Azure: Gunner

But wait, there’s more! We’re only beginning to touch on the benefits of a new Tier. The two most important things that every Tier brings are Class selection and the ability to add an extra modifier rune to your Spells, which most non-Mages ignore – even if they shouldn't.

The next thing to look forward to is Class weapon evolution. Contrary to popular belief, your weapon evolution is more tied to your Class change than to simply reaching a new Tier. If you choose a Class Refinement, you’re more likely to see modest changes in your weapon, while a Class Evolution can result in a dramatic shift.

Weapon changes tend to get non-Mage Classes all hot and bothered, but have little impact on Spell casting. Hence, balance is maintained.

Mage: “My firebolts now have seeking capability! Dodge this!”

Fighter: “Hammer EMBIGGENED! Smash MOAR!”

- Delver’s Guild Handbook, Section 2.8 – “Tiers”

“Uh, again?” I responded in confusion.

[INDEED, CITIZEN ASHLEY! AFTER YOU EXITED THE DUNGEON, I ATTEMPTED SEVERAL TIMES TO INFORM YOU OF YOUR LEVEL-UP, OR SHOULD I SAY LEVELS-UP?! QUITE A RARE FEAT, I MIGHT ADD, GAINING TWO LEVELS AT ONCE!]

“Get to the fucking point, PAST, and for the love of… something, turn down the volume!”

[Of course, Citizen! As I was saying, you were unreceptive to my requests to LEVEL UP! Your body was also experiencing severe trauma at the time! Added to the dangerous quantity of free Essence in your system, it was imperative that you LEVEL UP to integrate the free Essence in your body in a structured way and prevent any accidental fatalities!]

“So that got me to Level 9, I guess, but what about 10? Why did you pick a Class for me, and what in the Wastes is it?!”

[You were not far from Level 9 before the massive Essence infusion, Citizen! One LEVEL UP was hardly sufficient to protect your body from the harmful effects of those unsafe Essence levels! Typically, both the LEVEL UP and TIER UP processes must be initiated by the user, however, there are certain fail-safes in place, because I AM WISE AND PREPARED FOR ALL CONTINGENCIES!]

“Stop yelling at me!” I shouted back, then realized I’d actually shouted. Out loud, I mean.

“Azure?” Lydia asked, concern in her voice.

I had my eyes closed to focus on my ‘conversation’ with PAST, but I could picture her baffled expression. I sighed.

“Sorry, that wasn’t for you. PAST has trouble using his indoor voice,” I finished with a whisper, mimicking Sister Mercy’s frequent attempts to get us to quiet down.

I hoped I had received a letter from the kids while I was out. Maybe I’d get to see them soon? The dungeon was gone, so there was no point in staying here, right?

[My voice is quite independent of the status of any nearby doors or your relative position to them, CQS Zimmerman!]

“Get. On. With. It!” I growled in my most intimidating mental voice.

[As you wish, Citizen Ashley! I simply acted on your behalf in order to preserve your life! As circumstances necessitated increasing your Tier, selections were made for you under the best possible assumptions!]

“OK PAST, I got it, thanks for saving my life and so on. Now please explain what selections you made for me!”

[In order to complete the LEVEL UP process, I was required to make a number of choices! Most importantly, your new Class! CQS stands for Close-Quarters-Specialist! The CQS excels in getting up close and personal with their opponents! The CQS Class can be equally adept with both short-range projectile and melee weapons! Isn’t that exciting?!]

“Wait, so I’m a hybrid Class now?! I won’t lose any of my shotgun Skills, will I?!” I asked in momentary panic.

[Of course not, CQS Zimmerman! It is extremely rare for a Class change to result in the loss of Skills! As to your first question, the notion of hybrid Classes is a human construct and is not endorsed by me!]

I sighed in relief and exasperation. “I mean a hybrid like combining aspects of ranged and melee Classes, PAST.”

[I understand the concept and refuse to endorse it, Citizen! Each Class is uniquely beautiful regardless of comparison to any other Class! The very notion of hybrid Classes is foolish!]

“It sounds like CQS gives both ranged and melee Skills or bonuses, but I’m guessing there’s fewer ranged ones than a Class that only gets ranged bonuses, and fewer melee ones than a Class that only gets melee bonuses, right?”

[Correct, Citizen!]

“So it’s like a combination of the two, or a hybrid!” I was just fucking with PAST at this point, but he deserved it.

[Let’s recap the other selections I made on your behalf, Citizen! It was also necessary to allocate your free points for both Level 9 and Level 10 in order to complete the process! Let’s first review the Stats of the CQS Class!

WELCOME TO LEVEL 10, CITIZEN ZIMMERMAN! YOUR NEW CQS ADVANCED CLASS NOW GIVES YOU 15 CLASS STAT POINTS AND 9 FREE POINTS PER LEVEL! AS A CQS, YOUR CLASS STAT INCREASES ARE:

+3 TO STRENGTH!

+3 TO DEXTERITY!

This text was taken from NovelPhoenix. Help the author by reading the original version there.

+3 TO ENDURANCE!

+3 TO PERCEPTION!

+3 TO BARRIER!

YOUR ASPECT OF VERSATILITY HAS EVOLVED! THE ASPECT OF VERSATILITY NOW GIVES THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS:

+2 TO ALL NON-CLASS STATS PER LEVEL!

-8 TO FREE STATS PER LEVEL!

-40% MANA COST TO REMOVE A MODIFICATION!

THE SKILL ALWAYS READY!]

I groaned as my head rang from the volume. OK, noted, drop the hybrid Class subject. Jeez. My sluggish brain whirled for a few moments, trying to do math.

“So PAST, what you’re saying is that I still only get 1 free point per Level!?”

[Correct, Citizen!]

“So where did you put my whole two free points??”

[In Absorption, CQS Ashley!]

I had a sudden sinking feeling. It wasn’t that Absorption was terrible, but why would PAST assume I wanted the points there? I had put my last free point from Level 8 into Barrier, after all.

“PAST, did you pick Absorption because it’s first alphabetically?”

[Default settings were applied as required, Citizen!]

“Uh-huh, sure! And tell me, what were my other Class options? Did you pick CQS because it was first on that fucking list too?!”

I groaned when PAST didn’t respond.

Waste me! The most important decision of my life since, well, picking my first Class, and it gets made based on motherfucking alphabetical order?! SHIT!

I tried to rub my head to ease my sudden headache and nearly smacked myself when my right hand made contact much sooner than I expected.

Shit, this lopsided thing is going to take some getting used to… This is ALL going to take some fucking getting used to. I really don’t want to deal with any of this right now. Can I just see my friends already?

When no one responded I realized I hadn’t actually said anything out loud.

<Hey everyone, I’m awake!> I sent on the Comms. Or at least, I tried.

(Error: no other users currently in Squad. Form a Squad by inviting others or join an existing Squad!)

I turned my head slightly to glare at Wolf.

“Why is no one in the Squad if they’re all OK?”

“Ah, Azure – that would be because I instructed them to leave your Squad and form another, so their chatter wouldn’t disturb you,” Lydia responded, and I transferred my glare to her.

“Well, can you go get them? I want to see them! Or just let me out of this bed–”

I started to try and get up and succeeded in moving maybe two inches before the Healer pushed me back into the cushions with a glare. I did manage to cross my arms, awkwardly, and double the force of my glare in response. It had no effect whatsoever.

“Perhaps a short visit is in order, Lydia?”

Sensing the standoff, no doubt due to his mighty Tier 3 Perception, Wolf intervened. The Healer gave him a dirty look but finally nodded.

“A brief visit would be acceptable, I believe,” she conceded.

Wolf rose and crossed to the door. The instant he unlocked it, it flew open and the Ranger barely avoided getting slammed in the face. My eyes widened in shock at the towering figure that strode through. I blinked twice, making sure I wasn’t seeing things, but he was still there.

“Hey kid,” Mason’s voice rumbled as he snatched the seat that Wolf had been using and turned it around so he could sit with his tail sticking out and his arms resting on the back of the chair.

“Mason! When did you get here?! What’s going on?!” I held out my arms for a hug, which he totally ignored. I pouted at him to no effect. Jerk. OK, no more miss nice Az!

I opened my arms even wider, and pushed at Intimidation. I felt the Skill trigger, and gestured imperiously as my eyes flashed. The Black Razor, mighty hero and Tier 4 Delver, was definitely threatened. So much that he raised a single eyebrow. I shook my fist at him.

“When I get out of this bed, I’m gonna chase you down and hug you every day you’re around!” I threatened.

He had the audacity to chuckle at me.

“Ha, make that twice a day!” I doubled his penance, then noticed the strange expression on Lydia’s face.

Whatever. I’ll threaten the Black Razor with as many hugs as I want, just you watch!

“I see you’ve developed some new Skills, Azure. As to why I’m here–“

“AAZZ!”

He didn’t get to finish as my team barreled into the room through the still-open door. Raylan charged in for a hug, only to crash to a halt with a flare of light. His eyes widened in surprise as Lydia lowered her hand and I realized she’d cast some kind of shield.

“Gently, Raylan!” she admonished. Then my brain short-circuited.

“WHAAAT ARRRE THOOSSEE?!” I gasped, pointing at the top of Raylan’s head. “Why do you have CAT EARS?!”

The Knife Fighter blushed slightly, his new ears twitching adorably.

“Hah, you’re one to talk, with two different arms!” he retorted.

“Yeah, this one is just for punching you!” I held up my right arm and flexed, showing off my now slightly larger biceps. The rest of the team crowded around, laughing, and I examined the rest of them for changes.

Were they all corrupted by what happened?! Shit, what a fucking mess!

Zaire had developed a bony ridge running up his skull from his forehead, making him look more intimidating, though the rest of his face looked the same. Arlo’s eyes glowed a soft orange, flickering slightly like firelight. H’ruk, G’hala, Tara, and Jayce all looked the same to me.

Many confusing explanations later – people were constantly talking over each other – I finally understood that everyone had been affected. Tara nervously rolled up her sleeve, showing me that her left forearm was mostly covered in scales, and seemed relieved when I told her they looked cool. I paid no attention to the way their color matched her eyes.

H’ruk told me that the Ink had expanded, covering much more of his chest, and the Skill had Leveled. The others didn’t explain exactly what had happened to them, and I didn’t push.

The team had spent the last week recovering, and training, apparently under Mason’s supervision after he arrived four days ago. Speaking of the Black Razor, he’d managed to disappear in the commotion without anyone noticing. I guessed I’d have to wait until later to interrogate him. Good thing I have Intimidation now, right?

“If you wish to rejoin the Squad, I can transfer leadership to you,” Jayce stated, and I noticed that their voice sounded a bit different, but I couldn’t quite say why exactly.

Before I could accept, Lydia stepped in, declaring that I needed rest and not to spend my recovery time gossiping over the Comms. She shooed the team out, leaving just her and Wolf behind. The Healer started to explain something medical-sounding to me, then stopped with a gasp as Wolf whirled, his sword flashing into hand.

The blindingly fast strike caught nothing but air as Mason neatly sidestepped it.

Fuck! He just… melted out of the shadows! What a show-off!

Wolf’s face paled as he immediately dismissed his weapon, but Mason merely gave him a nod of acknowledgement.

“Adequate reaction time, Ranger. You’re dismissed, both of you. I will speak to Azure alone.”

“She is my patient, Black Razor!” Lydia said with admirable firmness. Mason just looked at her steadily, and she flushed, then nodded a bit shakily. “Ten minutes,” she stated, obviously trying to retain some measure of control.

“It will take as long as it takes, Healer. I can assure you that I will find you immediately if any assistance is needed,” Mason replied coolly.

Wolf, clearly wanting no part of the discussion, stepped to the door and opened it, holding it for Lydia with a slightly desperate look.

“I’ll be right outside then,” Lydia said, holding her head high as she moved towards the door.

“That is not necessary, Healer, I can easily locate you if needed,” Mason said smoothly, and I shivered for a moment at the implied threat lurking under his words.

Lydia and Wolf fled, locking the door behind them, and Mason pulled out his privacy ward and activated it. The moment I felt the ward activate, I held out my arms again.

“Hug!” I demanded. Mason started to speak, but I cut him off.

“Hug first!”

I repeated my demand with determination. And maybe a pout. I definitely didn’t use Intimidation again, that would have made it too easy. The mighty Black Razor, finally meeting his match, surrendered and knelt by the bed, giving me a gentle hug. I was just as surprised as he was when my arms went around his neck and I burst into tears.