The Tree of Ascension: A LitRPG Apocalypse (Peril's Prodigy Book 2) by Craig Kobayashi (ebook reader 7 inch TXT) 📕

watched with reluctant appreciation as Tarzan explored the most basic functions of her new body. At first, she jumped from place to place through the air, seeming to gain traction on open nothingness before leaping again. After a few graceful bounds, Tarzan's movements smoothed out until she simply floated along with a glistening white trail of Celestial mist following behind her. Garath accessed his MENU panels and navigated to the Summoned Creatures partition to get a look at the stats of his former pet.

Tarzan

Race: Cait Sith

Class: Celestial Beast

Age: 13

Level: 1

Health: 90/90

Base: 90

Defense Rating: 0

Mana: 520/520

Base: 70

Experience to next Level: 0/1,000

Attributes

Vitality: 9 - Each point of Vitality provides +10 to maximum Health.

Wisdom: 52 - Each point of Wisdom provides +10 to maximum Mana.

Regeneration: 20 - As a Cait Sith, each point of Regeneration increases Mana recovery rate by +1 per second; Health recovery rate by +.5 per second; and recovery from injury by +3%.

Strength: 0 - In addition to making one stronger, each point of Strength increases physical attack damage by 1% and reduces damage received from physical attacks by .25%.

Dexterity: 20 - In addition to making one more agile, each point of Dexterity improves the critical strike chance of physical attacks by +.3%; the critical strike damage of physical attacks by +3%; and improves chance to dodge by +.5%.

Skill Tree

Unused Skill Points: 3

"You ate my Wisp," he accused, crossing his arms sternly as Tarzan floated up to his eye level.

Tarzan did a little twirl in response and then continued happily bouncing off open air around the grumpy Necrologist. Garath wasn’t that upset with her. Tarzan had always been a creature of instinct. How could he hold it against her when all she did was exactly what a cat would do? If anything, Garath was upset with himself for not seeing it coming in time to stop her.

Hoping that something in her ‘powerful and unique’ Skill Tree would make him feel better about the whole situation, Garath willed open his MENU panels and navigated to the Summoned Creatures partition. Tarzan’s name now appeared just below the options for Bill, Handsome, and the Golems. After choosing Tarzan, he was able to see her Character page and below that a glowing option that read ‘Skill Tree’. Garath opened it to see that, even before spending her three free Skill Points, the Cait Sith already had access to two Skills. Garath read the details with an expression of wonder.

Ray of Light

Active

Cost: 7 Mana (.1x Base Mana)

30-Meter Range

1 second cast

No cooldown

Effect: Send a beam of light at your target, dealing 21 (Celestial) damage (.4x Wisdom Attribute). Pierces enemies. Blinds enemies in a 45° cone that spreads for 20 meters, reducing visual perception by 40%.

Cait Sith's Grace

Active

Cost: 70 Mana (1x Base Mana)

3-Meter Range

Instant cast

2-week cooldown

Effect: If cast on a recently slain target (3 minutes from time of death), restores 1 Health Point. If cast on a living target, grants Cait Sith's Blessing, a permanent alteration that varies based on the target's chosen Class.

*Note: During the cooldown period, Tarzan must remain entirely dormant to recover from the mental and physical demands of casting Cait Sith’s Grace.

***Additional note: If the target of Cait Sith’s Grace is a living Necrologist, the form containing the soul of the Necrologist will be made immune from the effects of Tainted Soul. All other forms will remain unchanged.

There it was. Garath may benefit from his gift after all. That is, if he could persuade Tarzan to use the spell on him. As if she had known what he was thinking, the wisp of a cat floated slowly to his eye level again, and then nodded slightly. The faint glow around her brightened, and then her insubstantial form entered that of the bewildered Necrologist.

It felt like he was suddenly bathed in soothing warm water as he began to glow as well. And then it was done. The Tarzan Garath had always known, and now the Tarzan that was a Cait Sith were both gone, and yet still there. He felt her within his mind, occupying the same place that the egg had when it was still an egg, the tiny white ball at the base of his skull. Another system prompt appeared in his vision and he read it curiously.

Know this, Garath: You have been granted the Cait Sith’s Blessing.

Your Human form is now, and will be forever more an exception to the Tainted Soul cost of your Skills and Abilities.

The Tainted Soul effects already on your Human form not been altered.

Garath didn’t know what to think, after all he did for the egg. The new creature somewhat under his control would be absent, banished to the confines of his mind for the two-week cooldown period. The whole situation that had him excited to the point of sleeplessness was over, and he couldn't help feeling cheated.

He did feel grateful to Tarzan for unquestioningly using the powerful spell on him, without even being asked or bribed. Somehow, he could tell she knew he appreciated the sacrifice she’d made for him. His human form may still be tainted but, with the presence of pure light within his mind, Garath felt more in control of himself than he had since he was first soiled with the taints of Necrologist magic.

He felt whole.

Chapter Twelve – Joyous Reunion… ish

Garath sat facing the ocean with the July sun high overhead as he drafted an open invitation to try out for his Dungeon team on the Community forums. He wasn’t sure if it would yield any results, but it seemed negligent to only look for talent within the little community of BoTH. His goal was to assemble the strongest group possible before heading south to take on the Tower of Vy’thishrak, not just the strongest group possible from the members of BoTH. He read over his thread a final time, posted it and closed the MENU panels impeding his vision.

Garath’s eyes went wide. The strangest-looking creature he had ever seen was only