Chapter 80: Aila’s New Class

Chapter 80: Aila’s New Class “Hold still, you’ve got a bad cut here.” “Yes ma’am,” Syd groaned, wincing as Aila slathered more of the minty-smelling poultice on the back of her legs. “You need helmets. I have no idea how you managed to avoid having one or more of your skulls split open with how you three get knocked about in that fight,” Aila mused as she tended to Syd’s wounds. “Frankly, it’s a miracle.” “Not sure I didn’t put a bit of a crack in one,” Syd touched the back of her head gingerly. Aila slapped her hand away from the lump there, admonishing her not to mess up the application of aid she’d already given. Syd was lying face down on the grass of the valley, stripped of all armor and clothing except for her undergarments. All the wounds Jadis’ three selves had received over the course of the intense fight had been transferred onto her body so Aila could apply a healing salve while the other two of Jadis gathered the eyeball cores of the demons to turn in for bounties. The two also took the time to fully investigate the sea cove, looking for any signs of more danger or items of interest. Aila worked diligently to soothe and mitigate what damage she could, fretting over Jadis’ injuries while doing her best to not look like she was fretting. Jadis smiled to herself, immensely relieved just to have Aila safe and mostly uninjured despite her fall from the cliff. She was content to let Aila say and do whatever she wanted in whatever way she wanted, so long as she was unharmed. Seeing Aila drop off the edge had scared her more than any other moment in her fight against the gigantic sea bull monster. If she hadn’t been able to catch her in time, if Aila’s acrobatic enhancement from Dance of the D hadn’t given her the boost she needed to kick off from the cliff and into Dys’ arms, then Jadis wasn’t honestly sure she knew what she would have done. Ever since coming to Oros, Jadis had been dealing with near death experiences on almost a daily basis while fighting demons. The danger was real and she knew it was, but somehow, she handled it well, the fear and panic mostly staying in the back of her mind while the thrill of combat kept her focused. She didn’t feel invulnerable or anything, but she could accept the risks she was taking with her own life when she took bold action. She was putting in her best effort, so she didn’t fear the consequences of what could happen. Aila’s life, though, wasn’t something she wanted to risk again. Not that it was her choice. Aila wanted to be a mercenary. She wanted to cast battle magic and slay demons and be in the thick of combat. Jadis couldn’t tell her not to pursue what she wanted to do, not just because she herself was suddenly feeling nervous about her companion’s survivability in dangerous situations. What she could do, though, was swear to herself that she wouldn’t let Aila come that close to death ever again. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Syd asked, glancing over her shoulder at Aila. “I’m fine,” Aila said. “My health only went down by seventeen points. I’m very lucky you caught me.” “Quick thinking, pushing off the cliff like that,” Syd said, trying to not sound overprotective. “Very smart. I’m glad you have such good reflexes.” “Thank you,” Aila responded, eyes focused on her work. “And thank you again for saving me.” “Of course, any time,” Syd said with a half grin. “Though not literally, please. I’d like to keep you around.” “I’d like to keep around you, too,” Aila quipped, tone light, but with an undercurrent of some emotion Jadis thought might be bashfulness. A shy silence fell over the two for a short time as Aila continued to apply treatment to Jadis’ injuries. Briefly lacking something to say, Jadis had the thought to check through her mental notifications. One notification prompted her to break the silence. “Nice! I got level fourteen in my ritualist class,” she exclaimed happily before remembering to ask the most obvious question. “Oh, shit, did you check your notifications? Did you level?” Aila looked up from her self-imposed task of tending Jadis’ injuries and blinked owlishly, a confused look washing over her face. “Gods, I completely forgot to check. I just got so distracted by everything that happened...” she trailed off, a distant look enveloping her expression as she read something only she could see. A second later pure elation beamed from her face as she excitedly cried out her news. At the same time, she pounced at Syd, wrapping her arms around her neck and hugging her ecstatically. “I leveled! Level twenty!” “Congratulations!” Syd said, rolling over with a wince as she tried to hug her companion back. Two more shouts and whoops of congratulations also echoed in the cove from where Jadis’ other two selves joined in on the excitement. “Thank you, thank you!” Aila said between a flurry of little kisses applied to Syd’s cheeks and lips. “I owe you so much!” “No you don’t,” Syd assured, turning one of Aila’s little kisses into a deeper one. “I wanted to help you. You don’t need to give anything back.” Aila broke away from Jadis’ kiss and gave her a determined look that told her that Aila wouldn't be okay with just accepting her good will without giving something back. She didn’t push the matter, though. Aila had her own moral code, one that Jadis quite liked. If she felt she needed to show her appreciation, that was fine, so long as she knew Jadis wasn’t requiring anything in return for what she had done freely. “Alright, lie back down and let me finish bandaging you up,” Aila said while pushing Syd back into position on the ground. “Are you going to tell me what class options you got?” “Yes, definitely,” she nodded. “Let me review for a second and I’ll go over them with you. I’d like to discuss what might synergize best with you without crippling my own versatility. Hopefully the gods gave me several options of mage classes.” Syd raised an eyebrow curiously. “Did you get more than three options? I only ever got three for primary and secondary.” “No, just three. I’ve heard of some people getting more or less, but that’s unusual. I’ve heard some say the Hero gets dozens of different hero related classes to choose from, but I don’t know if that’s true.” As Aila explained, Jadis started to bring her other two bodies back up from the shore. She wanted all her selves to be present while Aila’s new class was decided. She was also just about done with her investigation of the sea cove, more or less. “Hey, before you start, it looks like there was some kind of fight here before we showed up,” Syd remarked, interrupting Aila’s commentary on class mechanics to give her the information her other selves were coming across. “Need me to apply any of this to either of you two?” “No, Syd’s wearing all the damage right now.” “Convenient,” Aila said before turning to repack her supplies. “Not for me,” Syd groaned as Dys helped her to her feet. “My back is killing me right now. It sucks being the injury mule.” “And this doubly fucking sucks,” Jay held up Syd’s leather pants-skirt, showing the torn material of the lower leg. “Just got these and already ruined.” “I’m sure Karla can patch them,” Aila said, slinging her pack onto her back, supplies and hatchling tucked away. Jay passed the leather pants-skirt to Syd so she could get them pulled on. “Nah. We can patch them. We’ve got a sewing needle and thread back at the inn.” “You mean like how you patched your old leather armor?” “Yeah,” Jay replied, picking up Syd’s shirt while Dys helped Syd hop into her pants. “You should probably just let Karla do the patching.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” Aila turned away and abruptly changed the subject. “So, my new classes. Let’s see...” Jadis eyed Aila suspiciously but decided to let the matter drop. She was more interested in finally learning about Aila’s new class options than she was in defending her admittedly poorly trained sewing ability. Aila read her first secondary class option aloud for Jadis to hear while Syd got dressed and reequipped. Supply-Line Strategist You have an excellent grasp of strategy and logistics, particularly when it comes to the supplies necessary to keep a military organization running. Taking this class will aid you in better running and coordinating an efficient supply chain for any form of military campaign. Skills from this class are focused on support, but there are some options that will aid in personal defense. “A quartermaster style class...” Aila said with barely hidden disdain. “I suppose that’s actually an extremely good upgrade from Cart Driver, if I was interested in that kind of career.” “No magic though, I bet,” Jay commented with a frown. “So, skip it.” “This next one has an odd name...” Battle-Ready Cliff Diver Surviving a lethal drop and then slaying the foe that threw you over the edge is a unique feat. This class will make you more capable of surviving deadly plunges without injury and will boost your attack power against enemies that wallow on the ground while you fall with style. This class’s skills can lead to powerful aerial attacks. “What is this?” Aila exclaimed, her voice growing more and more shocked as she read the description. “I’ve never heard of any class as ridiculous as this! Who would take a class that’s focused on falling off of cliffs? Why would the gods even offer something so— so wrong!” Jadis had paused while Aila had read out the odd class details. The description gave her an odd mental itch. Something told her it wasn’t gods in general dictating the classes Aila was being offered. Just one god in particular that was sticking his non-descript nose into her business. “I swear D, if you screwed Aila out of a good magic class I’ll track you down and choke you with your own cookies,” Dys whispered under her breath so Aila couldn’t hear. Aila was showing a lot of worry in her expression. “I guess there’s not a lot of options, huh?” She gave Jay a worried look. “But, it’s fine, as long as I get at least one magic class, it’ll be fine.” With a deep, nervous breath, she read the last class option out loud. Nephilim Powered Arcanist You’ve gained great arcane power from lewd interactions with a lost race, the Nephilim. See just how far your power can grow from continued licentious involvement with Nephilim by taking this class. Skills from this class will allow you to cast unique force spells, their power and effects changing and scaling depending on skill modifications and the level of charge applied. A gentle sea breeze was the only sound as Aila stared off into the distance. Jadis waited, all three of her stock still, anxiously watching the redhead. Aila slowly turned and looked up at Jay, bewildered. “Did what I read out loud really just imply—" “That your magic will be powered by fucking me?” Aila flinched, then nodded her head. “Yes, that’s what I thought.” There was another beat of silence before Jadis awkwardly gave an increasingly mortified Aila six thumbs up. “Congratulations?’ “...Thanks.”