Congratulations! Novice Remnant Mage has been promoted to Journeyman Remnant Mage!

  Current Rank: Level 23

  Skills: Empath’s Gaze, Spirit Body, Ether Siphon, Command Spirit, Distort Soul, Summon Familiar, Wraith Step, *Elevate Champion

  ***

  Threshold Break! By advancing to a critical stage of development, you have been rewarded with Elevate Champion. No Soul Knight should march into battle without a champion at his side.

  ***

  Available Skill Slots: 3

  Available Class Skills (Soul Knight Subclass): Rending Cut, Bind Ether, Mitigate, Wailing Chains, Requiem Explosion, Spirit Rend, Specialize Unit, Resonance Field, Spirit Ward, Spiritual Bulwark

  Available Familiar Skill Slots: 2

  Available Familiar Skills: Abyssal Shriek, Advantageous Hunger, Coiled Strike, Dark Visions

  Available Trait Slots: 1

  Traits: Choose any eligible Skill and bind it to your Spirit Core. Resulting Trait will diversify Skill as well as grant a passive Ability.

  ***

  "Prudence be praised, this is insane!" Marek shouted. His voice echoed off the cavern walls, crashing against his ears in waves.

  Something about hearing his words repeated back to him inspired a thread of self-awareness. He sat with folded legs amid a pile of corpses. Blood reflected wetly across the stone floor, and his clothes and armor were in ruins.

  “I’m a proper mess,” he said, looking down at himself. “Glad Mags isn’t here to see it. She’d lose her shit.” He laughed and used much of the ether his core had replenished since the fight ended to summon his familiar. He’d taken the health potion and spent a good ten minutes staring into the void after slaying the last monster. There was little point hoarding his ether now.

  Besides, the moment was too important to experience alone. “Allon, can you believe this? Three Skills to choose, one new Trait—whatever that is—and the system granted me Elevate Champion automatically!"

  The daemon's response was underwhelming. "More power means more feasts to come.”

  Marek checked his enthusiasm as best he could, realizing he’d been insensitive. "Sorry, I guess I forgot what you just went through. Was it... painful?"

  Allon's laugh sent chills up Marek's spine. Like scales raking scales, it was a terrible sound, though it pleased Marek that the creature was showing signs of his usual self. "A compound Graysoul ripped my spirit in two, Kaiteras. You tell me, was it painful?"

  "Dumb question," Marek admitted. "I should have asked, are you going to be okay?"

  The daemon shuddered. Crackling purple mana ran along its length. "Yesss, I will endure. About your advancement. Why not invest your Attribute Points first? Those taste lovely. Every time you get stronger, so do I."

  "That can wait. This is the fun part. I'll assign them when we finish. Besides, you'll gain two Skills as well. Doesn't that excite you a little?"

  Allon bared his fangs. "Yesss, that is true. Sharper fangs makes Allon stronger.”

  Marek wasn't sure what disturbed him more: hearing his familiar's voice aloud—something he'd rarely experienced—or the fact that it didn't seem to bother him much. Dismissing the thought, Marek began sifting through his available Skills. Several stood out immediately, and he read their descriptions. He soon discovered a few trends.

  "Some of these are similar. Spiritual Bulwark, Spirit Ward, and Resonance Field all project ether in an area around me. The first is simple; it just absorbs all damage until the bulwark shatters. Useful, but limited. Spirit Ward only absorbs a portion of the damage but converts it to mana and stamina. Not bad, especially in the thick of things."

  He reread the last, and knew he'd be torn either way. Resonance Field boosted the Abilities, healing, and stamina recovery of all party members within range. "So, what's your vote if we choose one of these? Full protection? Partial protection with a partial buff? Or focus exclusively on enhancing the party?"

  Allon hissed. "These Skills useless! Nothing to sharpen fangsss!"

  Marek chuckled. "I suppose you're right. If I wanted that, I could choose Rending Cut, but I'm still not convinced of that one. I have a sharp sword, and with time, Distort Soul might do something similar. Okay, what about these, then?" Wanting to entice his familiar a little, Marek read the Skills aloud.

  ***

  Spirit Rend: A heavy cleaving attack that disrupts the soul of the target, preventing them from using special Abilities or magic for a short time.

  If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Requiem Explosion: An area-of-effect attack that channels a vast amount of ether reserves into a thunderous blast that extends in all directions. Deaths created from this attack automatically convert souls into ether, replenishing a portion of the mage’s reserves.

  ***

  "The last sounds tasty!” Allon said, flying in a tight loop above Marek's head.

  Marek sighed. He couldn't agree more, but it was painfully obvious his familiar had a different perspective on combat than he did. "True, it does. Of the three, I'd lean more favorably toward Spirit Rend, however. The capacity to silence an enemy mage or stop a Berserker from activating its rage Ability would be devastating. It's also more versatile."

  Predictably, the daemon shuddered, hissed, and called him unimaginative and boring. Moving on, Marek read the final Skill he'd saved for last. He prayed to Tenacity above it might be what he hoped.

  ***

  Specialize Unit: Transform a bound spirit to take on a specialized role, granting it Abilities tailored to the chosen Class. The specialization lasts until the spirit is dismissed or destroyed. Each of the following roles may be chosen to provide unique combat or support capabilities: Defender, Mage, Healer, Rogue, Berserker, Archer.

  ***

  "Say what you will about me and my lack of flare. In the end, it's about power. Am I wrong?"

  Without delay, he selected Specialized Unit. Wailing Chains was his second choice. The silencing effect of Spirit Rend was tempting, but stopping an enemy in its tracks while also sapping its ether was too good to pass up. "I have one slot remaining," he said. "Of the others, which would you go for?"

  "If you don't choose explosion, I will leave and bond with another."

  "I thought you'd say that," Marek admitted. "All I can say is I'm sorry. When my Willpower is higher, I'll consider it."

  Marek's third Skill choice was Phantom Bolt. It may have been unimaginative, but he desperately wanted a ranged attack. "Don't throw a tantrum," he told the daemon. "This one's evolvable. Eventually, it'll become a worthier Skill in your estimation, I'm sure."

  He confirmed his choices and closed his eyes as his core and body adapted. When he opened them again, a very angry, very silly-looking daemon was hovering in front of his face.

  Allon hissed and snapped his jaws menacingly. “Of all the choices you forced me to consider, you only chose one. Why did we even discuss the others?”

  “We’ll level up again. Right now, I needed to increase my chances of survival. Next time around, I’ll select a party buff or protection Spell, and maybe… maybe a big fancy attack.”

  "Fine, Kaiterasss, you win,” Allon said bitterly. “But if you dare defile my choices, I will—”

  "You can choose what pleases you most," Marek said, interrupting the creature. "All I ask is that you consider my suggestions."

  "Truly? You give me choices?”

  Marek nodded. "Yes. It seems fair, and besides, you've already been an asset. I doubt any additional Abilities could take away from that."

  Allon cackled far longer than necessary, but Marek indulged him. Quieting at last, the daemon said, “Advantageous Hunger and Coiled Strike. Those are the bessst choices.”

  “Why do you say so?” Marek asked. “The other two have potential as well.”

  “My existence is to consume. With first Skill, I can eat more, eat faster, and have energy to kill enemies!”

  Marek smiled. His familiar might be single-minded, but the creature did think logically. “And the second?”

  Allon snapped his jaws again and shouted, “Coiled Strike makes fangs sharper! If I kill faster, I eat sooner!”

  Marek held back a laugh. Undoubtedly, the daemon would take offense, and that wouldn’t do if his intention to guide the evil beast was to be successful. “Coiled Strike doubles the damage of a single attack. I admit, that would help you kill stuff faster. Abyssal Shriek, however, could let you stun more than one enemy at a time, making them vulnerable. And… Dark Visions is more versatile still. By creating false images with your power, you could confuse and deceive your enemies.”

  “Hunter does not deceive. Hunter has no fear.”

  This time, Marek couldn’t help but chuckle. “Okay, I get your point. Tell me this, though—is there anything crueler and more malicious than striking terror in the hearts of your enemies and then killing them?”

  Allon’s reptilian jaw slackened a little. Eyes widening, the daemon gasped. “Oh, Massster is devious! Yes, cruel is good! These are the Skills I want! More hunger and power to frighten and trick the enemy!”

  “Excellent,” Marek said while finalizing the decisions.

  Allon writhed and shuddered, and when the change was finished, the familiar sneered viciously. “Shall we hunt again?”

  Marek shook his head. “You’re insatiable. Soon, Allon. We’ll hunt again soon, I promise. I’m not finished, however. I still haven’t chosen a Trait.”

  The daemon slunk away in the cave and began summoning shadows, creating nightmarish images with his new Skill.

  While Allon was distracted, Marek reviewed the list of eligible Skills he could bind to his core to forge a Trait. Wailing Chains, Ether Siphon, and Summon Familiar all came with impressive passive Abilities. The first would grant him the Trait Battlefield Jailor. Its passive would occasionally shackle nearby foes, greatly increasing his capacity to disable the enemy. Ether Siphon’s Trait was called Sophisticated Siphon, which included a passive to increase the speed and efficiency of absorption as well as allow him to direct life energy toward party members to heal them. Lastly, Summon Familiar could become Daemon Master, which would let him summon a second familiar.

  One Allon was about as much daemon as he could handle.

  All other considerations bled away when Marek read the Trait derived from Specialize Unit.

  ***

  Spectral Commander: Assign up to six specialized units to a single squad, promoting one of them to the position of Squad Leader. Squad Leaders become semi-autonomous and can carry out complex orders such as Focus Fire, Support Allies, Defensive Formation, Flanking Maneuver, and Overwhelm.

  Each unit type grants its own party buff when promoted:

  Defender: Increased damage resistance and stamina.

  Mage: Increased damage output and mana regeneration.

  Healer: Continual health regeneration.

  Rogue: Stealth bonus and increased critical hit chance.

  Berserker: Greatly boosted strength.

  Archer: Enhanced ranged damage and accuracy.

  ***

  “This…” Marek said in a whisper. “This is truly the beginning. Restraint save me, but I don’t know if there will be any going back now.”

  Marek chose the final option. The intuitive knowledge wove its way through his mind, and a cold smile formed on his lips. Wreathed in shadow and removed from doubt, he assigned his Attribute Points. He increased Dexterity significantly and added one point to both Charisma and Strength, just so he was technically above the average threshold. The rest he poured into his ever-expanding Willpower.

  No caution or concern for comfort guided his hand when he finalized the decision. All fourteen points surged through his being. Pain and pleasure danced through Marek’s body and mind. He relished the experience, exalted in it.

  A grating laugh issued from his nearby familiar. When the transformation was complete, Marek found a much-changed Allon. Twice as large, with longer fangs and two small arms dangling from its coiling body, the daemon was a terrible sight.

  Marek got to his feet and began the walk back to camp. He stepped over corpses, his smile broad as he brought up his personal information.

  ***

  Name: Marek Kaiteras

  Primary Class: Remnant Mage Level 23

  Subclass: Soul Knight

  Skills: Empath’s Gaze, Spirit Body, Ether Siphon, Command Spirit, Distort Soul, Summon Familiar, Wraith Step, Phantom Bolt, Wailing Chains, Specialize Unit

  Trait: Spectral Commander

  Secondary Class: Sigilist Level 12

  Skills: Intuit, Imbue

  Strength: 11

  Dexterity: 18

  Constitution: 14

  Intelligence: 20 (Affliction: Core Atrophy, 12% Reduction)

  Willpower: 40

  Charisma: 11

  ***

  “Don’t worry,” he told the daemon floating beside him. “I feel the hunger as well. We won’t wait nearly so long to hunt again.”