Star Paladin: A LitRPG Space Fantasy (Sword of Asteria Book 1) Page 11
The final Demonic Armadillo got to its feet then balled up for an attack, forcing Guy to run to the side to escape. Rachael did the same. The armadillo hurled itself forward, putting its back to the two as they came up. Guy checked his AP.
AP: 90/100
Just one more swing.
“Rachael, let me hit it with Storm Slash first, then go to town on it!”
“Gotcha!”
Guy dashed to the armadillo with the blade out. He struck it, giving him the AP needed for Storm Slash, and he unleashed the skill, making Guy twirl while holding the sword, knocking the monster away and to the ground. As the Demonic Armadillo struggled to get up, Guy and Rachael took turns slashing and bashing it until it stopped moving and its body evaporated.
It was over and Guy placed Asteria’s Sword on his back. He looked at Rachael’s MP.
Rachael | MP: 10/50
“Did you use the MP hypospray?” he asked.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “MP is recovering slowly on its own.”
“That’s good to know.”
“It’s my Ethereal Regeneration trait. Fae racial trait that allows my MP to regenerate.”
“That’ll help,” he said and moved into the jungle. “I have a feeling there’ll be more monster thingies out here.”
He was right.
Guy and Rachael encountered several more monsters during their voyage. Most of them were the Demonic Armadillos, so they used the same strategy learned. When the Demonic Armadillos readied their ball attack, the two ran, then Guy attacked them until he had AP for Storm Slash, knocking the monsters back and to the ground for the duo to gang up on them. According to Guy and Rachael’s UI, the armadillos were rank D, meaning they yielded 25 experience per kill.
“I wonder if there’re any C-ranked monsters,” Rachael asked.
She got her answer moments later.
Down from the treetops descended purple flower monsters with razor-sharp fangs.
Heliotrope | LVL: 3 | Rank: C | HP: 100%
“Fucking flowers with fangs . . .” Guy held Asteria’s Sword out and leaped to strike the dangling flower monsters from the trees.
Rachael had the advantage. She spread her fae wings, making them buzz, and flew toward the nearest Heliotrope and bashed it about with her Oak Staff. Whenever the monster tried to bite, she shifted to the side. She couldn’t stay in the air for a long time and had to stop to take a breather in between fights, but it was totally worth it because Heliotropes delivered 50 experience per kill, yielding an assortment of items when they evaporated too.
Guy has attained level 3!
They’d celebrate if there wasn’t a lost fae kid deep in the jungles. Ten minutes later . . .
Rachael has attained level 2!
The battles grew easier with her extra pool of MP. Guy focused on offense rather than defense and dished out the pain against the Heliotropes and Demonic Armadillos. The two arrived at a clearing, allowing the twin sunlight from above to brighten the jungle. They sat near a rock to catch their breath and wipe the sweat from their faces. Guy brought up his status and checked out his experience points.
Experience Points: 970/1210
“Hmm, it seems the maximum experience needed to level goes up with each level.”
“I’ve noticed,” Rachael said, also viewing her screen. Guy looked over her shoulder and examined her experience.
Experience Points: 775/1100
Break time was over and the duo ascended the mountain path, knocking over the odd monster encountered. Guy hoped that kid was alive. It seemed like the beasts were increasing in numbers as time passed. The landscape was changing due to the magical affliction.
“It’s okay to smile sometimes, Guy.”
“What’s there to smile at?”
“Seriously?” She waved her hand at the open view and the scenery around the trees, grass, and rocks, now that they were farther up the mountain path. You could see the city and jungle they had traveled from at that height, including the Blue Star idling in Muruai’s city square.
Guy had never seen his ship from a height like this. Come to think of it, he’d never been up a mountain. He’d observe them from space or when he came to land on a planet, but walking up a path and exploring the wilderness growing on a mountain? This was an unusual experience.
“Well, maybe this is not new for you, Guy,” Rachael said. “But for me, I love this! I can fly without having to worry about hitting my head on the ceiling and look at the sky while standing on a mountain. I’m at a loss for words here . . .” Her fairy wings buzzed, and she floated two feet off the ground to get a better glance at the world.
“I see where you’re coming from.”
“Being locked inside a spaceship or station, to this . . .” She gasped, keeping her eyes on the nature surrounding them. “It’s like I’m dreaming . . .”
“Is that why you insisted we help find the lost kid?”
“What?” Rachael silenced the buzz of her wings and landed beside him. “Of course not! You saw all those monsters we had to kill just to get here. That kid isn’t making it back without our help.”
They resumed their trek and walked over a fallen log, serving as a risky bridge across a cliff with a floating waterfall rolling off the mountain to their side. The usual D- and C-ranked monsters spawned to slow down their travel, giving the two enough experience to level again. Guy was level 4 now, and Rachael 3.
Their inventory space shrank a bit.
Obtained: Asteriarite: Strength +1
Obtained: Asteriarite: Agility +1
Obtained: Brass Bracelets
“You should probably take the bracelets, Guy.”
“Why is that?”
“Look at the stats.”
Brass Bracelets [Accessory]
Rank: D
Magic Defense: 2
Asteriarite Slot: [EMPTY]
Requires: 30 Vitality 20 Strength
He glanced at his matching attributes.
Strength: 29
Vitality: 42
It was more than enough to equip them.
“I have the strength requirements,” Rachael said, “but not the vitality, not by a long shot.”
Guy slipped the bracelets over his wrists and felt the astral energy within them sync with his astral circuits, strengthening his magical defense. He looked at the tiny empty slot on the accessory, small enough to fit one of the asteriarite gems they’d been collecting. Rachael’s staff had one too, the same with his sword.
“We’re missing out on stat boosts by not using the asteriarite, Rachael.”
She pulled her wisdom asteriarite from her inventory. “What do I do?”
He shrugged. “I guess you push it into the slot on your weapon.”
She held the gem and found the slot on her Oak Staff, then inserted it. Guy debated which asteriarite to use, strength or vitality—
“Holy shit!” Rachael blurted. “My healing potency went up.”
“Really?”
“Wisdom increases healing potency.”
“Hmm.”
It gave Guy an idea. First, he checked his attack power.
Attack Bonus: 15
Then he placed one strength asteriarite into Asteria’s Sword and the other into his Brass Bracelets, then rechecked his attack power.
Attack Bonus: 16
“My attack just went up.”
“So, wisdom boosts healing, and strength increases attack.” She smiled and poked at his chest. “What increases defense? Because you’re going to need that to reduce the HP you lose.”
Guy chuckled. “Tired of healing my ass?”
“Well, it’s just the two of us right now. Every time I stop to heal you is a moment I can’t attack.”
“Vitality probably increases my defense,” Guy said and plucked one strength asteriarite from his bracelets, handing it to her. “Take this, then. It should increase your attacks.”
She glanced at the red glowing gem, reached for it
, then paused. “Well, I’d have to remove my wisdom one, right? I’d lose healing power if I did.”
“Hmm, that’s right.” Guy put it into his inventory and placed a vitality gem into the bracelets. His defense remained the same, as did his attack. “Hmm, my defense never went up, and my attack didn’t drop.”
“Maybe vitality doesn’t rase it?”
“Eh.” He thought back about his defense at level one. It was 10 back then, and 14 now. “Maybe it does. I guess I need more vitality to boost it. As for my attack power, I guess increasing my strength by 2 increased my attack by 1. So, when I dropped one point of strength to get the vitality, in reality, I lowered my attack by 0.5.”
“So, every two points boosts the stat?”
“Vitality is probably a little more. I guess every three points of vitality is one defense. I dunno, fuck it, we got to keep going.”
“Agreed.”
Rachael kept the agility asteriarite as they pushed up the mountain path. Sobbing sounds stopped the two. They weren’t alone. The sobs had led them to a fae child no older than six cowering behind a tree, his face wet and puffy from tears. Guy and Rachael approached the kid, resting their weapons on their backs to show they were friendly.
“Hey,” Rachael said, kneeling to meet the child’s gaze while offering a hand to him. “You lost?”
“Those . . . monsters . . .” the kid said, sobbing. “They chased me up here and will not let me leave.”
“Aouvnir, is it?” Guy asked.
The kid nodded. They found Aouvnir.
“Come with us,” Rachael said. “Your parents sent us to find you.”
Hesitation froze Aouvnir. He didn’t look confused, so Guy unsheathed his sword, waved it to draw the kid’s attention to it, then pointed at the path they traveled from. “Just follow behind us,” Guy said. “And we’ll get you home. I promise.”
Aouvnir stood slowly as Rachael held his hand, keeping him closer to her. “Okay . . .”
Guy led the way back, and Rachael kept him near. If monsters should attack, her healing spell should keep Aouvnir breathing. Guy had two people to protect and hoped the new upgrades made it easier.
It did.
The monsters took slightly more damage from Guy as his Storm Slashes dished out a lot more pain. And Rachael’s heals? Her Medica spells recovered around 40 HP now. Both had gained a level each during their trip back to the city.
Experience Points: 754/1464
Man, I really don’t want to know how much it takes to hit max level—
A screen stopped Guy in his tracks. “What’s this?”
Congratulations on reaching level 5. Asteria’s Sword is now ready to grow. Would you like to evolve Asteria’s Sword into something stronger at this time? Yes/No
“Hell fucking yeah!—”
Rachael punched his shoulder. “Guy!”
“What?”
“There’s a kid behind you . . .”
“Oh.” He looked back at Aouvnir. “My bad!”
Then he returned to the screen, pressed the Yes button, and held Asteria’s Sword.
It flashed with blinding blue light.
Chapter Fourteen
As you gain levels, so does Asteria’s Sword, granting you the power to make it evolve. Please select one of the evolution paths for the sword.
There were four options floating on four different screens, giving Guy a preview of what Asteria’s Sword could look like once he evolved it, along with stats.
Asteria’s Sword [Long sword]
Rank: D
Attack: 10
Vitality +1
Asteriarite Slot: [EMPTY]
Requires: 40 Strength 46 Vitality
Option two was a one-handed sword that looked like the one he already held, just a lot cooler.
Asteria’s Sword [Short sword]
Rank: D
Attack: 3
Vitality +1
Asteriarite Slot: [EMPTY]
Requires: 30 Strength 50 Vitality
Option three, a two-handed sword, also badass-looking but had a lot of weight, even with his strength stat.
Asteria’s Sword [Greatsword]
Rank: D
Attack: 10
Strength +1
Asteriarite Slot: [EMPTY]
Requires: 40 Strength
And the last option, a one-handed rapier.
Asteria’s Sword [Rapier]
Rank: D
Attack: 2 Magic Attack: 1
Charisma +1
Asteriarite Slot: [EMPTY]
Requires: 17 Charisma 30 Strength
And I can only choose one, huh? Well, the rapier looks cool, but I don’t have any spells learned, so that’s out. Hmm . . . looks like the greatsword would pack a punch . . . but both the short and long swords have vitality, and I need that to boost my defense. The long and short swords are nearly identical, though, only the long sword has more attack, probably because it isn’t a one-handed weapon. I guess I’ll go with that then, the long sword.
Rachael looked over his shoulder. “What’s going on?”
“Upgrading my sword.” He selected the long sword, making the four screens vanish. Asteria’s Sword gained some weight as the blade grew longer and sharper; it also got prettier with several decals on it and the hilt. Guy gave it a practice swing, grimacing as his aim wavered when he held it with one hand. It’s slightly less accurate than the short sword, but I can make this work.
Please note, if you wish to change your decision or further evolve the sword, you must reach level 10 first.
Fantastic, now you tell me . . . Guy strapped the evolved sword to his back. “All right, let’s get goin’.”
Guy, along with Rachael holding Aouvnir’s hand, returned to the city of Muruai. The duo found Aouvnir’s parents staring at them with shocked and joyful eyes. Rachael let go of Aouvnir’s hand, and the tiny child trotted off to his parents with arms raised, leaping up into their protective embrace.
“Mom! Dad!”
“Aouvnir!” his father yelled. “Thank Asteria!”
Lost Boy in the Jungle – Quest Complete
Obtained: 250 Experience Points
“Thank you so much, you two,” Aouvnir’s mother said, bowing to Guy and Rachael.
“This is a blessed day!” said his father. “Asteria has sent us a Paladin!”
Guy grimaced and whispered to Rachael. “Fan-fucking-tastic, now they’re gonna worship me.”
The mother smiled at Guy. “Do you think, maybe, you can bring our daughter, Rain, back?”
“Seriously?” Guy groaned.
“Worry not,” the father cut in. “Rain left for the empire years ago. I doubt you could bring her back to us, not alone at least.”
The two parents reunited with their lost son magnetized a crowd to gather and sing praises for Asteria—and point fingers at the Paladin and his Medic partner who brought the child home. The crowd grew larger, almost forming a wall of fae around Guy and Rachael. It was hard to slip aside. The two were like deities.
Rachael backed away. “Let’s get back to the ship . . .”
“Excuse me,” a man said from behind.
Guy and Rachael turned to meet the man wearing a long black cloak. Guy couldn’t tell if he was human or fae. “Yes?”
The black-cloaked man looked at Guy, head to toe, sidestepping around him. The man stopped behind Guy, likely taking a lengthy stare at Asteria’s Sword strapped to it. “A Paladin . . .” the cloaked man said. “So, it is true.”
Guy spun to the man. His senses told him the man was reaching for the sword. “Look, buddy, I’m not some noble hero, just a passing star-man.”
“I wanted to know if you could assist me with something,” the cloaked man said.
“What’s that?”
The man waved his hand, and in its wake, a screen formed. The phenomenon that was changing the planet and its people affected him too. Guy glanced at the man and brought up his information.
Land-human (Nox K
night) | LVL: 15 | Rank: A
“These tutorials . . .” the Nox Knight said. “I heard wolves appear when you activate them.”
“They do,” Rachael said. “And if it weren’t for Guy, I would have been in trouble.”
The Nox Knight nodded. “Can you show me your ways? Show me how to do the tutorials?”
He’s level 15 . . . shouldn’t he have done them already? Does he even need our help? “Hmm.”
“Should we?” Rachael asked Guy.
Guy just stroked his chin, narrowing his eyes, his face lost in thought. “We got to get some trade done before Ulysses beats us to the punch.”
The Nox Knight lifted an eyebrow. “Trade, you say?”
“Yeah.”
“I have food and art I could provide for your people.”
“That’d work,” Guy said. “Let’s help you, then you help us, Mister . . . ?”
“Call me, Wylume,” the Nox Knight said. “We are in an agreement, then?”
Guy and Rachael were already behind with the hours spent in the jungles, having made no progress in investigating the land-fae in the hospital back at the fleet. Wylume’s offer ought to change that, at least for the trade portion of Guy’s goal. Food and fae art was worth a lot to the star-dwellers.
“Yeah, we are,” Guy said, and hoped Wylume was the reason the quest had sent him to this city to start with.
He winced when his quest tracker failed to update. Wylume had nothing to do with it. The White Dragon would have informed him otherwise. Guy was sure of it.
As a precaution, Guy chose not to invite Wylume to the party.
The trio left the city, returning to the sweltering jungles and keeping to the paths free of monsters, though that situation was soon to change at the rate they were increasing. Those faes in the city better level up quick, before monsters overrun the island.
Rachael and Guy took the lead. Wylume trotted behind, making the hairs on Guy’s neck stand up. She nudged him with her elbow, drawing his gaze to meet hers. She was smiling. He was doing the opposite. “Aren’t you glad you brought me along?” Rachael laughed. “We saved that kid, and now we’ve secured goods for this run.”
Guy and Rachael found the clearing in the forest where they finished her tutorial quests, then stopped and looked at Wylume. “This should be a good place,” Guy said to him. “Activate your quest. Once done, you’ll learn the basics of your class.” He waited to see what would happen next. Wylume, being level 15, should know the basics. Hell, Wylume could teach Rachael and me a thing or two. Guy sighed. Dude, stop suspecting people who offer to help you!