1.10 – The Uncertain Journey

The road that cut west from Blackstone Manor across the heath was little more than a cart track. Few visitors came to the seat of Duke Maximilian’s power, and most of the household needs were supplied through the transport room. The wagon jostled and creaked over the rugged dirt track while the heathlands of the Chillwind Coast rolled by. The purple and pink of early spring dotted the heath, a pleasing enough counterpoint to the chilly breeze always blowing in from the east. Even this far inland, the air tasted of salt.

Once the manor was good and far behind them, Rika slipped her brigandine coat on. It fit well enough, especially with the extra padding from her traveling clothes. The bracers were likewise a welcome addition, though she’d have preferred something that would also protect her hands. The sword and shield were the real prizes, in her eyes, though. Without armor, combat would be a risk, but without a weapon? She’d rather not think about that. All things considered, the gear Marin had given her would certainly come in handy once the Soldiers left her to fend for herself.

The trip to the edge of the manor lands took just over a week in all. On that first day, Rika tried to make herself useful. Either by helping with the horses, driving the wagon, or with the camp that night. The Soldiers and Marin were the more glad for it. With the matter of where Rika “belonged” settled at last, the distance the Soldiers had once kept no longer served a purpose. By the second day, Rika had gotten a taste of what it felt like to belong somewhere, as easy conversation filled most of their days. The young Soldier she’d sparred with the previous day was there. Caspian, she recalled. He turned out to be rather friendly now that they both had classes, if still a little awkward. He even took time to spar with her in the evenings, helping her get used to her new stats.

Rika mostly walked alongside the wagon, and when she wasn’t otherwise preoccupied, she explored the wealth of information Chryson could supply. The Oracle was more than happy to answer her questions, and as the days passed, she became adept at communicating with him through thought alone. She took the opportunity to explore her class and all her abilities as best she could, figuring the more she knew, the better prepared she’d be for whatever lay ahead.

“The Might stat is of primary importance to physically oriented fighters, such as yourself.” Chryson’s voice came to her in that strange blend of words and pure information. Speech, but somehow not. At least she’d been getting used to it as they traveled, and she interacted with him more. The in-her-head sort of half speech, half infused knowledge seemed to be the hallmark of anything related to her class, or that strange ghostly overlay she saw when examining others. Otherwise, Chryson would speak to her just as anyone else would, his musical voice a physical sound in her ears just as much as the creak of the wagon as it trundled across the heath.

“It determines your ability to deal physical damage. Swing your sword with more force and cut more deeply. Should you need to lift something heavy, your Might stat reflects your ability to do that.”

“Damage,” she said, staring into the campfire. It was after dark, and their second full day of travel. The others had mostly turned in already, and Rika had volunteered to join the first watch. She stared into the burning peat, focusing on her questions and Chryson’s replies as she settled in to let the hours pass in darkness. “My skills mention damage and defense. But there’s no information here about it.”

“As you grow into your capabilities, you’ll naturally gain familiarity with them. Rest assured that before long, you’ll know precisely what you’re capable of, Miss Rika.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, I guess,” she said, cracking a crooked, half-smile. She couldn’t help but feel a bit bolstered, with the growing sense of camaraderie finally settling in between her and the house guard, and with Chryson himself. Instead of thinking about how it would have been something nice to have well before she’d been cast out, she could at least count on the fact Chryson would be her constant companion from here on out.

“Finesse governs both your accuracy and general agility. A higher Finesse allows you to better strike your intended target, seeking out soft and vulnerable places. It also helps you avoid danger as well. Finesse and Might together reflect your general speed; your ability to maneuver, run, or sprint.

“Resilience, as you’ll no doubt remember, reflects your overall toughness. High Resilience allows you to shrug off attacks that would incapacitate or kill less durable individuals. It both reduces the amount of damage you take, while also increasing your total ability to take that damage. Further, it helps you recover from your injuries faster. Of course, healing magic or items are always preferable to simply waiting for your body to heal itself naturally, high Resilience or no. Together with Might, Resilience also reflects your general endurance. For how long you can push yourself when reaching the limits of your capacity, how much further you can go when it seems you’ve nothing left.”

While the physical stats were the ones that interested her the most, she also took the time to familiarize herself with the other three, the ones that governed magic. They were, after all, at the same level as her physical ones. “Well-balanced” seemed a bit of an understatement, given that all six of her stats had the same score of three. At least Chryson was happy enough to explain.

“Magic reflects the potency of your spells and similar abilities. Your Class Skill, Dark Strike, deals Dark aspect damage in addition to whatever properties your weapon has. This Dark damage is mainly determined by your Magic stat.”

“Seems useful enough,” Rika said once he’d finished. As much as it irked her that she seemed to be somewhat reliant on her magic stats as well, so far her Dark Warrior class was more or less exactly what she’d hoped for—a strong, melee fighter capable of holding its own in a knock-down, drag-out fight. At least she didn’t have any actual spells.

“Control is one’s ability to shape spells, to imbue their very will into the effects of their magic. It makes it easier for a spellcaster to maintain extended effects. Most importantly, when two spells oppose each other, it is each caster’s Control stat that determines which spell wins out.”

She perked up a bit at that. “Wait, so what about that class feature I have? Mental Redoubt? That’s Control, right?”

“Normally, yes,” Chryson said, pulling up the relevant skill for her.

Mental Redoubt I – Duration and potency of mind-affecting conditions are halved. Your mind is a fortress. Stand firm in the face of untold horrors.

“Mental Redoubt simply halves the effects of mind-affecting status conditions, such as fear or taunts. It’s an incredibly powerful ability, as it does not rely on your Control stat. It simply works, regardless of who would have won the struggle for Control. Most counter-effects such as this normally would pit the Control stat of each against the other, but you are a Dark Warrior, Miss Rika.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Although the Dark Warrior is considered a Basic class—as all classes given upon completing the Trial of Destiny are—it is still a Rare class. This means it is far more powerful than the Common sort of classes many receive following their Trial. Most have to wait until they upgrade their class to receive Uncommon, let alone Rare classes.”

“I can upgrade my class,” she said. Yet another new morsel of information she’d never been told.

“Of course. The class system is designed specifically so that those desiring power and strength can seize it for themselves. Advancing your Level and Grade are just a part of that. Upgrading your class comes with incredible benefits, should you become eligible.”

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She chewed on the inside of her bottom lip for a moment. Eventually, she decided to set her questions about class upgrades aside. Chryson’s comment about eligibility meant it was likely something far enough off that she could leave if for later.

“What about Ward?” she asked. Before learning how Control worked, that had been the stat that interested her most. Her other Class Feature, Balanced Defense, added half her Ward scaling to physical defense, and half her Resilience to her magic defense.

“Ward is, quite simply, your magic defense. It functions in much the same way as Resilience. It allows you to better endure attacks of a magical origin, while also shrugging off the worst effects of magical debilitations.”

“And each of mine is at three,” she said.

“Yes. Your stats are, perhaps, the one true weakness of the Dark Warrior class. At least at lower levels. That, and your relative lack of specialized skills and abilities.”