They simply had to leave the building, and the high-tech car was there, with a man dressed in a suit, wearing black sunglasses, holding the door open to them.
The first part of the trip was spent in silence as he once again spent his time staring out of the window and watching the skyline pass by while his date spent it perfecting her makeup.
With a quiet click, the small box of makeup tools, powders, creams, and everything else closed and retracted back into a receptacle of the car and Lara turned to Sam.
“So, the plan is still the same? Your meeting with grandpa didn’t change it, right?” she asked, half worried and half giddy.
Sam forced himself not to shudder at the thought of Lara’s grandfather and nodded.
“Yep. Still the same. Smile and wave while pretending to be an airheaded bimbo,” he replied.
Lara just grinned.
“Do you think it will work?”
“I mean you told me you haven’t really participated in business meetings…”
“I mean yeah, I have cousins for that…”
“That means that most of these people will have no idea who you are…” Her grin widened as he spoke. “We only need one person to recognize you. The rest will be taken care of by gossip.”
“Can’t wait to see it!”
“Same…”
They lapsed into silence as Sam tried to hype himself for the gala. The meeting with Lara’s grandfather rattled him, and his usual cool behavior was harder to bring forth.
“What about the auction?” Lara asked, suddenly breaking him out of his thoughts.
“Hmm?” Sam answered absentmindedly.
“Do we want to buy anything from it?”
“Why, did you see anything you want?”
The auction they were going to would be separated into two parts. The first part would be all about real-life items, like paintings, antique decorative items, and even his statue. Unsurprisingly, a lot of things were connected to the game. His item would be joined by several paintings of in-game characters, sculptures of monsters, and even a few contracts for artists. They pledged to create whatever the winner of the auction wanted in their preferred mediums.
Sam checked, and they were moderately well-known and respected artists. Nothing he would be interested in, but based on the buzz on the net, people were really hyped for them.
The second part would be filled with in-game items like skill books, enchanted equipment, and artifacts, and the list that the auction organizers provided also had an item that just said it was for a quest.
He had a few guesses about what kind of quest it could be – based on how quests worked - but in the end, it would only be revealed to him when the auction started.
“Some of that equipment looks cool…” she admitted.
“Which one?” he asked.
Lara took out her phone from her purse and after a few seconds of tapping, she turned the screen toward Sam, showing him one of the weapons on the list.
Sam read the details and specifications of the weapon, a rapier, and then took a look at the asking price.
“Damn. That’s some expensive trash…” he mumbled.
“Really?” she asked, bringing the phone back toward herself and taking another look at the weapon. “It’s much better than the one I currently have and the enchantment looks super useful.”
[Earth Pierce: Earth and stone cannot stop your weapon. It pierces through earth without any slowdown or decrease of damage.]
Sam just snorted. “Remind me later and I will have Lucy commission you one that has All Pierce. Earth Pierce is rather limiting…”
“You can do that?”
Sam just waved his hand in a dismissing motion. “It’s a rare enchantment, but I know how to get it…”
Lara’s eyes widened, and her frown turned into a grin. “You’re the best, boss!”
Getting into the gala was easy. Granted, they had to wait in an actual limo line to get to the front door, but nobody hassled them at the door. The person standing there recognized Sam instantly and waved him inside, alongside the crowd. The staff member ignored Lara as she clung to Sam’s arm and gazed around in a ditzy manner.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
‘Probably used to less than stellar dates…’ Sam mused as he escorted Lara inside.
The Stelborne Gala and Charity Auction looked exactly like Sam expected. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminated by countless light sources that made sure to scatter the light artistically on the crystal parts of said chandeliers.
The walls were lined with countless artworks, both on the wall and on the floor. Between and around them several plants, both exotic and not, could be found, their green color enhancing the look of the venue.
However, the building had other things to fill it with. Tables laden with bite-sized food, waiters wandering the floor with drinks, both alcoholic and not, while sofas in all shapes and sizes (sinfully comfortable, all of them) littered the space, allowing people to group and ‘enjoy’ each other’s presence.
Sam saw young people, around Lara’s and his age, lounging on the sofas, surrounded by beautiful women who laughed almost automatically at everything they said, and saw the older generation sitting around, with a little more decorum (but not much) talking quietly with each other, the genders separated into different groups.
Older women tittered amongst themselves as they threw glances at other women around the party. The men laughed uproariously as they made fun of each other, with one person trying to keep cool as their head turned into an interesting shade of puce.
All in all, it was everything he expected it to be.
Naturally, as they were not part of any of the groups or cliques, Lara and Sam were practically ignored by everybody as they slowly walked through the space. Men scoffed at Sam and women threw condescending glances at Lara while turning to whisper to their friends and point.
“Just like back in high school…” Sam murmured, leaning down a little so that only Lara could hear him.
She snorted and then giggled a little. Then she stiffened and exclaimed a little louder.
“Look! Katie is there!”
And indeed, their chaotic friend was there, near one of the tables laden with cakes. She was wearing an elegant blue dress that showed off her shoulders while her hair cascaded down in incredible waves. Next to her stood Isabella, who instead of a summer dress type of clothing was wearing a tight dress, fitted perfectly to her body, in green color with blue highlights, her hair up in an elegant hairdo while jewelry sparkled on her neck drawing attention to her moderate décolletage.
They barely moved toward their friends when Katie’s bored, wandering gaze found them. Instantly, the boredom fled from her eyes, replaced by genuine joy and excitement.
“Sam!” she called out, her voice cutting through the low murmur of the hall, causing several people to look toward them. Then she grabbed Isabella by the hand and strode forward, her kitten heels clacking on the marble floor.
Soon, they were being hugged by the excitable young woman as several speculative gazes watched them, wondering why the daughter of the person who organized this gala was talking to two totally unknown people.
Thankfully, some managed to scrounge up the brain cells and figure out that if Katie was talking to an unknown person, whose name was Sam, then more than likely it was Katie’s guild master. As Katie began to babble the room was also filled with whispers.
“So nice to see you finally! I have been soooo bored! We can’t even talk about anything important with Izzy! Tell them, Izzy!”
Isabella opened her mouth to answer, but before she could even start talking, Katie continued.
“See! It’s been horrible! At least the food is great! I made father use the caterer I know can make super delicious cakes!”
Isabella chose the moment Katie paused to take a breath to comment.
“Indeed, it has been horrible. I doubt it’s going to get better…” she said dryly.
Next to her, Katie just nodded emphatically as Lara giggled while Sam extricated himself from Katie’s vice grip.
“Nice to see you guys again,” Sam replied with a smile. “Anything interesting?” He made sure to keep his voice at a level that made sure that everybody heard him, but it looked like he was trying to keep a low profile.
“Sooo much! The art is meh, but the game stuff is super interesting!” Katie answered with a grin.
Sam could feel the physical weight of the stares on them after that sentence. More than likely, most of the younger people played Magic Unbound, and he suspected that at least half of the older generation also partook in gaming once in a while.
And as the game was the newest craze, there was nothing more interesting to these rich people, than things that could provide them bragging rights or advantage over their rivals.
Surreptitiously glancing around, Sam had to hold back a smirk.
‘Let’s start with an easy one…’
“Yes, the equipment up for auction is all rather compelling,” he admitted.
“Are you going to bid on them?” Isabella asked with a small smile.
All of them knew that Sam was only here to sow chaos and not to buy anything.
“Oh yes, I plan to bid on as many as possible. They could be a great addition to some people’s build…” Not his people, but some people could certainly make use of them…
Already, he could feel the tension rising up in the room. After all, all these people were here to bid on those same weapons, armor, and artifacts. He wasn’t as rich as most of these people, but as he was the leader of one of the most powerful in-game organizations, they were equating his power to the real world.
After all, in their mind, only someone powerful in the real world could build something like that in the game.
Suddenly, his arm was grabbed by Katie.
“Come on! Let’s introduce you to my father!” she exclaimed, a smile on her lips, and began to drag Sam.
He shared a look with Isabella and Lara, who both just shrugged, so he let himself be dragged.
The man of the hour, or at least the event, stood amongst his ‘equals’, wearing a high-quality suit, fitted perfectly to his frame, talking to distinguished people with frowns on their faces. Hanging around them were countless heirs, based on the fact that Sam saw a guy with a similar look to Katie and their father having a stilted conversation with another young scion.
The man instantly looked up when the sound of Katie’s steps began to echo around the room, his eyes locking on Sam. He returned the look with a nod and smile. The rest of the people slowly drifted apart, no doubt expecting a show.
“Father!” Katie skidded to stop not far from the man, took a deep breath, and motioned toward Sam. “My friend, Sam!”
Silence fell on the group as Sam adjusted his own suit jacket and stepped forward with a hand outstretched.
“A pleasure to meet you, sir. I’m very thankful for the invitation to the gala. I rarely have the opportunity to spend time among individuals of such caliber,” he greeted the man. Most of the younger people listening in smirked proudly at his admission, while the older ones – at least some of them – just gave him an insincere smile, including Katie’s father.
The man took his hand and shook it a few times before dropping it.
“Welcome to the Stelborne Gala.” Katie’s father then turned toward Lara who was still standing back, dutifully acting like an empty-headed arm candy. “Might I know your date for today?”
Sam straightened and smiled. “Naturally!” He reached out with a hand, palm facing upwards, to Lara, who gently grabbed it and simply glided forward.
Sam vowed to ask her later to teach him how to do that.
“Allow me to introduce my delightful date for this evening, Lara Astran!”
It was really hard not to break out laughing as all the distinguished gentlemen began to choke on their drinks while Katie’s father looked like he was simultaneously kicked in the balls and given the sourest candy in the world.
Owed bonus chapters: Three (3)
Titles:
[Apprentice: You are an apprentice learning under a master. Increased experience point gain in the key skill of the apprenticeship.]
Magical Items:
[Ring of Minor Health Regeneration: A small ring, made from subpar materials, with a low-quality magical gem. As long as the gem holds mana, it aids with health regeneration. Can hold 100 Mana Points, and regenerates 10 Health Points for every point of mana consumed. Current Mana: 100/100.]
[High-quality Troll Leather Armor: Created by a journeyman crafter employed by your own company. They worked extra hard to make sure to return your goodwill. Excellent quality, given the materials and the crafter. Enchanted to decrease the sound it makes during movement, as well as has increased durability. Thanks to the substance it was impregnated with the troll leather it lacks its customary weakness to fire.]
*Not actually bottomless.]
[Ring of the Shadow Fang: Made from shadow metal and accented with white moon-silver, this ring allows the wearer to summon a dagger made from shadow. The strength of the dagger depends on the wearer’s shadow mana control. The distance the dagger can move from the wearer depends on the mana control of the individual.]
Quests:
Active quests:
[Just walk in there!]
[Prove yourself!]
[Peaceful land, peaceful mind]
[Deli-Very!]
Finished quests:
[Monster Parade!]
[Topping the tree!]
[Reap what you sow!]
[Seaside opportunity]
[Another seaside opportunity]
[The booty of mystery!]
[Demonic demonstration!]
[The Test of the Survivor!]
[To the city you go!]
[Eternal Vigilance!]
[Returning Champion]
[Volatile Valley]
[Ride forward to be not killed in nasty ways!]
[Location, location, location!]
Skills:
Mana Skills:
[Mana Body: Level 7/100 (21%) (Passive) Your mana permeates your body, enhancing and improving it. The better your control of your mana is, and the more mana you have, the bigger the effect is. For every 100 Mana Points, it grants you 1 Base Health gain. For every skill level, it increases the Health Regeneration by 0,1.]
[Mana Shield: Level 99 (99%) Using mana, you can form a simple shell around yourself, which decreases the damage you take. Damage decrease depends on the amount of mana invested. For every unit of Mana invested in the spell, the shield will protect you from 9,9 (physical) damage.]
[A/N: Currently: WIS: 55 / MAG: 50 = 1,1 --> +2,1 Mana Regeneration per skill level]
[A/N: Currently: WIS: 55 / MAG: 50 = 1,1 --> +3,1 Mana Regeneration per skill level]
Neutral Mage skills:
[Mana Unraveling: Level 14/25 (19%) (Active) You can spot even the smallest imperfection in the weave of the mana. If your control is better than the one who wove the spell, then you can attack those imperfections and unravel the spell or magic in front of you.]
[Spell Matrix: Level 40/100 (4%) (Passive) You mastered layering spells as very few have before. You can layer ( or connect any other way) together as many spells as you can. The cost of this action is increased by 5% (cumulative) for every two layers or spells.]
[Solid Spell Foundation: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Your foundation is solid and unshakeable. The stability of layered spells is increased.]
[Mana Construct: Level 84/100 (22%) (Active/Passive) You can create mana constructs over your weapons. These constructs cannot be separated from your weapon. You have total control over their shape and size. For every level in the skill, the mana cost is decreased by 1% and the damage inflicted by the skill is increased by 1%]
[Simplicity: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) The simpler your creations, the less mana it costs.]
[Infusion: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Infusing different mana types into your mana constructs becomes easier.]
[Complexity: Level 1/5 (11%) (Passive) The complexity of your creations doesn’t detract from it. Usually, mana cost would rise when the complexity of your creation increases. For every level of this skill this increase in mana cost becomes less and less.]
Elemental Mage Skills:
Wind Mage skills:
[Wind Blade III: Level 9/10 (99%) (Active) A spell that allows you to launch a blade of wind. The cutting power and speed of the blade are increased. You have greater control over its movement after creation. Allows you to slightly control its path after launching the wind blade.]
[Wind Blade Storm: Level 6/10 (7%) (Active) A spell that unleashes a storm of wind blades around you. The damage of the released Wind Blades depends on the Wind Blade spell and your mastery over it.]
[Wind Bullet III: Level 9/10 (99%) A spell that allows you to launch a bullet made of concentrated wind. You have excellent control over the projectile’s speed, size, and path.]
[Wind Explosion: Level 3/10 (21%) A spell that allows you to create a singular bullet of wind mana, and then fire it, which will, upon impact, detonate. The strength of the detonation depends on the amount of wind mana channeled into the bullet and your mastery over the Wind Bullet spell!]
[Wind Movement: 39/100 (19%) (Active) You can use your mastery over wind to move in any direction you wish. Your movement speed is increased significantly. This speed boost is increased by 1% for each skill level.]
[Wind Edge III: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) A spell that allows you to enhance the edge of any bladed weapon you wield with the wind. Thanks to the spell, the speed of your strikes will greatly increase. The power and reach of the blade will be greatly increased further.]
[Wind Affinity: Level 61/100 (17%) (Passive) You have a good affinity for the wind. Beings born of the wind will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Wind-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]
- Wind Flurry
- Wind Bullet Barrage
- Healing Wind
- Wind Jump
- Wind Drill
- Wind Blade I-III
- Wind Blade Storm
- Wind Bullet I-III
- Wind Explosion
- Wind Movement
- Wind Edge I-III!
Utility skills:
Companion skills:
Shadow skills:
(Shadow Cloak triggers this benefit.)]
[Shadow Affinity: Level 30/100 (14%) (Passive) You have a good affinity with the shadows. Beings born of the shadows will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Shadow-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]
Physical skills:
[Basic Armor Mastery: Level 91/100 (6%) (Passive) You learned the basics of wearing armor. Decreases the Stamina consumption slightly while wearing any kind of armor.]
[Clean Armor: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your mana got used to a certain spell, so the waste mana radiating from you will, over time, permeate and clean your armor.]
[Resistant Armor: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Thanks to your practice, you can fully utilize everything that your armor provides, granting you increased resistance against the environment. Grants 2% increased environmental resistance per skill level. Environmental resistance protects against environmental effects only.]
[Durable Armor: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You learned how to roll with the punches. This includes knowing when your armor can take a hit and when it can’t. Increased durability for any armor you wear from incoming damage from non-environmental sources.]
[Epic Breathing Technique: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) You breathe, and the world breathes with you. You move along your own rhythm. Decreases stamina consumption even more during any activity and further increases stamina regeneration when not in a fight. Gain +2 Stamina Regeneration for every skill level.]
[Tranquil Heart: Level 11/100 (54%) (Passive) Your heart beats to the same rhythm as your body. It’s efficient and harmonious. You have an even easier time resisting mind-altering effects and a portion of of those effects are reflected back to the source. The portion is 1% per skill level. You also radiate an aura of tranquility that confers the resistance portion of the skill to your allies near you.]
[Flow: Level 77/100 (9%) (Passive) Thanks to being a natural sensor, you can read the flow of the mana. Increases your stability and the bonuses any movement or martial art skill provides by 1% per level in the skill.]
[Focused Flow: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) When focusing on any enemy beyond what is normal, your ability to read their flow becomes clearer and more precise.]
[Controlled Flow: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Your read of the flow is more controlled, allowing you to see the flow much better. Increases the flow visibility by 20% for every skill level.]
[Immersed Flow: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When you start reading the flow a counter starts. After every ten seconds, the effect of the Flow skill increases by 1% for each skill level. Maximum 600 seconds.]
Parry: Level 24/100 (13%) (Passive) Decreases the stamina consumption of defensive weapon movements. It allows you to more efficiently and accurately parry incoming attacks. Decreases the damage of the blocked attack by 0,5% for each skill level at the moment of blocking.]
[Cleansed Body: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your body has been cleansed of impurities, giving you a more charming aura. NPCs and players will treat you slightly differently depending on their tastes. Gives a flat increase of +3 to STR, AGI, END. You can upgrade this skill by further cleansing your body.]
Resistance skills:
General skills:
[Dwarven Language: Level 5/10 (1%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Dwarven language.]
[Elven Language: Level 7/10 (8%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Elven language.]
[Dark Elven Language: Level 5/10 (1%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Dark Elven language.]
[Sarkan Language: Level 3/10 (42%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Sarkan language.]
Crafting skills:
Pet skills:
[Strong Jaw: Level Max (Passive) The jaw of the wolf is strengthened.]
[Lucky Aura: Level Max (Passive) Those who are in the same party as the wolf receive a buff to their luck. It depends on their luck how big the increase is.]
[Animalistic Mana Control: Level Max (Passive) The wolf controls the mana inside him based on animalistic instinct.]
[Animalistic Shadow Control: Level Max (Passive) The wolf controls the shadows around him just as easily as it breathes.]
[Shadow Spirit Body: Level Max (Passive) The body of the wolf is part shadows and part spirit, which makes it much more malleable.]
[Shadow Strike: Level Max (Active/Passive) All attacks started from the shadows receive bonus damage, and the wolf can clad itself in shadows, making its entire body into a weapon, while striking at an enemy increasing its range of attack.]
[Shadow Jump: Level 20/20 (MAX%) (Active) The wolf gains the capability to dive into your shadow and emerge from a different shadow. Range: 200 meters. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]
[Shadow Dash: Level 20/20 (MAX%) (Active/Passive) Wherever the wolf steps, he can leave small pools of shadows that the wolf can use to jump into. When diving into the shadows, the wolf can travel at an even greater distance with his speed increased by 2% for each skill level.]
[Shadow Claws: Level 20/20 (MAX%) (Active/Passive) Your companion’s claws are infused with the shadows. There is a low chance to leave behind shadow mana with each attack of their claws. Alternatively, they can actively increase this infusion of shadow mana and strike at their enemies with giant shadow claws.]
[Shadow Bite: Level 20/20 (MAX%) (Active) Your companion enhances their bite with shadow mana, increasing the area and strength of the bite.]
[Shadow Steed: Level 21/50 (3%) (Passive) Your companion has learned how to run while being ridden. Stamina consumption is decreased when being ridden and can carry bigger loads.]
[Shadow Bleed: Level 41/50 (8%) (Passive) Your companion’s claw has been enhanced by a chaotic shadow field which rends the area where the claws strike, causing extra bleeding.]
[Weakening Strike: Level 15/50 (21%) (Passive) Every strike of your companion's claw weakens the enemy's armor. The maximum stack of the effects is 3+1 per 5 skill level.]
[Shadow Heal: Level 21/50 (37%) (Active) Your companion can absorb the shadows hiding them to heal itself.]
[Runic Weapon: Level Max (Passive) The wolf’s claws and teeth are clad in runes that grant him a certain amount of ability to pierce through the impenetrable. Grants a 13% chance to do True Damage with the claws and teeth.]
[Runic Strike: Level 20/20 (Active) Lucky gains the ability to channel mana into the runes of his claws and teeth to enhance the damage theydo. The damage type depends on the type of mana he channels into it. Current natures are available to use: no attribute, shadow, or spirit.]