Short chapter but it is a conclusion to the previous one so I figured I should just leave it up here, Enjoy!

[Can someone also link me to a RRL table wiki, they are difficult and I don't like the centered one I'm using for system, regardless it'll still work for the time being. ]

Stretching his arms slightly, Andrew spoke indifferently to the massive beast-man, “hey, do you prefer one-on-one or are you ballsy enough to take all three of us?” Reflecting for a moment, the beast-man pointed his vicious battle ax at Andrew while growling something Andrew could not decipher at all.

Giving up on conversing with the creature, Andrew shooed the two others away and took up what seemed to be the challenge. Grabbing his bow he left on the ground before he was overrun by the bandit swarm, which was surprisingly still intact after the stampede, he notched an arrow. Aiming carefully, he loosed it at the marginally confused panther head. With a small back step, the arrow slipped past his massive frame as the beast-man finally reacted to the comparatively small human.

With a beastial roar, the panther advanced with startling speed and grace dodging the arrows narrowly each time they approached. ‘Just like a bloody cat, not too shabby,’ complimented Andrew slowing his rate of fire in favor of accuracy. When the beast-man reached about five metres of Andrew, he abruptly threw the entire bow at the head of the charging panther.

With a light swing of its ax, it easily cut through the decrepit bow without breaking a step. However, that was the chance Andrew was looking for. Quickly jumping into the beast-man’s guard as it struggled to reposition its ax, Andrew advanced around the enemy whom kept moving with its immense momentum. Lightly stepping to the side, he stabbed his two iron swords into the creatures thigh.

Without being able to stop his charge at all, the beast-man adversely dragging Andrew’s blades out from his thigh causing a massive wound on the one leg of the beast-man - nearly severing it off in the process. Blood began to flow and an agonized roar sounded out; nearly shattering Andrew’s eardrums, who finally began moving away from the furious creature.

As he took a perfunctory glance at his surroundings, he sighed dramatically. Although this action enraged the beast-man, Andrew could not help doing such an action. As Andrew fought with the bandit leader his two companions seemingly got bored.

Taryk took it upon himself to end the lives of those still wailing while pillaging their equipment - though that simply amounted to a large pile of iron tossed haphazardly in a pile. However, each spear he took was treated with such care that one would think it was a historical relic.

Likewise, Lisia plucked out any arrows she saw scattered along the ground and on the corpses. When she finished grabbing the arrows she wandered off the bushes, seemingly looking for fruits or vegetables as a snack.

Taking all this in Andrew couldn’t help but have his reaction slowed somewhat. With a battle ax sent towards his neck Andrew had no choice but to go to the ground.

As he dived underneath, he angled his swords behind him, inflicting deep lacerations onto the interior of his opponents legs, further pressing one of his enemy’s legs to its end. Stunned somewhat because of the disappearing human, the beast-man paused for just a moment.

Even in such a short time period; cutting, stabbing, and essentially eviscerating the panthers lower torso was no difficult feat with his new blade. Compared to rather dull copper short swords that seemed to tempt fate in every motion, these blades seemed to glide through the creature’s flesh.

The battle ended with a soft *thud,* where the powerless beast-man dropped his ax and was laying still on the ground. Walking casually Andrew approached the hulking bandit with his swords drawn. With pleading eyes that seemed to ask for an end, Andrew stabbed one of his blades into the chest of the bandit.

Tiredly muttering, “if you two are finished over there, can one of you start a fire or something? I can see you two have been eating during this little ordeal, but I have not,” Andrew picked up the colossal ax before examining it closely.

[Double Headed Bardiche

Damage Rating: 10-14

Durability: 26/50

A once great ax taken from an executioner's burial site. It is said that the one who obtained this weapon would have to pry it from the hand of the state executioner of the Kingdom of Arlai himself - even after the hands of time taken his life, his soul would remained in his bones acting as a guardian over his most beloved possession. It can cleave through metal as easily as it can cleave through flesh and bone. Tempered in the blood of many, few are able to cope with such malice it will instil into its bearer though the trade off can be considered to be worth it to some.

Special Abilities:

Blood Lust: When in combat, the owner’s blood will boil - metaphorically, granting them increased strength for every individual they have slain, as well as temper their power for the opponents they have yet to end.

Blood Tempered: Soaked into it’s very core is the blood of those it deems unworthy. For an owner to be accepted, it will test their resolve while at the same time granting them the power they require to defeat their foes. When it is above 15 durability the weapon will be able to split rock and metal and easily as it would flesh, however, the resultant bloodlust will grow stronger in turn. ]

Interested at the uniqueness of the weapon he received, Andrew placed his hands on the weapon itself, depositing his two swords for the time being. When holding an ax that was as large as he was, it was blatantly clear he wouldn’t be able to get far with such a weapon. In fact, it took a substantial amount of his energy and strength just to lift the weapon. That’s not even considering swinging the monstrosity that was its weight. When he was playing around with it he didn’t even notice anything like the aforementioned, ‘Blood Lust’ trait applied on to the weapon.

Losing interest, he deposited it into his bag - after pulling out the small animal corpses and tossing them at Taryk who wasn’t paying the least bit of attention. With his new practise tossing pebbles at the goblin stalkers, he gained a fair bit of experience throwing things by hand. While Andrew did throw the critter’s corpses rapidly, Taryk reacted just as fast.

Raising his spear, he skewered all but the first one that was sent his way - which he ended up swallowing whole. With a joyous smile, he thanked the muttering man, “thanks Boss! I was getting hungry, ya know,” before placing his old spear directly over the fire he started.

While Taryk was oblivious to Andrew’s original intentions, he good naturedly cooked the critters - fur and bones included - as the man murmured indignantly, “save me some, I was the one who shot those down.”

After their meal of raw forest fruits and unprocessed, cooked meat, the three finally realised they dined in the middle of a corpse ridden clearing. Though they weren’t affected too much by it, it still caused Andrew and Lisia to think about their beginnings before they met one another.

‘If this was even a few days agoI would probably be throwing up a little at this point, but now it’s normal? Ah, whatever, let’s just not think about it. It isn’t like my previous lifestyle was much better anyways.’ mused Andrew as he threw another saskatoon-type berry into his mouth.

‘Would I have been killed otherwise? Why did I even leave my home! It isn’t like me to run away from home because of such a small issue, I could be sitting near a warm hearth, playing music, singing, dancing, but I’m here killing this and that and it doesn’t even bother me anymore? This is too much, I need something to drink - a lot of something actually.’ mulled over Lisia as she began fantasizing over the taste of her family’s homebrewed wine.

Abruptly getting up, Andrew walked over to the pile of weapons Taryk created earlier. Although he picked a bad time to do such a thing, it did make things convenient for Andrew at this point.

In the end he stored all of it, luckily the bandits weren’t very diverse in their weapon choices so he was able to fill his inventory with all the bandits weapons.

Bag Slot: Novice Dagger

Bag Slot: Small Pebbles x34

Bag Slot: Small Pebbles (Uncommon) x3

Bag Slot: Dull Iron Pointed Golok x8

Bag Slot: Sharpened Gladius x4

Bag Slot: Double Headed Bardiche (Uncommon)

Bag Slot: Sharpened Iron Spear x7

Bag Slot: Worn Elven Bow

Bag Slot: Iron Arrow x 47

Bag Slot: Mutated Grey Wolf Heads (Uncommon) x4

Bag Slot: Mutated Grey Wolf Pelts (Uncommon) x4

Bag Slot: Iron Dirk x14

Bag Slot: Leather Sheath [short sword] x8

Bag Slot: Leather Sheath [long sword] x3

Bag Slot: Rusted Iron Morningstar x3

Bag Slot: Coin Purse x 31 (2 Gold, 87 Silver, 398 Copper)

While he had no use for money at this point in time it was always welcome as far as he was concerned. Nor did he know the exchange rate and valuation of the currency, but he imagined he could easily deal with it later. The thing that made Andrew that most excited was the existence of proper gear. Pillaging a pair of pants, boots, weapon sheaths (adjustable belts attached), and clothing designed for the outdoors, he would finally appear presentable to a normal society. Admittedly more on the roguish side of the spectrum, he could finally wear his under clothes for what they were meant for - under clothes.

Even with his companions pocketing a few weapons for themselves - though Taryk shamelessly asked Andrew to hold onto a couple spears for him, he still had quite haul from the bandits. Especially when you look to see the levels earned the group.

Taryk of the Cleaver Clan

Level 11

Defence Rating: 0

Str: 14

Agi: 14

Per: 12

End: 11

Vit: 10

Int: 6

Wis: 6

Chr: 7

Status:

Skill:

Spear Handling (Intermediate 4): Any spear put into your hands is a machination of death and suffering for those that stand before you. However, for those that get within your reach be warned for they can easily spell death towards a careless novice or veteran alike. Bonus 33% damage with all long handled polearm weapons. Increases armor piercing power by 16.5%. Increased chance of bleeding.

Lisia Jean Aira Dradrenau

Level 12

Defence Rating: 4

Str: 11

Agi: 17

Per: 16 (+2)

End: 10

Vit: 10

Int: 8(+5)

Wis: 5 (+5)

Chr: 10

Affinity:

Nature (Small): When using nature based spells, such as restoration and rooting, duration and potency is increased by 15%.

Skill:

Adaptability (Beginner 8): Ever-changing and ever-evolving in this world, the individual gains a great wealth of knowledge and mental fortitude. Those who are more open to these changes can see through various weaknesses granting them +5 intelligence, +5 wisdom, +2 perception.

Minor Restoration (Beginner 6): Calling up the forces of nature an individual can quickly mend minor wounds at the cost of MP.

Andrew Marks

Level 15

Defense Rating: 19

Poison Resistance 5%

Str: 16 (+1) (+1)

Agi: 24 (+1) (+2) (+1)

Per: 17 (+1)

End: 14 (+1) (+1)

Vit: 12 (+1)

Int: 9 (+1)

Wis: 8 (+1)

Chr: 9 (+1)

Lck: ? (+1)

Affinity:

(Temporary) Small Poison Affinity: Grants the bearer a small chance of causing poison damage on each blow. If under the influence of a foreign poison or disease, the bearer will gain a slight bonus in recovering from, and bearing with, such an ailment.

Status:

Skill:

Dual Wielding (Beginner: 9): While wielding two weapons Damage Rating penalty is reduced by 36%. Penalty currently at 14%. Grants easier range of motion and knowledge of advanced techniques are granted at base level up of the skill.

Improvisation (Beginner: 5): You arm yourself to the teeth before encounter any situation, using any available tactics and weapons in a manner to ensure your survival in this new age. Increases attack rating by 8% for all weapons. Increases hit chance and critical chance by 3% for all weapons (be in, physical damage based melee, thrown, or projectile). Spell failure rate decreases by 4% and spell duration increases by 4%. +1 to all stats including luck.

Treating one level’s worth of Taryk’s points as an experiment, Andrew placed three of them into his charisma stat and what came out of it surprised the whole group. After a few blood curdling sounds erupting from his body - and everyone else’s for that matter, after the alteration to their stats - instead of the 4 ¾ foot tall muscular goblin, a short, only slightly green hued elf came into being. With flowing black hair where he once was bald, an athletic build, and gaining another ½ foot in height, he seemed as if he could bled into a elven village. Although there were differences between the two, with a cloak he could pass off as an elf without issue.

Whether this was a combination of increased stats like endurance and intelligence, it was hard to say, but the end result surprised the normally unphased Andrew and caused Lisia to stare wide-eyed.

Additionally, as Andrew tried to maintain a balance for Lisia, she didn’t change in a large manner, however, her once round face became slimmer as did her body. But the only place to slim down excessively was her stomach. Showcasing her now-prominent curves even more so. While not as big in some respects, she could undoubtedly be Sharlin’s equal in beauty. Her eyes also showed a fairly large change, instead of the muddy hazel that rested there before, a near perfect emerald color twinkled with the reflection of the sun light.

‘Maybe charisma makes people look more ‘normal,’ well, instead of monstrous brutes,’ thought Andrew after seeing the changes on the other two.

Andrew, already athletic, become slightly more burly with muscle definition nearly on the entirety of his body. He also grew a few inches, leaving him around 6’2’’. Ironically, to go with his new ensemble, his entire presence changed from that of an ordinary man to something akin to a trained assassin.

With cold, steely blue eyes that seemed to radiate inscrutability to the world, to his long flaxen hair tied behind his back, it was as if no one could control this individual should he deem them unworthy of his time, or simply, he should he grow tired of the environment. Although bewitching at first glance, the second and third would cause someone to back further and further away in trepidation.

Likely the biggest catalyst for the change was the large jump in levels for the group resulting in the obvious addition to the stat points. ‘Hypothetically, if the ‘NPC’s’ stat boost are predetermined - or are slightly restricted to their activities, to a degree in regards to what can increase and what cannot, that would explain the generic appearances of the ‘beings’ I’ve encountered so far. Hell, if we can change this much, why would other tribes not be able to, if that weren’t the case. Player rights, maybe? Damn, all this hypothetical and theoretical non-sense is annoying. Stats points mean mutations, that is good enough for me; fuck genetics and anthropology,’ pondered Andrew before it got to be too tedious to think about.

Returning his gaze to the cave’s mouth, he inquired, “hey, you probably have better eyes than me, do you think there is something suspicious with that mine, or is it just me?”

After a moment of contemplation Lisia spoke hesitantly, “it seems like there is something else to it, but did you want to deal with it yourself or just send the camp’s goblins into it? Either way would be something you would do, honestly.”

“Have you ever gone spelunking before?” Asked Andrew with a grin creeping up onto his face.

“What’s that boss?” Cut in Taryk before Lisia answered, “he is saying let’s explore that place, as for why, I have no idea. Regardless, it’ll be more interesting than hanging around this grave yard,“ waving her hand to point out the cold, dead bodies left abandoned in the front of the entrance.

What caught her attention, however, was a minor stirring underneath the ring of corpses where Andrew once fought. Advertisement Support "Ephemeral Cycle" PayPal Patreon Previous

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Chapter RSS About the author 3 Fictions 65 Posts 2 Threads Ambush Follow Author Wednesday, December 30, 2015 9:04:50 PM Thursday, December 31, 2015 2:53:01 AM Canada Shy Penguin

Bio: Chronic Inability to Finish Stories; CIFS for short. A major affliction that has gripped me in its steely maw for weeks, months, and (shivers) shows no sign of stopping.

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