As Clay swung his axe down, cracks appeared upon the surface of the cocoon that enveloped Exile. He barely managed to stop his attack before it connected, as his eyes went wide. Everyone in the room could feel an indescribable pressure. All of them had been subjected to Exile's Aura of the Gods before, so they immediately understood this was the feeling of being in the presence of a higher level player.
As Clay stepped back, silence descended in the bar as eager expressions flickered across everyone's faces. The cocoon suddenly shattered to reveal Exile Exile standing there with his eyes closed. Everyone present collectively held their breath as they studied his figure. However, nothing seemed to have changed about his looks.
"Exile?" Clay asked with a concerned expression. "How'd it go?"
Exile's eyes flickered open, and for a brief moment, a shining blue light appeared in them before disappearing. A smirk appeared on his face as he glanced around the room. "It went well."
The room immediately burst into cheers at the excitement of having a Tier 1 player on their side. They threw questions at him from all sides as they asked him questions. He answered the majority of them while holding back the information about his stats being reworked. Instead, he deflected it by saying that their new strength would depend on things like race and their element.
This revelation made many of them ponder about their choices so far. A heated discussion followed as Exile laid out his thoughts about it. "I would say that it's like a purification process. For reaching Tier 1 at least it's like the game reacted to my choices so far and my element to push my stats in the right direction to make the most of my Authority."
Some players groaned at what he said. Although this did not really apply to the members who had used orbs to level up quickly, as they had not had a choice in their stat placement. However, Clay and the others looked rather thoughtful about the matter.
"So, you're saying we should make our choices based on the playstyle we would like to achieve?" Burri hummed as he thought about what changes he might experience.
Exile nodded to show that it was exactly what he had been thinking. His own elevation to Tier 1 had completely changed how he would play the game going forward. He could no longer rely on his Endurance to tank damage or his Hearth spells to provide buffs and healing. As the conversation shifted amongst the members, Exile opened his stat screen to study the changes to his spells. After all, it was important that he familiarised himself with them as soon as possible.
[Skill Received: (Divine) Oracle]
[Cost: 0 DP]
[Description: Use this skill to communicate with your chosen Oracle.]
[(Divine) Clairvoyance]
[Cost: 0 DP]
[Description: Gain insight into your quest objective.]
[Skill Received: (Divine) Lesser Miracle]
[Cost: 5 - 15 DP depending on Miracle]
[Description: The second-lowest grade of Miracle that allows Gods to interact with the Mortal Realm in a variety of ways. (Elemental Miracles are now possible).]
[Skill Received: (Divine) Avatar]
[Cost: 3 DP per Hour]
[Description: Create a solid construct of yourself in the Mortal Realms to interact with the world. Your construct can descend in any Shrine or Temple that worships you. As the God of Lightning, you may descend anywhere within a 10m radius of Fanatical Followers where lightning can strike from the sky. Please use in a safe location as your main body in the Divine Realms can still be harmed.]
[(Divine) Lesser Blessing: Increase your Speed by 10 for 30 seconds. Cost: 5 DP]
[(Divine) Lesser Grace: Grant yourself an offensive Lightning Aura that deals damage equal to your Authority every 3 seconds for 15 seconds Cost: 5 DP]
[(Divine) Lesser Sunder: Strike your target with a concentrated bolt of Lightning for 50% of target's health and drain 10 DP from them. Requires a higher Authority level than your target. Cost: 20 DP]
[(Divine) Cleansing Lightning]
[Cost: 5 DP per second]
[Description: A stream of divine lightning can be shot from your weapon, affecting one target at a time. The lightning will cause damage equal to your Authority per second and drain the enemy's DP by 3 per second. Range: 10m]
[(Element) Lightning Bolt]
[Cost: 5 DP]
[Description: Fire a Lightning Bolt from your weapon that deals damage equal to your Authority and stuns the target for 3 seconds.]
[(Element) Electrosphere]
[Cost: 7 DP]
[Description: Fire a ball of lightning in a straight trajectory for a distance of 50m. Enemies within 10m of the Electrosphere at any time will be targeted by a lightning bolt that deals damage equal to your Authority.]
[(Element) Piercing Lightning]
[Cost: 7 DP]
[Description: Fire a bolt of Lightning that strikes the target's divinity. Drains target's DP by 12 on contact. No Authority check. Will disperse on contact with objects.]
[First Flame Fragment 1/5]
[Description: Reduce the cost of all Fire/Lightning based Divine Spells by 1 DP (To a minimum cost of 1 DP). Collect all pieces to refine your element into a higher state.]
Exile let out a sigh as he read through them. Most of his Divine spells had been upgraded in some way. However, they were a far cry from what they had been. The only annoyance was the extravagant cost to all of his spells now. However, it surprised him to discover that the First Flame fragment had also been modified to reduce the cost of his Lightning.
'It's even more important now that I find the other fragments. I need to bring the costs down, but I wonder if it's also to do with the fact that my Authority over Lightning is incomplete...' Exile slowly shook his head as he realised that everyone had gone quiet as they stared at him.
"Exile, you won't be able to hide this once you step outside. Everyone will feel the pressure." Clay sighed as he looked at him. "Do you think it will be enough for this meeting?"
Exile frowned with concern as he pondered the question. 'It would be best if they just get scared at my level... But if a fight breaks out...'