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Incursion Empire Ch. 13
🕑 Added 2025-04-14 16:47:11 +0000 UTCThirteen
For the first time he got to work his way through his stat screen and see the growth happen. Dane knew the in and outs of early leveling, the work needed to be done. His original plan had been to become a [Scout], [Skirmisher], or [Ranger]. Using skills to flesh out a survivalist build that would work well in the woods or in the future could work in cities.
The contract had changed everything he knew. His build was now no longer plotted out with the appropriate skills to supplement his class abilities. The first ten levels only gave two points per level until one unlocked their class. Dane’s was giving him three, which didn’t seem like much, but it was an extra fifty percent compared to others.
Too bad their pre-selected stats. I would have liked to work my own growth out. We can reason this out. The class description was that [Warlock] is a base class for those who have demonic bloodlines. Casting [Hellfire] takes a physical toll rather than a mana stat like most will have. Gaining vitality and strength make sense. Summoning must be an intelligence stat based ability. If what the demon said is correct, I can explore further options later on, but it seems likely they’ll all need strength, vitality, and intelligence to work. If I lean into summoning, I should work on growing Tolic stronger, which will require more time to earn class abilities as I’ll be giving Tolic the cores. I don’t want him getting stronger than me, that seems like a bad idea. A few level disparity would be good. Focus on myself, then build up Tolic.
Dane Rawlings
Lvl. 2
Race: Human
Stats
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 10
Endurance: 10
Vitality:11
Intelligence: 9
Mana Core: F-Grade
Body: F-Grade
Bloodline: F-Grade
Class: Warlock
F-Grade Cores Captured
6/100
“I can hear you scheming over there. Guess you’re not going to give me any of those cores,” Tolic complained as he floated around the dead corpses.
“Not yet. What are you doing?”
“I’m looking for anything that would be decent to take.”
“I thought you just said you can only take a creature with an intact core?” Dane asked, genuinely puzzled.
“If I want it to last. But I absorbed enough strength from the last core to hold a corpse together for a little bit. If anyone heard that fight, they’ll be heading toward us. I don’t mind being a distraction but I’d rather be helpful.”
“Really?” Dane asked, not believing the spirit in the least.
“I enjoy the flesh suits, what can I say? It reminds me of before damnation.”
“I think the one I hit in the eye is in fairly good shape. Less broken than the others at least. Assuming you don’t mind the damaged brain and ruined eye?”
“Not like I need a brain,” Tolic said as he flew over to the dead scout and leaned over the corpse.
“You did hear yourself, right?” Dane asked as he dismissed his screens and got to his feet. He found a good sword and strapped it to his waist. He wasn’t going to specialize in swordplay, but having a weapon other than the dagger was a good idea.
“I heard it the moment I said it.” Tolic grabbed the Aji-Abami and squirmed inside of the dogman. Dane watched as the dogman jerked a few times before rising in a mechanical, unnatural way. Tolic seemed to have been much better at maneuvering the monster they had overwhelmed.
“Can you use its vocal chords? Speak their language?”Dane asked, a plan formulated in a moment. Tolic barked and then yipped and growled a few times.
“That’s the most I can do. If she had been still alive when I possessed her, I might have been able to use some of her memory to speak the language,” Tolic said in Dane’s mind.
“Good to know. Let’s head toward where they came from. See if there’s a larger camp we can clear out before you break that body,” Dane said. He had searched each of the corpses, looking for any type of information he could use. None of them had anything on them but weapons.
Tolic led them, sniffing heavily until they found the tracks that the scouts had created before they climbed up the trees. Dane took the lead and used his new tracking skill. It wasn’t really needed with how poorly the eight scouts had covered their tracks, but he was hoping to level up the skill with a bit of work.
For nearly an hour they followed the tracks deeper into the woods. The sun was up and warmth had begun to permeate the air to the point it was nearly comfortable for Dane. His elemental resistance was slow leveling and was keeping him from developing frostbite, but not enough to keep him comfortable.
“This corpse is falling apart. Only have a few minutes to go,” Tolic warned. Dane looked over at the dogman and really looked at it for the first time. The fur had sloughed off wherever the armor was covering, bone showing as Tolic continued to force the creature along.
“I can smell something. There’s more of them close by,” Tolic said, head turning to look to their left.
“Run that way, growl and yip like you're hurt. Distract them while I get behind them,” Dane ordered the spirit. Tolic grunted and took off fast, legs pumping even as he was falling apart, baying as loud as he could. Dane took off at an angle, hooking around and to the side and prayed that the other Aji-Abami would be distracted by this. His arm had returned to normal and the sword on his hip reassured him as he ran.
Shafts of golden light shone through the gaps in the trees, casting shadows and reflecting off the snow. A wind blew against Dane’s face, cold and harsh, clean and invigorating. Birds trilled and the after images of the aurora had faded away in the light of day.
This is what I’ve wanted. Running toward a fight with no thoughts to who or what I am. Freedom from the shadows.
Ahead of him he heard Tolic’s barking fade away. Only to be replaced by other Aji-Abami to start howling into the new silence. Dane stopped and waited, a hundred yards away from Tolic’s collapsed corpse. The spirit didn’t come out of the corpse, staying inside of the body while the dogmen came out of the trees to cluster around the corpse.
They looked distressed, looking at the corpse and the skin that had fallen off of it. Dane kept waiting for more stragglers, but it looked like this was it. Just four more scouts to collect. Heat began to radiate from his arm as he raised it and took aim, breathing slowly as he looked at his target.
Tolic burst forth from the corpse and bolted away as [Hellfire] poured out of Dane’s arm and struck the corpse Tolic had just been occupying. The body blew up like a bomb, tossing all four of the scouts like ragdolls. Dane was already running with his dagger outstretched, reaching the closest of the scouts before it had time to recover.
Dane swiped as he ran, opening a scarlet line across its throat. The runes began to glow along the blade. Tolic flashed by him and slammed into the dying dogman, possessing him in an instant.
Aji-Abami growls greeted him as he slammed into the second of the soldiers. Dane kicked the scout in the face as he got close, the scout’s head snapped to the side and fell on his back. Dane followed the scout down and rammed the blade home, hilt heating as life was sucked free.
Steel clanged and Dane looked up to see Tolic dueling one of the other scouts, blades danced back and forth but it looked like Tolic was going to lose. If Tolic had to care about being hurt. The spirit let the scout run him through, blade piercing armor and emerging out the back. Tolic lifted his sword and stabbed the scout through the throat without hesitation to the scout’s surprise.
“Come eat this guy,” Tolic said to him as he walked past the dying scout and toward the next one, sword still in his chest. The fourth scout bolted, turned and ran without hesitation as Dane and Tolic stared for a moment. Dane got up and gave the dying scout a mercy blow, earning another core for his collection.
“That body going to last you?” Dane asked as Tolic tried to tug the sword out of his chest.
“No, it’s core is much weaker and was mortally wounded. Maybe an hour. Don’t think this ruse will work again, not with that scout running.”
“True. But we now have a fresh trail to follow,” Dane pointed out the footsteps in the snow. The possessed body grunted and left the sword in his chest as it refused to budge.
“Let’s earn some more levels then,” Tolic said.
