Heading back into the ‘support building’ as it were, she was met with clapping as she walked past the training area. It seemed like they didn’t want to throw fodder in all the time, and made sure actual warriors were trained for some good bloodletting. The woman who had been clapping was a yellow-named Druchii with white hair and very little in the way of clothing. Though if she was here, then she was clearly not just for show..
“You know, when we throw slaves in without weapons, they usually start begging the audiance for something, or run around trying to tire out their foe, or other ways of avoiding engaging. But you just went ‘no weapons, no fucks, bam’ and took Jack out. Absolutely amazing” The Druchii exclaimed, nodding heartily and then getting up from leaning on the wall and walking over.
“So it’s uncommon for someone to fight with just their fists?” Estaria asked. Though at first she wanted to get a good sword as soon as possible, the idea of using a niche and theatrical weapon to get her name out there was blossoming in her head.
“Well. It’s not uncommon for someone to fight with their fists. It’s just uncommon for them to win with their fists. Usually they just get kicked around and then defeated or executed as the crowd demands. Your little show out there was exceptional for that alone”
The Druchii got in close and gave a grin, looking over Estaria’s outfit with an eye that made her feel awkward. “And your outfit of choice is certainly an eye catcher as well. A shame you are already claimed, but understandable really. You are a gem, though that kick you tried was hilarious” The Druchii continued. Hearing about the wild failure made Es blush and shuffle her feet, but the Druchii wasn’t done yet. Walking around behind Es, she’d put her hands on the woman’s thighs.
“You ne-” she started, before Estaria jumped from the touch and backed away.
“Don’t just touch me like that. Please” Estaria spoke, looking at the woman cautiously. Though it was the wrong way to go about things, as the Druchii surged forward, pushing Estaria against the wall and holding her chin tightly to stare into her eyes. Estaria didn’t move, not wanting to do anything rash and ruin the whole thing.
“Please? Haha, ohh, pet, you are adorable. The World’s treasures exist for the Strong. It is paltry, pathetic, and degrading to beg for something, and only solidifies your nature to be crushed under heel by your betters. The Strong take, the Weak obey. So-” the Druchii moved in close and whispered in Estaria’s ear. “-Make your choice. Take, or Obey~”
As much as Es didn’t want to start anything, she had her limits, and they had just been reached. Thrusting a punch into the Druchii’s gut, Es slide out from behind the wall, so there was plenty of room to maneuver. The Druchii rolled back, gasping for air for a few seconds before wheezing a few words.
“Yep. Like that” she staggered a bit before managing to right herself, and shake off the blow. “You just might be what we need to shake off the rust” the Druchii exclaimed, shaking her hair out and trying to regain her dignified pose while dealing with the pain of the gut punch. “I’m Triala, of the Witch Cult. And if you don’t mind, I would love to tutor you in the ways of bloodshed. You had a decent run out there but it was raw, wild, and untamed. I can only imagine the beauty that you’ll be able to paint once you are fully trained”
Despite the terrible first impression, Estaria couldn’t deny that she was lacking in the unarmed vein. And she had made her stance clear in a way that Triala seemed to accept, so she probably didn’t have to worry about that happening again. So she accepted the woman’s offer and got into the training grounds. Here, Gladiator and Slave fought each other to keep fit and keep sharp, or struck dummies to perfect their blow. Triala claimed themselves a dummy and began teaching how best to fight with only yourself as the weapon.
There were some analogues to swordsmanship, but also some differences, and it would take Es a while to really get comfortable with this whole thing. Was a real toss-up between getting a sword and fighting how she knew, and sticking with her fists to fight in a way that would get her known. The training helped her grasp more than just the basics, and after a few hours she was throwing punches in a more comfortable gait than close combat brawling.
“Stealing my girl already, Triala?” came Filnon’s voice from behind. Looking back, Triala rushed over and lept into Filnon’s arms, getting spin around by the Druchii in a display of delight that Es thought was beyond the whole race.
“Well, you know how the world is. When you find a pretty gem, take it before another can” Triala replied, looking back to Estaria. “And you found the prettiest of gems indeed~ Your sisters are watching, Filnon”
With that, the Witch would leave Estaria in Filnon’s hands and head off back to her own training, only having come out to see Filnon’s new toy.
“Friend of yours?” Estaria asked, keeping the bobbing weave of her combat flow going so she could engrave it into her very muscles.
“Yea. The Witch Cult is a close-knit place, as Druchii go. I’m still not enthused around them, but they at least would get an explanation before I stabbed them” Filnon explained, stepping over and watching Estaria run through the basic five step drill.
“You seemed pretty happy with her” Estaria commented, a casual observation.
“It would crush her heart to tell her how I actually feel. And I don’t do things that cruel without reason” Filnon would reply, and then before the conversation could go any further, she nodded to the training dummy. “So. Fisting”
The tone and eyebrow flick was enough to make Estaria snort, and turn her head away.
“Do you have to be so crass?” Estaria asked, though there was no hiding her amusement. Some things, you just never grew out of.
“Yes” was the straight and direct answer, said with such a serious tone Es couldn’t help but laugh some more. And then she recovered and looked to the dummy in front of her, putting on an exaggerated upper-class accent.
“The Noble art of Pugilism is an honored pass time of the Nobles of the Empire. It is fitting that I engage in this art, to polish it to the highest possible degree” Estaria would then give the signature look of superiority, but shattered when Filnon started laughing. No doubt a sign of madness to be having this childish moment of laughter in the situation they were in, but it was important to be able to relax from time to time.
Getting back to the training, Filnon added in a few more pointers, until Estaria felt that she had it all down and could replicate it in a heartbeat. A good first training session, even if hanging around for four hours raised a lot of eyebrows. Heading out from the training grounds, Filnon pulled Estaria off the beaten track to go to a small cafe, where they got some breakfast and sat opposite one another. It was times like these that Estaria could almost forget the situation she was in.
“So” Filnon would exclaim when they were eating. “Logistics for the future. I was delayed coming down because the Arena Manager wanted you in more fights. And also one of the minor nobles here wanted to fight you because he liked Jack The Knife, and was angry you killed him. I managed to placate him for now, but you might come face to face with him in the arena some time, so just be prepared for that. I can talk to Triala about getting you into the training ground there so we can farm tokens and sort out the equipment problem”
Filnon was pretty administrative when she needed to be, which was good for them both, but Estaria raised an eyebrow at her priorities.
“And the clothing problem?” Es put in, though Filnon just grinned.
“I don’t see a problem. It is getting you noticed wherever you go. People will spread the word of my Crimson Whirlwind, and then we’ll get better fights. Though, I will say. If you make a show of it and get the crowd to adore you, I will make you a new uniform that is more..covering”
Filnon’s offer was not exactly sound, but the reasoning behind it was hard to ignore. Nobody could deny she was attracting attention dressed up like this. And winning arena fights, dressed like this? That absolutely would get them the reputation they needed in the arena to get into the big leagues. So, after delaying for a bit, she blew out her breath and nodded.
“Fine. Fine. I’ll play your character. It won’t be the first time I’ve managed discomfort for the sake of what I can get out of it” Estaria exclaimed, sitting back in her chair for a few seconds before looking to Filnon with a sharp stare. “Have you looked into the tattoo problem?”
Filnon scooped the last of the food up and nodded, quite enthusiastic in her tone when she began to speak.
“Mmm! There are a few traits I can pick up in the coming levels that reduce how much xp you lose. They clone the exp you gain, rather than just taking it. There are three of them, and if we get all three of them, I will be getting 50% of your gains while you simultaneously keep 100% of your gains. Effectively creating ghost experience”
That was definitely a cause for enthusiasm, to be sure. A temporary discomfort in exchange for an advantage in the future. And if Filnon had traits…Estaria opened her own screen and scanned the trait list, eventually finding three of her own that did the same as Filnon’s and created ghost experience. The two of them together would allow Filnon to gain 90% of Estaria’s exp while Estaria kept 100% of her exp, effectively almost doubling their earning. Of course, 3 traits was 12 levels worth, which was a while away…
“So I am keeping this mark” Estaria commented, looking up and explaining her reasons, which made Filnon’s little eyes light up with delight. The time and effort it would take to get these rewards would be absolutely well worth it.
“When we pull this off…ohh, there is going to be levels for days. I’m actually excited now. Come on, I am not putting this off for later, let’s go talk to Triala” Filnon stood, dropped some money, and then practically dragged Estaria off. Fame, Fortune, Power, and The Truth, were all on the horizon. She was close enough to taste it~
Oh and a different comment because I don't want it getting sucked up in the discussion of traits and experience. I absolutely adore the 'more unique' weapon that Estaria chose. Honestly being able to fight unarmed seems drastically beneficial to her especially as a 'slave'. Even if she can system pull a weapon at any time, her being prepared this way is something I really like as a reader. Just wanted to commend you for going a 'basic' but extremely reasonable choice compared to something unique and odd.
Part an absolute love for unarmed martial arts, and part "I want to stand out, so picking a weapon hardly anyone uses is going to help me do that"
Fantasy even supports my Wuxia Fetish with the Celestial Dragon Monks, it's great!
Why doesn't she think of a way to get home to her girlfriend ? I don't get how she is thinking. I really hope she doesn't start to cheat on her lover ....
Everyone seems to miss the "You are alone in hostile territory without any idea where to go, and even if you did there are monsters, skilled Druchii, the bitter cold itself, and a literal ocean to cross" part....
First: You named your ch wrong, oops
Secondly: It... doesn't sound like its worth Estaria's Traits? Maybe I read it wrong or it was described badly. It sounds like Estaria has to sink 3 traits in just to get back to where she was with no benefits. That very much does not seem worthwhile. Now if she gains enhanced xp it does. The traits here would be better off more defined and maybe in your trait box for easier reading. And maybe more general.... 'If you are losing xp to another entity, reduce xp lost by half' 'if you are losing xp to another entity, reduce xp lost entirely' 'you can not lose access to your own inventory or shop nor can others steal your system possessions'. might be better 'traits' for Estaria to invest in. Both to make her partnership with filnon more beneficial *and* as a precaution for the future as a worst case scenario. It doesn't negate the 'ghost xp' filnon gets but negates the xp Estaria would lose. Why will Estaria need it in the future? No idea! But a trait set protecting your ability to grow seems pretty Estaria desired.
Edit: I'd probably do something like (suggested below)... which means she actually 'gains' instead of loses, and have her note a trait that would prevent kilnon from gaining xp but instead taking a personal xp booster instead.
Whats mine is mine!: If you are losing xp to another entity, gain an amount of experience equal to what is lost.
What's yours is mine!: If you are losing xp to another entity, gain double the amount of experience equal to what is lost.
Edit/Edit: (Or making make it a 2 part trait to prevent herself from losing any xp at all to others rather then an xp boost)
Don't touch my stuff: Your items are yours. If items are taken from you, they go back to your system inventory. The system store and inventory becomes immune to outside interference.
*Mind-tricks Mil into forgetting the wrong chapter name*
Estaria's traits increase the amount of XP that is being given to Filnon. Filnon's traits reduce the amount of XP that Estaria is losing. Technically, Es doesn't need to do anything, and can just let Filnon buy the three traits that remove the xp loss from the Mark. Then she is back to normal.
But, Filnon is the one with the plan, the influence, and the societal understanding to pull off said plan. So Estaria helping her get more powerful, also benefits Estaria. Since the more power Filnon has, the more Estaria can get away with in her name. So it makes sense to by symbiotic rather than just trying to help yourself before anyone else. Helping Filnon is helping Estaria.
@LillyanaKabal The thing is..... Why? Filnon is already gaining XP just by Estaria doing absolutely nothing. Filnon taking the traits is a way to prevent Estaria from ditching the slave mark in the long run (and still doesn't address the permanent loss of gold does it?). It's a permanent passive xp gain for Filnon especially for a combat junkie like Estaria. Estaria investing 3 traits in boosting Filnons gains don't make sense over Estaria growing stronger (which means she gains more xp which means Filnon still gains more xp). That's my personal opinion anyway. It's why i edited in a suggestion while you replied, Estaria taking traits to prevent this from happening again in a world where slavery is a thing makes a lot more sense then boosting up Filnon further. Her choosing a route that doesn't sabotage Filnons gains would be her actively helping Filnon ("I have to take 2 traits to make sure I don't lose exp but it means you still gain my exp. Not only is it better stealth option as a precaution but this way you keep benefiting")
@Milanda Hmm. That could be a good idea. A trait that gives them both a percentage boost equal to the amount of xp that would have been given. It's a great way to fight against the XP loss of fighting White monsters as well. Effectively giving them both a 190% increase to exp from this Trait if properly invested into it. It benefits both of them without gimping the other.
I fixed the gold and items thing by just removing that from the trait. It's only xp now
@LillyanaKabal
Ditching the gold/items thing is probably the easiest way to handle that issue compared to a much more detailed in depth minutiae and likely for the best. You may want to address it though because of the 'xp boosting soul'. Maybe Filnon -gained- everything she had, but has no future claim to things she gets? This way Filnon returns everything and buys herself a huge dose of good will.
As a reader; I want Estaria to thrive. As a gamelit reader, I like the stats and levels and such. I think turning the traits into a mutual benefit makes the most sense because not only does it make sense (especially as she gets higher levels) but it makes Filnon a more beloved side character. She saw that Estaria would be hugely beneficial to her and decided to go into the situation looking for a partner, not a slave. It definitely makes me want her to have a good storyline and stick around compared to a random slaver. I'd also include something like 'you may only have one (or x) bond/s at a time' as a sign that Estaria doesn't have to stay bound to Filnon for life, making the trait even more worthwhile (since she's known filnon for like, 3 days). Either that or they stumble on the fact they can 'retrain traits' somehow (monthly/yearly/costs gold/etc). Just that option that if sh*t goes south; she can get her traits back or benefit from them with someone else.
@Milanda Filnon also has a Stolen Soul from killing the Skaven Player. Filnon wasn't giving Estaria's back, she was giving Estaria her's as well.
"The first Player I met got killed by me because they were an ugly little Rat-fink. So honestly I thought about killing you as well for even more of the good shit, but I saw you and it was nice"
@LillyanaKabal Oh. *OH*. It came across to me as her giving Estaria back the soul she had before. THIS makes it a lot more 'I'm proving i'm on your side'. Might want to further emphasize 'I'll give you my stolen soul to boost your xp gain as well for now until we get it sorted out' kind of deal. Cause... I'd like to think i'm not the only one who will derp on that line. Though maybe without the items taken now
@Milanda Ok, added a short exchange that emphasizes the ownership of the Soul. And explains Filnon's high level.
@LillyanaKabal Appreciated!