Ruwen had decided on his path as a Fighter, and he selected Commander.
Ting!
You have completed the Quest – Courage to Stand Alone.
You have received the Commander Sub Class symbol.
See your local Fighter’s Guild for mentorship.
See your local Fighter’s Guild for ability and spell options.
You have received 10,000 experience.
A map appeared in Ruwen’s mind, geography and troop movements detailed across it. He could hear the distant sounds of battle, and he smelled smoke. The map slowly sank until it disappeared. The base of his neck grew ice cold, and like before, it quickly spread over his body. His teeth chattered as his skin prickled.
The sunlight warmed Ruwen as he walked through New Eiru’s main gate and toward the distant lakeshore.
You triggered a quest, Ruwen said to Rami.
Chip my scales, I didn’t know I could do that.
Let’s try again. Send me the Warlord symbol.
Another notification appeared.
Ting!
You have received the quest…
Doing the Right Thing
You are being offered the Specialization symbol for Warlord, which will unlock new abilities and spells. Warlords are Commanders that leverage their leadership abilities and inspire those under their command. Warlords can create Banners that offer benefits to groups and can sway the battle by rousing their troops and granting additional benefits with a Warcry. Choosing your Specialization will allow the Fighter’s Guild to focus your equipment, spells, and abilities.
Restriction: Fighter Class level 20
Restriction: Fighter Sub Class Commander
Reward: Symbol to open the Warlord Specialization
Reward: Mentorship in your chosen Specialization
Reward: Abilities and spells specific to your Specialization
Reward: 50,000 experience
Warlord or Decline
Again Ruwen already knew his choice, and he selected Warlord.
Ting!
You have completed the Quest – Doing the Right Thing.
You have received the Warlord Specialization symbol.
See your local Fighter’s Guild for mentorship.
See your local Fighter’s Guild for ability and spell options.
You have received 50,000 experience.
In Ruwen’s mind, a figure appeared. It stood on a hilltop, gripping a flag that stretched taut in a strong wind. Ruwen could feel the wind against his face and hear the snapping of the cloth flag. Thousands of voices chanted, their voices gaining in volume until it was all Ruwen could hear. His heart thudded in his chest, and adrenalin filled his muscles. The figure with the flag slowly disappeared, and when it vanished, Ruwen’s entire body grew frigid. He stumbled and fell.
Rolling onto his back, Ruwen looked at the clear sky. The echo of the chanting army still filled his mind, and his heart raced, ready for battle.
Ruwen had become a Warlord.
Chapter 9
During the camping trip, before being forced into the Spirit Realm, Ruwen had tried on the Divine Amulet for each Class. For the Classes he’d already chosen, Worker and Observer at the time, it had opened up the first five levels of spells and abilities. For the other four, the spells and abilities appeared but were greyed out and not usable.
Now that Ruwen had picked Fighter as his new Root Class, he felt relief that the Fighter spells and abilities were no longer grey. As expected, now the Observer ones were grey, and he couldn’t use any of them.
Ruwen glanced through the Fighter abilities that the Divine Amulet had given him access to. Like before, they were all at ability level one.
Ability: Shell
Effect: Increase Armor Class by 10% per ability level.
Ability: Honed
Effect: Increase Damage by 10% per ability level.
Ability: Stonewall
Effect: Gain the ability to Parry. Increase Parry chance by 15% per ability level.
Ability: Dressed to Kill
Effect: Ability level 1: No penalty for Cloth, Padded, Leather, Studded Leather, Hide, or Scale.
Ability Level 2: No penalty for Chainmail
Ability Level 3: No penalty for Splint
Ability Level 4: No penalty for Banded
Ability Level 5: No penalty for Plate
Ability: Rush
Effect: Attack target, Stunning them for 1 second per ability level.
Ability: Insult
Effect: Draw the attention of target for 1 second per ability level.
Ability: Endure
Effect: Stamina, Strength, and Dexterity increased by 10% per ability level.
Ability: Tunnel Vision
Effect: Remove and grant immunity to all impairing effects, including fear, root, stun, etc. Duration is 1 second per ability level.
Ability: Iron Stomach
Effect: Increase Resistances by 20% per ability level.
Ability: Weak Link
Effect: Ignore 5% of opponents’ Armor Class per ability level.
Ability: Bash
Effect: Strike target with weapon or shield stunning them for a half-second per ability level.
Ability: Buff
Effect: 10% reservoir of Health and Energy per ability level.
Ability: Peripheral Vision
Effect: Detect hidden enemies increased by 15% per ability level.
The abilities focused on doing damage for as long as possible, which Ruwen welcomed. Fighters could free themselves of crowd control, detect weaknesses, and take a beating with their expanded Health pool.
Next, he glanced through the Energy-based spells the Divine Amulet had opened up for him.
Spell: Jumbo
Effect: Increase size by 10% and Strength by 5% for every spell level while channeled.
Spell: Petrified
Effect: Increase effectiveness of armor by 5% for every spell level while channeled.
Spell: Demon Stance
Effect: For every spell level while channeled, increase damage dealt and damage taken by 10%.
Spell: Turtle Stance
Effect: For every spell level while channeled, decrease damage dealt and damage taken by 10%.
Spell: Charge
Effect: Increase run speed by 5% for every spell level while channeled.
Spell: Rebuke
Effect: A Block or Parry has a 5% chance per spell level to stun the target for 2 seconds while channeled.
Spell: Masochist
Effect: For 10 minutes, increase damage by 10% by sacrificing 10% Health. Each spell level increases both percentages by 10%.
Spell: Wrath
Effect: Burst into magical fire dealing 10% weapon damage while ignoring 10% of Armor Class. Each spell level increase percentages by 10%.
Spell: Shield Wall
Effect: Block or Parry 20% of attacks while channeled. Can not attack while channeling. Each additional spell level increases percentage by 20%.
Spell: Whirlwind
Effect: Strike all targets within weapon range for 10% weapon damage per spell level every 5 seconds while channeled.
The Energy spells followed the same pattern as the abilities: massive damage, sometimes even at the cost of personal Health. Ruwen looked at the Mana spells he had access to and wondered if the pattern would hold.
Spell: Hustle
Effect: Increase Haste by 10% for 30 minutes. Each spell level increases the percentage by 10%.
Spell: Cheap Shot
Effect: 15% extra damage to opponents under 25% Health. Each
