Chapter Nine #2
“Yes!” Krysta exclaimed, clearly enthusiastic about her new skill.
She paused for a second, watching Vester brush Kora, but she relaxed when he gave her a nod to signal she was next.
“I can even heal intangible energy beings, like ghosts! I’ve never even heard of such a comprehensive healing spell.
The only downside is that it’s so mana intensive I can’t use it more than once or twice outside of my Sanctuary. ”
“The only reason I can use my Freeform Illusion spell the way I do is Trickster’s Cane,” Vester offered. “It gives me an eighty-percent discount on magic cast through it. Without my cane, I’d be lucky to keep an illusion going for more than ten, maybe fifteen minutes.”
Kora nodded, her lips pursed. “That’s not uncommon for A-rank Adventurers and the rare S-ranks. Their power demands they specialize to accommodate it. There was an S-rank Sword Master who had only three active skills—the rest were passives.”
“What were the skills?” Reve asked, joining the conversation for the first time. The Avatar of Life had been resting in one of the tents, but now she emerged to sit next to Krysta. Vester smiled when he saw her drape a wing over Krysta to stop the pandali’s shivering.
“Cleave, Quick Draw, and Sever,” Kora said.
“She was very open about her build’s active skills, because they were all common among duelists and warriors.
But she had them all in S-rank. Her Cleave could go through a near unlimited number of targets, but it drained stamina for each body she cut.
Quick Draw let her return her weapon to its sheath and then redraw it with incredible speed.
It also allowed her to recover stamina each time she sheathed her sword.
Sever is simply an empowered slash, but in her hands it could slice through even magic.
All her passives were focused around Quick Draw, and it was said she could kill an army in a single draw of her blade. ”
Vester whistled. He had no idea if that story was embellished or not, but he could see how the combo would work out. With the right skills boosting her, every time the Sword Master slashed out from the sheath, the attack would spell death for everything in front of her.
That’s some straight-up anime bullshit right there, he thought with amusement. That’s exactly the kind of skill every teenage boy staring longingly at a katana would want… and I can’t blame them. I kinda want it myself.
He finished brushing Kora’s first tail and moved on to the second. “What happened to the Sword Master?” he asked.
“She lived over a thousand years ago, but historians agreed she ventured into a dungeon portal and disappeared,” Kora replied. “Geographically, the location she lived matches the location of the first entrance to the Great Dungeon, so we assume she made her way to a new dimension.”
“Oh, that’s in the Western Deserts, right?” Krysta asked, looking proud to remember that bit of Ordinal history. “That means she would have lived near the Fire Swamps. I’ve heard that place is pretty brutal.”
“Is that the land with the flying spiders?” Reve asked. That question alone was enough to make Vester decide he had no intention of going to visit the Fire Swamps. He didn’t care much for spiders in general, and he had zero interest in fighting any that flew.
While the Party chatted about Ordinal’s wildlife, Vester focused on brushing out Kora’s tails. The soft rasp of the bristles moving through her black-and-silver fur was soothing for both of them. He always found it pretty easy to relax while grooming his lovers.
Not a thought I’d have had a year ago, he mused.
‘Grooming my lovers’ would have been an incredibly creepy phrase before I came to a world with catgirls, kitsunes, and pandali—though Krysta isn’t native, so she’s ever rarer than the other races.
But I can’t help but think I’ve changed these ladies as much as they’ve changed me.
He took a moment to run his gaze over Krysta, Kora, Reve, and Skylar.
Before hearing about the things I learned from Non, Kora would never have assumed the Sword Master found their way to a new dimension.
Mythology said that those who reached level 100 and vanished into the dungeons were simply fighting deeper, sacrificing themselves to ensure the powerful monsters never broke free.
But now my ladies know that there’s a solid chance those Adventurers are still out there, walking on foreign worlds and traveling the path to godhood.
He was glad his Party all seemed determined to keep growing in power.
Ordinal was a nice world, though the Church of Light had been keeping him from truly enjoying it…
but knowing that his lovers wanted to continue their rise beyond the confines of this dimension was something he took great comfort in.
Because Vester thought he’d enjoy becoming a god, and he fully intended to bring all these girls along with him. Skylar glanced up from where she was carefully inserting a gemstone into Woody’s skull, and for a moment their eyes locked. They smiled at each other, then she went back to her work.
Not like they need my help to grow. I’m pretty sure if I try to slow down these ladies will drag me kicking and screaming into the heavens.