Chapter Nineteen - 019It took five hours to find the cave.
Felix's uncanny memory led him true, but the strange fog that pervaded Balfur's recollection confused him. There was no sign of it. The forest was the same as always, full of a variety of trees, dangerous beasts, and a plethora of interesting herbs.
Congratulations!
You Have Gained A Title!
Natural Scholar II (Uncommon)!
You have Analyzed over 1000 different species of flora and fauna! +3 INT, +2 DEX, +2 PER!
Felix had gathered dozens of different plants, all with an increasing variety of uses, and his Herbalism Skill jumped up by 3 whole levels. Some were regenerative for Health, Stamina, or even Mana, but most were focused on curing status ailments like Bleeding, Dazed, even one that supposedly cured Petrification. The implications of that one worried him.
The journey was further complicated by no less than fourteen monstrous beasts, ranging from a level 20 snake creature to a level 24 moth bigger than him. The levels seemed to increase as he moved further, closing in on this cave. Felix crept around most of these enemies, content to observe rather than spend hours fighting them off. His Stealth Skill even raised by 4 levels, along with Breath Control.
There were a few however that were too Perceptive to avoid. Felix and Pit dealt with them, but it drained them. More time was spent recovering back to peak before moving on. All in all his Dodge gained 4 levels, Acrobatics increased by 3, Dual Casting by 3, Physical Conditioning by 3, Long Blade Mastery had jumped up 2 levels, Running gained 1, Manasight by 1, Meditation by 1, even Unarmed Mastery gained a single level when a serpentine cat had knocked his sword from his hand. It was exhausting, the constant fighting, but Felix couldn't deny he felt a primal sort of glee every time he survived a fight.
His magical Skills progressed as well, each of them gaining a few levels due to heavy use. Mana was his highest attribute, and it recovered faster than Health or Stamina. He still wasn't sure what determine regeneration, though Felix was convinced it was a hidden stat of some sort. Something was affecting it.
It was as he struck down a yellow-furred squirrel the size of a dog that he finally saw the cave. It was heavily obscured by several large fern-like plants all around it, neatly blending into the rocky terrain.
Your Companion, Pit Has Gained A Level!
+2 VIT! +2 PER! +4 AGL! +4 DEX! +3 WIL! +1 END! +2 INT!
You Have Gained A Level!
You are now Level 14!
+3 to WIL! +2 to INT! +4 to DEX! +1 to END! +2 to PER! +2 to VIT! +4 to AGL!
You Have 5 Unused Stat Points!
"Huh. Nice." Felix smiled and wiped his bloody sword on the matted fur of the big tree rat. He looked over at Pit, who had already started eating another one of the giant squirrels. "C'mon Pit. We'll take a break in the cave."
Pit yipped and grabbed one of the corpses, dragging it in for a meal. The Tenku had grown again, and was now nearly two feet at the shoulder. He was easily able to carry the dog-sized squirrel in his beak, though most of it dragged on the ground.
Exploration is level 10!
Just inside the cave was fairly dark, the late afternoon ambient sunlight illuminating only a short distance within. Felix strained his Perception, looking for any sort of threats in the cavern. His Memory detailed this as quite the labyrinth, filled with numerous beasts that hopefully would stay within, for now. Sensing nothing, Felix sat down on a rock and assigned his bonus stats.
Name:
Felix Nevarre
Level:
14
Race:
Nym (+1 to WIL, INT, DEX, END, +5 Bonus Stats per Level, -5% XP Gain)
Omen:
The Magician (+2 to WIL, +1 to INT, +1 to PER per Level)
Born Trait:
Keen Mind (+2 INT, 30 day perfect recall)
Health:
242/283
Companion: Pit (Tenku) Additional +1 PER, +2 VIT, +4 AGL, +3 DEX per Level
Stamina:
210/276
Mana:
238/417
STR:
53*
PER:
47
VIT:
56*
END:
50
INT:
55
WIL:
78