Chapter 5: Resourceful Climber

You don’t get it. William Oh is an expert in guerilla warfare. He’s the best. With slings, with knives, with his bare hands. He’s a man who’s learned to ignore pain. To ignore weather. To live off the land. To eat things that would make a billy goat puke.

– Jason Salazar

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Please choose your Primary Abilities.

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Please choose your Primary Abilities.

Will’s eyes creaked open, which was, frankly, a surprise.

Please choose your Primary Abilities.

He was still in the white room, but there was A DOOR!

Please choose your Primary Abilities.

Ignoring the voice, Will pushed himself to his feet, hissing in pain as he lightly nudged the scabbing edge of his arm against the floor.

Once he was standing…he went back down. Will had never been faint before, but he’d also never had this much blood loss, either.

Will turned it into a process.

Raise your head.

Lean against the wall.

Sit up straight.

Get to your knees.

Wait.

Once he was confident he wouldn’t falter again, Will pushed himself to his feet.

He needed to see his Trial before he decided on his Abilities.

Oftentimes, people could pick whatever Abilities they wanted for their future Class, breeze through The Trial, then move on, but if Will didn’t choose the best primaries specifically suited for finishing The Trial, then he might just die.

Well, let’s see what we’ve got.

Will took a deep breath and stepped through the glowing yellow portal.

Sunlight.

Chirping birds.

His eyes adjusted.

He was standing on a narrow ridge in a canyon of some kind, with rugged terrain in every direction. There were cactuses, scrub brush, and the unnaturally strong sun beat down on his dehydrated frame like he owed it money.

Above him, sheer cliffs trapped him inside the Trial. Below: jagged crags, narrow footholds, and the occasional patch of flat ground which was completely dominated by plant life.

“Huh.”

Welcome to your Trial, Climber. Somewhere in this canyon is the portal which leads back to the Hunting Grounds.

The portal is guarded by a wicked tribe of Maksu, led by their leader, Sezz’kenal, a vicious raider of caravans who has acquired a taste for human flesh.

Make it back to the Hunting Grounds, and you will be qualified to join The Climb.

Oh, great, it’s a fighting Trial, Will thought, sitting down.

Well, no, it didn’t say I had to fight them. Just that I had to make it back to the Hunting Grounds. Although not fighting them might be difficult. Which is the point.

Please choose your Primary Abilities.

“Sta—” *COUGH*

Not having spoken except to scream or cry in a couple days, Will’s voice was gunked up.

“Status.”

Moment of truth—when we find out what cards the cruel hand of Fate has dealt me.

Will’s stat sheet began to print itself in the air in front of his eyes.

William Oh

Resourceful Climber, Level 1

1 Strength

3 Kinesthetics

3 Resistance

2 Focus

3 Acuity

Charges: 2

Free Points: 1

Please choose your Primary Abilities.

“What’s a Resourceful Climber?” Will mused, interrupting the display of his primaries to go back and study his Class. Again, he needed to know the context of his Class to have a better inkling of how his abilities might develop.

The orphanage did have basic instruction in how to pick your Primaries, and what Classes did what.

Never heard of ‘Climber’ before, though. Aren’t we all Climbers?

Resourceful Climber:

A Resourceful Climber will use any means at their disposal to make it to the top. They are strong, mentally and physically, but most importantly, they are tenacious, enduring. Receives bonuses to tools, Meta Relic use, hardiness, and mobility, with a minor focus in Earth and Spacetime.

“Oh, like a climber climber? Not a Climber? One who literally climbs? Shit.”

That sounded like the sort of thing that having two hands would be fantastic for.

It sounded like a scout archetype, which wasn’t the worst. The Focus per level was better than a scout should’ve expected, too. The resistance, as well…

Matter of fact, those stats are really high. 12 points?

5 from the Uru Drake, 3 from the gravity goat, and…4 from his hand?

That was 3 points per level more than a typical Climber. That was the kind of stat growth that could give birth to a Lord.

You know, assuming I live long enough to capitalize on it, Will thought.

Please choose your Primary Abilities.

Alright, I’ve put this off long enough. Show me the Abilities.

Stone Charge

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Aspect of the Goat

Mighty Leap

Prey’s Senses

Sourdough

Phantom Hand

Everyone started with two Primaries. The first two abilities a Climber picked gained the most upgrades over time, which meant that whatever he picked would grow and change and become more powerful as his Class advanced, forming the core of their style.

Every ten levels, he could pick a new Ability, but of course it would be 10, 20, even 30 levels of growth behind the Primaries.

Let’s see what we got…

Stone Charge

Active: 1 Charge

20ft range.

Coats the user’s body in stone armor and/or propels them forward at lethal speeds.

It’s not a bad ability; it could be used for mobility, defense, or attack, depending on how you use it…but it’s not enough by itself.

Will only had 2 Charge at the moment. Not enough to take out or bypass an entire camp of maksu twenty feet at a time.

Next.

Aspect of the Goat