For a moment Jack felt sheerest jubilation. Having received a quest assuring they'd actually be rewarded for their efforts. Before he looked on in horror as the mayor gave a soul-wrenching cry and seemed to shrivel and wilt before their eyes.

The girl's exchanged horrified glances mirroring Jack's own. Jacob's gaze was sympathetic as he gently braced the mirror, but he looked neither horrified, nor surprised.

Instead he cradled the mayor close. "Thank you for your sacrifice, elder, we will try to be worthy of it."

And Jack couldn't help but think the honorific was now highly accurate, for the sprightly looking man who might have been on the autumnal cusp of, but always dodging, seniority's pitfalls, who moments before had moved with a younger man's vigor and stamina with lines blessedly free of wrinkles just seconds ago, now looked every bit his age.

Jack could fool himself into thinking that what he had seen come to pass, hadn't. That a man could look like many things in the damp, misty air, and even an elder man can mime vitality when his life is on the line.

But no.

The man had aged five years in a heartbeat. Or, perhaps, the luck and vitality that had fueled and blessed him for so long had left all at once.

Jack had no words, both awed by the very real quest beacon he sensed in his mind's eye. And horrified at the cost.

Lauren's hand gently clasped his shoulder. "Jack, come on. Let's get going. Jacob will take care of the rest."

Wordlessly, Jack turned around and followed the rest of his party as the paladin effortlessly carried the now frail-looking elder to the carriage, somehow sensing Jacob gently scolding the men inside for putting their elder mayor in such peril. And when he heard words of undead curses and the perils of facing nightmare, their paladin did nothing to dissuage their assumptions.

Never once admitting that the mayor's loss hadn't been thanks to the undead, but to the adventurers who had saved him.

And somehow Jack thought it fitting when brooding thunderclouds blackened the skies, the rumbling boom of thunder and the flash of lightning mirroring the chaos in Jacks' heart, even as Lauren's wondrous warding magics kept rain off their heads just as efficiently as it would hopefully keep a monster's projectiles.

For a time he took deep breaths, trying to blank his mind of their last perilous battle, that had come so close to ending in tragedy yet again.

And had, for a desperate mayor who was willing to give more for the sake of his people than any elected politician that Jack had ever known.

Jack stole a glance Mitch's way, The powerfully built man moved with a predator's deadly grace, and for all that his eyes held a heavy weight, Jack knew he and the rest of their party were only a handful of years older than himself. Of course, there was a world of difference between 18 and mid-twenties. "How are you doing, Mitch?"

Mitch blinked, as if surprised by the question, before flashing a grim smile. "A hell of a lot better now that I know we're actually going to be rewarded for risking our lives, Jack. I'll tell you that."

"Got that right," Sin concurred. "We're going straight from the frying pan to the fire. And Lord Hecklebart would love nothing more than seeing us get burned. At least this way we're getting paid for our peril, not just risking our lives claiming a guildhall that should have been ours from the beginning!"

"But Sin... you saw what happened to that man!" Sharon said, eyes heavy with the weight. "He must have aged, what, five years, just to enact that quest? That's horrible!"

"And he has no right to complain," Sin snapped. "It's the least he can do, after we risked our asses saving his own."

Sharon's sad gaze hardened. Until Jacob, having raced to catch up, slipped his hand into her own. "He's right, babe," he soothed. "The mayor knew exactly what he was risking as the lowest of representatives, when he dared offer a quest to those walking the Path of Peril. He couldn't claim a portion of a vast city's potency, a loss its citizens would most likely never even sense. All he had was a couple hundred souls already in dire jeopardy, and the town itself is in dire peril. So, he made the greatest sacrifice of all."

Mitch nodded. "He took one for the team. A standup mayor, no doubt. I originally thought he was a shit-faced coward, when first he scurried away like a rat. I'm glad to see I was wrong."

Sharon, however, still looked as troubled as Jack felt, his thoughts racing when he thought through all the dire implications. "But wait, that means..."

Lauren flashed him a dimpled smile, brilliant green eyes flashing under rich auburn locks of hair rippling under a playful nature spirit's care. "No need to worry about that, Jack. No one can claim quest potency if he himself was, directly or indirectly, the cause of the catastrophe. At least if they know about it."

Sin nodded. "Bedded into the fucking bedrock of this reality. Like a fundamental law of physics or magic or computer code. Take your pick. They're all the same, here."

Jack gave a thoughtful nod. "That's actually good to hear. Because otherwise..."

"Otherwise Delvers would be a bunch of monsters extorting people's lives and youth for power," said Mitch. "And the most ruthless would become the strongest, and this place really would be hell on Earth."

There wasn't really much he could say to that, his mind still racing with the horror and glory of all they had accomplished, all they had witnessed and overcome, was focusing on what he could do to better the odds of surviving whatever might be coming their way.

Because after the mayor had sacrificed so much to set up a quest for the sake of his town, there was no way in hell that Jack would run away from that responsibility. Not without seeing it through.

***

"Sagitta Acidum!" Jack still felt a rush of exultation whenever he felt the weave and web of magic flowing through his soul before culminating in the momentary miracle of visualization given life and form.

Or, in this case, an elongated arrow of acid streaking forth from his hand, to smack into the hard-packed dirt road. And what a chilling marvel it was to see the dirt hiss and sputter as that arrow of ultimate solvent ate through even the hardpacked dirt they walked upon.

You have successfully cast Acid Arrow!

Your ability to harness the energies of dissolution and release them in a stable, useful form has improved.

Acid Arrow is now Novice Rank 2!

Mitch frowned at Jack's finger. "Careful with that spell, Jack. And is it really the best idea to practice that behind us, while were still moving? If you fuck up..."

Jack flashed an apologetic grin. "Sorry, Mitch. But from what Sharon's mentioned, and what we've seen fromthe golems, automaton, and undead, her class's corrosion spells areone of the few things the undead seems pretty vulnerable to. And since I'm still only a low Novice Ranker with this spell...there's no way I'd trust myself to actually using it in the heat of combat if people aren't comfortable with me even practicing at a sedate walk."

"He says that after his crimson flame that looked an awful lot like blood magic torched half of them like napalm," snarked a quietly amused Sin.

"And I love mastering that spell," Jack acknowledged. "It's now so well ingrained that I can cast it on the fly, on instinct, without freezing up in combat. That, and Waterspout, are definitely my go-to spells. But casting the variant that actually hurts those fuckers takes more out of me than you know. Besides, I'd far rather be able to deliver death from a distance than have to get in a ghoul's face every time I need to kill one."

"Always snipe your targets from a distance," Sin laughed. "Spoken like a true gamer."

"Or soldier," Mitch acknowledged, at last giving a thoughtful nod. "Fair point. Alright then, point your spell finger back the way we came, so there's no chance of you hitting us if you fuck it up." He then flashed a hard smile. "And if you can actually get comfortable casting it...it might just save our butts later on."

Sharon's face, however, had tightened into a scowl. "And just how well have you mastered Flamestrike, Jack?"

Jack winked. "Well enough to cast it on the fly and save your life if you need me. And how can you put a rank on something as priceless as that?"

Sharon's frown eased to a bemused half-smirk as Lauren chuckled.

"He has you there, girl." Lauren said, squeezed her friend's hand. "Come on, don't be mad, okay? It's his gift. Just like ours is to level up. I think Mitch is right. Jack really is a Jack of all Trades. And although he might never master the knack of levels as we know that, a skilled handyman who's mastered low level spells for every occasion... someone like that could only help our team."

Sharon sighed, though kept up her pace, all of them making their way in the direction they could now perfectly sense the town to be, thanks to their internal interfaces' quest markers. "I know, Lauren, it's just that after I, well..."

"Burned up a precious level-up point grasping ahold of journeyman rank of one of the deadliest spells I've ever seen, locking in a free spell perk and added damage just when when we needed it the most?"

Sharon winced, but nodded. "That which cost me a portion of my potential to internalize, I don't know, a hundred hours of study? Maybe more, maybe a helluva lot more? Jack blazes through in a fraction of that time."

Lauren nodded. "I know. It's his gift. Let me ask you something. How close are you to level 5 and truly embracing the awesome?"

Sharon laughed at that. I'm almost at the cusp of another breakthrough. And then I'll lock in Rank 7 Enhancer sphere, a second Tier 3 spell, and I'll be boosting all our arms and armor to near indestructible status!"

"Wonderful!" Lauren said, stealing a sidelong glance Jacks' way that he pretended not to notice. "And what level is Jack?"

Her friend winced. "Level 1. Working his damnest to get absolutely everything he can... out of Tier 1 spells."

"Exactly," Lauren said. "We all have our strengths. And our limitations," she said, the girls conversation falling into softer tones as Jack did his best to fully tune them out, all his focus now on practicing a spell he hardly knew at all. Slowly, carefully, he tapped into his mana, feeling it flow into a deadly compact ball of caustic destruction and then... release.

Losing himself in an odd half trance as his legs carried him forward, his focus always on their rear. Sensing the magic flowing through him and the environment all around him as he slowly felt his understanding of this esoteric spell that was, now that he thought about it, really just an odd fusion of Water, Earth, and the destructive power of solvents and erosion, slowly improve, determined to make this art, or at least this particular manifestation of an Enhancer's art, his own.

Cast and release.

Cast and release.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Feel the magic flow.

Sense the target fast approaching.

Fire!

Arcane Perception skillcheck successful!

"Mitch! They're here!" Jack roared as he snapped out of his trance, firing point blank into the face of a ghoul that had just jumped from the trees.

A deadly ambush that Jack could just barely sense with his budding Arcane Perception Skill as the ghoul's rotting head and upper torso fizzed and dissolved as the abomination screetched and thrashed.

Before stilling forever more.

But Jack didn't pay it an instant's further mind as surprise momentarily froze everyone but Mitch, who roared and lashed out with the shield forever in hand, the loud crack of breaking bone audible even over the panicked screams of his friends, Lauren's Windward the only arcane protection they had, and even that was just enough to deflect hurtling ghouls the few desperate inches separating ugly flesh wounds from lethal torn throats or snapped spines. And though Jack hoped increased levels equaled increased health pool or Indy Jones style uncanny survival luck, he sure as hell didn't want that question answered at the expense of his friends.

Because the time for concentrated focus was off.

The the desperate screams and roars of his friends, and the sharp cry and mana backlash as Sharon's Dissolution Orb spell cut off with a charging ghoul, Jack relied on instinct, on the spell he would embrace as quickly and naturally as his own burning rage against these abominations, the terror he saw in Lauren's eyes, pushed too many times to the brink of peril in too few days enough to fill him with such blinding protective fury that he didn't hesitate to fuel the fires in his fist with the caustic sting of his own crimson hate as he roared and lashed out at the nearest ghoul with a stream of hot, firey death.

Finesse check made!

You have successfully fast-cast Ice Shield!

You have boosted your spell!

And when he spun away from the howling roaring monster of a ghast now confronting him, he moved as if he had danced this danced with the undead countless times before.

His feet moving naturally. Instinctively.

As if it was a dance in truth, Jack only now remembering the deadly steps in the crucible of peril, as if finally waking from the longest of dreams.

The dance of combat agrees with you!

Finesse increased to 13 as you embrace lessons learned a lifetime ago!

Quickness has increased to 12. You sense the ebb and flow of combat and how to respond to it better than ever before!

"Ignis Fons!" Jack roared, caring nothing for the shrieking howls of the greater gasp now a living torch as Jack's crimson spray of blood and flame ate into his foe as viciously as Greek fire.

Slamming it down with a charge and bash, caring not at all that his shield was now the color of rubies, prismatic, beautiful, saturated with his life force.

A price he'd happily pay if it meant he could fight these abominations on equal footing.

Perception check successful!

Sensing the silent killer even then launching for his back, just as a fellow had taken down Sharon a heartbeat before.

"Sharon!" Jacob's desperate voice echoed through the trees.

"Focus!" Mitch roared, his battlecries and own desperate battle instantly tuned out of Jack's focus as he twisted and pivoted, time seeming to stretch oddly as he lifted his blood shield and prepared his tightly clenched right fist to deliver pain as the howling ghast with jaws wide as any wolf launched itself forward.

Only to explode as Jack slammed his fist down its gullet, releasing he had before the beast could chomp down on his elemental gauntlet.

"FONS!" he roared as the ghast's milky white eyes widened and filled with crimson heat, before its skull and torso exploded in flame.

You have critically struck Ghast with internal flame. Fatality! You are immune to your own flames. Your blood knows its master.

Jack shook away the notifications skimming across his mind's eye.

At that moment having eyes only for Sharon, shrieking as she was swarmed by ghouls.

"Sharon!" Jacob's desperate cry as the entire forest trail glowed with silver-white light, Jack feeling his spirits' bouyed by the paladin's aura, but it did nothing to quell the horror he felt.

Nor the relief flooding through him as a roaring Mitch slammed into the abominations, sending them flying before whipping forth with his axe, cleaving skulls and limbs with a furious barrage of warrior feats chained together so fast and furious, far more quickly than he sensed was the norm, that even now Jack could sense the deadly master of the arena sands this warrior would one day forge himself into.

Thoughts that fled his mind the instant he took in Sharon's collapsed form.

He swallowed, girding himself to embrace the pain.

To save his friend.

Only for Jacob to appear as if by magic, sobbing and cradling his girl as he wrapped her in a warm corona of Silvery light. And a desperate glance exchanged and Jack knew his role.

He wasn't the healer at that moment as Jacob used one, or perhaps all, of his limited daily uses of Healing Hands.

He was the defender.

And so Jack stood, blood boiling with wrath as he kept his shield raised and fist no instinctively burning with crimson fire just a syllable from exploding forth.

Caring nothing for the notifications flashing in his minds eye as the bloodfire slowly ate into his own potency, his experience slowly draining, drip by drip as the trio of ghouls before him snarled and howled.

Jack flashed a fierce snarl of his own.

"Bring it!" He roared.

And they did.

Roaring and howling, flying through the air... only to be coated in liquid flame.

Living torches crashing into him as Jack braced himself for their tackle, slamming two to the ground before he finally fell.

You have successfully shield-bashed Wight!

Ghoul has been forced of balance.

Second ghoul has clipped you at the knees!

You have fallen to the ground. You have taken 2 Light Wounds.

"Ignis Fons!"

Earth Armor (vambrace) absorbs Medium Wound. Right wrist suffers punctures & bruising.

Enemy ghoul's head and lungs explode from pressurized liquid flame!

Experience earned!

And the exultation Jack felt beyond the terror of the moment as he tasted the sweet hot burning connection to his magic more clearly than ever before turned to searing agony as desperate fangs tore into his thigh.

He screamed, acting with desperate haste lest the beast actually savage his femoral artery, not hesitating to jam and he was certain break a bone as he lodged his finger into its eye, right before filling it with flame.

And suddenly the world was lit with shrieks and flame and Jack wasn't entirely certain if he or his enemies were in greater torment as he clenched his jaw and filled his trembling form with a wave of healing energy and the shrieks and horror of battles fought and endured a lifetime ago.

Flashes of pain and loss from a life he had never lived.

The bitter burden he paid to be able to heal at all.

Before lurching to his feet, drawing a cutlass that he doubted would do a damn bit of good against toughened goulish flesh, only to find all his enemies dead.

The last scream he heard having been his own.

Heart in throat, desperate eyes scanned over his friends.

There Mitch was, gazing at jack so strangely, Jacob as well, nodding with what Jack was almost certain was solemn approval.

And when he saw a wan looking Sharon smiling weakly at him as she was gently held by Lauren, Jack's heart soared.

"Thank god!" He whispered, before spinning around in sudden alarm. "Where's Sin?"

"He's okay," Mitch said, fists tightly clenching axe and shield as turned his focus once more to the forest all around them, ash, oak, maple and chestnut just a few of the giant sentinels Jack recognized, the thick forest canopy overhead excellent for keeping a hot summer day at bay, but perilous when it came to ambushes. "Damn good fighting, by the way, Jack." He turned back, flashing a tight little smile. "At this rate your kill count with these fuckers is going to exceed mine."

Jack smiled at that, but before he could answer a powerful hand clapped his shoulder, Jacob's intent brown eyes gazing into his own. "Thank you, Jack. For rushing to her side, for covering our backs..." Jacob's eyes reddened. He blinked and swallowed before speaking on. "If you hadn't been there, just when we needed you... risking your life, not even trained as a warrior, I just..."

Jack waved the words away. "Easy with the praise, buddy. I'm earning mad hero points coming to your rescue. If you don't look out, Sharon might end up falling for me! Hell, maybe you both will."

Jacob instantly stilled. He blinked in confusion.

Jack laughed, as did a far frailer sounding Sharon. "I think our Jack of All trades is having you on, lover. And he's right. We're brothers and sisters in battle. No need for mushy stuff. Except with me."

The paladin in their group chuckled good-naturedly, though the admiration in his eyes hadn't left when he clapped Jack's shoulder. "Thank you, Jack. From the bottom of my heart." he turned to his wanly smiling girl. "Alright, mushy scene's over. How are you feeling, babe?"

"Like I got hit by a truck and scuffed all to hell," she quipped back, beautiful almond eyes and model-like features no less striking for being scuffed and scratched, their paladin's lay-on-hands spell having healed near fatal wounds in ways any Earthbound doctor would have envied with all his heart, once upon a time. "But the important thing is I'm alive, and now have multiple heroes guarding my back."

Lauren grinned. "You got that right, sister."

Sharon nodded. "Thanks to your Wind Ward, we actually stood a chance. But still..

The witch nodded. "Still, it was too close.

Jacob shook his head. "I should have had a ward up at all times. I knew I should have! It's just a paint to hold tight to the discipline for so long. Draining as hell if it's part of a woodland march."

"Wheras my Windward, a manifestation of the spirits under my sway, is effortless for me to cast and maintain," said Lauren. One of the advantages of being a witch, working through spirit mediums, versus channeling so much power directly through you."

Sharon smiled sadly. "Still, it's no excuse for the rest of us. I should have spent the time and energy enhancing everyone's gear with my Tier 2 spell."

Jacob nodded. "And I should have put up my basic buff at all times, even if it's a pain to focus on when not squeezing tight once before combat."

Jack smirked. "Well, I sure as hell am not dropping my shield anytime soon, so I'm with you on all fronts."

His shield that really did look like a massive shimmering ruby definitely caught there attention.

Sharon tilted her head. "Jack? What the hell did you do to your shield?"

Jack smirked. "I sort of boosted it in the heat of combat, right before that damned wight or ghast or whatever the hell that half vampire looking zombie thing is, nearly tore my throat out." He pointed to one of the carbonized splotches on the ground. "Then I bloodflamed it, and well, that was that."

Sharon's eyes widened. "Wait. You boosted and altered both your shield and flame spell?"

Jack grimaced. "I did indeed. But it comes at a cost."

Sharon's gaze turned solemn. "I'm sorry."

Jack nodded, gaze turning inward, feeling bitter sweet mix of joy and regret in the messages he saw, before taking a look at his interface sheet, awed by all the changes that had come over him in such a short period of time.

Congratulations! Flame Strike is now Journeyman Rank 5!

Shield and Weapon is now Apprentice Rank 5!

Arcane Perception is now Novice Rank 5!

You have successfully devised a Blood-mage variant of Ice Shield!

Ice Shield is now Journeyman Rank 3!

Note. You have tapped into your potency multiple times channeling bloodmagics!

All earned experience for this battle has been invested in Skills of Survival.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Jack Evergreen Class:Undecided Level 0

Primary Attributes

Strength 11

Vitality 11

Finesse 13

Quickness 12

Perception 12

Scholarship 15

Willpower 12

Charisma 11

Insight. (One’s ability to read between the lines, link seemingly disparate pieces of information together and extrapolate beyond the readily apparent. The flashes of genius or inspiration that lead to profound understanding. Score is achievement based, modifier given dependent upon display of cognitive prowess.

Health 10xVit+Str+(10xlevel) = 141

Stamina 10xVit+Str= 141

Mana 100 +10 (+10+20) = Rank 2 Diligent Arcanist. = 140

Base Appearance 10 (Average)

Virtues

Rapid Learner - Benefit to all who once walked the Path of Immortality. You learn skills of significance far faster than normal, as if you’ve done it all before. Because you have.

Explosive Growth - You now walk the Path of Peril. Should you perish, it could well be forever. So tread carefully as you quest for power that would make even kings and academy wizards green with envy.

Plane Walker – Novice Rank 1 (Like all true adventurers, you can step in and out of Regio, magical pocket dimensions, freely. Increase skill ranks to enter realms lost to time and legend, or leap between realities to explore entirely different worlds!)

Flaws

Painful Healing – Healing spells cost +100% normal mana. -2 to all skill and willpower roles for all skills save healing for 1 hour afterwards (haunted by memories thought put to rest a lifetime ago and simple physical exhaustion.) - This has no effect on your ability to manufacture healing potions (lucky you!)

Perks Earned in Game

Rank 1 Diligent Arcanist. Permanent +10 to his Mana pool. 10 hours spell training prerequisite met.

Skills of Significance

Survival Skills: Homesteading – Novice Rank 5 / Wilderness Survival – Novice Rank 5 / Stealth – Apprentice Rank 2 / Tracking – Apprentice Rank 1 / Herbalism – Novice Rank 5 / Cooking – Novice Rank 5 / Climbing – Novice Rank 5

Social Skills: Interrogation – Novice Rank 4

Miscellaneous Skills: Weaving - Novice Rank 5

Martial Skills: Archery – Apprentice Rank 3 / Shield and Weapon – Apprentice Rank 5 / One handed blades – Novice Rank 4 / Brawling – Novice Rank 2 / Polearms – Novice Rank 3

Arcane Skills: Natural Alchemy (Includes Blood Alchemy & Poisons) – Novice Rank 5 / Arcane Perception – Novice Rank 5 / Rune Forging (Includes Blood Runes) – Journeyman Rank 1 (Obscuro / Lituus / Suspension / Strength / Vitality )

Spellboost - Novice Rank 5

Magical Arts Learned

Druidic Arts (Path of Blood is open to you.)

Sphere – Animal

Tier 1 Spells – Summon Giant Killer Bee / Blood Bee – Novice Rank 5 (Apprentice 2) (25 mana at base Reserved)

Sphere – Herbam

Tier 1 Spells – Fecund Growth – Novice Rank 5

Clerical Arts

Sphere – Healing

Tier 1 Spells – Lesser Healing. Heal 1 Health per 10 seconds 5(10) mana spent per health. - Apprentice 2

Elementalist Arts

Sphere - Fire

Tier 1 Spells – Firestream – Journeyman Rank 5! - Potent Flame Perk - x1.25 additional damage, factoring all bonuses and variables! Opponents have -4 to all skillchecks to counter Potent Flame. - Note, you have discovered Firestream Variant- Bloodflame! (Rank = Firestream Rank)

Bloodflame enjoys caustic liquid properties! Targets struck will continue to burn, for so long as you concentrate (paying mana costs equivalent to initiating spell. No further experience cost need be paid.) These flames cannot be extinguished, for so long as you concentrate! Thanks to spiritual nature of attack (experience point potency expenditure) all attempts to ward or neutralize Bloodflame will suffer a penalty equivalent to your modified willpower check!

Sphere – Air

Tier 1 Spells – Wind Gust – Novice Rank 5

Sphere – Water

Tier 1 Spells – Geyser – Journeyman Rank 4 / Ice Shield – Journeyman Rank 3

You may choose a specialization. (Choice retroactively made) Elementalist aptitude allows for Resilient Ice Shield! Your Ice Shield now has a bit of the resilience and flexibility of Mother Earth itself! In addition to absorbing 5 points per rank of damage from every blow parried, your Ice Shield also has HP = to 5x skill rank. Damage to shield beyond amount automatically absorbed will be drawn from this HP pool before shield bursts and the damage falls to you!

Ice Shield is now Journeyman Rank 3! Bloodshield Variant found! At significant potency cost, you can boost your shield's ability to absorb damage by an additional 50%! Additionally, this variant is particularly resistant to flame (Bloodfire synergism detected).

Sphere – Earth

Tier 1 Spells – Stone Shot – Novice Rank 5 / Elemental Armor – Apprentice Rank 2

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