Na: Christopher Zalenski
Race: (E) Human*
Class: (E) Hamr of the Jotnar(Legendary): Level 91
Profession: (E) Runesmith(Rare): Level 84
Affinity: Arctic
Faction: Frostheim (Leader)
Title: Baron
Strength - 1615
Agility - 793
Perception - 478
Fortitude - 1180
Endurance - 959
Vitality - 597
Intelligence - 415
Wisdom - 667
Acun - 406
Free Points: 0
Laws: Law of Ice (Tier 2), Law of Wind (Tier 1)
Body Stage: Body of Wood(Northern Wind Body)
Mana Stage: Ignited Mana Heart-Perfect (Stars of Primordial Frost)
Spirit Stage: Anchor Formation
~~
A look at my status showed the imasurable changes that had taken place since Winter. Not only one but two new lines were added, which was a lot considering the previous amount of added lines could be counted on one hand.
It took getting asured from a mana device Gabriel devised to find out the Rating behind my ignition, but I had a feeling about what grade it was even before being tested.
The changes were just too substantial to be anything under Perfect. A full ignition was a monuntal achievent, and sothing to be proud of, but the fact I perfected mine gave a great deal of pride.
Having my third stat about to reach the one-thousand mark was another thing to be proud of. Endurance was only 41 points away after sinking all of my Free Points into it.
After my Ignition and the imnse changes to my mana pool, Endurance was the weakest link and it was the drain of all my available free points currently. It would probably continue to be so until my new Class and Profession changed up the ratios.
Looking over everything pointed out that I didn't have that much more to do before evolving. My Bloodline was nearing its peak for what my body could handle, any further and I'd risk internal damage by calling upon it.
My Body could use an upgrade, reaching Body of Stone would help matters with my lacking Endurance. It wouldn't give any more Stamina to use, but the improvents to my body would let do more with less. Letting stretch what I had a little bit further.
The building to do it in was already built, as Vincent had worked through the Winter with Brayden to make it happen.
I was not looking forward to the pain, but if I made fun of Austin for putting it off, I couldn't show hesitation or the vulture would pounce on it. Especially while he was here.
The next level of Mana Cultivation was well out of reach and it wasn't sothing I could aim for. It required more mana than I had and I only just started exploring the current changes.
Any advancent to my Laws was glacially slow, my Ice Law specifically. I could feel Wind was close to Tier 2, but there was sothing missing.
Lastly, my Anchor was growing nicely. The amount of Spirit I could use during fights was orders of magnitude larger than when I first ford it. I was lucky I ford it when I did, as Austin was still running out relatively quickly.
Jonathan and I could use it for extended periods of ti by now.
The next stages for that were still a bit of a mystery, but it would be a long ti before I was ready for that.
All of that being said, the list I still had to do before evolving had shortened dramatically after my expedition North.
1. Upgrade my Wind Law to Tier 2
2. Upgrade my Body to Stone
3. Expand and purify my Bloodline to its maximum
Only three remained and two of those were close to completion with the last only requiring to set the ti aside.
And gathering the essence to level up, obviously.
The new skill choice at level 90 was one easily filled. The selection had the sa choices as before with a few extra but none of the new ones were better than the one I had in mind.
My choice was for a few reasons.
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Initially, when I was choosing my last skill, [Frozen Leach], [Icy Connection], and [Jotun Armor] were the three I passed over to choose [Frozen Rift].
All three had their advantages and disadvantages, but I picked [Frozen Rift] for reasons the others couldn't provide. I hadn't had the chance to explore the depths of the rift connection as much as I wished, but it was sothing I'd do soon.
Austin's return helped decide which I would choose next. We had sparred a few tis, neither of us going all out, but it was a new experience and explored sothing I hadn't co across yet. Speed. His speed, increased from his Anchor, was an exercise in futility to try and hit.
Speed wasn't sothing I'd had to fight against before. Most of my enemies were usually running at , not running away. Plus, most things I fought weren't smart enough to use their faster movent against .
The Dungeons had creatures faster than , and those were a hassle to fight, but the environnt was their downfall. Being trapped in a confined room gave the advantage required to win.
Fighting Austin in an open field was impossible.
My hamr was fast, as fast as one and a half thousand points in Strength could swing, but it still wasn't enough to catch the slippery bastard. He couldn't do anything to either, but it was annoying to not be able to hit him.
My Domain skills were the only things that worked, but they weren't enough to defeat him outright, as he had Laws and tricks of his own.
While his attack on the Boss was strong and gave a feeling of danger, I was confident that using [Frost Armor] and [Jotun's Resistance] would be enough.
It was enough for the Boss's attacks.
That was the second reason. Being able to tank the attacks of sothing so much stronger than without noticeable injury eliminated [Jotun Armor] from contention.
My defense was already powerful enough, I didn't need another skill oriented that way as that would be massive overkill.
Given enough ti, I assud I could turn [Frost Armor] into [Jotun Armor] by upgrading it manually, but there was one aspect of the skill that kept from dismissing it outright.
'can break down and consu mana that cos into contact with it that isn't Cold aligned.'
That line of the description was what stopped . I could strengthen, expand, and condense the ice, mix things regarding its formation, and play with all the variables I could to upgrade the skill, but I had no idea where to start when it ca to that.
The full skill description held so hints, but that didn't help.
Jotun Armor(Legendary)–Clad your body in the most formidable of Icy armor. Created from Ice directly tied to the lands of Niflheim, it holds trace amounts of its magic. Able to hold up to even the most powerful of blows and can break down and consu mana that cos into contact with it that isn't Cold aligned.
The 'dispelling effect', as I dubbed it, was sothing I wasn't confident in replicating. I had no past experience to call on and it was a completely new aspect of Ice.
My hunch was that 'Created from Ice directly tied to the lands of Niflheim' was the reason behind it, but I had no way to confirm.
With [Jotun Armor] out of contention, that left [Frozen Leach] and [Icy Connection].
What sealed the deal was a conversation I had with Austin after a particularly interesting spar.
"How co you never use the negative aspects of Ice?" Austin asked while wiping sweat off his face after stabbing his spear into the ground.
"What do you an?" I asked curiously, letting the Ice under my control fall still.
"Well, you kind of use Ice only as a material, if that makes sense. Fighting you and fighting Jonathan are remarkably similar. He uses a lot more shields and defensive constructs, but the principle is the sa."
His question made stop and think. I used Ice as armor and my weapon. I also turned snow into miniature knives, but there was one thing he was forgetting.
"What about the Cold? I've used that to great effect using [Blizzard]." I defended. The plunging temperatures were debilitating in their own right.
"Oh, sorry, you use one aspect other than its physical properties. Congratulations." He snarked condescendingly. "I'm talking about the more mystical aspects. Like in gas and stories."
"Now you're starting to sound like Gabriel."
"Oh, hush. I'm serious." he said, "You've focused so much on one side of things you're forgetting the arcane and mystical just because you can't see it."
"Okay, great fountain of knowledge, what about you? I don't see you pulling so arcane bullshit with your solar powers?" I ribbed back.
He laughed deprecatingly, "That doesn't an I haven't been trying."
"Trying how?" I asked seriously, "An example would help."
"You know how in gas the Sun and Light have healing properties and are normally used to heal or restore." He asked, "That's what I've been trying."
"Okay, I see what you're saying," I nodded, "So Ice would be slowing and debilitating, not just sharp water that's been frozen."
"Exactly!" He smiled, "Like a debuff."
"But how would that fit into my fighting style? I'm not exactly geared for afflictions and debuffs."
"How should I know? I'm just pointing out that there's more to it than how you look at it. Fighting isn't all about who can hit harder." He laughed.
I fell silent and he went on to babble about sothing else.
After that conversation, I looked at my next choice of skill differently. Instead of seeing what would imdiately slot in and be useful for my repertoire, I looked at what would expand it instead.
[Jotun Armor] would bring the 'dispelling effect', [Icy Connection] would bring its nasake, the connection between and my ice, and [Frozen Leach] would bring the negative aspect Austin talked about.
Of the three, I found the last most important.
If I could turn the Wintery Domain I already used into sothing that sapped energy and slowed, it would allow to fight in more than one dinsion. That dinsion being strength of arm and body.
Right now, if I couldn't overpower or outlast, I would lose. Sparring with Austin introduced another weakness making a third, not being able to hit sothing, but that wasn't sothing I could redy with my available skill choices.
The Boss was a perfect example.
If I'd been alone, and the Boss was a creature I found in the Wild, I wouldn't have been able to defeat it. It would've been a long and hard battle, but ultimately, I would have lost.
My attacks dealt damage and my defense was enough for to hold my own, but it would have drained dry in the end. If I could've Leached its energy and drained it of mana and stamina, I might've won solo.
Frozen Leach(Epic):The Cold saps Heat but that isn't all it can do. Both Mana and Stamina are forms of energy that can be leached away. Use Cold-aligned mana to target one or both of an enemy's energies. More powerful energies require more mana to sap.
The skill description listed Mana and Stamina explicitly, but I was curious as to how far the skill could be pushed. Pushing skills wasn't high on my priority list, and I hadn't dedicated enough ti to doing so with most of my skills, but there would be ti eventually.
Gabriel had already explored doing so himself and had so interesting results.
I doubted the skill would stop at only those two. Could I sap speed? Slow people's movent? Montum was a form of energy, how would that work?
The new avenues the skill opened up were too big to ignore and was why my choice was much easier than others before it.
Choosing [Frozen Leach] as my fifth skill in my Class only left one more, but I was confident it was my best option.
My next skill choice would be brutal. The Last one always was.
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