As far as his skills went, he probably needed to put a few points into running. With his new boots, it would have a multiplicative effect. Toughness for the little that it accomplished on its own had made Regeneration possible, and that was already paying dividends. Dave truly hoped to be able to see what happened if he could push that even higher.

  Skills:

  Class

  Arcane Backlash: 50

  Generic

  Running: 3

  Toughness: 15

  Regeneration: 60

  Social

  Sense Motive: 20

  Speak Languages: 14

  Diplomacy: 140

  The social skills didn’t get that much use, but perhaps he should consider putting some points into Sense Motive. Right now everyone was happy, but he couldn’t assume that would always be the case.

  Craft

  Engineering: 80

  Academic

  Knowledge—Research: 201

  Knowledge—Law: 3

  His craft and academic skills were the ones he had the highest hopes for the future with. Well, maybe those and magic too. He had grand visions of growing Eris’ Rise into a metropolis along the river just like Chicago back home. It would be a hub for relationships between the humans and moon elves as well as he envisioned a place for commerce along the river and perhaps even out to sea.

  Wilderness

  Survival—Forest: 14

  Survival—Desert: 7

  Tracking: 15

  The wilderness skills were largely wasted on him. He knew that there might very well come a day again when he needed them, but next to the elves he was a babe in the woods. Which, he reminded himself, was okay. He didn’t have to be the best at everything.

  Combat

  Taunt: 1

  Dodge: 1

  Heavy Armor: 60

  Unarmed Combat: 90

  Archery: 40

  Long Blade: 60

  Double Strike: 20

  Weapon Specialization—Long Sword: 60

  Offensive Stance: 60

  Sneak Attack: 10

  Flanking: 10

  Speaking of being the best, he might not be the best at combat, but the truth was except for Daichi, Rak’kar and maybe Eisuke and some of the paladins, he was the strongest frontline fighter they had. His mastery of heavy armor made him durable even without his magical armor. Combining that with his high health and regeneration, he was a great defensive warrior.

  Beyond that, he had a good set of offensive skills too. He hadn’t put many points into developing some of them, but skills like Sneak Attack and Flanking gave him options when he wasn’t the tank, and Double Strike added some extra boost. Even just having max Apprentice level in Long Blade, Weapon Specialization, and Offensive Stance meant he could deal a ton of damage with a sword.

  His archery was certainly not his go-to skill, but while he lacked the practical experience of the elves, he had the raw potential to be as good an archer as any of them. Dave had learned by now that simply having points in a skill didn’t automatically make you the best at it, but it sure didn’t hurt.

  The other combat skill that he had not focused on much was the one boosted by Watcher’s Boon. He felt a little thrill when he contemplated how awesome it would be to get to double it again if he made it to the fifth tier. Already he didn’t see how anyone, including Daichi, could have an Unarmed Combat Skill as high as his.

  That didn’t give him any delusions about his ability to outfight the monk, but it did make him want to be sure to include some specialized training with the monk in his personal development time.

  Taunt and Dodge rounded out his combat skills. The one allowed him to be a better tank, but he wondered if it would still be effective with only one point in it. Dodge seemed to work just fine with only one point, but now with the boots, he had to decide if he needed to put more points into it.

  General Magical

  Quicken Spell: 11

  Esoteric Senses: 10

  Mana Barrier: 41

  Frost Armor: 10

  Magic Focus—Abjuration: 50

  Spell Mastery—Ablative Armor: 10

  Spell Mastery—Mass Lesser Enlarge: 10

  Spell Mastery—Lightning Bolt: 10

  On one hand he was relieved that he didn’t see any other skills or spells that he’d missed during the fight. Arcane Backlash had not triggered, which at first seemed strange, but then he realized that it needed to be a surprise attack for it to go off. He was also enthused to see just how close he was to the next level. Maybe if he could find some time for more solo training, he could increase that even further.

  A closer look at his spells couldn’t hurt either. In games it was always so easy. You typically had the most commonly used things set up and hotkeyed. Here he had to keep all the numerous options straight in his head and remember the right one at the right time.

  Magic Schools/Spells

  Abjuration Magic: 60

  Minor Shock Shield

  Endure Elements

  Obscure Scrying

  Ablative Armor

  Conjuration Magic: 60

  Minor Messenger Bird

  Minor Mirror Strike

  Gate

  Alcoholic Cloud

  Summon: Dire Rhinoceros

  Frost Storm

  Divination Magic: 40

  Identify

  Assess Enemy

  Sure Strike

  Minor Scan: Secret Door

  Evocation Magic: 60

  Magic Missiles

  Minor Force Stomp

  Lesser Brilliant Radiance

  Thunder Arc

  Lightning Bolt

  Fire Bolts

  Shaping Magic: 60

  Minor Binding

  Minor Enlarge

  Minor Mending

  Fleeting Fury

  Lesser Repulsion

  Lesser Gazelle’s Grace

  Mass Lesser Enlarge

  Bone Shatter

  Inertial Burst

  Dave felt like he had made good use of his Abjuration spells. The Conjuration ones took too long for the kind of solo fighting he was doing to be useful. Maybe Alcoholic Cloud, but the truth was that neither the alpha or the tiger had been the slow-moving enemies that the ogres were. That spell was definitely situational.

  He could have used Minor Mirror Strike or the Divination spell True Strike, but neither had been needed. It was more distance options that he needed, not ways to improve his sword strikes. Those had worked just fine.

  In terms of his Evocation attack spells, he had relied on the bigger ones, not feeling that Magic Missiles or Minor Force Stomp packed enough punch. The three he had used had worked brilliantly and, if anything, convinced him that he needed Tier 3 and even Tier 4 Evocation spells.

  Shaping Magic had been at one point his number one go-to. It had worked well for him again today. He had never been close enough to bind the alpha, and if he had been close enough, he wouldn’t have needed a spell to finish the monster. Enlarge, Repulsion, and Gazelle’s Grace all did exactly what he needed them to do. Bone Shatter took too long to cast, leaving Inertial Burst as the only one that might have helped. Maybe it would have stopped one of the tiger’s pounces, but Dave would have to play around with that more.

  That left his gear as the last thing to look at. No big surprises there. He needed to upgrade his rings, especially after seeing some of the rings that had dropped in the raid. For now though, it was working, and he wouldn’t worry about it too much. Dave truly hoped that there would come a day when his people were able to develop the best magical gear in the world.

  Gear:

  Masterwork Chainmail Armor

  Flaming Longsword

  Ring of Charismatic Influence

  Epic Ring of Health (With Jackson)

  Hawk’s Eye Ashen Wood Longbow

  3 Arrows of Piercing

  Bag of Holding

  Tome of Mystic Enhancement

  Portable Hole

  Forrest’s Running Boots

  Astral Black Blade

  After reviewing it again, he realized how long it had been since he had paid any attention to it. To think that it had become old hat in just a few months in Eloria was amazing. He would have killed to have a character sheet back on Earth, especially if it had abilities like this one did.

  The one area that upset him was his spell list. He had been so busy helping others learn spells, doing research, and running them through the dungeon that he had forgotten to learn any of the Tier 4 spells from the elven book. It seemed an inexcusable oversight for a gamer of any level, yet Eloria was hardly a game. He just had so much on his plate that he hadn’t even thought about it. The good news though was that this was an easy oversight to fix.

  Dave reached into the bag of holding at his waist and called forth the elven spell book. Time to check out his options. So far he had only learned the original four Tier 4 spells. There were some that he couldn’t learn. The ones that were left were Cannibalize, Nullify Magic, Dimension Flutter, Touch of Slime, and Monster’s Physique. He would be able to learn Arcane Eye but only if he put more points into Divination. For now though these were enough.

  Since he would only have time to learn one spell per dungeon day, he decided to focus on his biggest weakness. Nullify Magic would hopefully give him a counter to enemy magic, so that was what he started with. Sitting there with the book open, he put his mind to the task.

  When his head popped up, he smiled because he now had another new tool.

  Nullify Magic: Has three variations, each with different requirements. The version to be cast must be chosen prior to casting.

  Counterspell version: Attempts to nullify a spell that is currently being cast. If successful, the target spell will simply never come into existence, and the caster will use double the normal mana. Automatically counters any spell of third tier or less. Has a base 75% chance of countering a Tier 4 spell, but success is influenced by the relative strength of opposing casters. Base chance to counter a higher-tier spell is reduced by 25% per tier. Cast Time: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 2 minutes. Mana: 90.

  Negation version: Acts as an empowered version of the Tier 3 Cancel Magic. Stats are otherwise the same.

  Field version: Creates an area of null-magic where magical effects do not work. Any active buff taken into a null-magic field ceases to exist. Channeled spells continue to exist but go inactive during the period in the null-magic field while still requiring the mana upkeep cost. Magic items of below Mythic level do not function in a null-magic field but are restored as soon as taken out of the field. Mythic items have a 25% chance of still functioning. Lesser Artifacts: 50%. Greater Artifact: 75%. Legendary items are unaffected by the null-magic field.

  Field is 20 feet in radius +1 foot for each extra 5 seconds spent casting the spell. Maximum radius is 100 feet. Duration is 1 hour but is reduced by every active buff or magic item that is brought into the field. Casting Time: 12 seconds + variable. Mana cost: 80 +10/extra 5 seconds spent casting it. Cooldown: 2 minutes.

  So many uses for that spell came into his mind, but Dave figured he would need more time to sort through the strategies. The important part was that it was fun learning new spells, and life didn’t have to be work all the time.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “The future comes not upon the edge of a sword, but at the tip of a quill. The wonders of the mind are yet the newest battlefield upon which Eloria shall test us.”—Aquin, senator of Empire in his speech against the purge, 41 BE

  Bastion of Thralls Dungeon—Dave Nelson

  With that done, he put the book away and got up to go find Talvenicus. He found the former mayor doing what he was normally doing, meeting with some villagers. Dave was glad to see that even the elves had taken to his role as an administrator. Even happier to see that Talvenicus had two assistants helping him in his makeshift office in the dungeon. Dave made a mental note to talk to Altracia about getting a more permanent office for the man.

  As soon as Dave walked into the room, everyone stood up from the little table they had been sitting around. It was still taking some getting used to, but Dave at least had stopped fighting the displays of respect. He and Emily for the most part were coming to accept it as a necessary part of their role in Eris’ Rise.

  After a few seconds he said, “Please sit down, everyone. Do you have an extra chair for me?”

  One of the bakers who had been speaking with Talvenicus stepped back and said, “Please take my seat, my lord.”

  “Nonsense, we have to have an extra seat somewhere. I can’t have you too tired to bake my favorite bread. You know how I love my sandwiches,” Dave said as he smiled at the pudgy man and wondered if there was something about baking that required a bit of extra girth. Obesity was not an issue at all in the people he had met in Eris’ Rise, except perhaps some nobility.

  “You honor me, Baron. I am always pleased to bake for you.”

  “So then sit down and rest. I just need to interrupt for a few minutes and speak with Talvenicus.”

  “Of course, my lord.”

  About that time one of Talvenicus’ assistants showed up with a chair for him to sit in.

  “So what can I help you with, Lord Nelson?” Talvenicus asked.

  “I was wondering something. Is there a list or record anywhere of the perks that can be gained by advancing various skills to higher tiers?”

  “Uh… well, if there is, then I would imagine that the king or nobles keep that as a closely guarded secret. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

  “That was pretty much what I expected,” Dave said, frowning. “We are going to change that. Can you arrange to get a list from everyone who has a Tier 2 or higher skill and compile it so we can properly advise people about making good choices in leveling up?”

  “I will, of course, do whatever you order, but I fear that many people will be upset at being asked such personal questions.”

  “Who would dare to refuse a simple request for information from the only noble in the history of Albia to help level up the common folk?” the baker interjected.

  “No, no. It’s okay. I know that people view this as a personal matter, so you are to ask not order, but I hope that it will motivate people if they learn that by sharing they will gain access to the list. It will be made available to any citizen who has sworn the oath. And I will give you my information first.”

  The mouths of everyone in the room hung in various stages of open, ranging from slightly parted lips to dumbfounded stares. The bakers both tried to excuse themselves, but Dave said, “Does that mean you aren’t willing to share your information? Because as long as you are willing to share yours, I have no problem with you hearing my information. Maybe it will encourage everyone else to share too.”

  After overcoming a few more objections, Dave gave Talvenicus a rundown of all his skills and the tier perks for them. Everyone, including the former mayor, was shocked to hear about Dave’s Grandmaster-level skills, but no one doubted him. He had proven time and again to the people of Eris’ Rise that he was a man of his word. The only secret he didn’t share was about how he was able to have Grandmaster-level skills. That, at least, was one thing he wasn’t willing to make public knowledge.

  “You know, I realize that this is a good start, but we need something more. I am going to expand this task some. Do you think you are up for it?” Dave asked.

  Talvenicus hesitated just for a moment. “You know I will try my best.”

  “I have no doubts about that. People may feel even more nervous about this next part. Yet, the more I think about it, the more I realize it is essential. I am going to share the requirements for becoming an Arcane Dreadnought.”

  If the clerks and bakers had been shocked before, their mouths practically hit the floor this time. One of Talvenicus’ assistants, a lovely moon elf named Ichika, said, “But, Baron Murkwood, that is considered personal. It is unheard of. We only share such things within families or certain secret societies.”

  “And isn’t that what we are striving to create here in Eris’ Rise, one large family?” Dave asked as he looked from face to face.

  One by one they all nodded assent before he continued, “I do agree though. This information is secret and personal. No one will be required to give their information, but sharing is the price of gaining the information from others. And absolutely no one who hasn’t sworn the oath of loyalty is to be allowed access to your records. Understood?”

  “Yes, my lord,” the room answered in unison, almost as if choreographed.

  “Just imagine if Eris’ Rise could be filled with people who have rare or even epic classes. How much more powerful do you think that would make us?” Dave asked.

  “Already, Eris’ Rise is going to be a force to reckon with. In my estimation, you may have to worry about how the other nobles and rulers deal with you. It is probably best that the benefits of swearing loyalty as well as the fact that you are actively leveling your citizens be kept a secret. Otherwise, as soon as the rumors spread outside town, we will be inundated with new people faster than we can accommodate and perhaps with violent response from nobles who lose their serfs.”

  “As much as it pains me, I agree, Talvenicus. We are going to play this close to the vest. It is already significant enough that Eikhorn knows, but I trust him to keep it to himself for now at least,” Dave replied.

  After passing on the details of his class, Dave started making his rounds to the various research projects going on. He’d had a hand in each of them and was proud of all his people. The google ability of his research skill was coming in handy, as he could recall the most obscure bits of information and then, with just a few hours of research, could develop at least an initial plan.