Chapter 278: Royal Advice (1/2)
Looking to her left, there was Terok, working his way into the marble as he cursed. To her right was the machine holding Maro, king of Rhyvor. Ilea sighed, finding herself calm despite the rather embarrassing outburst she just had. It should be embarrassing…, She thought, caring little about the queen’s opinion on the matter. Her emotions had been in a turmoil. Pragmatically, Ilea knew she had been through a lot of extreme situations in the past years. A lot of situations that could’ve caused trauma or resulted in some other form of damage or stress on her mind. She was feeling alright, her healing or meditation taking care of the worst.
She had nightmares, although rarely. She was in control of herself, didn’t shake or had outbursts. At least other than the one that had happened just now. Sighing, she clenched her fists. “Trying to keep it together?” She heard a voice to her right, looking at the king, his bushy gray beard and hair unkempt. Ilea couldn’t help but laugh at the look and her ridiculous situation.
Could be worse. She thought, walking towards the king. “A year, two? I was living a peaceful life in a realm devoid of magic and monsters. Now I’m more powerful than most humans. I could influence wars you know?”
He didn’t laugh, didn’t comment with a joke. Maro looked at her and nodded lightly, “I was made king. Of a country that grew around me, built by capable friends and the queen. Running away always seemed like a lovely option.”
Ilea grabbed a chair and sat down next to him, “Why didn’t you?”
“I did. Several times. Until Elana took over. I was out on my expeditions, in unknown dungeons or fighting monsters previously unthinkable. The deal was that I had to be in Tremor for a week every two months. That was all.” Maro explained. “Though I still wish I hadn’t been king… or as involved as I was. In the end I was here for a month, then I didn’t leave anymore at all. Too many people I knew, too many lives I dared not lose.”
Ilea smiled, “Could’ve been just a warrior… head of the expedition force or something.”
“I don’t know if you noticed Miss Ilea but I’m terribly good looking. How could I refuse the position of king. The humble, charming and strong king Maro.” He said it all with a mocking tone, winking at her in the end. “Don’t make the mistakes I did. Learn about who you are and don’t entangle yourself in a life that shackles and binds you.”
Ilea looked at the machine clinging to his body, “Fitting metaphor.” The man laughed, nodding in the end.
“Can you trim my beard and shorten my hair a little?” He asked, Ilea’s brows rising.
Ilea checked through her necklace but found her cleanup had left her without any knifes, “I’m neither a hairdresser nor do I have the necessary tools.”
The king shook his head lightly, “You’re an ash creator… I think that is sufficient to cut through hair, if your skill is at the necessary level for your two hundred and sixty. Plus you’re a healer and I have a high pain tolerance.”
Ilea nodded, forming something like a blade of ash in her hand, making the element as dense as possible, “You have the second tier?”
“Perhaps.” The man replied.
She chuckled and stood up, taking a couple steps towards him, “Why not tell her what it does?”
The man looked a little hurt before he grinned, “There is enough pain in the world isn’t there Miss Ilea.” Not really an answer but Ilea understood well enough.
Taking the knife to his hair, she started cutting. The blade of ash wasn’t exactly the sharpest tool she had ever used but it did the job with a bit of applied force, “What necessary skill level did you mean?”
His head was bobbing up and down from the forceful hair care, “At least second stage, anybody not human would expect second tier level twenty. Third tier helps, that at the maximum level as well of course.”
“Did you do all that? Heard you’re at three hundred already. Any pointers? Third class?” Ilea asked, checking the symmetry of her work with her sphere. Definitely not a hidden talent in cutting hair.
“I am, finally broke through a couple years ago. Getting all second tier skills up to twenty was definitely worth it for the evolutions. I doubt it’s possible with the third tier skills, assuming you don’t want to train for a few hundred years alone and hidden away. The skills need high level enemies to get higher, same as class levels after three hundred.”
“What are you at now?” Ilea asked, accidentally cutting into his flesh and drawing blood. The wound was healed again immediately.
He didn’t even react, “Three ten. Oh, might be interesting, third tier skill points are rewarded at three hundred and three ten. I think it’s every ten levels after three hundred. Haven’t gotten a third class so far but several sources… all unreliable mentioned having gotten one after three hundred. Through one reckless idiocy or another.”
Ilea knew Terok had mentioned something similar. “I can add another unreliable source to that. What did you try already?” She was already feeling better about not training up her third tier skills to the maximum before advancing to three hundred.
“Not much. There wasn’t enough time and the war had started already. Facing down a Soul Ripper hadn’t done it. Neither had slaughtering a whole company of mercenaries.” Maro talked about it as if neither was worth a mention.
Ilea nodded and cleaned away the loose hair with some ash that formed around his head. “You’ll find something I’m sure.”
Maro laughed, “You’ll be able to tell me about it. I don’t think you’ll be able to clear out the Kingsguard before reaching three hundred. Maybe that will give you another class? I heard they give minor bonuses though. I’m more interested what your evolutions hold. A healer and ash creator. I always though ash was suited more for medium or close range rather than long range. Is it an extension of your body already?”
Ilea felt no need to keep something like that from him, “It is. The only downside is my inability to teleport if it touches the enemy.”
He nodded, “Once your control gets to the point of perfection that will hardly matter. Trust me.”
Ilea smiled, “I’ve been a little unsure how to spend my stats. All of them seem important.” The man had something about him that made her trust him. There’s a reason he was made king. A reason Terok trusted him so easily compared to Elana. “Is it a spell?”
Maro laughed again, his green eyes sparkling. His hair looked much better now. Not well cut but at least not as wild and unkempt as it had been before, “It isn’t if you can believe it. You can trust me however, if that makes it any easier. I believe people have a better intuition than they think. I have no interest in misleading or manipulating you Miss Ilea. You are after all an interesting warrior, one that could free me from this self inflicted predicament.”
Ilea stared at him, trying to discern anything in the mana around her. Without a sight for it it was impossible of course. At least if it was something more subtle. Perhaps it was his smell. Charm or charisma…, A hard to define trait but with this man it was almost graspable. Ilea was annoyed, remembering descriptions in romance novels she had tried to read. She wasn’t attracted to him but she trusted him, for no reason at all. “Are you sure there isn’t anything magical about it? Are you human at all?”
The man smiled again, “Some mages talked about how my mana flows weirdly but I believe its a combination of all my great traits. Handsome looks, peak humor, perfect physique…,”
Ilea interrupted him as she started trimming, “Magnificent beard.”
“Exactly. What about your stats? Vitality and Wisdom are likely most important. Especially facing monsters of greater level and alone. No matter how much Intelligence or Strength you have, you won’t be able to avoid damage or prolonged battles.”
Ilea had done as much, the two her highest leveled stats. “Intelligence boosts all my magic, my auras, creation and manipulation as well as Mana Intrusion spells. Still, Strength is specifically boosted by my auras. Would I get more damage out of my stats if I invested in Strength rather than Intelligence?”
Maro thought for a while, “It’s a balancing act. How many of your skills are of magical nature? How many of purely physical? If your auras… body enhancement I assume, boost Strength, I suggest not leaving it behind completely. Fighting close combat you shouldn’t completely ignore Dexterity either.”
“What about you? You’re a necromancer. A mage. How is your distribution?” Ilea asked.
“Asking the king of a powerful nation about his stat distribution. You remind me of myself Miss Ilea.”