The Pinnacle Warrior

“I’ll talk about all three,” Astrid said, “but I also am only really considering two. The one I’m leaning away from is Immortal Spellblade.”

A part of her had wanted to just blaze on past that statement, but she knew she couldn’t. Instead, she looked at her friends' faces as they processed her words. It had never been a secret that she’d always wanted to be a Spellblade, and Skandr was the first to break the silence.

“You’re not even considering it?” He asked, incredulous. “I’m sure there’s a reason for it, you’re not an idiot, but dismissing it out of hand seems to be pretty quick for leaving a dream behind.”

“What he said,” Benedict jumped in. “If you’ve been hoping for something for that long, then it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense that you’re not even considering it now. I mean, you’ve talked about the tears and friendships broken over this. Are the other two higher rarity Classes?”

“No,” Astrid shook her head. “All three are extraordinary, so I feel pretty spoiled for her choice on that. The main issue is that it changes everything for me. Loses Blunt Weapons’ Mastery, and it instead becomes a completely Skill-dependent Class instead of one that’s amplified by Skills.”

“Well, okay, but that’s kind of what a Spellblade is though, right?” Benedict asked. “Seems to me that such a massive change, though it would be hard to get used to, would just be a positive, not a negative.”

“Maybe,” Astrid shrugged, “but unlike the other two Classes, the primary Skill, the one that replaces Body and Aura, changes things more than what I’m comfortable with.”

“If that was your problem with it,” Benedict replied, “why didn’t you say that first?”

“A combination of the two?” Felix cut off Benedict’s complaints and spoke for the first time. As Astrid nodded her confirmation, Felix met her gaze and nodded, waiting for her to continue.

“It goes from a healing and damage absorption combination, like Aura and Body are together now, to a damage prevention aura, basically,” she explained. “The new Skill, Immortal Spellblade Artistry, consumes my mana as well as the mana of attacks around me to empower what I’m doing. So, if I was in the middle of the flamespitters’ inferno, then I could have taken most of the mana out of the attacks to make it less dangerous while also getting stronger, myself.”

“Everything you’re saying is making this sound like a better option than getting hurt and healing,” Benedict said, his eyes narrowed at her in confusion. “I’m gonna need more than that to understand why you’re not considering the Class.”

“I’m not hesitating telling you,” Astrid scoffed. “I’m happy to. The core issue for Immortal Spellblade is that there’s a ceiling for what it can absorb. I can’t feel exactly what it is without having it and doing some experiments, but of course there’s a limit, there has to be. My concern is that, instead of being one of the other options where I can heal myself or the rest of you, if I encounter something that has a particularly strong attack that overwhelms my defenses, then I’ll be out of luck.”

“That’s the same issue as being able to heal yourself with Body, though,” Skandr said. “If something kills you in a single hit, then Body doesn’t do anything.’

“More than that,” Astrid continued, glaring at Skandr for interrupting, “If a mana devourer shows up, something that can cancel the Skill, I lose the healing fallback that I’ve relied on for years, and it becomes the same issue with what happened with Felix and the feathered serpents: if I can’t take care of it at the moment it happens, then there’s nothing I can do. The other two Classes’ Skills can help after the fact. The shift from recovery to prevention is great, but the Skill loses everything that made Quick Recovery and Immortal Warrior’s Body the overwhelming Skills that they were, as something that can repair the damages taken. I won’t throw away my ability to take care of myself and my party for my childhood dream when my childhood dream would change me from who I am to a different, and in my opinion, lesser, version of myself.

“Beyond that,” Astrid continued, “it’s a very broadly attributed Class. Since this would be, for me, an extraordinary Class after an extraordinary Class, combined with my boon, I’m going to gain 79 attribute points a level regardless of which option I take, but it’s not as specialized as the other options.”

Benedict and Skandr nodded in understanding at that, and Astrid looked at the rest of the party to see what they thought as well. Felix also remained quiet, and before long, Muti spoke.

“And the other options? Present them.”

Instead of just talking about why she was thinking of taking each option that was presented, Astrid shared the Classes and their Skills’ descriptions. She shared Captain first, and just before everyone started to respond, she presented the Immortal Champion’s information. As she did so, Skandr let out a long, slow breath.

“Let’s talk about Captain first,” he said, “but it won’t matter much, will it? After all, you’re not going to take it, are you?”

Astrid smiled a little and couldn’t help but shrug in response.

“Look, you’re going to choose the Class that you like. However, for the sake of argument,” Skandr continued, “if we were a company of soldiers or something like that then Captain would be amazing. It’s an aura focused Class, which goes well with what you already have, and would go amazingly well for Muti and I to have our attacks strengthened while near you, but this isn’t really a decision that needs to be made, since you don’t want to shift your focus to being a support.”

“You’ve always said you were a finisher,” Benedict added. “I don’t think you’re ever going to suddenly decide to become a frontline supporter.”

Astrid nodded slowly in response to that, unable to disagree, though she couldn’t help but reread through all that Captain would be able to do.

“I think that’s probably settled and you just want to talk about it,” Skandr said. “Correct me if I’m wrong?”

“Well,” Astrid hedged, “I want to know that you’re all alright with me taking a Class that’s more selfish.”

“Astrid,” Benedict said, his face dropping from his teasing looks. “We all know that I’m planning on leaving you all in the lurch. That’s not a possibility, it’s been discussed, and we know it’s going to happen. I don’t know if picking a different Class is that much of a betrayal of the rest of our expectations, since, as I read over Champion, you’re picking a Class that first, has a primary Skill whose purpose is to heal themself and their allies, second, has an aura that’ll protect the people around you, and third, will serve the role that you built the party around you being. Remind me what you’ve done wrong?”

Faced with that argument, Astrid raised her hands in apology and laughed.

Skandr spoke up again as her decision was effectively made. “As for me, I would like some actual advice, not just to brag about what options were presented. I've got two options I’m most focused on, being one direct upgrade to my Class and another that’s a bit of a departure. The third is too different from what I want to be to even be an option. Storm Archwizard is the direct upgrade to what I’ve already got, just upgrading and consolidating my Skills, focusing on spellcasting. There’s a bit of a focus on different types of storms, things beyond what I can make now, though I’m not sure what exactly that entails just yet.”

As he trailed off, the party looked at him, and Muti was the least patient. “What is the other?”

“Storm Warlock,” he said with a shrug. “It leans into my existing Warlock’s Constitution Skill, actually merging it with my spellcasting Skill. It lowers the cost of using my health and stamina to empower my spells while giving my cloud a significant boost and changing it to a more sentient companion, instead of just a summons. The problem is that it’s a more well-rounded class, though still not as spread thin as even Immortal Captain and is focused on sacrifice instead of on spellcraft and study.”

“So it’s not as tunnel-vision focused as Wizard,” Benedict said, nodding. “I’m gonna need a little bit more information on the whole ‘sacrifice’ thing, though. Like, sacrifice animals? People?”

“I think that’s possible, but that isn’t a requirement and isn’t the aspect of ‘sacrifice’ that I’m already skilled with,” Skandr refuted. “Instead, it’s more the sacrifice of my health and stamina, as well as my mana. Instead of spending it, it says I would sacrifice it, which I’m not sure what the difference is specifically. Beyond that, it trades Enchantment for a Skill called Sacrificial Enhancement, which is very different. Instead of enchanting items, it lets me strengthen people with different things, though I’m not super sure what those ‘different things’ are.”

“You didn’t say the rarity of either of these Classes,” Astrid jumped in before addressing the Classes themselves. When Skandr grinned at her, she figured she knew what answer was coming her way, and that was confirmed when he spoke.

“Extraordinary, both of them. I’d hazard a guess that, going off of everybody’s reactions, we all got at least one extraordinary option.”

They all looked at each other, and various reflections of smiles greeted them, so the answer was obvious.

“So, it’s not a question of opportunity cost in rarity,” Skandr continued, “but a decision between which path I want to take.”

“And the Archwizard doesn’t take away Warlock's Constitution?” Astrid asked.

“Upgrades it to Steel, but nothing else,” Skandr confirmed.

“So far as I can tell,” Astrid said with a shrug, “it seems to me that the Wizard branch might sacrifice some immediate power for a greater ability to study and extend your capabilities in the long-term. Is that right?”

“That’s about right,” Skandr said with a nod.

“So you’re choosing between following the path you’ve established, or exploring a quicker path to power that sacrifices some future potential?” Astrid to clarify it again.

Instead of answering, Skandr just laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.

“So I’m right. Isn’t your favorite part of being a Wizard the spellcrafting aspect of it? The enchantment? You know, everything that you would lose by taking this other Class?”

“You didn’t need to put it in so direct of terms,” Skandr protested as he continued laughing. “I know that they’re both great Classes.”

“So the choice is between continuing on the path that you’re already succeeding in without having the time that you need to be truly successful,” Astrid scoffed, “or stepping onto an untested path that you’ll enjoy less while sacrificing some measure of your future.”

She went silent, looking at the Wizard who shrugged. Astrid continued, “I don’t see why you would ever hesitate to take the Class that you want over one that might be stronger in the short term, but more limited in the long term. So far as I know, we barely left the only shortcut to gaining levels in a short time, being the Wandering Trials. It’s been less than a year, so much less time than anyone spends in Iron, and with that time, you’ve come so far while working at a disadvantage. Moving forward, we’ll definitely have several years in Steel, more than enough time for you to continue to experiment with new spells and so on. So, do you want the exotic Class that doesn’t suit you? Or do you want the direct upgrade of Class to the one that was a dream come true?”

“You can’t just unilaterally say that it’s a dream come true so I should take it,” Skandr disagreed. “After all, you just got offered your dream Class and you never even considered it.”

Astrid shrugged, but she couldn’t bring herself to shoot back. After all, he wasn’t wrong, and the decision was largely made for him, so there was no need for further disagreement against the argument he made as a matter of principle. Instead, she looked as Benedict demanded, “So what’s the Class’s actual description? What’s it do for you?”

With a gesture, Skandr shared the description.

Storm Archwizard (Extraordinary): You have strengthened your path as a Wizard, and already at Steel tier, you have qualified to be called an Archwizard. Your journey has been hurried along, but you have sought knowledge regarding the basest functions of the world, how mana interacts in all it does. You have been held back by your tier and attributes thus far, and the Storm Archwizard breaks some of those barriers that stood before you. You’ve broken some of the original bounds set upon you as an Iron tier, and your studies have paid dividends. In binding those stronger than you, freezing those faster than you, and slaying those tougher than you, you have shown your ability to overcome the regular boundaries of the world. As a Storm Archwizard, you will be able to create supernatural storms and rule over the weather as your mind’s prowess grows. Selecting this Class will bless you with the merging of the Storm Administration (Iron) and Summoned Stormcloud (Iron) Skills into the Skill: Storm Companionship (Steel). Your existing Storm Magic (Iron) Skill will ascend to Storm Wizardry (Steel). Your existing Lightning Enchantment (Iron) Skill will be upgraded to Enchantment (Steel). Your existing Warlock’s Constitution (Iron) Skill will be upgraded to Warlock’s Constitution (Steel). Attribute growth per level (Racial traits) [Warlock’s Constitution]: Power +2 (+1) [+2], Alacrity +4 (+1) [+2], Fortitude +5 (+1) [+2], Magical Potency +25 (+1), Self-Mastery +16 (+1), Acumen +12 (+1).

“Wait, so as Warlock’s Constitution continues to grow,” Benedict asked, “it’ll keep giving you more bonuses to how many attributes you get per level?”

“And I can feel that the conversion of health or stamina to spells will be more effective,” Skandr added.

Benedict narrowed his eyes at the other man, who shrugged and, instead of saying anything more, instead explained, “Storm Companionship will let me better control the storms I create, as well as ones that occur naturally, while lumping my cloud companion into that. It’s a little complicated, but basically just merges the two. Wizardry is just a higher tier of Magic Skills, and Enchantment’s going to be even simpler for me.”

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in,” Benedict grouched as he turned away. Astrid didn’t pay them any mind, and as she looked at the other three members of the party, Felix was the next to speak.

“I have made my decision.”

He held everybody in suspense, and Astrid would have thought it was accidental if she didn’t note the faintest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. With a smirk of her own, she picked a small pebble up off the ground and hurled it at the party's frontliner. He dodged the attack and, as she reached for another, raised his hands in surrender.

“The Class I selected is Steadfast Guardian,” Felix said simply, immediately sharing the Class's explanation with the rest of the party.

Steadfast Guardian (Extraordinary): Your path has been one of finding yourself, of violence and then protection. This is a step which would take you firmly and nearly irreversibly towards that of a protector, not an aggressor. You have proved yourself in the Wandering Trials as one who will sacrifice themself before their allies, and as you have focused on the protection of your allies against those who would easily destroy you, you’ve proven yourself as more than capable of serving as a shield behind which to find safety, even as those many times stronger than you threaten. Steel tiers hold no fear for you, and the Steadfast Guardian will not shrink before any enemy. Selecting this Class will bless you with the merging of the Guardian’s Wrath (Iron), Immovable Stance (Iron) and Tiger’s Pride (Iron) Skills into the Skill: Raging Guardian (Steel). The Skill Whirling Blades (Iron) is removed and replaced with the Skill: Guardian’s Amplification (Steel). The Skill Guardian’s Equipment (Iron) is upgraded to Guardian’s Equipment (Steel). You will be granted the Skill: Defender’s Mandate (Steel). Attribute growth per level (Racial traits) [Boon of the Protector]: Power +15 (+1) [+1], Alacrity +8 (+1), Fortitude +20 (+1) [+1], Magical Potency +4 (+1), Self-Mastery +11 (+1) [+1], Acumen +6 (+1).

“This is pretty much perfectly in line with the past you’ve been wanting to shift towards,” Benedict congratulated his friend. “Though, it doesn’t have any change in general label like Astrid and Skandr had.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Felix shrugged. “The name doesn’t matter, only what it can do.”

“It’s stepping more and more into the traditional role of a frontliner in a party,“ Astrid said as she nodded. “I wondered if there was a part of you that wanted to lean further into better damage dealing options, like how Hewing Guardian has been.”

He shook his head, his hair fluttering over his eyes. “We have three people who are deeply focused on being able to kill,” he said, looking at her, Muti, and Skandr. “We don’t need me to be dedicating myself to active damaging Skills when I can instead be doing other things to maintain monsters' attention on me. This Class gives me two good Skills for that, as well as an aura.”

“So Raging Guardian seems to be the ‘key’ Skill for you, though I’m not sure what the aura is. Does Raging Guardian still keep the repositioning aspect from Wrath?” Astrid asked.

He nodded and said as he shared the definition, “If I’m protecting people, it’s like Immovable Stance, but if I activate it, it’s like Tiger’s Pride and Guardian’s Wrath.”

Raging Guardian (Steel): Allows the Skill holder to protect others by repositioning themselves freely within twenty meters for a Moderate cost of mana and stamina. After repositioning, grants a 30% bonus to Fortitude and a 10% bonus to all other attributes for thirty seconds. Immediately following repositioning, all hostile creatures’ attention is forced to remain on the Skill user. While the Skill holder is protecting others, grants a 40% bonus to Power, Fortitude, and Self-Mastery.

Astrid sighed, but wasn’t surprised that he was so curt with the explanation, but she looked forward to seeing it in action. Beyond that, the bonuses were more than effective.

“And what do the other two new Skills do?” Benedict demanded. “You’re not giving us a whole lot here.”

Felix shrugged a little, that same teasing smile appearing on his face as he trickled the information to them. Finally, though, he just shared the last two.

Guardian’s Amplification (Steel): For a Moderate mana and health cost, create an aura which grants a 25% increase to all attacks directed at an enemy whose attention you have captured.

Defender’s Mandate (Steel): For a Minor stamina cost, force a creature whose attention is on another to you. Resistance is impossible for any whose Self-Mastery is lower than 150% of the sum of your Fortitude and Magical Potency.

Astrid smiled and stepped forward towards him with her fist extended. Felix laughed as they bumped fists and she appreciated the changes this Class would bring for him.

“Looks like this Class’ll do everything you want it to,” Skandr congratulated him.

Again, the frontliner didn’t say anything, but nodded his thanks and turned to his lover.

“There is one Class that best suits my desires,” Muti said. “Another may be a better Class, but it turns away from using my boon to instead becoming closer to a Spellblade. That is not my desire.”

“And the one you chose is…?” Benedict prompted, rolling his hand through the air as he ignored the other possibilities she was refusing to share. She waved a hand through the air, and the foreign script of the Barbarian tongue appeared in Astrid’s eyes for a moment before it resolved itself into the more familiar tongue she read. The thought of what the Hiveguard and Verdant Walkers might read flicked through her mind, but Astrid dismissed it as she read the description.

Lethal Shadow (Extraordinary): From a Rogue to an Ambusher, your path has been specialized to strike from behind and deal deadly damage. This path has guided your blade to cut through the defenses of dragonkin and dragons while embracing the strength of the shadows. Mana has transformed your body and your fighting style. The unnoticed shadow stalks and the unseen blade reaps. This Class merges Vital Strike and Shadow Leap into Shadow Strike (Steel). This Class merges Dread Master and Shadow Leap into Shadow Teachings (Steel). This Class merges Ambusher’s Aura and Shadow Leap into Shadow Aura (Steel). This Class evolves Dread Ambusher’s Equipment into Lethal Shadow’s Equipment (Steel). Attribute growth per level (Racial traits) [Boon of the Mana-Touched]: Power +17 (+3), Alacrity +19 (+1), Fortitude +8 (+2), Magical Potency +8 [+1], Self-Mastery +3 [+1], Acumen +9 [+1].

“The description is… different,” Astrid said before she refocused on what the content of the Class actually was. The differences were superficial, and she didn’t care to learn why that might be right now.

“It definitely leans into the Skills you’ve taken as well as the skills you’ve developed,” Felix was the first to speak to what the Class offered. “The changes to Dread Master are sure to be good for the future you have planned.”

Muti reached out and pinched Felix‘s ear in reaction to that, but he didn’t react except to turn his head and kiss her forearm. She swatted his face away again, and he laughed as he stopped his teasing. Though what he said certainly brought up some curiosity for Astrid, she didn’t press on what her friend obviously didn’t want to share. Instead, she asked, “How do you feel the Class will interact with your Boon?”

“Perhaps not so seamlessly as yours would with Immortal Captain,” Muti reported as she evidently mentally probed the Great One for more information. “Though, every Skill will be strengthened by my boon. Shadow Strike is straightforward: is guided towards the most dangerous location, and after disappearance, the attack will be strengthened. Shadow Teachings allows me to better instruct the movements of my students while also granting my abilities to them, though instead of it being an aura I can grant, it is to a single individual. Shadow Aura allows me to consolidate myself into shadows and become entirely invisible and largely untouchable or to spread that sane shadow over an area.”

“It’s interesting how every one of the Skills was linked with Shadow Leap,” Skandr agreed while the party considered what the Class offered. “I’ll have to do some research into how each one is impacted by the use of your boon’s magic. How do you think—”

“We can talk about that later,” Astrid cut him off. “We can’t know right now anyways. It’s a pretty lopsided attribute distribution, considering that you’re a frontline fighter and this Class’s Fortitude growth rate.”

“It is much higher than the Dread Ambusher Class’s,” Muti denied as she turned away from Astrid. “I am pleased with this Class.”

Astrid respected what she was told and stopped pushing her. Instead, she looked at Benedict, who smiled at the rest of the party without much humor.

“It’s time, buddy, what’re you looking at?” Skandr demanded. “Give the details!”

He let out a long, tired breath, then said, “There’s three paths, the most damaging, the most supportive, and the most balanced mix between the two. Even if I wouldn’t mind taking the Venomtongued Bard, I don’t think we need another damage dealer, like Felix said. Plus, the Genteel Bard isn’t really my style, though I think the party wouldn’t mind having a truly healing-focused supporter.”

“Honestly,” Astrid disagreed, “I don’t think so. Part of what’s made us effective so far and will become even more so when we evolve is that I’ve helped mitigate how much actual healing you need to do. With Champion, I’ll be able to be a healer, almost as good of a healer as anyone else. Having Hasty Rebuke was absolutely one of the biggest reasons why we were able to win in the Trials. I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

“Then I suppose I can be an Acidic Bard,” Benedict smiled. He started to turn away from everyone at that, but Muti prevented him from doing so.

“You will share,” she demanded.

“I’ll share the attributes,” he hedged.

“You will share your Class choice with us,” she repeated.

“I’ll show you the second half, ok?” he responded.

“You. Will. Share,” Muti said without additional inflection.

“I’ll do the second half. I won’t share the first half for now. I’ll just read it.”

“It won’t do much for us if you don’t let us see the numbers, otherwise I’ll forget,” Astrid joined in.

“That’s a damn lie,” Benedict said. “You’ve got a mind like a steel trap when it comes to numbers, so don’t pull this.”

“Benedict,” Skandr said with a final smile. “You’re going to have to show it. Don’t resist.”

Benedict’s shoulders fell, but he waved his hands and shared the Class’s description with the rest of the Wanderers.

Acidic Bard (Extraordinary): Your rage has been softened and your hatred resolved through the observation of others. No longer does acid stew in your stomach and brew on your tongue. That cutting danger remains, but not to express your own feelings but to protect those you care for. You have healed heroes and harmed hellions, and you will continue to do so in the pursuit of protecting your friends. It doesn’t matter what tier your enemies are, they fear your song and will flee your presence. Selecting this Class will bless you with the merging of the Doubletalk (Iron), and Silvertongue (Iron) Skills into the Skill: Overwhelming Speech (Steel). The Skill Song of Vindication (Iron) is upgraded to Song of Victory (Steel). The Skill Hasty Rebuke (Iron) is upgraded to Voice of Liberation (Steel). The Skill Restful Reverberations (Iron) will be upgraded to Restful Reverberations (Steel). Attribute growth per level (Racial traits) [Boon of a Gentle Touch]: Power +5 (+1), Alacrity +10 (+1) [+1], Fortitude +11 (+1) [+1], Magical Potency +18 (+1) [+1], Self-Mastery +11 (+1) [+1], Acumen +9 (+1).

“I’m not going to give you a hard time because you pretend you’re angrier than you are,” Skandr cut off any other words that were going to come to Benedict. “You can talk about it or not, it’s up to you, but I’m glad you’re happier now.”

Benedict blushed deep red, the scarlet reaching his ears, and Astrid said something she’d been waiting to do for what felt like hours at this point.

“So we all select our Classes now? We can see our Quests?”

A series of grins greeted her, and there were no more words spoken as they all selected their Classes and saw their evolutionary Quests for the first time.