Natasha the Halve

There was a loud cracking sound as the blade bent and broke on contact with my skin. I gaped at the man.

“You tried to kill me!” I accused him. Hot anger boiled inside me.

He too, was shocked. Looking in disbelief at his sword that was bent and broken.

“HAL-!!” He didn’t manage to finish his sentence.

I reacted by stretching my arms which held my pike towards the man, trying to push him off the horse.

My weapon skewered him through the chest, though.

“Holy shit!” I shouted as I retracted my arms.

There was a head-sized hole in the man’s torso. My blood ran cold and I stopped breathing.

“Oh fuck!” I shouted again in horror. “I killed him!”

Everyone stopped moving, the man that fell down climbing on his horse, the rest in front of the cart. The man slipped off the horse and hit the ground while leaving a trail of blood on the animal. A gurgling sound was heard as the last of his breath left him. A few spasms were the last movement he made before life left him.

I felt bile rise on my throat, but forced myself to swallow back.

Self-defense. I told myself, taking a deep breath and clenching my jaw.

I turned my head away from the dead man and prepared myself for the others in case they decided to attack me as well.

An unnatural rage filled my head.

Two bandits charged me and raised their swords.

I lined my pike up and quickly stabbed at the woman on the left, leaving three head sized holes on her body. She collapsed before reaching me, staining the horse she rode with blood. I had the advantage of having a longer weapon.

The second bandit barely had time to react. His head left his body with a swipe of my weapon, shooting blood from his neck like a geyser as his heart pumped its last. The gore drenching my hair.

I turned around, not having the time to give attention to dead bodies.

The world slowed down, adrenaline pumping through my body. My muscles surged and my speed increased.

I sprinted to three mounted bandits that were close to each other, jumped and twirled my weapon over my head, dismembering bodies left and right. A shower of blood, guts, arms, legs and heads fell on me, and I felt the bile rise again.

"Bluergh!"

This time, I couldn’t suppress it and vomited on a fallen head, which made it even worse. His frightened face covered in blood and vomit. I gagged as I spun in place, lifting my pike. I threw it to the furthest bandit from me, splitting his body in half, organs flying in every direction. The pike continued its course, flying off to the river.

The remaining bandits recovered from the shock of seeing seven of their own die in less than three seconds and charged at me seeing that I had no weapon. One jumped off her horse towards me while swinging a sword down on me.

“Die, you wench!” she shouted. Her face twisted in anger.

I raised a hand over my head and the blade bounced off my armor with an ear piercing ring.

Her face shifted from rage to terror.

I punched her in the face now that she was standing on the ground, trying to knock her out. However, her head exploded like a watermelon shot with a 50.Cal. My arm moved faster than my pike in flight. Bones, skin, brains and blood covered my body and face.

“Shit!” As I recoiled from the excessive success, my weapon reformed in my hands.

The two last bandits must have realized the futility of their actions, because they turned their horses around and ran off.

“Retreat! She’s too powerful!” one called.

I raised my right arm, feeling an unnatural weight to my weapon, and threw it. This time, the pike impaled the last woman to the ground, dismounting her, which activated the area of effect part of the skill, sending a shock wave outwards. The other bandit was pulverized by the impact along with the two horses and the dead bandit’s corpse.

“Holy shit, not the horses too!” I closed my eyes and whispered as I felt the pike return.

I quickly searched my inventory and pulled out a pink potion. My hands were shaking as I unscrewed the top. I drank all its contents at once as I felt another wave of nausea and bile rising up my throat.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. I was trusting in something I had yet to confirm. My expectations turned true as my entire body stopped shaking and my panic disappeared. It was a useless potion in the game that didn’t do anything, part of a quest, but had the flavor text ‘calms the mind and spirit’ on it. That was useful information.

I sighed a deep breath and walked up to the Elf woman.

She was sitting on the ground staring at me with wide eyes and mouth. The horses were standing where their riders had died, not minding their deaths one bit.

“You alright?” I asked the woman. My mind was tranquil as a pond.

She closed her jaw and cleared her throat.

“Good riddance. You killed them all, good.” she said as she stood up. “Those were ruthless bandits, and strong too. Good thing you were around. I was kidnapped, you see. They killed my companions and stole the cart. Phew!” her shoulders dropped as she exhaled all the air in her lungs.

“Dunno, still processing it all.” I said. “Are you injured?” I asked.

Duh, you dumb bitch, look at her! I retorted in my mind.

I checked on her and saw plenty of wounds. Small and large cuts, huge bruises and deep rope marks.

“Yeah. They roughed me up pretty bad.” she chuckled. “I was tied up for three days before I manage to free myself and you arrived.”

“Here.” I summoned a health potion and gave it to her. “Drink that.”

She eyed the flask and took it.

“This is a-” she started.

“Yeah, yeah. Drink up first. Talk later.” I interrupted her.

“...Sure.” she said and brought the potion to her lips, shrugging.

The effects were immediate. Her wounds closing up in a matter of seconds and the bruises fading out. I even heard a few bones popping. We both winced at that.

“Okay. Now that that’s dealt with.” she said, returning to the cart.

She rummaged through a few bags and took some clothes. After getting dressed, she returned to where I was standing. I turned around to face her.

“I’m Lapia. You?” she said, offering her hand.

“Natasha.” I returned the handshake.

“Not that it’s any of my business, but I saw you vomiting while you fought.” She eyed me warily. “Was that the first time you killed?”

“Pretty much, yeah. It was mostly on instinct, though. I just followed what my body told me to do.” I shrugged. “Quite gruesome.”

I felt the potion effects wearing off, and a wave of nausea rising. I turned to the side and vomited again.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, you’ll get used to it.” she patted my back.

“I guess I will.” I managed to say between barfs.

After calming down, I straightened myself and took a good look at the Elf. Her chestnut hair was long, her green eyes were almond shaped. She was, however, almost only bones and skin. I looked away quickly.

“Now what?” I asked as I eyed the horses. “What do we do about the corpses and the animals?”

“We burn the corpses and take the animals to Riverfield. We’ll sell them or return them.” she explained, gesturing around.

“Riverfield being a town nearby? I´m not from around here, you see.” I sighed as I approached the horses.

They were pretty tame and followed me when I took the reins.

“Yes, it’s a city a day or two from here if haven't lost my sense of direction.” she explained while the horses moved away from her.

“I’ll get the horses. You gather the bodies.” I offered.

“Sounds like a plan.” she sighed in resignation.

The following minutes were spent in silence as both bodies and horses where gathered in different places. The Elf going through the corpses and taking pouches and useful items, which weren’t many. The swords were ordinary steel, their armor destroyed beyond usage by me or covered in blood.

“I was saving this for when I escaped, but your timing was good, so I’ll use it here.” she said and raised her hands.

The air in front of her distorted and a few sparks flew out before a flame the size of a fist formed in front of her. It grew in size to an adult head and slowly descended to the pile of bodies, setting them ablaze.

“What the fuck was that?!” I raised my voice unconsciously.

She looked at me with a fearful expression.

“What was what?” she looked around us, searching for something.

“That fire thing you did!” I exclaimed.

“Oh, E’er? Everyone can do this if they study long enough.” she explained, looking me with obvious confusion. “Have you lived your life under a rock?” she asked.

“Might as well.” I nodded. “How come you got caught if you can use fire?” I asked the obvious.

“Ah, yes.” she nodded, a sad smile on her face. “You see, the bandits attacked at night and knocked me out, then bound me with Numbing Rope, rendering me useless.” she scowled. “It took me three days to cut through the ropes.” she flexed her fingers, her eyebrows knitting together.

“Good thing I showed up, then.” I said with a smudge of bitterness.

The smoke rose and brought the stench of burning flesh and leather. I backed off, allowing another wave of nausea to rush through me, bending over and emptying my bowels on the ground.

“Better out than in.” I wiped my mouth with a towel I had in my inventory.

As I moved away from the pyre of corpses, I focused on my armor, now covered in blood, guts, brain matter and pieces of skin. The smell was anything but delightful. Nearing the river, I undressed to my underwear and took a nice dip in the freezing water.

The fire kept going as I did my best to clean my metallic equipment. Once there were no signs of blood, I was satisfied. The leather undergarments were easier to clean by an entire magnitude, just washing them once took the blood away. I cleaned my body as meticulously as I could, making sure my hair was spotless. I vomited once more when coagulating blood came out of my ear canals. I never thought people had that much blood in them.

I left the armor and leather drying on the edge of the river and mindlessly floated in the water. Making sure I didn’t drift off was an ordeal of its own. The river had a strong current. A few minutes later I got out and dressed as the fire died down. Luckily my equipment had dried by that time.

Lapia was leaning on the side of the cart and saw me approach.

“Ready to leave?” she asked.

“Let’s.” I said as I sat on the front.

The horses pulling the vehicle responded amiably, advancing at a steady pace, the rest following the cart. Lapia sat next to me. It wasn’t until twenty minutes later that she started crying.

“I was so scared!” she managed to say between sobs.

“Hm...” I looked up to the sky, taking notice of the two suns. “You’re safe now.” I, too, wanted to cry.

I didn’t expect my first meeting with humans to be so violent. I thought it would be a majestic tale, with friends along the way, a heroic adventure. I had fought before, sure, but a fistfight paled in comparison to taking lives. It was brutal, savage and left my mouth tasting like bile. I allowed myself to relax and let tears fall.

“Looks like this world is not as kind as I thought.” I sobbed and choked.

“That, it is not.” she said back, still crying. “Seriously, thank you.” she put her hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, it’s all good now. Hic!” A hiccup escaped me and I laughed.

Lapia laughed too. Then we both cried a little longer with words of gratitude on her part and reassurance from mine.

After calming down, I summoned food from my inventory. Dumplings. Those were damn good.

“Is there anything you don’t eat?” I asked. Maybe Elves in this world were vegans or something.

“Hubis mushrooms, I hate those.” she said.

“Never heard of them.” I gave her a dumpling and a soft drink. “Give me the bottle after you finish, I don’t want to pollute.”

“Don’t know what you mean, but sure.” she accepted the food and the pet bottle.

“So.” I cleared my throat. “Your ears, what’s up with them?”

She stared at me with wide eyes.

“You really have lived under a rock, huh?” she nodded with understanding. “I’m from the Elf species.” she said as a matter of fact.

“Species?” I asked confused. “Not race?”

“Uhm, you know races are within a species, right?” she took a bite of the dumpling. “This is pretty good.”

“They are, aren't they? Continue.” I sighed.

“There are many species in the world. Elves, for example. There are a few races of elves. You have the Elmari, the Tulmi, the Domi, and the Faeton. Each with their own land, laws, culture, specific features, etc. We all have common features, though. Much like dwarves are all short. Humans have round ears and have short lives. You Halves glow with the sun. You get it.” she explained.

I choked on my dumpling.

“Wha- cough! What?!” I almost shouted. “What the fuck is a half?”

“A Halve, my ignorant companion, are born of E’er.” She took a sip from the bottle. “I've had better.”

The e in Halve is stressed? I shook my head.

A realization struck her.

“Right! I’m such an idiot!” she facepalmed. “How old are you?” she asked almost sticking herself to me.

“Uhh… I woke up about a day or two ago.” I counted in my mind.

“Well, there it is.” Lapia pointed at me, sitting back down. “You are a being of E’er. Born with incredible power, but really ignorant. There is no centralized nation or anything of the sort for you, though. Halves are mostly independent from all others. That’s good, too. Nobody wants a super nation full of ultra beings.” she drank a bit. “Let me guess. You woke up in a forest?”

“That I did. Why?” I finished my first dumpling. “Want another?”

“Sure, thanks.” the elf received a second treasure of culinary arts with glee. “You Halves are born in places where E’er gather. Forests, caves, volcanoes, deserts. Anywhere that could gather enough E’er can birth a Halve. We’re surrounded by forests for thousands of kilometers. Of course, those places are dangerous to any other species. Powerful monsters live around gathering spots. That’s as much as I know, though. My bad.”

“Nah, that’s a lot to process. Thanks.” I sighed.

I’m not human. I pondered. Well, not anymore.

“How long do we live?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Hmm . As long as you don’t die of either illness or a fatal wound, you can live longer than us Elves.” she saw my raised eyebrow. “That is, thousands of years.”

I sighed in relief.

“Can I have children?” I asked after a while.

“Yes, but you’d have to try for yourself.” she shrugged. “I’ve heard that your fertility rate is as low as it gets. Understandably so. Nature is the way it is for a reason.”

“What about Elves?” I asked.

“Our cycle comes once every fifty years. The longer the lifespan, the lower the fertility. That’s how it works.”

As she said so, she handed me the empty pet bottle. I took it and put it in my inventory. I had a lot to think about, so I kept silent. She must have noticed, because she too, didn’t say a word.

Time passed with us to ourselves. The river kept widening and we passed through some rudimentary bridges which crossed many streams that fed into its size.

A being born of magic, huh. I thought. If that’s not a convenient excuse for ignorance in a fantasy world, I don’t know what is. I could ride on this heaven sent background. Nobody needs to know I come from another world, really.

I bit the air a couple times, the crisp sound of my teeth reaching my ears.

Definitely not a dream, then. I sighed. Not counting the killing earlier, this seems like a pretty good situation I’m in. I don’t have to work 8 to 5 anymore. Whatever happened to the ‘me’ from earth is up to speculation. Those mental gymnastics escape me. I am, or was, an artist, not an inter-dimensional expert.

***

“It really works like that, huh.” Lapia said to herself as late evening turned into night.

“What does?” I asked. We had been silent for the last few hours.

“I’m getting a feeling of duty.” the Elf said turning to me. “It is said that those who encounter newly born Halves get an inescapable feeling of responsibility to teach them about the workings of the world. I never understood that, mostly chalking it up to attempts to promote the selflessness of those who told the tales. Lies, in other words. But now I understand, though I can’t properly explain it.”

“That… sounds creepy.” I cringed a bit. “The workings of the world? What does that even mean?”

Like getting a quest? I wondered. You've met Natasha, explain the world and fuck slow exposition!

“That’s E’er for you.” she shrugged. “It means seeing E’er. Or what we refer to as ‘seeing E’er’. It’s easier to learn when you present it like that, really. The actual mechanics are too complex for a simple explanation.” she extended a hand and produced a fist sized flame. “E’er is in everything. If you learn how to read it, information will be provided. What you can see is limited to what you know in most cases. If you meet the unknown, the uncharted or that which lies beyond, you will see very little, if not nothing. But you're a Halve, E'er will react to that.” she extinguished the flame and pointed at a bird flying by. “All beings have a measure of E’er in them. There have been many ways in which the amount of E’er is categorized. In current times, however, there is a single universal term accompanied by a magnitude represented by a number. Are you following so far?” she turned to me.

I was wide eyed and my mouth was hanging open. This sounds like science. I nodded.

“Good.” she chuckled at my reaction. “The bird that flew by is a Level five Gorrooter. Level being the way of measure, and five being the magnitude. That is the most basic of information. You will always be able to see that unless the measure is well beyond your capabilities. You, for example. All I read at first was your species. Now I can see your name. Your ‘level’ is not disclosed, due to it being way beyond my reach. I could see your species because I’ve met your kind before. You with me?”

The Elf had my complete and total attention. I nodded once more.

“Take those bandits from before. They attacked as soon as they saw an opportunity. I guess they’ve never met a Halve before. Things would’ve ended very different if they knew your species. They must have mistaken you for a human, a demi, or thought it was an illusion. I bet all they saw was 'Unknown' until they connected what little they knew with what they witnessed. This… ‘system’ can backfire like that. However, you can’t hide you species to those who know. People believe it can be done mostly due to ignorance. You can, on the other hand, misdirect. Instead of showing your species, it shows something else, but it can’t show ‘nothing’.” she shook her head.

I slowly nodded.

“How can I see, then?” I asked expectantly.

“For you who are born of E’er, it’s way easier than for us born of flesh. Try reading me. Focus on the E’er within me and attempt to give meaning to it.” she explained.

“Okay, I’ll try.” I focused on her.

At first, nothing happened. I could neither see nor feel this ‘E’er’ thing she talked about.

What in the flying fuckitty fuck is E’er anyway. It’s 'magical' in nature. So, 'Mana'?

It's in everything. I am born of it. 'That which lies in front of you is a reflection of yourself'. I remembered what my counselor once said.

As that thought formed in my mind, something clicked. Unconsciously, I connected what I understood ‘mana’ was from the fantasy genre of literature, covering thousands of iterations on the concept. From this marvelous thing that fell from the sky as a gift of the gods to a foul curse from demons. Every take of ‘mana’ I’ve read before coalesced into one. Maybe subconsciously I translated it to a scientific understanding. Whatever the case was, it was undeniable that something clicked.

Then, I saw.

[Lapia, Level 172 Domi Elf Pyromancer.]

“Oh, fuck!” was all I could say. A slight numbness spread on top of my skull.

“What did you see?” she asked. Her eyes flashing with interest.

“I see your name, level, species, race and it says you’re a Pyromancer.” I said while rubbing my head.

“Hmm. Race and class. Not something I shared. Must be the difference in level.” she said to herself. “Check yourself now.” she said turning to me.

“Alright.” I focused.

 

Natasha Novak.
Forest Halve
Class(es)

-Hoplite Lvl 450 (Open Skills)

-Lancer Lvl 450 (Open Skills)

-Dragoon Lvl 450 (Open Skills)

Status

-STR: 5400(+750)
-CON: 2700(+750)
-INT: 675 (+ 250)
-WIS: 675 (+ 250)
-DEX: 4050(+750)

Health: 54000/54000
Stamina: 10490/13500
E’er: 8312/13500

 

“HOLY SHIT!!!” I screamed unconsciously. Lapia jerked in surprise. “What the fuck are those numbers?!”

“What do you mean?” she asked before raising a hand. “No, don’t tell me. I apologize. It’s taboo to share that information.”

“This looks inflated as fuuuuck.” I breathed out in disbelief. “I have SO many questions.” I looked at her with wide eyes.

“No. It’s taboo.” she shook her head.

“Do I look like I give a fuck about that?” I grabbed her shoulders. “What’s-”

“AHHH! I CAN’T HEAAAR YOOOOU!!” the Elf closed her eyes, covered her ears and started shouting over my voice.

I let go of her. She continued making noise for a while. It was hilarious and slightly annoying.

As Lapia shouted with closed eyes and covered ears, I was doing math inside my head. However, the Elf-turned banshee beside me wasn’t helping.

I tapped her shoulder and did a silencing gesture when she cracked open an eye. She nodded and went back to normal.

“I won’t push. Please be quiet though, I’m trying to figure things out.” she nodded again and I focused back on the road ahead.

So. It looks daunting but it must be quite simple in reality. I thought. And sure enough, after about thirty minutes I was close to a definitive conclusion.

Doing some ‘simple’ math, I arrived at the answer of the status inflation.

Plus four in strength, I guess, every level. Two for constitution. Three for dexterity. The other two got half a point every level. That is, assuming the classes were there since level one. But I didn’t level up. True, my character was max level, but the system didn’t work like this in the game. Well, that was a game, can’t expect it to be real life. However, health points in reality?

“Hey, I have a question, it’s not about my numbers or anything, but about the nature of things.” I leaned back on the cart seat.

“If I know the answer.” she said after a moment of contemplation.

“If I receive a million damage at once on the tip of my finger, will I die?” I looked up at the dark night sky, the moons already in sight.

“What?” she held back laughter. “Of course not. You’ll lose a finger, though.” she fixed a few locks of hair that had been rustled when she covered her ears. “Health numbers and damage is a dodgy topic. There are way too many factors that influence them to have a satisfactory answer as far as I know.” her voice trailed off as a yawn escaped her. “Anyway, they represent reality, not influence it.”

“Fair enough.” though the specifics escaped me, I was sure I’d understand more some other day. “Get some sleep. I hardly feel tired. I do, however, need to take a piss.” I had been suppressing the urge for a few hours now.

Halting the horses, I got off the cart and walked off to the side of the road. As I had done a few times already the last few days, I unclasped the front side of my plated pants and pulled down the edge of my leather garments, unleashing my new partner.

I had already mastered the ways of the penis, at a great cost. It took me a fair amount of tries and wet hands to get it, but now I was proud to be able to pee while standing. At first I was naive, thinking a firm grasp would do the trick. That was the old me. I chuckled at the memory of shaking it too much and shivered at the terror I experienced when it transformed for the first time. Again, that was the old me.

“Why are you standing?” I heard Lapia’s voice ask from the cart, apparent confusion on it.

“I have both female and male genitalia. It’s way more comfortable to pee while standing.” I said back, feeling relief wash over me.

“I… see.” her voice sounded a bit shocked.

Understandable.

“I was confused at first, but I got the hang of it. It’s not that hard.” I laughed at my own joke.

I finished my business and covered my new organ with the underwear, magically shrinking to nothing, then my leather garments and my plate pants as I heard Lapia laugh when she understood my comment.

I got on the cart and maneuvered the horses back to the road. Lapia had moved to the back and covered herself with something while I was busy.

“I’ll let you know if anything happens. Good night.” a dumpling materialized in my hands.

“Thanks.” she said in a low voice.

The night was dark and the moons granted enough light to see the road. I guessed the horses were magical in nature, since they avoided stones and holes in near complete darkness. After appraising the creatures, though, I saw they were only ordinary horses.

I quickly checked my status thing, seeing the same information as before. As I processed the information, the gentle snoring of Lapia reached me.

These classes. They are the same my character had in the game. As my thoughts gravitated towards that particular section, more information showed up.

 

Hoplite, Lvl 450.

-Expert spear wielders with extended range. Able to face off larger enemies with ease, their skill set allowing them to hunt foes others may deem too dangerous chase. Though not specialized, they can handle monsters, and possess enough military knowledge to go toe to toe with sentient beings of equal power.

 

Skills.

Rank 1.

-Pierce, Lvl 50. Attack an enemy with simultaneous attacks. The number of attacks depends on the size of the target. Smaller than you, 2. About the same as you, 3. Larger than you, 4. Humongous, 5. The number of simultaneous hits is increased by 2 if under the effects of Initiation or Dragoon Might. If both are active, the number of attacks double. Max total attacks; small – 12, same size – 14, larger – 16, massive – 18. E’er is spent to increase your speed and achieve this feat if Dexterity is not high enough.

-Shielded Thrust, Lvl 50. You grow familiar with weapons of the spear group, learning techniques to parry, block and redirect attacks with increasing ease. Repetition and practice has taught you how to do so while attacking.

-Sharp Spear, Lvl 50. Your expertise with spears increases and the effectiveness of your spear based skills rises exponentially with both this skill’s level and the skill in use.

-Throw Spear, Lvl 50. Throw your spear to attack the enemy. Targets that survive, but receive major wounds, are impaled to the ground. Can pierce through multiple enemies while in its path. The spear impacts surfaces with a massive shock wave that damages all enemies nearby. Spends E’er to return your weapon via Shift.

Rank 2.

-Long Attacks, Lvl 50. Utilizing the full range of your weapon, attack at a distance, increasing the reach of your movements. The higher your knowledge of the technique, the lower the success of enemies parrying, countering, disarming, or grappling you.

-Spear Finesse, Lvl 50. Extended combat with spears has brought your attention to ‘Overwhelming Violence’, a style that focuses on absolute annihilation of enemies. Higher levels of this skill allows for seamless usage of all stances, combining their purposes.

Rank 3.

-Endless Rain, Lvl 50. Abandoning all defensive measures, you stand grounded while you strike all enemies in front of you in a flurry of attacks. The longer you attack, the firmer your stand becomes, making it progressively harder for impacts and such to break your position.

 

Lancer, Lvl 450.

-Mounted units that thrive against grounded opponents. They have the power to charge into battle and break into structures unimpeded. Mountable beings behave favorably to those who shall bring glory to them in battle.

 

Skills.

Rank 1.

-Crush, Lvl 50. Attack forward with the full extent and weight of your weapon and body, breaking enemy defenses with greater success the higher the skill. Breaks shields and defensive stances with impeccable accuracy when mounted.

-Charge, Lvl 50. You charge forward, damaging all within your path. Breaks into structures and barriers while mounted. Requires a powerful mount to perform the latter part of the skill, otherwise spends a large amount of E’er to protect it.

-Topple, Lvl 50. Grip your spear with great strength and strike down at your enemies, dismounting them with greater success the higher the skill, doing so immediately if the enemy has their defenses or shield broken, knocking them down with immense momentum. You strike grounded enemies on their heads or shoulders, forcing them to their knees if they survive or have their defenses broken. Can only be used while mounted.

-Accurate Strikes, Lvl 50. While mounted, you are aware of enemies’ weak points due to having the higher ground, greatly increasing the effect of skills that exploit them or intend to expose them.

Rank 2.

-Initiation, Lvl 50. [Aura] Prepare for battle. You and your mount become connected, entering an advanced battle trance that lowers the success of being dismounted by being aware of your own weaknesses. Your mount may continue to move regardless of your actions, if instructed so. Spends E’er in accordance to the duration you intend to use.

-Prevention, Lvl 50. [Aura] You are highly aware of the dangers of battle. You become increasingly resistant to slow, arrest, immobility and effects that impede movement. While mounted, this effect is shared with your allies in (STR/5)m around you. Spends E’er in accordance to the duration you intend to use.

-Rhongomyniad, Lvl 50. You and your mount target a single enemy and ruthlessly rush to it, increasing your toughness through the process. Your momentum is massively increased the further you advance, breaking traps and demolishing structures in your path. A large amount of E’er is spent to home into your target, making evasion impossible.

Rank 3.

-Gorymdaith Wych, Lvl 50. Your necessity for mounts allows them to take part of your portion of E’er from fallen enemies, the efficiency at which this happens increases with the skill level, resulting in you not losing any and them gaining even more. Your experience with mounts strengthens their resolve and courage, granting immunity to effects that influence the mind when familiarity with them reaches a certain threshold. Your mounts grow stronger and tougher as you ride them, turning into threatening tanks with enough time. As your mount gains confidence in itself, if able to, it will attack prone enemies close to it, if instructed so. The greater your mount level, the easier it becomes to trample enemies underfoot making full use of its weight to flatten them. Create a personal bond with your companion.

 

Dragoon, Lvl 450.

-Elite spear wielders specialized in two-handed spears. With a focus on fighting monsters, their arsenal revolves around high mobility and attacks that cause serious injuries and various effects that allows them to triumph in combat.

 

Skills.

Rank 1.

-Dragonclaw, Lvl 50. Grip your spear and violently rotate ten times in an instant, using centrifugal force to attack enemies around you. E’er is spent to increase your speed and achieve this feat if Dexterity is not high enough.

-Coiling Attacks, Lvl 50. The savagery of combat has taught you to thrust your spear while rotating it at astonishing speeds. Myriad encounters has given you an eye to foresee enemies countering, blocking, grappling, or deflecting your attacks by their body language. E’er is spent to increase your speed and achieve this feat if Dexterity is not high enough.

-Gae Bulg, Lvl 50. Jump high into the air and throw your weapon down with colossal might. Your weapon’s momentum is massively increased the higher you jump. Breakable ground explodes, becoming projectiles that injure all enemies in the surroundings. The greater the impact, the larger the area of ground that breaks. If the ground cannot be broken, the shock wave alone is devastating enough. E’er is spent to increase your might and achieve this feat if Strength is not high enough. If your base strength allows it, your weapon becomes unstoppable instead. Breaks low quality weapons. Medium chance of breaking medium quality weapons. Low chance of breaking high quality weapons. No chance of breaking Epic quality weapons or above. Can use Dragon Dive in the air.

-Intimidate Prey, Lvl 50. [Warcry] Let your bloodlust run free. Enemies in (STR/10)m will succumb to your challenge to the death if they are below you in power. Otherwise they will be wary of you and your allies and engage with extreme caution. Spends E’er in accordance to the duration you intend to use.

Rank 2.

-Monster Hunter, Lvl 50. [Aura] Face insurmountable odds. Increases status according to the number of enemies you take on for you and your allies by 10%(2 highest stats) per enemy (STR/5)m around you. Enemies must be doing battle with you. Spends E’er in accordance to the duration you intend to use.

-Dragoon Might, Lvl 10. Recall the might of Dragons. All Dragoon skills are increasingly effective against monsters larger than you. You gain a fraction of the power of a True Dragon, allowing the use of Dragon Roar and Dragon Dive.

-Dragon Roar, Lvl 10. [Warcry] All your skills attack two times simultaneously. Those who hear your call feel a deep fear in them, rooting them in place and breaking their concentration if they’re below you in power. Doubles your strength against monsters. Spends E’er in accordance to the duration you intend to use.

Rank 3.

-Dragon Dive, Lvl 50. Fly up to the sky with Dragon Wings, then land with an impact akin to a Dragon crashing on the ground. Your landing creates spikes from the ground that impale enemies. The material of said spikes depends on the surface you land on. Spends a large amount of E'er to achieve this feat.

 

Warrior Base.

-Battle Trance. Increases strength and dexterity the longer you are in battle.

-Ignore Pain. Increases your toughness the higher your average level.

-Warrior’s Poise. Grants resistance to loss of consciousness and most staggers the higher your total level. If total level exceeds 1000, you become immune to these effects.

 

Halve Species.

- As a being born of E’er, you are most sensitive to it, and efficient with it.

-The E’er at your disposal won’t decrease unless you allow it. Additionally, choosing to stay awake spends a variable amount of E’er a day until proper rest.

-Sleep restores your body, mind and spirit with great efficiency.

-Your body is forged by the energy of the world; your hair, fingernails and teeth cannot break or be cut.

-Stamina expenditure is reduced to the lowest limit.

-Few and far between, you are a female with male genitalia. Enjoy it! [Your reproductive cycle has yet to arrive].

-You are the existence evolution strives to achieve.

-Forest is your home and your peace.

-Sunlight shall heighten your beauty.

 

Hellwalker.

-Before you woke, as every individual of your species, you went through a trial. You grew powerful in an endless battle in the depths of the umbral planes. To survive, you had to adapt. You know the languages from Hell: Infernal and Abyssal. Lower Demons shall fear you and, as the second Halve to have gone through Hell, High Demons refer to you with this title. The trophies you earned this way are in your storage. Memories of that time will return to you with time or as you interact with said trophies.

 

“Aw hell no. Too much information.” I cringed as the wall of text invaded my mind’s eye. “Way to clog my eyes, shit.” I rubbed my eyes to try and erase the info dump. “I mean, sure, that’s neat and all, but Jesus.” I sighed. "This E'er thing needs to know a thing or two about proper exposition." I hissed.