Rebirth of the Nephilim

During dinner, Jadis and her companions discussed everything that had been accomplished that day. Aside from the tasks she had been involved in directly, there had been plenty of progress made in other areas by her crew. Tegwyn’s Team had their own agendas, and Jadis paid careful attention to their reports on what they had managed to get done.

Nevan and Orla had teamed up with a bunch of other mercenaries who were in the city and helped track down the last remaining Demons still hiding in the city. They had been chosen for the task specifically because they were gnomes, and the places they were checking were the city sewer lines. Fighters of small stature were of great value for maneuvering through the stone pipes. People of normal height could do it with difficulty, but Jadis would have had to crawl on her hands and knees, so it was quite literally a job she couldn’t do. Not that sewer cleanup was an enviable task, but it needed to be done. At least the two gnomes had received double pay for their efforts.

Terrance, Cora, Humbert, and Villum had helped with cleanup during the first half of the day, but they had gone on a patrol outside the city in the afternoon. They had stayed on the safe side of the river but had used the time to familiarize themselves with the terrain as well as pick out locations of interest that were visible in the distance. Working out good places to go for power leveling purposes was important, since they couldn’t just stay next to Glanum. Jadis didn’t want there to be any chance of bonus experience points bleeding off to nearby soldiers.

Tegwyn hadn’t joined the rest of his team. Instead, he had dedicated his time to a task that only a Dryad could perform. Well, Jadis wasn’t sure if that was strictly true, but certainly he was the best man in the area for the job. Teg had joined a group that consisted of several priests and the few remaining farmers in the area and had gone out into the fields surrounding Glanum to help heal the land. Olive orchards covered the hills to the south, along with many other crops that were vital for keeping the people fed. Most of the food being consumed in the border city was being shipped in from deeper in the empire, but that wasn’t sustainable long term. The local plant life needed to be maintained. Tegwyn’s classes didn’t focus on healing plants, not the way some of his family could, but what he could do was still leaps and bounds better than what the average farmer or non-Villthyrial priest could do.

The non-fighting members of Fortune’s Favored had also kept busy. Violetta had stayed in the company of Sabina’s family, who had spent the whole day working on weapon and armor repairs. From the way the young half-elf was staring at Sabina’s older brother, Crispus, Jadis figured there was more than one reason behind her choice of company. Not that she was going to cast judgement. So long as the young woman was productive, Jadis didn’t care if she got her crush on as well. And from what she was overhearing from Sabina’s father, quite a lot of productive work had been done, indeed.

Bridget’s younger brother had come along on the trip ostensibly to learn more about airship piloting, since he hoped to get a class for that purpose. Alban hadn’t been able to do much practice since arriving in Glanum, but he was a motivated young man and didn’t stay idle. He did what he could by running errands around the temple while Dia, Eir, Alex, and Severina had been there, and had found more chores to do to help Aelius’ serving staff once the group had returned to the Seraphim’s manor.

“Never thought I’d travel a thousand miles just to wash laundry,” the young orc joked. “Better than shoveling Demon guts all day I bet!”

“Yeah, true. Want to trade?” Bridget joked with her brother. “You can swing an axe to chop up all the big bits before chucking them into the river. Loads of fun. I’ll scrub the linens tomorrow instead.”

“Fuck off,” Alban laughed. “I’ll stick with my cozy, indoor job, thank you very much. It’s too hot in this country, anyway. Hotter than any day down south by miles.”

“It won’t be hot tomorrow,” Valarius, Sabina’s younger brother, chimed in. “You can see the rain clouds coming from the sea. It’s going to rain all day and make a big mess of everything, but it’ll cool off.”

“Is that going to delay departure?” Alban asked. “Because I was joking about doing more laundry. I’m all set to ride the airship tomorrow.”

“It shouldn’t,” Syd assured the orc, as that was the self Jadis had sitting closest to the conversation. “It’ll rain, but it’s supposed to be a light rain. No strong winds. The launch time shouldn’t be impacted.”

Alban nodded in understanding. He always paid close attention to anything that had to do with the airships, which was a big reason why Jadis figured a piloting class was a near certainty for the young man’s primary class. She expected him to ask a few follow up questions about how the weather could potentially impact the takeoff time and flight of the Leviathan, but when he spoke again, it was about a different topic.

“I meant to ask earlier. What did you do with that, uh, weird wooden Demon. I know you said that it, ah, I mean, she’s friendly like Alex and Oats, but is she? Really?”

“She’s still at the temple,” Syd answered in a calm and serious tone. “Alex suggested a few names to her, and she’s gone with Cobbler, so you can call her that. Names aside, she’s being kept under watch by guards, just like the rest of the unhatched eggs. We still have a lot to talk about with her, but we’re optimistic.”

After a few seconds pause, Syd grinned and slipped back into her typical casual nature.

“We also hunted down a shit load of shoes and boots for her. She’s going to be busy repairing footwear for the rest of the month. In fact, if you have any issues with your boots, let us know. Cobbler will fix it up fast. She’s already gone up a level just from cobbling.”

There was a lot more discussion going on around the table about all the things that Jadis and those who had accompanied her had done throughout the day, but a lot of the talk focused on Cobbler and the clutch of Demon eggs. The possibility of converting more Demons to the side of mortals was an exciting prospect, one that stirred a number of debates. The revelation that Demons could communicate before they were even hatched was of particular interest. One suggestion that came from Villum and was taken up by others was the possibility of setting up some kind of school where Demon eggs could be taken to talk with mature and friendly Demons like Alex, so they had someone to guide them away from Samleos’ influence. It was a nice thought, if a bit idealized, but Jadis didn’t discard the notion. In fact, she hoped to bring it up with the High Priests in Eldingholt. Maybe even the emperor. She just wasn’t sure it would turn out as perfectly as Villum was hoping.

After all, what was going to be done with any Demons who rejected the peaceful ideology Alex was trying to show them and instead chose to follow their detestable God’s will? Would they be held indefinitely? Or summarily executed? Would it be right to kill them before they had even done anything wrong? Before they were even technically born? Or was it morally correct to give them the chance and thus endanger the lives of others?

It was an ethical dilemma Jadis felt completely unequipped to handle. Bringing her thoughts on the matter to the high temples so she could hear their opinions made the most sense to her, especially since Oros was their world long before it was hers. She just wanted to make sure a productive discussion was had, as a start. And for that to happen, she needed to get the high priests and emperor as much information as she could.

Eventually the dinner wrapped up and the gathering dispersed, though discussions continued as different people went off in pairs and small groups. Meli and Tegwyn disappeared together, talking about local wildlife and magic beasts. Maeve accompanied Aelius and his wife, the three of them reviewing the safehouse situation again. Noll headed out the door with Tacitus and Noct on his heels, no doubt intent on starting the hunt for Twisted Desire right away. Sabina’s father and brothers headed back into the workshop with both Violetta and Alban, the latter of whom was looking to learn more about what enchantments went into airship construction. Nevan and Orla disappeared into the waning light holding hands, while Terrance, Cora, Humbert, and Villum stayed in the dining room, still talking over plans they had for the next day. As for Jadis and her lovers, they had a singular destination with one main goal in mind. A goal that Jadis had been dying to dive into for far too long.

It was time to review Severina’s status sheet.

“I find myself feeling somewhat anxious, now that the duty has been passed onto me,” Sev said as she took a seat between Jay and Aila. “Where should I begin?”

They were all sitting together in a circle in the guest bedroom. Since there were still five of Jadis, the circle would have been a little too big for the room, except that Alex had immediately climbed into Dys’ lap when she took her seat. Eir, Kerr, and Sabina had followed suit with Syd, Ida, and Dia. That left only Jay without a lover in her lap, but she decided to keep it that way while they were discussing Severina’s status sheet. She wanted at least one of her bodies not distracted by the feeling of a lovely rear end pressing against her bulge. She hadn’t yet achieved satisfaction since her earlier escapades, so close contact was… taxing on her self-control.

“It would be best if you start with your current status sheet,” Aila said, all business as she held her notebook and pen at the ready. “From there, we can go through your current skill selections before discussing the choices available to you from recent levels.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” Eir smiled reassuringly from her seat on Syd’s lap. “We are gathered together to help, not judge.”

“Yeah, besides,” Bridget spoke in a low tone as she lounged against Ida’s side, “we do way more embarrassing things in the same bedroom almost every night. Your status sheet isn’t anything to get worked up over.”

Taking a deep breath, Severina shook off any nerves that might have been tugging at her feathers and started reading her information out loud for the whole group to hear.

Severina of House Lumen

Race: Seraphim

Primary Class: Sword Disciple (40)

Secondary Class: Paladin of Valtar (38)

Tertiary Class: Justicar of Light (22)

Combined Level Rating: 100

Health: 650/650

Magic: 2009/2230

Attributes

Strength: 124

Dexterity: 10

Agility: 55

Vitality: 65

Fortitude: 50

Endurance: 40

Arcane: 0

Divine: 387

Eldritch: 0

Focus: 223

Resilience: 50

Will: 10

   “Holy shit,” Syd murmured. “I know your Divine attribute is being boosted by our bond, but still! Nice!”

“Look at her Focus!” Sorcha commented as she leaned over Aila’s shoulder to stare at the page. “That’s the highest out of any of us! More than Aila and Eir combined!”

“I have a passive skill that gives me half of my Divine attribute added onto my Focus,” Sev explained. “The two hundred- and ninety-four-point increase to my Divine attribute has aided me twice over. I scarcely know what to do with so much magic. I don’t have that many spells.”

While the numbers Severina had to her name were impressive, Jadis was even more interested in the classes her angelic lover had chosen. They all looked powerful, especially her tertiary class, but the first one was not what she had expected from the Seraphim.

“Sword Disciple, huh? I thought for sure you would have had Paladin of some kind as your primary class.”

Severina’s brow furrowed, though she didn’t look particularly upset. More resigned than anything. With a shrug of her wing, she tapped the surface of Aila’s journal with a slender finger.

“I was somewhat misguided in my youth. I was so focused on the combat aspects of being a paladin that I completely neglected the various facets of charity and mercy that are even more important for a servant of Valtar to uphold. The All Father gently rebuked me by not offering a Paladin class choice when I unlocked my primary class. At least my skill with the sword was acknowledged, and I was offered Sword Disciple instead.”

“Are you really that good with the sword?”

Severina looked up at Jay with reproach in her blue eyes.

“You doubt my prowess?”

“No, not at all,” Jay shook her head while shrugging at the same time. “I just never noticed anything particularly… standout about how you wield a sword.”

As soon as she had said it, Jadis knew she had made a dire mistake. Severina’s feathers puffed out like an angry sparrow while her eyes narrowed to slits. Sitting stiffly, she asked a dangerously calm question.

“Are you in need of a demonstration?”

“Nope,” Jadis’ Dia self leapt into the conversation in order to distract from her imperiled Jay body. “No demonstration needed, though I thoroughly look forward to seeing you show off later! What I meant to say is, you’re always fighting Demons and you kill them so fast that I don’t think I’ve ever seen you use any skills other than your smite spell! Looking at your stats, you probably don’t need to, I’m sure.”

“Nice save…” Kerr whispered to Ida.

“We shall arrange some sparring once I return from the capital,” Severina all but glowered at Jay. “Noll is not the only one in your close company who can teach you a few lessons in combat.”

While Jadis did her best to pull a foot or two out of her mouths, Severina began reciting the current skills she had in her Sword Disciple Class. The Seraphim had been CLR Seventy-Three before the battle for Glanum, and her primary class had gone up by seven levels. She hadn’t filled the three open skill slots she had earned for that class yet, even though she had preferred skills lined up for review. She also hadn’t distributed any free attribute points yet either, which went the same for all her classes. The selection of new skills would come after she had explained all of her current skills and attributes to the group. Starting with Sword Disciple, there was a lot to go over.

Path of the Sword

Passive Skill. The experience you gain from wielding a sword either in practice or in battle is increased by 0.1. Further, you learn new sword techniques at an accelerated rate and are more likely to receive rare sword skill options when leveling your primary class.

Sword Mastery I

Passive skill. Provides a minor boost to the offensive value of sword-type weapons.

Quick Slash

Active Skill. Your next slashing sword attack strikes with double your normal speed. Cost – 20 stamina.

Quick Parry

Active Skill. Your next parrying attempt moves with double your normal speed. Cost – 15 stamina.

Sword Disciple’s Resolve

Passive Skill. Increases the Endurance and Vitality attributes by 5 points.

Seraphim Sword Stance

Passive Skill. Any sword art technique that you attempt no longer requires stable footing while you are hovering in the air under your own power.

Sword Disciple’s Ferocity

Passive Skill. Increases the Strength and Agility attributes by 5 points.

Piercing Thrust of the Duelist

Active Skill. Perform a powerful thrusting attack with your sword that can pierce deep through enemy armor. Enemy defenses are 0.25 less effective against this strike. Cost – 40 stamina.

Blue Eagle Stance

Active Skill. Take up the refined technique of the Blue Eagle School of Swordcraft. Temporarily increase your perception and reaction speed while in stance. All damage you deal is increased by 0.1 so long as your have the high ground against your opponent. This damage buff is increased to 0.2 for downward strikes in the style of the Blue Eagle. Cost – 3 stamina per second.

Griffon’s Claw

Active Skill. Perform a powerful two-handed strike with your sword. Deal damage equal to your Strength and Agility attributes combined. Cost – 20 stamina.

Way of the Sword

Passive Skill. All damage you deal with sword attacks is increased by a static 10 points. This damage is increased by a further 0.1 of your Sword Disciple level. The damage done by this passive bypasses all common resistances.

Sword Disciple’s Fleetness

Passive Skill. Increases the Agility and Endurance attributes by 5 points.

Sword Disciple’s Steadiness

Passive Skill. Increases the Strength and Endurance attributes by 5 points.

The Wolf’s Stance

Active Skill. Take up the savage technique of the Wolf’s School of Swordcraft. Temporarily increase the speed of all your attacks while in stance. Your slashing attacks increase the amount of bleeding your opponent suffers. Deal increased damage to limbs. Cost – 4 stamina per second.

Sword Disciple’s Repose

Passive Skill. Recover your stamina at an increased rate while not actively attacking in battle. 5 seconds of inactivity are required for this skill to take effect.

Sword Disciple’s Fury

Passive Skill. Increases the Strength attribute by 10 points.

Sword Mastery II

Passive skill. Provides a lesser boost to the offensive value of sword-type weapons.

All the skills Severina had from her Sword Disciple class were a lot to digest, even without the three empty slots that needed to be filled. Some were familiar, since they mirrored passives that Jadis or others in the group had, while more were new and unique to Jadis’ experience. Certainly, many of the active skills and stances looked impressive. One skill in particular stood out to Jadis like a blazing bonfire among candles.

“Take up the savage technique of the Wolf’s School of Swordcraft…” Syd drawled as she stared up at the ceiling. “Does that sound… at all familiar to anyone else? Or am I connecting unrelated dots?”

“Oh! Isn’t that Noll’s title? Noll the Savage! Does that mean he learned his sword skills from some kind of school? A wolf school? Oh! Oh! Severina, did you go to the same school as Noll? He’s a lot older than you so he would have been in a different class, but maybe you had the same teacher? That’s amazing if you did!”

As Sabina blabbered on in her usual way, the Seraphim’s cheeks turned a rosy pink. Without quite meeting anyone’s gaze, the virtuous paladin cleared her throat once the enchanter finished speaking.

“I have known Noll on a professional level for many years. We have never been close, not the way you two are,” she motioned vaguely towards Jay. “But I have certainly known of him since before I ever unlocked my primary class.”

“Did Noll… Teach you…?” Alex asked in her innocent yet direct way.

“Not formally, no,” Severina replied hesitantly.

“Just a few lessons on the side, huh?” Kerr guessed.

“…not really.”

“Then… what?” Jay asked, not entirely sure why her blonde lover was growing more embarrassed by the second.

“I watched many of his exhibition matches against other high CLR mercenaries and soldiers. I studied his techniques closely and was able to replicate them well enough that I was granted a skill that, while perhaps not directly from Noll’s class skills, mimics the effect.”

“Sev,” Jay asked as her eyebrows rose to her hairline. “Are you telling me that you were a Noll fangirl when you were younger? Are you still a fangirl!?”

“I am not a fangirl!” Sev stated with prim conviction. “I have never heard that term before, but I can guess well enough what it implies. Please do not debase my dignity.”

“Do you have his autograph?” Syd grinned knowingly at the winged woman.

“I have nothing of the sort.”

“Okay, fair enough,” Syd leaned back, though her grin turned sly. “No autograph. I guess that means if I check your room back in Eldingholt, I won’t find any Noll related paraphernalia either, will I?”

There was a pause as many eyes stared at Severina with growing anticipation.

“…one sword. One! I trained with straight swords, and I thought it would be prudent to practice with a curved sword as well! One sword!”

“I am so happy right now,” Kerr whispered as she watched the panicking Seraphim with shinning eyes.

“It’s just one sword! It was an investment! One sword!”

“Um… should we just ask Noll to sign it for you?” Sabina asked with a mix of concern and optimism.

“No!”

“Just a suggestion…”