Chapter 248: Bigger Growth

After Eir’s fascinating revelation concerning her newest ritual spell, Thea’s report on her level progress was refreshingly simple. She had gained one level in both her primary and secondary classes, though since they were both even number levels she hadn’t gained any new skills. Having reached twenty-eight in Imperial Soldier and twenty-two in Shieldsworn Guard, Thea had been given four free attribute points to place where she liked. She’d chosen to use all of them on her Resilience stat, boosting it up to forty-three.

“Good choice,” Aila nodded appreciatively. “Your defensive attributes are turning you into a one-woman wall.”

“I want to be, ah, able to p—protect everyone,” Thea said quietly as she shyly glanced between Jay and Aila. “Even from magic.”

“You’ve always got our backs,” Jay smiled lovingly at the quiet woman.

“Hey, that puts you at CLR fifty, doesn’t it?” Syd perked up, catching Thea’s attention. “You’re only ten levels away from being an elite like Kerr!”

“Only you would say ‘only ten levels’ like that,” Kerr shook her head. “For most people, even during a demonic invasion, it would probably take a year or two to get those last ten levels. It’s absolutely nuts that she might get to sixty in the next few months.”

“You’re not complaining, are you?” Dys tilted her head to one side as she looked at the archer.

“Not even a little,” Kerr said immediately. “Just pointing out the tree the bird sits on.”

Jadis couldn’t help but wonder what kind of class Thea would be offered. The trend seemed clear, she would more than likely be offered a powerful, if lewd, class influenced by Jadis’ own sexual class. The question for Jadis was, would it be something similar to Kerr’s? Thea had been with Jadis just as long as Kerr. She was a stalwart companion, had been with her through thick and thin, and was loyal to a fault. Thea was a passionate lover, too, happily joining Jadis in bed for the pleasure, not just the stats. But did all of that mean that she would be offered a bonded class, the same as Kerr had? The same as Jadis fully expected Aila would be?

Did Jadis want to be bonded with Thea?

When the thought crossed her mind, Jadis couldn’t imagine a life without Thea in it. As quiet as the woman was, she was just as integral a part of Jadis’ relationship as Aila was, or Kerr, or Eir for that matter. She’d never discussed anything like it with Thea, but Jadis knew the cute brunette felt strongly for her, too. Aila had apparently expected Jadis’ companions to cross over from the realm of sexual companions to emotionally invested partners, which was why she had been so accepting of Kerr. In fact, she had told her that she’d expected Eir to make a move first. So far, the priestess hadn’t, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t coming. In any case, had Aila also considered the possibility that Thea would want to be a part of their expanding relationship?

Becoming the head of a literal harem was becoming a lot more emotionally taxing than Jadis had ever thought it would, not that she’d spent all that much time contemplating the logistics.

“I reached level twenty-one in Passionate Smith and level four in Enchanter Smith of the Reborn, which is really good considering I’m not a combat class, so me shooting bolts at that big beast wasn’t really doing anything for me, but there was just so much bonus experience flying around that I guess I couldn’t help but level up even with how many people we were sharing it with.”

Jadis had been so lost in thought that she’d almost missed what Sabina was saying. Getting her head together, she focused back onto the topic at hand and paid attention to Sabina’s report.

Sabina was thrilled with the new skill Passionate Smith had given her. It wasn’t a guarantee of success for every crazy idea that happened to pop into her head, but it was a definitive boost to the likelihood an invention she came up with would work out. Jadis likened it to a combat prowess skill, similar to the ones she’d been offered. Take a skill like Improvised Weapon Mastery and it would help you do more damage when trying to hit a man over the head with a bottle. That didn’t mean it couldn’t go wrong: you could still miss the attack entirely or the bottle might break in your hand and cut your fingers up, but the extra damage was still there to help you along. Innovative smith seemed to be doing much the same, in a more theoretical way.

The skill made Jadis wonder if maybe she should suggest a few more “Nephilim Technology” ideas to the smith. Jadis didn’t really have much practical knowledge when it came to things like car engines or fixed-wing flight, but if she gave Sabina a few pointers in the right direction, would her natural smarts and her system-enhanced skill make up for the deficiency in knowledge?

The possibilities were definitely tempting.

Since her enchanter class had gone up two levels, that means Sabina had gotten one extra free point from level four. She’d chosen to put that point into Vitality to bring her health up by another ten points. As a smith and craftswoman, Sabina was never meant to be anywhere near the front lines, but considering where she was and everything their company had been through so far, Jadis couldn’t blame the woman for wanting to give herself a little extra protection against catastrophic injury. She wasn’t the one with a failsafe ritual to keep her alive, after all.

The level three skill Sabina had gained was good as well, though nothing that stood out.

The skill was practical and certainly useful in Sabina’s day-to-day activities, but it sure wasn’t comparable to Eir’s Protection of the D or Kerr’s Colossus Slayer. Not at face value, anyway. Jadis knew that the real value came from the enchantments Sabina was going to be able to craft because of the skill. Less material loss meant more experiments, which meant greater odds that Sabina would come up with new and useful enchantments. Jadis was definitely looking forward to seeing what the smith would come up with next.

After she finished making the orgasm denial collars, of course.

Bridget had received the most levels out of them all. One level in her primary class and three levels in secondary for a total of four levels. Only one of those levels had been an even number, giving her a single free attribute point that she had placed into Endurance to bring the stat up to a pleasing fifteen points. The rest of her levels had granted her skills, ranging from useful to utterly amazing.

“I have a skill that’s pretty much identical to that,” Jay commented after Bridget had recited the description. “Only mine says ‘Knight’ instead of ‘Ardent Light’. Otherwise, the effects are the same.”

“Not unusual,” Aila nodded as she wrote down a few notes. “It’s common for different classes to share templates for skills, both passive and active. With direct attribute boosting skills like that one, you’ll find that many classes share the same name and effect.”

“Well, maybe not many of that one,” Kerr pointed out. “That’s a really good boost for a low-level passive. Was that your level three skill?”

“Ah, no,” Bridget shook her head. “That was my level five skill for Ardent Light. My level three skill was a lot better. I mean, bloody bells, it’s way, way better than I thought I’d ever get.”

“Now that’s a fucking skill,” Kerr nodded in approval.

“E—extremely useful,” Thea agreed, smiling at Bridget.

“Doesn’t give much time to act on it, does it?” Dys mused, fingers running through her hair. “Though five seconds is a long time when you’re in a fight.”

“More than enough time for me to cast a force bolt,” Aila said with confidence. “Or for Kerr to put an arrow or two in a demon. If you were standing near to her, I’m sure all three of your bodies could hit Bridget’s target multiple times in a few seconds.”

Aila’s assessment was absolutely true in Jadis’ opinion. So long as she was near enough to take advantage of Bridget’s spell, she could dish out a huge amount of damage in five seconds. Multiplying that damage by fifty percent would have a devastating impact on the unfortunate soul that had attracted Jadis’ ire.

“Definitely an awesome skill,” Jay said, giving Bridget a thumbs-up. “Wished we’d had it while we were fighting that greater demon earlier. Probably would have killed it in half the time.”

“Maybe,” Bridget looked down, biting her lip. “Thank you, though. I never would have gotten a skill like this before joining Fortune’s Favored. So, yeah. Thank you.”

“You are very, very welcome,” Jay grinned, meaning the words with utmost sincerity. “Now don’t leave us hanging. What’s the last skill? The one you got for your landsknecht class?”

“Oh, right,” Bridget looked startled. “Almost forgot! And it’s also something I have to thank you for. I mean, maybe could have gotten a skill like this eventually, but I’m pretty sure the only reason I got it so early is because you boosted my Arcane score so high.”

“Now that is just a straight improvement to your combat ability overall,” Syd said, her smile wide as she gave Bridget a bump with her knuckles. “And it’s a passive skill? You don’t even have to spend extra magic for the effect to work!”

Everyone around the bonfire agreed, voicing their admiration for Bridget’s upgrades. She’d come a long way in a short amount of time, her somewhat hamstrung class having transformed into something that could dole out some real damage. Jadis grinned to see the pride shining in her orc friend.

“I believe the description said your spells will burn with an arcane light,” Eir commented as the praise died down. “Have you tested a spell yet? I’m curious to see if there will be a visual difference.”

Bridget had not yet tested any spells. Since they were all now curious, Bridget retrieved her flail and set it in the ground before her. With a faint look of concentration, she channeled her Light the Lantern spell through the weapon.

A dark blue flame burst into being from the metal lantern head. The light it gave off was unearthly, casting strange shadows as it mixed with the light of the fading sun and the bonfire. The effect was beautiful, mesmerizing even, though it also gave off a sense of danger. Jadis could feel the heat radiating from the flame, though it was mixed with something else, a prickling sensation that seemed to stroke a nerve in Jadis’ body that she barely knew existed.

“Arcane flame,” Eir murmured appreciatively. “Truly stunning. You have turned fire into a work of art.”

“Okay, come on now,” Bridget blushed before snuffing out the flame and taking a seat. “Don’t get all poetic on me.”

Eir giggled as Bridget looked away bashfully. The others laughed as well, a good feeling suffusing their small gathering. With her eyes twinkling, Aila turned to Jay and gave her a knowing look.

“Now we come to you. We all know you leveled. The fact is obvious, the proof is evident on our own status sheets. Time to reveal your newest marvels.”

“Fair enough,” Jay said lightly with a crooked smile. “I gained two levels, one for each class. I’m officially level thirty in Mirror Knight. I don’t think I need to tell you all that I immediately put the two points I got from that level in my Eldritch stat.”

“Of course,” Aila nodded.

“Ritualist, though, that hit level twenty-three. I don’t think it’s quite as flashy as some of your new skills and, sorry girls, it’s not a sexy ritual. I know you’re all disappointed to hear that. But it is a pretty nice boost, I think.”

Bridget let out a low whistle while Kerr slapped her knees in excitement.

“I knew there had to be a big boost since my own Eldritch went up so much,” Sabina chirped happily, “but it’s still startling to hear such a large boost from a skill like that.”

“It’s much like Eir’s Lyssandria’s Fervor,” Aila commented as she scribbled in her notes. “Double the number of points, though. The name is suitable. That is absolute madness for a simple level twenty-three attribute skill.”

It was. Jadis couldn’t deny it. There were no conditions that needed to be met, no rituals that had to be performed. Just a straight twenty-point boost to her most important attribute. The only similar skill that Jadis could think of that was better was her Mirror Knight’s Might. Maybe it wasn’t as cool as some new special attack like Kerr and Bridget, nor was it a new perverted ritual to give her an excuse to do lewd things with her lovers, but it was a solid upgrade to not only her stats but the stats of all of her companions. Jadis would never complain about that.

“May I ask what the other option was?” Eir looked up at Jay with a gentle smile. “Something similar, perhaps?”

“Yes, of course,” Jay nodded. “It was a skill called D’s Gamble. It would have had a chance of boosting a stat of my choice by fifty points.”

“Fifty points!?” Kerr yelped.

“You’re joking!” Aila stared at Jay, eyes wide with shock.

“No, that’s what it said,” Jay shook her head. “Key word: Chance. At the start of every day, I’d have a nine out of ten chance of boosting a chosen attribute by fifty. However! There was a one out of ten possibility it would decrease my chosen attribute by fifty points.”

“Oh,” Aila sat back, blinking. After a moment, her freckled nose wrinkled in distaste. “That’s… far less appealing.”

“Extremely, ah risky,” Thea frowned. “I w—would not like to take that gamble.”

“Me either,” Syd agreed. “I’m not averse to risks, I think you all know that about me. That skill, though, could utterly cripple me for a whole day depending on which stat was drained. And if I tried to use it on my Eldritch stat and it went wrong, it would hurt all of you, too. So, no thank you.”

No one argued against Jadis’ reasoning. Some risks were necessary, but others just weren’t worth it.

“What do your total stats look like now?” Bridget asked, curiosity written on her face.

“I think I can answer that,” Aila said before Jadis could answer. “Along with all of our status changes, I think.”

With that, Aila shared her notes with the group, going over the attribute changes she had calculated for everyone.

“You’re all looking so strong!” Sabina praised everyone as she read over the notes. “It’s no wonder those awful demons didn’t stand a chance earlier, not with how powerful you all are now! I mean, you weren’t this strong a few hours ago, but you were still amazing back then and you’re even more amazing now so any demons we run into next are going to regret it!”

“Alright, alright,” Kerr chuckled as she took the book away from the excited half-elf. “Enough self-congratulations. It’s just masturbation after a certain point. I can hear the soldiers coming back, anyway. We should get ready to take our turn in the pond.”

“True,” Aila said as Kerr passed her the notebook. “The sun is going to set very soon. We should clean up as quickly as we can.”

“Trust me, I won’t be lingering,” Bridget said as she stood and stretched. “That water is going to be frigid as a grave digger’s left buttock.”

Jadis sighed heavily at the thought. Her lovers might be able to rush through washing up, but the smell still coming from her armor and skin told her she was going to have a protracted stay in the cold waters.

D damn it all, she missed hot baths.

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