Amazon Apocalypse 5: Chapter 4

“As you can tell, I am a normal level ten wizard. Utterly unremarkable,” Ted began.

“I’m sure you’re remarkable in many ways, Ted,” I smiled in reply, doing my best to not make it look forced.

I was pretty sure I knew what this was. There was a small but rapidly diminishing chance that Ted was who he claimed to be. Despite his appearance, I found it hard to believe a level ten homeless man could have broken through security and gotten wherever I was currently. Lax as the guards were, they didn't seem incompetent.

That left only one explanation. This was the teacher Kyrina had in mind for me. No doubt he figured this was a clever ploy to get to know me before he revealed his identity. I could understand the intent. If he was going to help me learn powerful magic, he wanted to make sure I wasn’t the type who would abuse their power.

If I were the kind of wizard to mistreat a stranger just because of a difference in power, he’d have no interest in helping me grow more powerful. It was a worthy attempt at a vibe check, but I figured it out already. I was certain I’d have passed anyway, so all I had to do was play along a while until he felt comfortable enough for his grand revelation.

“Do you have any favorite branches of magic, Ted?” I asked, glancing around the room filled with spellbooks. I hoped he’d be willing to point me in the right direction even before he broke this homeless man persona.

“Oh, I’m grateful for every spell I can get,” Ted said.

I glanced around at the massive library we were in, full to the brim with skill books loaded with spells.

“It seems like you picked a heavenly place to nap, then.” I smiled, nodded, then turned back to the bookshelf I was examining. If I wasn’t going to get any hints, I might as well go back to going through the books myself.

Ted hovered over my shoulder, watching on as I went through books and sorted them into my two piles. Most books went right back onto the shelf, but the two I was interested in were slowly growing. It was going to take me a few days to go through this entire library, but I was prepared to do just that.

While I worked, Ted made a few noises ranging from approval to disapproval, though I could never quite tell for certain.

“Hmm. Herrr. Hummm. Mhm...”

I kept sorting as normal, figuring hopefully he’d finally reveal himself as the magic instructor Kyrina promised me.

When he finally spoke, I was taken aback by the topic.

“I must say, young man, I’m concerned by your criteria for choosing spells,” Ted said.

I frowned. I didn’t think I’d chosen evil or amoral abilities. What was I missing?

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

He shook his head. “Tragic. I thought you had potential, but with an attitude like this, you’ll never make it truly great heights.”

“What am I missing?”

“Women,” Ted said simply, letting the word hang in the air.

“Women?” I repeated in confusion.

“You haven’t chosen a single skill useful for managing women!”

I scratched my chin. “You really think that’s important?”

Ted pinched the bridge of his nose as he lost himself in thought. “More than you know, young man. Don’t fill your skill slots with useless abilities to blow up planets and raise up legions of elemental warriors. What I wouldn’t give for a spell that can make two women get along for just an hour or two, even if they don’t like one another. Or a spell that makes them forget that one thing I did two hundred years ago that annoys them. Or a spell that makes it so she doesn’t think of me when she reads about something some unlucky wench’s husband did in the weekly paper....”

“Ah. I see...” To me, it seemed like Ted had a few unresolved issues. This really wasn’t the sort of advice I’d been expecting. The sudden rant had come out of nowhere, and the way Ted spoke made him sound a little insane.

“Listen, young man. If you’re to have a harem, there’s a lot you should know. You’re setting the groundwork now. The rules and culture of your harem are being determined here and now. I’m jealous of you, really. You’re starting with a clean slate.” Ted gave me a pat on the shoulder, but I was focused on the maniacal gleam in his eyes.

I scratched my head, confused by the sudden intensity in Ted’s gaze. “Uh, okay...”

“Take this. It is the most powerful book in the library,” Ted thrust a leather-bound tomb into my hands.

I glanced at it and read the title. It said ‘Interpreting the Fairer Sex’ and appeared to contain at least one spell, which made it a skill book, though curiously it seemed to have no magical effects. There were detailed magical diagrams in here, but not the sort that would impart knowledge directly into the reader's mind like I was used to. Learning anything from this book would have to be done the old fashioned way.

Between that and the mad scribble-like writing across every page, I wasn't sure how sound the magical theories in this thing were. Maybe they were just the scribbles of a madman.

I was still looking over the cover when a voice echoed out from the teleportation array platform back near the entrance.

“Carter! I finally tracked down your tutor!” Kyrina said.

Behind her was a gray-bearded man wearing crisp Dragon Lodge robes.

I blinked in surprise, then turned back to look at Ted, who was slipping back between the two bookcases I’d discovered him hiding in.

“Wait, Ted, who are you?”

“Remember the book!” Ted said as the shelves closed behind him. I tried to pull the books off the shelf to talk to him again, but suddenly there was shelving behind them, unlike before when there’d been empty space.

I was wrong to guess he was my tutor in disguise. But had he really been the half-crazed homeless wizard he appeared to be?

That was when Kyrina and the magic tutor trailing along behind her finally caught up to me.

“Carter, there you are! This is Professor Verlin. He was a renowned instructor at the Dragon Lodge a few hundred years ago. He’s since left to focus on his research and ascending to A-Grade, but there are precious few magic users with more skill at teaching B-Grades and aspiring B-Grades than him. He has a fantastic track record. Even my husband studded under him once upon a time.”

“Yes, our dear king was quite the rambunctious student in his youth,” Professor Verlin stroked his beard, murmuring as he nodded along. “I never would have thought he’d grow as skilled as he did. At first, the only thing he was interested in was learning a ‘female mind reading’ spell, as he called it. Alas, I told him there was no such thing. But searching for such a spell is probably what got his magic to the point where he could unite the realm and put an end to generations of civil war, so all is well that ends well. As long as my students are motivated, I’m content.”

Professor Verlin was also a licensed theory crafter, so it was safe to share my abilities list with him. I did so, and then we went through the list of spells I’d chosen for myself.

“Hmm... I see. You are focused quite a bit on combat, but that’s not unexpected considering you will be marching off to war. Still, from what Kyrina told me, you would be in command? At least a few of your skill slots should be set aside for that,” Verlin said.

“You mean like charisma-based skills? I’d get more if I could. They aren’t exactly easy to acquire.”

Only Scepter of the Supreme Patriarch was a skill that scaled off Charisma. I would have loved to have another such ability.

“They are not available for good reason. Charisma and luck are restricted stats. With the exception of certain forbidden classes, they can’t be leveled naturally. For most, only items will do, which means those stats are the domain of the wealthy elite. Fortunately, you are part of that privileged few.” Professor Verlin cast me a sly smile.

My eyes widened. “You’re telling me you have books for charisma skills?”

“Indeed. And luck abilities as well. The reason why they are not available on public markets is because they are quickly bought up and brought to places like this one. I see you’re relying on Hand of Fate as your primary means of defense. That is a rare ability indeed, and it might be wise to build on that. Come. Let’s search the selves before we make any decisions on the rest of your B-Grade build and anything we plan to switch out.”

So, the professor and I spent the next hour rummaging around the upper floors of the library. The Charisma and Luck abilities were in a back room only accessible by pulling on a torch, revealing a hidden lever. I had a feeling most people weren’t meant to find the secret chamber. I was very glad Kyrina had arranged Professor Verlin for me because I might well have missed this treasure trove of otherwise impossible-to-obtain abilities.

Browsing through the Luck and Charisma abilities was fairly easy, given how there were far fewer of them than there were other abilities in the chamber outside. Eventually, we settled on a few we both liked.

Commanding Aura (Rare)

Your presence inspires fear or respect. This passive ability increases your persuasiveness to those you hold legitimate command over. Even in the face of mutiny or overwhelming foes, the thought of disobeying your orders will rarely cross the minds of your subordinates.

Diplomat’s Charm (Rare)

This passive dramatically enhances the opportunity for dialogue with opposing and neutral factions, giving you the chance to sway them in favor of your cause.

Direct Order (Epic)

You may give a soldier under your command a direct order. Their ability to disobey is dependent upon the difference in your relative Charisma stats.

Pacify (Epic)

When you hold overwhelming power in a given social scenario, you can attempt to pacify your enemy, causing them to instantly accept the futility of their situation and surrender.

Conversion (Mythic)

Enemies who are defeated by you will be more open-minded to hearing your perspective. If sufficiently charmed by your words, they may switch sides and join your cause as allies.

I read through the abilities we’d chosen and frowned. Suddenly, I was reminded of why these abilities were restricted. Some of these abilities were only a step away from mind control. I voiced my concerns to Professor Verlin.

“It is good you’re concerned about abusing your abilities. But these abilities are only there to make what you are supposed to be doing already. I served in the military once before our planet was united, and I witnessed plenty of deaths that could have been avoided if I had demanded my opponent lay down their arms and submit. Or if I’d been able to command a panicking recruit to stay calm and do exactly as I instructed. The advantages are obvious.”

In the end, I could find no good reason to refute Professor Verlin’s suggestions, and so I took the Charisma books.

Commanding Aura was an obvious choice for any leader, as was Diplomat’s Charm. Direct Order would be useful just as Professor Verlin explained, and Pacify would help prevent enemies from making a desperate last stand that would otherwise result in high casualties for me.

The only one we weren’t sure about was Conversion. It seemed like a very powerful skill, and I wanted it. Professor Verlin seemed doubtful though.

“You’re off to fight cultivators and heretics, aren’t you? They are a despicable and cowardly lot. I doubt they can be reasoned with, and even if they can be, would you really want such allies?” Professor Verlin asked.

I shrugged. “Depends on the person, I would think.”

Professor Verlin sighed. “I suppose if I was a young man seeing a Mythic ranked skill up for grabs, I would pick it up too. Go on. Once you reach B-Grade, you won’t have to be as picky with your skill slots. Take it.”

I did so, quickly adding it to my pile.

Next up were the luck books.

Curse of Ill-Fortune (Rare)

Decrease the luck of your opponent. This effect scales off the difference between your luck and theirs.

Fortune’s Favor (Epic)

You and your allies have a better instinct for finding hidden treasure or loot.

Fate’s Blessing (Epic)

Negative effects or debuffs will frequently fail to apply to you or your allies. Attacks dealt to you will be much less likely to be critical.

Slippery Foe (Epic)

When your health is below 25%, your luck stat gains a 50% boost.

Critical Strike (Mythic)

Once per minute, guarantee a critical strike, dealing greatly increased damage effect. If the attack had already been a critical strike, it would have been enhanced to being a super-critical strike, with exponentially increased damage and effect.

We looked over the list of abilities. Curse of Ill-Fortune was one I was interested in but ultimately decided to put aside and take but not learn quite yet. While my luck was pretty high, I might be up against people even higher. Cultivators didn’t have the restrictions on the stat placed on them by the System, after all.

And even within the System, anybody strong enough to give me problems would have gotten their hands on stat-increasing potions and items. So, the curse was just one of those things that would help me win more. There was a decent chance it could become something much more useful if I sacrificed the right proficiencies for it, but that wasn’t something I was thinking about when there were so many rarer skills to choose from right in front of me.

Fortune’s Favor would also be amazingly useful while traveling. Who didn’t love finding good loot now and again?

Fate’s Blessing and Slippery Foe were both easy choices as well. They were both passive, so they wouldn’t affect my fighting style at all, but both would increase survivability for me and my allies. I would have to perform some tests to see if I could extend the effects of Fate’s Blessing over an entire army.

Critical Strike was likewise a good choice. It would work well with Exploit Weakness, which helped me land critical attacks. Landing critical hits was already a big part of my toolkit as a spellcaster. I could only assume super-critical strikes were even better.

“These will do for luck and charisma abilities. We don’t want you too heavily dependent on these stats, as they are unreliable to level. You have eight slots left to fill with more straightforward abilities, counting the two you’re settled on from earlier,” Professor Verlin said.

Soon, we were back out touring the rest of the library. I picked up the stack of books I’d set aside and added a few new ones to the pile.

Elemental Step (Rare)

Utilize the elemental planes of magic to teleport a short step. The mana cost and cooldown increase exponentially with the distance traveled.

Mage Armor (Rare)

Encase yourself in an interwoven mantle of mana plates that repels projectiles and most melee attacks.

Elemental Phalanx (Epic)

Conjures a defensive formation of crystalized mana. Different elements will express themselves in different ways. This Phalanx can intercept incoming attacks or be launched offensively.

Sanctified Grounds (Epic)

This combination of magical and divine processes sanctifies an area to a user’s divine alignment, enhancing their magic and the effects of any divine blessings they might wield.

Hemorrhage (Epic)

Critical strikes build up bloodloss damage. When bloodless reaches a certain threshold, the hemorrhage effect is triggered, dealing immense damage to all foes that bleed.

Lifeforce Tether (Epic)

Bind your lifeforce to another, allowing you to share health points. This tether will only function with individuals deeply bound to you through powerful soul magic.

Starlight Beam (Mythic)

Channel your power into a highly destructive beam of magical power. This beam continues to deal damage so long as it is channeled, and will drain your mana as it is cast.

Dragonsouled Mage (Mythic)

A penultimate spell of the Dragon Lodge. Allows the user to take on the soul of a dragon, massively increasing mana pool, resistance to mental and soul attack, mana regeneration, vitality regeneration, and the effects of other dragon enhancement. Once learned and activated for the first time, this spell remains active continuously. Warning: Overexerting yourself while using too many dragon-derived spells may result in a draconic transformation.

Elemental Step sounded like it would be a lot like my old Warp Step ability before I transformed it into Shadowrealm Stride. Hopefully, I could swap between the two abilities and avoid getting caught in a sticky situation.

Mage Armor was like the shield spell I’d been told to pick up, but I’d instead always opted for crafting an item. But at B-Grade I had a lot more spell slots to pick from, so it would be worth having some backup. Elemental Phalanx was another defensive ability that would help me shrug off incoming attacks.

Sanctified Grounds seemed like a good choice since, more and more, I found myself defending fixed positions instead of attacking or fleeing. I usually favored mobility in a fight, but if I had to hold fast this would at least give me a boost. Even so, what tipped me over the edge in picking it was my holy saint title. If I could make use of the Goddess in Jade’s blessing for additional damage against certain enemies, I would do so.

Lifeforce Tether played into my original plans for Scepter of the Supreme Patriarch. That ability formed a soul bond with all my women. I needed more ways to make use of that, and if I could pour any overflowing vitality from lifesteal into them, I could serve as their healer as well as the group damage dealer. That would be an invaluable thing in a party consisting mostly of tanks and fighters.

Starlight Beam would synergize well with Sanctified Grounds, and with all the other bonuses going into my mana pool, I’d probably be able to sustain it for quite a while. I’d taken it on Professor Verlin’s recommendation. He figured that if I was leading a magical artillery unit, I ought to have a magical artillary spell. This was exactly the sort of ability that would be expected of us.

Dragonsouled Mage would be a capstone to my other Dragon Lodge abilities. It would enhance the effects of the other three dragon magic spells I’d learned and provide a huge number of passive boosts while at it. Sure, it came with a slight risk of transforming into a dragon, but most of my Sage of Forbidden Knowledge abilities already risked madness and chaos god possession. Compared to that, accidentally transforming into a dragon sounded peachy.

In the end, I had all twenty spells picked out before even reaching B-Grade. Soon, I would be equipped with Sunlight Spear, Ethereal Wings, Commanding Aura, Diplomat’s Charm, Direct Order, Pacify, Conversion, Fortune’s Favor, Fate’s Blessing, Slippery Foe, Critical Strike, Elemental Step, Mage Armor, Elemental Phalanx, Sanctified Grounds, Lifeforce Tether, Starlight Beam, and Dragonsouled Mage,

Mana Siphon would be replacing Power of Nature, while Hemorrhage would replace Sanity Siphon. Those changes I could make immediately, since they were pretty much overall upgrades to what I was previously using.

Professor Verlin guided me through the process, which took the rest of the remaining day.

“One last thing, young man,” Professor Verlin said.

“I noticed you’ve invented a new spell, Mana Barrage?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m sure you’ve realized the effects can be enhanced by spreading the spell around. If you’re willing, I’ll fetch a few blank skill books and walk you through the process of making copies. It usually costs a proficiency point or two, but sold to the right people most of the costs will be born by those making additional copies.”

I brightened. “You know, I’ve been meaning to figure out how to do that. Please, professor, help me learn.”

And so I spent another day under the guidance of a master producing a few more skill books, which would be spread around, some to students of the Dragon Lodge and some to my own forces. A few would also go right back on the shelves around me. It was nice to repay the owner of this library for sharing so many skill books with me.

When I was just about finished, Kyrina Samhain returned to pull me away from my rigorous studies.

“I mentioned Cyra has been training with Grandma Luthrin while you’re with Professor Verlin? Well, my grandmother thinks the two of you could use some practical training. She pulled some strings to get the two of you access to a very rare dungeon. Consider it one of your upcoming wedding gifts,” Kyrina explained.

I turned back to Professor Verlin, who nodded toward me. “Go on, young man. If you want to use those new books of yours, you’ll have to reach B-Grade first.”

<Note>

Whew. Big chapter, but I didn’t want to split it. I’m glad I’m releasing this part on a relaxed schedule, since all this stat stuff would have been a pain to write at 4 chapters a week. Having more time lets me spend more time on my notes, which will help me write the rest of the book. I'll share my updated cheat sheet for Carter with you guys right after this. It's not a chapter so no email notification, but if you go to Patreon you'll find it. Gotta warn you, it's less a cheat sheet nowadays and more like a chapter's worth of skill descriptions.

Carter now has 61 distinct abilities. Thankfully, most of them will be completely passive, so you guys don’t need to worry about them. Only I have to keep them in mind. And yes, we will be trimming that number down soon. This is about as many abilities as I can hope to keep track of.

When Carter reaches B-Grade, he’ll be able to fly, jump around fast, shoot laser beams, make some cool magic constructs, and heal his ladies while he’s at it. That’s all you guys really need to remember.

I’ll probably post a full list of his abilities in a bit, though we’re edging up against the usual problematic part of litrpg series. 1 million words in any litrpg system is when the numbers system that worked great at the start of the story stops feeling as impactful, and we’re nearly at that point. Probably already over it, for audiobook listeners. Ebook readers are a little more tolerant, I think.

I have a few ideas on how to simplify things back down a bit without feeling like downgrades and making it so skill upgrades are exciting again. I think this is probably pushing the limits of what I can get away with in terms of litrpg. Otherwise, A-Grade is going to be a 5 chapter long segment of Carter picking out 40 new skills.