Chapter 48: Adept or Attuned
Leif looked rather unassuming under his new cloak. He was roughly the size and shape of a human adult, though he had different proportions. His arms were longer and his hands wererger, possessing four w tipped fingers.
With his hood up, aura withdrawn, and extremities hidden beneath fabric the spriggan wouldn’t draw too many odd nces.
The expedition marched in a quick, loose, single file formation. Most people were burdened with their tents and belongings, but several were notably light on visible possessions.
“Do you not have a tent?” The covered nt monster asked.
“I sleep under the stars.” Darius replied. The young man watching the moving column reach the base of the hill and disappear one by one into a sparse cluster of trees. “Do… you have a tent?”
Leif looked at him for several seconds.
“Ah, stupid question.” He turned away, sheepish. “Sorry. I’m not great with… people. Or monsters. Sorry I’ve never talked to a nt before and…”
Leif huffed augh. “Less words can be better. Sometimes I don’t know what to say.” <em>Often actually. But he doesn’t need to know that. </em>
“Really? I guess so.” Darius replied, partially fading out of sight. A twig snapped behind them and the man jolted, spinning in rm, the movement dispelling whatever stealth ability he had unconsciously triggered. Two deer stared cidly, both chewing on leaves attached to the same stick. It looked ridiculous.
“I’ll let the expedition get further ahead before I follow with my animals.” Leif said. “You can go on ahead, I know you’ve been forced to do this.”
“O-oh, not at all. Well, a little. But I’d happily do anything Lady Hera asks.” He said, green eyes sparkling as a goofy grin spread over his face.
“Do you know her well?”
“Y-yes! Well, no. Not as much as I’d like, she’s just so… you know?”
Leif didn’t. “Strong?” He guessed.
Darius sighed, the man gained a faraway look in his eyes. “She''s so beautiful, smart, the way her hair shimmers under the sun…”
The spriggan’s amber eyes flickered, imitating a slow blink. <em>Huh? </em>
“And the way she moves, so elegant and graceful. And the way she fights…” Darius’s hands were wildly gesturing. “And the way her body hugs the-” He paused, realising what he was saying. And to whom.
The human turned beet red and partially veiled himself in mist. He squatted down, arms hugging his knees. “P-pretend you didn''t hear anything.”
Leif just nodded. He had a ss to pick.
<strong>For disying your aptitude for life aspected magics, reversing the near fatal intrusion of death energy and sessfully bringing someone back from the very brink of death, you have the opportunity to gain the [Attuned: Life] ss!</strong>
<strong>ss slots: 1/3</strong>
<strong>ept? Y/N</strong>
<strong>For constantly healing and protecting your allies even in the direst of situations and proving yourself a capable healer andbatant even under the most stressful of circumstances you have the opportunity to gain the [Adept] ss!</strong>
<strong>ss slots: 1/3 </strong>
<strong>ept? Y/N</strong>
Leif had been considering his options ever since they had been presented to him. But that didn’t mean the choice was easy.
He had two skills with the ‘life’ aspect. Leif suspected that [Attuned: Life] would likely amplify those skills and most certainly grant him several new ones.
Leif sorted his current skills, making a list of the skills with the life aspect.
===
Settle / Embolden Vegetation
===
Only two, and they were both skills he had very little experience with. <em>I think foundation sses provide at most a plus fifty percent bonus to skills from the ss perk. At least that’s what [Brawler] provides.</em>
Actually, now that he thought about it… <em>What is the difference between ‘life’ and ‘blood’? Both have something to do with healing. And several of my ‘blood’ skills barely seem rted to it at all. They mention vitality and lifeforce, isn’t that synonymous with healing? </em>
Well, Leif supposed he had someone to ask. Though he wasn’t sure how mentally sound Darius was after his little outburst.
“Hey. Can I ask a question?” The spriggan asked.
“S-sure.” The man stammered, looking up guiltily. “Anything. I mean, not anything. You know what I mean…” He sighed, shoulders deting.
Leif didn’t. “Why are some skill aspects so simr? And do ss perks ovep if the aspects are more or less the same?”
The man rocked back in his ankles and sat back, he looked lost in thought. “They’re like… system semantics. That’s what I was taught anyway. But no, there’s no ovep. Fire and heat are different aspects, and ss perks don’t ovep any bonuses. A bonus to ‘fire’ wouldn’t affect a skill with the ‘heat’ aspect. I think. Not unless they had both.”
“I have blood and life aspects. Don’t they do the same thing?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t go to that big fancy Academy. My family runs an adventuring guild in Ahle-ho, you’d be better off asking the students. Or Lady Hera…” He mumbled thest part.
Leif crossed his arms. He wasn’t fully satisfied with that answer, especially since the expedition was currently marching out of sight.
He focused on the second option. [Adept] seemed more generalised, it mentioned both healing andbat in the ss unlock prerequisites.
<em>Fighting is good. I do that quite a lot. </em>He mused. It was likely the ss would provide a perk with increases to what he was already good at. <em>Stacking perks seems to be quite potent, I wonder how much ss synergy is rmended? </em>
Leif knew which ss he had been favouring, further contemtion hadn’t changed that. So he picked his newest ss.
<strong>Congrattions! You have gained the adept ss!</strong>
<strong>Level up! ss [Adept] is now level 1! </strong>
<strong>For meeting the ss requirements and having an avable ss slot you have gained a level! </strong>
<strong>+1 free point! </strong>
===
[Adept]
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the vition.
Through persistence and grit you havee to possess a natural inclination for the healing arts and an understanding of the body.
Tier: 1 (Foundation)
Level: 1/10
ss Perk:
+50% To the effect of life aspected skills
+50% To the effect of enhancement (Body) skills
Your healing skills are 50% less strenuous on the target’s body
Growths:
Free Points: +1
<strong>Might: D</strong>
<strong>crity: E </strong>
<strong>Intelligence: D+</strong>
<strong>Willpower: C</strong>
<strong>Spirit: C+</strong>
<strong>Charisma: D+</strong>
Base Stats: Might: +1, Willpower +2, Spirit: +2, Charisma +1
Skills:
None
===
Leif read over the ss details. The attribute increases from the ss’s base stats were mostly insubstantial, though every little bit would add up. He wondered why his [Amber Blight Spriggan] ss granted so many attributespared to his general sses.
<em>I suppose it''s one of the main differences between monster and human sses. That and monster sses evolve while human sses promote. </em>
The spriggan mentally assessed his current skills. With the additional fifty percent increase to body enhancement skills many felt even more potent.
But he wouldn’t test them out. Not quite yet. After all, he still had something to do. He had made a choice. Leif understood the theory behind not filling up his ss slots. But having talked to Marcus and Sieg about it he felt confident in it being the right choice. While it may hinder him in the short term, Leif <em>felt </em>in the core of his being it would pay off.
<em>Hopefully</em>.
<strong>Congrattions! You have gained the attuned: life ss!</strong>
<strong>Level up! ss [Attuned: Life] is now level 1! </strong>
<strong>For meeting the ss requirements and having an avable ss slot you have gained a level! </strong>
<strong>+1 to [Intelligence] +1 free point! </strong>
===
[Attuned: Life]
You have felt your connection to life, and have chosen to solidify it. To be attuned is to walk in the steps of something greater.
Tier: 1 (Foundation)
Level: 1/10
ss Perk:
You and those around you naturally recover from wounds at an elerated pace
+50% To the effect of life aspected skills
+50% To the effect of skills that heal or restore
Growths:
Free Points: +1
<strong>Might: E</strong>
<strong>crity: E </strong>
<strong>Intelligence: D</strong>
<strong>Willpower: D+</strong>
<strong>Spirit: C</strong>
<strong>Charisma: C+</strong>
Base Stats: Intelligence +1, Willpower +1, Spirit: +2, Charisma +2
Skills:
None
===
Leif nodded thoughtfully as he read over his second healing ss. The part of the ss perk about natural recovery was almost identical to a line in his monster ss’s perk.
He would need to level up in either ss to gain a new skill. ording to Marcus and Sieg, being taught by another owner of a simr ss would be enough to level up once or twice. But Leif didn’t have anyone to teach him. Fortunately he doubted gaining levels would be too much of a challenge.
Leif spent his two new free points on [Charisma], bringing the attribute to sixty.
His resolve firmed. He would gain strength, and then regain what he had lost.
===
Name: Leif Vin
Race: Amber Blight Spriggan
Age: 11
Attributes:
Free: 0
<strong>Might: 42 (+10%)</strong>
<strong>crity: 45 (+10%)</strong>
<strong>Intelligence: 31 (+10%)</strong>
<strong>Willpower: 28 (+10%)</strong>
<strong>Spirit: 41 (+10%)</strong>
<strong>Charisma: 60 (+90%)</strong>
Total Level: 32
Monster sses: 1/1
<strong>Amber Blight Spriggan: 14/20</strong>
Skills: Gold Iron Physique / Amber Sympathy / Blight''s Bounty / The Well Within II / Settle / Amber Steps / Embolden Vegetation
sses: 3/3
<strong>Brawler: 6/10</strong>
Skills: Grounded Stance II / Combative Gumption
<strong>Adept: 1/10</strong>
Skills: None
<strong>Attuned: Life 1/10</strong>
Skills: None
Auxiliary sses: 1
<strong>Noble: 10/10</strong>
Skills: Aura of Nobility I / Grand Action / Under My Protection / Legacy
===