Rebirth of the Nephilim

“And that should settle your attribute points, yes?”

“That’s all,” Sorcha nodded, only looking up from the herbs she was tying together for a second. “I’ve allocated everything.”

“Good,” Aila said as she turned several pages of her journal. “Then I believe the only one left is Meli.”

“I have only one attribute point to distribute and one new skill unlocked,” the Dryad stated immediately, already prepared for her turn. “I will be placing the point into my Divine attribute.”

“That would be from your tertiary class, correct? Four to Six?”

“Yes.”

Jay nodded along as Aila and Meli spoke, paying only partial attention. She already knew what levels everyone had gained from the battle at Nonia. Over the past few days, she and her lovers had spoken individually or in small groups, so she had been filled in piecemeal. This meeting was just to make sure that everyone was on the same page with everyone else’s abilities, since they were so close to beginning the march to Kastoria.

Jadis had gained just one level from the battle, and it had been in her tertiary class. While it was frustrating, the reality was that she had hit the wall that stopped even the most determined people on Oros from progressing further with their levels. Her classes were all considered high by average standards, especially Mirror Knight. A single battle where she didn’t even utilize the full spread of her skills and spells wasn’t going to be enough to get her a level anymore. Plus, all the bonus experience floating around had been shared with others, so she hadn’t benefited as much as she would have if she had been alone or with just a small group. She was past CLR one hundred, so earning enough experience to level was going to take a lot more effort.

Still, she had gained at least one level, and since it was level twenty-four in her progenitor class, that meant she had been given two free attribute points to place where she pleased. Naturally, there was no real argument to be made for her to put them anywhere but her Eldritch stat. Thanks to the force multiplier that was her many rituals and skills, the two points were transformed into nine points as her Eldritch jumped from nine hundred and four to nine hundred and thirteen. Then there was the accompanying change to her Agility, followed by all the minor increases to her other physical stats, and those two points made quite a difference. And that wasn’t even taking her Lewd Lover’s Bond into account.

Jadis Ahlstrom

Race: Nephilim

Primary Class: Mirror Knight (44)

Secondary Class: Perverted Ritualist of D (36)

Tertiary Class: Progenitor of the Succubi (24)

Combined Level Rating: 104

Health: 3170/3170

Magic: 1500/1500

Attributes

Strength: 496

Dexterity: 192

Agility: 913

Vitality: 242

Fortitude: 277

Endurance: 224

Arcane: 0

Divine: 0

Eldritch: 913

Focus: 120

Resilience: 115

Will: 35

   Almost everyone else had similar results to Jadis. Not the dramatic increase in stats from just a couple of attribute points, of course; they had all received one or two levels from the battle. Some had gotten more interesting levels than she had, just due to the fact that they had unlocked new skills, but not everyone had been so lucky. Honestly, Jadis wished she had more time to take her girls on some power-leveling trips, but time had run short. Besides, she supposed once they were on the move to Kastoria, they would have plenty of opportunities to gain experience.

Aila had gained two levels, both in her magister class, taking it from nine to eleven. She had put her single free attribute point into Focus, and she had selected a ritual spell for her new skill.

Custom Greater Ritual I

Ritual Spell. Create a ritual spell based on pre-existing spells that you are already capable of casting. The form and function of the ritual, as well as the resulting effect, can be customized within certain parameters. As a Greater Ritual, this spell’s casting time and requirements cannot be lessened by normal means. This spell cannot be copied or replicated.

Jadis was extremely interested to see what kind of ritual Aila was going to come up with, since she had been given the leeway to customize the experience. Both because a custom greater ritual sounded amazing, and because she knew her bonded lover wasn’t going to disappoint her when it came to the lewd factor. She wasn’t expecting something on the level of the magical walls of Eldingholt, but her hopes were high.

However, as Aila had told her with a smile, she would just have to wait to find out the details later.

Aila of Red Tree

Race: Human

Primary Class: Cart Driver (34)

Secondary Class: Nephilim Powered Arcanist (38)

Tertiary Class: Bonded Magister of the Arcane Soul (11)

Combined Level Rating: 83

Health: 1260/1260

Magic: 860/860

Attributes

Strength: 13

Dexterity: 15

Agility: 20

Vitality: 81

Fortitude: 35

Endurance: 15

Arcane: 793

Divine: 0

Eldritch: 0

Focus: 61

Resilience: 30

Will: 15

   Eir had gained three levels in total, one for her primary class, and two for her saint class. Jadis had been surprised that Bonded Saint hadn’t gone higher, but the truth was that Eir hadn’t been near most of the fighting, so she had only gained a little bit of incidental bonus experience. Regardless, the jump from level thirty-nine to level forty in her cleric class gave Eir ten free attribute points. Combined with the single point she got from level two in her tertiary, and the elf had a lot to spend.

One point each was placed in her Strength and Agility attributes, while the remaining nine were put into her Fortitude attribute. While the first two were just to make Vitality her lowest stat, and therefore the only option for Exhibitionistic Accession, Eir had put the rest of her points into Fortitude simply as a precaution. While she had no business fighting on a battlefield, that didn’t mean she wasn’t in danger while healing on the backlines. A little extra defense could save her life. Besides, as the cleric had pointed out, thanks to her level three skill in her saint class, she wasn’t hurting for Divine attribute points.

Jadis’ Fervor

Passive Skill. Increases the Divine attribute by 12 points.

The funny thing about the big stat boost was that the wording was the same as Lyssandria’s Fervor, except that it was two points more. Jadis didn’t think that was because she was a more powerful source of Divine magic than Lyssandria, but she wondered if it had to do with how close she was to Eir, or perhaps the other way around. Eir was her saint, after all, and she was her unflinching protector. Their devotion to each other was unbreakable.

Eir Aedraheill

Race: Elf

Primary Class: Beloved Cleric of Lyssandria (40)

Secondary Class: Lustful Oracle of D (21)

Tertiary Class: Bonded Saint of Jadis (3)

Combined Level Rating: 64

Health: 1090/1090

Magic: 3420/3420

Attributes

Strength: 11

Dexterity: 12

Agility: 11

Vitality: 64

Fortitude: 20

Endurance: 131

Arcane: 0

Divine: 524

Eldritch: 0

Focus: 342

Resilience: 47

Will: 136

   Speaking of devotion, Kerr had received a single level, but it was level twenty-one in her Bonded Slut Sniper class, and thus she was given a couple of powerful options to choose from. The one Kerr went with was suitably lustful for her tastes and was also strange enough that Aila had already written an outline for an essay on the unique skill that she planned on submitting to the university at some point in the future.

Quiver In Need

Passive Skill. A phantom arrow quiver is now permanently equipped to your person. When not in use, the quiver and its contents are invisible and incorporeal. At will, you may draw arrows from this quiver. No more than 30 arrows may be stored in this quiver. Normal arrows cannot be stored in this quiver. Each climax achieved with a different individual refills the quiver with 1 arrow. Each climax achieved with your bonded lover refills the quiver with 10 arrows. These arrows can be affected by other Slut Sniper skills.

Naturally, Kerr had already filled the phantom quiver to capacity.

The other interesting development regarding Kerr was the fact that her Strength score had surpassed Jadis’ already insanely high number. Thanks to the combination of a decent starting score, Lewd Lover’s Bond, and her recently acquired Nox Archer’s Growing Might, Kerr’s total was up to five hundred and nineteen, which was twenty-three points above Jadis. As amusing as that change was for the archer, even Kerr had to admit that it was more Strength than she reasonably needed. While she did have a skill that benefited from a high Strength score, her normal bow shots did not increase damage past a certain point. Even her enchanted metal bow had an upper limit on tension, which she had passed long ago. Ultimately, Kerr would be better served if she were to gain more points in Dexterity, which would help her accuracy and increase the chances of unlocking skills that would increase her range. It was something they would have to figure out later, though, since just switching her lewdly bonded stat would make her enchanted bow unusable.

Kerr of Clan Nox

Race: Therion

Primary Class: Nox Archer (42)

Secondary Class: Far Wilds Traveler (36)

Tertiary Class: Bonded Slut Sniper (21)

Combined Level Rating: 99

Health: 600/600

Magic: 0/0

Attributes

Strength: 519

Dexterity: 111

Agility: 75

Vitality: 15

Fortitude: 98

Endurance: 31

Arcane: 0

Divine: 0

Eldritch: 0

Focus: 0

Resilience: 16

Will: 0

   Thea was one of the more fortunate, as she had gained three levels in her tertiary class. Her reward had been two free attribute points, both of which she had added to her Will, and a simple but long-missing passive skill that further enhanced her defensive capabilities.

Scale Armor Mastery I

Passive skill. Provides a minor boost to the defensive value of armor worn that falls under the category of scale, such as brigandine, lorica, and lamellar.

While it wasn’t anything fancy, Thea was just glad to finally have a passive skill for armor mastery. It locked her into scale-type armors, but that was the type that she favored anyway, and Sabina was more than capable of crafting every variety of scale that the shieldmaiden could ever need. The smith probably would have made Thea a new set of armor already if she wasn’t so frantically busy with her own enchantment preparations for the coming march.

Thea of Cold Brook

Race: Human

Primary Class: Imperial Soldier (41)

Secondary Class: Shieldsworn Guard (36)

Tertiary Class: Bonded Shieldmaiden of Jadis (8)

Combined Level Rating: 85

Health: 700/700

Magic: 820/820

Attributes

Strength: 25

Dexterity: 10

Agility: 20

Vitality: 25

Fortitude: 480

Endurance: 52

Arcane: 456

Divine: 0

Eldritch: 0

Focus: 82

Resilience:501

Will: 13

   Bridget’s single level was a source of frustration for both the orc and everyone else. To be only one level away from unlocking her third class was a nearly unbearable tease, but the wait would not be long. Jadis was certain that Bridget would be getting the final level needed during the march to Kastoria, as would everyone else who had yet to reach that milestone.

For the single level in her lantern knight class, Bridget had received two attribute points, which she put into her Strength stat.

Bridget of Clan Warsong

Race: Orc

Primary Class: Lantern Light Landsknecht (34)

Secondary Class: Ardent Light of the Reborn (25)

Tertiary Class: None

Combined Level Rating: 59

Health: 900/900

Magic: 500/500

Attributes

Strength: 55

Dexterity: 19

Agility: 26

Vitality: 25

Fortitude: 18

Endurance: 20

Arcane: 742

Divine: 0

Eldritch: 0

Focus: 50

Resilience: 59

Will: 31

   Sorcha was in the same boat as her much taller companion. Having gained a single level in Nonia, she was only two away from unlocking her own tertiary class. The goblin, however, was taking the delay with more aplomb than the orc. So far as Sorcha was concerned, she had never expected to come close to reaching a third class, so being so high level in such a short amount of time felt like a gift that she should not complain about.

The two points Sorcha had received both went into her Focus, as extra magic reserves were something she was going to need for the coming battles. Her first, and so far, only, damage-dealing wand had a high magic cost, though the effects were worth it.

Sorcha - Daughter of Tyree

Race: Goblin

Primary Class: Garden Herbalist (30)

Secondary Class: Villatic Wand Witch (28)

Tertiary Class: None

Combined Level Rating: 58

Health: 660/660

Magic: 270/270

Attributes

Strength: 6

Dexterity: 6

Agility: 20

Vitality: 21

Fortitude: 6

Endurance: 13

Arcane: 0

Divine: 0

Eldritch: 747

Focus: 27

Resilience: 6

Will: 58

   Meli had followed the same trend as the others with low-level tertiaries and gained two levels, both in her third class. One level had given her a free point, which she put into Focus to make it an even twenty-five, and the other had offered her a unique new skill that she didn’t think twice about taking.

Armor Transformation

Passive Skill. When you transform using the Beastly Body spell, your armor transforms with you, changing shape to match your current form. The enchantments and other aspects of your armor are unaffected, and the shape and style will be as similar as possible.

While the Dryad hadn’t used the new skill yet, Jadis could not get the idea of her lover wearing that sexy leather armor in spider form. Not that she was attracted to the spidery body, of course. But the image of a giant flower spider wearing that thigh-revealing armor was one of the funnier thoughts she had had in recent memory.

Meli of Μοναξιά Grove

Race: Dryad

Primary Class: Wildwood Strider (41)

Secondary Class: Cloistered Animist (19)

Tertiary Class: Nephilim Powered Druid (6)

Combined Level Rating: 66

Health: 650/650

Magic: 250/250

Attributes

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 5

Agility: 552

Vitality: 20

Fortitude: 25

Endurance: 50

Arcane: 0

Divine: 93

Eldritch: 0

Focus: 25

Resilience: 25

Will: 66

   Alex, Sabina, and Severina had not gained levels while in Nonia. While not a big deal for the high-level Seraphim, it was a true shame for the other two, since both still needed to reach their tertiary classes. Alex in particular was only four levels away, but she had barely participated in the battle, having stayed in the triage center with Eir to keep the elf supplied with magic and to avoid confusion with the troops. Sabina had stayed in the Leviathan, so she hadn’t been involved in the fight at all. At least the smith was gaining some experience making her experimental enchantments with Tiernan, though those efforts had only given her a single level thus far.

Bonded Alex

Race: Demon

Primary Class: Paladin of Jadis (34)

Secondary Class: Bonded Alex (22)

Tertiary Class: None

Combined Level Rating: 56

Health: 2200/2200

Magic: 560/560

Attributes

Strength: 80

Dexterity: 60

Agility: 114

Vitality: 105

Fortitude: 50

Endurance: 67

Arcane: 0

Divine: 120

Eldritch: 0

Focus: 56

Resilience: 75

Will: 835

   Sabina Sarto

Race: Human / Elf Hybrid

Primary Class: Passionate Smith (30)

Secondary Class: Enchanter Smith of the Reborn (18)

Tertiary Class: None

Combined Level Rating: 48

Health: 600/600

Magic: 220/220

Attributes

Strength: 20

Dexterity: 15

Agility: 15

Vitality: 15

Fortitude: 10

Endurance: 30

Arcane: 456

Divine: 48

Eldritch: 0

Focus: 22

Resilience: 10

Will: 20

   Severina of House Lumen

Race: Seraphim

Primary Class: Sword Disciple (40)

Secondary Class: Paladin of Valtar (38)

Tertiary Class: Justicar of Light (22)

Combined Level Rating: 100

Health: 1100/1100

Magic: 3050/3050

Attributes

Strength: 124

Dexterity: 11

Agility: 109

Vitality: 65

Fortitude: 50

Endurance: 100

Arcane: 0

Divine: 551

Eldritch: 0

Focus: 305

Resilience: 50

Will: 10

   Maeve had not participated much in the battle either, having stayed on the airship with Sabina. So far as Jadis knew, the Fetch had not gained any levels. She hadn’t asked, though, and Maeve hadn’t volunteered the info. While they had taken several steps closer, they were also still dancing around each other and had not yet taken the final leap. Until they had reached that point, Jadis didn’t want to bring up sharing status info, though every day spent with Maeve made her wonder why she was bothering to delay.

One thing that Jadis had absolutely refused to let go undone between her and the Fetch was Eir’s Oracle’s Emblem. Maeve’s vocation meant that she was frequently on her own, but that didn’t mean she had to be without backup. So long as Eir had a link to the status of her health, they would know when the woman needed their help.

Speaking of the Fetch, a part of Jadis was occupied worrying about her. While she and the rest of her lovers, sans Severina who had yet to return from Eldingholt, were discussing levels, Maeve was once again somewhere in the seedy underbelly of Thracina. She had said that she was close to uncovering information about the cultist activities in the city, though she hadn’t said much more as, in her words, she didn’t want to discuss what she had found before she could bring something solid to the table. Jadis hoped Maeve’s efforts would bring an end to the cult in Thracina, but she still couldn’t help but worry about the Fetch’s safety. It was that same worry that had one of her selves waiting on watch outside while the rest of her was within the temple, doting on her loved ones.

As Dys’ eyes wandered over the dark streets of the Voltonian capital from her perch on the balcony, she spotted the familiar figure of Gloria picking her way past guards and late-night travelers. The sight brought a smile to her lips, as Jadis well knew that the human woman was already inside of the temple, still in the room watching over Sybil. Moving both quickly and quietly, Dys leapt over the side of the balcony to land in the garden below before moving to the back entrance of the temple where she knew the false Gloria would soon enter.

“Any luck?” Dys whispered as the fake slipped inside the gate.

“Yes,” Maeve’s voice came from between Gloria’s lips. “More than I had hoped for, actually. I have a location.”

“A location? For what?”

Maeve’s body rippled, transforming from her assumed shape into her normal orange form. With a devious grin, the Fetch lifted a single finger into the air, waggling it back and forth.

“I know where those naughty little cultists are performing their rituals.”

Dys’ smile fell into a more serious expression as she shifted forward.

“What kind of rituals?”

“That, I couldn’t get,” Maeve frowned. “But it’s important. Supposedly, the whole local cult is in attendance. At least thirty men and women, all in one spot, for several hours. It’s happened every day for the past week according to my sources.”

“And they’ll be doing this ritual again tomorrow?” Dys asked, her voice turning steely.

“You bet your pale nose they will,” Maeve said, her grin returning. “I’ve got the location, and the time.”

Dys’ own mouth twisted into another grin, though hers was a far nastier expression than normally graced her visage. As her other selves spread the news to her lovers, Dys reached out and patted Maeve on the top of her head, ruffling the smooth, gel-like hair of the Fetch.

“Good work, Maeve,” she said. “You did great. Now I think it’s time I got involved.”

“You know,” Maeve smiled up at her. “I expect more of a reward than just a kind word and a bit of petting.”

Dys’ expression turned lighter as she regarded the spy.

“You certainly deserve one,” she agreed. “Your choice. Whatever you want.”

A shiver ran through the Fetch’s translucent body.

“You have no idea what you just got yourself into.”

“I rarely do,” Dys laughed. “But that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?”