Finals
Darren hated to leave Kaycee, especially after everything they'd just been through, but if he wanted to graduate with high honors, like he'd been planning for years, he couldn't miss these finals. He had spent the vast majority of his time working as hard as possible to achieve high honors in his majors, English Lit and Philosophy, so he could secure the highest income possible to support the twins, Ava and Aiden. Plus, throwing himself into his work was the only way he could keep from constantly thinking about what had happened.
Images of the attack on his family all those years ago flashed through his mind, and he couldn't stop them. Gritting his teeth, he walked swiftly down the sidewalk toward the class where he would take his finals.
Pain flooded his body again, his face growing hotter, and a drop of warm liquid slid down his cheek. He would never forget seeing them like that… Blood had coated virtually everything that night, pumping rapidly from his parents' bodies. It would have been Ava's blood too, and Aiden's, if someone hadn't intervened.
He still didn't know who that someone was, and he wasn't sure if he ever would. All he remembered was seeing several people struggling against one other person in the shadows of their living room, then a flash of bright light, and all that was left was a room full of death. Shaking his head, Darren tried to think of anything else. These thoughts would only infuriate him…
The sky was darkening with storm clouds, and he felt a drop of rain hit him. He sensed a slight change in his body, like he was a bit stronger and faster than he had been a few moments ago.
"That's odd…" he muttered. "I wonder if storms strengthen me? I am the Storm Knight, after all, so I guess that would make sense." He let the thought go for the time being and continued toward his destination.
Soon enough, Darren reached the building where his finals would be held and quickly entered, hurrying down the main hallway to a classroom on the far side of the building. He was a bit early, but that was a good thing. He stopped by a vending machine, bought a bottle of water and a snack. It wasn't the best food, but his stomach was growling fiercely. He couldn't even remember the last time he ate…
Inside the classroom, he saw that it was almost completely empty, with only a few students scattered here and there. Despite the university's size, he couldn't imagine there being very many students taking double majors like he was. Everyone in this class had at least two majors, one of them being English Lit.
He found a seat at the back of the room, which was filled with amphitheater-like seating, with the professor's desk and lecture space down below at the front of the room. Checking his watch, Darren saw that he still had around twenty minutes before the finals actually began. It seemed like a good time to check out EDS a bit more and see what kind of stuff he could do with those advancement points.
EDS, display, please, he thought.
Certainly, EDS responded.
Not having to speak out loud was convenient, especially with others in earshot.
You have pending notifications.
Darren observed the notifications in his mind as EDS displayed the details:
**Darren Cadogan**
- Lv. 7
Title: Storm Knight - Lv. 2
Specializations:
- Striker
- Commander
Available AP: 28
Stats:
Vitality: 19
Absorption: 19
Strength: 27
Agility: 22
Resistance: 12
Stamina: 22
Luck: 12
Stealth: 12
**Striker Skills & Abilities:**
- Weapons Mastery - Passive
-- You can master any weapon
-- Proficiency with each weapon increases with use
-- As a Striker, your proficiency with melee weapons will increase 100% faster than ranged weapon proficiency
- Strength to Fight - Passive
-- Increases strength by 15
-- Increases agility and stamina by 10
- Absorb - Active
-- You can absorb ambient energy and use it to enhance your physical abilities
- Imbue - Active
-- You can imbue your weapons with absorbed ambient energy, strengthening them and causing them to do more damage
**Commander Skills & Abilities:**
- One For All - Passive
-- Increases the stats of all allies in your party by 10
- Command - Active
-- Your words, while this skill is active, inspire courage and a desire to follow your orders in your allies
-- This skill does not override free will
- Order - Active
-- You can create and lead a Knight's Order
**Storm Knight Skills & Abilities:**
- Storm Call - Passive
-- Storms are drawn to the Storm Knight, no matter where he is
--- Storms drawn to the Storm Knight vary depending on his state (emotional, mental, etc)
--- When in a storm, the effectiveness of all abilities increases by 50%
--- All stats increase by 50%
- Bolt - Active
-- Allows the Storm Knight to move like lightning
"Whoa," Darren thought. This was the first time he'd seen everything laid out like this.
He noticed that he had pending notifications and asked EDS to expand them.
You have pending notifications.
…
You have received a gift!
A gift? What's the gift, EDS?
You have received an item: [Knight's Armament].
[Knight's Armament] is an unbreakable weapon. Upon receiving this item, you may choose for it to become a melee or ranged weapon. Depending on which of these you choose, the [Knight's Armament] will transform rapidly into whatever weapon you need it to be. For instance, if you choose melee, your [Knight's Armament] will be able to transform into any type of melee weapon. The same goes for ranged. However, this item has a size limit and cannot be transformed into something with more mass than what it already has.
"So, no turning it into a tank, then?" Darren chuckled quietly to himself. Another display appeared in front of him with an image of a blue and green cube. He looked around, still feeling like others could see the display even though he was sure they couldn't.
"I think I'll choose melee," he thought. Just as he decided, the cube morphed into a beautiful sword. The blade looked reflective and almost translucent, while the cross-guard and pommel were gold, and the hilt of the weapon was a similar color to the blade, though more solid in appearance. He wanted to draw the weapon out of the display, but that clearly wasn't a good idea, given his surroundings.
Can you add it to my inventory, EDS?
Happily.
The display shifted to show a screen with several boxes. One of the boxes held the spear that Darren used in the Rift earlier, and the second now held the Knight's Armament. In the top right corner, the display read "2/50." A greyed-out "Expand Inventory" button was next to it. With 50 slots, he didn't think he'd need to expand anytime soon.
Thanks, EDS. That weapon is super cool, and the name is pretty awesome too.
It is a gift from the Great King.
Darren was dumbstruck for a moment. The Great King Himself had gifted this weapon to him?
Well, thanks all the same, he thought.
Can you bring up my stats and available AP?
Certainly.
…
**Available AP:**
28
**Stats:**
Vitality: 19
Absorption: 19
Strength: 27
Agility: 22
Resistance: 12
Stamina: 22
Luck: 12
Stealth: 12
How exactly do I earn AP, EDS?
Each Knight will earn 2 spendable Advancement Points for each of their Specializations, each time they level up. Also, as a Titled Knight, all of your stats will increase by 1 each time your Title levels up.
Oh okay, so that's why I have so many Advancement Points to spend. Seven levels, with two AP per level, per Specialization, equals 28 AP. So I can spend them on whichever stats I want?
Yes, except for Vitality and Absorption, which increase by 1 point per level gained.
Okay, so how do you think I should spend these points?
I cannot give you instruction on this, but I can say that as a Striker, it would be most important to focus on those stats which increase your damage output and your fighting ability and speed.
As a Commander, though, you may want to focus more on the stats which would increase your ability to defend your allies and increase your chances of obtaining critical heals and buffs for them.
In the case of the Striker, those stats would be Strength, Agility, and Stamina. For a Commander, those stats would be Resistance and Luck, though Strength also plays a large role in defensibility.
Okay, that's what I needed to know. I'm going to divide them up like... this:
**Available AP:**
0
**Stats:**
Vitality: 19
Absorption: 19
Strength: 27 + 7 = 34
Agility: 22 + 7 = 29
Resistance: 12 + 5 = 17
Stamina: 22 + 4 = 26
Luck: 12 + 5 = 17
Stealth: 12
Very good.
Darren felt an influx of strength as the points were applied. His muscles tightened and felt stronger. He felt tougher and quicker, too, even just while sitting down.
I'm going to have to test out my new strengths as soon as I can! he thought eagerly.
A door opened below, and footsteps echoed across the barely populated room. Darren closed the display and looked to see a familiar professor walking from the entryway to his desk below. There was still so much he didn't know about EDS and everything that was going on, but he didn't have any more time to focus on that right now.
As soon as the professor reached his desk, he placed a computer bag on it and turned toward the students.
"Alright, who's ready to take some finals?"