The World Which Is

I wake up and a glance at the clock shows I slept for a little over two hours. My eyes are gummy from crying like a baby, and I slept in my clothes.

Urg.

A shower and fresh set of clothing and I feel like someone with a class again. Like someone ready to brave all the problems ahead of him.

I drop on my bed with a sigh, then pull the pillow over my head. Why is being an adult so complicated? Why do I have to deal with my dad losing it when I tell him I’m not actually a farmer?

I roll on my back. I just want to be a guard. Is that so much to ask?

Thinking of which. I take the journal out and I’m surprised the paper I slipped in isn’t poking out. I could have sworn it was larger than the journal. I up turn it and shake. The page doesn’t fall out.

I look through it; maybe it got stuck on a folded map.

Instead, I find it folded between two maps, and bound to the journal. First, that’s kind of neat. I can add to it, and if the page it too large, the journal takes care of it. Second, it’s not exactly smart in how it does it. I must have put the page in sideway, so that it’s folded in half with the top, when I was writing, is against the spine. That’s going to be inconvenient if I can’t…

I pull gently, and with a static like sound it comes apart from the journal without any damage.

Cool.

I unfold it, right it, and put it back in. As the page touches the spine, there’s the sound of static again and it attaches itself. The page pokes out on three sides. I close the journal and there’s the sound again, this time with faint lights as the edges pull into the journal. It takes about a second.

That must have happened while it was in my inventory for me not to have noticed it before.

I open it, and the page is neatly folded inside where it lines up with the other pages.

No wonder the maps are so neat. Aaron pulled them out when he worked on them, then the journal folded them for him without leaving creases. I can’t tell where my list was folded before.

I close it and turn it over, studying the leather work. I don’t know much about leather, but this looks on simple side. The engraving feels decorative more than being part of an enchantment, but I definitely don’t know enough about that to be able to tell for sure. It’s scratched, so that supports the lack of magic. The metal corners are unadorned metal. And there’s no stylized ‘A’ or some other crest to show who the owner is. The only way to find that out is to focus on it.

Aaron’s Never-Ending Journal

This is the Journal where Aaron Sentino records his notes while exploring

Perception Check failed

Because it was bound to him, Aaron was able to rewrite the information. It’s bound to me now, so I can do that too. Maybe after I’ve finished his quest. The downside, when someone does this, is that the system information becomes hidden behind the perception check, which I failed again.

Hmmm.

Edit the item’s information.

Aaron’s Never-Ending Journal

This is the Journal where Aaron Sentino records his notes while exploring

Do you wish to edit the information? Yes/No

Please don’t delete this automatically.

Yes.

The window reappears, but it’s highlighted the way my name was on my character sheet.

Okay, now to test this and hope that the confirmation prompt is as redundant as it’s been until now.

Reset description.

Do you wish to reset to its system default description?

Yes/No

I breathe easier.

No.

If there ever comes a point where I absolutely need to know its level of quality or if it’s enchanted or not. I have a way to do that.

As for basic information? Well, the system is mostly about how questions are asked.

What kind of item is Aaron’s Never-Ending Journal?

System Query: Classification

Research Journal

I grin.

System Query, Research Journals

System Query: Research Journal

A bound journal for the storing of information in written form.

Research Journals are different from other journals in that they are constructed to allow the insertion and removal of pages without damaging them. The quality of the work controls how many pages a journal can hold.

So it doesn’t have to be enchanted to do what it does. Maybe the never-ending part does, though.

Okay, enough procrastinating. Time to get back to my build.

Give me the list of abilities that open up by choosing Momentum, names only

System Query: Ability list, Truncated

At it All Day

Aether Journey

Aether Striding

Bob And Weave

Graceful Landing

Hit and Run

Launching Stride

Momentum Strike

Reaction Strike

Rebounding Leaps

Silent Sprint

Sprinting Step

Treasure Steps

Windfall

That a lot of movement abilities.

Hit and Run, Bob and Weave and Momentum Strike are the only ones that hint at being useful in a fight. I won’t be surprise if Reaction Strike adds a specialization to something; Probably Momentum Strike, since they share a word.

Well, Base said I should look at Momentum Strike

System Query: Momentum Strike, Explorer Ability

When in motion, you are able to transfer all your momentum into a single strike. The amount of damage added is governed by the speed of movement. Additional ranks grant an increase of 5% to the damage.

Prerequisite: Hit and Run, rank 5

Maximum Rank: 21

Cost: 20 Stamina per use

Hit and Run then.

System Query: Hit and Run, Explorer Ability

Your attacks take no movement-based penalties. Additional successful attacks on the same target, while you are in motion, give the minor ‘Harry’ debuff. Each rank grows the maximum size of the Debuff stack by 1

Prerequisite: Momentum, rank 5

Cost: None

What’s the Harry Debuff?

System Query: Debuff, Harry, Type: Mental

The recipient is stressed due to mental demands.

Each level applies a 2% penalty to skills.

Huh. Not… great?

It makes sense that it resets with every opponent, but it depends on me not taking them out in one hit, which is more than reasonable. But the levels don’t increase the penalty itself, but how many I can stack. I won’t turn up my nose at any advantage I get, but at two percent per hit, it’s going to take a while before it has a significant impact.

But I need five levels of it to get Momentum Strike, and that certainly is appealing. Extra bonuses based on how fast I’m running that goes up with my levels. I can see why there’s so many movement-based abilities. There’s going to be a few of them that increase how fast I run.

How about Bob and Weave?

System Query: Bob and Weave, Explorer Ability

The effectiveness of your Dodging skill is increased by 25% when moving at 50% or more of your maximum speed. Additional ranks increase the effectiveness of the Dodging skill by 3% and reduces the speed needed to use the ability by 2%

Prerequisite: Momentum, rank 5

Cost: None

Okay, right off the bat, increase defense when I’m running, which stacks well with the boosts from Momentum Strike, even ignoring Hit and Run is really nice. It would mean splitting my ability points between the two to make this properly effecting, and I need to put five points in Hit and Run to unlock Momentum Strike.

That’s a stack of five Harry debuff, so I can’t say they’re wasted, even if I’d rather spend them elsewhere.

Let’s see if I was right. What’s Reaction Strike?

System Query: Reaction Strike, Explorer Ability

Upgrade your Momentum Strike Ability with one of the following

Knock back Strike: Transfer your momentum to your opponent, sending them back 13 meters for each 3 KPH you are running at.

Cost: 30 Stamina

Rebound Strike: Use the impact to alter the direction you are moving in between 45 to 135 degrees. A stun debuff is applied to your opponent and you lose 10% of your momentum.

Cost: 10 Stamina

Ethereal Strike: Prerequisite: Aether Striding. You continue through your opponent after the attack, maintaining your momentum and direction.

Cost: None

And I was right. And none of them are appealing. Knock back and Rebound would just create chaos among the defenders. Ethereal Strike need Aether Striding, and if that’s in the name, it’s going to need mana and need me to be high level. I’m not wasting points in that direction.

So, how am I doing this?

I don’t need healing magic. As nice as it’d be to have that in a pinch, guards get potions and we have a few healers for support. If I focus purely on being a guard, Taking it on the Nose doesn’t look as useful as I thought it would be. I mean, the endurance being more effective is good, but everything that follows is…

It’s almost as if that branch is built around putting on a show. The fight needs to stretch far too long to mean anything before bonuses kick in.

The Momentum one, in comparison, has abilities with applicable bonuses in a situation that helps defend the town. Sure, running around’s not usually how guards go about doing it, but there’s bound to be situations where I’d have the space to do so.

So, I need five levels in Momentum, then five in Hit and run to get Momentum strike, and I’m not bothering with Reaction strike. I’ll want at least one in Bob and Weave as soon as I can, so that’s level six. Seven I start on Hit and Run, and twelve I take Momentum strike.

I could take an extra level somewhere and hit Momentum Strike on the treen.

Wait, I’ve already taken that extra level with Taking it on the Nose.

I am going to hit Momentum Strike on the treen.

Cool.