Chapter 19: Party Status

“Considering the circumstances, and given we might die and lose levels in the process, I propose we dedicate the two remaining days to leveling. Let’s go somewhere rich with monsters and farm experience.”

“It’s not like we have anything better to do.”

“Indeed, Dorian! Before we start, however, let me take a look at your status. Is there any way I can see your spells?”

“We can give you permission.” His eyes move to look at something that I can’t see, menus. “Here. Look at the party status now.”

Party!

[Party]

Mark (Leader)

Class: Inquisitor (13)

HP: 100/100

Mana: 111/111

Rand

Class: Body Enhancer (13)

HP: 150/150

Mana: 65/65

Mike

Class: Elemental Wizard (13)

HP: 72/72

Mana: 152/152

Dorian

Class: Scout (14)

HP: 117/117

Mana: 112/112

Lillia

Class: Duelist (13)

HP: 167/167

Mana: 123/123

I refrain from saying I’ve caught up with them. I’d still be a bit behind if they hadn’t lost a level in the recent death. And I’m asking them to die once again. Mmh. Their growth rate also seems slow, although not as much as mine. I’m stuck with the same 100 HP since the start.

“I can’t see any spells or abilities here. Are you sure you did it right?”

Dorian lets out a sight, maybe exasperated with me. “You have to inspect us individually. The party screen would be too flooded with information.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Let me try, thanks!” I put on my best apologetic smile and start bringing them up one by one.

[Rand]

HP: 150/150

Mana: 65/65

Body Enhancer [13]

Body enhancers are born with natural resistances. They mitigate 10(+12)% of the damage, making theirs one of the most robust bodies. They sacrifice power and mana in exchange for high durability and health.

Charge [6]

Quickly travels to the enemy position. Upon impact, it gives a bonus of 5(+5)% attack damage and might knock down the victim. It costs 10 mana and has 1 minute of cooldown.

Reinforce [4]

Your body bulks, augmenting your physical and magical defenses by 25(+3)% during 30 seconds. Costs 15 mana, has a cooldown of 5 minutes.

Enrage [5]

If an enemy that has recently attacked you tries to move away, your Charge resets and is immediately available. If your Charge connects, Reinforce is cast freely, even if in cooldown. This effect cannot happen more than 2 times in 300(-8)s.

That’s interesting. There is no automated way of permanently holding an enemy’s attention. Still, he has tools to pursue and tie them down if it is necessary. I guess the traditional tank that aggroes enemies or taunts them would not work here. You are against real life; why wouldn’t they be able to go after the poor mage at the backline?

His resistances are also out of the norm. He is already canceling close to 25% of the damage without doing anything. And up to 50% when he casts Reinforce. That’s actually crazy. I’m sure there will be ways to tear through his defenses, but still, right now, he’s an insurmountable wall

[Mike]

HP: 72/72

Mana: 152/152

Elemental Wizard [11]

They command the elements to purge their enemies from the face of the earth. Wizards are masters of magic who control fire, wind, earth, and water. They are a threat if left alone but will quickly die if they are not adequately guarded.

Fireball [6]

Immediately conjure a ball of fire and fire it in a straight line. Does 15 of magical damage at the cost of 10 mana. Has a cooldown of 5(-2.5)s.

Fire Abyss [3]

Channel for 10(-1)s to blast a circular area of 3(+1) meters in diameter, dealing 500 magical damage at the center, diminishing to 150 at the edges.

Costs 50 mana and has a cooldown of 1 minute.

Staff Wielder [6]

You may use your staff to attack at a distance with magic. Every one second, hurl a straight ball of energy that will deal 1 damage. Channel for a longer duration, spending the same amount of mana as time, and deal double the channeled amount as magic damage.

“Just out of curiosity, Mike. Did you choose to focus on fire spells? Or how does it work?”

“I’m not clear on that… it’s just what I was given. So you think…” He clears his throat. “Maybe you could ask Isha?”

“Yes! Don’t worry, I’ll do it next time.” I give him a thumbs up. “By the way, what’s that Staff Wielder skill? Can I get it too?”

“It just came naturally to me after some time of casting fireballs while holding the staff. If I had to guess, I’d say it requires to throw projectile-like spells to learn it.”

“Oh! So it’s like my Levitate? A self-learned spell, nice!” I’m not sure I can learn it, then. I have nothing even close to a magic ball. Still, it would be helpful to do some damage during fights, even if low.

[Dorian]

HP: 117/117

Mana: 112/112

Scout [13]

Natural agility that allows them to blend with the environment is just one of their traits. They can move faster and more silently than your average class. Their vision, both in reach and minimum light required, is also improved. As its name implies, it’s a class designed for reconnaissance.

Wind Whisper [3]

As long as someone is in range, you may send your voice to them. It has a cost of 10 mana per second.

Assassinate [4]

Use your daggers to pierce through an enemy’s critical point and deal bonus physical damage, from 25(+2)% and up to 100(+2)%. Critical points are not revealed; they might be weak points, organs, existing wounds, or such. The inflicted damage will depend on the target point.

Dagger mastery [5]

Your knowledge of daggers allows you to wear and use them with ease. Levels influence your ability and dexterity with them.

Basically, everything we have seen so far. Scouting and dealing some damage to the backline. Albeit not much, I reckon. It is purely what his daggers might yield. His role is not exactly being an assassin, even though he has a skill with the name. He can’t all-in an enemy and kill them in less than a second. He shines at continually going in and out of the battle to hit multiple times.

[Lillia]

HP: 167/167

Mana: 123/123

Duelist [12]

They focus on dealing critical strikes while avoiding damage from the enemy. They are known for their legendary footwork and damage throughput. Their users aim for a balance of special abilities and simple sword slashes.

Dash [5]

Skips a distance ahead with a fast movement. For the next 5(+2) seconds, your reflexes are enhanced, increasing your evasiveness. Costs 10 mana and has a cooldown of 10 seconds.

Parry [5]

It must be used exactly when your opponent strikes you. Break their equilibrium, receiving 5(+2)s of enhanced perception, which allows you to locate and target critical points easier. Costs 20 mana, has a cooldown of 30 seconds.

Puncture [4]

Concentrate your strength in a forward thrust, increasing your damage output by 100%. If it strikes a critical point, it is instead increased by 150(+3)%. Costs 10 mana, has a cooldown of 10 seconds.

Sword Mastery [6]

Your knowledge of swords allows you to wear and use them with ease. Levels influence your ability and dexterity with them.

Nice! She can focus on damage, but she is definitely suited to being an off-tank when we need it. She has enough tricks to survive, and her high amount of health points will help too. Actually, she’s got even more than Rand, although her resistances must be much lower than his.

“Perfect! All done. I believe we were on the right track; everyone was in their best role. Now I have a better view of our team. We will coordinate better for sure.”

“Where do we go?”

“Just yesterday, I saw a message on the board about powerleveling. It was in another city, but let me check if there is anything near here.” Just when I was about to check it, something inside me clicks into place. “Hey, what do you say about posting about the war? We will need help for Draka.”

“Yes!” Lillia almost cuts me off. “If we can get more people to help, maybe, just maybe, we can do it.”

“Ok then, let me write something up. Sorry to keep you waiting, but I think the sooner, the better.” In reality, I don’t think we can win. Not with just a few volunteers, that is. The enemy army, the one we say, was so huge that we were wiped clean with just a few arrows. Our only hope would be the city using its army too, but I don’t think that’s happening.

Irisgarth needs your help. The people of Draka will die.

I quickly bring up the pertinent menus and begin writing our story. I write the complete text, how it started as a simple mission against Kobolds and how it turned out to be the war plans. Finally, I close it up with a call to action:

In two days from today, they will strike Draka, a town west of Irisgarth. The governor has decided to abandon them, but we can not stand by!

We, a group of five, are planning to defend it. We welcome anyone who would like to join us. Be advised, our chances of victory are scarce to none.

Even if you can not make it to Draka, we would like everyone to gather at Irisgarth in FOUR days. That’s when they’ll strike. Level up and prepare; we can’t let them win. We can’t let Irisgarth fall!

Once written, I double-check that everything adds up and post it. I truly hope someone will see it. If we manage to gather a dozen or two, we might be able to organize a rescue party. Move them far from the city and protect them from wild animals and monsters. The town might be destroyed, but they’ll at least live.

A quick check on the powerleveling thread reports nothing. It speaks about good locations around another starter city. And so say all the comments. I was hoping someone mentioned something valuable for us.

We are a well-tied small group, well balanced and suited for drag-out battles. And most importantly, our communication is on point. We can afford to face enemies well beyond our level. Maybe we can aim for enemies that double ours? Yeah, my gains with the Kobolds when I was level 1 were impressive; we should aim for that gap.

“There’s nothing posted about Irisgarth hunting grounds. So, does anybody know where we can find level 20 plus monsters?”