Gamble for Azeroth 7 (Patreon)

He was already walking away when he activated his rewards. He started with the bronze ticket, curious about what he would receive.

[Select one!]

[Scenic Wind]

{Trash Trait: The scenic wind favors you, making your clothes and hair flutter majestically, even in impossible weather conditions and indoors whenever it is opportune.}

[Winterman]

{Uncommon Trait: You were born in the harsh winter winds, you are more resistant to cold and ice-based abilities, and your ice-based abilities cost less energy to use.}

He didn’t even need to think before selecting Winterman. Not only was Scenic Wind next to useless other than as a party gimmick, but also the undead spellcasters relied on cold spells . Having an inherent defense against those spells would be extremely useful.

Comparatively, the offensive usage was merely an afterthought. He might be better at learning magic thanks to Talented, but it was his small mana reserves that made it impossible.

He activated his silver ticket.

[Select one!]

[Adept Conceptualization]

{Rare Skill: Conceptualization is your ability to understand what is beyond the mundane and inexplicable. With this level, your mind probably won't be shattered by hearing the old ones whisper. Magic and esoteric subjects make more sense to you when you see them, you understand, learn, and develop magic more easily and have a better time understanding the mystical side of reality.}

[Beginners Guide to Runecraft]

{Rare Item: A beginner's guide on basic Nordic/Scandinavian runecraft written personally by the Allfather Odin himself. Allowing those who study it to learn the art of Runecraft.}

Another easy choice. He immediately picked Conceptualization. He didn’t know any famous mage called Odin, but even if he did, a guide on runecraft was the kind of thing that would require months to make any reasonable progress.

Conceptualization was immediate, not only allowing him to adapt Water Breathing to mana easier, but it might even allow him to develop a better understanding of Bloom. Added to the two benefits, it would also allow him to develop a greater understanding of magic.

A boost to his magic-learning speed was always welcome.

As he walked, he raised his finger. A simple arcane glow appeared, but instead of releasing, he focused on the concept of cold.

Three attempts were all it took to figure out how to transform mana. It was an interesting process. A push, and the vague pressure of the raw mana became textured, as if it touched something outside the reality.

Just like that, he figured out how to transform his mana, something his childhood tutors had failed to teach him after months of training. Not that he could blame them. The connection was subtle and instinctive.

Then, he started trying to replicate the same effect with water, which wasn’t simple. Technically, Winterman meant he could have pushed Frost Magic far more effectively, but he ignored it. Frost magic was likely the worst tool against the undead.

Admittedly, under normal conditions, water magic wouldn’t be much better. It certainly couldn’t rival fire magic, or even better, channeling the Light, but he didn’t have conveniently designed sword techniques for them.

So, even as he moved back to the village, he lobbed small balls of conjured water at random rocks, less about trying to figure out a new spell, and more about understanding the nature of the transformation.

The assistance of Conceptualization was incredible, especially since it was not a Trait, but a Skill, which meant it came with knowledge and understanding. It didn’t just give him an instinctual understanding like Winterman did, but an actual ability to break down what was going on.

Not just the transformation, but also the efficiency, leakage, and coherence. With Conceptualization, he could perceive the nature of his spells like his training with a sword allowed him to understand his physical shortcomings.

His shaping was still crude and slow, full of gaps and inconsistencies that let mana escape, but knowing how to fix them instinctively rather than trying to find his way in the dark was incredible.

He alternated between casting arcane bolts and water orbs, ignoring the temptation to start practicing with Water Breathing. He couldn’t afford to injure himself. Especially not when he could feel the presence of the undead through Bloom once again.

This time, the undead were far more active, and far more crowded. Their presence was layered in two layers, small search groups at the first layer, with hidden reinforcements at the second layer, already spread like a web, ready to collapse.

He couldn’t help but gulp. A trap, one that would have probably caught him without Bloom’s enhanced detection.

It was also becoming clear that the undead were making too much of an effort to avoid elven lands, clearly not wanting to give elves a reason to change their minds.

It wasn't a coordinated military response, but a tactical trap. One he could have shattered if he had a squad of fighters. He didn’t.

He shifted his direction to the southwest instead, following the curve of the elven border. The map showed two farming villages in that direction, Thornfield and Ashbrook.

Undead presence thinned as he moved away from the southern concentrations, and by the time he'd covered three miles, the only signatures Bloom detected were isolated wanderers, single ghouls or pairs that he could avoid entirely. Back to what passed for normal.

He could have killed those stragglers, but trying to thin their numbers was an exercise in futility, not worth alerting them.

This time, he didn’t come across another group near the border immediately. He had to move deeper, and while he did so, he continued his training. He couldn’t casually use Water Breathing, as the empowered slashes were surprisingly loud, but he juggled with mana conversion, this time not releasing, but constantly transforming a ball of mana between arcane and water.

He found the second group just before noon.

Forty-three people, once again a mix of young and old, led by a gray-bearded farmer with a pitchfork, but the way he held the pitchfork suggested some training. A veteran, most likely. Their group was too organized to be otherwise.

Everyone was armed, even the children, with a variety of tools from axes to hunting bows, but only a few of them seemed confident holding them.

Learning from his mistake, Arvis made sure to approach them from a relatively open area, though it helped that they were not dealing with an immediate pursuit.

He sheathed his sword once he got closer, but not before letting it glow just enough to reveal its enchanted nature. No one made any loud noises. “Greetings,” he said only after he approached.

“Greetings, Captain,” the old man greeted, confirming that he recognized the armor, which wasn’t too simple without his insignia. “May I ask you which garrison you are from?”

“Stratholme, but we have a better spot closer,” he said. “I’ll lead you back if you are willing to follow.”

“How far, Captain?” he asked.

“Seven miles,” he said. “What’s your name?”

“It’s Osric, Captain.”

He nodded, drew his sword, and gestured them to follow him.

"Right," Osric said, turning to his people. "Follow the captain. Move quickly, and stand silent. Anyone falls behind, we carry them."

However, once Osric realized they were going toward North, he looked hesitant. However, he did walk to him before he spoke. “We’re getting too close to elven border, Captain. They don’t…”

“Have the kindest reaction, I know,” he said. “Don’t worry about it. I have a deal with them. An old family favor,” he said, tapping his finger, faking an absentminded reaction. He nodded. “You’re a veteran,” Arvis stated.

“Yes, my lord,” he immediately corrected his declaration.

“Second War?”

“Yes, my lord,” he added. “I was a sergeant, but once the war ended, I chose to retire.”

Arvis nodded. Assuming he stuck around, he could use the experience. This time, they were lucky enough to avoid getting detected until they were a mile away from the border. “We’ve been detected, start moving faster,” he said and moved to the right.

Osric looked surprised. He grabbed his pitchfork, ready to fight despite not being equipped correctly.

“Don’t worry, it’s only a few ghouls, nothing much,” he said with a forced nonchalance. He could feel six ghouls, which was not a difficult challenge. He could just hit and retreat a few times to deal with them easily.

He chose a different route. He moved toward the ghouls, letting them surround him while he took several deep breaths, then used the Water Wheel form. A circular swing, killing all of them at once.

He needed their loyalty, and for that, they needed to be impressed.

In the same vein, once they arrived at the elven side of the border, he raised his hand, the ball of mana hovering above his finger cycling between arcane and water magic while jumping between his fingers. To someone without magical education, it looked very impressive, but it was even easier than a cantrip.

When he arrived at the village, the first group looked relieved. “Welcome, Lord Godwyn,” they greeted, several of them kneeling enthusiastically. The newcomers looked weirded out by that, but Arvis didn’t bother explaining.

Instead, he walked to the spring and drank some water.

At some distance, the two groups merged with the tentative relief of confirming that they were not the only ones.

They must have also talked about the situation, because the moment he returned, the second group immediately knelt and declared their loyalty as well. “Are you sure?” he asked, looking reluctant.

“We are, my lord,” Osric said.

“As you wish,” he said.

[Feat Achieved! Recruit twenty-five followers

+1x Bronze Advantage Random Gacha ticket]

[Feat Achieved! Recruit fifty followers

+1x Bronze Advantage Random Gacha ticket]

“You will be responsible for training a militia force, then,” Arvis ordered. “We don’t need anything large. Start with ten, volunteers first,” he said. Then, he turned to Marta. “Marta. You’re responsible for garden plots and other supplies.”

She nodded.

He didn’t stay long. The moment he made sure there wouldn’t be any trouble, he moved out, wanting to find another group. He had to admit, being a hero was easier when he was receiving valuable rewards.

He activated his first ticket.

[Select one!]

[The Rock]

{Common Item: King Arthur pulled a sword out of this bad boy. And you got the rock in exchange. This rock is magically enchanted to be utterly indestructible to all effects below the Mythical level.}

[Nimble]

{Common Trait: You are pretty nimble, granting you slightly faster reflexes and speed.}

He picked the second one, though a part of him regretted it. He had a feeling that Dalaran or elvesn magisters would have paid good money for an indestructible rock in better times. Now, with chaos ruling the land, they would probably just take him and torture him to reveal the source.

[Select one!]

[Throwing]

{Uncommon Skill: You are fairly skilled at throwing a variety of objects with speed and accuracy, being able to land a stone on the head of a target from across the street without trouble.}

[Cosmetic Calibration]

{Common Ability: Allows you to change anything about yourself that is purely cosmetic, like the color of your abilities, the color of your hair, the shape of your pupils, the color of your skin, etc.}

He had to admit, Cosmetic Calibration had a certain temptation. That would have been very useful in peacetime. Instead, he picked Throwing, as having a better aim wouldn’t bring any harm. It wouldn’t be very useful against undead, but he could use it with his magic.

Most magic spells had some homing component, but every control structure added meant slowing the casting process.

He tried to leave the border from the opposite direction, but it didn’t work as well as he had hoped. Undead seemed to catch on to what he had been doing, and their presence at the border intensified significantly.

“Look on the bright side,” he muttered. “The more force they put at the border, the less they would have hunting people.”

He decided to make their job even harder. He started running along the border, and whenever he found a group of ghouls or skeletons smaller than ten, he destroyed them, even staying around to deal with the reinforcements if they were smaller than ten, cutting them off before they could gather.

It was exhausting. Without Total Concentration breathing allowing him to recover, he would have collapsed in exhaustion after the second attempt. But, with that recovery, it turned into a weird training session.

Too bad the undead were truly endless. As dusk approached, he had slain hundreds of undead, their border presence thickening. He was about to return to the village to rest, when he noticed a large group of undead splitting off from the blockade. He would have missed it if he were too far away.

He followed them before the gap could close. A good choice, because following the undead, he came across a much larger group. Almost a hundred people, several of them with actual weapons, and at the center, an old man in robes. A priest, though it was more apparent due to glow spreading from his hands, punishing the attacking ghouls and zombies.

The attacking undead army was large. Worse, the undead group had three necromancers behind, raising any fallen while also cursing the defenders. Worse, their presence meant that the undead army was moving an even greater precision. The priest managed to singlehandedly dispel the curses, but Arvis could see that the old man was already at his last legs.

The moment reinforcements arrived, they would shatter.

Luckily, Arvis could run faster than ghouls. He didn’t reveal himself, and instead circled around the reinforcements, using the foliage to approach unnoticed. He was eventually noticed when the distance had been reduced to less than a hundred yards.

He did two things. First, he pushed himself to the limit as he ran. Then, just as the necromancers turned toward him, their staffs glowing, he used Bloom, and roots exploded from under them, the distraction was enough to break their concentration.

Just for a second, but it had been enough. He used the steps of the Flowing Dance to dodge the ghoul that was trying to cut him off, and decapitated the three necromancers with a Water Wheel form.

It was exhausting, but not as much as it had been when he first practiced a day ago, showing just how much he had progressed. Though, the Nimble trait that increased his flexibility and reflexes also had an incredible impact.

He retreated just as quickly, not letting the enemy surround him.

“Move! To the north,” he ordered, but he returned to the main group. It allowed him to take a few breaths to recover while they kept the undead occupied, return to the front line and use the first form several times to shatter enemy’s encirclement attempt, and repeat it.

The old priest managed to hold on, the occasional blasts of Holy Light, smiting the undead helping even more. The priest collapsed once they passed the border, but others carried him.

Arvis didn’t talk much, too busy trying to look impervious and hide the extent of his exhaustion. Unlike the previous group, he didn’t need to measure his moves too carefully.

Killing around a variety of undead in low-hundreds was a better way to earn respect. Even when they were back in the village, he just introduced himself as Lord Godwyn and moved to the fields Marta and others had prepared, channeling mana to enhance their growth.

So, when the new arrivals had approached him without any preamble and declared their loyalty, he just accepted their fealty before he continued his work, using Total Concentration Breathing to improve himself.

[Feat Achieved! Recruit a hundred followers

+1x Silver Advantage Random Gacha ticket]

The reward was welcome, but ultimately, expected. However, before he could finish growing all the fields that had been prepared, he received another reward, which surprised him.

[Feat Achieved! Establish a robust militia force

+1x Silver Advantage Random Gacha ticket]

He welcomed it above and beyond its being another silver. It showed not only improving his faction in different ways also paid off but also he received rewards despite the delegation. After all, all he asked Osric to set up a militia.

Once he finished the fields, he retreated to his room to sleep.

[Select one!]

[Stockpile]

{Uncommon Item: A Simple cardboard box that contains a seemingly infinite amount of mundane raw materials like wood, stone, ore, rope, and other such materials that the average person could get their hands on. Only 50kg of materials may be taken out every 24 hours. If the box is somehow lost or destroyed, you will be able to stumble upon it in perfect condition if you go searching for it.}

[Sensor]

{Uncommon Trait: You have always had a knack for sensing and locating energy/mana/chakra etc. Your ability to sense and locate energy as well as your Thinker abilities are enhanced.}

He hummed. He was tempted to pick stockpile, but after some consideration, he went with Sensor. The reason for it was simple. The more undead gathered, the more the land suffered. And, once the blight settled completely, Bloom would lose its detection function.

[Select one!]

[Charisma]

{Uncommon Trait: You have a sort of charismatic presence around you, an aura that just pulls people in and makes you seem more in their eyes.}

[Route]

{Common Ability: You see a line directing you to the location you want to go as long as you precisely know the location of where you want to go.}

For the second ticket, he didn’t even need to think. He immediately picked Charisma.

With his faction growing, it was just the thing he needed.

He lay down, falling into his well-deserved sleep.