46 Chapter Forty-Six – Melee Seven, Human Three (1/2)

I ticked over one mental lever. Without pause, I ticked over the other.

My soul began to percolate. Energies began to move through flesh and spirit, although it was probably all spirit here in Nightmare, and the Karma I'd ripped off the Curse by slaughtering the things it sent out to kill me churned and flowed through my system.

Melee Seven. Most important affect, I was now In The Dance, and my MAB had hit +7. I could now not just perceive things at enhanced speed, I could now back that up with body movement to match.

+1 Forsaken Bonus to Wis, to 22. +1 Ki.

Seven is where you left the limits of humanity behind, and stepped into being superhuman.

Human/3 washed past me, and brought with it a change in perspective.

Human/2 was the level of obsession. It filled you with an ambition and drive to be better, to dominate, to improve yourself and look down on others. The reason for this was that it was the most successful way to get people to drive themselves to a high enough Level to become a Human/3. Seven was that Level, no longer just a normal Human.

Human/3 was about crystallizing what it meant to be a sentient pack omnivore. My whole drive of me against the Curse, pitting myself up against the foul magic that ruined my second life, could be seen for the heightened reaction it was, a tool to keep me going in face of everything that had happened to me.

As a Human/3, I could see that the Curse was simply a foul blight upon humanity, and whatever I could do to fight it was simply a right and vital thing. I was a protector and defender of my species, a weapon and a shield, and a Queen among Women. My Forsaken statues only exemplified that status even further.

Human Powered were nothing but soldier ants there to guard and protect the rest of the species. They were spawned both by the Land and by the unconscious will of all humanity to defend our species against all the Damn Things out there that wanted to kill us all in a magical world. Those that betrayed humanity by aligning with other forces out of greed for power or madness or whatever, were just dogs to be put down.

It was like being an enlightened predator, it changed the way I looked at the world.

Being protective of my species didn't mean a Human/3 had to be nice. However, Human/3's tended to turn their nastiness outside the species, unless they came across someone selling out the race, or preying on people, who they could enjoy just doing some completely horrible stuff to without batting an eye. Murder, genocide, torture, it was all in the cabinet of some Human/3's… but not to other humans.

The real time effects of this were minimal, more a reinforcement of willpower to fight this damn Curse until the end, then anything. It would be more apparent once I got out of here.

In real terms, getting In the Dance was the biggest thing. The extra Soak, +1 MAB, +1 to Armor Training (and attendant Dodge bonuses), two Techniques, Feat, and Skill Points were all necessary and needed for long-term improvement. Likewise, the extra Health and the Stat bonus for Three were nice, but not game changers.

Oh, and one more level was another point of strength on my Girdle that I could make use of.

Combat Technique, One Strike Technique.

This took a normal One Strike and improved it to the next level, allowing it to correlate with my Null Strikes more intently, and things like Sneak Attacking and Charging. For a skirmish-style of combat, it was a vital addition for hitting and running.

Training Technique, Combat Medic. Counted as Skill Mastery for Heal. Allowed 2/day use of Treat Deadly Wounds, 3/day if Vigor was used while healing. No penalty for operating on one's self. Used Heal Ranks instead of Caster Level for magical, alchemical, and spiritual healing applied to myself… which had no effect on Vigor use, but my Blood Healing and Heart and Soul just got a three Level advance in eligibility.

Moar Healink!

Bonus Feat, Parry Anything. Which now included spells. I was so going to start spending an AoO and sending spells launched at me back at their Casters. I wasn't just a Diamond Vajra anymore, I was a Ricochet Vajra!

Fourteen Skill Points, a large amount by any normal calculation, but I had so many Skills I had to advance at this point that it didn't actually seem like much. Perception, Stealth, the four Smiths, Leatherworking, Woodworking, Gemcutting, Mining, Martial Lore, Heal, Intimidate, and Sense Motive rang in patiently, upping my modifiers, letting me know I had to get the Mastery/4's for them politely.

Human/3 would give me 8 Health + Con+1 Health, Melee/7 10 Soak + Con + FC… and the reward for Human/3 was +2 to Stat of choice, which for me was naturally Con.

Con 35. Most Dragons and Giants weren't even close to being as tough as I was.

Health 3d8 (24) +36 (Con) +7 Toughness + 38 (19x2 Soul-Fortified Body). 105 Health, which was a totally insane amount of Health by any stretch of the imagination. And with 75% crit ignore, too!

Soak 70 (7 x d6+4, maxed) + 84 (7x Con bonus 12) + Fort Save (26) + FC (7) + Ess 39 (Body and Soul) for 226 Soak. Yes, that was more than the Health of the average human giant I was facing.

My Null advanced again with Level and Con, and was the Mastery I ticked over. Level 7 + Fort Save of 26 + Mastery/4 was a base 37, modified by other things.

My Vajra was sitting at 40 ki, 39 Essence, and 79 combined. Lots available for use, as it were.

Six Skill Points from Human/3. I put them into Shipwright, as I had to put in a reminder to regain my sea-based skill set at some point… and making my own vessel was a part of that.

Instead of a Caster Level gain, another Bonus Feat, doubled. Breathe to Your Soles and Skill Focus (Shipwright).

A random Talent, as genetic potential was unearthed. I had no idea what it would be.

I also ticked another mental lever forward, to Advanced Human, often called the Atlantean Human. As per Normal Human, but +2 to all Stats, instead of just one Stat. It effectively cost the equivalent of a Level at Ten in Karma… but that was fine, I had nothing better to spend the Karma on. It would revert me back to 'base' Human, undoing the changes I'd elected at 'creation' for more Stats (my +2 to Int), and then dump the full range of Stats on top of me.

It would complete at Ten, being a Racial Change, such as it were…

My lever-clicking done, I sat there and talked over with Tremble the changes and new things that had opened up with the new Levels. He ooh'd and ahh'd faithfully, we discussed how this was going to make things much better against the ranged attacks of the Casters, and then walked off into the mist.