You have quite a wealth of attribute points to distribute.

“Yes. Do you have any recommendations?” I asked.

You’ve chosen an ability that is dependent on mana. Improving your intelligence or wisdom or both may be wise.

I considered my attributes and made my decisions.

Intelligence was increased from 10 to 12, improving my mana pool to 108. I added 2 points to wisdom as well, to go from 12 to 14. That left me with 5 points left. I put 1 point into strength and agility and 3 points into constitution.

That’s a very...aggressive increase to your constitution.

“I don’t want to die,” I replied grimly. “That would mean losing the Bag of Holding and every other item I’ve gained. You said once that those who are reborn lose some of their power when they die. How does that work?”

No one knows exactly how the Paraclete determines the loss of power--there does not seem to be any kind of set percentage of experience or skills. Also, that power is more easily regained than when it was first earned.

“...my strength is not yet what it once was…”

My protector.

“Wait. Could that mean that I’m...regaining...power?” I queried.

It seems likely.

“But that would mean that I lost everything! I was at level 1 when I woke up in Spiral Castle!”

Yes, it would seem as if your death penalty was quite extraordinary. It might also explain why your advancement has been so rapid. You’ve gained in levels--both experience and skill--at a tremendous rate.

“Why didn’t you mention any of this before?” I accused.

Well, we have been quite busy simply keeping you alive. Moreover, this is all conjecture. Your situation is...puzzling. I would even say unique. Perhaps it has something to do with your amnesia.

For a moment it seemed to me as if she was about to say something more, but she didn’t. Disgruntled at what I felt was her unwillingness to explain more of her thoughts, I clenched my teeth and bit back angry words. The truth was that I wouldn’t be alive if it hadn’t been for her. And regardless of what she might be hiding from me, she had provided me with a wealth of knowledge.

Pulling my mind back to my Status, I considered, “Eleven skill points. Having a bank of points to draw from was critical before when I raised my Identify skill, but I’m not sure I feel comfortable having so many that are unassigned. If I die, that’s a lot to lose.

I agree. What are you thinking of doing?

I spoke slowly.

“My Swords is at 12. If I increase it to 15, I should get a new ability, yes?”

That is not guaranteed. It might simply boost your current abilities or skill in some manner. Skills and abilities are in many ways bespoke. However, I will say that your affinity for Swords is remarkable. It is a reasonable use of your skill points.

“My Dodge has been increasing, though more slowly than Swords. I certainly like not getting hit. I could inch it up one level to 5. That should give me some kind of bonus or ability.”

Very good thinking, she approved. Your understanding of how to work the system is serving you well.

“That would leave me with 7 unassigned points.”

I thought furiously. I could increase Swords again to level 20 and possibly get another boost or ability. But would that be wise? Should I be focusing so much on my martial skills? Identify was at 7. Analyze was at 3. I could boost them to 10 and 5. Would that allow me to Identify more of the items I had scavenged? If I pushed Identify to 10, that would leave me with 4 unassigned points. I would be unable to push Swords to 20. What was the correct thing to do?

Torn with indecision, I wrestled with the possibilities before finally making choices.

Congratulations! Your Identify skill has increased to Level 8...9...10…

Congratulations! Your Dodge skill has increased to Level 5.

Congratulations! Your Swords skill has increased to Level 13...14...15…

Seven points used. Four points left. Eager to see what my decisions had given me, I pulled out all of the items I had failed to Identify and tried again. Three of them yielded to my attempts.

Cloak of the Undead.

Made of human skin, this cloak may fool the undead into believing you are one of them. Higher intelligence in the undead decreases the success rate.

Human skin! I cringed and dropped the disgusting thing.

“Do you see that? It’s made of skin! Human skin!”

I drew back from it as if it was diseased. My stomach roiled as I took a closer look, and I wondered how I had missed the fact that it was not made of cloth. The voluminous nature of the cloak made me wonder how many people had died during its creation.

“Should I keep it?” I whispered. “It might help me survive.”

That’s up to you, Paol.

Her voice in my mind was oddly toneless.

I struggled with my conscience before grabbing it with trembling fingers and shoving it into the bag. I hadn’t killed anyone to make it, and it was already in existence now. Why throw it away? Did it matter how it had been made at this point? And maybe it would be the key to saving my life.

These arguments echoed through my head, even as I felt a tightness in my chest. It didn’t feel right, but I didn’t want to die. Life...life was too sweet...even what little I had experienced since waking in the bowels of Spiral Castle.

Ring of Lesser Invisibility.

Once a day, enemies will be unable to see you for 5 minutes. As for the other senses? Hopefully you’re quiet and downwind. Taste? Feel? Physical contact will destroy the illusion.

I immediately slipped the ring onto a finger.

Socks of Stability.

Keep your feet when all others are losing theirs.

Was this a joke?

“Veritas, are these socks for real?”

You have quite the find there.

“You’re kidding, right? I mean...socks?” I asked incredulously.

Why not? They’ll help you keep your balance during difficult situations. Like if a snow leopard was chasing you across the frozen surface of a lake. Or if you were walking a thin ledge high up in the mountains while being buffeted by high speed winds above a drop of a thousand feet.

“Okay, I guess I can see the usefulness. But man, the're so dirty!”

Easily remedied. Simply wash them.

“I can’t squelch around in wet socks while trying to sneak through the Realm of Shadow!”

I felt a sigh in my head.

Do the best you can to clean them and then put them on top of me. I’ll heat up and help them dry quickly.

Well. That wasn’t a solution that would have occurred to me. I obeyed her instructions and lay the socks on Veritas’s blade. I yawned. Forty-two Shadow Bats dead. I wondered how long it had taken. I had been looting in between kills, too. My eyes felt heavy.

Just a couple more things, and then I’d rest. I focused on Dodge but felt nothing.

“I don’t sense anything from Dodge, even though I raised it to level 5.”

It may be that your skill simply has a boost without an ability being offered. It’s like that for many skills.

A little disappointed, I eagerly focused on Swords.

You have reached Level 15 in Swords. New abilities are now available to you. Choose one:

Power Strike

Danger Sense

Quick Draw

Power Strike - If your blow lands, do double damage. 1% chance per level of bypassing armor.

Cost: 10 stamina

Cooldown: 60 seconds

Danger Sense - Your battle experience grants you the ability to sense incipient attacks.

Cost: None

Cooldown: None

Quick Draw - Even a split second can mean the difference between life and death when it’s time to fight.

Cost: 10 stamina

Cooldown: 60 seconds

I described the options before me and waited on Veritas.

Danger Sense is a rare ability. Not only will it warn you of danger when an attack is imminent, it will help you to anticipate your opponent in the middle of a fight.

Quick Draw is also rare. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it really can mean the difference between life and death. With Quick Draw, your sword will be in your hand almost as soon as you think of it. If you’re within attacking range of an opponent, it will often grant you the initiative.

You already know Power Strike. You’ve rejected it twice--reasonably so, considering your alternatives. However, I’d like to mention that some abilities are prerequisites for others. Power Strike is the first step down the path of more and more destructive attacks. A future ability or iteration may morph it into something much stronger than what you see now.

Two rare abilities. Despite what Verias had said about the possible evolution of Power Strike, I was inclined to ignore it in favor of one of the other two. I struggled over the decision before finally making my choice.

Danger Sense.

This ability was always on and cost nothing. I also suspected that it might be helpful even outside of direct combat.

“Do you mind if I take a nap? I’d like a little rest before we re-enter Shadow.”

I yawned.

Go ahead, Paol. Make sure the knot tying me to your hand is firm and then rest.

Darkness took hold of me--but a natural kind of darkness. No bats or skeletons. No strange shadowy stars. Just sleep.