Symbiotic: Chapter 17

Chapter 17 (Chapters 16-18 mainly deal with Sara Bloom Leveling up, choosing a Class, and updating their Character Sheet... Repeatedly. Since scanning through Stats and sheets are not everyone's choice of a good time, these two chapters are kept purposefully short., and can be skipped over if they are not your cup of tea.)

Sara nearly jumped when the System chimed in her mind, the glowing text unfolding before her like a gift she hadn’t dared to hope for. She had fought through swarms, harvested crystals, and even brought down a Greatworm, and now the reward was here:

[Level Up Achieved: Level 3]

[Class Selection Available]

Her heart hammered in her chest. A class. She knew about classes from her times playing RPG games on the computer with her friends, but she hadn’t been aware that the Tutorial contained Classes. This was exciting. Classes were what really set players apart from NPC’s in the games she had played. “Or, I guess, Challengers from NCP’s in the System.” And Class Choices based on her achievements in the Tutorial so far. “Well this should be interesting!” She grinned, bouncing on her toes, spores swirling around her in excitement.

The first option appeared.

[Fighter: A core combat class that governs the use of weapons and physical strength in battle. Fighters gain bonuses to Force and Speed, excelling in direct combat and durability.]

Sara tilted her head. “Yup. Had to see that one coming.” Fighter was solid, dependable. She thought of her spear and bat, of swinging until her arms ached. But against crystal-armored beasts, brute force had felt hollow. She wanted more than just hitting harder.

The second option unfolded.

[Healer: A core support class that governs restoration of health and vitality. Healers gain bonuses to Soul and Knowledge, excelling in recovery, purification, and sustaining allies.]

She smiled faintly. ”Nope. No thank you. Pass. Next!” Healing was noble, but she wasn’t the type to hang around and support others. Sara was, she had discovered somewhat to her own surprise, a fighter, a survivor. She wanted to strike forward, not linger behind.

The third option glowed.

[Mage: A core magical class that governs the use of elemental and arcane spells. Mages gain bonuses to Thought and Knowledge, excelling in ranged damage and magical versatility.]

Her spores pulsed around her. “Hmmm… Tempting.” Mage was indeed tempting. She had already begun shaping energy, already felt the thrill of using her network and it’s spell like abilities. But to give up on weapons and combat? Mage felt too basic, too general. She wanted something sharper, something that fit her growth.

Then the uncommon option appeared, and here eyes darted through the details provided.

[Energy Mage: An uncommon magical class that governs the manipulation of raw energy. Energy Mages gain bonuses to spells and abilities related to energy attacks and defenses, excelling in shaping, channeling, and weaponizing energy flows.]

Her eyes widened as her Spore cloud pulsed around her. This was it. This was her. Energy Mage resonated with everything she had learned. Spores as defense, attack, and conduits. Her network abilities energy shaped into attacks, into defenses. She felt her pulse quicken. This was more than Mage. This was specialized, uncommon, powerful. It still didn’t do anything to improve her work with weapons, but it could be so much more. She was ready to choose.

Until the final option appeared.

[Commander: A rare leadership class granted to challengers who have gathered large parties and proven successful in leading them in battle. Commanders gain bonuses to leadership skills, tactical coordination, and army synergy. In addition, Commanders receive a permanent stat bonus of +1% per 10 members of their army. And provide a 10% of their Stat as a bonus to all Bonded or Allied Army members. In addition, the Commander gains 1% of the Experience gained by all Bonded or Allied Army members.]

“Commander? Army? I’ve never even met another Challenger. Unless they mean the NCP’s? Or… Wait. No… It couldn’t be.” Sara froze. Her spores drifted around her, thousands strong. She did the math. One thousand five hundred members. One percent per ten. That meant one hundred and fifty percent to all of her stats. Her jaw dropped, her grin spreading wider with every heartbeat. Every stat. Force, Speed, Thought, Knowledge, Soul… All multiplied. And the bonus would only grow as her network expanded.

Plus, she gave a bonus 10% of her stats to her Army. Would that make her Network stronger? And, and Exp bonus? A way to gain EXP finally? Not that her spores could give her any… But what if she actually succeeded in making Haven Valley a haven for Challengers. If she built a Haven Army and had access to 1% of the experience they gained? It’s still 1%, and wouldn’t break the Bank. But it was something… Something more that squirts of a tenth of a percent at a time!

She laughed, the sound echoing through the cavern, wild and joyous. Fighter, Healer, Mage… They were fine. Energy Mage was thrilling, tempting. But Commander? Commander was perfect. Too perfect. It felt like cheating even though she didn’t even know the rules to cheat with. She wasn’t just a fighter. She wasn’t just a mage. She was a leader of a living network, spores bound to her will. Commander wasn’t just a class. It was her identity.

The System confirmed her choice.

[Class Selected: Commander, Rare]

Stat Bonus Applied: +200% (Army Size: 2000)

[Commander Class Skills Unlocked – Level 3]

Bolster: Temporary increase to Ally Mental and Spiritual Defenses within (Level × 100) feet of Commander.

Rally: Temporary bonus to Ally Stat regeneration from temporary losses due to skills, abilities, or spells within (Level × 100) feet of Commander.

Empathic Coordination: Temporary bonus to Ally stats within (Level × 100) feet of Commander.

Commander’s Presence: Boost to Owned Territory Resources while Commander is within the Territory.

Free Stat Points: 5 per Level

Sara clenched her fists, feeling the surge of power ripple through her body. Her spores pulsed brighter, stronger, more alive than ever. She grinned, exhilarated, her voice trembling with excitement. “Ok Commander Bloom. Let’s see what the new Sara looks like!”

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“Drum Roll Please!”, she called to the empty cavern. “Full Stats!”

Character Sheet: Sara Bloom

Name: Sara Bloom

Race: Mycorrhizal

Class: Commander (Rare)

Affiliation: Mycorrhizal Network

Max Network Size: 2000

Current Network Size: 1850 (2000)

Racial Title: [Symbiotic]

[Effect: Host entity cannot truly die. As long as one fungal spore survives, Regrowth will occur.]

[Commensal Mycorrhizal Network]

[Effect: As the network feeds, it grows stronger. All stats increase based on Stat Growth Energy stored.]

Biological Genome Stored:

• Monkey Mauler: 5 of 5

• Jungle Cat: 5 of 5

• Rock Constrictor: 5 of 5

• Mountain Bear 1 of 5 (Tier 2)

• Magmite 5 of 5

• Cloudwasps 5 of 5

• River Gnasher 2 of 5 (Tier 2)

• Crystal Crawler Swarm 5 of 5 (Tier 2)

Growth Energy Stored for next Regrowth

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Core Stats

• Body: (26) 58

o Force: 26 (+1 Spear, +2 Robes) (Effectiveness 200%) = 58

o Speed: 32 (+1 Spear +1 Robes) (Effectiveness 200%) = 70

• Mind: (22) 44

o Thought: 28 (Effectiveness 200%) = 56

o Knowledge: 22 (Effectiveness 200%) = 44

• Soul: (20) 40

o Self: 22 (Effectiveness 200%) = 44

o Sum: 20 (Effectiveness 200%) = 40

[Free Stat Points for allocation: 17]

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Physical Defense 58 (+3 Robes +2 Shield) = 63

Mental Defense: 44 (+2 Shield) = 46

Soul Defense: 40 (+2 Shield) = 42

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Skills & Abilities

• Novice Two-Handed Weapon Mastery (Core Skill)

o Increased Proficiency with heavy, two-handed weapons.

o Increases damage and control when wielding large weapons.

• Power Swing (Subskill of Novice Two-Handed Weapon Mastery)

o A wide, crushing strike that deals heavy damage and knockback.

o Costs Temporary loss of Body Force and risks damaging fragile weapons.

• Novice Spear & Shield Mastery (Core Skill)

o Increased Proficiency with wielding Spear and Shield in combination.

o Increases damage and defense with wielding Spear & Shield

• Rapid Jab (Subskill of Novice Spear & Shield Mastery)

o Turns a single stab into 3 jabs in in one attack.

o Costs more temporary loss of Body Speed

• Novice Energy Manipulation Mastery (Core Skill)

o Increased Proficiency with shaping and directing of raw energy through external mediums.

o Increases damage and defense of controlled Energies

• Acidic Energy Conversion (Subskill of Novice Energy Manipulation Mastery)

o Alters existing controlled external energy to secrete corrosive energy

o Costs Temporary loss of Mind Thought

• Identify (Utility Skill)

o Reveals target stats (Body, Mind, Soul).

o Higher proficiency increases detail and accuracy.

• Danger Sense (Utility Skill)

o Provides early warning of ambushes, hidden predators, or in some cases environmental dangers.

Mycorrhizal Abilities

• Regrowth

o Converts 250 microbes to Regrow host body where regrowth spores are saved

o Any Stat growth stored will be triggered during Regrowth.

• Create Basic Object

o Converts 100 microbes into a simple, functional item up to 5 pounds

• Create Advanced Object

o Converts 200 microbes into larger, more complex, or more powerful items than Basic Object can maintain.

• Infested Strike

o Converts 100 microbes to Inject fungi into stabbed creature, causing internal damage over time and inhibiting movement and attacks.

• Sporesight:

o A sensory ability that projects spores outward, granting the Commander awareness of terrain, enemies, and hidden details within a radius cost of 50 microbes per 10 feet radius locked during use.

• Infested Cloud Strike:

o Converts 150 microbes that directs spores within range of Sporesight to infiltrate and disrupt a biological target, dealing damage over time and weakening defenses. Less effective against mineral or non-organic foes.

Commander Class Abilities

• Bolster:

o Temporary10% increase to Ally Physical Mental and Spiritual Defenses within up to (Level × 100) feet of Commander.

o Temporarily locks 5 Soul Sum per 100 feet radius

• Rally:

o Temporary 10% bonus to Ally Resource & Stat regeneration from losses due to skills, abilities, or spells Defenses within up to (Level × 100) feet of Commander.

o Temporarily locks 5 Soul Sum per 100 feet radius

• Empathic Coordination:

o Temporary 5% bonus to Ally Physical Mental and Spiritual Attacks within up to (Level × 100) feet of Commander.

o Temporarily locks 5 Soul Sum per 100 feet radius

• Commander’s Presence:

o 25% Boost to Territory Resources while Commander is within the Territory.

Note: Stats used to activate Commander Skills are not consumed but are locked in purpose. They cannot be used for skills, abilities, or crafting until Commander Abilities are terminated.

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Equipment

• Mycorrhizal Battle Robe

o Durability Enhanced. Repair. +3 Physical Defense, +2 Body Force, +1 Body Speed

• Mycorrhizal Punch Dagger

o Durability Enhanced. +2 Body Speed

• Mycorrhizal Spear

o Durability Enhanced. +1 Body Force | +1 Body Speed

• Mycorrhizal Shield

o Durability Enhanced. +2 Physical/Mind/Soul Defense

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Current Status Effects

o

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Recent Achievements

• Initiated System Dungeon: Crystal Cavern Mines

• First Challenger Party to defeat Apex Greatworm

• Achieved Level 3 & acquired Rare Class: Commander

• Successfully unlocked Novice Energy Manipulation Mastery & Acidic Conversion.

• Successfully Unlocked Sporesight & Infested Cloud Strike Network abilities

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Items Collected

System Credits: 9000

Territory Authority Token

Resource Yield Increase 50% Token

Tidal Core Shard

Small Brown Crystals: 3

Small Green Crystals: 6

Small Red Crystals: 0

Small Cloudy Crystals: 10

Medium Brown Crystals: 2

Medium Green Crystals: 1

Medium Red Crystals: 1

Medium Blue Crystals: 2

Medium Clear (Neutral Energy) Crystals x5

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Sara froze in shock. She scanned her Stats over and over, sure there was an error. She knew she had grown more powerful with the level up and Class choice. But this… This was something else entirely. She didn’t have stats just reaching the 30’s… She had a Stat, Body Speed, that had just hit Fracking 70!?!?

And her Defenses. They were more than Double what she had been working with just 10 minutes ago!

But wait. She had Soul Stats in the 40s now. Shouldn’t that make her Network capacity even higher? I mean, she wasn’t complaining at the already totally broken increases. But Sara was a Scientist at heart. And understanding the data presented was paramount to future successes.

Starting back at the top to identify the errant data. “Mycorrhizal Network”, she requested of the System after verifying her Stat data.

[System Notice: Mycorrhizal Network Parameters]

Definition: The Mycorrhizal Network is the bearer’s fungal lattice, a living system that absorbs, stores, and redistributes energy from defeated creatures. It is tied directly to the bearer’s Soul.

Maximum Capacity: Determined by Soul Self (Base).

- Current Soul Self: 25

- Network Capacity: 2000 Microbes

- At Soul Self 30 Network Capacity: increases to 2500 Microbes

- (Additional Network Abilities determined by Soul Self & Mind Knowledge)

Absorption Rate: Determined by Soul Sum (Base).

- Current Soul Sum: 20

- Absorption Efficiency: 75% of creature biomass converted into usable Microbes.

- At Soul Sum 25: Absorption Efficiency increases to 100%.

Stat Growth Energy Storage: Determined by Soul Sum (Base).

- Current Soul Sum: 20

- Current Limit: 1.5 × creature stat value.

- At Soul Sum 25: Stat Growth Energy Storage increases to 2 × creature stat value.

Ah. There it was. “So the Network is based off of my true Base Stats, not the enhanced totals after equipment and class bonus. Bummer, but it makes sense, as the Network is part of the ‘base’ me. But, Damn would it have been brutal if it was based on my final total stats! How big of a Badass would I have been then?”

But, the question remained. Just how big of a Badass was she now?

“Only one way to find out. Heeeeere, Wormy Wormy Wormy!”, she whispered as she resummoned her bat and moved towards the exit of the cavern.

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