Chapter 48: New Ability

Callum looked over his options for his next class ability as he again wished he could see what future options his selection would open up. He saw many abilities that really intrigued him, but he ultimately chose something that had a low mana cost and addressed one of his weaknesses.

<<Long Reach>> (Active Ability)

Druimborn may not have the chance to switch to a ranged weapon in the heat of battle. <<Long Reach>> is the melee user's first choice when a distant enemy is in need of smiting.

Range: 40ft (12m) | Casting Time: Instant | Cost: 100 Mana | Cooldown: 2 minutes

- (Druimborn may attack a target within 40ft as if they were within melee range)

- (Damage calculated based on wielded weapon)

His new Ability gave him the option to deal with opponents that stayed outside of his melee attack range; opponents like the Goblin Witch Doctor or the magic user in the most recent fight. Callum strove to be as self-sufficient as he could.

All of the fighting over the past several days had not only given him the XP to level up once, but it also enabled the lower leveled Amarok to level up three times. He placed his free attribute points into Intelligence; he needed a lot of Mana in order to be able to fully use his Class Abilities.

Callum Murray | Lvl 24 Human Druimborn Warrior (XP: 1%)

HP:(720/720) Stamina:(576/576) Mana:(630/630)

ST:68(+6) | Con:72(+9) | Dex:44(+9) | Int:63(+9) | Will:54(+6) | Cha:35(+3) | Luck:18(+2)

Amarok | Lvl 15 Dire Wolf (XP: 49%)

HP:(590/590) Stamina:(472/472)

ST:44(+14) | Con:59(+14) | Dex:54(+9) | Int:43(+13) | Will:41(+11) | Cha:22(+7) | Luck:16(+4)

Callum bent down and gave Amarok some belly rubs as he used his cantrip to clean them both after the battle.

"Look at you boy, getting all big and strong! And you saved my life today, too. Who is a good wolf?" He said as he pampered Amarok with some more affection.

When he looked around, Callum realized that he must have spent more time mulling over his choices since the three sleds they had left behind had been completely unloaded and were being repacked with more care and organization.

The dead had been stripped of their gear and were lying ready for some magic users to finish digging graves in the frozen ground. The prisoners had been likewise stripped and were subdued with manacles that looked similar to those that bound him on the day he was exiled.

"Come on, boy, let's go see what's going on."

He found a ring of soldiers clustered off to the side and figured that the missing Baron and Captain were likely within the crowd. As he moved towards the group, he noticed that everyone looked slightly distorted.

Callum arrived at the outer edge of the group in time to hear the tail end of a report. He wasn't sure if he should intrude when whispered words reached his ear. The words startled him and immediately caused him to look over his shoulder.

"Callum, it's me, Esteban, I just told the Baron you're here. A path will open up momentarily."

"Make a hole people," Xinyi's voice cut through the mummering of the crowd. She soon appeared right before Callum and guided him into the center of the crowd.

Seated on a log was an exhausted looking Baron who stood up with the assistance of one his soldiers.

"Lord Callum Murray, welcome to our little impromptu council. We tried to get your attention, but you were pretty absorbed with your new level choices; Captain Xinyi said you just reached level 24, congratulations!"

He almost collapsed back into his seat before gathering himself to continue.

"Captain Xinyi has been updating the rest of us on the events that have happened over the last couple of days. It's clear we owe you a debt of gratitude."

Callum was introduced to some of the ranking individuals in their group. He learned that the extra prisoners were the remnants of a merchant caravan who braved a late autumn trek through the pass, as well as a couple of adventuring parties.

They quickly discussed their options moving forward; the consensus was for the group to initially head away from Callum's castle. They didn't have enough stored food to sustain any defensive siege.

They would try to gain some ground on their pursuers and see if they could hunt for additional meat along the way. Their enemies had had the majority of their supplies plundered or burned and they would be forced to either await further supplies or abandon the chase.

The Sergeant, who had previously been in charge of the prisoner detail, interrupted the meeting; they were almost ready to depart. First though, they would hold a short burial service for the dead. A Priest said some words for the fallen, both friend and enemy.

The former prisoners had experienced three deaths in the original escape and another six during the battle, dropping the number of rescued prisoners down to forty-four. The six who fell in battle were buried in individual graves next to a mass grave for the thirteen slain enemies.

Cadiwynn rejoined her original party and they took over the rearguard position as the group set out; they were still in the best shape Mana-wise. Esteban could not buff the whole group's speed, but he did wipe out the trail they left in the snow.

Additionally, Captain Xinyi was their strongest fighter with the Baron still recuperating. The Baron was still weak from drawing upon his body so heavily in order to finish off the Grand Paladin, and he was riding on one of the sleds until he fully recovered.

Callum moved alongside Esteban, "How did you know that I joined the little meeting?"

"Oh, that? Easy. I set up a wind barrier to shield the meeting. Anyone outside of it wouldn't be able to hear a word nor could they see anyone clearly enough to read lips."

At Callum's raised eyebrow, Esteban continued, "The Shadow Rogue is out there somewhere. We knew it was best to take some precautions in case she was observing us. I know when anyone, including stealthed individuals, has entered the barrier."

Callum nodded and the two continued to make small talk as the group moved away from the battle site. He noticed that the leading party chose a path that would keep the group hidden from a distance; they stuck to ravines, forests, and folds in the ground.

Terrel briefly joined them when he handed Callum some Mana and Health potions, "These were handed out to everyone for emergency use. I couldn't get your attention earlier, so I held onto them for you."

Callum enjoyed some easy camaraderie with the group as they traveled; they had fought together and they accomplished their goal of freeing the prisoners. Now, they had much better odds to continue their resistance against Count Yonge's men.

CREATORS' THOUGHTS
seth4bucks

Please comment and review if you're enjoying the story!

A big thanks to RedPandaChick for editing my novel and bringing clarity to my words. Any grammatical or spelling errors are my own, since I probably didn't listen to her sage advice.

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