To Angar’s surprise, Spirit laughed again. “You’re cleverer than you look. I was viewed as such during my time alive. Now, I’m just a ghost trapped in a machine. Well, mostly trapped.”
As Angar trudged onward, he wondered why she hadn’t mentioned that before. “What does the word mean? Messiah? Something like Theosis being the Holy System?”
“Somewhat,” Spirit replied. “But it’s not important right now. This world’s survival is, along with your own. I’ll meet you once this trek is done. I’m drained and need rest. Pick up your pace and don’t let up. Push yourself.”
“Understood…uh, should I call you Messiah?”
“No. Please, keep calling me Spirit. See you soon, Angar.”
With that, Spirit vanished into thin air.
Angar pushed westward, moving as swiftly as his battered frame permitted.
A fierce wind howled by, racing eastward, its force lasting for long moments. It was so intense that he struggled to draw breath or advance against its might. Then, a thick fog rolled in on the wind’s heels, blanketing the landscape in a heavy shroud.
Normally, the fog would have eaten into his bare skin, but Angar wasn’t concerned. He’d already survived a pool of acidic crud with miraculously little damage.
Most wild beasts were fleeing west too, agitated by the chaos. He fought off a few d’klar and another rakar, but despite his injuries, he was making decent time.
He’d been counting his paces. Before he was close to the end of the journey, Spirit appeared. “Okay. This small clearing will have to do. Stand here.”
Angar moved to the spot she indicated. “Brace yourself,” Spirit warned.
“Huh? For what?” he asked, unsure of what was going on before seeing a massive wall of darkness tearing through the forest, roaring from east to west.
He felt an overwhelming change in the air around him, like an invisible wall slammed into him. The air was suddenly sucked away, followed by what felt like liquid in his head being sucked out of his already bloody ears, then a rush of some force passing by.
The ground beneath his feet vibrated violently, making it hard to maintain balance. The very air seemed to burn with the heat.
In front of him, trees, which moments ago stood tall and proud, were bent and broken as a massive cloud of ash passed through. Some trees were uprooted entirely, their roots torn from the earth, while others snapped in half. The force stripped all, sending branches flying like spears through the air, some whacking painfully into him.
The force passed so quickly that there was no time to react. Angar was lifted briefly before being slammed to the ground as hot air and ash blew by.
Once passed, his head felt like it was about to crack open, making him disorientated and confused. His already battered body racked with new and old agony.
As this strange force dissipated, if left behind ash and debris whirling in the air. The once thick forest teaming with dangerous life was now a scene of desolation and devastation.
Angar groaned as he got his feet back under him. The air was thick with ash, making it hard to breathe or see. His splitting headache intensified as he shook his head to clear away the confusion, making his eyes water.
As if this madness hadn’t just occurred, Spirit said, “Okay. Feats first. Since Crusaders complete the Sacrament of Purification and Sanctification, they all gain a similar form of regeneration. Only a handful of uncommon Classes offer direct healing, and outside of those, it’s rare.
“You’d be dead without the regeneration from Ravana’s Boon. That Feat is why you’re still breathing. I also needed a way for you to heal up and recover faster than normal.
“Increases to Adroitness are even rarer than healing. Completing the Sacrament helps with that too. Your Alacrity of Angulimala Feat adds one point to Adroitness and provides a mild danger sense. Not to mention the Feat is seldom offered, so I couldn’t pass it up.
“Then there’s the Blessing of Al-Khidr. It enhances the danger sense from Alacrity of Angulimala and grants a heightened perceptual awareness. That’s something you’ll need since your Cognizance Stat will never be exceptional.”
Angar nearly interrupted to mention the ravaged forest around them. He also wanted to point out that it wasn’t just Cognizance – a full six of his nine Stats were terrible.
But Spirit seemed to have put a lot of thought into all these choices, so he held his tongue.
“Righteous Rebuker is only offered to those with…it’s hard to explain without sounding insulting, so let’s just say you’re incredibly fortunate it was an option. I’d have been foolish not to take it for you. I’ve got a plan to close the gateway, but if that fails and you face the Gatekeeper and it’s a revenant, dark whisperer, or succubus, you’d be turned in seconds without that Feat.”
Angar mulled over her words for a moment. “Understood. Thank you for explaining. I appreciate how much care you’ve put into this.”
“You’re very welcome. Now, let’s take care of your Capstone. Pull up the System.”
Angar did as she instructed.
“It’s displaying your Annals. See the arrow pointing upward in the top right corner? Tap it.”
“Done,” Angar replied. “It’s showing a list of Capstones I can choose from.”
“You’ve been offered a great assortment considering how new you are. With more time, battle, and accomplishments, your list would grow. Read through them, please.”
While remaining alert to danger as best he could with his deafness, Angar read through the Capstones’ descriptions. They all seemed very mighty.
He was offered Benediction, Blade of the Faith, Celestial Aegis, Crusader's Wrath, Divine Conflagration, Divine Reckoning, Eternal Vigilance, Holy Purge, Holy Vigor, Martyr's Last Stand, and Sacred Zeal.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Many of the Capstones increased certain Attributes, while some didn’t increase any, and some had long cooldowns and steep Energy costs, while others had no cost at all, but each and every one of them provided a powerful effect.
Three fit his current need, each increasing the Attributes he needed the most. One of them wouldn’t benefit him at all outside the increased Attributes, but only for now. If he survived, it would help him fulfill the oath he had sworn.
His favorite one granted less of the Attributes he needed, but provided a very desirous effect, or seemed to, but he was new to this and unsure of his judgment.
Holy Vigor
Increase Body, Mind, and Spirit by 2
During active combat, you gain 1 Energy every 2 minutes and 1 Charge every 4 minutes minus 30 seconds for Energy gain and 1 minute for Charge gain for each higher Tier attained.
Divine Conflagration
Increase Mind and Spirit by 3
You channel an immense surge of Holy energy, creating a blazing inferno around you within a (10 x PL) x Tier meter radius, dealing (10 x PL) x Tier damage to all you see as an enemy, passing harmlessly by all others.
Cooldown: 24 hours
Cost: 10 Energy
Benediction
Increase Mind and Spirit by 3
You perform a miraculous act of faith which cannot be used on yourself, choosing one of the following two Divine interventions – provide significant healing to a single target or grant temporary total invincibility to a single target for 6 seconds.
Cooldown: 48 hours minus 12 hours per each higher Tier attained.
Cost: All remaining Energy, minimum 1
Angar absently felt the scabs on his face as he said, “To me, Holy Vigor seems the best choice, but I like the Stats from Divine Conflagration and Benediction more.”
Spirit let out a sharp scoff, her translucent form flickering with mild irritation. “You’re only focusing on Attributes. I’m starting to regret telling you that you’re cleverer than you look. You need to trust me. Holy Vigor is the Capstone Theosis wants most Crusaders to get, so good instincts. Some of the others you were offered are far more powerful, but you’re not getting any of those. Look at the list again.”
Angar looked at the hovering interface, his fingers hesitating as he swiped through the options until he spotted the new Capstone in the list.
Glory Thunders
This Capstone has unknown requirements. This Capstone is reserved. Hidden requirement 1 met. Hidden requirement 2 met. Hidden requirement 3 met. Description not available.
He grimaced. With a gruff tone laced with disappointment, he said, “Like my Class, the description tells me nothing. I don’t even know if it increases any Attributes.”
Spirit’s chuckle danced through the air, light and teasing. “You truly have a singular mind. Okay. Select Glory Thunders, please.”
He tapped the option with a calloused finger, letting out a quiet sigh. “Done,” he muttered, only to tense as a strange, prickling sensation surged through him, sharp enough to make his jaw clench.
After a moment, Spirit’s voice cut through the fading pain. “Look at your screen. It’s prompting you to select a Stat. Tap Physique.”
Angar nodded stiffly, tapping the interface. “Done.”
“Now select Resilience and Power Level,” she added, her tone firm yet patient.
He paused, his brow furrowing. Power Level was a Stat Angar definitely wanted to increase, but Resilience seemed an unwise choice. Energy seemed a better one.
His finger hovered briefly before tapping both options. “Done,” he replied, bracing as another wave washed over him. This time, the sensation was less painful. Just a dull throb in his skull. His vision sharpened, the ash-choked surroundings snapping into clearer focus.
Spirit’s voice softened with approval. “Thank you for trusting me, Angar. It means more than you realize. Look at the top of the screen – see that row of small boxes with labels?”
“I do.”
“Those are tabs,” she explained, gesturing faintly with a spectral hand. “Tap Annals and check your Attributes and Stats.”
Angar swiped the interface.
ATTRIBUTES, STATS, AND ADROITNESS
(Each Attribute Point increases all Stats governed by that Attribute by 1. Applying 4 Stat Points to the same Stat will increase the governing Attribute by 1. Numbers in (parentheses) include increases from items.)
BODY (Physical Attributes): With 8 AP applied - 14
Physique (Size/Strength): With 8 SP applied - 22
Endurance (Stamina/Health): 14
Toughness (Physical Durability/Resistance): 14
MIND (Non-Physical Attributes): 8
Competence (Skills/Insight): 8
Cognizance (Awareness/Perception): 8
Resilience (Non-Physical Durability/Resistance): With 18 SP applied - 26
SPIRIT (Metaphysical Attributes): 8
Power Level (PL) (Ability Damage and Effectiveness): With 18 SP applied - 26
Energy (Resource for Powers shown as Energy Points equal to 3 + (Energy Stat x 3)): 8
Charges (Increases the number of times certain Abilities can be used per combat): 8
ADROITNESS (Finesse/Reaction/Speed): 2
RESOURCES
Current/Maximum Energy Points: 21/27
Current/Maximum Charges: 7/8
Angar’s gaze darted across the screen. He tried piecing together the math, tried figuring out how this happened, and came up at a loss.
“I’ll explain,” Spirit said briskly. “Glory Thunders increased all three Attributes by 3, so all Stats by 3. It also matches two Stats to the one you selected. Your Physique was 22 when you selected Resilience and Power Level to match it, and they were both 4.
“How it works is that it considers the difference, 18 in this case, as Stat Point applications, so raised Your Mind and Body by 4 each. Now you have 27 Energy Points and 8 Charges, so you can stop grumbling.”
Angar exhaled heavily, a faint grin tugging at his scabbed lips, glad to have placed his trust in this woman. “This is incredible. Thank you, Spirit.”
She waved a shimmering hand dismissively, her tone warm. “You are very welcome. That’s not even the best part. Glory Thunders has an effect somewhat like that of Holy Vigor where you gain Energy Points and Charges during combat. It does some other things too.”
When she didn’t explain the other things it did, Angar asked, “Such as? And why’s there no description?”
“You’ll know what it does when it’s ready to do it,” she replied, her ethereal eyes glinting playfully. “And I’m working on the description. I need a little time. Just for your Capstone though. Class descriptions aren’t important, only the Abilities they offer are.
“Your Class and this Capstone weren’t supposed to be used. They’re pretty broken. Not in a bad way. They’re powerful. But you need as much power as you can get. And not just to help you survive, but if you survive.”
She paused and folded her arms. “Other Crusaders have had four thousand years of advantages—genetic enhancements, selective breeding, and all the power the Grim Ordeals grant. They’re all decked out in items, power armor, and auto-blasters. I’m doing everything I can to even things out.”
“Understood,” replied Angar. “And I appreciate all this. I hope you realize that.”
Spirit smiled and nodded. Angar hesitated before asking, “Just how much weaker am I compared to other Crusaders?”
She floated closer, her spectral hand brushing his shoulder with a faint, comforting chill. “Don’t dwell on that. We’ve still got Skills to pick. I should also go over what I spent your Glory Points on. Okay, tap the Skills tab.”
Angar shifted his weight, wincing as his bruised body protested. “One moment. Now that I’ve got the Capstone, can I ascend to Tier 2?”
Her translucent fingers tightened briefly on his shoulder. “No. Teaching you’d take far too long, and like I said, if you survive, we need to be prepared for the future. You can’t go through the Grim Ordeals as a Tier 2, so you’d lose out on all that power. No Knightly Chapter would consider you for membership.”
“Understood,” he muttered, swiping the interface with a resigned flick. “I’m on the Skills tab.”
Spirit drifted back a step, her voice brightening with purpose. “Good. Let’s get your Skills taken care of.”
