A/N Damn, just posted this story and already have readers! Bonus chap for those who are enjoying. Leave any suggestions for the story (or 'magic' items :3) in the comments!
When my vision clears, I find myself naked inside a dipidated stone church. A colpsed section of roof has scattered debris across the floor and crushed several wooden pews. A soft chime draws me away from the destruction surrounding me and to a transparent blue panel that just appeared in my view.
-==×==-
System Integration In Progress…
Complete.
Compiling Status Menu…
Complete.
Welcome to Atmaria.
Please Input Name:
[____]
-==×==-
Thinking for a moment, I put in the name that sounded best to me right now. Siris. The window flickers for a few seconds before vanishing, a new one appearing in its pce.
-==×==-
Name: Siris
Race: Siren
Level: 0/10
Css: None
—
FP: 0
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 20
Speed: 10
Vitality: 23
Magic: 13
Will: 24
Intelligence: 30
Mana: 17
—
Active Skills:
None
Passive Skills:
Lecherous Looter [Disabled]
—
Traits:
Blessing of Deras (Death)
Blessing of Friea (Life)
Blessing of Quilinarus (Magic)
Blessing of Artemer (War)
-==×==-
-==×==-
Lecherous Looter [Passive (Toggleable)]
While active: Modifies treasures gained from dungeons to be sexual in nature. Cannot change existing treasures.
-==×==-
I couldn't help but smile at the passive skill that Friea gave me, and though I wanted to try it out immediately I resisted the urge. For one, I needed actual gear before the fun stuff, and two, I needed a dungeon to actually get the loot from. Focusing on the blessings showed what they did in more detail, with less of the flowery nguage the gods had used. Deras's gave immunity to mental attacks and resistance to soul attacks. Friea's made it so that I regenerate faster if injured and will never scar, while also removing the need to use the restroom by more efficiently processing all food. Useful little effect there, even if it is rather minor. Quill's acted as a sort of advanced identification skill, showing information on items and creatures that I try to inspect, while also greatly improving my natural mana manipution. And finally, Artemer's blessing did exactly as advertised. It made my skin significantly tougher, on par with lesser dragon scales according to the description and also dramatically increasing my stamina for all types of physical exertion.
Using my blessing on the church revealed nothing useful, other than that it was called ‘Abandoned Church of The Overseers’ which I assumed means that the common name for the pantheon is the Overseers. Good to know, now I won't go around offending people by saying their names… I think to myself as I explore the rest of the building. I appeared in the main room, but a few doors lead away from it. I start with the big door at the back of the room, and just as I thought it leads outside. Ignoring that for now, I try the one on the right side of the room. The area around the handle crumbles as I twist, and the door falls from its hinges into a pile of rotten wood. Cringing at the sudden noise, I gingerly step past the pile and into the short hallway beyond. An empty doorway at the end leads into what looks like a bunkhouse, with several rotted mattresses and wooden frames falling apart just like the rest of the building. A dark stain on one of the stone walls told me that whatever happened here, it was far from pleasant.
I didn't find any bodies, but a quick Identify shows that it was actually blood. Now moving much more carefully, I moved behind the small altar in the main room. There was a hatch in the floor, partially covered by torn carpet with only a rusted iron ring visible. Grabbing the ring and heaving with all my might… absolutely nothing happens. The trapdoor is sealed shut, and it takes me far too long to notice the system message that appears whenever I tug on the ring.
-==×==-
Dungeon Found
Forgotten Crypt
Tier: 1
Rarity: Uncommon
—
Enter?
Y/N
-==×==-
I feel stupid. I've been trying to get in here for what, thirty minutes? And the whole time I've been hearing the little chimes and just ignored them… Shaking my head to clear the random thoughts, I choose ‘yes’. Immediately the hatch swings open, and with a sigh I jump down into the darkness. Tucking my wings tight around me, I only fall for a split second before the disorienting feeling of being teleported heralds the ground appearing beneath me. Stumbling forward a few steps, tail shing as I regain my bance. Taking in my surroundings, torches illuminating stone blocks that make up the walls with a wooden floor digging into my feet. Thankfully, my blessing kept any splinters at bay. Heh. Imagine if Artemer knew I was using his mighty blessing to stop splinters.
Walking down the ruined hall, vines and moss hanging from the walls gave it an overgrown feeling. I didn't get very far before a rattling came from around a bend in the corridor. Grabbing one of the torches as a makeshift weapon, I ready myself for whatever comes around the corner. I don't have to wait long as a familiar sight limps into view. A skeleton, armed with a broken sword with only half a bde. Empty sockets met my own narrowed gaze, a hellish shriek emerging from yellowed bones. I smile, adrenaline ncing through me at my first battle in this new world. The skeleton charges forward, bde swinging in mindless rage. I duck under its initial sweep, rusty steel brushing against my feathers, and move in. A quick swing of the torch bats the skull off, the body giving up on attack to retrieve its wayward head. Spinning around, my heavy tail sms into its ribcage, bones splintering and scattering across the hallway. Even as the bones begin to pull themselves back together, stomping the skull to pieces and putting a swift end to the undead.
-==×==-
Skeleton Lvl 3 Sin
Level Up x 1
General Skill Avaible
Loot Body?
Y/N
-==×==-
Selecting yes, I look at the other message before it. Pulling up my status reveals that I've gained a free point (FP) from my level which I promptly throw into speed, and a small mark has appeared next to my skills. Tapping it brings up a vast list of avaible skills that nearly overwhelms me before I notice the search function. Removing the artisan skills like Bcksmithing and Weaving, I'm still left with an absurd amount of choices. Though like the system said, they are only general skills so nothing too crazy. Clearing away the niche skills like Keen Eye (slightly increases accuracy with ranged weapons), and I'm left with a respectable but more manageable list. After several minutes of narrowing down my choices, I'm left with a few options that are immediately useful.
-==×==-
Firebolt (Active): Launch a damaging bolt of fire using mana.
Magebolt (Active): Launch a disrupting bolt of pure mana.
Ward (Active): Create a small stationary barrier of pure mana.
Minor Earth Manipution (Active): Grants minor control over stone and earth.
Power Strike (Active): Enhances a strike with mana.
Minor Regeneration (Passive): Enhances natural regeneration.
Enhanced Physique (Passive): Increases physical attributes.
Minor Summoning (Active): Summon small mana constructs.
-==×==-
Out of all of those, I could eliminate a few easily enough. The two bolts and Ward I could probably figure out on my own, especially with my blessing helping out. The Minor Earth Manipution would give great flexibility, and would be a solid choice since I'm in a dungeon made of stone. However, the annoyingly short description specifies that it's only a minor amount of control over stone, so it probably won't do me any favors in battle. So I can eliminate that one too. Power Strike would help out greatly until I can get a proper offensive option, but after that it would probably become useless. So still an option, but I'd rather find something else that will remain useful in the future. Minor Regeneration… useless, absolutely useless with my blessings. The only reason it's still an option is for if it can stack effects with Friea’s blessing. Which it probably can, but there are definitely much more useful options. Off the list. Enhanced Physique is a great all-around skill. It would work well with two of my blessings (Life and War), and remain useful pretty much forever. The part that makes me hesitant to take it is the description. It doesn't say all physical attributes. And I may be reading too far into this, but that seems a little suspicious to me, especially with the information given by the rest that is limited but specific. And then Minor Summoning. The skill with the most potential out of all of the options. While yes, it doesn't specify what the summon can actually do, it's a safe bet to assume that I can summon multiple at a time judging from the plural used. Even in my old life, I always pyed summoners in video games. The idea of sitting back and throwing a horde of creatures at opponents that thought I was a lone spellcaster is absolutely cathartic to me. Not even mentioning the fact that it doesn't specify what the mana constructs will look like, meaning I can probably change it at least a little bit. And thinking about the three skills left as options, I nod to myself as I confirm my choice.