His smile remained, even as he felt his poor lung getting sliced open again. The rogue behind him, pulled hard at the dagger, dragging it sideways and following the curve of the rib perfectly. He tried to jump away but found his feet glued to the ground.
Punching the back of Sylver's head, the rogue felt the force on his feet loosen for a mont, and attempted to punch again. In the cloud of darkness, the rogue couldnt see where the arm was coming from, but he could feel the tight grip on his fist, blocking his punch.
The man in front of the rogue turned around in a spin, and lifted his arm upwards, wrapping it around the rogues remaining free arm, and locking it in place. A third arm went to the rogues throat, and he could only silently scream, as his very life was being drained out of him.
[Human (Warrior) Defeated!][Due to defeating an enemy 10 levels above you, additional experience will be awarded!]
[Necromancer] has reached level 13! 5AP
[Human (Warrior) Defeated!][Due to defeating an enemy 10 levels above you, additional experience will be awarded!]
[Human (Archer) Defeated!][Due to defeating an enemy 10 levels above you, additional experience will be awarded!]
[Human (Archer) Defeated!][Due to defeating an enemy 10 levels above you, additional experience will be awarded!]
[Necromancer] has reached level 14! 5AP
[Human (Archer) Defeated!][Due to defeating an enemy 10 levels above you, additional experience will be awarded!]
[Human (Archer) Defeated!][Due to defeating an enemy 10 levels above you, additional experience will be awarded!]
[Human (Rogue) Defeated!][Due to defeating an enemy 20 levels above you, additional experience will be awarded!]
[Necromancer] has reached level 15! 5AP
[Koschei] has reached level 3! 5AP
[Spell [Starving Sludge] added to spell list!][Starving Sludge: Tier I]Cost: 150MP/S-Generate a black colored sludge, that will eat away at the targets health and stamina.*Does not work on holy, or undead creatures.
[Appraisal (I) Proficiency increased to 6%]
[Optical Illusion (I) Proficiency increased to 71%!]
[Draining Touch (I) Proficiency increased to 29%!]
[Skill: Physical Endurance (I)]Skill level can be increased by enduring pain.I - Decrease the pain from physical attacks by 2%.
Dropping the dead rogue to the floor, Sylver went down on one knee and spat out blood. Waving at the disappearing cloud of red, it spiraled towards him, entered his body through the hole in his back.
He took an extrely deep breath and breathed out the red smoke. The wound on his back closed itself up, and his twice cut open lung healed to normal. Gesturing at the smoke he breathed out, it spread out near his feet and caused the 8 bodies laying around him to heal up a little.
How the fuck did you do that? Edna asked, already right behind him.
Magic. But if you an how they didnt get , I used Tom like a at shield. Or shadow shield I guess. Classic tactic when outnumbered. Limit how much they can see, and then- Sylver had to pause while he spat out blood that was stuck inside his healed lung. Edna patted him on the back and nearly sent him toppling over.
Finally cleared, Sylver could breathe normally again. Looking at his shoulder, where the robe was cut open, he was surprised to see a scar. Reaching behind himself, he found another scar on his back.
Why didnt you start off with that spell you used? The black sli one? Edna asked.
The accuracy is low. And its extrely expensive, so its not exactly sothing I can open with. Not to ntion I didnt know what their abilities would be, so I thought it best to be conservative with my mana. Sylver explained, spitting out a chunk of dead flesh that was stuck in his throat for a while.
The caravan is settling down for the night. Well need ti to close up the hole they made, so take all the ti you need. Edna said. Sylver waited for a while for her to leave, but given how she just stood there, watching him, he turned around and started to work on the bodies.
Tom had already stripped them of anything valuable, putting all their jewelry, coins, and a few extra daggers they had hidden away, into a large backpack one of the archers was carrying.
Thankfully all 8 of the corpses still had their souls in them.
Total Level: 18[Koschei-3][Necromancer-15]
CON: 20DEX: 1STR: 1INT: 55WIS: 34AP: 20
Health: 200/200Stamina: 84/100MP: 419/550
Health Regen: 3/MStamina Regen: 1.5/MMP Regen: 18.7/M
Dexterity is looking pretty tempting right now. I had forgotten how fun it is to fight hand to hand like that. On the other hand, the sooner I get more mana, the sooner I can start using 2nd tier spells. Plus, now that I have a small group under control, is there even going to be a point where I need to fight at close range?
On the other hand, this is a good chance to start all over. Is there any reason for to do things like I always had? Ron said he would introduce to a woman to act as a middleman for the Cord. Surely they have information brokers who could tell how this class will progress. Or even how this class can be altered.
In the anti, Ill drop all 20 points into intelligence. But a close combat necromancer I could be my own death knight...
Total Level: 18[Koschei-3][Necromancer-15]
CON: 20DEX: 1STR: 1INT: 75WIS: 34AP: 0
Health: 200/200Stamina: 87/100MP: 750/750
Health Regen: 3/MStamina Regen: 1.5/MMP Regen: 25.5/M
[Shade (Lesser)] Raised!]
Starting with the leader, then the swordsn, then the archers, and lastly the rogue, Sylver managed to raise all of them, in only about an hour. The frawork was the sa as Toms given how he wasnt planning on using them for anything other than physical labor or attacks, so he just had to wait for his body to generate enough mana to finish solidifying them.
[Raise Shade (I) Proficiency increased to 88%!]
Edna watched the whole process from start to finish but didnt say a single word.
The first to properly form was the rogue. He stood a little shorter than Sylver, in his hands 2 long daggers, a hood covering most of his face, dark cloth like armor, and covered in yellow cracks like Tom.
Do they keep their mories, or? Edna asked, walking over to the newly risen rogue.
To an extent. Theres the fog of undeath to worry about, but its very rare that it blocks up anything important. Ability wise at least. The more afraid of dying they are, the easier they are to raise, and sadly the more the fog of undeath affects them. But very rarely to the point, they lose their fighting style. Sylver explained. Stabbing the rogue through the shoulder, with its own dagger, Sylver was surprised to see how quickly it closed up.
What do you an? What does being afraid of dying have anything to do with it? Henra asked.
Theres 2 kinds of undead summoning. The first is when you just use their body, or physical vessel if youre being technical. In which case you simply animate it using mana, possibly insert a tiny portion of your own soul into it, to give it so semblance of intelligence, or the soul of another. Its quick, cheap, and perfect if you know exactly what you want them to be doing. Theyre essentially flesh or shadow golems if you do it that way. And the second is what this is. After dying, I give their soul an offer to remain on this plane of existence, under my command, and when they agree I provide them with a vessel, their own body in this case. Theyre smarter, stronger, and can to an extent think on their own. Sylver said.
The rogue didnt have any issue moving in and out of his shadow and looking over his shoulder, a few of the others were starting to rise.
Wait. So theyre all willing? Edna asked.
Depends on how you look at it. Imagine youre hanging over a massive abyss. And theres nothing around you, absolutely nothing. Just this terrifying tons and tons of nothing. And then I co along and offer you a hand up and out. On the condition, you follow my every command and order, and in the event you disobey , you go right back into the abyss. Sylver explained, giving the rogue a few extra daggers from his bag. They assimilated just fine thankfully and remained with the rogue even when he moved in and out of shadows.
Im sorry. Are you saying all of your shades are threatened into working for you? Edna asked, looking with shock at the peaceful looking Tom and rogue.
I prefer to think of it as coerced. It sounds a little more clinical that way. But they wouldnt be here like this if they werent willing at least to a small extent. After theyre here, it can go one of two ways. Either they willingly start following , in which case they gain more sentience and ntal abilities and mories, or they try to go against , in which case I basically use them as if they were purely physical bodies, with the added benefit of having more power, on account of their soul. In the second case, I essentially numb them to the point they have no idea whats going on, and an eternity feels like a second to them. Sylver explained.
2 of the archers and a swordsman rose and solidified next.
So they are all slaves then? Edna said, starting up a discussion Sylver had already had a countless number of tis.
Have you been listening? They arent. They have a choice in the matter. I do have ways to force them, but its extrely rare that I need to. Dying puts everything into perspective most of the ti, and people especially are willing to do anything to get so much as an extra second of being not fully dead. Plus not to ntion the fact that I cant actually raise truly good people. Everyone here has enough regrets to keep them around long enough for to do my thing, and at least to that ans Im never working with objectively good souls. Sylver explained. The rest of the group had finished rising by this point. All 9 of his shades stood in a single file line.
Thats your excuse? Edna said, looking at the yellow crack covered shades.
It is. But its not really an excuse, because I have nothing to apologize for. Or justify myself. Souls are immortal. Compared to infinity, even 500 years of servitude is nothing. Fuck it, 10,000 years. It doesnt really matter what I do, and to who, because from their perspective, or their souls to be exact, I dont matter. Im doing the equivalent of stealing a copper coin, from a man with a million platinum. Its not just that he wont notice it missing, hes so rich he cant even conceive that a copper coin exists, Sylver said, repeating the speech he had already given roughly 20 tis in his old life.
But youre stealing. Youd still be a thief. Just a very small one. Edna countered, crossing her arms.
I am. And I will never say Im not. I am a thief. And while I could argue that putting their souls to work, creates a net positive in the world, compared to the 0 if they get to move on, Im not going to. Because I dont have to justify myself, or my actions, to you or anyone else. If you truly have an issue with what Im doing, you are completely free to try and stop . Sylver said, gesturing at Ednas sword and staff.
For a single second, he worried that she would actually raise her blade against him. It surprised him that he cared that she would.
I can see the reason in what youre saying. I may not agree with it, but I understand it. And more honestly, I dont really care, I was just curious. Ive seen worse things done by druids, than just raising the dead. And from how you describe it, its not even that bad. But what do you an by abyss? Edna asked, releasing the tension from her shoulders and mirroring Sylver.
Its just what I call it. My master always saw a giant hall, when she looked in there. I always see an empty abyss. Its a little different for everyone. My understanding is its just the mind trying to perceive sothing it cant perceive. Like trying to sll a color, or see a sound. Seeing with your soul is very tricky and extrely personal. Sylver explained, doing air quotes when he said seeing.
So you dont know if theres an afterlife? Edna asked. Soone was calling for her from one of the caravans.
I dont. I know theres sothing. But Ive never crossed the line to see because theres no coming back from it. Undeath is about all Ive managed so far. People think of death and life as positive and negative. In reality, its more like a zero and a one. A corpse without a soul is a zero. A functioning body with a soul is a one. And my shades and zombies, are in between. Sylver explained.
How co you're so open about all of this? I thought this would be a closely guarded secret, at the very least. Edna asked.
Because you sound just like Oska, and it made lower my guard.
I like sharing knowledge. And its not enough for anyone to do any harm with. And Im hoping youll answer so of my questions, in return. Sylver explained.
Of course! Ask away! Edna said enthusiastically.
This is kind of basic, but why does my level increase sowhat randomly? It feels inconsistent. Sylver asked.
Oh. How old are you? Sorry, nevermind. You know that craftsn gain experience from crafting things, miners get experience from mining, and combat classes gain experience from combat, right? Edna asked sothing so obvious that it almost sounded like an insult.
Yes? Sylver answered uncertainty.
Right. So imagine you had 2 classes, one combat, and the other a craftsn class. How do you think experience should be distributed between them? Edna asked.
If you kill sothing, the combat one gets all the experience, and if you craft sothing, the crafting one gets all the experience? Sylver guessed.
Exactly. But what if you had 2 combat classes? How would you distribute the experience then? Especially if you had 2 classes of different rank and level? Edna asked.
It would I dont know?
Youll figure it out eventually, but that's the reason for the inconsistency. Since you have a rare, and a unique class, my best guess is that the unique takes most of the experience when it can, and lets the rare class take it when it can. Edna explained.
Are you telling classes are sentient? Sylver asked, the thought disturbing him for so reason.
Of course not. But they have hidden chanics and requirents that can take years for you to figure out. With how closely guarded peoples classes, skills, and perks are, its very hard to get any concrete information most of the ti. For example, did you know most warrior classes have an honor system? Edna asked.
As in
As in they gain more experience if they fight fairly and with honor. Magic classes gain more experience depending on how efficient the spells are, how well-ford they are, and how well they fare against the target being attacked. There are hundreds, possibly thousands of tiny bonuses and penalties you can trigger, without even realizing it, that translate into more experience when you kill one thing, verses when you kill another.
Is it not level-dependent then?
It is. Killing anything 10 levels lower than you is a waste of ti. Youd need to kill 100 monsters that are 10 levels lower than you, to get the sa experience as killing one monster on your level. But the problem with that is-
Monsters increase in strength exponentially, while humans increase in strength linearly. Sylver finished.
Yeah. Which ans at so point youll be unable to face monsters on your level, let alone monsters higher level than you. And unless you pick your perks and skills properly, youll be too weak to kill anything above your level after a point in ti. With your rare and unique class, your guess is as good as mine where that would be. Edna said.
So levels are useless when determining the strength of sothing? Sylver asked.
Theyre not. Youd have to have really special skills and perks to kill sothing 50 levels above yourself. Or you have a massive advantage over the enemy. Like Essa could hypothetically kill a level 100 warrior if she snuck up on him and killed him before he activated any skills to protect himself. And with my holy attribute magic, I could probably kill an undead 20, or even 30, levels above . Levels are a better determination of a monsters strength than a persons. Edna continued.
Because people can use equipnt to boost their power, they can drink potions, or as you do, augnt their physical abilities with mana. But at the end of the day, its not just a question of who has the bigger numbers. Theres the environnt, experience, and other factors that match up to it. Even if youre level 100, you should still think twice about attacking another level 100 person. Combat is so unpredictable, its up to you to judge how strong sothing is. At a higher level appraisal can show you how much mana or HP a person or monster has, but its such a huge pain in the ass to level. Edna explained.
On that note why do skills gain proficiency at different rates? Sylver asked.
I dont an to be rude, but how did you beco a necromancer without knowing any of this? Edna asked.
I spent a whole other life studying and practicing it, back when this system didnt exist.
A very specialized education. That I would rather not talk about. Sylver answered.
Right Skills work based on talent and focus. Its not enough to swing a sword around to get a sword related skill, you have to be actively trying to do whatever the skill would do, to get it. Or at least be close enough. Requirents are part of it, but if you dont have the talent for it, youll take forever to acquire the skill. Having said that, so people are naturally talented with certain skills. For example, I could manipulate earth, almost instinctively, and dont even know how old I was when I got the skill. On the other hand, it took 2 years to learn to manipulate water, and even then I had to spend ages to get the skill to a second level. It depends on the skill, but the rule of thumb is, if you kill sothing with the help of the skill, its proficiency and level increases faster. Edna explained.
Sylver knew most of this from Cieges mories, but it was good to get a clear answer on the matter. It also explained why he got so many skills so quickly.
Sylver handed the fencer his sword back, and couldnt help but smile at how well he looked. Even with Sylvers specialized knowledge, these shades were a step up from what he generally worked with. He watched as the fencer flicked his blade, and it turned the sa bright yellow as the other shades weapons had. Clearly, the system was giving him so sort of leg up with the quality. Or maybe its just been so long since he personally raised sothing, and he forgot how well his magic worked.
Fuck I forgot his na.
Alright. Youre Fen, Sylver said pointing to the fencer, youre Reg, Sylver said pointing to the rogue, youre Dai, since youre taller, and youre Sho, since youre shorter Sylver said, pointing at the two swordsn.
[Shade (Lesser)] has received the na [Fen][Requirents for evolution not t.]
[Shade (Lesser)] has received the na [Reg][Requirents for evolution not t.]
[Shade (Lesser)] has received the na [Dai][Requirents for evolution not t.]
[Shade (Lesser)] has received the na [Sho][Requirents for evolution not t.]
What about the archers? Edna asked.
What about them? Theyre archers. Archer one, archer two, it doesnt matter. Their job will mostly be to stay behind and shoot everything in front of dead. Very little tactical maneuvering required. Fen and Reg, on the other hand, will be the vanguard, and Dai and Sho my shields. Its actually incredibly convenient. I got the whole group all in one go. Sylver said, willing his 9 into his shadow.
Edna looked down into the small shadow on the floor, where she now knew 9 potential allies resided in. She wanted to ask further questions and make sure he nad the archers, but a call from Henra distracted her and caused her to leave.
Walking around camp, Sylver was told by Henra he would be off duty tonight. Essa had everything under control, and frankly, she imagined that he would be exhausted after killing 8 people.
Finding her words to be true, Sylver ate with a silk rchant, who gave him a bowl full of lted cheese and with chunks of at floating around in it. Despite how heavy and horrible it sounded, it was surprisingly very light but a fulfilling al.
The silk rchant went as far as to tell Sylver about how a friend of his was robbed by these very sa bandits, and how he was glad they were off the road now. After buying a sewing kit from the man, for 2 silver coins, Sylver repaired his robe and reminisced about the last ti he had had to repair his own clothes.
He almost handed the task over to one of his shades but rembered that he didnt have anything intelligent enough for the job. Hed have to sit and watch over their shoulder, and then fix their mistakes anyway.
He had his tent set up for him, by Tom and the archers, and slept through the night without any incident.
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