Chapter 31: Watersheds Mean Choices

Every part of her screamed to check out her new Skill. To make the choice. After all, she'd have five options available now, and they'd be the ones that the Great One deemed as the most valuable to her. She could—

Astrid pulled her thoughts away from those thoughts. The longer she allowed them to linger, the more tempted she'd be to go through the selection options right here in the Dungeon, possibly getting ambushed by wargs and dying like a fool. No, she'd be smarter than your average goblin, and go to the Guild, where she'd speak with Grom.

Sometimes, being responsible made Astrid want to hit herself.

Even so, she could hurry however much she wanted, and hurry she did. Branches, leaves, and bushes weren't able to slow her at all as Astrid tore through the second floor. The first went even faster, and she had to fight to keep the laughter from flowing out of her like an insane person. Instead, she pelted out of the Dungeon and continued her run towards town. She'd taken her time to get this level, and the sun had set completely. It was late. That didn't matter. She knew where she was going, and as soon as her feet hit the packed dirt of the path leading home, she truly let loose and sprinted.

The soft light of the inn, fires and torches lit within, greeted her, and Astrid forced herself to stop running, her steps thundering to a more reasonable pace. She yanked her helmet off her head and put it under her arm as she strode excitedly to throw open the doors. Grom beat her to it.

It was a miracle that Astrid managed to avoid keeping the door from smashing into her face. Instead, she twisted her shoulder enough to take it on the pauldron and she stumbled back two steps. When her excited but confused eyes met Grom's, he quickly understood and his worried face melted into something resembling the proud smile of a father.

"Already?" He asked, knowing the answer before she answered.

"Yeah." She nearly vibrated with excitement. "I don't know if I can make it to get my armor off before I choose."

"You didn't choose yet?" He whistled under his breath as he stepped to the side and let her in. "That's a surprise. Come on, in my office I'll have some things that might help you in your decision making. A little perk for actually trusting the Guild with your Skill selection."

"I don't think I'll do it again." Astrid admitted as she stepped into the inn's main room. "Unless I have real research that I need to do with the new Skill."

"I don't blame you." Grom nodded. "However, I will ask you that, when the time to ascend to Iron comes, you consult with a Guild representative. Even if you feel like you can only come here to use my materials, please do. That's a huge decision."

Astrid shrugged, feeling herself grin more softly. More than anything, she felt grateful for Grom and Stark and their acceptance and quiet guidance. They were good men and mentors, and she was lucky beyond belief to have had them here. As she walked past the bar, Stark smiled his small smile and gestured to a bowl that he'd fill for her. She nodded her thanks as she stepped into Grom's office. He sat slightly on the desk, more hovering than anything else.

"Ok, you can show me your whole Status, or just tell me what Skills you were offered. But don't keep me in suspense! Or yourself, for that matter."

Astrid laughed as she jokingly shook her fist at Grom. Then, without further hesitation, she pulled her Status up.

Status

Name: Astrid

Class: Warrior (Bronze)

Total Level: 6 (2/10,000)

Attributes

Current

Per level growth

Power

38 (+1)

Alacrity

Fortitude

39 (+1)

Magical Potency

Self-Mastery

Acumen

Skill List

Blunt Weapon's Mastery (Bronze)

Shield Wielding (Bronze)

Quick Recovery (Untiered)

Locked

Level 6 Skill Choice Available

Locked

Skill Choice: Tough Skin, (Untiered), Armor Mastery (Bronze), Power Strike (Bronze), Shield Bash (Bronze), Steady Load (Bronze).

Without displaying the Status and possible Skill choices specifically to Grom, Astrid let out a breath. No option for Quick Recovery to upgrade. Maybe that was for the best, since she really wanted an active Skill that'd let her deal with more dangerous enemies and if Quick Recovery'd been offered, she didn't think she could have said no to it. That'd just be the option available to her at level 11. So, instead, she evaluated the options available to her.

"Tough Skin, Armor Mastery, Power Strike, Shield Bash, and Steady Load." She spoke with a faint tremble to her voice. There was one option that was an obvious no, and she already had a frontrunner for what she wanted to choose, but she'd promised her parents and she saw the wisdom in reading the descriptions of each.

"Ask the Great One what each does, and if you have any other questions for me, let me know when you've got em. Sorry you didn't get any Bronze Skills."

"I got four." Astrid said, confused as she stopped asking for the effects of each Skill. Grom's jaw fell while she finally understood his confusion. He grumbled something to himself about damned youngsters while she smirked a little to herself andshe turned her attention to the possibilities before her.

Tough Skin, Untiered: Increases the passive effects of Fortitude on the durability and impermeability of the Skill's holder by 50%. Once per hour, the Skill's holder can activate the Skill at a Heavy mana cost and a Moderate stamina cost to double that bonus to the effects of Fortitude to 100% for 10 minutes.

Armor Mastery, Bronze: Increases the effect and attributes granted by all armor worn by 20%. While wearing armor, the Skill's holder will be passively assisted by ambient mana to reduce the strain of wearing heavy armor.

Power Strike, Bronze: Once per 10 minutes, the Skill's holder can activate the Skill at a Moderate mana cost and a Minor stamina cost to empower the next strike made, whether with weapon, body, or any other item.

Shield Bash, Bronze: Once per 5 minutes, the Skill's holder can activate the Skill at a Minor mana cost and a Minor stamina cost to empower the next strike made made with a shield. The empowered strike carries an additional stunning effect whose efficacy is judged beween the Skill holder's Power and the target's Fortitude.

Steady Load, Bronze: Increases the Skill holder's Alacrity while wearing armor by 20%. While wearing armor, the Skill's holder will be passively assisted by ambient mana to reduce the strain of wearing heavy armor. While carrying any load, the Skill holder's Alacrity is increased by 10%.

Now that she checked them all, Astrid was still sure of her choice, though she better understood everything that was being offered to her. The costs for any Skill's activation had five levels: Minor, which meant the individual could activate the Skill at least ten times without rest without exhausting whatever it required from the user, while Moderate costs, which could be used six or seven times without exhaustion. Heavy costs were a qualitative jump, meaning that the Skill's holder could only use it three times without collapsing, and finally Severe and Overwhelming costs meant only two and one possible uses respectively.

As someone's level and attributes climbed, the listed cost would adjust according to their growing mana or stamina reserves. That Tough Skin would demand a Heavy cost of mana was an aspect to the Skill that was unatractive compared to the rest of her offered Skill possibility.

Beyond that, Tough Skin would be great if she was going to forsake armor at some point or if she wanted to be just taking blows over and over again, but it was contradictory to her existing strategy and Skills, specifically Shield Wielding. Beyond that, it was the only Untiered option, so she wasn't toing to throw away the opportunity for a Boon just to have a Skill she didn't really want.

Armor Mastery was good, and would probably be a Skill she chose once she got to Iron or Steel tier and was able to have more Skills at once, but she didn't need to become even more difficult to hurt. Tied with it was Steady Load, though the boost to her Alacrity would be really great later on. Instead, the decision was between Power Strike and Shield Bash.

Shield Bash, now that she'd paid attention more than she had as someone with a newly Bestowed Class, was an interesting Skill. She'd thought of it as just a way to get some distance between herself and her enemies, but that was obviously not the case. One of the main responsibilities for the frontliner was to slow, weaken, or just capture the attention of the monsters they were fighting so the rest of the party could kill their foes, and Shield Bash was a good possibility for that. It would give the frontliner space while potentially also stopping the enemy in its tracks.

Even so, Astrid didn't want it. Instead, her heart was set on Power Strike. Even though it had a higher Mana cost and longer cooldown, it would serve her well in the fights that she would inevitably be getting into. Astrid wasn't a frontliner, even though she could sub in there when necessary. Her intent, though, was to be a finisher. To be the source of the killing blows that struck down her party's enemies. And Power Blow would do that. With the hammer, it'd break shields, armor, and bones. Even if she had to use it with her shield in a pinch, it would crush the enemies she was up against.

"So. Questions?" Grom asked, settling back on his seat as he looked her in the eyes. "I've got stuff to say, if you'd like me to do it."

Astrid shrugged. "I've made my decision, I think. But if you wanna try to convince me otherwise, go ahead."

"I don't think your decision's a bad one." Grom sighed. "Power Strike is potent and useful basically once every combat at the Bronze tier. I don't think it's a bad choice. And yes, I knew that was what you were going to choose because I know you want to be a finisher. But I can also guarantee that you're underestimating the power of Steady Load."

"I… I'm sure it's good?" Astrid protested weakly, not sure how to respond to all this. He'd pegged everything correctly, and she couldn't in good conscience deny him out of hand when he was so right about things this far.

"Yes. Yes it is. Astrid, I'm sure you're thinking of that Skill as something similar to Armor Mastery. Put that out of your mind immediately. Steady Load is usually taken by delvers with low Power and Fortitude. They struggle to carry their armor, and their attribute growths don't cover for their weakness. As such, their Alacrity isn't as impacted by their wearing heavy armor through this Skill, then when their Power and Fortitude are finally high enough for them to not have to worry about the weight of their equipment, it's giving them a bonus to their Alacrity instead. You don't have to wait until then. This would effectively give you five Alacrity right away."

Astrid nodded slowly, understanding his point better.

"It'd be something to consider. You know, at level 21, you'll get to choose what your Class evolves into. If you have a Skill like Steady Load, it can be really impactful to making your next Class an even better balance between Alacrity, Fortitude, and Power. I've got records of variations that Classes like Guard, Soldier, and even specifically Warrior get when they take passive Skills like the ones you've already got. They can merge, giving more Skill slots earlier. You wanna take a look?" He looked at her. Then he sighed.

"I didn't convince you entirely. And honestly," he raised both hands in surrender. "I don't think you're wrong for wanting the Skill in the long term. Being a finisher with a Skill that lets you almost guarantee that the fight is finished is huge. I don't discount that. But I also think that, at the Bronze tier, that isn't as important, because, with your boon from the Great One guaranteed at this point, you'll be fine. You're strong with solid equipment, you're dedicated, and you've got good Skills. I'd encourage you to maybe slog through some more boring Dungeon entrances and continue working your fundamentals as you gain levels. The Classes that are chosen with inherent synergy from your existing Classes can have huge benefits for what they do to your Skills as you ascend, just ask Stark. But that's up to you. I'll get off my high horse now."

Despite herself, Astrid thought about it. A couple minutes later, she was still thinking. She scratched at her neck where the chain mail itched, and she sighed. Could he be…? She groaned. Something that'd itched at the back of her mind for months rose completely to the forefront of her mind unbidden, and she met Grom's gaze.

"I… might have something that occurs to me. I'll ask the question I would have asked, but… I think I've figured out what the answer is. But it's been bothering me for months." Grom nodded for her to continue, and she met his eyes as she explained, "I was told that there were only seven Bronze Skills here in town on that night that the greasy goblin's arse tried to destroy my future. I didn't want to call anyone a liar about that as I realized he's also Iron tier, but now that I'm leaving, I've gotta ask. Why lie? It's not a secret that Stark's the other representative."

"Stark doesn't have any Bronze tiered Skills." Grom chuckled, giving Astrid the answer that she'd dreaded and made her consider Grom's words more. "I've got three Bronzes, but what do you think my other two are? I already said that I have an Iron Skill."

Astrid groaned and let her head fall into her hands. "You're both on the final watershed before Steel?"

"Not me." Grom grunted as he stepped away from the desk and towards a bookshelf lined with books she'd never paid attention to. "Stark's always been a better delver than me. I accepted pretty quick that Iron's about all I'll ever be. Stark, though, when he takes time off, he'll visit some Dungeon entrances where they're always looking for a man of his Skills and delve for a while. He's built up his level bit by bit as he's gone back to the Dungeon again and again. He's a hound with its prey. Can't stop chasing. Doesn't want to."

"Is he going to leave here when he becomes Steel?" Astrid asked, curious more about that than the circumstances of his Iron Class. For now.

"No." Grom shook his head ruefully. "He's a damn fine delver, but that's not where his heart lies. He just wants to prove that he can become peak Iron tier."

Astrid nodded. Then, before she could move her attention away, Grom pulled a book free and thumbed through the pages until he found one. He turned it in his hands and passed it to Astrid as he explained, "This here is the list of physically-focused Iron tier Classes that're evolved while focusing on having similar Skills, as well as the results that occurred. None of them are quite like what you've got, given the whole 'Quick Recovery' thing, but I think you'll be able to see just what I'm talking about here."

At the top of the list was Starting Class: Soldier. Three Skills: Spearmanship (Bronze), Shieldmanship (Bronze), Armor Mastery (Bronze).

Resulting Class: Captain. Boons: Soldiery Mastery (Iron) (consolidated Skill from aforementioned Skills, encompassing and elevating all three), Commander's Aura (Iron).

Next was Starting Class: Ranger. Three Skills: Scouting (Bronze), Tracking (Bronze), Ambush (Bronze).

Resulting Class: Monster Hunter. Boons: Monster Eradication (Iron) (Consolidated Skill from aforementioned Skills, causing the ambushed prey to take additional damage), Stealth (Iron).

Astrid let her eyes wander over a Fencer who became a Swashbuckler, a different Soldier who became a Knight, a Rogue who became an Infiltrator, and many more. When she saw the first Class that had four Skills working together, Astrid had to sit back and think about it.

Starting Class: Fighter. Four Skills: Pugilism (Bronze), Power Strike (Bronze), Crippling Blow (Bronze), Unavoidable Uppercut (Bronze).

Resulting Class: Juggernaut. Boons: Unstoppable Pugilism (Iron) (Consolidated Skill from aforementioned Skills, allowing the Juggernaught to freely combo the three active Skills together at a reduced cost), Flurry of Blows (Iron), Haste Aura (Iron).

Cursing herself, Astrid thumbed through a dozen more of the results from hundreds of years spent experimenting with Classes and Skills. She made her decision, and hung her head. She couldn't help but hear Grom's chuckles as she whined, "But I wanted Power Strike."

Last Chapter Next Chapter