen both in and out of combat.

Slot(s): Finger Durability: N/A

The enchantment was a nice bonus, but its most important usage was diminished by the fact that they weren’t human — and likely wouldn’t be entering the human territories voluntarily anytime soon.

Sirius still claimed it to wear underneath his gauntlets, but he would have to be mindful of when and who he exposed it to.

Aside from the ring, Rhis wore another accessory that, following a short discussion, Sirius and Shadowfire decided should go to Talia.

Talisman of Renewal

Equip Requirement: Lvl 5

Rating: Excellent

Amethyst Gemstone: Increases the effectiveness of healing Spells by 8%

Minor Wisdom Enchantment: +3 Wisdom

Slot(s): Neck Durability: N/A

Two pieces of Excellent equipment could be considered a good haul in Sirius' eyes. In addition, they collected all the sets of Steel Plate Armor and the squire’s weapons. These items were all of Fair quality but didn’t suit anyone in their party’s current playstyle. Sirius preferred more lightweight, flexible armor, and none of them wielded swords or shields. Still, they hoped to sell everything in Uscuur should they get the chance.

After scrounging around for another few minutes to make sure they didn’t miss anything else, Sirius and Shadowfire joined Talia below deck to dry off as best they could and repair their equipment.

“Feeling any better?” Sirius asked the girl hesitantly as he twisted and squeezed the moisture out of his gambeson.

Talia nodded, adjusting her position atop the crate while swinging her dangling legs back and forth. “...I tried to message Roan through the party system to let him know we won, but it wouldn’t send because we’re too far apart. Soooo, I think I’m going to log out for a bit and wake him up. I’m sure he’s anxious to hear about the result.”

“Yeah, sure thing,” Sirius replied. He was shocked to find out that Talia and Roan lived together, but didn’t let it show on his face.

“Take this before you sign off.” Shadowfire tossed her the necklace.

She glanced over it briefly before exclaiming in wonder, “Woah! Thanks, guys! Get anything else cool?”

Sirius shared the stats of the [Talwar Family Signet Ring], and the girl’s eyes soon sparkled with their previous brilliance.

“I should’ve known that pretty boy was a fat pig,” Talia giggled. “What do ya think we’ll get for our quest rewards?”

“Hey, we’re not out of it yet,” Sirius couldn't help but laugh at her sudden shift in attitude. “But I wouldn’t be opposed to more CP. I want to get my hands on those Elixirs in the faction shop.”

“Lame… I want to go for a cool new robe this time,” Talia shot back.

“Fair enough, but I’m pretty satisfied with my equipment for now,” Sirius replied.

To which, Shadowfire agreed before he added, “By the way, I asked Fera for an ETA while we were looting and she predicted our arrival would be sometime around midday, so keep that time in mind while logged out.”

“Alright!” Talia chirped. “Then I’ll be seeing you guys later.” Her avatar slumped lifelessly following her parting words.

While Shadowfire maneuvered her body into a less awkward position, Sirius finally settled down to sift through his notifications and level-ups.

Congratulations! You have reached Level 6!

Received: 5 unassigned attribute points

Congratulations! You have reached Level 7!

Received: 5 unassigned attribute points; Class Skill [Iron Will]

‘Two entire levels…’ Sirius was inwardly amazed. Rhis must have really been a Boss tier character to provide them with such a tremendous amount of experience. However, he was still skeptical about the leveling system.

There was no numerical value attached to the progress bar or the experience he received. The meter just filled discreetly, and only by checking regularly was he able to ascertain a general idea of how much each enemy or quest objective contributed. Even after searching through the menu options exhaustively he’d been unable to find anything related.

All he’d managed to gather thus far was that quest completion resulted in sizeable chunks of progress — as did defeating enemies of a higher level. In contrast, when they’d killed Lvl 3 Men-at-Arms at level 5, there was almost no noticeable increase.

From this, he could infer a few things, but without concrete evidence, he was hesitant to jump to any conclusions.

‘Anyway, there are more important matters at hand.’ Sirius’ eyes flickered with delight as he read through his other gains.

For defeating an opponent of a higher level who has bested you in the past, you have been awarded the Title [Avenger]!

[Avenger]: Allows you to mark a single enemy for revenge. When fighting the marked target, all attributes will be boosted by 5%.

The title had a very specific use, but it would certainly come in handy at times and it filled out an otherwise empty aspect of his Character Sheet.

In addition, he gained the {Medium Armor} Proficiency and his {Unarmed Combat Mastery} had leveled twice after remaining stagnant for so long — which felt great. [Aura of Might] received its first level-up as well.

Medium Armor, Beginner Lvl. 1

Measures your familiarity with equipment classified as Medium Armor.

Medium Armor will no longer feel as heavy and further mastery reduces the additional Stamina Consumption penalty.

Current Bonus: 3% reduced penalty.

‘Goddamnit… what penalty?’ Sirius groaned as he quickly looked at his equipment descriptions after checking out his new Proficiency. Now, a new descriptor — that marked the armor category of each item — was displayed in their equipment slot.

The chainmail coat, leather boots, trousers, and gambeson were all Medium Armor pieces. Whereas the Drunae gauntlets, that took up his hand and wrist slot, was classified as Heavy Armor.

‘Why must they be so diligent about concealing everything…?’ he bemoaned further as he discovered that wearing three or more pieces of medium armor increased the rate at which he consumed Stamina by 20%. ‘Well, effectively 17% now.’

“Hey, Shadowfire…”

“Hmm?” the man responded absentmindedly, clearly lost in his own menus as he poked at the air in front of him.

“You have an armor Proficiency yet?”

“Ah, yeah… Got the light armor one during the tail end of the rescue mission the other day. Why do you ask?”

“...I only just got mine,” Sirius grumbled, eliciting a chuckle from his companion.

He dove back into his Character Sheet to distract himself from the nagging worries that he was somehow missing other crucial information as well. Ten juicy Attribute Points were waiting patiently to be assigned, so he wouldn’t let them suffer any longer. Although, he deviated slightly from his standard application of the points. This time around, he only placed 3 into Strength, 3 into Constitution, and then 2 points into Dexterity and Perception each.

For one, he didn’t want to let his Dex become stranded too far behind should it prove valuable as he continued to learn more. Another reason he changed his distribution was the realization that he was still relatively fragile. Rhis had wiped out such a large portion of his health with a single strike when he’d ignited his sword with that Spell.

A larger increase to his Con would also pair well with the new Skill he’d received from reaching level 7.

Iron Will Requirements: Barbarian Class Passive

Effect: Reduces damage received by 10% when below 25% Health.

Sirius grimaced when he thought about how tough this one would be to level, but Passive Skills were immensely beneficial, so it felt wrong to complain more than he already was about everything else.

Finally, after one last glance over his Character Sheet, Sirius felt settled.

Sirius of the Toth

Equipped Title: Avenger

Attributes:

Str: 33 (28)

Dex: 10

Per: 15

Con: 22

Spr: 15

Wis: 6

Cha: 9

HP: 275/275 Stamina: 231/231 Rage: 0/75 Primary Class: Barbarian, Lvl 7 Secondary Class: Locked Profession: None

Skills:

Heavy Strike Lvl 1

Reckless Charge Lvl 2

Aura of Might Lvl 2

Sunder Earth Lvl 1

Iron Will Lvl 1

Proficiencies:

Unarmed Combat Mastery, Beginner Lvl 3

Medium Armor, Beginner Lvl 1

Repair Lvl 1

Fitness Lvl 3

Gathering Lvl 1

Locked

“Alright. I think I’ve got everything sorted. Probably gonna log off for a bit, Shadowfire.”

“Sounds good,” Shadowfire briefly averted his eyes and gave him a nod. “I’ll be joining you shortly. Just make sure you’re back on in a few hours if you don’t want to miss our arrival.”

“Yup, see you soon,” Sirius settled into a comfortable spot and issued the command…