Afterobtainingthesparkorb,Wavelookedoverwhatthenextpiecethey
neededtoobtaininordertomakethedaggersofswiftlightning.Hiltofmomentum
iswhatwasdisplayedinthebookWeaponsofthegods.Wave’sthoughtwondered,as
hetriedtoanalyzejustwhereitwastheyneededtogotoobtainthishilt.(Whatsort
ofpowercouldthesedaggersunleash.)
Willowlookedoverwasshoulders,asshereadthewordstoeveryone.“Farnorthof
theoasis,liesacavernofgreatchallenge,itisunknownifanyonehasthekindof
powerneededtoovercomethischallenge.”Skysnapshisfingersandcalmlyways
inonthematter.“Wellwepassedthefirsttask,howmuchharderdoyouthinkitcould
be?”SkythenwhisperstoAurora.“Ifeelasthoughnothingcanbeharderthenhaving
Willowasourpartyleader.”Aurorachuckleswithatonethatseemstoindicatethat
sheisinagreementwithSky’sstatement.
Violetislookingatthehiltonhersword,beforelettingthepartyhearwhatshewas
thinkingabout.“Hilthuh,Iwonderjusthowsuchathingwoulddifferfromthetype
ofhiltswenormallysee.”Nooneknowswhattosayinresponse.Wavedeclaresto
everyonetohear.“Ithinkweshouldheadbackintotowntorestockoursupplies,and
alsogetthreetimesasmuchaswedidforthistrip,sincewewillnowbetravelingeven
fartherthenlasttime.”
Thepartyhadforgotten,thattheshadowpuppieswouldre-spawn,andnowhadtodeal
withtheheatfromVioletsrainoffire.Noneoftheotherpartymembersdaregetany
closer,asidefromWillowoccasionallyholdingherhandinthefireforaboutfive
minutes.(WhydoesWillowdothesethings.)Everyoneinthepartyiswondering,
besidesVioletwhoistobusymakingmorefiretofinishoffeverylastshadowpuppy.
Oncethepuppieshavebeenfinishedoff,Aurora,andSkyusetheirskillstoputoutthe
fire.Waveiswatchingthemcloselyandlookingattheiceshardsfalling.(Iwonder
ifIcouldcombinedoneofmylightningskills,withthoseiceshardstomakea
newpartyskilllikeeveryoneelseseemstohave.)Thefireisalmostoutnow.
Thethoughthatiscrossingeveryone’smindatthemomentishowwouldanyone
dealwiththeshadowpuppieswithoutfire.
Aftermanynightthepartyfinallyarrivesintothevillagethattheyhadleft.They
Aregreetedbythesonoftheblacksmith.“Welcomebackourpridefulheroes!”This
statementmadethepartyfeeluncomfortabletoanextent.Violetreachesherhands
outandplacesthemintheyoungboy’s,beforegentlywhisperingintohisear.
“Weappreciatethestatement,butitmakesusfeelembarrassedwhenyousay
suchathingtous,sointhefuturecouldyoure-framefromsayingsuch
thingstous,evenmoresowhenyouaresayingthemsoloudly.”
Theblacksmith’ssonnodshisheadinunderstanding.
Thepartyallgoesouttogettheirownsupplies,althoughSkywentwith
Violettomakesureshewouldnotbuyanythingfirerelated.Waveisnow
watchingasmalllizardonthegroundregeneratingitstail.Anideasuddenly
occurstoWave.(Maybethereisawaytoregenerateplantlife.)Wavepicks
upaherbheknowsissafetoeat.Wavethentakesasmallbiteoutofit.
Usingbasiclightninghealterstheskillsothatitwillonlymakeasmall
spark.
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
BasicLightningskillunderstandinghasincreasedby1
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
DotoyoureffortsyouhavegainedtheSparkskill
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
SparkSkilldescription:Thoughnotasstrongaslightningsparkscanbe
directedhowyouwouldlikeifyoufocusyourmindseye.Sparkhas
manyhiddencapabilities.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
SubskilllearnedSparkflow
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
AsWavechannelsthesparkthroughtheherb,hecanfeelthecellularstructure
oftheherbwithhismindseye.Soonhetellsthecellstoreproduceusingthe
sparktoprogramthem.Waveendsupwiththeresultsthathehadintended.
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
WaveDroplethascreatedtheskillHerbalregeneration
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Herbalregenerationdescription:Feelingtheveryessenceandsoulofthe
herb,throughchannelingasmallelectriccurrent,youcanbringtheplant
backtoitsformerstate.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Byusingyourmindseyeyouhaveabetterunderstandingofpsionic
energyPsihasincreasedby6
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Wavewasnotonlyhappyfromthenewskillshehadgained,tohisdelight
hispsionicenergyhadincreased.Herbalregenerationonlyused1point
ofpsi,thatmeantthathecouldusetheskilltwelvetimesifitwasneeded.
Eventhoughsparkusedhismindseye,itdidnotusepsi,infactthiswas
thiswasveryfirstskillhehadwhichusedmanainsteadofmp.
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
CurrentSkills:KickSkillunderstanding10/Guardskillunderstanding10/
Standardlightningskillunderstanding3/HerballoreSkillunderstanding6
HammerSkillunderstanding5/AccessoriesSkillunderstanding10/
ClawsSkillunderstanding10/BeardashSkillunderstanding10/
KnifeSkillunderstanding5/Basiclightningkickskillunderstanding10/
TamingSkillunderstanding1/LevitationSkillunderstanding1/Spark
Skillunderstanding1/HerbalregenerationSkillunderstanding1
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Wave’sskillunderstandingofherballorehadalsoincreasedwhilehewas
practicingwithherbalregeneration.Wavewasnowrestingonabench.
Willowarrivesandsitsnexttohim.“Ihavefoundaquestthatwecould
doonourwaytothecavernWave,oronthewayback.”Wavelistentowhat
Willowhastosay.ofcoursethequestissomethingthatseemsinsaneto
anextent.OnceeveryoneisbacktogetherWavebringsupWillow’squest.
Thepartyagreestodoit,eventhoughitseemstobetricky.
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Quest
Tamingashadowpuppy
Shadowpuppiesorsuchinterestingcreatures,withthewaytheycantravel
betweenpeoplesshadows.Ibetmychildrenwillloveplayingshadowtag
withoneofthesethings.Pleasetameoneandbringittome,sothatIcan
makeitourfamilypet.
Reward:30Stonesofmagicalforceforeverypartymember
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Thereasonthisquestwassohardisbecausetheirisneverashadowpuppy
byitsself.Sowhiletryingtotameoneyouwouldhavetodealwiththedangers
oftherestofthem.Everyonehereknewthoughthattherewardwouldbeworth
theeffortofthetask.
Itwasnownightofthefirstdayoftravel.WillowandSkythoroughlysearched
ThroughViolet’ssuppliesbeforeeveryonewenttosleepforthatnight,inorder
tofindanythingthatcouldbeusedtostartafireandthenputitoutofherreach.
TheyleftShadowwithhersothatifanythingattackedshewouldhavesomeform
ofdefense.
Itwouldbeanothernightbeforetheyarrivedattheshadowpuppy’slocation.
AuroraandWavearelookingatthenightskytogether.Waveconversingwith
Aurora.“Thenightskysureisbeautiful,Imeanjustlookathowthemoon
shinesuponuswithitsglimmeringlight,itsalmostasifthelightwasalive.”
AuroralooksintoWave’seyes,andgivesheropiniononthatmatter.“Youknow
manyculturesbelievethatthemoonhasgreatpower,andfromwhatweknowin
sciencethemoonaffectsgravity,andeveryoneknowshowpowerfulgravityis,so
itmayhaveatleastsomeformoftruthtothosebeliefs.”Wavecouldnotagreemore
withwhatAurorawassayingatthatmoment,anditfeltlikeitremindedhimof
something,althoughwithoutanymemorieshecouldnotbesureofwhatitwas.
Sky,Willow,andVioletarestaringinthedirectionofthemountainstheywouldStolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
begoingbackto.“Sohowdidyoutwofeelaboutthefightwehadwiththatbird
toobtainthesparkorb?”Skyinquired.Violetwasthefirsttoanswerhim.“Well
eventhoughitwasrelativelydifficult,Ifeltitwasafunbossfight.”Looking
atbothofthemwithaserenesmileonherfaceWillowtellsthem.“Ifeelthe
SamewayasViolet,andhopewecanhaveevenmoreinterestingbossfights
inourfuture.”Sky,andVioletthinkaboutherwordsbeforeeveryoneheadsof
intheirowndirectiontogotosleep.
WaveandVioletarethefirsttowakeupandaretalkingtooneanotherabout
thetaskoftamingtheshadowpuppy.“Howdoyouthinkweshouldgoabout
thisViolet?”Waveaskherinhopesthatshecanfiguresomethingout.“Well
Iamnotentirelycertain,howeverIhaveaskillthatmaybeofuse.”Wave
iswaitingforViolettotellhimwhatthatskillis,butisnotpatientenough
anhastoask.“Whattypeofskillisit,andisitunrelatedtoyourfireskills?”
VioletanswersWavewithasmalllaughbeforecontinuing.“Itisnotrelated
tomyfireskills,infactmyfireskillswouldcausetomuchproblemsifI
useditwiththisskill,andthisskillasoneofthetoolskillsfromthetutorial.”
WavethinksaboutitbutdoesnotknowwhattoolskillVioletcouldmean.
Violettakesoutapieceofwoodenfencefromherbackpack.“Oh,Isee
now!”Wavegivesathumbsupinunderstandingashiswordsindicatethat
heknowshowthismightbeuseful.
Therestofthepartysoonawakensandtheyallheadouttoweartheshadow
puppiesarelocated.Atfirstnoonecanfigureouthowtheyaregoingtoisolate
asingleshadowpuppy,butsoongraspsomethingtheyhadnotnoticedbefore
aboutthem.Theshadowpuppiescanonlytravelinlocationswithshadows.
Sothatwouldmeantherewasawaytofightthemwithoutfire.
OneofthepuppieshadfollowedViolettoalocationwerethesunwas
tobrighttoallowanyshadowtoform.VioletcalledWaveovertokeepit
busyuntilshecouldfenceitin.Aurorajoinedthemandcreatedtallicepillars
aroundthefencesotheshadowpuppycouldnotescapeifthesunbecame
lessbright.
Waveclimbedoverthepillars,andgotthefoodreadyfortheshadowpuppies
taming.Theshadowpuppywasconfused,normallytheywouldfighttothe
deathwithpeoplebutnowtheythisonewasgivingitfood.Soontheshadow
puppybecametamed.
WhenthemessagepoppedupinfrontofWavetogivethepetanamehe
scrolleddowntofindwhathewaslookingfor,heclickedtheoptionto
setitasagift,asheknewthatthemanwouldliketonameithimselfoncethey
arrivedbackinthevillage.
Thepartyfinallymadeitbacktotheoasis.Theytooktheirtimetofilluptwelve
canteensofwatereach.Noneofthemcouldbecertainabouthowmuchwater
wouldbeneed,moresosincetheydidnothaveanyideajusthowfaritwould
beforthemtoreachthecavern.
TheshadowpuppyhideinsideWave’sshadow,atfirstWavewasworriedabout
whatwouldhappenwhenthesunwastobrightfirhisshadowtoform.Hesoon
learnedthatthepuppymustbeinaworldlinkedtohisshadow,becauseafterthe
shadowdissipated,andthenappearedsometimelater,thepuppycameoutas
thoughnothinghadhappened.
Aurorawaslookingintothewaterandthinking.(Afterwegivetheshadowpuppy
tothatmanIwillfinallybeabletogetstandardice.)WillowsuddenlypushedAurora
intothewater.AftergettingoutfromthewaterAuroralooksatWillowwithanger
Andthenshouts.“Whatdidyoudothatfor!?”AurorathentripsWillowsothatshe
willalsofallintothewater.OnceWillowgetsoutofthewaterAurorapointsto
Violet,andwithacommandingtonesays.“VioletdryWillowandIwithyourfire
skill.”Violetcompliesimmediately.BothSkyandWavebackawayfromwherethe
fireisabouttostart.WillowandAuroraarefarenoughawaysothatonlytheirclothing
willdryandnotcatchfire.
AuroraandSkyputoutthefirebeforethepartystartstheirwaynorth.Aurora
Issingingasongastheytravel.*Letthewinddanceonmyshoulders,asmyfriends
leadtheway.Embracetheirkindnesslikeasappyplay.FollowmewhileIdancein
thesunsrays.*Wavedoesnotknowwhattothink,shedoesnotsoundlikeaprofessional,
butsheisnotthatbadofasinger.Theothertwogirlsstartsinginginunison.*Letour
friendshipdeepen,andneverthrowitaway.Openyourheartstothemoonrays*
TheycontinuelikethisAurorasingingthemaincoursewhiletheothertwosing
theharmony.Wavewonderstohimself.(Iguessthismustbeanactualsongfrom
aprofessionalsinger.)Itdoessoundveryfamiliar,butofcourseWavehasnopointof
reference.
Ittookthemninewholedaysbeforetheyreachedthecavern.Theydidnothaveanymore
incidentswithViolet,althoughtheycameclosetwonightsago,whenshehadsneakedinto
Skytentandtriedtostealbackoneofherweapons.LuckyforeveryonethatSkyhada
Nightmarethatnightandawokejustasshewasreachingfortheweapon.
Afterenteringthecaverntheylookedatalargepieceoftextonthewalljustaheadofthem.
Itread.Thosewithwisdomwillturnbackandthosewithcouragewillwalkforward.Those
withboththesetraitswillfindtheway.Itseemedlikeitwasariddle,ormorelikelysome
kindofpuzzle.Infrontofthemtherearefivepaths,eachonehadaglowingcircleattheend,
andeachofthemseemedtobeadifferentcolor.
“Whatcoulditmean?”Skyaskdirectinghisquestiontotheparty.Wavesighsbefore
Answeringhim.“Iamalmostcertainitissomekindofpuzzle.Everyoneseemstonod
inagreementwithWave’sstatement.Willowthenask.“Sincetherearefivelocations,
shouldweeachgotooneandseewhathappens?”
Violetistheonewhoanswersherquestion.“Ithinkthatwouldbea
marvelousidea.”Aurorathenboldlyask.“Thenwhoshouldshadowgowith?”Everyone
thinksaboutitthenlooksatSky.“Whatwithme?”Skyasks.WavetellsSkythereason
theyhavedecideditwouldbehim.“ListenSkyeveryoneelseherehashadachanceto
bewithShadowasidefromyou,whoknowsmaybeitwillbenefitthepartylateron.”
Skyseemstogetwhattheyaresayingatgiveshisapproval.
Thepartyallcallsouttooneanothersothattheyallsteponthecirclesatthesametime.
Alightsurroundseachofthem,andsoontheyarechangedintoglitteringstarsbefore
eachofthemreappearinadifferentlocationthenwheretheyhadbeenbefore.
Wavelooksatastonetabletdirectlyaboveandinfrontofhim,whichreads.Doyou
havecourageorwisdom.Justbelowthetabletisanothercircleliketheonehecamefrom.
Wavelooksbehindhimselfandseesthesamething.(Courageorwisdomhuh.)Wavethinks
tohimself.Wavetakesthepathinfrontofhim,andisteleportedtoanothersimilarroom.
Thistimeheheadstothepathbehindhimself.Thisbringshimtoaslightlydifferentroom.
Thisonehastreasuretothesides,andstillthesametypeofcirclesaheadandbehindhim.
Waveopensonofthetreasurechestongetsagoldenfeather,thereisnotmuchtoits
description.Thefeatherseemstobemeanttoeithersellormakesomeusewith
accessories.Waveopenstheotheroneitisalongrope,whichismeanttomakeawhip.
Waveputsbothitemsinhisbackpack.
Bynoweveryonehadfiguredouthowtonavigatetheportals.Eachcoloroftheportals
theywentthroughhadadifferentmeaning.Wavehadwentthroughthegreenportal
whichmeantallclear,ontheotherhandSkywentthroughtheredportal,andwasnow
fightingdifferenttypeofmonsterseverytimeheenteredaportal.“Iguessitisareally
goodthingyouareherewithmehuhShadow?”ShadowbarksinagreementwithSky’s
statement.BynowSkyandShadowofgottenagoodrhythmwitheachotherwhilefighting,
andcannowdoattacksinconjunctionwithoneanother.
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
SkyandShadow’steamworkisflawlessandtheyhavegainedthepetskillArtofthewolves
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Nowtheircombinationofattackswoulddomoredamagebecauseoftheskill.
Aurorahadchosenthepurpleportalandendedupgettingatonofenergyrestoringpotions.
Eachonewasforadifferenttypeofenergy.Willowhadchosentheyellowpathandtoher
pleasureitwasapathwithlotsoftraps,sheseteachandeveryoneofthemoff,andavoided
damagebytheskinofherteeth.Violethadchosenthebluepathandwasnowinpossession
ofovertwohundredhealingitems.
Everyonearrivedinthenextroomatthesametime.Apathbackbutasfarastheycouldtell
nopathforward.Theyeachwalkeddownthestepsinfrontofthem,andwhentheyreached
thebottom,adoorstartedtorisefromthefloorbehindthem,whichclosedofftheirwayback
Suddenlyaportalappearedonthecenterofeachdoor.Alloftheportalswheregreen,meaning
therewasnodangertothem.Thenextthingthathappensisaportalbrieflyappearsinthesky
beforesomethingfallsoutfromitandthenitdisappears.
Whathadfallenfromtheportalwasagiant,rat,itscolorwasthesamecolorasaratthat
someonewouldkeepasapet.“Aw!It’ssocute,Ihavetohaveone!”Willowannounces
foreveryoneinthepartytohear.Theratstartstomoveswiftly,justwhilethepartyrealizes
thattheirisasixthdoorwithaportalonit.
Itissofastthatitcatchesthepartyoffguardandtheyareallknockedtotheground.The
ratheadsstraighttothedoorbehindthem.Itreappearsinsecondsatoneoftheotherdoors.
“Ohno!Thisisnotgood!”Violetscreams.Notonlyistheratfastitcaninstantaneously
gofromonelocationtothenextusingthoseportals.“Whatshouldwedo?”Willowask.
Everyoneisnowusingtheirguardskills,itwouldbetodangerousotherwise.Theparty
managestoavoidthenextcharge.Theycannotdecidedifitisbettertospreadoutorstay
closetogether,sotheygomidwayanddivideintotogroupsofthree.Shadow,Sky,and
Violetinonegroup.InanothergroupisWave,Aurora,andWillow.
WavelooksatAurora,asheremembersthathewantedtotryandmakeapartyskill
withher.“Aurora,launchasmanyiceshardsintotheairasyoucan.”Wavegivesthe
ordertoAurora.Shedoesnotknowwhatwaveisthinking,butcompliestohistask.
WhenthereisaboutnineofthemintheairWavequicklyusesstandardlightning
inquickrepetition,aimingfortheverycenterofeachshard.Theshardsshatter
andfalllikerain.Theshardsarecreatinganicesurfaceontheground.
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
WaveDropletandAuroraRose-songhavecreatedthepartyskillFrozenlightningrain
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Theynoticethattheicesurfacehasslowedtheratdownwheneveritisonit.
Thepartynowhadaplan.WaveandAurorausedFrozenlightningrainon
threeofthesixportals,sothattherewasafiftypercentchanceofitlandingon
oneoftheicepatches.Violetstruckitwithasmallfiretodirectitintooneofthe
Portals.ThefirsttimeitwasontheiceWillowattackeditwithherstandardshadow
flame.thenexttimeitwasWavewhousedabasiclightningkick.
Bynowtheratwasgettingannoyedandchangeditstactics.Everyonethought
itwasrepeatingitssamebehavior,buttotheirshockitstoppedmidwayonthe
iceandlashedoutwithitstailmakingthoseinfrontofitfalltotheground.Itcharged
towardstheothergroup,andknockedthemdownaswell.Whydidthepartynot
realizesooneraboutitstail,theycouldhavecomeupwithacountermeasure.
Itmosthavebeenbecausetheyhadtofocusatwashappeningatthemoment.
“Guys,Ijustrealized,itsnotjustthetailwehavetoworryabouteither!”Wave
shoutedbutitwasalreadytolatewhathehadwantedtowarnthemaboutwas
happeningrightinfrontoftheireyes.
TheratuseditshandstopickupandtossVioletshehitthewallreallyhard.
AtthesametimeitgrabbedWillowwithitstail,howeverWillowbitedown
anditlooseneditsgriponher.Violetwasalmostoutofhealth.Violetquickly
reachedintoherbackpackandtookoutoneofthemanyhealingitemsshe
hadobtainedanddrankit.“PleaseeveryoneprotectmeuntilIcanfully
recover.”Violetrequested.WavewenttoVioletandliftedherintohisarms
andstartedtolevitate.
WillowandAuroracreatedblacksteamtostriketherat,thiswasofcourse
awayfromanyoftheicesurfaces.ShadowandSkyattackwiththeirnew
petskill,whentheratgoesthroughaportaltoanothericepatch.
OnceViolethadrecovered,theratwasinadirectlineupwithallthe
partymembersandShadow.WavetakesouttheknifehegotfromWillow,
andgetsreadytousetoothlauncher.ShadowandSkygetinfrontofWillow,
andasthetoothcomesflyingtheyusetheirnewpetskill.Theirarenowfor
teethheadingtowardstherat.BeforetheteethhitbothAuroraandVioletuse
iceandfireontheteethandtheirattackscreateasteam.
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
PartySkillcreatedArtofthewolvessteamingtoothcannon
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Thisattackisjustwhattheyneededtofinishoffthegiantrat.
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
YourpartyhasdefeatedThepetratofthegodsandhasobtained
onefruitofunderstandingeach.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Fruitofunderstandingdescription:Afruitwhichwheneaten
allowsonetograsphiddenknowledgewithin.Increasesall
knownskillsunderstandingby1
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Afterbeatingthepetratofthegodsallthedoorsopened,including
theonethatnoneofthepartycamethrough.Theyheadedupthestairs.
Whattheyfoundwasanotherportal,butthisonewasasilvercolor.
Steppingontotheportalthepartyisteleportedtoalargeroomwithapedestal.
Whatlayuponthepedestalwasofcoursethehiltofmomentum.Wavepicked
upthefloatinghiltfromthepedestal.
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
GainedtheHiltofmomentum
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="background-color: #049cb0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Hiltofmomentumdescription:Ahiltwhenusedtomakeaweaponwill
makethewieldermoreagileandflexible.Itseemstheremaybesome
secrettothishilt.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>