Callie's Heroes

PART II - A DISHONORABLE DENIAL

“So, tell us everything,” Master Trainer Thorn said eagerly as he settled in his seat. He had the look of a cub in a sweets shop in anticipation of hearing all about Jesca’s new reveals. Next to him sat Reynard in his rocking chair, looking almost as eager.

Inwardly, Jesca sighed, partially in annoyance at their enthusiasm, but also partially in surrender. It seemed that this was to be her fate in life. She had a duty to the war, but Thorn and Reynard’s whispers implied she had a duty to the Beastkin people, too. What that might mean, she couldn’t imagine, and she dreaded it.

“Sure!” Jesca said with false brightness, patting Artemis gently on her neck. “Some of them are really easy to understand, like Create Water.”

“The Druid skill?” Thorn asked.

“If it’s the same, yes,” Jesca said. She’d seen Tazrok cast something that created water, and had assumed it was unique to that class . Well, apparently it wasn’t. ‘Lucky me’ she thought to herself sarcastically.

Jesca forced a smile again and continued. “I had that Season spell revealed, the Culinar one that Pama has been teaching us, along with a Mounted Combat perk. That one only works with Bonded Companions, though.” She gestured towards Artemis with her head. “She’s not big enough to hold me yet, although I did get a melded Enlarge skill that increases a Companion’s size and strength, so she might be if I used that on her. I’m not sure what might happen if she was wearing a saddle, though. Oh, it’s reversible, so it is able to shrink her down even smaller if I had some reason to.”

“Melded? What’s it based on?” Reynard asked.

“Bonded Animal Companion and oddly Summon Component,” Jesca replied. It was a strange pairing, but again from Callie’s description, it meant something about the Summon Component spell helped the new spell be created, and as a result, it was Silver rather than Bronze.

Thorn seemed to ponder the information, his brain immediately looking towards the tactical and training implications of the new reveals. Reynard held much the same expression on his face. Jesca cringed a little. She felt like she was some specimen being studied, her only value being the strength of her powers and how interesting they might be, not by who she was as a person. But she was used to that. All her life her only value seemed to be her ability to eventually make more Beastkin, to do something that someone else wanted her to do, and this only felt like more of the same.

“What of that Bonded Companion skill? I assume there were improvements?”

Jesca nodded, still wearing her false brightness. “The number of Companions I can have has risen to three now, and I can telepathically speak to them, and through me they can telepathically speak to each other, too. It’s a little strange to speak to each other that way, but Artemis and I have been working to get used to it already.”

“Similar to what we thought would happen,” Thorn said as if mentally checking something off a list. “Do any of your new skills affect your Companions? Oh, that’s right, you mentioned Enlarge. Anything else?”

“Um …” Jesca said, reviewing the recent reveals. “When I use my Recall skill, if they are injured, my Companions are slowly healed until I call them again. I also received something called Beastmaster’s Fury, which I can cast either on my Companions or on myself. Later tiers will allow me to cast it on other Beastkin, too. It appears to increase damage and focus, at the expense of defensive abilities. Instinctive Dodge doesn’t work when it’s active, for example.”

“A form of Berserker Rage?” Reynard suggested to Thorn, who quickly concurred.

“We were expecting something like that one, too,” Thorn said.

The interrogation continued for over a half hour, Jesca talking in more detail through each new power she’d received, reviewing the improvements to her existing ones, and listening to the brainstorming as to any strategic impact on the class. Charm Animal, a low-mana channeled skill which would allow her to turn any calmed animal into something akin to a temporary Companion, or at least be able to give them orders to follow, and would even affect Beastkin at higher tiers. She could only currently do it on up to two animals at once, though. The melded Distract skill would create a noise at a distant location, which could also be empowered with a small charm, almost like being able to throw a Taunt. Companion Form, the shape-changing ability Reynard and everyone else had been so eager to see, that would allow Jesca to shapeshift into the form of any Bonded Companion she’d ever been paired with. Right now, that would be limited to becoming a unicorn.

On the combat front, Jesca’s new Elemental Weapon skill, which was melded off Elemental Shot and her Whip perk, would allow her to imbue any natural weapon she wielded with fire or lightning elemental effects. Since Jesca’s whips were leather with wood cores in the handles, they could be used with the new spell, however her steel swords could not. She wasn’t seeing this as a huge issue, though. Because her Camouflage skill only affected natural items, Jesca hadn’t been using her actual steel swords much, and had replaced her daggers with a set made out of Ironwood, like the Druids and Shamans used. Reynard had briefly suggested Ironwood swords, but Thorn pointed out the material didn’t hold up as well when used defensively with larger weapons. Jesca thought it likely she’d move her personal style away from sword combat towards using whips, with a dagger or shield offhand, or possibly a second whip if she wanted to get creative. That could make all her fighting styles natural weapons, then.

While the two trainers descended into their own discussions about how best to make use of Jesca’s new powers, Jesca found herself simply feeling overwhelmed. Artemis tried to provide some comfort by resting her head on Jesca’s arm, but that served to remind the Cheetahkin of everything as much as give aid.

“Any other skills or perks that you received?” Thorn finally asked.

For nearly a half-second Jesca considered telling the trainers about the last skill, but then decided not to. She knew it was a purposeful deception, and a part of her hated herself for it, but the implications were just too much for Jesca to handle right now. She needed some time to think first, and maybe talk it through with her friends. Embracing the skill committed her to something she wasn’t ready to be part of, and honestly didn’t want.

“No, that’s everything,” Jesca lied, putting a big smile on her face.

“Excellent!” Reynard said, clapping his paws together and actually looking quite happy, considering how down he’d been only a few days before. “Congratulations on reaching Bronze. Your new powers seem quite the enhancement to your Beastmaster class.”

“Trainer Rowani can help you with the Create Water skill,” Thorn said. “She can also work with you on the shapeshifting, as can Trainers Cheena and Maugra. Absolutely do not do shapeshifting until you have. I’ve heard that people can get stuck in their animal form if they aren’t careful.” Thorn shrugged, adding, “I don’t know if that’s true, but wait and work with them all the same.”

“Sure,” Jesca said, continuing with the fake happy smile.

“Thank you again for meeting with us before breakfast,” Reynard added. “I know it was early, but I didn’t want to pull you out of your training with the Demons today, and we knew you would be awake already.”

“Not a problem,” Jesca said, trying to be chipper. It was true, she was already awake, but honestly, all this could have waited until after training was over for the day. She needed to talk to her friends.

Finally able to get away, Jesca debated running some more, but the first morning wake-up bell had rung a bit ago, and the morning meal would be soon. At best she’d get another eight to fourteen minutes before that, depending how accurate the bell-ringer was today. There simply wasn’t much of a point. She also did want to check in on Lena before the day started and see how she was doing, so decided to get dressed back at her stable bedroom, and then go do that.

“Why not say all?”

“What?” Jesca asked telepathically, looking down at Artemis.

“You did not say about all new powers.”

“Hey, what did I say about reading my thoughts!”

“You think very very extra loud. Hard to not hear. Think quieter then.”

This two-way telepathy thing was going to take some getting used to.

“But why not say?” Artemis asked again.

“I’m … I’m not ready,” Jesca said quietly non-telepathically. “Not yet.” She knew it was being dishonest, maybe even dishonorable, and she hated it. But if she told them, then everything would change. Taking a deep breath, she asked the question again, almost dreading the answer.

WHAT IS BEASTMASTER’S INSPIRATION

SKILL: BEASTMASTER’S INSPIRATION

MANA USAGE: AURA EFFECT - LOW (CHANNELED) / PULSE EFFECT - MEDIUM

CASTING TIME: INSTANT

COOLDOWN TIME: AURA (NONE) / 30 SECONDS (PULSE)

CHARGES:1

DESCRIPTION: This skill creates an aura of primal will around the caster that, at Bronze Tier, is able to affect only animals and Beastkin. The general effectiveness of this aura is strongly related to the caster's confidence and leadership charisma. The aura lasts for up to ten minutes on those affected, after the caster stops channeling the skill. The aura itself functions as a suggestive charm, bypassing passive charm resistance, but not active resistance or immunity.

Animals and Beastkin within the aura gain the following benefits:

Increased Morale: Their fighting spirit is bolstered, improving confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline.

Enhanced Combat: Their attack accuracy, damage output, defense, and agility are improved.

Minor Fear Resistance: They gain partial resistance to fear.

Shared Tactics: The caster can mentally push tactics and commands to Beastkin and animal allies affected by the aura, sending instinct-like instructions as well as synchronizing and improving their coordination.

Pack Strength: Animals and Beastkin influenced by this skill’s aura lend their combined primal wills to the caster, increasing the caster’s power based on the number affected and their tier. This unified Pack Strength, in turn, further amplifies the aura’s other effects, and improves the caster’s mana and stamina regeneration rates.

The caster is also able to direct an active pulse of will towards an individual, which will utilize a charge. This pulse will only affect animals and Beastkin. The general effectiveness of this pulse effect is strongly related to the caster's confidence and leadership charisma. These are active charm effects which can be partially or fully negated by charm resistance or immunity. This pulse can have the following effects:

Soothe: Attempts to calm strong emotions, or clear situational confusion, allowing clear thinking and reaction by the target.

Counter Fear: Attempt to dispel an active fear effect on a single target.

Stun: Briefly psychically stun a single target, leaving them mentally and physically disoriented.

As this skill improves, its range and power will increase, and it will be able to also affect close allies that are not Beastkin. The aura will also add regeneration bonuses to mana and stamina, and pulse effects will be usable on multiple targets in close proximity to each other.

Confidence and leadership charisma? Seriously? Those were two of the exact things that Jesca had none of! How could she be expected to use a skill like this when it requires confidence? Was this the fates simply playing yet another joke on her? She absolutely was not a leader and had no desire to be one! After all, she was nothing but a silly girl from a nowhere village south of Imor.