Ancestry: Titan-Forged Human (evolved)

  Level: 45

  Class: Blood of the Hills

  Titles: God-touched

  Attribute allocation:

  Strength: 60

  Agility: 35

  Endurance: 45

  Perception: 35

  Cognition: 40

  Available attributes: 10

  Current skills:

  Guerrilla Warfare: Level 9. Passive.

  Tilt: Level 4. Active.

  Heart of the Hills: Level 9. Active.

  Check Step: Level 10. Active.

  Indomitable Prey: Level 10. Active.

  Skirmisher of Antiquity: Level 10. Passive.

  Mountain-Born: Level 11. Passive

  Faultline: Level 11. Active.

  It took me a few moments to see what had changed, but once I had realised the benefits, I smiled to myself in satisfaction. 10 attributes in both strength and endurance, as befitting an ancestry of such a name. I couldn’t feel the difference currently, groggy as I was, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a significant boost in power.

  I felt a blanket settle around my shoulders, and I gratefully hugged it tight, realising with a start how cold I was. The steam from earlier had vanished, and I was surprised to see a sheet of ice sheathing the pool, broken in a small section where Jorge had presumably dragged me from the Cursed Waters.

  Luckily, he was nothing if not prepared – all his companions would be far too eager to throw his own mantra back at him the one time he wasn’t, after all – and a fire was already roaring away, confined within a handful of large rocks conjured from his storage ring. He hesitated for a moment before scooping some water from the pool into a dented kettle, giving me a wink as he did so, and then placed it in the midst of the flames.

  I watched in fascination as all the smoke was sucked down into the kettle, even from above, such that none escaped into the chamber. “Adds flavour” was all Jorge said on the matter when I raised a questioning eyebrow before he switched the subject to my recent gains.

  We discussed my evolved ancestry and the dream I’d had, and he admitted to spiking the tea that morning. I wanted to be mad at the loss of agency, but there was too much happening too fast for me to really care right now, and besides; I knew he had my best interests at heart. It also turns out that it wasn’t actually a psychedelic that he’d given me. It was a mild sedative and muscle relaxant, and the dream had been a product of my own tortured mind fleeing into unconsciousness to cope with the pain.

  That last part was what really dulled the anger into a mere hint of frustration. Still enough for me to comment on it though.

  “I know you’re an inscrutable old bastard, Jorge, and that once you’ve been around for as long as you presumably have, it probably feels like you know everything there is to know…but just ask me next time, yeah?”

  I held his gaze evenly and to his credit he didn’t look away. “Sorry Lamb, that was a bad call on my part, you’re right. I’ll be sure to include you on plans like this in future, especially when they involve yerself.”

  I took it one step further, unwilling to leave it at that once the topic was broached. “I respect your experience, and trust your intentions. I understand that there may be times in the future when you act without my knowledge and keep things from me, for my own good. This was not one of those times. I only ask that you don’t hide things from me when there are no reasons to.”

  He simply nodded, his eyes hiding no lies within their blue-grey depths. I shook out my shoulders to break the tension and gave him a grateful smile, and he returned it and clapped me on the back.

  “Ya know, lad? I think you’re growin’ up.”

  I almost punched him.

  Warm tea and a hot fire did wonders to bring life back into my body, and the excitement of my future advancement kept my mind sharp. Unlike my first experience gaining a class, I was prepared this time. I sat cross-legged on a rug with my back against the cool stone of the cavern, blanket wrapped around my shoulders like a shawl, and a companion nearby to keep me safe from the world while my mind drifted.

  I still had my spear at my side, and the bronze shield in front of me – I would not need them, but they felt like a part of my path now, particularly the spear. Their proximity would help ground me in the face of new futures.

  With a final breath in, I gave a nod to where I knew Jorge rested and turned my attention inwards. My soul-space hung heavy in the void, constellations of twinkling lights feeling full of potential and aching for advancement. Much of that feeling was simply a reflection of my own desires, but I thought I could see a growing density in the patterns and connections of the eight skills that circled my core.

  Indeed, the artifact link for my shield – the tendril of mana linking the artifact with my core, was almost larger than the artifact’s presence itself; a testament to how my soul had grown over the last 25 levels and many weeks. The spiritual presence of Resolution still dominated, overshadowing the link between my core and the artifact with ease – it was in a class of its own and couldn’t be compared to the shield given the materials from which it was composed and the process of its creation.

  I was ready. My eyes were closed and my breathing even, so I simply focused on my future. A faint ringing echoed in my head, and that was it; I had just broken through to the 2nd tier.

  It was anticlimactic in some ways, but that was only if one adopted a skewed perspective. Many people struggled to break through to the 2nd tier because the prerequisites were too difficult to meet. But the evolution of one’s ancestry, the achievement of a feat, the 45 levels in the first tier one must accumulate and levelling of one’s skills in the process; these were not barriers preventing one from reaching the 2nd tier at all.

  They were simply part of one’s journey through the 1st tier. If you had not achieved any of the above, you would struggle to break through to the 2nd tier, but not because the 2nd tier was some hard barrier. It was because there was still more for you to gain in the 1st. I had completed my journey through the 1st tier, and now stood at the foot of an even greater mountain.

  My decision today was not about how I could pass from the 1st to the 2nd tier; I was already there. No, the decision was how I would progress forwards from today onwards. What would my path through the 2nd tier look like? Who did I want to become? What would define my life going forwards?

  Scenarios swirled around my mind, one after another, like the dancing of my skill constellations within my soul. I knew instinctively what each class would grant me and also the path that it led me down. My future was my own to define, but the means that I used to write that story were found within the visions I received.

  The Untamed Wind; running through Tsanderos with an open sky above and all the world below.

  Spear-Bound Spiritualist; a life of violence and peace, war and contemplation. Surrounded in battle and alone on the mountain top.

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  Subterranean Archivist; a hybrid class, likely influenced by Nathlan’s academic tendencies, had me delving caves and tunnels deep beneath the world, unearthing ancient wonders and using my God-Touched title to bring new life to the archaeological institutions of Tsanderos.

  Interesting paths, one and all, but did they suit me? Would they help fulfil my goals, short-term and beyond? All would be more powerful than the class I currently possessed and would each have their own unique approach to dealing with the threat of Castle Ryonic and the Ashkanian ruin it squatted atop.

  And after that victory, what then? It was one thing to make a practical choice in the moment, but I couldn’t discount my entire life. What was my calling?

  The answer was simple when framed like that. The mountains called to me, and I would answer. The simplest path was sometimes the right one, and I had a direct upgrade waiting for me still, after all.

  A gentle chiming heralded my decision.

  Class gained: Blood of the Mountains

  Blood of the Mountains – Epic. Mountains stand at the top of the world, and you have climbed your way to their peaks. They are rooted deep in the earth, and so you have plumbed their depths. World-Walker, Shield-Shaker, Titan-Forged and Shadowed By Greatness. You have the blood of the mountains within and have given answer to their calling. Stand with pride, for you bear the spine of the world within your soul.

  I was then deafened by a barrage of ringing noises, layered over one another as notifications came in thick and fast. It took some time to settle things, but eventually I was able to bring order to the chaos of my mind, and I reviewed the skills that had upgraded.

  Firstly, the class skills;

  Check-Step has been upgraded to Break-Step.

  Break-Step – Active. Momentum is yours to control. The frantic plunge into danger is where you belong, and that slow time before death is where you come alive. Let those final moments as danger approaches be the ones where you are most effective. Time and movement are two sides of the same coin – spend it wisely.

  I shivered as my soul twisted to accommodate the newly changed skill constellation, and I became aware of frightening new possibilities. ‘Momentum is yours to control’ was suitably vague, as the system seemed want to be, but I knew how it worked. Intimately and without thinking, I knew how my skills could affect the world.

  Or rather, I knew the intent with which my skills were created and operated under. Break-Step was designed to allow me to cut my momentum off in a flash, in a similar manner to Check-Step before it, but the small differences came with major implications.

  I could fall from any height and land without impact. I could focus my entire body’s momentum into a strike, could move as if not bound by the earth’s natural laws as my momentum shifted as fast as I could think…I could hold time in place if I did not move a muscle.

  But that was the cost; momentum drained time, and time drained momentum. If I wanted the enhanced reflexes and slowed time of the skill, I would need to move minimally. If I wanted to cut my momentum entirely, I would only have the barest sliver of time to do so. I could theoretically jump from the top of a mountain and land on the valley floor miles below without issue, but if I cut my momentum a hair too late, I would not be alive to realise my error.

  This would require testing though. My dream of leaping across valleys was suddenly a lot closer than it had been at any point since I had arrived in this world. Difficulties or no, it was exhilarating to know that this was the type of power on offer in the 2nd tier.

  Guerrilla Warfare has been upgraded to A Frozen Pyrre.

  A Frozen Pyrre – Passive. War crowns no victors, only leaves some less dead than others. Once your enemies realise they are defeated, they will lash out and attempt to overcome you through numbers, positioning, overwhelming force, or cruel deception. Do not let them. Face them with a curious mind, quick-wits, and flexible imagination. Create a battlefield of your own making and hold your weapons, varied as they may be, forever close with the strength of your soul. When battle is joined, death stalks the wind…ensure you hold its leash.

  Another flowery description light on detail, but I knew what it implied, deep in my bones. A direct upgrade, though one moving more towards forethought and planning than hectic chaos. Perhaps the influence of that old Stalking skill was having an effect there. A curious mind likely referred to the Tinkering skill I’d gained in Colchet, while quick-wits was undoubtable Improvised Weapons, and flexible imagination was drawn from Simple-Traps.

  It was a nice reminder to see the same skills I had levelled so long ago still influencing the direction of my path, and a worthy warning at the same time.

  There was also a new aspect to the skill, one that focused heavily on the artifacts and weapons I created and used, though I could already imagine a dozen ways I could make use of it with the inheritance of Simple-Traps, too. It seemed I could create artifact links within my soul and call them to me at any time.

  The scale and speed would need testing, but I knew that it would not only be Revelation that I could recall to my hand from this day forwards.

  Mountain-Born has been upgraded to Stride the Edge

  Stride the Edge – Passive. You spend your life living on the edge of death, and your body and mind have become accustomed to this fact. Each misstep spells doom, and so you do not miss a step. Each slip crushes bone and flays skin, and so your bones grow stronger than stone and your skin harder than ice. You have been remade into a creature of the mountain edges, and one can only be swift and sure within their own domain.

  Another direct upgrade, and this was in many ways the simplest of all. I expected nothing and was not surprised. Mountain-Born, and Hill-Folk before it, had the simplest and most difficult job of all my skills; to keep me alive. To weather the myriad dangers I heaped upon my body and to take it without complaint. They had done their job admirably, and I expected nothing less from the new 2nd tier version of the skill.

  Cloven-Hooved, the merged form of both Sure-Footed and Scrambling, had been an invaluable movement skill, guiding my steps and shadowing me as I crossed the continent of Tsanderos with ease. It was a part of my path that I would never live without; the exploration and the freedom that it granted me had stained my soul with joy in indelible ink. That it was now ensconced within a new skill only made sense, and I suspected that it would have consequences to the new skill beyond just the way I moved.

  Heart of the Hills can merge with Tilt to create Axis Shift.

  Axis Shift – Active. Your heart is steady, your will uncompromising. Whether at the highest peaks of exhilaration or the lowest depths of desperation, no ripples mark your soul. You know the secrets of staying steady in the face of strife, and you can project this surety out into the world. As it tilts upon its axis, you are the lynchpin around which the world turns, and your enemies will know it. Unbalance them, burden them with the knowledge of your primacy, and test the surety of their purpose with this skill.

  An active skill to replace Tilt, new though it was. It also seemed to retain the same benefits I had previously received from Heart of the Hills, but now in a passive form. My heart would always be steady, and perhaps that would help to counterbalance the influence of Indomitable Prey and my own recklessness. Probably not the latter, on second thought.

  It also seemed as if the effects of Tilt may be upgraded, but I would have to test it to see. I had the knowledge burned deep into my soul of how to use the skill, and I knew that it acted in a more spiritual manner than the aforementioned Tilt, but it was one thing to know something, and another entirely to do it. Still, an upgrade I would not begrudge.

  It was with Faultline where I encountered my first difficult choice, though.

  Faultline has two upgrade paths; Glacial Carcass and Shatter Point.

  Glacial Carcass – Active. Even the enduring mountains give way beneath the weight of time and water. Harness this process and condense millennia of struggle into a single moment. Leave nothing but dust and carcasses as you mark the world.

  Shatter Point – Active. It is the destiny of all things to crumble in time. Become the great leveller for but a moment and expedite that process yourself. Your blows cause cracks in toughest of materials, and your senses are impeded by nothing. Your will breaks ice, stone, and steel alike, and no armour will stand in your way.

  I paused a moment, but quickly decided to move on and come back to the choice later. My general skills were awaiting upgrades too, and I was keen to see where they would go. Jorge had mentioned that it was not unusual to see new general skills offered as well, or at least the influence of them in skill upgrades, and so I was excited to see where it could go.

  Indomitable Prey has been upgraded to End of the Hunt.

  End of the Hunt – Active. Many seek to hunt prey above their station, and are humbled in the process. The bones that line your wake are a testament to this truth. Remind any challengers of what fate awaits them and become the bearer of humility to those who strive to make of you a target. You are the end of the hunt.

  Another direct upgrade. I was glad to see it, since one of the often overlooked benefits of my old aura skill was its ability to keep me safe from swarms of bugs, insects and other annoying crawling things. My class was more streamlined towards direct fights with a small number of opponents, rather than one optimised for fighting large groups of weaker creatures such as the Sternguard of the Scarab King were. I had met a disturbing number of powerful insectile creatures recently though, so I hoped the new skill could keep me free from their offspring during my travels.

  Skirmisher of Antiquity has been upgraded to Myrmiddion Spear.

  Myrmiddion Spear – Passive. Your style is both eclectic and venerable, and a new world waits to be introduced to your ancient weapon-arts. Generations of warriors stand at your back, from the Myrmidons to the Sons of Verethragna, and their knowledge flows through you. Channel the past into each blow, and become both a bulwark and vanguard in the eternal struggle of life.

  That was all of my current skills upgraded, leaving me with 5 class skills and two general skills. It was interesting to see the balance shift; rather than 4 and 4 as I had begun my journey with, my class skills were now outnumbering my general skills significantly. Jorge had advised that this would only increase, with eventually each skill being a class skill. That was due to the conceptualisation of one’s path becoming increasingly more grounded in reality.

  Once my path was fully confirmed, I would be nearly ready for the 3rd tier. That was the principal challenge of the 2nd tier, by all accounts – to align each skill to your class, and mould your class into a reflection of your unique path.

  The bells had not subsided within my mind though, so I acknowledged the final prompt from the system:

  Skill gained – The Mountain’s Gate. Open skill slots available, skill integrated.