14 Chapter Fourteen - Alas, Poor Fido. (1/2)

Time to take those Archer Levels.

Without a missile weapon, Archer Levels were basically almost useless. Almost, but not totally. I could at least plan to the point when I finally got a crossbow or something else useful to throw. It would have been really useful for killing Fido, but, the Hell. When and if I got one, I got one.

Four Skill Points, three into Woodcarving and one into Bowyer/Fletcher.

Advance into Perception Mastery/1.

One Technique, one bonus Feat, choose Primary Weapon. I picked crossbow, planning on my autobow eventually, and into my Primary Weapons it went.

Quickdraw Technique. This subsumed things like Rapid Reload and Quick Drinker and Iajitsu Draw and the like, and even opened up the Iajitsu Focus Mastery. Basically, draw and ready instantly, almost like sleight of hand. There were a few killing moves that relied on being able to get out your weapon before an opponent…

Bonus Feat, Far Shot. Because that would let me throw my Sword 50% further. I could work on the rest after that. Thrown Weapons were all in the realm of an archer…

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My Sword was black, because that was the hue of steel quenched by human blood. I didn't mind, as it just made me that much closer to my blade.

The hilt wasn't centered, meaning it favored one side as I wielded it. It was more wedge-shaped, like a triangular saber, but I still didn't care.

I got used to it very quickly, and I would be improving it in the future. My Melee Levels were right around the corner, and then, then things were going to change.

The first Rune on it glowed with Invested Energy. My Aura aligned to it. The edge of the blade glimmered with faint light.

+1 TH/Dmg. Not much, but better then nothing. It all added up.

I changed my Inspiration, cycling out Thorn Stance for Improved Armed Strike, also known as Sword Beats Fist.

If attacked by anyone without natural reach using a natural weapon, one AoO per round against that attacker, as you can strike at their limb or body before they can reach you, as long as you wielded a weapon.

Needed that weapon. Now I had one. And, oh, did I go to town.

With practically guaranteed first attacks, Cleaves galore, and Ripostes to complement everything, with even greater damage and accuracy, I ripped a path through the spiders, hacked down the constructs straight up, and punished that cat in straight up combat. Bite at me? Get hacked! Miss me? Get hacked! My turn? Get hacked! Openings abounded, and I inserted Tremble into all them.

When it was Fido's turn, I punished him, too. Did I mention that he was wearing this cute little pink sweater all this time? I was pretty sure it was armor spun out of steel wire…

If he bit me, I cut him. If he breathed at me, I cut him. If for some reason he took a bite and missed, I cut him. And in between all that, I was in his face and I cut him.

I didn't hurt him all the time, but I did cut him, with the glowing edge of my Sword.

Because I had Invested my Artificer energy, and I had earned enough Karma to the Name of my sword to bring it to 2k of Invested Goldweight value, meaning I could open Slot Einz.

Slot Einz was Spirit-bound, and as it opened further up to say hello to my soul, I put in two of my plentiful Essence, and suddenly I had a +II Sword in my hand.

It moved faster, lighter, cut through carapaces more easily, and sank deeper into flesh. With Attunement, my TH/Dmg was effectively +3 higher than it had been.

D8/d12 against size L or bigger. +2 MAB, +5 Dex, +1 Talent, +1 Spec, +3 now for +13 to hit. +2 Spec, +1 Cunning, possible +2d6 SA, +3 weapon, for +6 or 7 to damage, exclusive of Foe Hunting, or me going apeshit in Wardance for another +2/+2.

He did more damage then me, and he hit more, but that was fine. I was attacking a lot more, and man did I mark him up once I popped the Bladedance to tear into him. I didn't have the staying power to last even thirty seconds, but I got this close to finally killing the bastard, and I was proud of myself. He cooked me dead, and I took out his eye.

I was getting closer.

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I had come full circle… which meant I was at Expert Level again.

Expert, because I had never taken my Expert bonus feats, because I had not earned Expert/3 as Forsaken. But now I had. Karma settled in.

Human Talent from my last life, click…