I brought out the Limit Break and started inspecting it. So, this pale-gold-looking metal is Orichalcum, huh? The item description stated it was 'an Orichalcum ring imbued with special magic,' so it had to fit the description. At least, that's what I thought. The emblem engraved into the ring also caught my attention, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't begin to understand its meaning. A dragon, a bird, and a... bull? What is that creature? I had never seen anything like it, not even in all the fiction books I'd read. Could it be a chimera of some sort? Just as I was starting to give up, I heard somebody knock on my door.
"I'm coming!" I said as I stood up and put the ring back in my pocket. As I made my way to the door, I couldn't help but wonder who would disturb me at such a time. It was probably Phildina, but I couldn't be completely sure, as I felt Phildina was the type to barge in unannounced, but maybe I was wrong about that.
I opened the door half-expecting to see Phildina but was surprised to meet Kathryn looking at me teary-eyed. "W-what happened?" I asked while stooping down to her height.
"Daphne, I had a nightmare," She said to me while sniffling. With everything that has been going on tely, perhaps her dispy of strength made me forget that she's still a child. Everything was moving so fast, and she was probably not used to all of this, so I patted her head softly and said,
"It's okay. You can stay with me." She slowly nodded at this, and I led her inside to my bed, where she fell asleep in a matter of minutes. I didn't even have to sing a lulby or read her a bedtime story. Lucky me! But I was merely deying the inevitable with that thought.
The emblem was still a mystery to me, so I'd have to move on to the next item on the list: Actually wearing the Limit Break! I could only imagine what it was going to feel like, so I braced myself as I put the ring on with closed eyes, but... nothing. Did I not meet the requirements? Was the first thought that popped into my head. No, that can't be the case! I remembered the exact moment I got to level 50 and even what was on the panel at the time:
DaphneLV 50HP135Str55Dex162Spd83Luck 51P-DEF40M-DEF69Status-----Compatibility-----Skills:Accuracy+, Precision StrikeSo, why wasn't I feeling anything now? I slowly opened my eyes, and that was when I saw my promotion options before me:
I didn't even consider the Machinist css because it was easily the worst out of the three. Sure, they could deal some serious damage if a crossbow or ballista were around, but destroy them and you'd find out exactly how useless they were. I also didn't want to be known as the guy who'd say stuff like, "I'd totally win if I had a crossbow." Nope, that can't be me, I thought as I selected the Ranger option.
Yes! And that was when the change happened. My body started emanating a bright glow, and I imagined it would feel different when I saw it happen to Phildina, but I felt like nothing had changed within me. However, a new panel appeared before me, summarizing all the dramatic changes that took pce in that instant.
DaphneLV 50HP135 + 300Str55 + 200Dex162 + 100Spd83 + 100Luck 51 + 150P-DEF40 + 200M-DEF69 + 250Con10 + 30CompatibilityLuciaSkills:Accuracy+, Precision Strike, Nature's Bounty"Woah!" A lot's going on here! I thought to myself as I looked at all my stats. Save for Con, I saw a dramatic increase in all my stats, especially my HP, strength, defense, and magical defense. This was great because I was especially worried about those areas! As my eyes went further downward, I finally saw who I was compatible with. Lucia, huh? Interesting...
Compatibility was less of a stat and more like a system that encouraged teamwork between pyers. One could think of it as the game's way of pointing pyers to who they'd work well with in their party. The pairings made sense and more often than not proved to be excellent combinations, but I really wasn't sold on this one. We're both ranged units, so how would it work? I wondered. Should I abandon the bow and hone my swordsmanship instead? Or, should she take the front while I stay back? These and other ideas passed through my mind, but as I couldn't find a solution then, I shelved the concerns for ter. At the very least, I could ask her tomorrow about her compatibility. I moved on to the Skills section, where I saw a skill I'd never seen before. Nature's Bounty? As far as I knew, there was no skill with that name in Everst Dynasty, so I was understandably baffled. I probably sat there for a few minutes thinking about it before the understanding suddenly dawned on me. If not for Kathryn, I would have screamed, 40% increase to all stats in natural terrain?! That's crazy! Then, I quickly looked at the ring on my finger. Why hasn't it vanished yet? What's going on here?! Just then, it suddenly cracked and shattered into fine dust before I could do anything. I watched in bewilderment as the fine particles were carried away by a magical wind but before I could fully process what happened, a thick mist enveloped my surroundings. This is one crazy night, I thought to myself as I looked around. I hoped this was not some sort of special attack and that the mist would clear soon. Eventually, it did, revealing a figure I did not expect to see. "T-the Wujia chieftain? What happened to you?!" She looked like she could faint at any moment, and this coupled with the nasty cut across her face left me with more questions than I could ask. However, she practically ignored me and crawled over to see Kathryn sleeping peacefully on my bed. She heaved a relieved sigh and said, "Thank you, Daphne, for taking care of my daughter." "I-it's nothing," I replied with a nervous ugh. Why's she making it sound like she's going to take her back? "I won't." Did she just read my mind? "I didn't," She began. "I just guessed what you were thinking at that moment." R-right... "So, then, why did you come?" I asked quite bluntly, only for her to stare at me for what felt like an eternity. "I came to warn you," She said. "The Empire is after my daughter for... reasons I cannot discuss right now. I don't know what you may or may not have heard, but you'd do well to stay away from the Emperor and any woman you see with two rapiers equipped." A dual-wielding rapier css? I've never heard of such a thing... "Stay away from them!" She said, bringing me out of my thoughts. "I will," I answered affirmatively, which brought a smile to her beautiful face. The wound started closing up on its own at that moment, and she muttered, "Finally, it took forever for this scratch to get healed." Hmm, that didn't look like a scratch to me, but she sent a cold gre at that moment that practically made me shiver in my boots. She's definitely reading my mind! "If you find yourself in a situation where you must fight that woman, don't do it alone. Bring as many people as you can and team up against her! Maybe then, you'd stand a chance against her, but for the Emperor, you're better off running away whatever the circumstances are," Her eyes were dead serious as she said this to me. "My [Astral Link] won't hold up for too long from this distance, so I'll have to go soon. I just wanted to check if Kathryn was safe." "Don't worry. She'll be fine with us." I could tell she wanted to tell me more but couldn't for some reason, and the hesitation in her eyes was clear to me as she said, "Two powers are at war with each other, Daphne, and... you may have to pick a side soon. Choose wisely." She said with a grave expression on her face. "I'm guessing one of those powers tampered with my promotion, right?" She neither confirmed nor denied anything but simply smiled, which was an answer in and of itself. So, someone did tamper with my promotion, I concluded. "In any case, remember what I told you. If you must fight against her, team up. If not, you should just run away. Also, don't try to fight against the Emperor under any circumstances. Any 2nd tier css, even at the highest levels, would be sughtered instantly, so be careful out there." "Thank you, chieftain. I'll take your advice to heart." "You may call me by my name, Isis." From her tone and all I'd seen in the Forest City, this was quite a big deal, so I responded appropriately, "I-it's an honor." She smiled and then vanished as mysteriously as she had appeared, in a shroud of mist, leaving me with a lot to think about as I went to sleep that night.