CHPT 77: What Kills?

The group briskly headed back the way they came to exit the Tangent, Claude walked at the back of the line thinking to himself while the fog slowly settled back over the ground, hiding any evidence of the hideous battle that took place inside.

Claude watched Riley at the front of the group suspiciously, he didn't know what to make of the smells she was letting off earlier so he decided he'd stay alert and keep his eyes on her as often as possible.

Other than that, he was ready to get home and train. It seemed his hunger for progress was growing with every level up and new weapon or skill he acquired. The thought of it reminded him of something.

"I should spend my stat points."

"[Good idea, I was just about to remind you.]" Arne said in response to Claude's thoughts.

Claude brought up his system stats as the group passed the black lake.

***

[Name: Claude Grey]

[Title: Disciple of Fenrir]

[Race: Lupine of Romulus]

[Level: 6 (150/600) EXP]

[Stat Points: 3]

[HP: 300/300]

[MP: 200/200]

[Stamina: 30]

[Strength: 25]

[Willpower: 15]

[Intelligence: 10]

[Accuracy: 10]

[Agility/ Speed: 20]

***

Claude looked over his stats and thought critically about what to add points to.

"Should I just spend all my points on one stat?" He thought.

"[The idea sounds promising until you run into someone or something that cancels out the strength of the stat you focused all your points into. It's not a good idea to do stuff like that until your a higher level.]"

"Hmmm. Fair enough." Claude thought. He instead decided to think over his fight with the Undead Giant and see what he would have done better with increased stats.

"Well, I definitely burned myself out in the MP department....and I was also damn near dead after being hit a couple times. Even if it was a boss. I could definitely benefit from an increase in HP and MP." He thought to himself. He then added one stat point to the HP and MP stat.

"WHAT?!? ONLY 50?!?!?" Claude thought in outrage.

"[It may initially seem like a scam and pointless to put points into, but you get more out of each upgrade as your HP and MP increase. Trust me, it doesn't go up by 50 forever.]" Arne instructed.

"I feel scammed regardless." Claude groaned.

"[Forget about it, your now a little more defensive and better suited for longer periods of Elemental usage. This is progress. But, you've still got one point, where is it going?]" Arne asked.

"Hmm, I've got really good stamina for my level, so I don't think I have to worry about that. I need something to slowly start to match it though, so it's between strength and agility." He thought.

"[So the question is, do you want to be stronger or faster?]"

Claude thought for a moment, "Well, you know what they say."

"[Ahh yes, speed kills. Another benefit to choosing speed is that; your job as an Assassin will be more believable.]" Arne replied.

As soon as he upgraded the stat, he felt his walking pace increase ever so slightly from his body acquiring and adjusting to the increase in speed.

The group was currently a mile or so away from the exit. The fog now collected over the floor completely just as it had when they first entered. Frosty was smart enough to realize the fog would reveal him to the group so he trotted closely behind Claude.

Claude walked for a few more minutes, eyeing his sword and flipping it around to develop a certain level of comfort with it. The proportions of the sword were still too foreign to him.

"You plan on using that or selling it?" Brenda asked after sneaking back to him.

"I think I'm going to use it. My swords pretty worn down anyway." He replied.

Brenda suddenly started to look at him intently, so much so in fact that it made him incredibly uncomfortable. It reminded him of the way Ursula looked at him sometimes....as if he was an open book, revealing his deepest and darkest secrets to them without even speaking a word.

"Erhm.....yes?" Claude said after a few seconds.

"Oh— sorry....it's just that, you say your new and you don't know much.....but you have a sword that looks like it's been through countless battles. You could say it's because you trained a lot before you were Reborn, but you also can revive forests.....and you beheaded a giant....." Brenda blurted out without ever looking away from him.

Claude was so caught off guard by the question that he couldn't respond right away.

"SHIT! I didn't try to hide my strength at all! Now my story doesn't add up."

Before he could find a way to answer her or come up with an excuse that would make sense, Chadwick saved him from the difficult social situation.

"There's the exit!"

"Yea! I'm ready for a foamy ass beer!!" Ansel yelled.

Claude took advantage of the situation and sped up with the rest of the group to see the glowing blue Tangent. Even thought it was the exit, he felt an intense sense of fear when he looked at it.

A familiar smell of malicious excitement poured out and into his nose as they neared the Tangent exit.

He suddenly heard Riley speak in her familiar happy and flirty tone. Only it sounded....off.

"I am soooo ready to leave this place."