Story 3: Legacy
2047, Mars, Olympus Mons Crater
No one was quite sure how having a famous older brother and being trained in swordsmanship added up to “Valkyrie,” but that was how it had played out.
[Valkyrie Squire] as an epic starter [Class], with [Skills] for flying, aerial combat, combat in general, gear maintenance, and finally, racial healing abilities that ranged from sealing wounds to putting injured allies into what was effectively stasis.
[Warrior Valkyrie] had been her first Evolution, likewise epic, with a similar focus, though it granted access to the [Lesser Ressurection] spell that could heal lethal damage even after the target had passed the point where a doctor would have declared a time of death, though it couldn’t bring them back too much longer beyond that. The precise limit of resurrection abilities was currently unknown, but couldn’t be any longer than twenty minutes. And the lesser version also required a mostly intact body.
Then, the second Evolution had been yet another epic version, [Valkyrie Steelwing]. Still powerful, granting the complete [Ressurection] ability plus the ability to turn wings to metal and even launch razor-sharp feathers like the Stymphalian Birds of Ancient Greece.
Yet, it was still epic.
Maintaining an epic [Class] streak was impressive compared to the average, it still put her in the ninety-eighth percentile or higher, depending on who she asked, but it was simply lacking. It wasn’t enough, not by a long shot compared to who she had standing behind her.
And yes, Isaac was a world-class, paradigm-shattering talent, she’d been warned about not putting herself in danger to match him numerous times, but she had advantages even he hadn’t had. If all she managed to do was stay above the average, she knew that in the future, be it in ten years or ten thousand, she’d hate herself for having wasted this opportunity.
Because what on Earth was she doing with her life? Simply existing? Having her little house in the near-Germany-sized portion of Mars Isaac had claimed, redecorating the building and its grounds whenever she felt like it, or something had broken in training … it was a step in the right direction, yet somehow, also felt wrong.