[Humanoid Ghost and Skeleton QOL patch v2.06 (placeholder name)] ♢ : Spread your mana weave to more closely match your spirit body. Allows clothes, belts and jewelry to more easily stay on, gives a better grip on weapons and better footing on the ground, enhances smell, vision, hearing and pressure sensitivity. Slightly reduces physical damage taken.
“It’s a bit weak for a locked classless...” Sofia commented, “also, lots of text and no numbers isn’t very reassuring. But that is a lot of small things in one package, I would understand no matter if you want to pick or if you don’t. The choice is yours. Mr.Scribe, how about a list of damage reduction classless? Right, there was a mutually exclusive non-saint alternative for [Sanctity], wasn’t there?”
A whole four hours later, after covering an entire wall with a bone slate and listing all possible options, Pareth got the final say and settled on his five classless skills.
‘Classless Skills (5 / 5)
[Humanoid Ghost and Skeleton QOL patch v2.06 (placeholder name)] ♢
[Elite Skeleton] - Level 3
[Bone-Headed]
[Mana Anchoring]
[Supreme commander]’
“Well, that works. I’m still not completely sold on [Supreme commander] but it’s really like the skill was made for us so I’ll just have to trust that this was the correct choice. Still wish you’d taken something for yourself instead though...”
To that, Pareth pointed at the longest skill of the bunch, this was what he had taken for himself, he insistently pointed at it seeming to say, ‘Isn’t that one enough?!’.
Sofia rolled her eyes. “These are all your skills, you know. All meant to be for you, you know???”
Pareth disapprovingly put his hands on his hips, which he could somewhat really do now, exactly thanks to the ‘QOL patch’ skill, which kind of gave him an invisible semi-physical body of mana. He could easily move through himself but he could also now rest his hands on his fake ‘body’ like a non skeleton person. This was also what his clothes could now rest on, instead of awkwardly falling on his bones.
Seeing that Sofia wasn’t getting the hint, Pareth then pointed at himself.
“What?”
Then he pointed in the direction of the room upstairs where Alith was working on her alchemy.
Sofia finally got the message. Three of her own skills were entirely for someone else.
“I- It’s different!”
Pareth crossed his arms and slowly shook his skull left and right.
“Fine, fine... I get it. Hmm... And [Elite Skeleton] starts at level 3 so that’s good. Are you sure you’re not going to regret not getting [Summon Self] or [Quickstep]?”
Pareth summoned his shield and banged on it twice with a closed fist.
“Yeah, great, still, you should really learn to dodge more often. You’ve been way too reliant on teleporting to me for that. Though the collapsing trick against Tarren was clever, I’ll give you that.”
I hate myself a little for thinking that looks good.
That done, Pareth used his [Draconic Shapeshifting] to grow as tall as would be comfortable to fight in this room, so about six meters tall, and summon a large shield in his left hand as well as a scepter-like mace ending in a round ball in his right hand.
That’ll do well against that armored guy. He’s really well protected... Is there even a slit in his helmet? Can’t see a single bit of anything that’s under the thick plates. What’s his armor even made of? I’m getting so used to seeing green mithril armor, a black armor is surprising.
“We’re about ready, I think,” Sofia said out loud, “I have a feeling the battle will start the instant I start casting anything, so maybe it’s best we coordinate the first cast. Get the sanctified grounds ready, I’m starting the music.”
[Sixth symphony’s movements]
40% Maximum mana : A Regal festival of Summer :
All physical stats are improved by 10%.
Airborne Mana is fluidified.
Channeling speed of all magic is doubled.
The uplifting and fast-paced melody of Summer started filling the underground halls of Sorrow’s palace as the ground under Pareth’s feet lit up with his magic.
Sofia took a last glance at Pareth’s health, an uncontrollable smirk on her face.
Health : 166 985 791
Grand Crusader Vakarian finally moved. Welcoming his opponents with a polite bow, his armor creaking in the process.
Pareth copied the gesture and Sofia simply gave a polite nod.
When they were ready, in a swift movement, Vakarian kicked his sword upright and took a firm stance with his sword to his waist in a plow guard. Sofia put on her crown, and the flames of Victory started eating away at the crusader.
Vakarian attacked first with a jumping strike aimed at Pareth’s central head. Pareth barely managed to raise his shield fast enough, the armament of light cracking under the pressure but not quite breaking.
Sofia in the back silently started casting a piercing bolt as Pareth counter attacked.
Vakarian stepped on thin air, spinning around and over Pareth’s mace strike and his arm, and zipping through the air at an absurd speed, his massive sword drawing a wide arc in Sofia’s direction.
Pareth teleported back in between them and stopped Vakarian with a high knee, sending him crashing against the ceiling. Sofia took the opportunity to fire her first bolt, thinking it would further impale the knight against the ceiling. To her surprise, Vakarian instead let a hand off his sword’s handle to grab the angel bolt right before it could touch him, and as he hit the ceiling with a bang, he chucked the bolt back at her.
Sofia let the bolt pierce through her shoulder rather than to waste mana dispelling it with [Heat Death], not even flinching as it ripped through her bone and muscles, and started casting an explosive bolt instead.
Vakarian kicked himself off of the ceiling, his sword striking against Pareth’s incoming mace. Their strength seemed about even, but Vakarian was much faster. After that rapid clash, Vakarian once again flew toward Sofia.
Pareth held himself back, dispelling his shield and summoning a much larger two-handed mace as Vakarian’s sword reached Sofia. She released the explosive bolt at her feet and used [Summon Self] to teleport behind the crusader, evading the blow and opening her wings, allowing her to be propelled away by the strength of the explosion. Pareth’s mace came crashing down on Vakarian.