Deacon thought on what Cheshire said. He hadn’t spent much time focusing on his skill and very rarely referencing his slate. Everything seemed to be moving at such high speed he didn’t have time to stop. Sure, there was five minutes here and there for some meditation but nothing that really solidified his mind in this new world. Hopefully higher levels of meditation will help rewrite his perspective. With that Deacon opened slate to examine his skills and abilities.

Ability Name

Level

Progress

Description

Spectral Dodge

1

80%

This ability consumes soul energy to move you out of the way of incoming attacks. This ability will only work while soul energy is available. At current level it will consume one soul per use.

Touch of the Void

1

95%

This ability applies Holy damage to your melee strikes by channeling the cold void of the Nether Plane. Repeated strikes apply a slowing effect.

Soul Sight

1

N/A

This ability allows the Nether Monk to see spirits, specters, ghosts, and other incorporeal beings. This is a passive ability that also grants limited sight in dark places, up to 15 feet.

SAYance

1

20%

This ability will let you speak to souls. If these souls are consumed, you may temporarily use an ability they knew at the cost of their soul. If the soul is non sentient you will be able to delve into its memories. Be warned, the older a soul is before moving on the less sane it will be so information may no longer be reliable.

Strike of the Phantasm Knight*

1

20%

This ability summons a giant armored arm of a phantasm knight from the frozen Nether plane. This ability converts soul energy into holy damage x10. It can only be used on a stationary target and will consume health if insufficient soul energy is available. *It is suggested that the user transcends the mortal limit before use.

Zageracks breathing Technique

1

50%

This ability allows for the conversion of souls into energy within your body. Souls will be drawn to you passively at a slow rate. If you meditate and concentrate on your breathing, you can absorb souls much more quickly. Soul energy can be used for various special attacks, these attacks will all count as Holy damage.

Nether Beam

1

20%

Nether Beam fires concentrated Nether Plane energy causing a target to freeze in place until thawed. This technique can be sustained to create thicker ice at the cost of a soul per minute.

Apparitions Aura

1

35%

Allows fine control of energies from the Nether Plane to surround the user. This can create many affects but will slowly drain soul energy if not near a sufficient supply of souls.

Skills

Level

Progress

Description

Pressure Palm

2

0%

This fighting style incorporates pressure points to aid in disabling opponents for a swift coup de grace. At even levels additional effects can be added to strikes. These effects are detailed at skill level ups.

Alchemy

1

0%

a medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base metals into gold, the discovery of a universal cure for disease, and the discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life.

Meditation

1

20%

Deep introspection into ones sense of self.

It looked to Deacon like his Spectral Dodge and Touch of the Void were close to leveling. That was good since he’d like a bit more utility out of them. He really liked Nether Beam but needed to practice with it. Just freezing an enemy in place doesn’t end a fight. There may be some more subtlety there he is missing. As for skills, meditation has simply been his hotline to the gods. Maybe one day they’ll let him just think and rest while he does it. Alchemy holds a lot of promise. While the recipes he learned from Molok are mostly advanced, he did have a few options. He really liked the idea of Wood Strengthening. Without being able to hold a weapon maybe he could Hacksaw Jim Duggan this world and smash the baddies with an unbreakable 2x4. Glass Strengthening was another option. He might be able to sell unbreakable potion bottles. Of course, he’ll need a glass maker contact. What he really wanted was a way to make rubber. He once worked for a rubber manufacturer in his old world. Maybe if he tried hard to remember he could replicate the process with alchemy. Sneakers would be a god send in this world considering his dogs were barking. Drop kicking that snake was not fun. The invisibility potion recipe and regeneration were next on his list but in games he played back home those concepts were at a premium. Deacon could almost guarantee there would be some sort of bullshit fetch quest involved that would net him one potion at the end of everything.

So that is what Deacon would do. He’d set himself up with several alchemy goals and hope to Cheshire he had time to focus on it. Now he should get up and join the others. He’s sure Armand will want to get going and he probably has some explaining to do. Deacon looked at his pants, then he took two big sniffs of his pits, and finally checked how ragged his shirt was getting with a burn hole right at chest height. He dug into his bag and realized he was out of shirts from Everhart. He had one more pair of loose-fitting pants he could tie with a bit of rope. This transient look he had was not working for him. He’d need to stock up on some new clothes at Iron Mountain. With those last thoughts he got up from his straw cot and headed into the next room.

The Mulvarians put them up in an unclaimed two-story home. It had stone walls and only one room on the second floor. The first person he saw in the common room was Elle. She looked the same as she did the day they met. Her hair was tied up with an arrow through the bun to keep it in place. Even her outfit was relatively clean and scorch hole free.

“Morning Elle. Can I ask how you keep so clean and tidy?” Deacon asked.

“I have a cleaning spell. Its pretty standard for elves. Of course, I can’t use it on you, but maybe we can get you an item if we are ever in Kakiat.” Elle replied.

“I’ll hold you to that. Where is everyone else?” Deacon asked.

“We’ve been summoned to meet with the Mulvarian King. Armand thought it best to go on ahead incase it’s a wait in the chamber until you’re called kind of thing. He’s excited that we contributed a whole new society to the kingdom. Although I think he is feeling ashamed for thinking they were so primitive when we first met them. That’ll be our little secret.” Elle winked.

“Understood. So, did you see any waterfalls or ponds nearby that I could clean up in? If I’m going to meet the King, I shouldn’t smell like a dumpster fire.” Deacon said.

“What is a dumpster?” Elle asked with a straight face.

“Oh, back on my world we would collect or refuse in large square metal container. When it was full a horseless carriage, about the size of two wagons like the one we were on stacked on top of each other, would come and collect it. Then it would bring it all to a dump somewhere.” Deacon answered.

“Ok that was very strange. You’ll need to explain horseless carriage. Did it move with magic?” Elle asked.

“No, we don’t have magic back in my world. We replicate those effects with technology and science.” Deacon said.

“Perhaps we should just focus on today. I’m not really getting it. There is actually a nice waterfall at the end of the street.” Elle said.

“That’s fine, I don’t want to talk about earth stuff.” Deacon replied.

The two gathered their things and headed out. They found Typhus down by the waterfall refilling his water skins. Once Deacon explained he wanted to get cleaned up, Typhus nodded his head and pushed him into the small pool of water at the base of the falls. Several Mulvarians looked up from their wash staring at Deacon flopping around in the water. Deacon then stomped his way out of the pool of water back up towards Elle and Typhus who were on their way down to him.

“I was going to share the chest of gold I found with you but now you can just watch me spend it!” Deacon said to Typhus while pointing a finger in his face.

Elle broke out into peals of laughter while Typhus, shocked at what Deacon just said, started apologizing profusely. This kept up all the way to their meeting point with Armand. Once they were let in by the guards at what had to be the biggest manor at the top of New Mulvaria, they sighted Armand standing in front of a big door conversing with the General.

“Great you’re all here.” Said General Ferent.

“Well at least you won’t smell like moss ghoul and Victor dust.” Commented Armand.

“Typhus pushed me.” Deacon said.

“Tattle tale.” Typhus whispered.

“Enter.” Came a familiar voice from deeper in the chamber.

Seated on a throne of Diamond was the Grand Elder of Diamond. He gestured for all to sit on several marble benches adorned in the room. Mulvarian servants brought pitchers of water and fat grubs to eat. Deacon waved off the grubs opting to just stay hungry. Armand bowed before sitting and the others followed suit.

“Now I understand a thank you is in order for ensuring the ritual didn’t open a portal to one of the ten hells?” Grand Elder of Diamond said.

“That was mostly Deacon your grace.” Armand replied.

“Right, the sassy one.” Replied the Elder, “I also understand an apology is owed to you for this.” The elder held up a familiar ruby dagger that had sprouted even more barbs since the last time Deacon saw it. He reflexively reached down to his side, running his fingers over the scar. If not for the priestess of life he would have suffered a horrible death.

“This is a barbaric and disgusting creation. On behalf of all New Mulvaria I apologize.” Said the Grand Elder.

“Don’t mention it. Genevieve managed to patch me up. I wish I could thank her more.” Deacon said.

“Granted.” Replied the Grand Elder.

“Wait what?” said Deacon as Genevieve came out from a side chamber wearing pristine new robes.

“Genevieve has been given a quest to pilgrimage to the temple of Astrael at Iron Mountain. I thought to myself, isn’t this a coincidence that we have a party of adventurers on their way to Iron Mountain in town right now. It must be as Astrael wills it.” Said the Elder of Diamond.

“Let me guess, you aren’t just the King or just the Grand Elder, you are also the High Priest of Astrael?” Deacon asked.

“And they said you were slow on the uptake.” Chuckled the Grand Elder.

New Quest- Iron Mountain out of a Mole Hill- Escort Genevieve, Priestess of Astrael to the Temple of Astrael at Iron Mountain Plateau safely. Upon successful completion of the quest, you will learn the location of a rare alchemical ingredient.

“I fuckin knew it, fetch quests.” Deacon said under his breath.