Chapter 6: Combat Simulation
“The only key menu that we haven’t discussed yet is the experience points table, which you can use to track how many points you’ll need to accumulate before reaching the next level, and to see what kind of point increases you’ll see with each one. The keywords for this one are just experience points if you want to call it up.”
“Gah,” Lexi said, comically slapping her forehead. “I’d meant to ask about that. Good catch!”
Get Experience Points!
After everything they had just gone through, this menu seemed relatively self explanatory. Lexi’s mind was caught by discrepancy between the rates at which experience and class points increased.
Level
XP
Total
HP
SP
AP
DP
MP
1
5,000
50
20 (+5/hr)
5 (+1/hr)
10
10
5 (+1/hr)
2
10,000
60
25 (+5/hr)
6 (+1/hr)
12
11
6 (+1/hr)
3
15,000
70
30 (+5/hr)
7 (+1/hr)
14
12
7 (+1/hr)
4
20,000
80
35 (+5/hr)
8 (+1/hr)
16
13
8 (+1/hr)
5
25,000
90
40 (+5/hr)
9 (+1/hr)
18
14
9 (+1/hr)
6
35,000
100
45 (+10/hr)
10 (+2/hr)
20
15
10 (+2/hr)
7
45,000
110
50 (+10/hr)
11 (+2/hr)
22
16
11 (+2/hr)
8
55,000
120
55 (+10/hr)
12 (+2/hr)
24
17
12 (+2/hr)
9
65,000
130
60 (+10/hr)
13 (+2/hr)
26
18
13 (+2/hr)
10
75,000
140
65 (+10/hr)
14 (+2/hr)
28
19
14 (+2/hr)
11
100,000
150
70 (+15/hr)
15 (+3/hr)
30
20
15 (+3/hr)
12
125,000
160
75 (+15/hr)
16 (+3/hr)
32
21
16 (+3/hr)
13
150,000
170
80 (+15/hr)
17 (+3/hr)
34
22
17 (+3/hr)
14
175,000
180
85 (+15/hr)
18 (+3/hr)
36
23
18 (+3/hr)
15
200,000
190
90 (+15/hr)
19 (+3/hr)
38
24
19 (+3/hr)
16
250,000
200
95 (+20/hr)
20 (+4/hr)
40
25
20 (+4/hr)
17
300,000
210
100 (+20/hr)
21 (+4/hr)
42
26
21 (+4/hr)
18
350,000
220
105 (+20/hr)
22 (+4/hr)
44
27
22 (+4/hr)
19
400,000
230
110 (+20/hr)
23 (+4/hr)
46
28
23 (+4/hr)
20
450,000
240
115 (+20/hr)
24 (+4/hr)
48
29
24 (+4/hr)
“I’m guessing,” Lexi mused, “that the increasing gaps in XP between the higher levels is also to keep PCs from getting too OP too quickly?”
“Precisely,” the emerald haired faerie nodded.
“But,” Lexi continued, “everything else looks like pretty linear progressions. So, that’s easy enough to keep track of. One question that I just thought of, though. I see that my SP go up with every level. Do I get new spells too, or just the ability to cast my two spells more often?”
“Ah,” Felicity said, raising a finger. “An oversight on my part, I apologize. Yes, you do get new spells with each additional level increase. For the first five levels, the system will automatically assign you new spells at each level, based on a pre-defined schema. However, when you reach level six, you’ll get an alert in your spells menu, giving you the option to select either one spell that corresponds to your new level, or several spells whose respective levels add up to the new level. So, for example, when you get to level six, you can either choose one sixth level spell, two new third level spells, or some other combination tallying up to six.”
“Too fucking easy,” Lexi said, flipping her blonde braids over her armored shoulders. “Anything else before I’m ready to graduate our little training program here and start kicking butt in the world out there?”
“Actually,” the faerie said, with a curious gleam in her green eyes. “There is one final component to the orientation course…”
Felicity then took the same wand she had used to transform Lexi into her new form as a futanari paladin, and began tracing a complex series of swirls and whorls in the ground’s direction just in front of Lexi. To the paladin’s amazement, the earth itself began to churn in time with the wand’s motions, writhing and stretching itself from the previously flat grassy surface, into some new shape unlike anything Lexi had ever seen.
Before Lexi knew what was happening, the earth and grass had been shaped by the faerie’s spell into some kind of vaguely humanoid creature. It’s body was made of what looked like compacted earth, wrought into the rough shapes of limbs and a head sprouting from a barrel-like torso, and it sported patches of green grass on the top of its head, chest, as well as its forearms and shins. Although the creature stood only about five feet high — nearly a full six inches shorter than Lexi’s new impressive height — the paladin couldn’t help but step back in trepidation.
For all her prior bluster, Lexi had never been involved in anything remotely resembling a physical altercation back in the “real” world. Her introversion had been so complete, that the very idea of getting into a fight was as far outside her realm of experience as robbing a bank or winning the lottery. This was the case insofar as she assumed that some other people might enter into these situations, but that her experience would be limited to occasional vicarious participation through a book or game.
“The final portion of your orientation,” the faerie said, snapping Lexi out of her open-mouthed stupor, “is a sparring session!”
“I’m going to fight that…thing?”
For all her bravado, a significant degree of nervousness and fear had set in. Lexi was no longer sure that she necessarily wanted to be a paladin who fought monsters. The futanari part of the deal still seemed amazing, but that was so far in the back of her mind right now that it hardly registered, with all else being driven out of focus by the brute fact that she was about to have to fight.
“Don’t worry,” the faerie said with a chipper lilt to her voice. “This is a combat simulation, so there’s no need to worry about suffering any real damage. Your character can’t die while you’re still in the orientation zone,” she gestured to the ring of floating pink pines surrounding the circular island on which they still stood. “And,” she continued, “I’ll heal any damage you suffer to your hit or mind-break points during the training, so you’ll be at full strength when we’re all done.”
“O-OK,” Lexi stuttered nervously. “But…what is that thing?”
“Oh!” Felicity said with a tittering laugh. “This is just a simple earth golem I sculpted from the dirt and grass here in the orientation zone. Golems don’t have any minds of their own. They’re a direct extension of a spellcaster’s will. So, you don’t have to worry about this little guy getting out of control or anything, since he’s really just a physical manifestation of my spell.”
Seeing Lexi still fidgeting apprehensively, the faerie added gaily, “Just thing of him as a punching bag that can move around a little to thrust and parry!”
Lexi took a deep breath, steeling herself against the nerves threatening to overwhelm her.
I’m a fucking paladin, goddammit! Time to shape up and act the part.
Drawing her broadsword from its sheath on her back, Lexi assumed — without a second thought — a perfect fighting stance. It wasn’t until she was poised and ready to either defend or attack, as need be, that she looked down and noticed what her body had instinctively done.
“Holy shit,” the futanari paladin said with amazement. “I already know how to fight! I can feel the fucking moves, like they’re coiled up in my limbs just ready to spring into action.”
“See? I told you there was nothing to be worried about. You are a paladin now, so you know how to fight and cast spells as if you’ve already been trained for several years. What you feel now is your body’s recognition of this fact, but the more acquainted you get with your new form, the more in sync your mind will get with this new reality as well.”
“Right,” Lexi nodded, her confidence surging. “This isn’t an avatar, it’s fucking me!”
The faerie nodded enthusiastically, her perfectly small breasts jiggling slightly with the motion. “Let’s try some sparring then. Since you’ve just got a single weapon, I’ll give the golem something similar.”
With another twirl of her want, Felicity caused a large perfectly smooth wooden staff to sprout right out of the ground in front of the golem, which suddenly came to life, plucking the staff out of the ground and assuming his own combat stance, with one end of the staff pointed at Lexi.
Radiating tenacity, Lexi crouched just a bit lower in her stance, flexing the muscles in her beautifully muscled thighs, bracing her entire body for the instant when she would explode into motion.
“Kiyaaa!”
With blinding speed and precision, the futanari paladin lunged forward, her giant broadsword thrust like an arrow, with deadly precision. The golem attempted to parry the blow, but his staff intercepted the blade too late, serving only to deflect the thrust an inch or so from its intended target. As a result, Lexi’s broadsword sank a foot deep into the creature’s earthy flesh, penetrating where a lung would have been on a man, rather than directly through the sternum where she’d initially aimed.
Your Attack Hit!
-21 HP (0/15)
Lexi’s chest heaved with the exertion of her lungs, as beads of sweat ran down her face, settling in the exposed cleavage between her ample breasts. Thinking the encounter to have been won, she had paused after the thrust’s apex, rather than withdrawing into a defensive posture to await the counter from her opponent, or to strike another decisive blow herself.
This proved to be the newly minted paladin’s undoing.
Not only had her single, though near perfectly executed, strike not proved fatal to the golem, the elemental automaton did not appear to have even noticed that it had been struck. As Lexi cavalierly slid the sword out of the golem’s chest, thinking to fire off some witty retort to the faerie about the inadequacy of her “champion,” the golem whirled its staff in a vicious semicircle, sweeping both of Lexi’s legs out from under her. The paladin fell into a crashing heap of armor and curses.
You’ve Been Hit!
-1 HP (19/20)
“Fuck! I thought…goddamn it!”
Before Lexi could finish the thought, the golem had swept its staff around and had raised it overhead, preparing to slam it down on the prone paladin. Simulation of no, Lexi somehow thought that it would be both painful and embarrassing to get clobbered by a literal pile of dirt while she lay on her back.
Good to know the game tells me how many HP I’m losing, Lexi though to herself. At least I can keep track of getting my ass kicked in real time.
Quick as she could, the paladin rolled backwards, coming up in a crouch with her sword held horizontally in front of her face, bracing the blade with one hand. The golem’s strike ricocheted off of the broadsword, the blade’s metal singing sweetly in the otherwise silent glade.
Lexi leapt back several feet, landing in a perfect defensive stance. Her lungs burned, and every inch of her exposed flesh was covered in a sheen of sweat. And yet, she couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this alive. A grin split the beautiful futa’s face, as she casually flipped one of her golden braids over her shoulder.
“The dirt boy’s not half bad!”
Felicity tittered. “I should hope not. He wouldn’t be much use as a sparing partner if he just stood there, now would he?”
Lexi felt her mind spinning with attack and defense possibilities, realizing that it was beginning to catch up with the combat patterns that her body already instinctively knew. Feet shuffling forward with blinding speed, she thrust again towards the golem’s chest.
It was only, however, when the golem moved to block the strike that it was revealed to be a feint. Lexi deftly reversed the blade’s course while sidestepping the creature. Both of his arms now extended straight out horizontally in front of her, Lexi swung the huge broadsword down in a single silvery arc, severing both earthen limbs above the elbow.
Your Attack Hit!
-10 HP (5/15)
Remembering her mistake the last time she thought the creature defeated, rather than striking a single “decisive” blow to the head or chest. Lexi methodically dismembered the golem with a rapid-fire combination. Two strikes removed the creatures legs, and another severed its head — leaving the golem a pile of disconnected limbs.
Your Attack Hit!
-16 HP (0/15)
This time, the system message showing the damage Lexi’s blow had dealt was followed by another separate popup alert, indicating that she had gained experience points as a result of winning the encounter.
Attribute
Modification
New Value
Reason
Experience Points
+150
150
Defeated Earth Golem
Not content with even this appearance of near total victory, Lexi leaped back once more, assuming a defensive stance and keeping her icy blue orbs locked onto the golem’s apparent corpse. Her senses felt indescribably heightened with the surging currents of adrenaline coursing through her body, turning every sensory dial up to eleven. So, when a sharp sequence of cracks issued from behind her, Lexi spun about, whirling her sword into an overhead attack posture, ready to strike down whatever new threat presented itself.
It was an applauding faerie, smiling down at Lexi as her delectably nude form hovered gracefully in the air a foot above the ground, supported by the gentle beating of butterfly-like wings extending from her back.
“Well done!” the faerie girl congratulated the paladin.
“Heh,” Lexi chuckled, still panting with exertion from the encounter. “You almost had me for a minute there, but I really feel connected with this…my body’s combat skills now.”
“Perfect! That’s exactly what this simulation is intended to do. There’s only one problem…”
Lexi cocked her head to one side, furrowing her brows. “What’s that?”
“You overlooked the cock gobbling faerie!”
Before Lexi could even process this, much less respond, thick brown vines shot forth from the ground right below her, wrapping themselves around her ankles and wrists. No matter how strongly she tensed her newly gained muscles, the paladin was inexorably forced to the ground, her four limbs stretched to the four corners of the glade, leaving Lexi spread-eagled on the grass.
“Now,” the faerie said lustily. “It’s time for the second round of sparring.”