“It suits you.” Arthur said, while approaching her. She turned to face him, her bleach blonde hair and caramel eyes only slightly different from her new armament’s body. She gifted him with a rare smile. “You don’t know the half of it. Since it's bound, I don't think you can read its description. Do you want to know what it does?” Arthur put up his hand. “No. You and I already know a lot about each other, but if we’re going to be secretive about our abilities, it’s best that there’s as little leak as possible. If someone comes asking me about that unbelievable looking weapon, I won’t have to lie when I say I don’t know anything but that it’s bound to you. Maybe that’ll change later, but as of right now, don’t worry about it. You can tell me later if it becomes important information.” He smirked, and their eyes met again. “I have a strong feeling we’ll meet again in the future.”
Mira nodded, not offended in the slightest. “Where will you be going first?” Arthur looked about before finding the direction he assumed he came from before the System happened. “I think I’ll go back to my old campus first. I want to find my parents, but it’s not exactly out of the way. Also, I might find someone who knows what happened while we were in there, so it might be a good idea.” Mira looked into the distance. “This is it, then?” Arthur looked back at Mira, slightly surprised to detect a hint of reluctance in her tone.
“Yeah… but like I said before, I’m certain we’ll meet again.” He stepped forward and put his hand out. “It was nice meeting you, Mira. Thank you for everything, and I mean that with all my heart.” Mira looked at him weirdly, her chilled demeanor unwavering as she put her free hand out to grasp Arthur’s. “That would sound more genuine if you still had a heart. Passives don’t count.” Arthur laughed, shaking Mira’s hand. “Maybe I’ll just take yours instead, then!” Arthur thoughtlessly said, before realizing what he’d just uttered in jest could be taken very differently than he intended. Before he could turn red and apologize, Mira’s eyes narrowed into icy daggers, and Arthur’s hand crunched under her iron grip.
“Ouwch!!”
Mira and Arthur waved at each other as she disappeared into the distance. Arthur knew he’d miss her company, as he didn’t want to face everything alone, but understood that was selfish. She had her own goals and was doing the right thing in pursuing them. As his hand fell down to his side, his grin turned into a sad smile. With that same sad smile, he brought up his Identity Screen, and dissolved the party that they’d made what felt like ages ago.
Mira made her way to her old home. She knew that with the System, she would likely not live in one place again, at least not for a while. She knew that humans would eventually band together to build something new, but wasn’t sure exactly when that would be. Many humans would’ve balked at being forced to being essentially homeless, but she was not one of them. She’d always had a wanderlust she’d never been able to indulge, and, while it wasn’t a good one, this was a chance. Once she’d found and gathered all her loved ones, she’d bring them somewhere safe and go out to find everything this “System” had to offer. If there wasn’t anywhere safe yet, she wasn’t averse to making one herself.
After a bit of being out of Arthur’s sight, she suddenly fell to the ground. Confusion painted across her face as she felt her strength rush out of her like a bleeding wound. She was left on her hands and knees, gasping for air and breathing heavily. She felt weak, weaker than ever before. She felt like a part of herself was suddenly removed, like she was suddenly incomplete. She fought against the weakness, but it flowed over her all the same, uncaring of her unyielding willpower. After the wave of nausea, she felt fine, but knew she was vastly weaker out of nowhere. Feeling rage and confusion bubbling up, she brought up her Identity Screen, gawking at the differences in her stats. With that difference of stats came a realization, one she’d practically forgotten about after so long of it being her norm.
She was no longer in a party with Arthur, and therefore, no longer benefited from his True Heart of Devotion. His overpowered passive had increased her stats greatly, and that precedent had been her normal for days. Now that it was no longer the case, her strength had dropped from nearly reaching 300 to under 200. Her dexterity barely cleared 100 by only two points. Looking at her Identity Screen, she couldn’t help but regret not pushing for Arthur to come with her for a moment, but quickly crushed the notion. He had things to do and people to find, and selfishly wanting Arthur to help was not fair to him. What had just happened was more than enough proof that she’d become too reliant on him, even if he would insist on the contrary.
Pushing herself to her feet, she looked back at where she’d come from. Arthur was already gone, and she couldn’t help but feel a small pang of sadness once again. As she continued on to her old home, she made a silent wish. One so quiet that even she herself didn’t realize she’d made it; a wish to see him again.
As the sun finally slid past the mountain range, and the dusk turned entirely to night, Arthur saw the stars. They were unmarred and clear, the constant smog filling the atmosphere no longer present. Arthur stared in inspired awe, unsure of how much time that’d passed stargazing. There were hundreds, thousands or more shining down, with the moon giving an even greater luster than before. Its light was only slightly less impactful than the sun’s, and Arthur was sure that the System had done something to them. Rather than contemplating just how vast the System could be, he prepared to settle in for the night.
He’d looted a frying pan and some other essentials for travel from houses that he’d passed by. As he did, he noted that his Vault capacity was vast. He remembered it scaled off of his weight tolerance, and that was now under his biggest stat. Every single house was empty of people, and he considered staying in one for the night. The combination of needing to continue moving at the time won him over, and now, looking up at the endless and heavenly sky, he had no regrets. He currently found himself off to the side of a freeway, a small forest-like area surrounded by a concrete jungle. In this tiny, tree covered area was a dip in the landscape, like someone had dug a fire hole. He assumed that this might’ve been a favorite stay for someone, and he praised their taste as he began setting up. He’d watched many videos about wildlife survival, and put at least most of them to use now. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of victory for having a use for the knowledge.
Arthur had a lot of food in his Vault from the aquarium dungeon he’d just been in. There was more than one gift shop, and even a food court that he’d visited, and looted. Mira had turned her nose up at the sight at first, but after realizing she’d still need to eat, joined him with almost as much vigor. The look of embarrassment on her face made him chuckle as he fried a slab of seasoned beef in oil. Arthur enjoyed cooking previously, and while he did it a lot, he didn’t want to ruin his enjoyment by making it a pursuit. He knew he would never be as good as the big names, or even half the people on social media, so he’d stayed casual with his hobby.
After eating, he sat with satisfaction as he stared at the stars. Belatedly, he realized there was one reward from the dungeon he hadn’t taken yet, and as soon as he thought of it, the screen appeared before him.
x1 Aged Blade
He’d already taken the others when he was with Mira, but this one was… weird. Its name insinuated a weapon that wouldn’t be that good, but how could that be possible? It’d come from a chest with “Apotheosis” in its name, the same chest that had given Mercy’s Kiss to Mira. Apotheosis itself insinuated a granting of higher power, or deification. How could he have gotten a bad weapon from that? Aside from that, it gave him a bad feeling. He looked at it for a while longer, and finally, he accepted the reward.
All rewards received
As the list of his rewards was replaced by his Identity Screen, a large hunk of metal fell into his arms. It was in a black belted scabbard that looked to be made of very tough leather and metal, with more metal capped at the end of the body and in parts of the belt. The hilt that jutted from the scabbard was mostly old looking grey steel, with the wide hand guards mostly straight, yet curling in slightly at the ends. The pommel was what looked like a sapphire, but old and almost completely covered in what looked like a permanent dusty grime. It was the type of dusty grime that would form on something that hadn’t moved in years, decades, or centuries. The gem had no luster, seeming almost like a regular metal pommel but for the flashes of blue peeking out from the grime. The blade’s grip was a comfortable yet tough leather, and it was such a dark blue that it seemed to be black.
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[Aged Blade] (): An old, worn longsword. Its sturdiness is unmatched.
[Aged Blade] is a growth-type weapon. It will grow with the user it is bound with, and its powers will acclimate itself to its new master as it both unlocks new abilities and enhances old ones.
Potency: 50
Charm Capacity: Very High
- [Lifechained Dreamscape]: Allows the user to visit the dreamscape once a month until they reach Level 51. May give rewards if certain conditions are met.
Arthur wasn’t surprised that it was a very plain weapon. The only parts of it that seemed out of the ordinary were the redacted tag, dreamscape ability and the fact that it was already bonded to him. Did it automatically bond when he accepted it? If that was so, why didn’t Mercy’s Kiss do the same? Redacted was also a very strange thing to have as the rarity, but perhaps it was because he hadn’t met the special condition in the dreamscape skill yet? The tag gave him pause, but for all Arthur knew, it could be normal for the kinds of weapons that come from the chest of Apotheosis. The System was still very new, and Mercy’s Kiss might’ve had the redacted tag as well. He made a mental note to at least ask Mira that much once he saw her again. The dreamscape ability was also a wonder, but he reserved that for later as he stood and drew his new blade.
It was heavy, even for Arthur. He had a strong feeling that before the System, he wouldn’t have even been able to lift the blade. It was long and wide, as if a broadsword and a longsword had a baby whose main diet was milk laced with steroids. Despite this, it was not a greatsword, and was thoroughly at a longsword’s length. The blade was as shabby looking as the rest of it, covered in cracks, battle scars, and spots of rust and dust. Its edge seemed almost dulled, but was still sharp enough to cut when swung hard enough. The design of the blade was simple and straightforward, promising effectiveness with its ordinary nature.
Arthur looked at his new weapon in admiration. It looked bland and unassuming, which was perfect for him. His worry about it being a completely bad weapon was also quashed, as its potency was more than twice as much as his only other weapon, the Swordfish Fin. He didn’t know what Charms were, but also having a very high capacity could only be good. Sighing with appreciation, he sheathed his new longsword and leaned it against the rock he was sitting on. Sitting down again, he looked at his Identity Screen that had been patiently waiting for him.
Identity Screen
Name: Arthur Lindow
Title: [Heart of Devotion]
Class: [Audacity Knight]
Level: 32
Stats {% boost available}
STR: 175
VIT: 324
DEF: 269
DEX: 88
INT: 58
Accord: 6 offers
Link Mates: N/A
Feats: 8
Immediately, he focused on his percentage boost and allocated it to his strength stat. He’d been thinking about what to do with it while looting abandoned houses, and concluded that this was the best choice. His vitality and defense were already massive, and would only continue to grow disproportionately as time went on because of the percentage boosts. He needed to get percentage boosts in other stats as soon as he could, as percentages would only grow as time went on. He gained 50 strength from a group of feats before, but that would eventually become immaterial from how high his stats would get. One day, 50 points would be but a drop in a bucket, whereas percentage boosts would grow as he did. With this in mind, he’d start with his most important non-defensive stats, being strength and then dexterity in that order.
STR: 210
After that, he took his Allocation and Skill Boluses out of his Vault. He looked at the Allocation variety for a moment, hesitant before popping it in his mouth and chewing. It tasted like grass.
Free Point Allocation
Points: 72
He’d thought about this one, too. Part of him wanted to throw it all into strength to pump it up further, but after consideration, came to another conclusion. His dexterity was too far behind already. Intelligence, at least, had an excuse in that it was his most useless stat. Dexterity, however, wasn’t something he could allow. He had a good amount of strength, but it wouldn’t matter if he couldn’t hit anything. Just this wouldn’t be enough to shore up this weakness entirely, but it would be a start. With that, he put all his free points into dexterity.
DEX: 160
With that being done, Arthur moved on to the last thing on his to-do list. Looking at the Skill Boluses in his other hand, he cringed slightly at the memory of the grassy taste. He hadn’t ever tasted grass before, and he’d quite distinctly wanted to keep it that way. Firming up his face, however, he practically threw both remaining Boluses into his mouth, and was met by a surprise as he chewed. They tasted like strawberry cake-pops this time, and Arthur slowed his chewing to appreciate the taste. Strawberry was his favorite flavor, after all.
New Skill!
[Champion’s Plate]: Conjures heavy armor on the user. Armor grants damage reduction equal to 1.5× current DEF at the time of conjuring. Armor grants damage reduction equal to 0.5× current [Audacity] stacks at conjuring. Expend 3 stacks of [Audacity] to conjure [Champion’s Mantle]. If already wearing armor during conjuring, keeps the effects of the worn armor but adds the effects of and changes the aesthetics to [Champion’s Plate].
*[Champion’s Mantle]: Grants minimal healing over time. Grants 1.5× [Audacity] stack gain.
Arthur looked over his skill as the strawberry goodness melted away, to his sad appreciation. Champions Plate sounded great for his current stat distribution, being mostly a tank. His just recently grown dexterity wouldn’t benefit from this, and he assumed it’d be harder to move with full plate armor on him. He would need to test it out, and he resolved to do so after he looked over his other new skill.
New Skill!
[Ironclad Will]: You are much harder to move, topple or stagger against your will. Physics still applies to the terrain. Can be broken by an enemy higher level than you. If [Champion’s Mantle] is active, grants a diluted version of this skill to allies within area of influence.
Right off the bat, he got a skill that synergized with his previous one. Being harder to move sounded bland and uninteresting, but it would allow him to do some good things. For one, if he had this skill during the battle with the sharktopus, he wouldn’t have been flung around and sent flying so much. He would’ve been able to hold his ground, and Mira wouldn’t have almost been beaten to death. That situation alone made the skill worth it to him, but that wasn’t all. It would also allow him to give his allies the same condition, albeit weaker than his. Such a condition had many applications, and he would be staying up all night to list them all.
With his two new skills gained, he stood up once again, and activated his Champion’s Plate skill. Armor suddenly closed around his body out of nowhere, almost seeming to seep out of his skin as it did. It closed over his befouled shirt and ratty pants, and after every other part of his body was covered, a helm closed over his head. His new armor was dull grey and matched his blade for its worn appearance. The sabatons and greaves were pointed with hard edges, and his gauntlets were secure and practical. His breastplate was snug and fitted, with faulds and a scapula fully wrapping around his waist. The scapula hung low, covering down to his knees. The faulds were made of a mixture of chainmail and grey rugged hide, with the scapula under it made of cloth and warm leathers. The almost every bit of the armor that covered him had battle scars, and the cloth was even torn in places, especially the scapula. He had a single pauldron on his sword bearing shoulder, and despite its presence, his arms felt easy to move. His entire body felt easy to move despite the armor covering him, and despite its weight, he didn’t feel much heavier than before, if at all. He assumed it was thanks to his weight tolerance and was glad that he’d moved it to his sky high vitality stat. Deciding to test out everything to do with the skill, he spent 3 stacks of Audacity to conjure the Champion’s Mantle.
A cloak appeared around him, wrapping around his shoulders and even under the pauldron. It was connected by an iron chain, and a rondel that looked like the icon for his Audacity stacks on his HUD. It had a bundle of cloth and fur around his neck, keeping him warm and capable of doubling as a hood if he wanted. He had little use for a hood with a helm, however. The mantle had fur lining the inside, and he noticed he felt almost unnaturally warm, even though it didn’t wrap fully around him. The outside of the mantle was the same reddish brown design as the scapula, looking to be made of the same thing. The ends were torn and dirty, like it’d been dragged on the ground for a long time.
Arthur moved about in his new armor, the sounds of plate moving against each other quieter than they should be. “A bit more knightly now, aren’t I?” He chuckled to himself, before realizing that his voice was altered with his helmet on. He thought that was strange at first, but soon concluded it could be a good thing. He wanted to be anonymous, and this voice modulator would help him.
After a bit of testing with his voice modulator, he looked at his sword laying on the rock next to him. He picked it up and realized it was lighter now, likely due to his jump in strength. He strapped it to his waist, with it practically doing it for him with how easy it was, and its weight felt comforting. Finally, he addressed the final thing on his Identity Screen he’d been wanting to from the beginning.
Accord: 6 offers
This had been bothering him from the start. What exactly were Accords, and why did he have 6 offers for them now? With curiosity, he focused on it, and soon saw something that made his eyes widen. There were 6 screens with different promises and offers from mysterious beings, but one stood out. It was all in lowercase and had the same bad grammar as another mysterious entity he’d encountered before.
know you are afraid, know you are confused, i can help.
Accept?
YES - NO