Interlude - To Choose
Interlude To Choose
Naha looked in on Zach, saw him sitting in the corner of the room below deck with eyes closed and the collar in his hands. He had devoted every mont of his ti to it. She turned around and walked out, the wardens sat on the deck, playing a ga of so kind. Okim laughed as he apparently won, while Commander Bera watched from the helm. Vitor sat at the front of the ship, his alchemical gear set up along with a small wind array that pushed the fus down below them. He had been working non-stop since they left, making enough of his concoctions for the mission. Everyone on the ship was above Immortal, Okim had earned his Class in the Tournant City, and she only knew that it was sothing related to do monsters.
Naha found a small corner near the side of the airship and sat down. She was hesitating. And she knew that she couldnt afford to. Again, she took a look at her Class choices. She had leveled to the threshold once Hitor had invited them to the war, after the battle in the city. She knew that she needed power. She had improved her skills, had even taken up two new ones from the storage that Bera had at the keep. Simple skills, but things that she could and had improved. Her Ideal, her rewards from Hastur, even what she gained from killing the ancient one. She had a lot of power now.
She pulled out a small mirror out of her storage and glanced at it.
Mirror of Reality
Copy an area of reality in its current state and create a mirror reality. You can enter and walk through the area, but everything is frozen in the state it was when copied. So powers will interfere with the mirroring of areas.
It had been her reward for the event that Zach caused, that and a lot of essence. And it was useful, she could study an area before infiltrating, learn the lay of the land. Their plan relied a lot on her being able to use it well. And she had been practicing. It was eerie, walking through a muted world filled with frozen people, but it was a supre tool in information gathering.
She still had her elixirs from Hastur but had been thinking about keeping the attunent improvent one for now. Class wasnt her main focus, and her attunents were all tied with shape shifting in so way. She could sell the elixir, it would certainly bring a lot of Essence. She sighed, or perhaps she should just use it on the new Class, if she picked it up.
With all the things that she had, there was one way to get even more power. She glanced at her choices for the Immortal Class. There were two choices, one she never considered taking, a Slayer of Hastur Class was not what she wanted. The other was She felt ashad of it, even though she knew that she shouldnt be. And yet it hurt her to look at it. After everything that she had done, after how much she had failed. She didnt deserve it. But there it was, taunting her.
CLASS
DESCRIPTION
POWERS
Paragon of Shadows Call (Eternal)
You are the paragon of shadow, protector and guardian of the people.
Paragons are guardians, a Paragon of Shadows Call is one who protects from the shadows. You fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, protecting the innocents and standing against terrible threats of overwhelming power if that ans they will be protected.
Paragon: You are a paragon of shadows. All shadow related powers are 80% more effective. Gain 20% to all stats when standing in the shadows. Anyone you wish to protect has 200% to the durability of their person and equipnt while embraced by the shadows under your command. Gain 25% to strength and dexterity.
!Gain one of the following:
-Shadow Embrace defensive ability: Shroud yourself or anyone within range in the shadows, protecting them from harm.
-Shadow Blade offensive ability: Apply an offensive ward on any bladed weapon on your person, increasing its damage for 15 seconds, and making it do increased Shadow Essence damage.
-Might and Agility: gain plus 25% to base strength and dexterity.
A paragon. That is what they had called her back on her howorld. An exemplar of what her people could be, wanted to be. And then the Infinite Realm happened. She had co a long way, but she still felt like she had no right to a Class like this one. And yet, every ti she looked at Zach, at his power and what he wanted to do with it, she felt ashad for not taking it. She bowed her head, but her mind was wavering. To pick that Class up would an stepping back into the shoes that she once wore. To try and regain the lofty goals she once held. She had been trying, of course she had. But she just didnt think that redemption would co so quickly.
In the end, it was just a Class na, it didnt an But it was still hard. She had spent years with Zach, trying to do good, trying to fix herself. To beco a better person, even when it had been hard. When they had no power to change things. When they had to stand by and watch.
That had changed too. They held power now, had influence.
She had to make a decision, and soon. Before she could talk herself out of it, she picked the Class, and it was done. But she didnt stop there, she pulled out her attunent improvent potion and downed it. She waited for the effects to go through, and then pulled up her improved Attunent.
Shadow Paragon of Virtue
Perk Improvent, Ability Improvent. You are a Shadow Paragon of Virtue. All shadow related powers are 120% more effective. Gain 50% to all stats when standing in the shadows. Anyone you wish to protect has 500% to the durability of their person and equipnt while embraced by the shadows under your command. When acting in service of protecting the innocent any powers seeking to disrupt your being are 20% less effective, and you gain 100% ntal and stamina regeneration. Gain 50% to strength and dexterity.
Her perks had improved too, and a few of her abilities. She didnt know if she was worthy of it all, but she would do her best to be. Then, she settled in to read and get familiar with all the changes.
What is it? Tali asked. Ryun had taken her aside; they still had a few things to do before the march started in less than a day.
I have sothing for you, Ryun said slowly. I I think that I would want you to have it.
What is it? Tali tilted her head.
As a response he pulled out a weapon out of his storage. It was a white-gray spear, clearly an awakened weapon.
This belonged to lody, Ryun said.
Tali raised her eyebrows but didnt comnt. She knew about his past and everything that happened back on Earth.
It took a long ti just to be able to hold it like this, Ryun said with a sad smile on his face. It brings too many mories. But it is also a reminder of the price of failure No, it is also a reminder of what I used to have. Ive held on to it for a long ti. But I think that I am ready to give it away now. I know that you said that you are searching for a perfect match. And I dont know what this awakened spear can do, it was never bonded. What I rember is that the more it was used, the more it would turn into a cloud like substance. And clouds are part of the sky, Ryun smiled as he looked at the spear.
He was right, the sky encompassed all that was above ground.
I dont know Ryun, Tali said. It was a great gift, and he could see how much it ant to him. But she had stayed away from bonding an awakened object because she was looking for a perfect match.
I know what you are seeking, but I dont think that you can ever find that, perfection is not always the best. Overcoming, adapting, this is what lets us climb higher. It is why we are where we are.
It was what he had been telling her for a long ti. She had seen the evidence that his ideology worked, for him, and sowhat for her as well.
Are you sure? That is sothing very precious to you, Tali started. Isnt there soone better? Selia? Kri even?
Selia has her own, and I dont know how much it would fit her. Call it intuition. And Kri, she is young and good with a spear, but I dont think that her future lies in this direction.
And mine does? Tali smiled. I know how to use a spear, but my entire build is focused on keeping people away from .
Ryun nodded. Which is why you are lacking in the close-range defense departnt. I dont know what the spear will be able to do, but it was given to lody as her perfect match at a ti when she was focused on speed and avoidance. I think that it will be useful to you.
Are you sure?
You are my friend. I want you to have it, he told her.
It moved her; she couldnt deny it. They had beco quite close friends, him and her. Kindred spirits, two people who enjoyed Cultivation above all else. There were very few things that she could deny him, even though she liked to pretend otherwise.
She sighed; she couldnt refuse. Tali reached out and took the spear in her hands.
Anrosh sat at her desk, the sect never stopped. Reports and notes on various matters cluttered everything. The sect had gone to war, or many had, at least. That didnt an that there werent things to do here. She was just as busy, more so perhaps. She paused in her reading about a harvest reporttheyd been forced to harvest early to have enough supplies to send with the warriors, which left them with a deficit. But it seed like Ender Ornn-Dagda would be able to increase his production.
She sighed and stood up, stretching. She walked over to the window and looked out at the moon shining down on the city of Consequence. A part of her wished that she couldve gone with them, but she had co to understand and accept her place here. Making sure that the sect continued running.
She was worried about Kri, of course, terrified even. But her daughter was a grown woman, not many in the sect saw her as that, so Anrosh felt the need to do so. She was old enough to make her own decisions, no matter the danger that they brought with them.
She worried about Nayra too, theyd barely had any ti to just themselves since she ca back. So many things had been required of them both.
And Ryun She worried about him the least, he had always been doing crazy things and sohow surviving them.
But that was her choice, to stay behind and keep their ho safe. To keep it growing and improving. To make it what they all knew it could be. She shook her head and turned around, walked back to the desk and sat down. This was her choice, and she had made it fully understanding that this was in her future. Sitting and waiting, while others fought in her stead. Her job wasnt to fight, well, not always. She was to protect the sect, to make sure that they always had a ho to co back to. To be the steward of their peace and deal with things that would bother them and interrupt their advancent. It was hard having to wait while they could be getting hurt, but she knew that she was an important piece of their lives.
She shook her head and turned back to the papers on her desk, she had work to do. She always did.
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