The rest all nodded in agreement.
With a heavy sigh, he bent down and gathered the items. The armor went into his bag while he stashed her money into his belt pouch. He counted the amount to be sure he gave her exactly what he owed.
“Rag, care to do the honors?” Atlas asked and motioned toward the corpse of the bear.
The big warrior stood up straight and thrust his shoulders back in a stance of pride. When his hand touched the bear, two things popped up.
Item - Goreclaw
Requirements: Level 7
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Good
Attack: 6
Defense: 2
Durability: 85/85
Weight: 4.0 lbs.
Slot: 1H Weapon
Traits: A claw of the bear Goreclaw.
• Increases Agility by 1.
Roll for item: Need/Greed
Item - Ring of Burgeoning
Requirements: Level 7
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Good
Durability: 110/110
Weight: 0.1 lbs.
Slot: Finger
Cooldown: 15 minutes
Traits: A ring of polished wood with the likeness of a bear on its face. Infuses the body of the wielder with power for a short time.
• Trigger the ring to increase Strength by 3 for 2 minutes.
Roll for item: Need/Greed
The items were cool, but neither really fit his play style. The claw was tempting for its raw damage and Agility boost, but he’d grown accustomed to the staff and enjoyed its versatility. Strength wasn’t a big stat for him, so the ring was much better for someone else. Selecting Greed on both, he waited for the results.
JamminGirl won the Need roll for Goreclaw!
Ragnarok won the Need roll for Ring of Burgeoning!
“Congrats, guys. We about ready to go claim our reward?” Atlas asked.
The group nodded in agreement before Ragnarok spoke up.
“Uh, Atlas, there’s an item on the bear that I can’t loot. It says it’s your loot.”
“What? It’s not my turn for loot.”
“It looks like a special item. I think it’s class specific.”
The thought of it intrigued him and he walked to the bear. Reaching out, the loot window appeared. He selected the item to see what it was.
Item - Soul of the Dire Bear
Requirements: Level 8
Rarity: Epic
Quality: Good
Durability: 50/50
Weight: 0.1 lbs.
Slot: Druid
Traits: This crystal contains the soul of a dire bear. Absorbing this energy unlocks the Dire Bear special transformation for a druid.
He took the item gently in his hand. The small crystal glimmered with a faint purple light as the jagged edges dug into his palm. Peering into the light gave him the same sense he felt when he communicated with Goreclaw, mind to mind.
“What’s that, Atlas?” Quelin asked.
“It’s the Soul of the Dire Bear. I can use it to unlock the Dire Bear transformation for my class.”
“That’s bad ass!” Jammin said as she ran over to look at the crystal.
The assassin oohed and ahhed over the little gem.
“You going to keep that thing or you going to cash in on it?” Ragnarok asked.
“It’s class specific so I don’t think I can sell it,” Atlas told him.
“Does it say it’s bound to you?” Quelin asked.
Atlas looked at the description again, “No, it doesn’t.”
“Then I bet you could sell it. Would you really want to, though? It seems like a special item. Is it something all druids can get?”
“I don’t think so,” Atlas responded with a shake of his head, “it says it’s a special transformation. I assume you could find it by killing any dire bear, but I don’t know how common they are. This one was the last boss of an event. I’d bet this is something I could sell for a fortune. Also helps that it’s an Epic item.”
“That thing is probably worth more than the reward for this event by far. So, what’re you gonna do with it?” CalvinBoy asked.
Atlas struggled with the decision. On one hand, he was sure he could sell this thing for tons of gold. Early items like this in new games attracted vast amounts of gold. Those serious collectors and streaming stars loved to have the best items in the game from the start.
The benefits it could offer were too hard to pass up. He focused little on his spell casting unless he was healing. This form would give him something to fight with and could save him in a pinch. If it worked like most games, this form would transform him to something more akin to a tank with higher health and defense.
“I’m going to keep it and use it,” he said with confidence as he stared at the gem. With a force of will, he pushed the thought of absorbing it toward the crystal.
Do you wish to absorb the Soul of the Dire Bear to learn Dire Bear Transformation? It will destroy the item in the process. Yes/No.
Yes. Power swirled from the gem and hit him in the center of the chest. Spiraling ropes of purple energy spun as they poured into his body. The process only lasted about five seconds, and then the light faded. The gem lost its shine and then a sharp crack rung through the clearing. The crystal faded to dust in his hand.
Druid Spell - Dire Bear Transformation
Requirements
• Druid Class
• Absorbed the Soul of the Dire Bear
Description: Your body undergoes a physical transformation and turns into a Dire Bear. The form has its own attacks and additions to learn. This effect lasts until canceled.
Mana Cost: 50 MP
Cast Time: 20 seconds
“It’s done. I now have the transformation spell,” Atlas told them with a grin.
“Well, what the hell you waiting for? Show us!” Quelin said.
Atlas nodded and activated the spell. No images showed up, but he felt power surge in his core. His vision shifted perspective as he grew taller and watched the wide eyes of those below him. Bones audibly snapped, but no pain came through. Picking up his hands, he watched them shift and grow. Claws sprouted from his nails and hair covered the appendages.
His newfound height finally knocked him off balance, and he fell to land on his hands, now claws. The strange feeling of the bones in his face shifting and growing sent chills down his spine. Five
