"So, you made a contract with this little dewdrop nymph when you were young?"
Liora asked as we made our way up the trail towards where the burn area was. She had woken up to the Misty wakeup surprise which both enraged her and fascinated her as she had never seen a spirit before.
"Yea, I made a potion for a traveling merchant who in return gave me a book on water spirits. Turns out I'm not good at it, but Misty is plenty for what I do on a day to day."
I said as Misty was flying little circles around my head.
"Especially with the Ash spirits, Misty has been practically essential for stopping their secondary burn effect."
Jax said as he led the charge towards the ash spirit burn area.
"Does that mean our plan is to fight them then?"
Kaelen asked as he walked. We had been moving faster, but even on a flat hill Kaelen was struggling so we slowed down. Until now I had never met someone with a weaker constitution that me, but then again, I had been hiking mountains for a few years.
"I would assume so, unless Liora wants to try to speed read the magic circle while someone runs around leading the ghosts away."
I said as I stepped over a log as I could see some of the wiry burned trees in the distance marking the edge of the ash spirit area. Thinking back to our first fight with the ash spirits, the once vibrant clearing we had been in was now sooty and dead. The edge of the ash circle already engulphing it with an extra couple feet of length
"In that case, should we all see what the others can do, combative wise?"
Kaelen asked coming to a stop in the now much smaller grass clearing we found a large tree to hide us in case of the spirits coming by as a precaution before we all sat down in a circle grabbing rocks, and other things as makeshift seats.
"It makes sense, and adventuring teams should know what everyone in the team can do, Ill go first, System."
Jax said as his screen appeared, and he turned it with a paw so everyone could see.
Jax "Wildfang" Stormcaller
Age: 19
Race: Fullblood Beastman (Wolf)
Class: Pugilist - LV. 4
XP: 3,600/7,000
HP: 11/11
Ki: 56/56
Stats:
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 4
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 4
Soul Skill:
Feral Instinct (D)
Passive
Your natural instincts sharpen in combat, allowing you to sense movements and attacks just before they happen. You gain a bonus to Dexterity based saves and dodges and can make perception checks to avoid ambushes, even when distracted.
Skills:
Lifeforce Control (E)
Passive
you can tap into this Ki instead of HP when taking damage, allowing you to withstand attacks without tiring as quickly. This gives you a unique edge in prolonged battles where endurance is key.
Ki Disruption (E)
10 Ki
you delivers a precise strike that can disrupt his opponent's energy flow. The target must have a high enough level of Constitution or be unable to use energy-based abilities until the start of their next turn. It's particularly effective against mages and aura users.
Martial Arts (E)
Passive
Your unarmed attacks do increased damage with a higher chance of hitting. Your natural combat style is fierce and unrelenting, favoring fast and powerful strikes.
Everyone took a minute to read over Jax's skills for a bit before Liora leaned back and spoke
"So, you will be our tank and frontline, because I think the rest of us are pretty squishy, especially compared to that Lifeforce Control skill you have. I'll go next System"
Liora's window appeared, and she spun in around for us.
Liora "Stormborn" Aeras
Age: 19
Race: Light-Blood Beastman (Eagle)
Class: Wind Mage - LV. 5
XP: 200/10,000
HP: 20/20
Mana: 60/60
Stats:
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 18
Charisma: 9
Soul Skill:
Storm Link (D)
Passive
Your connection to the wind grants you the ability to predict incoming weather patterns, sense air currents, and gain a bonus to accuracy with wind-based spells.
Skills:
Whipping Winds (E)
10 MP
creates a 10-foot protective circle around the Wind Mage and allies, reducing the accuracy and power of all non-magical projectiles. This skill provides defensive utility, especially against ranged attackers.
Light as a Feather (E)
Passive
Grants slow fall and reduces falling damage and fall speed. The Wind Mage can also carry one other creature to provide them with the same effect. This skill enhances mobility and prevents fall damage, adding versatility in various terrains.
Wind Blast (E)
10 MP
Summons a swirling ball of wind that the Wind Mage can launch as a melee or ranged attack. Medium or smaller creatures hit by the attack have a chance to be knocked back. This provides offensive and displacement capability.
Gale Step (E)
10 MP
the Wind Mage gains a bonus to their speed and ignores rough terrain for the next 10 seconds. This skill enhances the Wind Mage's mobility, allowing them to maneuver quickly across the battlefield.
Looking over Liora's skills it's clear that she excels at speed, maneuverability, and can do some damage. For a moment I remember back to when I first saw a combat skill and the jealousy I had at that, but I brushed it off, shaking my head as I turned to next look at Kaelen.
"Looks like I'm up, System."
Kaelen "Brightblade" Therindor
Age: 185
Race: Elf
Class: Priest(Freyungen) - LV. 3
XP: 2,750/5,000
HP: 12/12
Faith: 54/54
Stats:
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 5
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 11
Soul Skill:
Divine Radiance (D)
Passive
Your connection to the divine allows you to channel healing energy more effectively, increasing the effectiveness of your healing spells and granting you a slight glow that makes allies feel reassured in his presence.
Skills:
Guiding Faith (E)
10 Faith
The Priest invokes divine guidance, granting one ally a bonus to accuracy as well as a better sense of where to strike. This is a versatile support skill, useful for key moments when allies need to ensure a hit.
Healing Prayer (E)
25 Faith
The Priest channels divine energy, restoring HP to all allies within 30 feet. This powerful area heal is invaluable during challenging encounters, providing a boost to keep allies in fighting shape.
Condemn the Wicked (E)
10 Faith
The Priest calls for divine retribution, causing holy light to burn at a target. If the target of this skill has injured an ally recently, this skills power is increased. This spell provides a reliable damage option, especially effective against aggressive foes.
Blessings:
The spark of kindness (E)
Gentle Understanding
You have a bonus on Insight made to discern someone's emotional state or on Persuasion made to offer comfort or reconcile conflicts.
Gentle Comfort
50 Faith
you can use an action to touch a willing creature and grant it healing warmth. The target regains some HP. This ends any mental debuffs currently afflicting the target.
Reading over Kaelen's skills I thought back to my own lackluster skills in comparison and that old jealousy skipped for a moment before settling. However, as I read over them, I noticed something.
"I do see a bit of a problem though, from the looks of it your skills are good at healing HP, but Jax's main way of tanking is using his Ki to take the damage instead, without a way to refill that, he's no more tanky than the rest of us once he runs out."
"You're an alchemist, correct, maybe you have a skill or potion that can help here?"
Liora suggested shrugging. I shook my head and said
"Sadly no, System"
Aiden Hallowcreek
Age: 23
Class: Alchemist - LV.4
XP: 61/7000
HP: 16/16
MP: 59/59
Stats:
Str: 4
Dex: 16
Con: 13
Int: 24
Wis: 10
Cha: 0
Soul Skill:
Alchemy Attunement(D)
Passive
Increases your success rate with alchemical mixtures and allows you to feel minor fluctuations in potion consistency, improving the stability of mixtures.
Skills:
Quick Brew (E)
Passive
you quickly toss together ingredients to make potions with lesser effects on the fly.
Portioners Harvesting Guide (E)
Passive
You have a chance to obtain items used in potions more than others when searching
Liquid Crystal Consolidation (E)
10 MP
You channel your mana to gather the liquid crystal in the air into a liquid state and pour it into a vial.
They stared at my screen for a moment before Liora asked.
"Your class is a production class, so what kind of potions can you make?"
I reached into my bag and pulled out my recipe notebook as I started to read off the names.
"Shadowmeld potion, Elixir of Clarity, Barkskin Potion, Vomit Potion, Elixir of Fleetness, Drowsiness Potion, Feather Step potion, Focused sense potion, Itching potion, healing dust, Blinding powder, Vigilance Potion, Calming potion, Swift Recovery Potion, Paralysis Potion, Healing Potion, Night vision Potion, Basic Antidote, Invisibility dust, and flask of firestarter. So 20 in total, but just because I know how to make it doesn't mean I have the ingredients or if it will be useful."
"What do you mean useful, I'm pretty sure enemies that are itchy, vomiting, sleepy, and blind are much easier to fight than those that are not."
Kaelen said peering over my shoulder at my notebook as I closed it as I explained.
"True, but effect alchemy as its called comes in 3 main types, Elixirs that need to be consumed orally but generally last longer. Potions that can be consumed orally, or through skin contact but last less time than elixirs and have slower and weaker effect if only applies through skin contact, and dusts that are applied through skin contact for a quick and fast effect. Sure I could splash one of the ash spirits with Drowsiness potion, but for all we know they don't sleep and all that would happen is the next time it hits one of us we are injured and sleepy on top of that."
Jax, Kaelen, and Liora blinked at me for a few moments before Liora said.
"Now that just seems overly complicated and messy at best."
"You're right, but I have no combat skills through the system, so if I want to be helpful in a fight and not a hindrance, I have to know what my stuff does and know it well."
I said as I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow at the others. My mind flashed to the accidental night vision attack on the ash spirits from a day ago, but I need to know how everything works on paper, it's not my fault I'm clumsy in real life in life threatening situations.
"Then do you have any suggestions? Because at this point, we are just waiting for one of the ash spirits to wander over and get combative."
Kaelen asked glancing over at the ashy part of the woods. I was a bit surprised to be put on the spot, so I turned to Jax who generally was in charge of reckless planning. He raised an eyebrow at be before sighing and saying.
"Here is a plan that everyone may like, we are going to try to sneak our way to the shrine in the middle, from there I will take one of the vomit potions and throw it away from the shrine, since the ash spirits get hostile to anything new entering the area they should chase after the bad smell thinking something wandered in. From there Aiden and Liora can be in the shrine itself looking over the circle with Aiden helping where needed while Kaelen and I stand outside as lookouts. We get in, identify the circle and get out."
I turned to the others, and they seemed to be nodding in agreement. I reached into my bag, and pulled out a vomit potion, handing it to Jax. Jax rushed in ahead of us as I beckoned the others to follow me as we made our way into the ashy area.