BXBX NOVEL Chapter 169 - (169) The Jig Is Up
The subsequent three attempts were just as successful. Aside from Geth, everyone was in high spirits.
\'This is taking longer than I thought it would.\'
During the last ambush, the four younger party members had just reached Level 34. Blaze was the lowest Level in his original party at 35, and he still hadn\'t had the opportunity to gain experience.
Albus chimed in, \'You really shouldn\'t compare them to you. Remember, you gain experience twice as fast as they do.\'
Sigh
\'That doesn\'t make it any less frustrating. We only have one more hunting party before we need to push into the Dungeon.\'
The most they could do was get two more members to Level 35. That would still leave two at 34 and very little progress for most of the others.
Felix had risen to Level 39 since he had already been close. Geth tried to determine the best route to take from here.
\'We can\'t hold off on pushing the entrance. As soon as the hunting parties don\'t return, they\'ll be sure to send out scouts.\'
\'You\'re overthinking it,\' Albus interrupted. \'You and your Arcane Archer are strong enough to push the entrance alone, never mind the rest of the party.
Give your other Skeleton Taming Cards to the weaker party members. It\'ll boost their overall survivability. It would be best if you tried taming some of these Direwolves.\'
\'Taming Cards can be given away just like that?\' Geth asked.
Albus responded quickly, \'Yes, we actually used the same method for Taming in my lifetime. Most Humans were weak then, so Tames helped maintain the balance.\'
\'So, you\'re saying I\'m supposed to play Pokemon with these Direwolves?\'
\'Play what?\'
\'Nevermind.\'
Geth pulled out the Taming Cards that were currently in his possession. He had the Rogue, Hunter, and Archer that he could give away.
None of them had attempted to speak with him like the Arcane Archer had. As such, he didn\'t feel the same closeness as he did with his strongest Tame.
"Jack, Peter, Sindri! Come over here!" Geth shouted for the three to approach while Zolis cleaned up the bodies of the latest pack.
"What\'s up, Boss?" Jack asked him.
"The three of you are close-range fighters. That being said, I would like for you guys to have these."
Geth handed out the cards to who he thought they would be best suited. Jack received the Rogue, Peter the Archer, and Sindri the Hunter.
The three took the cards, their faces full of curiosity. Sindri was quick to understand the gesture.
"These are your Skeletons! You can\'t just give them away like this. What if you need them?"
Geth waved her worries away, "I\'ll be fine. You guys are the ones who are lacking. I also needed to free up some space for future Tames."
"What about Rift?" Peter asked.
"Right now, you three are the ones that need some assistance. Rift is a ranged fighter, so he should be fine until we find something suitable."
Geth had already given some cards to the magic users in Hulk\'s group. Supplying some ranged fighters with Orcs wouldn\'t be a terrible idea.
Peter nodded and thanked him. Sindri threw her arms around his neck before running off in embarrassment while hugging the card tightly.
"You\'ve still got it," Zolis walked over and pinched his arm.
"What was that for?"
"Because I can. Here are the Skill Cards that we found from this batch. The Level 63 dropped something new."
Geth took the card and looked it over. A picture of two claws surfaced on the front. One looked like a mere shadow of the other.
***
Phantom Slash (Rare)
Allows User to summon a second blade to follow the first. The blade looks like an illusion but carries the weaker properties of its counterpart.
The phantom blade will carry any effects from the first blade. This can be any spell cast with the blade or just a simple strike.
Spell Damage = 10% of initial spell\'s damage + 10% intelligence
Physical Damage = 25% of initial strike\'s damage + 25% Strength
Cost (50 Mana)
Requirements: short sword, dagger, or other small bladed items; Novice or higher proficiency with weapon.
***
"Hmm, there\'s that weapon proficiency again."
Zolis looked at him, "Is it something you recognize?"
"Albus said that it would come into play later. It\'s a hidden statistic that we should be able to see at some point," Geth answered.
He tucked the Skill Card into his inventory and looked around the ambush site. All that was left was for him to cover their tracks.
"Felix, start leading everyone to the last ambush site. I\'ll be alon-"
"Hooowwoooooooo!!"
"Hooowwww!"
Multiple deafening howls could be heard from nearby. Geth closed his eyes and focused his senses in that direction.
"The turbulence in the Mana is unmistakable. A large pack is headed our way. We\'ve been found out."
"Shit!" Felix began casting multiple spells on the path.
Geth filled in the pit as quickly as he could. There was no time to recreate the previous footsteps.
"Everyone! Get in the trees!"
Felix continued casting spells. Geth watched as mist flooded in from the trees. His own senses were somewhat blocked by the fog.
"It isn\'t very dependable, but it may help to mask our presence," Felix informed him as he scrambled up a nearby tree.
Geth found a low-hanging branch for himself. He wanted to scope out the incoming horde.
\'This is as good a time as any to test my luck,\' He thought.
He pulled out all of the Taming Cards available that would work on a Tier 4 creature. A small stack of 15 Epic Taming Cards appeared in his hand.
\'Albus, how much is the success rate reduced if the target is a higher Level?\'
\'For every Major Level above you, the success rate is reduced by 5%.\'
\'So I still have a 7.2% chance to tame a Level 60 and a 6.8% chance for a Level 65. The odds aren\'t terrible for the number of cards I have available.\'
Geth could see Albus giving him a thumbs up in his mental sphere, \'Good luck.\'