“Holy crap! I just gained my third level!” Madi exclaimed.
“Me too—that might explain why killing Marduk only gained us a few levels to begin with,” I answered, chewing the last piece of heart I could stomach.
Alysand touched a hand to Madi’s arm as she reached for more. “That’s enough. Give some to Pachi as well, and any that’s left over, give to those young fools that want to sign up to become guards or soldiers. Can you do that, Tumsley?”
The little man nodded sagely and, after giving a portion to Pachi, left as quickly as he’d come. We had to listen to Madi complain a while that her pet hadn’t grown from the experience, but she was also unwilling to try to feed the bear with its mother’s flesh. It just seemed wrong. Pachi, however, was already grown, and by all means was nearly too large to be inside Garren’s home.
As we prepared for sleep, Madi and I made a plan to separate the loot from Marduk, making the task of auctioning the materials that much easier. The fact that the people of Benham, along with Tumsley, had taken their pay in materials, made the task easier. Tumsley had requested the eye that hadn’t been poisoned. Even though it had been run through by my katana, the eye was still apparently valuable. He said he planned on taking it out to his spider kin in the mountains to give to the Great Matriarch as a gift. He also got two of the talons and a patch of the hide. We had been promised great cloaks made from the bear’s hide, and I was excited to have the extra warmth, as the weather had already begun to turn towards winter.
“You take the bones, claws, and remaining pelt,” Madi said as she curled up under her blanket. “I will take the gooey bits, the organs and such. Those will bring most of the money, and I am more experienced than you are with the exchange. Sound like a plan?”
“Sounds fair. Then, when we get all of the gold, we can do the math and split it three ways.” The fact that I trusted Madi so much felt good. I’d never had a friend so dear to just know that she had my best interest in mind.
Alysand seemed to go to sleep at once, laying still under the furs he was given, and tipping his hat over his face.
Madi and Tejón lay down and pawed at one another for a time before going still. It was plain that everyone was exhausted.
For some reason, my mind kept racing. So much had happened in the last two days. No better time to check my notifications, I figured, and selected the first.
Level 20 Skill unlocked: Choose between one of three skills:
Wounding Strike (Active): Attack wounds creature, causing 75% of normal damage, but applies the Wounded debuff. Wounded reduces creature’s movement speed by 75%. Duration: 2 minutes.
Edge Dancer (Active): A flurry of strikes that can cut down a swath of enemies. Attack speed increased by 300%. Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 10 minutes.
Sword Wall (Active): Your weapon strikes increase to an inhuman speed, causing 100% of all incoming damage to be deflected. Duration: 1 minute. Cooldown: 1 hour.
It seemed that Wounding Strike was up for grabs again, this time with a twenty-five percent boost to both the base damage as well as the reduction of movement speed. It could be valuable, but again, I rejected the notion of using it to retreat. So far, we had encountered no fights that would have benefited from such a tactic. Besides, soon enough, Pachi would be large enough for me to ride her. If that were the case, then I’d prefer to just hop on and retreat that way.
The Sword Wall skill was very tempting. The idea of blocking all attacks for a minute straight would be awesome. I could stop a number of foes by myself. But I did have the bone armor from Blessing of the Bear to count on.
Edge Dancer looked to be an explosion of offense. With the added armor penetration and damage bonus my duel-wielding offered me, I could become a cloud of devastation.
I told Pachi about the options and she agreed with me. Edge Dancer became my newest skill in an ever-growing arsenal.
The enfield shifted about uncomfortably a moment, then broached what was on her mind. I have grown much since felling the bear, and there are choices that need to be made. Would you like to help me as well?
What do you mean, choices? I prodded, my interest sparking.
Like you, I must also choose a skill. There are three choices, and I want them all, but like my den mother used to say, you can only swallow one fish at a time.
I laughed and nudged her. And you think I have strange sayings. Well, what are they?
Pachi looked me in the eye, and I felt something contact my mind in a more physical way. Then a notification prompt filled my vision.
Pachi Level 20 Skill unlocked: Choose between one of three skills:
Wing Storm (Active): A barrage of wind buffets the enemy, stunning them for 2 seconds. The Dazed debuff is applied and reduces movement speed and reaction time by 25%. Interrupts spell casting. Duration: 2 minutes. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Cry of Courage (Active): The piercing call of a gryphon reverberates through all party members, lending them the Cry of Courage buff. +50% Stamina regeneration, +50% Health Regeneration, +10% damage. Duration: 5 minutes. Cooldown: 1 hour.
Talon Strike (Active): Attack enemy with a
