Death Comes In Many Forms 2 (2/2)

A Necromancer with an overall Level of 20. In a place where the average monster was lucky to reach Level 3, she was unstoppable. Even with her pitiful physical attributes she could still easily punch anything in here to death.

This much was natural - both Jobs and Skills would provide an Attribute boost every time they went up in Level. Training and raising these was the best way of raising combat power, although not the only one. It was also possible to train one’s body and/or mind to increase specific Attributes, but it was not common practice. In the time it took for a warrior to gain STR +1 through the ‘special action’ of physical training, he could just as easily have earned himself almost six times as much through Level Ups. The difference in efficiency was simply incomparable.

However, anyone who looked at this Status Screen without knowing Valeria would be left scratching their head.

To begin with, Monster Tamer was an odd choice of secondary Job for Necromancer. The latter was famous for using waves of disposable undead, while the former revolved around painstakingly raising a small number of powerful pet monsters. There were merits and demerits to either approach, but they both amounted to the same thing - having something else fight your battles. Logically speaking, an adventurer would pick a secondary Job that either synergizes with their main one or makes them more versatile. Common sense dictated that this particular set-up was a very poor one.

The truth was that Valeria did in fact make a logical choice, albeit for very different reasons. The Necromancer Job, while well suited to solo adventurers, also caused side-effects like negative Faith (FTH) and a high proficiency level of Taboo. This ostracized these adventurers from most religious societies, which meant they would end up shunned and despised by almost every single Priest, Monk and Paladin. Even the paganistic Shamans and Druids would avoid contact with these self-proclaimed Lords of the Dead. And something all these callings had in common was that they were healers - Jobs that could instantly mend wounds and restore vitality through their magic. This meant that a Necromancer never had a healer with them, which meant that the vast majority of other adventurers avoided them on principle. After all, nobody in their right mind was willing to risk their lives on grueling Quests without the safety net of healing magic.

In a way, a Necromancer was almost always forced down the road of solitude. But that was perfect for them. Their desires were almost entirely selfish anyway, not to mention the questionable and unethical rituals they would sometimes perform were bound to shock and disgust others. In a way, the Necromancer Job was perfect for Valeria as a person. The Monster Tamer job, on the other hand, was perfect for her secret hobby.  After all, it was a simple fact that living monsters could do things that the rotting undead were ill-equipped to handle.

“Maybe the cause is a random Cave Troll that wandered in?”

Valeria shuddered at the possibilities. Her facade was quickly breaking down again.

”Huhuehehehe! Or maybe a Werewolf!? Either one of those would be perrrrfect!”

In truth, there were several ways of being saddled with negative FTH and Taboo. To Valeria, her Necromancer Job was an excellent way of explaining her Status to people with a high-level Appraisal Skill. If questioned, she could simply put on a ‘can’t be helped’ sort of attitude and blow it over. In some ways she was extremely fortunate the acts she committed did not put something truly damning on her Status Screen. Something like, for example, a Monster Breeder Skill.

Valeria desperately needed a new toy. Her last pet, a Level 7 Gray Wolf, could not keep up with her demands and had simply expired. It was a good ride, so his owner found it a pity when the beast’s life ran out from all the abuse. Just remembering those long nights was enough to drive her wet.

“MMmmnn…”

She moaned softly. It had been too long since the last session. She leaned absentmindedly against a wall and sheepishly snuck a few fingers into her damp panties. Two digits pressed against her sodden entrance, her lower lips quivering slightly in anticipation. She was in the middle of a dark dungeon where anyone could walk in on her. The excitement egged her on until she could no longer stand it. Her highly immoral fantasies ran wild. And just as she was imagining being penetrated, her dreams became reality.

Critical damage sustained. HP -145.

The overwhelming force of the blow has left you stunned for 5 seconds.

A sword had punctured through the nape of her neck. The sudden thrust had driven the blade completely through her throat, leaving the bloodied tip poking out from underneath her chin.

You are bleeding heavily from an open wound. HP -10.

The entirely unremarkable and wholly non-magical lump of iron was pulled out of her, leaving a large vertical slit on her bloodied neck. She collapsed like a puppet with her strings cut and fell to the floor with a thud.

You are bleeding heavily from an open wound. HP -10.

“Kuh! Kuhah! Koff!”

Valeria sputtered blood from her mouth when her head hit the ground. Her mind was still reeling from the effects of the Stun condition, unable to comprehend what was happening.

You are bleeding heavily from an open wound. HP -10.

“Keh… Ple-Kuh!” she coughed weakly, her blood splattering against the cold stone floor. She could not even muster a scream before darkness overtook her vision.

You are bleeding heavily from an open wound. HP -10.

You are no longer stunned.

You died.