"There really is a lot of nuance to combat, even when it looks like youâre just hitting things with a hammer." Jake noted as he watched Slate Petros tilt his shield to allow the boar to overrun him, and get the shield underneath its belly, where he could toss it off its feet, where he could attack the more vulnerable underside.
The two combatants separated with the boar limping, and Karl dismissed it.
Slate chuckled. "And thatâs about how you deal with boars, you see? Same sort of shield youâre using, just adapt the attack to the weapon youâve got available."
Jake nodded. "I think that I get it now. You donât overpower the beast, you use its momentum against it so that you can strike at the flanks."
The Dwarf nodded. "Exactly. If youâre fighting wild beasts, youâre unlikely to be the larger combatant, so you need to use the advantages that you have.
Now, Iâm a Shaman, so I donât normally fight them up close like that. But Warriors donât have as many options.
Iâm sure that Karl can help you gain a few new skills. But the ones that Warriors can use arenât as widely varied as other classes.
If youâre good with a bow, you could fight at a distance, but other than that, itâs almost all up close and personal."
"Thatâs better anyhow. Some things need to be hit at a distance, but smashing it with a hammer is just so much more satisfying." Jake agreed.
The spectators chuckled. He was definitely part Dwarf.
"You said that Karl could teach me new skills. But I heard that heâs not a warrior type class." He added.
Karl nodded. "Iâm not. My specialty is beasts, but I also have a number of skills related to making magical items and training skills. Itâs sort of a comprehensive assistant skill set.
Here, this is one of my favourites, and the first skill I ever had. [Rend] is compatible with warriors, and has a bit of range to it, so you can strike from a few dozen metres away and pull a wild monster to you."
{Champion Karl Offers Knowledge} Skill [Rend] will be transferred to the Stalwart Defender Jake.
Jake frowned, then nodded, and turned back to the training dummy. A downward swing of the hammer sent a vertical arc of [Rend] at the dummy, and he smiled, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Thatâs much better than [Cleave]. Similar in usage, but just generally better.
I see here in the System Interface thing that I have a lot of skills available for points, but I donât have any points to buy them with. Thatâs not really surprising, as Iâm new to this. But with time I should be able to become a proper warrior type Elite."
Karl nodded. "It usually takes years of practice and missions before new Elites are ready to go out and face the world alone. Youâve got a fully active System interface, which is an advantage. But going from Workerâs Advocate to Warrior is going to be a bit of a change."
The others laughed at Karlâs comment. Usually, it was the other way around. You started out fighting your way up through the Ranks, and only when you had reached the peak of your ambition or abilities did you transition to an office job.
But the Golden Dragon Nation was not like the Dragon Isles, and they had so many Common Rank Humans that they needed them to help run things.
That was rapidly changing, and given two generations, it would no longer be the case, but for now, it was the status quo.
The staff brought out snacks, and the men took a break, while wondering what the ladies were up to right now.
The answer was that they were on to the facial rejuvenation phase of the spa treatment, where the Fae used potions and magical massage techniques to reduce or eliminate the signs of aging.
While Elves lived for over a thousand years, they would still age or gain weathered features from years in the elements, so they had perfected this process ages ago.
They had never actually used it on a human before, but it should work well enough.
Both their Immortal bosses and the Chaos Dragon had confirmed that nothing during this visit would harm the guests.
Having someone who could see the future was purely cheating.
Though, it was also a bit of a headache, as Matilda and Misty were making vague jokes about things that hadnât happened yet, while Cara kept rolling around and gesturing to respond to them.
"Can someone find the badger a transformation amulet? Hand gestures to answer are not massage-friendly." The masseuse finally complained.
Cara giggled, a sound reminiscent of a happy chainsaw, and then transformed into her humanoid form, a teen beastkin girl with badger ears, and a white stripe down the middle of her black hair.
"Thank you, thatâs much better." The masseuse sighed in relief.
"Yes, speaking directly is an improvement, even if Iâm only part badger. But the revival of the Bunga Forests, right?"
The other two seers nodded happily, and the Elf shook her head in dismay.
Everything was some sort of inside joke or vague reference with them because they were all talking about things that they had seen in visions, or at a different point in time.
Possibly, even a different timeline.
Misty frowned at Cara. "Are you sure that you donât want me to help you change those future events? It wouldnât be hard."
Matilda shrugged. "Some things are inevitable. Besides, what sort of Chaos Badger would she be if she turned down the chance to taste test the Gods?"
Cara nodded in agreement, and the Elf massaging her scalp looked horrified.
She wouldnât, would she? That was insanity. Practically begging for divine retribution.
But Dana knew.
If there was a chance to find out what a God tasted like, Cara would one hundred percent do it, just to say that she knew the answer.