Part 3

It was almost 2nd moon by the time Jasko and Korlok got their 3rd skills. In the cities, people got up with the sun, and had til first moon to do morning chores, and have some breakfast. Then it was time for work, or school, or training. 2nd moon meant it was break time. For everyone. This was a time to relax, have some lunch, then get back to work until 3rd moon. 3rd moon indicated the end of the work day. Now it was time to go home, have some dinner, and spend time with family until everyone went to bed as the sun went down.

But outside of the cities, the moons didn't mean much. And on a day like today, when the fighting never stops, the Protectors may not even see the moons.

Korlok got his 3rd skill first, after they killed a swarm of spiders on the backside of the castle. They all knew it was coming, but it always happens when least expected. Once his glow faded, and he got back up on both feet, Korlok now had the ability to blast monsters with magical energy that did a decent amount of damage, as well as stun the monster for a few seconds. The less time a monster can attack you, the better. Korlok's emblem started of as a little heart with a lightning bolt through it in the center of his chest, allowing him to send low damage, but quick casting Holy Lightning at monsters, but it now covered most of his chest. His 2nd skill, Minor Heal, added a heart shaped border. Now, we can see energy lines spreading out in multiple spots along the border from his 3rd skill, Shockwave. He stood back on his rock, proud of his achievement.

The very next fight resulted in Jasko taking his glowing knee. Jasko's original bow emblem was in the same spot his mother's was, on his shoulder. When he got his 2nd skill, Salve, a small heal over time, it added an arrow, with a small but sharp arrowhead, and instead of feather a fletching, there was a small heart. The emblem had gotten larger as well, and wrapped around his shoulder to the top left corner of his chest. And now with a 3rd skill, it stretched halfway across his chest. Where the corner of the bow sat in the center of his chest, his new Frost skill was represented by a jagged snowflake. He was excited about being able to do some decent damage with it, but being able to slow a monsters movement speed and attack speed was the most advantageous part. With the new skills everyone got today, it was time to move to a tougher outpost.

That wasn't all it meant. Getting a 3rd skill was a pretty big milestone for Protectors. It meant they could now start the solo quests for their epic weapons, but it also meant they each had a choice to make. The first three skills come automatically once a Protector has trained, quested and killed monsters enough. But the 4th skill, which would be their 2nd utility skill, requires a trip to The Mountain. There, they will be presented with two quests, and must choose one to determine the rest of the Protector's path. Wendelyn was already pretty set on being a Shadelord, but Jasko and Korlok weren't ready to make that decision yet.

Either way, there wasn't anything left for them at Kalen's Castle, so they decided to make the trip back through the Northern Woods, back to Kelthor, to plan their trip to The Cave, and start their epic quests.

The trip back was fairly uneventful, though they did walk off the path, so they could use their new skills on some of the monsters wandering through the trees.