《Uprooted》 Prologue: Upside Down With limbs like wings, she felt weightless, numb. The intensity she felt moments before dozing off into a peaceful almost surreal moment. She was upside down, the girl named Dita, or something called Dita the ditz. Though, she couldn¡¯t for the life of her remember why she was upside down only that it was the last thing she could think of. Pure white flooded her vision no matter which way she looked. Now that she¡¯d thought about it, she couldn¡¯t move, at least not properly, no something felt off, disconnected. She attempted to open her mouth to voice her confusion, or perhaps just to break the silence. [...] Despite her best efforts, the drowning sounds of nothingness consumed her senses, and what was up with that dang light! She hated light enough but this place was on a whole different level. It felt rather like being pinned down to a dentist¡¯s chair, a feeling she dared not remember. [GREETINGS CHILD!] A booming voice presented itself from an undefined location like a loudspeaker placed firmly against her eardrums. [I can hear you! Gimme a break here, that was seriously too loud!] This time her voice escaped quite easily lending her a sense of self that felt eerily empty. The feeling was confirmed as her gaze trailed downward catching a glimpse of her hands; or rather where her hands should have been. She could feel a sensation of warmth but no hands, in fact, no anything. [Wait wait wait, where is my...everything?] [Are you confused? Ah, sorry it''s my first day on the job.] The entity cleared its seemingly nonexistent throat, despite the voice sounding middle-aged at best, it was fairly attractive in a husky way, if it wasn¡¯t so damned loud. [You have passed on, no that¡¯s not quite accurate, I believe it would be said that you¡¯ve passed away.] She felt a strange chill run down her strangely disembodied existence, from what she could tell she was some kind of formless soul or something along those lines. Having more questions than answers she felt like he was way oversimplifying this. [Dead? Wait seriously? Like pushing up daisies? I¡¯m not even in a coma?] [Sadly you have had an insatiable desire for the entirety of your life. You existed with a simple but pure wish your entire life that ended up costing you everything.] A desire? It seems all fuzzy, what could it be? I remember names, and dates but..hey wait.. [I remember!] [Oh? Then you¡¯ve done better than most. Though I would be a poor liar if I told you I expected anything less from the most prominent enthusiast of this kind of thing.] She crossed her nonexistent arms in a fuss, huffing briskly at the equally nonexistent god. [¡°This kind of thing¡± What do you think you¡¯re saying god? If being able to live in a fantasy world with lots of husbandos and magic is wrong then I don¡¯t want to be right.] Her proud stance of crass glory took pride in the tens of thousands of hours she put into her fantasy life. She cosplayed, she loved anime too much, and had a million husbandos, of course, she had trouble picking favourites, but that wasn¡¯t the point anyway! [Honest as always I see. My superior has studied you for your entire life, and she has quite a lot in common with you, erm... Being an enthusiast as well.] The god spoke with a sort of unease in his voice, clearly not being too involved himself, she felt a tiny bit bad for him, but that quickly faded to a miniature celebration! His superior was also an Isekai junkie! So she would totally understand her, and because she was above the normie god maybe he was instructed to help her get to her perfect life! [So so, does all this mean what I think it means?] Her words escaped in a giddy explosion of hope that must have glistened even brighter than the all-consuming light as the god let a surprised noise escape before clearing his throat again. [Y-yes you¡¯ve been taken her to decide on the world and place of your reincarnation. Oh yes, and I have a small pre-recorded message from my superior, hold on, let me find it. It should be around here somewhere..] Gods sure were less convenient than she imagined, having to find things, geeze whatever happened to omnipotence. She shrugged it off as maybe it came with the ¡°in training¡± title that seemed to emanate from the intern god. [Ah! Here it is.] A contrasting clouded area formed for a moment before completely forming into a trendy looking projector and screen. This only made the godly image look more vexed! Why gods why?! The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. [Testing, is this on? Ah yes! Hello!] A ditzy sounding voice presented itself from a beautiful glowing figure that looked to be sitting on a sofa with--a poster of lord Ramiel!! No way! She really was an ¡°enthusiast¡±! Otherwise, the golden bishie would never have been her main choice. It was a strange feeling seeing such a casual god in a recording, but at this point, she¡¯d have believed just about anything. [Heya Dita! How''s it going? Well probably not good cause you died and all, but I think you¡¯ve got the right idea, wait no, that¡¯s probably not gonna come off right¡­] The voice sort of annoyed her, not because it was annoying in nature but because of how lightly it seemed to take the situation, then again, it was her dream to have something like this happen, though she preferred to avoid the death parts. [Asmodeus is there with you, right? He¡¯s a good underling, but he probably won¡¯t understand you well, just bear with him! I wish I could have helped you out but I had a really important event to go for my favorite-- I mean of dire importance.] Oh she wanted to be angry at her, she really did but she totally could see it in her eyes, that was the glow of a true fangirl who gets to attend a once in a lifetime event! All at once her impression of her changed for the better, after all, if she were magically turned into a god she¡¯d probably do the same thing! [Oh I forgot! My name is Lilith but my friends call me Lily! Like I said before I watched you and always saw you like a faraway little sister! Ah, maybe that sounds odd but we totally like all the same stuff and well, I wanted to give you a chance at what you¡¯ve always wanted! A fantasy life!] The figure on the screen got visibly excited and her eyes sparkled in such a way that it was clear as day that she was telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. [I just wanted to tell you that the world I picked out for you is a bit perfect for your tastes. I promise that I didn¡¯t hold back in this reincarnation! It¡¯s got magic! It¡¯s got monsters! And most importantly..] Dita held her breath for a long moment half knowing what came next. [It¡¯s got a bunch of super hot guys! Even cool races! It¡¯s so cool I¡¯m actually super jealous. In fact, if I¡¯m being honest...I so totally wish I could be there but I must live my dream through you~! So you will be like my avatar! I might even come visit sometime!] The antics of the goddess seemed to be as socially awkward as she remembered her own. It was a bizarre feeling, to think she would have been really great friends with a goddess of all people. She wasn¡¯t sure how she could tell but the intern god was definitely attempting to remain professional despite his superior being such a person, while she definitely couldn¡¯t judge the goddess she felt a bit bad for the underling, he was totally out of his element. [Anyhoo! It¡¯s not all fun and games, though I¡¯m not asking you to save the world or anything, it''s a bit more complicated than that. I¡¯ll leave the rest as a surprise! Remember to thank me sometimes! I don¡¯t need praise or anything so cliche, but maybe add me on social media? Wait this world..doesn¡¯t have that tech yet.. Uhhh well I¡¯ll figure out something! Ok bye!] The embarrassed goddess had rushed to turn off the recording abruptly before the recording came to its finale. Still, was that really a goddess? It was beyond hard to imagine. [A-anyways, come here child.] The god awkwardly beckoned her over but to no obvious location. Hey, that¡¯s not playing fair at all! [Huh? Can I even move?] The nervous god suddenly realized his blunder and corrected it, out of courtesy she pretended not to notice. Before her eyes a beautiful man with flawless skin appeared, having eight wings and a proper look for a god. He looked like a mixture of the lead of lord of the things and Tire man! [Can you see me now child?] She nodded sort of surprised at the surreal nature of an actual god appearing. No the goddess from before doesn¡¯t count! [Ah, please look at this. This is your profile page, I¡¯ve been told to give you three possible starting situations, please look over them and pick the one you like best.] Before her eyes, a game like window appeared nearly knocking her off of her nonexistent feet! Wait, could that actually happen here? 1.{Name: Nemia Windstep} Race: Highborne Elf Affinity: Unbreakable, Indomitable fighter. 2.{Name: Dia Mel Dae} Race: Human Affinity: Alabaster Magic, Gem Magic. 3.{Name: Yuliste Felblood} Race: Arch Demon Affinity: Devil¡¯s Luck, Abyss/Primal Magic. The words hovered in front of her in a way that could only be described as magic, but with a weird science fiction twist. Her eyes were naturally drawn to the first! She had always dreamed of being an elf and even played them in online games. Not only were they super cute but also really classy and respected! But the uncomfortable twist was the affinity, she was never the type that liked to do combat up close and personal, even in video games. Plus an elf that isn¡¯t magic, what the heck is that?! The second choice was alluring because it was practically seething with magic! Though her inner fantasy geek thought it¡¯d be silly to choose to be a human in a fantasy world, magic or not. The third choice was a wild card, being a demon? She never minded, in fact, loved the races in terms of their devilishly good looks! Though in some games they looked far more creature like and she¡¯d have a heck of a time looking her best if she was a huge monster! [You can choose any one you like, feel free to ask any questions of the details.] She was decidedly undecided! What should she choose? Such a big choice? She was never any good at this kind of thing! The Evil God?! [Ah, I have to go with the Elf after all.] It certainly wasn¡¯t an easy choice and she had nearly gone for the archdemon, but in the end, it was just a bit too risky. Heck, what if she ended up as a giant demon that¡¯s tenfold the size of any of the potential husbandos, that¡¯d be too unfair! [Very well, I¡¯ll just give you a brief explanation of the situation currently.] Situation? I hope he isn¡¯t going to tell me there are strings attached or something, besides, that NEET goddess mentioned that it wasn¡¯t so simple as ¡°Saving the world¡± What the heck is that supposed to mean? Is that really all that simple? No, no matter how I look at it there is just no way something like that would be ¡°simple¡±. [There is currently an imbalance in the world down to a fundamental level, in fact, it''s quite troublesome for us to directly influence it, so you¡¯ll need to--] As his words trailed off into pretty much what she expected her eyes noticed a red glint in the distance that looked at first like a shooting star, contrasting bright red against the all-consuming white. Bigger? It¡¯s getting bigger? Hey, wait a second¡­ [Look ou-] The mysterious red glint had covered the distance before she could blink her nonexistent eyes. Her body, or what should have been her body recoiled from the shockwave of the collision being tossed like a leaf in a tornado. As the dust began to settle, the scene slowly came into view. Not one, but two silhouettes pressed firmly in what would have looked like an embrace if not for the circumstances. What? What what what?! Her brain scrambled to make sense but the bitter silence was broken by a vicious and guttural cough followed by the unfamiliar sound of blood spattering against the floor. In fact, the only reason she could identify it was how definitively it contrasted the pure white floor. [You¡­ Why are you¡­] The labored voice was followed by coughs that each dripped wet with blood. The dust was clearer now, the god-like entity of Asmodeus was stained by a pure black blade with a sinister look. Even more sinister was the smile on the other party¡¯s face, calm and confident. [Shhh.. don¡¯t talk, just relax~] His sing-songy tone was luxuriously sadistic, having all the confidence to melt any fangirl. His looks were purely devilish no unlike forbidden fruit, one that was so forbidden that she actually felt a bit bad for not knowing which to be more stunned by, the fact that a god was dying in front of her or the incredible looks of the god-killer. [Gaia¡­ won¡¯t allow this..] The dying Asmodeus choked the words out in small whispers that barely pierced the air. [Sure she will, I¡¯ll just ask nicely~] The grimace upon the face of Asmodeus faded as he began to turn into feathers that floated in all directions. After a long moment, there was nothing left to prove he was ever there in the first place. The beauty of it had caught her off guard as she listlessly started, dumbfounded about how to feel at such a drastic turn of events. [Hey Idiot over there with the overactive imagination.] He paused his words mid-sentence constructing a throne fit for a demon to sit down on. Seriously? He¡¯s one of those types¡­ She didn¡¯t feel like pissing off a god killer, and more than that, she was unsure of what came next. Was he going to perform her reincarnation? Is he really trustworthy? This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.[Why don¡¯t you come closer.~] His smile was dangerous, cocky, and gave her a really bad feeling. Though she couldn¡¯t deny how he was totally perfect in terms of looks. Why was it always the troublesome ones!? Despite her reservations, she found herself soon at his throne being ogled by the curious expression of the god killer. [What? Do I have something on my soul?] She broke the silence hoping to feel out his personality. Though she considered taking a rude approach since her fate was almost certainly in the palm of his hands. One wrong move could cause some kind of untold calamity. Time to initiate my secret plan! Charm the devil! Go!! Expecting him to respond he instead began to smile at her, grinning in a way that didn¡¯t suit the ferocity he previously displayed. [You¡¯re a bit interesting aren¡¯t you, trying to charm me? You¡¯re a lot bolder than anyone else around here.] Her shocked expression must have looked funny cause it seemed to have summoned a full-blown laugh to escape his fang kissed lips. [Hey! No peeking inside people¡¯s heads..that¡¯s totally cheating!] She made her demands, it didn¡¯t really surprise her he could hear her thoughts, no it would stranger if someone that can make light of killing a god couldn¡¯t do that much. [Cheating? I¡¯d never, I¡¯m just peeking inside of what¡¯s already mine.] [And just who is ¡°yours¡±] She retorted immediately, she wasn¡¯t even going down this route yet! How dare he just jump right to the confession part! Wait, that totally wasn¡¯t the problem here! [Oh? Going to defeat me then?] A sharp smile closed the distance to her would-be face in an instant filled with frustrating amounts of confidence. [Nope.] [Then what?] [Simple, I¡¯ll outsmart you!] She huffed and met his stare. It was more than a little embarrassing but if she didn¡¯t do this much she could imagine him getting bored of her. Her instincts quickly lead her to the conclusion that boring a guy like him would no doubt lead to the bad end. Not the ¡°good¡± type of bad end either. [Oh? Are we going to play a game? Are you saying you trust a ¡°Cheater¡± like me?] [What other choice do I have?] His smirk turned to a yawn as he lounged gazing down with a bit of laze in his eyes. [You know, you¡¯re different than most people I meet, you know how tiny and pathetic you are, and yet you¡¯re trying to be brave. It¡¯s adorable really.~] She backed off from his gaze shaking off her nervousness and turned to him determined to retake some advantage. It was all she could manage to suggest a game of knowledge, something that she could never lose on! [I challenge you to a battle of chance!] This time he looked a bit shocked, so much so that she questioned if he was actually stupid or just not used to being challenged. Either way, she wasn¡¯t about to back down from her isekai dreams! [Nah, that sounds way too boring.] Her trump card was brushed off like a gnat, but she wasn¡¯t about to go down without a fight! [You¡¯re afraid you¡¯ll lose aren¡¯t you!] [Not at all, I¡¯d cheat of course.] [You devil!] [Wait, you¡¯re surprised? Seriously?] She had failed miserably thinking that a devil would play fair! [Hmm.. so you want to be reincarnated right?] She perked up almost petrified by his mentioning of it, something about it coming out of his mouth made it seem like he had ill intentions. Ok, he definitely had to have them, he was a devil after all. [Yes, I don¡¯t suppose you could give me the lives that Asmo was gonna by chance?] [Nope!] Something about how fast he responded and the fact he had a big smile pissed her off big time. [Why not?! What are you planning?] [Why not? It¡¯s so boring, you¡¯ll have it way too easy, I won¡¯t get to see more of those frustrated expressions of yours and then what will I do all day? You know, it''s quite boring being ¡°almost all-powerful¡±] His little speech definitely fit his character, and in some ways, he reminded her of the goddess, they both were in it for entertainment! [Won¡¯t you give me some kind of chance? A choice at least?] She begged which hurt her pride, but honestly, she wasn¡¯t afraid of losing face if it meant not ending up being reincarnated as a radish. [Choice? Yes, now we¡¯re talking something a bit fun! So then, why don¡¯t we make it a more interesting take on the first three choices you were given~! I¡¯ll make some tweaks and you get to choose one! Or you can always choose to be my personal footstool for all eternity! See I can be pretty kind too.] She once again was presented with a menu floating in front of her, though the choices were¡­ Name: N/A Species: Brightbloom Affinity ???? Name: N/A Species: Nightgloom Affinity ???? Name: N/A Species: Briskpetal Affinity ???? [What the heck are these?!] [Is that a footstool I hear? Must have been my imagination.] Shivering a bit, it was clearly his intention to trap her in the illusion of choice, but if she didn¡¯t choose those options she¡¯d totally end up his little slave and probably never even have a chance at her dreams. [Well? Do you like the choices? You mentioned radishes earlier and I thought, ¡°hey she hates radishes! So I¡¯m certain another type of flower would suit you just fine. Aren¡¯t I just the most benevolent? This way you¡¯ll have to struggle to do anything! I might get to see that lovely face of frustration again and again!] His excited was cemented by the drool that nearly escaped his mouth which quickly erupted into a blue flame and dissipated. He stared down at her expectantly, but what now? They¡¯re all terrible choices, aren¡¯t they? [Five.] [Four.] [Three] [Wait just give me a second!!] [Two] [One.] Accursed Fate There''s no time!! I have to choose one!! The soul girl blurted out the first one she could think of! [Nightgloom!] A crooked smile found it''s way across the face of the beautiful yet infuriating devil. [Hmm? Oh my.. such a bold choice. Are you sure?] That intonation, that smile; he was definitely up to no good. Though it was probably too late to go back. No matter which possibility she imagined they resoundingly came back as bad choices. [Yeah, so what''s a Nightgloom? You can at least tell me that much can''t you?] Her pout was reaching the upper echelon! No, higher! If nothing else she refused to go down without a fight to the infuriating pretty boy devil. [Why, that''s a splendid question. Though I hope it won''t be a problem.. hmm.. it might be.] Gazing at the whimsical nature of his infinite amusement, only pissed her off more. Resting his head against his hands it was painfully clear by that infuriating smile he was picking a fight. Still feeling somewhat nervous about directly opposing him she played along. [What problem?] [Well if I were to put it into game terms.. you picked the highest difficulty. Sorry, even I kind of underestimated how much of a glutton for punishment you are. Oh, wait.. guess I forgot to warn you. My bad!] Her eye twitched slightly, though she didn''t have a proper eye to twitch she knew it was there. While she was certainly confident in her gaming ability, she has nothing to lose back then. She had no choice but to ask directly. [What happens if I die?] He cocked his head looking at her with a dumbfounded almost shocked expression. [Are you actually a dumbass? For a second you had me convinced you were just pretending but I guess there really are girls like you.] [What the hell is that supposed to mean?!] Dumbass? Look who''s calling who a dumbass you little jerk! I''d like to see you try and call me that again! [Uh.. dumbass?] [What? Wait who said you could call me that again?!] [If you die. You die.] Really? That''s all he had to say about it? [Yep. It''s that simple. Then, of course, you''d end up my eternal slav-- I mean return to the cycle of reincarnation without your memories.] Stop reading my thoughts you jerk face asshole! Enemy of women! Pervert! His expression took a turn for the devilish as he lifted her off the ground with unseen force. [Is that really how you see me? Or maybe that''s what you want me to be.. a proper devil~] Fumbling with her wispy body she struggled against him which only made his snide expression grow. [Look just reincarnate me already. You''ve teased me enough haven''t you?] Her anger quickly subsided to a much more nervous tone. He clearly noticed and pulled her even closer into a strange embrace. [Oh I''m not done with you. It''s too easy if I just let you go. I''ll do you a favor and make you a bet.] She dared not speak as his fiery hot breath met where her neck would be causing her to tense. [If you can make me accept you as strong. Not just surviving but thriving in this world, I might just give you a reward.] And just who wants a reward from a pervert like you!This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. [You do. Because I''ll give you one wish. Anything. I am even stronger than most gods you know. Here so you know I''m not lying I''ll give you this.] Blessing of Ancor obtained A text box appeared in her sight, very similar to the menus from before only this time it was a strange image of a beautiful flower that shared her name. Wait a second.. [You mean I''m literally going to be a flower?!] His palm met his forehead as he shook his head. After a long stare back meeting her gaze he held out a finger and pointed. [You''re not very smart are you?] Before she could deny his absurd and uncalled for claims she found her consciousness pulled upward. What? It feels like sleep medication. I can''t..stay..awake.. The warmth surrounded her in what felt like a dream. She felt herself floating upward at a rapid speed with thousands of little lights no matter which direction she gazed. Are these stars? No, it feels a little different. A small menu appeared before her with a small loading bar with his face on it smiling like an idiot. [...] She tried to voice her frustration but this time nothing escaped, reminding her of the first moments before meeting Asmodeus. Sure he seemed kind of nervous but it was cute. At least he isn''t like some people. Hmph. The loading bar interrupted her frustration and instead presented a peculiar menu that showed her the first glimpse of her new life with status and allocatable points. There were some strange choices that seemed almost redundant, for instance, agility, speed, and movement. Moreover, the point values seemed way too low with too few points to even put one point in all of them. She contemplated her options carefully, this was her life, not a game. So she had to be extra careful.. Hmm.. maybe a high speed build to run away from things. Wait, that doesn''t sound nice at all! What if they have magic. Magic! That was it! She could always go with her favorite playstyle and make a glass cannon caster. It was her favorite after all. But maybe.. I wouldn''t get any spells until it was too late.. that''s a scary thought. Maybe all attack! And be super strong so that I can one shot the trash mobs! Something felt right and very wrong with her train of thought. She knew full well she was having too much fun with it. Aha! What about a speedy archer! Wait.. can I even find a bow, let alone.. hold it? For that matter I''m a monster, aren''t I? Let''s look.. Her heart sank as she pinpointed the description of the nightgloom species. Nightgloom Flower {A species of plants native to dark caves and the shadowlands. Often harvested for their powerful medicinal value and ability to cure curses. Rumor has it that picking one for a lover will cause the relationships to last an eternity.} She froze reading it for several reasons. Firstly, she was terribly afraid of the dark. Secondly, wasn''t she basically an ordinary flower? What the heck is the point of stats if I''m just a dang flower.. damn you devil bastard pervert man!! She was shaking her imaginary hand as hard as she could. Oh, she hoped so badly he would see it. Ok ok ok, let''s calm down Dita, you''ve been in worse situations, right? Right? Ok, maybe not but that doesn''t mean I''m completely useless I have stat points after all! Oh! Even a skill point! The silver lining of the stat points separated her true despair. She had a chance, right? She quickly opened up the skill menu! {Skills} Diamond Dust: 0/0 Cost 6 Moonlight Burst 0/0 Cost 1 Dream Symphony 0/0 Cost 2 Woah! The skill names are seriously awesome sounding! But how do I tell what they do? Wait maybe if I press this? No maybe this? The skill descriptions popped up abruptly replacing the arbitrary cost and numbers she still didn''t understand. {Skills} Diamond Dust: Thought to be broken pieces of the moon, the nightgloom spreads shards of corrosive petals that cover the area falling slowly. It was named due to a theory it could even melt through diamonds. Moonlight Burst: Expend a measure of captured moonlight to cause a blinding flash. Moonlight Burst is rarely seen from an even rarer breed of sentient flower. It was once used by the Felfri to celebrate the crowning of a new monarch. Dream Symphony: Compose a breathtaking song so sweet that it can even charm a dragon. It was once rumored that the sweetest song of the night could only be heard in an adventurer''s darkest hour. Bingo! Hey, these don''t sound nearly as bad as I thought! Though it looks like the numbers from before seem to indicate the skill point cost associated with leveling it up. So, for now, I can only get.. Moonlight Burst! Ah I feel it now! My magical girl dreams--wait..I forgot for a second I''m a damn flower... Sufficing to put the point in she confirmed it in her mind. Now the only thing left was.. Status points.. my mortal enemy. Just kidding! I love you stat points please treat me right! But seriously what do I put them in? Let''s look at all the attributes! {Name: Dita} {Lvl. 1 Nightgloom} {Attributes} Current status points: 4 Strength: 2 Agiliy: 0 Speed: -1 Dexterity: -1 Constitution: 0 Movement: -2 Magic: 1 Luck: 6 Defense: 1 Resistance: 0 Mind: 2 Power: 1 Charisma: 7 Intelligence: -1 Fire: -20 Water: 5 Ice: 2 Wind: 5 Earth: 25 Light: 19 Dark: 39 Lightning: -10 {Allignment} +0 {Affixes} Blessing of Ancor Lucky Nocturnal {Titles} N/A Sheesh, it''s kind of a lot to take in. Wait, what the heck is with all the negative numbers!! I demand a redo! The amount of skewed stats left her with a sigh, her crossed arms only serving to prolong her mixed feelings on the subject. So only four huh? On one hand, I could Improve most of my negative stats back to zero.. but is it actually worth it? Sometimes it''s better to be well rounded and other times it''s better to go all in? Seriously voice of reason what the heck do I do? Go go all magic and hope for the best! Better raise those low stats.. Offense is the best defense let''s be a battle flower baby! The best offense is a good defense I always say! First Gloom Those negative stats give me some seriously bad vibes, I think I better do something with them. But I don¡¯t have quite enough to make all of them zero or more¡­ so which? Let''s just look again to be sure! {Name: Dita} {Lvl 1. Nightgloom} {Attributes} Current status points: 4 Strength: 2 Agiliy: 0 Speed: -1 Dexterity: -1 Constitution: 0 Movement: -2 Magic: 1 Luck: 6 Defense: 1 Resistance: 0 Mind: 2 Power: 1 Charisma: 7 Intelligence: -1 Fire: -20 Water: 5 Ice: 2 Wind: 5 Earth: 25 Light: 19 Dark: 39 Lightning: -10 {Allignment} +0 {Affixes} Blessing of Ancor Lucky Nocturnal {Titles} N/A Hm? Intelligence of -1?! Am I being insulted? Although she couldn¡¯t fume in a proper way and she had nobody to see her, she was fuming all the same! What kind of idiot do they take her for? It was probably the devil¡¯s doing. Wait, isn¡¯t it kind of pointless if I¡¯m this smart with -1? Isn¡¯t that stat kind of pointless for me right now? Curiously she tried to find some means to describe the stat in more detail, but unfortunately, the feature seemed to be locked. By looks of it, she had no conceivable way to confirm her theory. Assumingly, she would get more points later, right? But aren¡¯t the beginning levels the most crucial? Why can¡¯t I have an easy choice for once? Everything was gonna be perfect until he ruined everything. She dared not even give him the gratification of even a single thought, cause she could feel he was watching her frustration with that big dumb smile on his face. Wait. She had connected the dots all at once, the puzzle of choice now crumbled before her new resolve! It¡¯s simple! If I can¡¯t move quick enough everything will just avoid me before I can get the experience points! Intelligence be damned! I¡¯ll worry about you later. Plus I already know I¡¯m smart! You agree, don¡¯t you? She gestured at a generous diety peering down on her with gentle intent. Though it quickly disappeared and got replaced by he who shall not be named. Rather, he who she didn¡¯t know what name to call besides ¡°jerk¡±. Ok ok, so two points in movement.. One point in speed, and last but not least agility! This is kind of fun! Though I half wonder if zero is actually any better. No! Gotta believe or I¡¯m gonna be toast! With quivering hands like leaves in the wind, she hovered over the confirmation button. This is it. Time to start my new life. Abruptly her would be fingers pressed against the cool, almost glass-like texture of the button. The stars around her began to spin and her vision began to tunnel. A panging in her core radiated sickening pain. Am I really going to be ok? The stars had faded completely now, replaced briskly by a cave flooded by moonlight. The beautiful breathtaking stones cast a natural light against the surroundings that painted an environment in an all-consuming sepia tone. The breathtaking silence may have stolen her breath if she hadn¡¯t already lost it to a creeping shadow forming in the great distance to her left. No, that was wrong, it was directly beside her. ¡°It¡± happened to be a hunched over mass of sharp teeth and gruesome claws attached to a venus fly trap looking plant that also happened to be her new neighbor. I¡¯m too pretty to die!! I don¡¯t taste good! I¡¯ll give you diabetes! She instinctively reached her leaf-like arm over her face and winced. Huh? The beast seemed to have no interest in her whatsoever, so much so that she felt a bit offended. Neighbor? Am I too small for you to care? Wait did you hear my thoughts too? On a diet? She cautiously moved her ¡°arms¡± and tested if he was going to attack. Not a single sign of movement. I wonder if he¡¯s dead? You¡¯d think something like that would be kind of sturdy but I guess he¡¯s no match after all. Hmph. I win the first battle evil Neighbor! She grinned and danced about in a victory fanfair. Sadly it was cut short by the feeling of being watched. Neighbor? Is that you? She was afraid to peek but felt a strong danger raising in her deepest instincts as a flower. Peeking her eyes from between her leaves she peeked upward. Not you? Wait then who? She scanned her available view which was somewhat obstructed by bushes and other plants and plant creatures growing mostly along the sides of the cave. It¡¯s no use I can¡¯t really see what¡¯s inside the bushes. Wait? A bunny? Aww!! A very big bunny hopped from one of the bushes only several hops away from reaching the crucial petting range! I will pet you! Her stuffed animal loving soul was on fire with determination! The cute bunny would be her new pet and she would live her life by riding on his back to victory! Feeding carrots and with lots of pets too! I¡¯ll name you Fredrick Von Hops! Yes, it''s perfect! Ah, but what if its a girl? Then I¡¯ll name her Vanile Bellivox Hoppington! Perfect! Now we just have to...huh? The bunny hopped toward her at an impressive speed, wasting no time closing half of the distance. She opened her leafy arms hoping he would jump right into them. Come here, my cute little bunny friend! Wait, why do you have that look? She had realized it, that look, the drooling, the overearger pace, he wasn¡¯t coming for a hug he was.. Trying to eat me?! The rabit leaped its last leap closing the remaining distance to her in one fell swoop. Is this it? Am I really going to die to a bunny? No! I can¡¯t let it end like this, I just got a new chance and I¡¯m already in this kind of situation. This was your doing wasn¡¯t it bastard? Hmph as if I¡¯ll let you win! She did the only logical thing that could save her from those adorable but slightly scary teeth. She tried to move to the side but realized too late she couldn¡¯t budge.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Seriously? No please! The bunny took its first chance to bite at her would be arm catching the very edge of the leaf and snacking a bit. Ow! Ow! Stop! That hurts Mr. Hops! Plants aren¡¯t food they¡¯re friends! Her internal pleas didn¡¯t buy her any extra time. It certainly didn¡¯t help that the pain of the bite was nothing if not harsh. The second bite was descending, this time to her core. It was checkmate. She would die if it connected probably. Someone! Help me!! Damnit, they¡¯re not going to hear thoughts and I don¡¯t even have a mouth.. What do I have?! Wait! Skills!! She imagined the skill name in her head and focused with all her might, half praying that it would activate. A bright light illuminated the cave abruptly and with the intensity that the moon had made a guest appearance on top of her head. It, it worked! Wait, it was just a light?! As she dared to peek her eyes open she was greeted by a bunny that was stunned but not deterred. Worse, it now seemed to be considerably more pissed off and determined to have its meal. No! No! No! No! She panicked in her head trying to move but only managing to cause a sharp pain in her lower half. She gave up after a moment as the bunny approached for its next bite. I guess I just have to sit here and be eaten? Like hell! I¡¯ll use the skill again! Moonlight Burst: Cooldown remaining: 23:59 The dreadful words formed in her mind as clear as her memories of Ramiel¡¯s ultra-rare signed autograph she had sitting in her room back on earth. I can¡¯t beat you can I Mr. Hops? She tried desperately to fend off his bites with her little leaf arms but it only slightly delayed his assault. The bunny pounced to attack. She quivered and winced preparing herself for the worst. She was scared, horrified of dying but strangely, no pain rushed over her body. No pressure, no sickinging feeling like before. Did Mr. Hops spare me? She peeked out to see the lower half of Mr. hops dangling mid air. Wait, how did you do it? Are you actually just testing me Mr.-- She stopped dead in her tracks as she gazed up in shock. Hops¡­? Her would be killer was dangling helplessly in a fruitless struggle against encircling vines. A battle of desperate nibbles in a frantic effort to escape. Neighbor! You do care! Her eyes sparkled with all the glistening of fresh tears as she felt thankful to the brutish neighbor. He had been a softy all along! Go go neighbor you get em! Neighbor? The toothy mouth of the neighbor closed the distance to Mr. Hops in a painstakingly slow advance. All at once the fear on Mr. Hops face reached a feeling much like she had moments before. In a lightning fast moment, the jaws of the beast bisected Mr. Hops clealy. The discarded lower half fell to the ground with a wet grizzly splash. Ah, Mr. Hops. I knew you well. She felt a bit sad seeing the first cute denizen of the world, the biggest bunny she had ever seen, devoured by her neighbor. Though given the situation it was him or her so she was ok after all. Hmph, you shouldn¡¯t have tried to eat me! Serves you right! She crossed her arms in an abject rebellion of being a bunny¡¯s lunch. Though it was also to convince herself she wasn¡¯t sad that the bunny had to go. {Dita has gained 1 Experience Point!} Huh? Her would-be sassiness was interrupted by the sheer confusion that now found its way across her features. Features that she still hadn¡¯t even properly seen herself. I didn¡¯t kill Mr. Hops, so why did I get experience? Hmm¡­ She contemplated if somehow it was the damage she sustained that somehow marked him as her prey despite the opposite being quite obvious. Ah! Could it be, assist exp? It was her best guess, due to her having used the Moonlight Burst earlier. It did stun it for a moment after all. Well, it was only one point but I¡¯ll take it! Thank you, honored neighbor! I love you! Don¡¯t eat me, please! She was curious about something that had been bothering since the start. Managing to stretch as far as she could from her rooted position she looked down at the puddle of blood left from Mr. Hops hoping for a reflection. Sure enough, she saw a cute looking plant baby looking back at her. Her eyes were drawn immidiately to her beautiful wispy pink flower atop her head. It was flawless! Two golden stamens moved at her curiosity. They seemed to work sort of like secondary hands or animal ears. Her face had two large babydoll looking water drop looking eyes and her body was round like an onion! No mouth which made her quite curious as to how she would sustain herself. In the panic of the moment, she had overlooked something very important above her head. The name that floated above her, of course, it was her own, but she somehow had not realized it was there until the reflection. Dita Lvl. 1 Nightgloom HP: 12 / 22 MP: 10 / 10 SP: 1 / 1 AP: 2 / 14 The status was easily readable from the bloody puddle despite its crimson hue. She curiously looked around trying to peek at any more she could find. Quickly turning to neighbor she wasn¡¯t disappointed. Maneater Lvl. 12 Chower HP: 363/363 MP: 53/91 SP: 1/1 AP: 59/60 So that¡¯s how it is. Mhm, mhm! I¡¯m absurdly weak just as I thought but Mr. Munch has some seriously scary stats. Though I didn¡¯t expect the MP use. Guess it takes some to entangle prey? She went into a studious mood, after all, there was no one to tell her, no phone to look up a guide and no help that would come anytime soon. Wait, there seems to be a serious problem still¡­ She tested her theory by trying to stretch her body beyond the blood puddle and grasp the remains of Mr. Hops. A brutally sharp pain assailed her where her feet would have been if she was still human. That¡¯s not good. That¡¯s seriously not good. What the heck is keeping me here? She gazed back at her most stretched point only to see a root connecting her to something underground. Wait, you can¡¯t be serious. I¡¯m tethered to Mr. Munch? No wonder he didn¡¯t eat me, but the real question is how do I escape? Is it going to kill me if I do? Ah, what the heck life? She sufficed to try again tugging against the root and again realized that the pain was even fiercer than before. Worse yet Mr. Munch seemed to be looking at her for the very first time since she had come to. Did I do something wrong? Crap! He¡¯s totally gonna try and eat me after all!! She had an idea, but it wasn¡¯t a very good one. After watching the maw of the beast retract back once again as it did moments before the end of Mr. Hops she did the only thing she knew how! Crawling to her maximum tether range, she hoped he couldn¡¯t reach her here or that maybe he would miss. Come on Mr. Munch! We¡¯re neighbors! Can¡¯t you let me go just this once? His jaws came flying at the speed of a king cobra if only a king cobra was the size of a small vehicle. She winced at the approaching teeth which clamped down painfully on the root, the breathy scent of dissolving bunny meat lingering on the brutish breath of Mr. Munch. To her surprise, she was not in fact being devoured in the jaws of the beast, but instead dangling upside down from Mr. Chomp. No please! Not like this! I don¡¯t want to die smelling bunny breath! At least take a breath mint you hungry hippo hack job! She winced preparing to be devoured with the next bite but found a wet and incessant licking against her cheek. What? So you were helping me out? Aww, you cute softy! I love you Mr. Chomp! I¡¯ll let you be my replacement Mr. Hops! We¡¯ll give you a ribbon someday and I¡¯ll feed you lots of tasty treats! After maticulously biting free the root from her body she felt much lighter and far more agile! Or at least agile for a zero agility, speed, and movement plant girl! Now let¡¯s just check to be sure¡­ Dita HP: 11 / 22 MP: 10 / 10 SP: 1 / 1 AP: 1 / 14 So it did one point of damage huh? Then why did it hurt so much leading up to it?! Oh nevermind. Her slobbery plant puppy of a friend decided to let her free of the barrage of loving licks to be free and prosper! Of course, she had zero intent to leave Mr. Munch for good! Quite the contrary! She wanted to explore the cave and discover how to eat! Sadly she lacked a big mouth or even a little one. What¡¯s more, breathing seemed to be from her skin all around. So did that mean her eating would work that way too? I think its time to explore! I won¡¯t learn anything from just standing around. But first... Something more important. She walked over to the remains of Mr. Hops and placed her leaves against his hefty leg. One, two, three!! She tried with all her might to lift up the half bunny and drag it valiantly and use it as bait like a true hunter! Heavy! Way too heavy! Mr. Hops what have you been eating? Well, that¡¯s a silly question now, but still! With her best attempt, she managed a centimeter, which summoned the support of Mr. Chomp who seemed very impressed with her for some reason. She was happy for that but just a tad discouraged at the results of her two strength attribute. Guess two just isn¡¯t enough yet. Well, at least I can hop around! I don¡¯t make a lot of noise either. So I bet I could avoid predators purely on the merit that I¡¯m a fabulous, one of a kind! Plant! Hazzah! She struck a pose clearly more amused than she should have been! Though it was the little victories that really counted! She decided that she¡¯d need to ponder where to explore next. Though as she saw it there were only three options! {A} She could explore the inner cave to her left which appeared to be dazzling with bright and beautiful glowing crystals and numerous other foliage to hide in! Hopefully no more rabbits either! {B} Other than that she could always go toward the right! That would lead her to what she supposed was the exit in the distance. Though she was decidedly unsure of what to expect there were far fewer crystals that way and far more mystery and darkness separating what she could see from what she thought she could see. {C} Lastly but certainly not least she could set up a camp with Mr. Munch and hope that some prey would come by so that she could feed her new friend! Though it didn¡¯t really solve the problem of her own hunger it definitely would keep a happy Munch friend! Though it might get a few experience points too! But which is the right choice? A Path Through The Dark You know, curiosity killed the cat. But I''m not even a cat so take that! Ha! Sucks for you! The small bundle of plant was quite happy after deciding on which path to take. She was getting better at this after all! Being a quite indecisive person back on earth caused endless headaches and irritating problems, but, no more! She was a strong independent plant who didn''t need anyone''s help! A loud crash in the distance toward the entrance to the cave seemed to happen in response to her gloating. Ah. Sorry. My mistake. Forgive me. Ms. Karma. Curiously she stared, fully unable to demystify the curious and fearsome crash. Glad I picked the other way. Really glad, thank you me! I''m a lifesaver! The rumbling shook the floor in what felt like a volcanic tremor if not for it''s short duration. Movement from much deeper in the cave caught her attention, a small but frantic pair of eyes running directly toward her. It was Mr. Hops! No, no, no that can''t be right. Mrs. Hops perhaps? Almost caught off guard by the cute fluff ball again she readied herself to dodge out of the way of it''s bounding leaps. I''ve only got a small window of time that Mrs. Hops will be locked into the trajectory! I''ve gotta make my timing count! Tensing her body she determinedly faced her cute but deadly enemy. Right up until that very moment that Mrs. Hops darted past her. Wha? The bunny was now a significant distance from where she stood, poised for nothing, besides looking like an idiot. Guess I wasn''t on the menu today! Hmph! It must be a sign I''ve gotten stronger! Your sacrifice was not in vain Mr. Hops! The rumbling now felt more distinct, vastly closer, and now just out of eyeshot. She slowly turned to look at the path inward to the depths of the massive cave seeing a giant silhouette. Nope! Ok, ok, it probably won''t notice me if I just-- A massive front leg crashed down a few steps to her right. The impact was so intense it created a wind that sent her tumbling helplessly toward the cave wall. Colliding with an unassuming plop she felt surprisingly little pain at the collision. Though she concurred it was her weight or lack thereof. Don''t notice me, I''m not tasty I promise! Gazing at the monitor lizard like colossus was awe inspiring. Possibly the most curious property of the big lumbering brute was it''s beautiful glowing blue scales, having color like the ocean depths and a gait that was longer than she could travel in half an hour. Seriously, what is this kind of thing even doing here? Isn''t it against the laws of gravity for it to be this big? That''s not playing by the rules!! You cheater She noticed another peculiar addition to the collosal lizard, a massive status bar following it''s hulking figure. Kelz?rgria Lvl: ??? Daggroth HP: ??? MP: ??? SP: ??? AP: ??? Wait, why can''t I see? Hmm.. I''m gonna guess it''s either the level difference or related to a skill. It was the first time she had seen a title, and a pretty lofty sounding one at that. Striking a leaf to her chin she watched curiously as the tail of the oversized lizard finally disappeared from view. Well, for now I''ll just assume he''s some kind of big shot. He didn''t seem to be a plant eater so maybe he could be friendly! Ok probably not. But there is still hope! Shaking off the whimsical thoughts she put on her most serious face. It was time to explore properly and figure out how to eat! Eating without a mouth huh? Sounds like a tricky one¡­ Darting bravely from bush to bush she busily scurried with her stubby root like legs. Rushing to the next bush she stopped fast in her tracks bashing into something she couldn''t quite see. Oww¡­ wait a second, is this some kind of invisible wall? Her leafy appendage cautiously reached out to an area that looked rather casually. A nondescript patch of empty space just before a bush, but somehow, it was solid. It feels kind of like rubber! Come on me! Let''s find a way around it! Can''t give up yet! She trailed her arm against it while travelling parallel to the unseen wobbly force that blocked her way. First to the left, she made her way all the way to the wall still firmly feeling the rubbery resistance greeting back. It was a setback to be sure but she was stubborn, stubborn and feverishly curious! Hmm, not down here? What about here? No luck. Hmhmhm¡­ don''t underestimate me rubber foe!! I will punish you! Or at least sneak past. She was nearly about to give up on the left side near the wall when she felt a very different texture brush against her palm. Hmm? The strangest part of the texture is it felt undulating, pulsating, almost alive. Aha! What could you be? She poked at first feeling the strange filmy feel that indented easily. The sinking leaf hand gave her a sense of power for the very first time since her life started. Convinced nothing would happen if she decided to attack. A smirk crossed her face moments before her arm began it''s windup for the fortold moment of her first attack! Take this! Her leafy arms cut deep into the pace of it''s quivering surface. For half a moment she felt a perfect mixture of surprise and satisfaction. Ha! I guess I''m pretty strong after all! Wait, too deep! Too deep! The punch had been successful, no that wasn''t the problem it was too effective. The heartbeat of the goey void quickened as her arm began disappearing inside it. She tried to pull back, but, to no avail, she was on a one way trip to the other side. Just let go already! The small plant girl raised her other leaf and began chopping at a record pace. Her second arm avoided the fate of the first but with every pulse she was sucked in even more. Without warning the pace quickened reaching her torso.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I know I wanted to explore but this isn''t what I meant!! I give! I give! Despite her rampant apologies blazing through her mind she found herself plopped out firmly on the other side. Frazzled and blinking she sat in abject disbelief. Crap! I hope I''m not trapped here, and poor Mr. Munch will be all alone¡­ She slapped herself across the face pepping up with a very determined look. No! We are not gonna let that cocky jerk have the last laugh! I''d rather be dead than be your footstool! Hmph. Bet you''re disappointed now huh? She had gotten so busy in her little tantrum that she barely noticed the differences of color here within the barrier. It was just the same if not for the camera filter like effect bringing out the stark white hues. Guess going back is no good huh? It feels more like concrete from this side. I guess curiosity got me good¡­ She scurried along a bit deeper giving up on a way back through the same place, though the area opened up massively in all directions. By all accounts that she could manage, it was impossible to figure out just how big it was from her current location. What''s more¡­ There was movement, small and big, fast and slow, a veritable ecosystem sprawled out in every direction. Though there was one especially curious detail that caught her eye immediately, a large spire of stone that almost looked like an office building. It was far too far to properly say for sure but it was certainly worth looking into. Civilization? Here? I don''t quite know how to feel about it.. something feels very wrong. Reflective, mirror like crystals peeked up dotting the massive chamber reminding her of the chasm where she set her skills and attribute points. There''s been something that''s been bothering me¡­ She focused her thoughts on her status and sure enough the window appeared before her. Dita Lvl. 1 Nightgloom HP: 7 / 22 MP: 5 / 10 SP: 1 / 1 AP: 0 / 14 I knew it! My resources keep dropping! But why? She immediately jumped to the obvious, hunger. Though she couldn''t quite say for sure yet that was her theory. Unless¡­ She stuck her foot out in front of her gathering the courage to look at them for the second time in her life. Could it be that I need to do something about this? She gazed at what appeared to be a still moist wound on the pad of her foot. But if this was really a wound then why didn''t it hurt? Wait! There''s gotta be something in the extended menu for some kind of inspect skill! I need more info! She gazed over the status page top to bottom but couldn''t seem to activate the small question marks next to the abilities and skills. Hmm.. to access the menu I just have to think about it so who''s bright idea was it to make descriptions hidden?! Frantically focusing on the question marks, even staring them down accomplished nothing. Heck, she even tried to strike a magical girl pose, all attempts ending in a resounding failure. Ahh!! I give up! If you don''t want me to have the info then I''ll find another way! In frustration she slammed her little arm down on the console. Surprisingly it had resistance and made a buzzing sound before showing some new text. < Don''t hit me. > Completely shocked she looked toward it like a baby bird who just witnessed their mother push their sibling out of the nest for the first time. Menu? You can talk? She was greeted by no new text boxes convincing her that it was ignoring her. Hey! I''m talking to you! Yeah you, damn crappy menu! Her hands against crashed into the menu with a buzz. < You are not talking, you are thinking. > Look, that doesn''t matter right now. What matters is!-- < Free information doesn''t exist. Intelligence is insufficient > Who the hell are you calling "insufficient"?! She was equal parts shocked and bloodthirsty now. The mocking console was in for a deadly flurry of punches until it apologized. You''re my status menu damnit! Give me the info or we''re both screwed. < Correcting previous statement. Flower girl would face trouble. > She had just about enough of the insufferable menu helper. Then what do I have to do to survive? Can you at least help a little bit? Maybe you could tell me how to achieve the info that''s hidden ? < Phrase activation needed. Please confirm with the interface and repeat the following thoughts in the given order: "Belphegor is my master and I want to be his footstool for life." To achieve desired results. > Her eye twitched at the text gloating across the screen as she could easily see where this was going. So he wasn''t happy enough watching her struggles he just had to toss on some insult to injury didn''t he. No way! You''re that jerkface non sexy garbage tier husbando in disguise aren''t you! The text appeared fast, this time with a choice. < Error, this is a randomly generated message. Any similarities to sentences and words are purely by chance. Please be advised saying the phrase will unlock the desired skill. Refusal to comply will result in a penalty. > Q: Will you comply? Yes. No. I don''t think I have a choice yet.. I''ll get revenge on that bastard for making me do this!! She focused harnessing thoughts of slapping the jerkface god until he begged for mercy. She could practically see it! Now she just had to survive long enough to make it real. He would fear her someday! Belphegor is my master.. and I.. want to be his footstool. There is that good enough? < Error, phrase not exact please try again. Tip: Using earnesty in your words will make the phrase easier to register. > Crossing her arms in a frustrated mess she uttered the words again. Belphegor is my master and I want to be his footstool. She held her breath waiting for the next text window to appear. Surely this time! {Decrypt Lvl. 1} The ability to understand language and details of commonplace intricacies. The limitations are highly defined and derivative from one''s knowledge and understanding. Once considered the most crucial skill to scholor and scribe. It is said that the practical use transcended expectations by ten fold! The text may not have been received under the best circumstance but she was certainly relieved she didn''t have to repeat herself again. As soon as she hit confirm another window popped up with a small version of her most hateful tormentor making a big dumb smile. She hit the console again summoning a deep buzz in retort. She made a rush toward the status menu to get a clearer understanding of her current situation, but this time it appeared to change drastically. {Name: Dita} {Lvl 1. Nightgloom} {Attributes} Current status points: 0 Strength: 2. Agility 0 Speed: 0. Dexterity: 0 Constitution: 0. Movement: 0 Magic: 1 Intelligence: -2 Luck: 6. Defense: 1 Resistance: 0 Mind: 2 Power: 1 Charisma: 7 Fire: -20 Water: 5. {Allignment} Ice: 2 Wind: 5. -4 Earth: 25 Light: 19 Dark: 42 Lightning: -10 {Affixes} Decrypt lvl. 1. {Titles} Blessing of Ancor lvl. 1. Prejudice Lucky lvl. 1 Nocturnal lvl. 1 Wait? My intelligence lowered? But why? Briefly she gazed over the things that changed and quickly found the most likely culperit. Prejudice A title reserved for the cruel and tormentuos. Effect: Int -1 Allignment Evil Dark affinity +3 Cruel Heart lvl. 1 Give me a break, negative int.. Are you trying to pick a fight menu?! She hovered her leafy appendage over the strangest part of the title unsure of what to make of it. Cruel heart? A new skill? Don''t tell me it''s totally useless or something¡­ Cruel Heart Channel the power of hatred into pure force. The power is unpredictable and dangerous in nature. It was crafted from the expungement souls which reside in the long forgotten corpse of the old world. Power: Undefined. Cost: 60% MP 60% HP Allignment penalty. Wait, isn''t this too expensive? Even at full health and Mana it would be risky as it hurts me too. Besides, I really get a bad feeling about penalties. She was quick to peek at something that she had been super curious about since the very start. Decrypt work your magic! What am I? Nightgloom A common species of nocturnal plants which are thought to be the offspring of the moon. Often harvested for their sybolism and use in professing love. There is a legend spoken since long ago which says a couple formed by acceptance of nightgloom will never be separated. It''s said to be due to the nightgloom absorbing the negative emotions leaving only the good in tact. Common? I''m a common flower! And worse, I''m a desirable one for romantic couples to pick. In other words I''m going to be hunted. She realized that despite her efforts she still completely lacked a clue to her mysterious loss of health. Damnit! Maybe if I¡­ {A} It must be due to my AP! It''s been at zero so maybe ¡­ {B} No no it has to be due to hunger somehow I haven''t eaten since...since forever ! {C}I bet it''s him! He''s totally trying to make me call out for his help... But what one is truly it? Remnants On The High Rise She couldn''t quite feel something that could be described as hunger pangs but she definitely began to feel somewhat faint. Food! Plant food! That''s like mulch and stuff right? Maybe if I dig a hole and plop my feet in it? Eager to improve her chances she grasped a nearby stick firmly digging it into the ridiculously hard ground. No budging huh? Guess it''s never that easy, I thought maybe I would awake to a great power like some kind of epic action hero but doesn''t look like it. The next obvious goal would be to find water and plop her foot into it and hope she was thirsty and not hungry. She scurried silently seeing movement in the distant corners of her vision. I''m in deep trouble if anything notices me, I''ll be eaten before I can convince them I''m too small and cute to eat. So stealth is my best bet! Her path took her from boulder to bush. Sometimes brushing up against something she felt was a snake or creepy crawler. Though for whatever reason they seemed to mostly ignore her if they really were alive. Finding herself quickly approaching an oasis looking place she managed to scout what distant creatures were lurking. Where is my radar skill? From what I can see¡­ oh no there''s a fight going on! It looks like a pretty vicious one at that. I can''t watch! But I want to anyhow! So too bad other me! She was curious, very curious and hoped by studying their bout she could learn more about combat in this world in more detail. The first combatant was a large feline creature with an almost scaled exterior. It lacked hair and had four eyes and jagged, cruel looking claws. Its species was called... Lvl. 5 Lumfrith HP: 63/134 MP: 0/0 SP: 3/6 AP:15/120 Condition Bleeding lvl. 2 Enraged lvl. 1 Fearless lvl. 1 So scale cat is having a seriously tough time with the other fellow. Though I can''t tell who''s winning just by looking. Better inspect the competition¡­ The opponent of the cat was a much larger bear-like creature that bad marred skin and matted fur. It was unique looking in that its arms were much too long and looked almost like whips if not for the claws that occupied the ends. Lvl. 2 Fos HP: 122/247 MP: 85/110 SP: 2/4 AP: 1/21 Condition Envenomed lvl.3 Enraged lvl.2 Defensive lvl.1 Hmm judging by the weight class and the matchup I think Mr. Bear has a much better chance. The long moment of calm between the two fierce monsters came to an end as the Fos blitzed toward the Lum. She thought at first she witnessed a lightning fast deciding blow. In truth, it was more like an illusion or after image. Maybe it''s not so one-sided. My eyes couldn''t even keep up. Glad I''m not involved in this¡­ Peeking at the visible distress on both of their faces it was clear they were fairly evenly matched. The tenacity and stamina of the bear clashing against the intense speed and attrition based strategy of the poisoned cat. She could tell now, the battle could be summed up to a simple question. Could the bear land a hit before the venom killed it? Likewise, could the cat''s agility last long enough to avoid another attack by the bear? The answer to the aforementioned question began to take shape as the breathy exhales of the bear gave hints to his exhaustion. He had maybe one or two good attacks left, and by all accounts, the cat, judging by it''s breathing was still fairly graceful and fearsome. I''m curious about something¡­ She glanced at the status above the cat. Sure enough, there was a new option which she assumed was to attempt an inspection! Lvl. 5 Lumfrith HP: 46/134 MP: 0/0 SP: 2/6 AP:10/120 Condition Bleeding lvl. 2 Enraged lvl. 1 Fearless lvl. 1 Hmm, so the bleeding has done this much? It''s kind of scary to have blood, isn''t it? No thank you! Her eyes wandered to the bear which looked to be running on pure adrenaline, curious to compare the venom. Lvl. 2 Fos HP: 64/247 MP: 85/110 SP: 2/4 AP: 0/21 Condition Envenomed lvl.3 Enraged lvl.5 Defensive lvl.1 Woah! Venom is even scarier.. remind me not to get poisoned by some weed killer or something. If that stuff even exists here. The battle was quickly slipping away from the bear but the audacious beast intended to take its killer with it. The bear threw itself at the cat thrashing the environment. It missed so spectacularly that it deeply carved it''s strange arms into a nearby boulder cleaving it nearly in half. The cat retorted by rushing for a bite toward the main body. It was a mistake, a fatal one. The bear descended with vicious speed upon the feline. It tossed the entire weight of its body forward toward it''s anchored claws in the rock. The cat was helplessly swept up by the hulking body of the bear being drawn dangerously close to the boulder. A large crash signaled the impact but it was exceedingly difficult to see through the stirred up dust who had managed a victory. Poetically the two remained moments from death at a crucial stand still. Watching the slowly ticking health of both beasts came with a sad, almost sobering feeling. Ah, how the mighty have fallen I suppose? But no time for sentiment! Now''s my chance! She rushed from her hiding place to the exhausted beasts which noticed her but could only stare. It was her chance! To get a lot of exp by delivering the finishing blow on two much stronger beasts! Her leafy arms clashed into the bloody mess that was her dying opponent. Strangely the health didn''t appear to go down any faster. She rushed over the other, only to find history repeating itself in her powerlessness. No way, is their defense too high? Can''t I at least do one point of damage? There''s gotta be something. Hey wait, you guys are dying why does it look like you''re mocking me?! She could see it, dumb beast or not, they shot her a distinct pity filled stare despite their terminal diagnosis. She grabbed a nearby stone and lifted it over her head determined to achieve her first proper kill. Take this! Still, the damage wasn''t enough, the creatures were far too tough a match for a medium sized rock. She understood their gaze now. I''m really that weak aren''t I? Hey, you both are dying so stop looking at me like that¡­ She started to feel the suppressed guilt of trying to kill them. She didn''t want to, but she had always had a soft spot for animals in general. Was that holding her back even still? I''m doing them a favor! I''m helping them stop the suffering.. so why can''t I just¡­ Grasping a sharp stick in one hand and the rock in the other she tried to stab through the thick hide of the bear. Please, Mr. Bear just die so I can survive! With a loud clanking sound, the stick broke, far too weak to pierce him. Damnit! I''ve got to do something or they''re just going to-- She saw the status bars start to blink as the health of the bear was first to approach one single point of health. No! I can''t let this opportunity slip away! There has to be something! If she had a heart it would have certainly been racing as she scurried at top speed around the surroundings searching for anything remotely resembling a weapon. Could this work? She lifted up a piece of bright green crystal that looked almost glass like. However, it was much heavier, so much so she could just barely drag it along. Come on! We don''t have time for this heavy crystal we have to get there in time! Approaching the promised land of experience points came with a strong sense of defeat as she no longer could see the status bar of the bear. Quickly! I''ve got to get to Mr. Cat! Otherwise, I''ll lose my chance! The cat''s life was also moments away from extinguishing. Blinking in spite of her efforts she was nearly there. So close just another step! I''ll make it for sure. Just gotta keep going. She focused and finally made it within hitting distance of the cat. Hefting the stone above her head she crashed down the sharp spike downward closing her eyes with a wince. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Forgive me! She felt the scaled flesh give way to the green stone. Peeking from her suspense she opened her eyes hoping that her efforts had yielded some tangible result. Opening the menu came with a divine sense of suspense. Please, good news. Please, good news. She chanted her wishes whilst looking through the status. Dita Lvl. 1 Nightgloom HP: 5 / 22 MP: 3 / 10 SP: 1 / 1 AP: 0 / 14 Condition Despair lvl. 1 Frustration lvl. 1 Starving lvl. 4 I can''t believe I missed my chance. Damn it. If you''re gonna die anyway at least help me out. She lifted the stone in anger taking out her frustration driving it down into the corpse again before hugging herself. The beastly blood trickled to her sitting spot, and yet she couldn''t seem to find the energy to move. Her conditions were a new addition and they perfectly described how she felt minus the hunger. Her eyes met the floor as she stared down with a sort of empty feeling taking to her expression. The horrible sounds that happened in nearly every direction didn''t even make her flinch. I''ve had it! I''m done! The words she never wanted to think crossed her mind. Am I going to die? Just as the tears welled up in her eyes she heard a familiar buzzing sound from a familiar menu screen that she barely had the energy to peek up at, but even still, curiosity had got the best of her. < Dita has gained the title Bloodroot! > What''s this? Do I even want to know? Bloodroot: A title reserved for the most bloodthirsty of plant life. While most plants must sustain themselves on the soil; there are some that walk a more dangerous path of blood and carnivorous roots. +2 strength +2 constitution -1 light attribute Bloodsucker lvl. 1 Affinity: Carnivorous Wiping the tears from her eyes she stood up, purely shocked by the sudden development. It''s actually kind of good, isn''t it? Wait let''s make sure of the skill. Bloodsucker lvl. 1 Devour a portion of the opponents blood forcibly extracting it dealing minor damage and satiating the caster. WARNING! Opponent must have blood. A specialty of sinister beings. The magic was originally constructed by a dark god of unknown intent. Useful but something about all these dark skills seriously makes me doubt my character¡­ unless it''s because... Blessing of Ancor A divine blessing of the slain god of decay. Though called a blessing it is expressly dangerous and malefic by nature. Often corrupting without consent. Ancor, blessed of rot, the husk of ancients and symbol of death. Bless us your kin to decay the world until there is nothing left. Dark allignment gained. Dark affinity + 30 ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? Holy! Well more like unholy but still! That''s seriously strong but what''s with the text? I guess that explains some of this ongoing trend. That last line especially gives me the creeps¡­ She crossed her arms for a long moment weighing her options. She could guess what the carnivore affix was. The blood beneath her gradually began siphoning into her root feet. It was a strange feeling but she could feel herself feeling a little better when¡­ < Dita has received one experience point! > Wait what? Experience for eating? Isn''t it usually for getting the last hit? Hmm maybe since plants don''t fight generally they can get experience in different ways? Either way, I''m not complaining! Thank you, generous gods! She did a little dance in the blood before imagining what a classy sip of juice from her foot would look like¡­ Foot drinking is weird but pretty handy I guess. Really, really weird but handy. She had finished her meal that was left on the ground beside the beasts when she could hear a strange growling sound in the distance. Whatever the source was it was seriously big and twice as angry. Don''t tell me, now that I drink blood that I''ll be a walking target for carnivores too? I didn''t think of this, but I don''t think I had much of a choice¡­ Opening her status once more she was hopeful. Dita Lvl. 1 Nightgloom HP: 18 / 22 MP: 7/ 10 SP: 1 / 1 AP: 14 / 14 Condition Fearful lvl. 1 Blood scented lvl. 1 Aha! So it really is working! Unfortunately, it looks like I guessed right for the bad news too. But on the bright side, I can probably hide. She lifted the green crystal blade up into the air again determined to have a meal of bear blood too. She froze midway as she felt something watching her intently. Glancing to her left yielded nothing out of the ordinary. Same still was her right, only the corpse of the cat looking forever through her. Reluctantly she looked behind her expecting to see a hungry maw trying to eat her in one bite, instead, it was quite the opposite. A snail? I''ve never been a huge fan of these types of things but at least they don''t really bite or anything right? The snail-like creature closed the distance so fast that she fell over dropping the crystal to the stone floor. A fast snail? Not good! Lvl. 7 Sevini HP:245/245 MP: 66/66 SP: 2/2 AP: 5/60 Condition Starving lvl. 1 Determined lvl. 2 Not good! It''s totally trying to eat me! The maw placed squarely upon the underside of the snail was horrific to say the least. The circles of teeth without end lashed out trying to gobble her up in one fell swoop. Gotta run! But can I really outrun it? The creature is way too fast to be a normal giant snail!! The game of cat and mouse began with the creature closing the distance she had made from her last dodge at a startling speed. It was clear she was outmatched. She needed a plan and fast. Ok calm down, there has to be something we can do to stop it. I hate bugs so should I try the hateful skill? Do I hate it enough? I don''t think it''s going to give me a choice here. She imagined the skill in her mind and managed to feel a faint red glow forming in her leafy hand. It was raw and terrible, the ill feeling of draining pressed down on her body freezing her in place. The snail took advantage of the moment to close all the remaining distance. Damnit this isn''t fast enough i''ve got to run! Wait, why can''t I move? Please don''t let it end like this! She winced holding out her hand as a rush of feelings came all at once. She hated the snail for pushing her into this situation almost as much as she hated Bel. The maw of the beast descended upon her slowly closing in like walls of a deadly trap. Activate already damnit! Just did you stupid bug! I hate you! I hate- The moment her leaf arm contacted the snail''s tooth the beast froze in place refusing to move and stopping it''s attempts to chomp her. No, instead it began a new movement, one she couldn''t quite understand. It dropped her in it''s seizing almost pitiful flop upside down. Freedom!! Ha! Take that you stupid snail! Though I''m pretty sure I almost died there. She dared not look back as the building in the distance was much closer following her mad dash. Was she faster than she thought? I can''t afford to run into any more problems. One hit and I''ll be a goner for sure. She slowed her pace at the slightest hint of a sound. Taking the ninja''s path to victory! Or so she would have wanted to if it was successful. Unfortunately, she was noticed from the only point which she didn''t expect. The sky?! Oh no, what the heck is that? No, nevermind I don''t want to know! Run run run! She scurried and hid under a boulder but found the boulder knocked to the side like a pebble. She used the big rock to break the line of sight with the massive bird. It was somewhat effective but only bought her a few moments toward the next safe zone. It felt like playing a deadly game of hide and seek, only this time if she lost there wasn''t even a skill she could use to distract the beast. Almost there to the building. Is it even safe in there? Well, it can''t be worse than big bird over here and he''s too big to fit! She was out of obstacles and on the final sprint, it was a risky move to try and run nonstop to it but there was no other choice she could think of in the heat of the moment. Come on, come on! I gotta make it! No, there was no way she was going to make it at this rate. The bird was just too fast. She stopped abruptly and scowled at the bird as it descended toward her talons extended for the kill. A little closer. Almost there¡­ Now! She rolled to the side just barely evading the razor-sharp talons that caused a small explosion of sand in its wake. It was a slight miscalculation as the explosive power of the impact had sent her flying. Taking a point of damage and leaving her status blinking like the cat and bear from before. I''ve only got one last chance. Run like hell the rest of the way or die for real. Like hell, I''ll accept this! Stupid bird! She darted haphazardly as fast as she could finding the small broken entrance only several dozen strides away now. It was going to be close. Way too close. The bird must have been aware of that being the goal as the direction changed slightly causing a much sharper descend toward her. Just you wait I''ll get you back someday! If I survive this you''re going down birdie. It''s a promise! She was ten strides from the hole when the bird began its descent toward her. It was only a few seconds before it would hit! Her plant equivalent of adrenaline must have been pumping cause she sped up quite a lot. So close, but so is the bird come on roots don''t fail me now!! She was too slow, despite her efforts reaching new heights it wasn''t quite enough as she managed to find herself again launched by a near miss by the cruel bird. She was flung inside, it was all over once she collided with the harsh wall inside. Damn. I really wanted to¡­ make something of my life this time¡­ She closed her eyes tight waiting horrifically for the crash. Yet no crash was felt or heard. Was this death? Soft, it feels soft and cozy. I thought it would hurt more. She lamented her death but heard a strange and familiar buzzing sound. What? Did I get the title "you''re dead " or something? I wouldn''t be-- wait a damn second! She opened her eyes to see the interior of the building filled with slimes with adorable but sassy faces. She figured it out. She had crashed into the slime negating the impact damage and saving her life. Surprised and shocked couldn''t even begin to describe her feelings at that moment. In fact, the only thing that broke her from the intense moment was the sound of a voice. [Who are you?] What? [You look awfully strange for a slime.] I can hear them? [What''s your problem?! You flew into me you ugly reject of a slime.] Ok, I could do without hearing the last one. But the question is can they hear my thoughts? Probably not huh? [Why aren''t you talking back?] [Do you not know how?] The slimes bunched up around her nearly strangling the life from her with questions. She put up with it partly because she was so exhausted and partially due to her sheer bewilderment at her survival and current perplexing situation. [How did a slime like you make it through the deadly bird''s territory? ] [Did you come here to live with us?] The questions kept coming at a staggering pace that made her head spin. I don''t know how to tell them I don''t have a mouth! [Silence, all of you.] The big shot looking slime hopped out with a determined and guarded expression on his strange congealed face. They were all cute and somehow the leader''s serious expression made him even cuter. [I''ve never seen a slime like you before.] She decided to peek above him just in time to notice something curious. Lvl. 34 Slime HP:1245/1245 MP: 266/266 SP: 10/10 AP: 40/40 Condition Distinguished lvl. 3 Intelligent lvl. 5 Those stats are ridiculous! Even Mr. Chomp couldn''t win against him! I better be more careful. She quickly drew on the sand below. She was always quite skilled with art but she never thought it might save her life. The mural of the snail and then the bird explained her troubles. She then began working on an attempt to describe her as being thankful to the slimes for saving her. Trying, even more, to indicate that her hp was very low. That should do it! I think they''ll understand it. [Hmm, interesting. So you''ve come from beyond the great divide. I never expected there to be other slimes capable of surviving the terrifying places outside. But¡­] He paused pondering with a gooey hand to his chin. [How do we know we can trust you?] She hadn''t thought of that. It could be a big problem if she had to explain in detail since she, in her own rights, was just exploring at first. Her eyes sank to the ground in avid doodling and attempting to explain herself. By the end of it, she had crafted an elaborate story of her quest to find her lost friend! Mr. Chomp of course! Wait, why do they have such serious expression on their faces. Oh no! This isn''t good at all. To her surprise, the serious faces turned to one another and began to sob and give hugs. She blinked in confusion before the next words managed to grace her. [You are truly a good slime.] [I hope I can be such a brave slime someday!!] [Don''t worry slime! You''ll get to see your friend again!] The leader looked as though he had just barely avoided tearing up before speaking again. [We are the Awa settlement of Awa slimes. This is our home and we would be delighted to have you stay with us. Just stay out of trouble brave slime.] The dancing blobs circled around her with a gleeful aura as they patted her on her shoulder and head leaving her head spinning. I guess I succeeded? Woo! Go me! I really can do it if I try! She thought about her choices for a moment. Maybe she should ask the slime leader about their settlement? She could always do some exploring too while she was at it. Though it was probably gonna have to wait for a nap. She drifted off to sleep and recovery in the relaxing care of the slimes. Ah today was a good day after all. I can finally rest and relax! Wait¡­ no something''s wrong! There was a sinking feeling as if her conscious was plucked from her like an unripened fruit from a tree. She could feel a familiarity to the touch, one that she didn''t want to remember, let alone see again. The sound of a crescendoing slow clap came more into focus by the moment until everything faded to black. [Did you miss me? Oh! Of course, you did! Don''t worry. I wouldn''t dream of leaving my future footstool without some company.] Her dread came in full view as he held her like an apple out in front of him. She couldn''t move and instead glared away from him not giving him the satisfaction of a look. This was the true beginning to something she had never wished for... [Today''s meeting will make you want to thank me. I''m sure of it. ] [In what world would I ever thank you? Dream on you asshole!] [Owch, you wound me, Dita. And here I was going to give you a nice little gift too. For all of the troubles that I''ve caused. If you don''t want it I guess I could--] She didn''t want to ask for help but it was an investment! Yes, a way for her to take her revenge faster! She didn''t want to lose this choice. Lose the battle to win the war! [Give it.] [Oh sorry I must have misheard you. For just a moment you didn''t sound very polite. ] [Please help me.] [Ah! So you do know how to properly grovel! Good! It suits you quite well you know? Are you curious of your gift? Oh I bet you are! And that''s why I''m not going to tell you. ] I swear to the other gods I''m gonna kill this man!! Die pervert! Asshole! Meanie! Jerk! [You remember I can hear your thoughts right? It''s cute but you didn''t let me finish! And yes, I said it to mislead you. What can I say, you have the most adorable look when getting teased. ] [Whatever just spit it out.] Three gifts of three different sizes appeared before her. All three were labeled with nothing but question marks and had no other defining features. [Now it''s quite simple you choose them by their size! Easy right? ]
  1. The big box has a blue ribbon. It smells strange.
  2. The medium sized box which is hot to the touch and has a strange glow to it.
  3. The smallest box which shakes like it''s about to burst.
But which was the proper choice? [Better choose quick before I change my mind now. The clock is ticking¡­] https://strawpoll.com/kc7rd91b Fenfire Fearfully convinced that a devilish surprise awaited her in the other two she took a bet on the middle present. This guess wasn''t completely uneducated as something fire related was either the best or worst choice. High risk high reward baby! [The middle gift, please.] The "please" of the request being especially venom laced. [Ah! What a spectacularly chaotic choice! I applaud your bravery as usual.] [Get on with it.] [Where, oh where is the fun in that my girl? Instead aren''t you dying to know what you missed out on?] The evil god turned a wicked smile before finishing as if to exclaim "you have no choice in the matter of course." She nodded with a divinely grumpy demeanor spiting him for a half dozen reasons. [So in the first we have your very own-- my mistake, what would have been your very own familiar! A baby dragon! A neutral element one at that, almost as rare as it is deadly. For your foes that is.] She internally screamed at seeing what she could have gotten. It was so cute and could have helped her get revenge on the bird someday. Damnit! It''s ok Dita, maybe all of these items are great! It is from a godlike being, even if it''s that godlike being. [Moving on, the smallest box is a very peculiar one indeed. A gem affix which would allow you to specialize in gem magic! The most beautiful and lustrous magic in existence! Oh what a loss.] Bastard!! You enjoy watching me suffer don''t you! [If you know I can hear your thoughts why do you persist on thinking it? Just say it. And yes, yes I do. Can you really blame me? Your dismayed expression may be one in a hundred billion! Trust me, I''m somewhat of an expert.] [Shut up! Just tell me what I picked.] Despite her best attempts to stand her ground she could only really think of a direct confrontation of the truth at this point. [Ah you''ve picked something special. Near and dear to my heart.] [Sounds sickening already.] [Do you want to know or not? I could just as well take it back and leave you without it. If that''s what you prefer. Simply answer yes or no, curiosity or the lack there of.] She contemplated, for a moment, if it was worth the risk. I probably should leave it, but can I really knowing the other two things could have helped me this much? But that''s probably what he wants me to think! Am I thinking too hard about this. Ah! This is too much! She nodded giving into her own curiosity. She knew if she didn''t choose it he would show her and rub it in her face and she couldn''t handle that potential reality. [Brave as always. I simply can''t get bored of your company can I? A round of applause for the little plant that could. Anyways, enough fumbling with banter, why don''t you have the honor of opening it?] The words were clearly loaded, it''s just she couldn''t decipher precisely with what. Her little leaf arms quivered around the slight pain she felt at the touch. It was a brutal kind of heat, starkly contrasting the silky smooth exterior of the exaggerated Christmas present aesthetic. Undoing the ribbon caused the suspense to crescendo as licks of flames sometimes escaped. Her heart was equal parts drawn in and fearful, leaving her in a long drawn out moment of suspense. Her hands finally worked through the pain and fear to remove the lid in one fell swoop. A fire danced into the air, it was a deep shade of purple, her favorite color. Though the intense, supernova like eruption condensed itself into a single flame no bigger than a human fingertip. [What is it?] Her awestruck words came out lacking spite or really any discernible emotion.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. [Ah, it''s something completely ironic to what you are. A paradox of interest. A curse or a blessing depending on how you face it. ] The feeling of dread in her stomach, or at least where it should have been, dropped like boulders on a daisy. [It''s called Fenfire, and it''s a bit complicated in it''s function. In truth it''s going to be a lot of trouble for you in the long run.] [What? What do you mean?] The dread of her instincts was well placed, the fire was bound to be difficult at best. [It attaches to the very core of its host and burns an eternal flame that may very closely resemble a soul. For you this is incredibly unfortunate as it will mean you''ll have to combat a constant and periodic damage over time. Slow but still present. Sorry about that.] [No it''s fine I don''t want anything you can just take it back can''t you?] The expression of the devil before her almost reminded her of the dying fos from before. Pity. [No I''m afraid not even I can interfere to such an extent. I can give gifts but never take. It is a blessing and a curse. A tale of boredom and infinite games of chess. Though I don''t expect it to make perfect sense to someone looking from the outside in.] [So I''m going to slowly burn to death?] This time her eyes met the palm of his hand and her pitiful root feet. His finger forcing her chin back up in a surprisingly gentle motion, for him at least. [Nonsense! You didn''t allow me to finish. If you manage to build up enough fire resistance you''ll no longer take any damage from it. What''s more, you''ll get a reward. I don''t think you''ll be disappointed if you can make it that far.] His smile was a bit different this time, almost like he was earnest for once. Heck she would take anything she could get right now. [So you''re telling me to not give up?] [Take it however you want to. You''re pretty smart, maybe you''ll find a path even I never thought of.] She looked up at him determined to see his response clearly. [Why me?] He hesitated at her earnesty fading to a surprisingly childish expression. [Because you''re the most fun.] Her consciousness slowly came to as she felt pulled from the godlike place back into the reality of slime and fire. But at the last second she was sure she saw him mouth some words, she just couldn''t figure out what. [The Traveller is waking!] [Go prepare some water! Yes, very fast!] She could hear the strange bouncing sound of slimes scurrying which she couldn''t help but remark in the back of her mind as comical. [Her fever isn''t breaking! This is bad! Where is the slime doctor?] [Water! Here!] The feeling of cool water met her root foot as she heard a sizzling sound. Was that because the fenfire? I guess the slimes are trying to save me. I don''t even know if I can move properly. Should I try? She shimmied her body to the side flipping one foot out of the water which almost reached a rolling boil. [Careful! She needs room!] She raised up to a sitting position feeling dizziness rush over her senses. [Did you evolve into a fire slime while you slept? You''re far too hot! We''ll run out of water before you''re cool again!] It was the voice of the leader slime. His high pitched but slightly gruffer voice seemed to turn serious at her struggles. His color was a deep blue contrasting the bright green globules of the rest of the slime villagers. Unable to talk and lacking a stick, she decided to check her full status with a high level of apprehension forcing her eyes shut the moment it opened. Please not one health! Even two is ok! {Name: Dita} {Lvl 2. Nightgloom} HP: 06/34 MP:20/20 SP: 1/1 AP: 16/16 {Attributes} Current status points: 5 Strength: 2. Agility 0 Speed: 0. Dexterity: 0 Constitution: 0. Movement: 0 Magic: 1 Intelligence: -2 Luck: 6. Defense: 1 Resistance: 0 Mind: 2 Power: 1 Charisma: 7 Fire: -20 Water: 5. {Allignment} Ice: 2 Wind: 5. -4 Earth: 25 Light: 19 Dark: 42 Lightning: -10 {Affixes} Decrypt lvl. 1. {Titles} Blessing of Ancor lvl. 1. Acolyte of Prejudice Lucky lvl. 1 Nocturnal lvl. 1. Bloodroot Fenfire lvl. 1 I leveled?? The shock of this fact eclipsed all the other things in an expression of pure confusion. She dipped her feet into the water passively being greeted by an unexpectant message. What? But why? What did I do? It had to have something to do with the water. Maybe she had gained it for drinking? Is it really that easy? Looking again to her status she noticed a rather concerning change. {Name: Dita} {Lvl 2. Nightgloom} HP: 05/34 MP:20/20 SP: 1/1 AP: 16/16 I took a point of damage? Damn, only 5 left¡­ this is dangerous. But on the bright side! Skill points! I love those things! Wait before that¡­ {Fenfire lvl 1:} A flame which burns from the cairn of lost hope. A harbinger of fervent change, it''s intensity only matches by it''s mystery. ????? ????? ????? ????? Prerequisites Fire element +10 Just as she expected she would need to dump quite a lot of points into it for it to become anything but s hindrance. Worse yet the description didn''t hold enough information to specify if that would even cease the periodic damage. Something about his look, I think this is really bad. I need to think of what''s more important at this point. Rushing the fire element or maybe resistance? Ah! Damnit! This is too complicated! What''s with all the zeros! I''m still way too weak! She pondered for a long moment ignoring the discomfort of the searing fire at her core. Well at least if I survive this, I won''t have to worry about getting burned right? Maybe I can currently burn enemies? No way that sounds way too dangerous! Would it be best to put all the points in the fire element affinity? Or resistance? Or maybe both? Whatever the case she could tell it was going to have a very big impact on the future¡­ Town Troubles With quivering sprout and sizzling roots she met the ground with a small thud. Escaping her bin of water was strange and felt completely different than she had imagined it would. It was time to decide where to put those lovely beautiful status points! So, I could put them all in one or the other, but my gut is seriously having reservations about that. I mean, what if I end up putting them all in a useless stat? No thank you! Best to feel the water right? Come on Dita you got this! Now that she pondered it, she didn''t really know how to actually spend them. Was it just a thought? Focusing on intelligence she repeatedly chanted in her mind. Raise int by one point! Raise int by one point! Raise int by one point! ...aww man. No luck. She hesitantly pressed her hand out and selected it, which obviously didn''t provide any physical resistance but oddly seemed to do the trick. One in int and two in res and fire! Hmph I''m sure this will work out! Right? She wanted to believe but something told her that it was risky no matter how she decided to spend them. Pressing the confirm button appeared to be twice as hard to activate as the previous inputs. Who designed this thing to be so finicky? After a moment of wrestling the status bar which must have looked to the slimes like she was delirious from the unknown heat. The curious enterarage of worried faces overwhelmingly beckoned the question that came just a moment later. [How do you feel brave slime?] She grasped the question but quickly shook her head unable to give the curious blue monarch a positive diagnosis. Gazing at her surroundings, she surveyed the slimey town in all its glory. There was a surprising amount of skill put into the hovel like homes. On second glance, it looked like they even had some form of running water and maybe an underground spring. At the very least, she didn''t seem to be robbing them of their livelihood. This came with a big sigh of relief. She always used to call me a leech, I won''t be like that again. Mother did you know? I don''t miss you, I''ll show you and all your stupid family. Ah, what does it matter she''s probably long since gone, and it serves her right! The slight memory of her past and the strained relationship she had nearly left behind resurfaced as she could feel the melancholic emptiness of history attempting to repeat itself. No! I''m not going to waste my second chance. She pushed past the crowd with her determined gaze fixated on what she supposed was the exit. The slimes looked as though they wanted to say something, but not a single one of them had the heart to say it. Maybe they could sense it, the bitter feeling of her past mistakes, past pains that still hurt. I won''t become like you. And I won''t die. She managed to follow the lighter area trudging past much smaller slimes she assumed were children. The light of what she had guessed was the exit slowly came into discernable view. Instead of the dusty plains with the terrible bird, she found a strange room filled endlessly with crystals. They seemed to emanate a constant breeze that was refreshing and reminded her of a refrigerator back on earth. This isn''t it! Her fury subsided momentarily as she realized how ridiculous her goal had been. To storm outside and kill something to try and level up before she died was wishful thinking. She had to come up with something more, something that could buy her time. Trapping? I am pretty sure I could capture something but how would I kill it? Do I just look around for fights like last time? No that was a very rare and close match, I''d die years before finding a repeat. She snapped her leafy appendage trying to figure out what would make sense but she kept coming up short. The momentary fun of leveling up was eclipsed by the almost suffocating difficulty of her situation. Not only was she unbelievably weak, she was literally killing herself thanks to a certain someone. Is there any kind of healing I can do? Maybe I''m missing a detail. Something must be able to save me. Might as well look. {Name: Dita} {Lvl 2. Nightgloom} HP: 05/34 MP:20/20 SP: 1/1 AP: 16/16 {Attributes} Current status points: 0 Strength: 2. Agility 0 Speed: 0. Dexterity: 0 Constitution: 0. Movement: 0 Magic: 1 Intelligence: -1 Luck: 6. Defense: 1 Resistance: 2 Mind: 2 Power: 1 Charisma: 7 Fire: -18 Water: 5. {Allignment} Ice: 2 Wind: 5. -4 Earth: 25 Light: 19 Dark: 42 Lightning: -10 {Affixes} Decrypt lvl. 1. {Titles} Blessing of Ancor lvl. 2. Acolyte of Prejudice Lucky lvl. 1 Bloodroot Nocturnal lvl. 1 Fenfire lvl. 1 From what she could remember, the only two with any chance of providing healing would be Bloodroot or maybe blessing of Ancor. Wait a sec, when did it get to level two? Why didn''t I get a message? Did it happen when I was asleep?Stolen novel; please report. Blessing of Ancor A divine blessing of the slain god of decay. Though called a blessing it is expressly dangerous and malefic by nature. Often corrupting without consent. Ancor, blessed of rot, the husk of ancients and symbol of death. Bless us your kin to decay the world until there is nothing left. Dark allignment gained. Dark affinity + 30 Eventide lvl. 1 ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? Aha! A new skill! Here''s hoping it heals! Eventide lvl. 1 Consume the light in your surroundings to rob all with reach of sight and sense. Unfortunately the caster is also left senseless. The deepest darkness serves no master. The eclipse of the past has no beginning and no end. This, this isn''t what I needed. Heck, how would I even use it if I go blind too? It sounded so cool too¡­ She thought so hard she swore she lost a point of health in the process. Wait! How did I forget! Skill points! She curiously gazed at the window noticing some new additions following her creation screen just prior to her departure as a plant. Skills Skill points: 5 Cruel heart. Lvl 1 Cost 12 Bloodsucker Lvl 1 Cost 4 Eventide Lvl 1 Cost 1 Moonlight Burst Lvl 1 Cost 1 Diamond Dust Lvl 0/1 Cost 6 Dream Symphony Lvl 0/1 Cost 3 So I''ve got a few choices. I wish they would give me more info on what happens if I raise them! Though if I''m trusting my gamer gut, then bloodsucker might just be able to save me. She had a small plan she had constructed that hinged heavily on the fact that bloodsucker might just have healing attached to it. The description mentioned satiation but no specifics on what that meant status wise. I don''t know if it''s worth it, but here goes nothing! Bloodsucker level up! Confirm! And¡­ Bloodsucker lvl. 2 Devour a medium portion of the opponents blood forcibly taking it as your own. Bloodsucker deals shadow damage and satiating the caster a moderate amount. If the victim survives they may be cursed. WARNING! Opponent must have blood. A specialty of sinister beings. The magic was originally constructed by a dark god of unknown intent. Nezeah stole from the heavens and was cursed to never die but never live free of remnants of pain and suffering. Woah! It changed a lot! But is still really vague. Though I think it''s worth a try! Let''s go project mosquito! She charged with a second wind of hope giving a happy glance to any slime she passed. They responded a number of different ways but usually looked confused. This time passing the houses and communal places of the slimes seemed refreshing, even if she wasn''t out of hot water yet. Maybe I should ask for directions? It couldn''t be too far right? Stopping by a nearby group of slimes she drew on the ground with her root foot, trying desperately to pinpoint her inquiry. [The food is over this way.] [No no, she''s asking for the toilet! Can''t you understand anything?] Both were hopelessly dense, so she rushed past them for a sign of change in the scenery. It was a truly beautiful settlement considering it was built by and for slimes. It made her reconsider if the slimes of this world were actually pretty high ranked. Though the grunts that couldn''t grasp her question make this outcome seem all the more distant. A general store, even an armor shop? I didn''t even know slimes wore armor. Are slimes the humans of this world? No, no that can''t be. But they''re still pretty awesome. She nodded to herself mid gait just in time to run smack dab into a large red slime. [Hey! Watch where you''re go--] The big slime with an axe spoke in a far more gentle voice than she expected, stalling out before it''s sentence reached its conclusion. [Hey aren''t you the slime that ventured past the expanse of the death plaines? ] Should I tell him? He seems kind of dangerous, for a slime. Wait! Maybe he could help me! She nodded as dignified and heroic as she could manage. [Hmm.. you don''t look like much. Though I guess you look pretty unique. Nice to meet you, the name''s Grogg and I''m the strongest slime in town. Well, at least stronger than most of the town. ] She decided it was probably best to draw her name down in the ground and hope by some miracle he could understand it. [So your name is Dita? Hm doesn''t sound too brave, but I''ll trust you for now.] He crossed his slimy arms and huffed. [It''s lucky you ran into me, my boss isn''t very happy with a sprout type in these parts. Call it what you will, you shouldn''t stay here very long. Otherwise there''ll be trouble. ] Something about a slime making a threat made it way cuter than it should be. She could barely hold back her expression from changing to gleen when it shouldn''t have been. [That was it. I know you got ill after you came here but this place isn''t always safe either. ] She scurried in front of him as he turned, drawing a diagram on the ground questioning the exit once more. [The exit eh? Take a right over there and follow the grand staircase to the first floor. Then make a left and go past the tall fellows. Careful though. Slimes are the kindest of the monsters you''ll find in this town.] The warning came as a shock. There are other creatures in the town? But I''ve only seen slimes? Are they rare? Reluctantly, she shrugged off the question sufficing to figure the age of answer of "seeing is believing." As she scurried about she felt the sharp pain again signaling the loss of her health. That meant only three points of health separated her from whatever happens after death. No no no! This is bad. I gotta rush down these steps! It was easier said than done. Her tiny root legs threatened to thwart her attempts at graceful leaps and bounds and made each step a daunting and fearful drop. I''m about the same size as the slimes so why did they build these steps so humongous? Who''s bright idea was it!? Karma decided to provide an answer in a particularly large package. Massive constructs of moving rock stepped with booming, almost thunderous footsteps up the steps. One such giant nearly had stepped on her flat out. He surprisingly noticed after the fact apologizing with silent gestures. He even took off his stone hat and looked as though he was truly sorry. She tried to give him a sign that she didn''t mind and was just glad nobody got smushed. Though he seemed to be in such a hurry she wasn''t sure if he ever really understood. I''ve got to be way more careful.. one wrong move and I''ll die even before getting a chance to try my secret plan! Well, I mean, dying is worse but dying in a really uncool way is even worse than that! I think? She finally had reached the base of the massive staircase. Her eyes were awestruck at the differences from the upper levels. Firstly, it was much more empty and desolate as a whole. Secondly, the ratio of slimes was abysmally low. In fact, she couldn''t find more than two in the crowd of lizardmen. They looked intimidating and frankly she didn''t want to gather attention so she tried to walk in a direct path toward the exit. [Hey pipsqueak!] The hissing tone came from behind and to her side. It was oddly befitting of the amphibious look of the speaker. He was, if nothing else, quite muscular, but that certainly didn''t bode well for his intent. [I''m talking to you.] Just ignore him Dita! It''s ok. He isn''t talking to you. It''s just somebody nearby! Maybe his friend! The lizardman had started tailing her, his mumbling words just out of earshot. The laughing gave her a bad feeling even if she felt like this guy was an idiot. He was still likely an idiot many times stronger than her, which meant she probably should deal with him before he follows her outside the safety of the settlement. The lizardman had out paced her surrounding her with spear like tongues flicking and weapons at the ready. [I said stop, you should listen before you get hurt.] Crap! I knew it! They''re thugs! They''re totally thugs!! Her mute state of being had caused the situation to go from bad to worse. Her gestures didn''t match well against their dwindling patience. [What''s the problem? Are you deaf or stupid?] The sound of metal against metal cleaved the air as the main thug drew his curved blade. It looked like an oar from hell. The twisted, barbed wire like substance on it wrapped around in a cruel mess. The rest of the thugs mirrored the first drawing their armaments that followed a similar trend of gruesome. If they even poke me with one of these I''m toast. How do I get out of this?? The Tail Runners & Operation Mosquito! Shriveling at the threat of conflict she frantically searched for a solution, sadly, with no obvious answers sprouting. Lvl. 6 lizardman HP: 675/675 MP: 20/20 SP: 3/3 AP: 26/26 Think Dita! Think! I don''t think I would stand a chance trying to outrun them. Yeah, it''s too risky. Maybe I could try and explain? I don''t think it''s a good option but it might be all I''ve got! She kicked the dirt skillfully, distincting the foundation of her picture. At first the lizardmen thought it was some kind of pitiful attack and laughed it off. Though, their expressions quickly rose to curiosity, and even shock. She expected the ridicule to descend on her alongside the blade which cleaved her last few points of life away, but instead there was a strange calm that set into the air. Her art was nearing its end, a chronicled tale of her saddest mishaps so far. Of course, it included some exaggerations, much like before when she presented it to the slimes. Only this time, it was the height of her expressive genius! The sorrow in her eyes, the parting words of Mr. Munch. Even the lament of her burning slowly to death. Their expressions were incredibly difficult to read. Some of them looked angry and others looked dumbfounded. The leader especially made her especially nervous, garnishing an expression between scowling and speechless. [You must really think we''re stupid huh pipsqueak?] His tone matched his words as he began to shake slightly. The mirroring of voices blended into his own in resounding agreement. This is bad, I think I just stirred them up! Ok Dita calm down maybe if I draw-- In the midst of her desperate planning she was plucked from the ground and lifted helplessly into the air. Ah, this is the worst case scenario¡­ I can''t do much of anything, no! I will find a way! Maybe if I use my moonlight Burst I can. The leader lizard stood with his snout inches away from her face as she felt his breath hot on her face. [You didn''t actually think that we-] He paused for a moment as she noticed something completely out of place on his face. Were those, tears? [Would ever hurt someone who''s had such a tough life.] The symphony of tough guy lizards began to shed manly tears on her behalf. What? Wait, what? Huh? Huh?! [You''re such a good fellow, you deserve better.] [We were only playing, sorry if it went too far.] [Don''t worry you''ll make it through I know you will!] She blinked twice. Her mind unable to catch up with the reality of the many patting lizardmen offering their condolences and support. Am I just that good? No theres no way my art is that good! It looks ok but to make a lizardman gang cry? No way, seriously no way! Either way, her situation was spared for the moment. The would be thugs giving all the love and support of big brothers to a precious little sister. [Hey you lot, let''s show some proper hospitality to our brave new friend!] [Yeah!!] [What are we gonna do to help her?] [Steal from the potion shop!] [You got that right! Now just stay here little one. We''ll be right back!] She was even more stunned than before. Convinced if she had a jaw at the time it would no doubt have hit the floor by now. Aren''t they getting carried away? I mean I won''t complain but won''t the potion shop? I guess it''s none of my business right? I shouldn''t feel bad right? There really wasn''t much of a chance to stop them in the first place, so right or wrong they were determined to help her. She gazed in awe as the lizardmen paraded toward a nearby building. Plowing the door down she briefly lost sight of them. Then, all at once, the yelling started and then one after the next they escaped. Lastly came the leader, carrying an arm full of potions as he ran from a bear like creature who haphazardly yelled obscenities. [This way sis!] He plucked her up once again, this time, even faster than the last. The group was fast and nimble, proof that her other ideas for outsmarting them were probably not going to lead to anything even remotely good. Guess I dodged a bullet huh? Wait, they aren''t going to keep me as a pet are they? The group dipped below the surface into what she could only compare to a massive sewer corridor. It was rife with running water and lead incredibly deep down at it''s extremities. There was light crystals the size of a small town hoisted up into the air by some unknown force, illuminating everything in the area as clear as day. [Welcome to the underground! I know you''re probably dead set on rescuing your friend but¡­ ] The lizardman leader gave a toothy smile. [You wouldn''t want to go unprepared! Like hell were gonna let such a brave one go without supplies right guys?] [No chance boss!] [She''s an honorary member of the gang!] [Long live the Tail Runners!] [Greatest thieves of the great city of pearl!] [Helpers of the needy! And patriots of the monster''s safety!] [Yeah!!] The charisma of the Tail Runners was great, and she soon felt the prior apprehension melt like ice in the sun. [Do you have anything you''d like to ask us brave one?] She pondered for a moment as they reached what she assumed was their front door. Fully clad in steel the door was massive and had a small latch where the doorman could peek out. As the leader crashed his tail against the door three times the slot opened up to a pair of yellow eyes. [What if you lose your tail?] The leader smiled before striking a fist to his chest proudly.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. [Then you wait for a new one to grow back!] The sounds of the door opening revealed a massive lizard man who served as doorman. The leader grabbed her hand gently and lead her inside with a smile. [We often get a bad reputation due to our species being considered weaklings or cowards, much like the slimes.] He looked a bit sad for a moment turning away from her. [We do what we must to survive. And I think you''re inspirational for striving so much to help a friend.] Her fabricated, or at least mostly exaggerated story made her feel a little guilty at how sincere and earnest the man before her was. [Ah, where are my manners, my name is Esbin the leader of the guild of the Tail Runners! And your name milady?] His now was exaggerated and clearly needing work to look half as noble as he likely thought he looked. Still, it was the thought that counts and she could feel it, he wasn''t a bad guy. Stone was on the floor, and despite her best efforts she couldn''t make any distinguishable drawings on the floor. [Ah, here you can borrow this.] He scurried across the room to a small lock box, it wasn''t perfect, but it looked marginally more fancy than any such box she had ever seen in her previous life. He rummaged through the contents searching frantically for something. [Ah, here we are!] He knelt down on one knee and presented to her something that looked like a paintbrush. [This is a bezel brush! It will help you quite a lot in conveying messages. Anything you write with this will glow! Even better it uses no ink!] She grasped it firmly, fumbling for a minute to properly hoist the small, albeit, unweildly thing. I can''t handle this! They''re way too nice! I''ve got to return the favor for this! But how? She glanced around the room to see dozens of lounging lizards, and a surprisingly orderly and beautiful hideout. At least, given its location. [Ah, I almost forgot! Eli bring the potions.] [Yes sir!] The blue hued lizardman scurried through a bag from their recent spoils and held out three small bottles. Within them a sparkling torrent of colors swirled like a kaleidoscope. It was so breathtaking she almost forgot to reach out and grasp them. [These are minor healing potions. Judging by your condition you''ll be needing one soon.] Can they see my condition and stats? Well, I guess if I can see theirs so can they see mine back right? She contimplated a long moment at the concept of potions. She decided to write down her question, testing her other new gift. She drew a small diagram depicting her dumping it on top of her head while looking up with inquisitive eyes. [Hmm. I suppose that''s true, you can''t just drink it if you lack a proper mouth.] He pondered, taking a separate potion into his hand and swishing it around for a moment. [Only one way to find out. Here you are!] He proceeded to pour the potion atop her head, it''s refreshing and soothing qualities instantly combating the discomfort from the internal heat. Did it work? {Name: Dita} {Lvl 2. Nightgloom} HP: 16/34 MP:20/20 SP: 1/1 AP: 16/16 She stared for a moment in disbelief, breaking her suspense to draw a very happy picture of her confirming it worked! [That''s our fearless leader for you!] [I''m so glad we could help little sis!] [Stop, you''re going to make me tear up..] I want to repay them. I can''t just let this good will go unrewarded!! She put on her most serious face and tried to explain that she was trying to level up. That way she could help them someday too. Esbin put a hand on her tiny shoulders, his hand smooth and cold. [You are truly brave. I respect that, but if you truly mean to repay us. Then live and find your long lost friend! Chivalry is its own reward!] The resounding cries of the lizardmen celebrated merrily. Her small trot a little lighter given the glimpse of a hopeful place. She had, if nothing else, met a group of gentle creatures for the second time. It was clear that monsters in this world were anything but brutes. Or at least the ones she had met thus far. [What is your name little sis?] How did I forget to tell them that! I think I was too shocked honestly. Oops. She hurriedly clashed her brush with the ground in a medley of strokes and swashes. A moment later her name glowed back at her as she stood proudly next to it. [I''ve never seen symbols like that before.] [Is it some kind of ancient text?] The lizardmen seemed baffled by the letters before them, sadly, they didn''t seem to be able to grasp it. What''s more, that raised an interesting question. Why can I understand them? She had taken it for granted since the start, assuming that the slimes and lizards were speaking English. Though in retrospect, this was absurd given the lack of evidence. So, the question is, what skill was responsible for translating it? [Hmm since we can''t figure out your name, why don''t we give you one and show you how to write it! It can be your guild name!] The lizardman began to use a similar brush to her own, writing mid air as the sparkling symbol took root. It was a wispy and spidery text, looking more like ancient egyptian rather than more modernized script. ["¡ì" Silvasa! We''ll call you Silvasa. Is that ok? If you don''t like it just speak up.] Woah! That name sounds really fancy and looks fancy too! I like it. She nodded happily as the lizardmen cheered. [Silvasa!] [Silvasa!] [If you''re curious, Silvasa means "brave one" in the common tongue. I think it suits you perfectly.] She hopped a bit before being lifted up, resting on top of Esbin''s head. She was lead out by Esbin alone toward the upper levels. [I could see it in your eyes from the very start. You have a spark that is undeniable. Silvasa, you''ll reach your friend. Don''t give up. Don''t ever give up.] She could hear it in his voice even if she couldn''t see his expression. His words came from a place deep in his heart. [I lost a friend a long time ago, she was like my sister, and maybe it''s shameful but you remind me of her in some way. I still have hope that she''s alive out there somewhere. That she''ll come back eventually.] He trailed off looking off into the realm of vivid memories. [Ah, I shouldn''t talk like that in front of someone I met just earlier today. You can forget I said that.] She wanted so badly to help but felt the cruel bite of helplessness. Frantically drawing she tried to convey that she would help him find the missing friend. He surprisingly seemed to understand almost instantaneously. Esbin smiled weakly, his expression being a mixture of happy and sad all at once. [You have to focus on your own trials. I''ll never give up but if you happen to meet a lizard woman named Xi then tell her I''ll wait forever if it takes that long. She always has a place here in town.] He quickly escaped from the wounded smile into a hopeful one. The rest of the walk to the surface was rife with curiosity and then ended abruptly as she was left right in front of the exit. [I can''t go any further, so do your best out there for all of us. Come back safe Silvasa!] The waving teary eyed lizard waved his arms as she left, fading slowly into the background and eventually making his way outside the bounds of her vision. I never thought things would have turned out like that. Now I''ve got more reasons to level up! Let''s commence operation mosquito! For real this time! Her feet scurried fast to the nearby boulder, her eyes fixated on the sky. The echoing sounds of beating wings persisted from just out of her line or sight. Below were scorpions that didn''t seem to interested in her, even if she brushed up against them. She was scared but not petrified, though, she still tried her best to avoid hurting the small creatures. Now I''ve got to find suitable prey. Hopefully not too fast. Ah! Maybe that? She peered over the horizon to a large beetle like creature that must have been a few hundred times her own size and weight. Let''s see what level you''re at! Lvl. 18 Cerantis HP: 2794/3268 MP: 667/720 SP: 6/10 AP: 12/26 Conditions Hungry lvl. 4 Degrading virus lvl. 1 Jackpot! It''s high enough level that this just might work! Operation mosquito was quite simple but required a large powerful monster like the massive one from before. Though it would technically work with any opponent that wasn''t too fast it was going to be especially effective against this big guy. Sneaking up to the hulking Goliath of a bug she had to test the theory of it. Would bloodsucker be able to penetrate physical defenses? She tried to activate it from her still distant target, but only felt the power build up only to fizzle out. The key was in getting as close as possible without alerting it, then running as soon as the spell fires off. That way, she could have a head start if the creature decided to chase. Hence its name! Being an annoying little mosquito! It wasn''t just for satiation anymore. It was to test it out and gain some experience. Though she had no intent of trying to actually beat the opponent. Creeping a little closer was harder than she thought as the birds above nearly caught sight of her. She had only a dozen or so steps separating them now. It was time for the second try. With closed eyes she focused on the image of the blood escaping the body of the beast she visualized it as vivid and powerful as she could manage. The image was gruesome, artistically gorey like a shock video. She could feel a warmth moving from her core, almost as if the fire had decided to relocate to her hands. But then, nothing. But why? Did I do something wrong? When she was about to give up the beast stopped abruptly as the image from her imagination met her dumbfounded stare. It was far less deadly than she imagined but strands of syrupy clear blood escaped the beast. Instead absorbing directly into her core, as if to feed the fire. The unmoving creature refused to move for another few moments. {Name: Dita} {Lvl 2. Nightgloom} HP: 21/34 MP:10/20 SP: 1/1 AP: 16/16 It worked! Success! Even two exp! Heck yes! Take that you evil beetle! Who''s the best! Dita''s the best! She looked back at the creature curious as to why it hadn''t begun moving yet. Strangely she felt a sinking feeling approach her as something big was coming. Wait, what''s this feeling? I don''t like it! I gotta get out of here. The beetle became surrounded by a beautiful aura of white light before turning to face her direction. A small spark of lightning struck the beast as it condensed into a rough circle of ball lightning. Woah! That''s seriously too big! I''m sorry it was just a test! Forgive me!! The lightning hovered toward her with mounting speed. It''s many sparking tendrils licking the ground and stirring up a small dusty storm. Even catching some nearby birds that were caught in the crossfire. The poor beasts were reduced to cooked chickens at it''s pure destructive force. Gotta get rid of this, at least it''s kind of slow. I''ll have to lose it, or maybe¡­ Cruel Heart Tendrils of unkempt current licked the ground around her, narrowly missing her several times. Damn it! I''m gonna get cooked! This isn''t a joke, potions can''t save me from this!! Her thoughts danced upon the cusp of despair, feeling shame for always running. It''s only been a few days since I began and I''ve had to run from even the small fries. Pull yourself together Dita! Nothing will change unless you make it! Her body mirrored her frustration as her deep blue brow furrowed. Her tiny legs dug into the sand painfully as she shifted her weight to her right foot skidding around a boulder. The ball lightning was slow enough that she gained some distance. Even if I wanted to hurt this big guy there''s no way I can take him down. Wait! No way! The second ball of electricity weaved from a crevice between two stones. It''s too late!! I''m sandwiched! Duck! I''ve got to duck! Bracing herself for the impact she took a risky but necessary choice. She ran at top speed toward the embodiment of thunder moving directly toward her. Before it could contact her she slid her small body beneath its semi-transparent glow. A lick of lightning caught her scorching her petals painfully. She had taken damage but avoided death, not daring to look back. Her vision quivered like a leaf in the wind and her gait mirrored the wobbly feeling that mounted. Glancing back she saw her plan had failed, fantastically so. The two orbs had not only combined into a far larger orb, but it had also increased its pace nearly twofold. Fuming with the mounting feelings of helplessness from before, she grasped a sinister idea. If I keep running, I''m going to be fried Dita in no time. But if I take this attack back to the wizard beetle maybe he''ll get a taste of his own medicine! The plan was set as she skidded to a stop. In order for the plan to succeed it was crucial she let the death ball get close enough that the beetle wouldn''t have a chance to dismiss it before impact. Come on¡­ She glared daggers up toward the raw magic eager to reach her. Almost there¡­ It was only seven steps away now, well in range of the tendrils, and firmly putting her in extreme danger. Now! Go Dita go!! She kicked off the sand with equal parts ire for the bastard beetle and desire to avoid ending up as a steamed veggie. Her blitzing path took her squarely toward the beetle, making good use of the beetle''s blind spot. It was crucial that she avoided a direct attack physical counterattack at the moment she came within range. It was difficult and risky as she had yet to properly gauge the speed of the large green monstrosity. I''m going to die if this doesn''t work huh? It''s too late to back down! No risk! No glory! It was the moment of truth, her body was two steps away from the hulking behemoth as it began to turn. Before it could have possibly seen her it began it''s swing, the grizzled carapace crashing down with frightening accuracy. Dita had rolled to the side losing her momentum all at once. Not good! She rushed to her feet dodging forward to avoid another leg crashing down. The payload had almost reached her, at this point, it was sudden death, the next mistake would mean certain death. She put all of her remaining vitality into a harsh jump into the descending leg. She found an explosion of sand colliding with her body as the near-hit sent her tumbling helplessly through the air. She gazed back just in time to see the electric orb collide with the leg. To her surprise, the orb did not explode, but instead, cut through the leg severing it before colliding harshly against the thicker carapace of the main body. The beetle hissed like a snake as she staggered to her feet. It was a small war as the electricity spread all at once into a beautiful and fearsome flash. The light was so bright that she couldn''t quite distinguish the resulting conclusion. Did it work? It had to have, right? Down with the field boss! End to the buggy boy! She chanted, hoping in some way it would will the results she wanted into existence. The sound of the current still ravaged the air in a fearful buzz. Her eyes widened as the light became bearable. The beast, which had tipped over and was convulsing violently, looked to be extremely close to catching fire. She distanced herself from it falling down on her bottom, awestruck by the results firmly supporting a very strong success. It worked? I''m alive? Dita wins! Now that''s what I''m talking about! Serves him right! Death to the bugs! Die die die!This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. She pranced and spun in a victory fanfare, twirling happily like a windmill, after all, she deserved it! Not only surviving but killing the jerk at the same time! Let''s check the stats! I bet I got a few levels from that! Heck yes! I''m moving up in the world! {Name: Dita} {Lvl 2. Nightgloom} HP: 11/34 MP:10/20 SP: 1/1 AP: 1/16 {Attributes} Current status points: 0 Strength: 2. Agility 0 Speed: 0. Dexterity: 0 Constitution: 0. Movement: 0 Magic: 1 Intelligence: -1 Luck: 6. Defense: 1 Resistance: 2 Mind: 2 Power: 1 Charisma: 7 Fire: -18 Water: 5. {Allignment} Ice: 2 Wind: 5. -4 Earth: 25 Light: 19 Dark: 42 Lightning: -10 {Affixes} Decrypt lvl. 1. {Titles} Blessing of Ancor lvl. 2. Acolyte of Prejudice Lucky lvl. 1 Bloodroot Nocturnal lvl. 1 Fenfire lvl. 1 She gazed at the stats completely stunned before the bright idea of checking the supposedly dead monster came to her. Lvl. 18 Cerantis HP: 684/3268 MP: 223/720 SP: 2/10 AP: 6/26 Conditions Hungry lvl. 4 Degrading virus lvl. 1 Rage lvl. 8 You''ve got to be kidding me, it''s still alive? Her surprise left her vulnerable for a moment too long as the beast closed the distance to her in an instant. No way! The rage of the beast descended upon her in a single, all-consuming bite. It was so massive and so quick that the ground around her was taken, giving her company to descend into the fleshy prison of the beast. She was lucky, the tooth mess of a mouth managed to get slowed by the sand, it''s greedy bite grasping far more than it likely meant to in it''s rage. Not good! I''m beetle food! I''ve got to do something before I reach the stomach! The momentum carried her to a halt in the corner of it''s gaping maw, it was anything but roomy. Though her would be killer seemed blissfully unaware of the crucial mishap. Think Dita! We''ve got to get out of here, this saliva doesn''t seem too destructive but we can''t very well live on in the mouth of a giant beetle. Popping out the two potions from before, she carefully placed the atop her flower, being sure not to share even a single drop with her devilish attacker. The moist and disgusting prison was stout and very stretchy, firmly contrasting its iron carapace in almost every manner. She felt refreshed and immediately wanted to confirm her status. {Name: Dita} {Lvl 2. Nightgloom} HP: 33/34 MP:15/20 SP: 1/1 AP: 11/16 {Attributes} Current status points: 0 Strength: 2. Agility 0 Speed: 0. Dexterity: 0 Constitution: 0. Movement: 0 Magic: 1 Intelligence: -1 Luck: 6. Defense: 1 Resistance: 2 Mind: 2 Power: 1 Charisma: 7 Fire: -18 Water: 5. {Allignment} Ice: 2 Wind: 5. -4 Earth: 25 Light: 19 Dark: 42 Lightning: -10 {Affixes} Decrypt lvl. 1. {Titles} Blessing of Ancor lvl. 2. Acolyte of Prejudice Lucky lvl. 1 Bloodroot Nocturnal lvl. 1 Fenfire lvl. 1 She really owed the tail runners a lot if she made it out of this, even if their potions were stolen. She was sure of one thing, a fact that she wouldn''t have liked to admit in most cases. She hated bugs, but this bug had earned a special place in her heart. The amount that she loathed it for nearly killing her, for putting her in a horrible rancid place. She could list off reasons until the slow burn of the acid destroyed her and still lack complete satisfaction! Hope you''re ready for the best move I''ve got you horrible bug. I''m going to murder you like you tried to kill me! Activating cruel heart didn''t make her feel cruel at all, in fact, if she had a mouth she would have no doubt been smiling. Negative repercussions be damned! For a moment a deep almost eerie pause came over the previously pulsating mass of the living creature. It''s body convulsed again, this time dragging her for the ride and painfully slamming her from wall to fleshy wall. It''s hiss lasted but a moment before a grizzly sound came with a clear froth that escaped from its innermost sanctum. She could feel her own pain and agony from the use of the ability, to hate is to be hated or so she felt was a good way of putting it. The creature withered from the inside like a shriveling old crone, the once fleshy, lifelike walls turned a sickly white color. She could feel the breaths of the beast draw to a chilling conclusion as the final convulsion left her with an intense feeling. <Killing with Cruel heart lowered alignment by 5!> She wanted to celebrate but the circumstances of her surroundings sapped her willpower more by the second. The only thing worse than the disgusting innards of a giant beetle is the disgusting innards of a giant beetle that is now dead. She crawled toward the light escaping from its now agape mouth. I can''t believe I actually did it. I really fought back! I might not have to run from everything if I keep this up! Sure it was only one level but it''s totally progress! Having made her way back the welcoming light of the desert like space where their battle had played out, she decided to check something. It''s been bothering me for a while.. but does this world not have loot or something? I mean, I just took down the field boss, is it really just about the experience? Peeking over his massive husk, there was only one point of interest that seemed to shine and glisten. She curiously gazed to the sky, double checking for birds before ascending the length of the beetle''s horn. The glistening appeared to belong to a battle wound which had long since healed on the now dead creature. What the heck is this? It looked to be a deep crimson, bizarre fork-like utensil. It was equal parts unsettling and incredible to see a dinner fork piercing straight through the carapace of the beast. She couldn''t even imagine the circumstances that a fork had been able to get there in the first place. Was it a twisted version of a fairytale? The fork in the beetle? Maybe I can pry it free? I mean, it looks pretty cool for a fork, I want it as proof of my victory! She struggled to wrap her hand like appendages around it. Planting her root legs she attempted to toss her entire weight against it in hopes of dislodging it. Pitifully she could just barely wiggle it, the efforts drawing almost all of her strength to it''s limits. You''ve got to be kidding me. Am I really not going to be able to take it home?! Catching her second wind she tugged and tugged but the jewel-encrusted crimson piece of dinner wear remained stoutly embedded in the dead evildoer. Hm, I guess willpower isn''t going to get me out of this little pickle. Should I invest some points in strength to try again? Or maybe I can come back to it later? I''ve still got the fire to worry about after all. <blockquote> </blockquote> Predator or Prey? Curious of the wonders of the big red fork, she couldn''t resist the growing urge to have it as a trophy of her victory! Well, it was for more reasons than that, this was clearly one heck of a fork if it was able to pierce the carapace of such a strong shell. Hmm, given my attempts leading to almost no change.. I think we''ve got to improve that strength! Deciding to bring up her status she was exceedingly curios of a few things. {Name: Dita} {Lvl 6. Nightgloom} HP: 67/72 MP:95/95 SP: 3/3 AP: 31/31 {Attributes} Current status points: 30 Current skill points: 30 Strength: 3. Agility 2 Speed: 2. Dexterity: 2 Constitution: 0. Movement: 1 Magic: 3 Intelligence: 0 Luck: 10. Defense: 2 Resistance: 3 Mind: 4 Power: 2 Charisma: 9 Fire: -18 Water: 5. {Allignment} Ice: 2 Wind: 5. -9 Earth: 25 Light: 19 Dark: 47 Lightning: -10 Decrypt lvl. 1. Blessing of Ancor lvl. 2. Bloodroot lvl. 1 Acolyte of Prejudice lvl. 1 Lucky lvl. 2 Nocturnal lvl. 1 Fenfire lvl. 2 The differences, even before I the addition of the massive reservoir of points, was incredible! Though a few of the levels seemed a bit concerning. Particularly, the increase in Fenfire and Lucky. {Fenfire lvl 2:} A flame which burns from the cairn of lost hope. A harbinger of fervent change, it''s intensity only matches by it''s mystery. The flame progresses over time, sustaining it''s roaring blaze on the laurels of dismay. Blaze Lvl. 1 ????? ????? ????? Prerequisites Fire element +20 Nearly falling to her feet at the absurdity of her goal creeping just out of range. The requirement steadily grew and frustratingly found her still many points short even if she put every last point into it. Was it a red herring? Meant to function as a point dump? Well, since I have a lot more health now, maybe it will start to be a minor inconvenience instead of a life threatening detriment! {Lucky lvl. 2} Reserved for those with the most favor of chance! A mysterious trait that can lead to innumerous amount of good fortune! Happiness is reserved for the lucky! Hmm, lucky seems decent but it''s impossible to tell how much! Even she didn''t believe her attempts at making the best of it. Sure, she wanted to be disillusioned but it would only make things more difficult. Maybe if I only put one point at a time in strength until I can firmly grasp the fork! Then the rest can go in res or fire affinity! If I do it that way¡­ then! She excitedly put a point in strength to test the difference from before. No good, guess I need another! The comical skit of failed attempts showed little to no promise yet, even by the sixth attempt. Ok Dita, do we really put more points in? Twenty-four left, no! It''s too late to back down now! She continued the cycle of trial and error once more before reaching a two digit number in her first attribute! <Ten strength achieved! +1 strength for every ten points!> The message came just in time to encourage her second wind of attempts. She had progressed to the point where the mallable metal of the spoon bent fervently with her attempts. Though, that was precisely what made it so difficult to remove. Wait a second Dita. Hold on just a second! Can I inspect this? Maybe it will tell me some kind of strength requirement to pull it out! Focusing on the item she desperately found herself making strange faces of focus toward the fancy fork. Despite the grand effort, the inspection seemed to be fruitless. By the last attempt she heard the familiar buzzing sound. Glancing at it was anticlimactic to say the least. <Fork> That''s it? Is it really just an ordinary fork? Unless¡­ She wasn''t high enough level to appraise it! Maybe it was the legendary dinner fork of a god like being that''s way cooler than the ones she had met so far! Excitedly she put three more points into strength feeling relatively the same but with a small increase in her ability to bend the fork down. Abruptly, a wiggle graced her, the first sign of it budging at the less than humble place of fourteen strength.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Progress! Now we just need a little more, and the legendary item is ours!! She put another two points, the wiggles were nearly good enough! Another point and the distinct sound of the carapace cracking began to grace the air. An unfortunate and unforeseen trouble arose as one of the birds as spotted her. No!! Not yet, stay away birdies, not right now! She had maybe ten or fifteen seconds before the triage of birdbrains made their way into attack range. What do I do what do I do? Go for broke? Leave it? But what if someone takes it? No, not this time! Putting all the remaining points in strength in a panic she gripped the fork with disproportionate strength to what she had thought possible. The carapace of the beast was no longer able to contrast her now much stronger attempt. The fork was heavy and unwieldy, but it felt well balanced and fancy! She would regret her recklessness later, for the moment she had the giant birds on her tail. Now you''ve done it Dita! You were reckless again and have to run for your life a second time, this time with a giant fork! I wish this thing would get smaller! Surprisingly, the fork listened. Shrinking into an easy, light, and effortless dinner fork. Glancing back, the giant birds began their descent. Nose diving at blazing speed. Managing a slight dodge to the right, she felt pain as she rolled to her feet. {Name: Dita} {Lvl 6. Nightgloom} HP: 53/72 MP:95/95 SP: 3/3 AP: 31/31 Damn! I took way more damage than I thought, and I''ve got way more distance to cover to get back to the city. This could be really bad! The next bird dove at her moments before she could recover. She imagined the fork getting bigger and held it out to defend herself. Again, the fork expanded to meet the occasion, reaching its full size one again. Unfortunately for the bird she had dug it into the ground beneath her and had faced it up directly intercepting the bird''s path. The bird was committed to the dive, it''s talons coming for her in a brutal clash of fork versus knife. She felt a sharp pain assault her tiny arms, causing them to shake vigorously. The full weight of the talons cleaved against her fork, forcing her feathered foe to shift it''s attack or remain in a raw power struggle. Her numb arms with the help of the ground had held back the initial momentum and even cleaved the foot of the beast. The bird was painfully sent tumbling to the side as a last minute effort to avoid getting impaled. All hail fork! Glory to the fork empire! Fork I love you! Marry me! The brave sprout and the fork had avoided death by the second bird, but it''s friends were circling ominously, cutting her celebration short. The grounded bird was in bad shape, it''s attempt to save it''s vitals had cost it a mangled wing. A quick glance at it''s status revealed much the same. Ebifille lvl 5 HP: 126/1050 MP: 54/60 SP:0/4 AP:5/120 Shirking from her, it tried to crawl pitifully away. For now, her vision trailed to the far more unpredictable creatures still healthy and flying about. They seemed hesitant to swoop down again, their calls being different than moments before. She had to be careful. The previous excursion had expended almost all of her energy, and her arms which felt like jam were less than adequate for another round, let alone two. They''re sizing me up. Come on Dita look tough! Wait, I''ve got it! She made a dash toward the wounded bird, poising to finish it off in one fell swoop. She dug the fork in the ground, bending it back into an arch. Shooting forward like a bullet she cut through the air. Her trajectory took her right into the face of the surprised bird, her light weight contrasted by her disproportionate strength crashing into it with a harsh punch. Or that was how it was supposed to have gone. Instead, now lacking the extra weight of the fork she found herself far too light to deliver a fatal blow. Instead she deflected off of it, sending herself flying in the opposite direction like a pinball. Crashing to the ground without a shred of grace left her in a much worse situation. The two birds above now understood her plan, worse still, she had a small distance separating her from the fork. Quick! We don''t have time for this! The birds took a more aggressive pattern signaling her chance was almost certain to be lost if she couldn''t quickly change their mind. That''s it! She grabbed her fork and used it to change direction, making a second attempt at the fallen bird''s life. She could grasp it now, her biggest problem, she had strength that was quite respectable, but her dexterity was still lacking, making her movements dull and basic. She only needed a moment before she could prove herself a danger for certain. Finding herself well within range she imagined the blood of the beast gushing out of the snapped wing. The bird winced painfully as the fluid began to mirror her expectations. It was difficult to focus while running, but she just barely managed for long enough to exhaust the pitiful creature. That''s it! He''s down for the count! Time to finish hi- The bird above had surprised her with a terrible gift, a blade of dust and wind severed part of her right arm. She could still grasp the fork but it was nauseating, her fork came in contact with the fleshy midsection of the bird, a pained cry bellowed so loudly it echoed throughout the massive desert below the ground. <Dita gained 24 experience points!> She scurried forward on her tiny legs leaping into the embrace of the now fallen fowl. Her root legs dug into the corpse and vigorously consumed the remaining blood. Color left the corpse long before she was finished. As she thought, the two birds hesitated, their pattern retaining a large circular pattern. The occasional chatter between them unsettled her, but their hesitation had given her a moment to recover. Now, the question is, what''s the plan if they don''t leave me alone? Come on you stupid bird brains! Just take the hint already! As if in response, the twin hunters began flying much faster while keeping their path precisely the same. She could feel her instincts warning her again, she wasn''t certain of why, only that it certainly wasn''t good. A small breeze began to form alongside the crackling, pure green strands of magic amalgamating in a swirling malignant mass. Of course it wasn''t that easy, they were mad and she was still a small sprout. The deep pride of the Apex predators of the field was far too much to allow her to survive. She knew it, but that wouldn''t stop her from trying to escape! The intense gale now began to rotate without a clear definition for an end goal. What looked to be a twister began to compose itself, one crackling with revenge, specially crafted to do away with her once and for all. No no no! Tornadoes are not ok! I''m not heavy enough to stay grounded!! Her feet felt lighter even with the added weight of the fork. The immeasurable suction of the beast was now moments from contacting the ground. She had made some distance from it, but not nearly enough to escape it''s trajectory. There were probably a bunch of choices but she could only think of a few¡­ Den of Humans Collapsing toward the ground she felt the intensity of the winds mounting at her back. Gazing back at her windy for left her with a sinking feeling of an inevitable clash, one which saw her the loser. I don''t think I''m gonna be able to outrun it, maybe i''ll awaken to a hidden power just in time?! She stopped and stood for a long moment trying to look proud. Her small figure neatly swept from the ground as she held onto her fork for dear life. Come on power!! I''m the main character right? Right? No, don''t tell me, I''m just a side character after all?! Her heart sank at the possibility. She had no choice but to bank on her overleveled strength. The winds picked up, painfully flourishing the beautiful flower petals atop her head. She had nearly lost one when a grizzly sound took her focus. The sound of her fork unburying with each twist and turn of the wind. The tornado''s first half had came and went, leaving her with an uneasy moment to prepare for the second round. It was a battle of moments, and yet felt like a war of attrition. There was one glaring fault that made her doubt, in the back of her mind, if she could hold out through the second round. AP. It was an attribute that, up until now, she had misunderstood as sustenance alone. She glanced at her stats to confirm her suspicion. {Name: Dita} {Lvl 6. Nightgloom} HP: 44/72 MP:70/95 SP: 1/3 AP: 3/31 Not good! I think I was right! But what happens if I run out? Wait! That''s it! She locked her leafy arms around the half buried fork. Her root legs wrapping around the exposed spaces between the prongs of her tool. Is this gonna be enough? I guess there isn''t any other way to know for sure. Bring it on twister! The wind began with a howl, raging like a rabid beast around her here to finish it''s prey. She gripped close, refusing to submit to the ravaging gust. She felt much more steady for a moment, her body tied taught against her weapon. This time, no sign of movement came over her, instead she felt victory was within her grasp! Come on! We''ve got this forky! That stupid wind can''t take us on! The ground beneath her fork began to quiver with a strange vibration. Umm.. forky? The fork began ascending upward, inch by inch. I was only kidding! I repent! I repent. Twisters are cool! I didn''t mean it! Despite her pleas the fork had lost its grip with the ground. For a moment that seemed more like a small eternity, she slowly ascended in an almost surreal, peaceful manner. However, the next moment came, and it came with a terrible blast of air that swept her and the fork up into it''s washing machine like cycle. Try as she might, there was little to no way to control her direction among the endless encirclement. Her body quite literally adrift like a leaf in the wind, well, a leaf with a fork thrice her size at least. Time became a strange fascet of passing, it was as unhinged as her jaw would have been if she had happened to have one in that very moment. The cascading levels of the tornado followed a sort of bizarre order that, from her point of view, might as well have been pure chaos. The speed of the winds changed in temperature abruptly, her mind wondering in vain of the reason. A moment later and the tornado had met its match, the climate change had turned it''s once bellowing spiral into a dying beast. It''s howl was more pitiable by the moment as her altitude began to plummet. It''s stopping! Woo it''s stopping! Wait, falling! Too high! Way too high!! Her wobbling form fell much quicker due to the weight of the hefty fork. The instrument that had nearly prevented the ordeal was now causing her downfall quite literally. No!! Forky let go! I don''t want to fall quick! Her foot remained entwined, as she raced to free it before the quick approaching ground would have a chance to meet her. Breaking free she watched the fork disappear into the stirred up dust, the likes of which blinded her as she fell quite slower than before. Despite her vision being mildly obstructed she could make out shapes forming in the distance. Glistening lights that pierced the dust like fire, and the great looming shape of a gigantic mountain, or at least, what she supposed could only be a mountain. Looks like I can''t die from heights at my current weight! Who knew terminal velocity could be handy for once? Her decidedly lacking statement caused her to drift into the recluses of her mind, to look at skill descriptions of course. As exciting as almost dying is, I think I''d rather like to avoid it, thank you. The piqued interest into the skills and attributes was something sparked to the forefront of her mind in the wake of the discovery of AP and it''s duality of importance. Let''s start with HP! I''m sure it''s pretty simple right? No, no, it''s gotta be! HP: The measure of one''s sentience, it is directly tied to the soul''s bond with the body. If this value reaches zero, the soul will be damaged, causing irrevocable damage.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. HP which was originally thought to be vitality incarnate was later linked to soul by the curse of mortality. She gazed a bit wide eyed at the idea, was it not certain death to reach zero? Either way she definitely didn''t want to find out. Next! MP! You''re sort of normal right? Right? MP: A measure of the brilliance of a creature as well as a catalyst to bring magic into existence from the realm of the subconscious. MP also functions as a defense against some skills. MP used to be limitless in the land before memories, a realm of possibilities that forgot it''s place and thus was forgotten by all who live. Yes! Magic! Now we''re talking! It has a romantic feel to it doesn''t it? What about you SP? SP: A measure of potential in its purest form. It is used to represent a brutal measure of one''s growth potential. It is also used for especially taxing skills. SP is very limited and high amounts of it are considered to be a sign of Gods and Devils. SP''s use is often misunderstood as simplistic in nature, in truth it holds the truth of creation. A map of the soul laid bare for none to see. Eh? Another overly fancy one, hey that''s no fair! I don''t have a lot of it but I''m a special plant even if you called me common! Stupid decrypt doesn''t know what he''s talking about! Wait, that raises the question¡­ AP: A measure of agility and speed. The stat works as both physical well being as well as endurance beyond normal means. AP is the definitive measure of a great warrior or athlete, but also a terrible limitation if ever underestimated. A doubled edged blade that even those who seek magic should be wary of. And of course lastly¡­ Decrypt A skill to discern the world and its function. It is considered a simple skill learned by almost anything of intellect. However, in order to see the status of others, the user must have a high enough magic attribute. Decrypt was, at first, considered to be a blessing of the gods given in fruition to dedication and devotion. In reality it is nothing more than a simple manifestation of a basic spell, Useful all the same. Aww come on! I was expecting it to be a super rare skill that only I had or something. Hmph. Then again with the attitude it had earlier, maybe it''s best it''s just a common skill. Heh. Abruptly a text box appeared as her feet now collided gently with the ground. < Lvl 6 Nightgloom > <A common flower.> That wasn''t what you said last time!! Anyways, last but definitely not least! Her fuming was interrupted by the dust coming to a settling point. First, she noticed her fork, which she happily reunited with. Oh Forky I knew you wouldn''t go far! Her eyes began to drift toward what lie in the distance. A grand tower as big as a mountain laid out before her. It was equal parts breathtaking as it was terrifying. It had to have been tens of kilometers to the top, suffering a sort of warping look, perhaps due to the bend of gravity or perhaps the planet itself. Who would build something so massive? Hey wait a second isn''t this underground? This particular parody of logic meant, one of two things. Either the place by which she stood was so far beneath the ground that it had miles upward that it could climb, or it was some sort of optical illusion. There was no sun, but the crystals that lit the area shined easily with the brightness of a small sun. Her tiny legs moving with her curiosity ever toward the towering cityscape. There was one tiny detail that set off red alerts in her head. It was quiet, so much so that it was deafening beyond anything she had heard before. This was a common trait in places where uncontested predators resided as even the flying creatures dared not enter the domain. Yet there she stood, stoic and alone, with a growing apprehension building with each step. I''m lost, so I don''t really have a choice right? Maybe if I climb up a bit I can see my way back to slime town? Her logic granted her no panacea despite her efforts to reach a calmer state. Instead it only lead her mind to wander what lay beyond the hulking gate that was so disturbingly large she could fit easily between it''s rungs, followed handedly by her dear companion-fork. Awaiting her was a mist covered lining of houses and hovels with no sign of movement. They were unkempt and, from what she could tell, abandoned. Though the nagging feeling of being watched grew by the moment. Her subtle instincts grew into a monsterous feeling of apprehension all at once as she saw a shadow dart across her vision. Not good! I made a big mistake, I should have turned back! Gotta run before they can- The shadowed beings had surrounded her in a pentagram like shape. Surround me¡­ [What the hell is a living plant doing all the way out here? Axel? You got any idea?] [I can''t say I''ve ever seen anything of the sort. By looks of it, completely sentient too.] Gotta draw! Draw Dita! It''s the only way! Maybe they''ll understand! Her swift stroke of the fork began a picture of her waving and another depicting her lost and looking for her way home. Their expressions remained hazen by the fog, leaving an eerie poker face gazing down on her. [Aww, how cute! The little guy drew a picture. Can we keep him? I''ll call him peke!] A shrill and childish voice resounded behind her before being silenced by a stoic and brutal sounding second voice. [No.] [Come on Dek, don''t be that way.] This isn''t good, I don''t have any intention of being their pet! But it might be better than what the other guy has in mind. [You two, quit goofing off, kill the little beast already. A monster is a monster and it might give us something useful.] [So sad, but I guess it''s a bad idea after all, sorry little guy, you heard Axy, I can''t keep you after all.] She couldn''t see the expressions of the humans, but she could feel their bloodlust mounting. It was a chilling mix of curiosity and blatant madness, at least from her perspective. No choice, I think the only way I''m getting out of this is using Moonlight Burst! She concentrated, focusing all of her remaining might into channeling the skill. Please work. Please work. I''ll never call you useless again it''s a promise. The bright white light exploded into all directions giving her a brief glimpse of her would be killers. Several beautiful humans and elves and possibly a demon as well. She didn''t waste time ogling as she scurried off toward the massive gate, at first, assuming it would take them a lot longer to make it through than the tiny sprout she was. [Damn it! The little shit blinded me!] [That hurt! I''ll kill you!] [I liked you! But now I don''t feel bad for what I''m gonna do!] Come on, just a little longer. Don''t notice me, just let it be easy for once! She sped up as fast as she could, given her lack of AP, each step felt more and more sluggish. [There it is! Toward the gate!] Come on roots don''t fail me now! The last few steps came the slowest as she tossed forky through before jumping through herself. Safe! She realized quickly how ironic her previous thought had been. A complex ring of symbols fulminated into existence against the gate, the rest of the group save the caster herself, sprinted toward it like clockwork. I don''t like the looks of this! There''s gotta be a place to hide! She darted about toward the distance, the sands of the desert fading into a beautiful field of pure white flowers glowing like the moon. In the opposite side there was a dungeon looking crevice that seemed to go downward into a slope. I''ve gotta make a choice! Hurry Dita hurry! Murderer Noticing a gate on the way beneath the sleeping city, she decided to side with her flowery friends. Darting into the tall, luminous depths of the glowing field, a soft wind carried the voices close behind. ["It went through the lumen vale!" ] An unsure voice met with the cold crisp air, reaching her with an odd clarity. ["Do we keep chasing?" ] ["What kind of a question is that? We''re adventurers, we can''t let it escape! It might be a rare kill! Also it had a weapon, that screams rarity!" ] ["Better yet! Maybe it''s got friends!" ] The cruel, obsessive banter of the "humans" painted them in a horrific light, given that she was being looked at as walking loot. Humans are scary!! I''m practically food to them, ok, calm down Dita, they don''t know you can hear them, so maybe we can use it against them! ["There it is!] Crap! They noticed me! Let''s go! Operation, uh.. outsmart the humans! There was only a dozen or so steps separating her from a group of several nasty humans, and an almost certain game over. The arch of the hill began sloping toward an enclave of flourishing colors and shapes. Surprisingly the flowers followed a gradient pattern, shifting from deep silvers slowly shifting into a deep sky blue. The breathtaking beauty was something, that under different circumstances, she would have loved to have explored further. Despite her respectable speed, the humans quickly closed the distance, now hot on her heels only six strides behind. Abruptly, the dagger weilding one leading the group disappeared into the shadows. Appearing the next moment directly in her path. ["That''s far enough little one."] The sing songy tone of his voice sounded equal parts dashing and creepy. The man had a roguish beauty to him, had he not been swinging a dagger directly at her, she wouldn''t mind being chased by him one bit. No-no-no-no! Hot guy or not, I''m not gonna hug your dagger! Sliding to a stop she blocked the knife with her fork. The power behind the blow sending her back and numbing her appendages even before the sharp clang echoed through the night. Flowers cleaved around her, falling to either side of her in a wide arc, the area cut being almost thrice the size of the blade. The others looked shocked at her narrow deflection of the dashing rogue, approaching in an attempt to circle around her. There''s no time! To the right! She plunged her fork into the ground, digging it in as far back as she could, the humans realizing her plan lunge to close the last step of distance. The metal tool sent her flying fast through the air, being dragged behind, escaping the confines of the circle of humans. For just a moment the pursuers looked dumbfounded, but they soon resumed their tiring pace after her. ["Stop gawking and brinf me that little monster!"] Her momentum plowed her into the flowers breaking stem after stem from the impact. She rolled painfully partly due to the shear weight of the fork compared to her own featherlike properties. The distance was now around thirty steps between them, of course, she had lost a few regaining from the impact. {Name: Dita} {Lvl 6. Nightgloom} HP: 13/72 MP:70/95 SP: 0/3 AP: 0/31 The glaring amount of zeros in her status explained the piercing pain she felt, it was like hot needles being pressed against her outside. Let alone, the feeling of nausea she could only attribute to the lack of sustenance. Curiously, she grasped hold of nearby flower plucking it from its stem. Sorry, I feel like this is animal cruelty now, but I''m desperate here. Forgive me Ms. Flower! She crumpled the flower up in an attempt to leak it''s lifeblood onto her own blooming petals. Surprisingly it felt cool and refreshing, though it also felt a lot like cannibalism, that part, she wasn''t so fond of. Plucking another five or so she repeated the action, losing a dozen or so steps of distance from the humans in the process. Let''s hope for the best! {Name: Dita} {Lvl 6. Nightgloom} HP: 46/72 MP:75/95 SP: 1/3 AP: 30/31 No way! Saved by my own! Woohoo! Flowers are the greatest!! The pain gradually dulled to a mild throbbing, while she managed to see a change of scenery in the sea of flowers. The gradience turning to a bright crimson following her plucking, sprawling out like drips of blood in a sea of colors that contrasted it. The gradience of the field now firmly reflected a crescendo of deep reds as the flowers began to twist with an unseen wind. Uh oh.. She had a seriously bad feeling about the change of color, in part due to the utter shock painted all over the faces of the adventurers. ["You idiots got a death wish?! You can cut the flowers but not pick em!"] The shakiness in his voice betraying the severity of the situation as clearly as the crystal clear air that breezed with a melodic hum. ["No! It was the little beast! Dumb thing must have a death wish.."] Dumb? I take offense to that you jerk! ["What''s going to happen?"] The curious female voice beckoned to the others. ["Don''t know, but I don''t recommend finding out. They say it''s deadly to take from the lumen Vale.. but I don''t know anyone who tried it. Hell, most people don''t even go out this deep you know that."] A curious and wise voice interjected with a distinct hint of horror. ["What has been done cannot be undone, the beast is coming and we must make haste! Leave this place at once!"] The humans quickly turned back toward the way they came, leaving her with an almost pity bound stare. She liked to imagine it was her who had scared them away, even if she knew there wasn''t time for such empty boasting. Guessing it''s probably a bad idea to stick around, let''s run! As her scurrying feet took her in the opposite path of the humans, she heard a massive thud in the distance. Like a meteor crashing against the ground in a colossal argument of an unstoppable force and immovable object. Not good, something big is coming, last time I got eaten.. I could go a lifetime without smelling that again.. . She could see it now, it was far from her expectations and even further from common sense. A massive hole began to open swallowing up the flowers into a massive hole of teeth in the distance. Run Dita run!! We are not turning into salad today! Determined, and a little scared, her feet began running regrettably in the direction of the humans once more, there wasn''t much choice in the matter, and while one was certain death the other choice was only mostly certain. The rumbling of swallowed up flowers was strangely melodic and fast approaching. The grand maw of the creature was almost worm like, with circular spans of teeth that each were easily the size of a bus, the beginning and end of it''s anatomy were baffling at best. Having an almost endlessly widening mouth, the creature was the epitome, the definition of the word gluttony. She could see the humans in the distance given her height advantage, they were hundreds of steps in front of her, something that was both settling and enviable as she had much less a distance separating her from being an inconsequential snack to whatever "it" was. The end was now officially in sight, but that was only half settling, as she lacked the time to evade the path of the humans, she would soon be on the run with them all over again, provided of course, she could avoid their combined assault when she passed the threshold. Damn, they can see me I bet. Don''t suppose they''ll just let me go and forget any of this happened right? . Ah, wishful thinking, now that was something she was good at, unfortunately it didn''t help anything at this point. Her small but furious steps now felt the physical weakening of the ground as it caved behind her, where she stood moments prior.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She could see them turn to her direction, their confident smiles taunting at her struggles. ["Don''t leave the fork now! You can make it little guy!"] [Come to mama, I won''t hurt you for long. It''ll be quick I promise! Tee-hee."] That isn''t reassuring at all! Can''t you just keep me as a pet or something? Why do you have to kill me? There it was, the home stretch, there were only fifteen strides until the hapless finish line, and somehow it didn''t make her smile at all. Then again, who would smile in the face of a bunch of drawn weapons and deadly spells, she definitely wasn''t the type, at least not yet. This isn''t fair! They''re just waiting for me to pass the finish line! I''ve gotta break through somehow. Or maybe.. I don''t! There it was, her brilliant idea as usual. She had a plan but it still wasn''t going to be easy. As far as she could tell, there were two viable options, both with their benefits and negatives. For one, she could try vaulting over them, but chances were she''d be a pretty easy target for the magic. The opposite would be to slide low after using bloodsucker to hopefully distract them long enough to evade most of the dangers, especially the magic! Two steps to decide. Not very fond of her chances against her weakest element, she poised herself for multiple uses of bloodsucker. She wasn''t sure if it was even possible given the lack of time to experiment. Here goes! Take this you damn humans! Sliding below with her fork, she casted three consecutive casts of bloodsucker, if nothing else, hoping to make them flinch. ["Gh!!"] ["Ngh!"] ["Bastard cast a spell on me!!"] Gazing at the status bars in the corner of her vision she was impressed by the sizeable percentage now missing, and the odd sweetness of humans. In a sick and twisted way, she could understand why monsters might be tempted to eat humans of their blood was that tasty. But more than that.. <Dita has gained 266 experience points!> <Dita has leveled up to level 9!> No way!! That''s way too many levels! Nope, not complaining, but I don''t have time to spend anything!! Clearing the first, she slid below the supposed leader, her fork serving as a makeshift sand board through the sandy slope that they attempted to barricade. The magic user that she had assailed among the three was sent off kilter ever so slightly, causing the fire spell to become unstable. ["I can''t.. control it! Look out!!"] The massive orb of flames and lava began to wobble with waves of turbulence, expanding and contracting in a progressive more unstable display of raw magic. The look of fear in their eyes stole their focus for just long enough for her to slide past the remaining pairs of legs in one fell swoop of her deft fork riding skills. ["Run away Elei, I''m sorry, I don''t think I can stop this."] The girl from before looked back while fleeing from the mounting ball of flames with teary eyes. Her pace came to an almost perfect stop as she pulled out a bow and arrow facing back toward him. ["Don''t you dare give up until you make good on your promise Savin!"] The arrow glowed with a deep blue, coating it with an intense swirling liquid that looked like a small piece of the sea condensed a thousand times into the arrow. ["No! Don''t, if it goes wrong you''ll-"] The man which she could now see was a boy must have been in his late teens, looked back at the girl with watery eyes. ["Then I won''t let it go wrong."] She let fly the arrow which flew in a blink of the eye into the sphere of volcanic magic. It seemed to be absorbed into it, seemingly fizzling out to no greater purpose, but half a moment later the truth came into a beautiful display. A tremendous gust of steam shot upward due to the ice by which burst through the sphere encasing the mass into a funnel. A series of melting and freezing rapidly and without mercy burned and froze the area around him. Dita felt a pang of guilt at the lovers who she inadvertently endangered, until of course she remembered they were trying to kill her a moment ago. The mass of steam which had clouded the area eventually came to a chilling conclusion as the wind had picked up revealing the result of her efforts. There stood a man, so badly burned by the steam he was pink and raw, the body of the attractive boy devoid of hair and half cooked. The girl''s eyes were horrified, she ran over to him frantically. ["Savin.. I didn''t mean to.. I was just trying to.."] The poor burned boy reached out his hand with a weak smile finding the hand of his lover. ["Elei, I. I love..y.."] <Dita has gained 725 experience points!> <Dita has gained a level and is now level 20!> <Dita may now choose to evolve!> <Dita has earned the title: Murderer.> <Dita has earned the title: Heartbreaker> <Dita has become Elei''s nemesis!> I didn''t. I didn''t mean to.. She felt the harsh melody of the wailing girl echo haplessly through the tunnels. Dita knew that it wasn''t her fault, but the combination of his age and their relationship made the experience message and sound so cruel. Even if they intended her undoing, even if she had to do it to survive. The killing of another felt bad in her heart as she continued to create distance. The glare of the ones who chased firmly at her back. Elei stood up with a look that could only be described as pure hate staring Dita down. ["This is all your fault! You! I''ll kill you!!!"] The shrieking voice carried threats of pure rage as the woman armed her quiver with arrow after arrow launching artillery in her direction, it was raining arrows which each expunged in ice, threatening to impale her at one wrong step. Her newfound method of fork boarding lead her to quickly dodge the immeasurable magic that spewed across the sandy dunes. She realized quickly it was becoming more absurd by the moment. The amount of magic raining down was enough to freeze the ocean of sand into a now ocean of ice. A single red strand in the sky gave her chills to look at, despite the dodging of the rest the red glow, which she now could clearly identify as an arrow was impossible to dodge. She would go left, and the arrow would follow flawlessly. Going right and her mirror. It''s no use! I can''t stop it! Brace for impact! The intense sting of the arrow pierced her back with a surgical precision, the entire arrow seemed to be made out of a spell, the likes of which she could immediately feel. <Dita has been afflicted with Mark of the hunt!> Not having time to figure it out she attempted to dodge a series of arrows that caused a spiny wall to form directly in her path. Tumbling from her fork she had no choice but to roll into another arrow''s path. It''s no good! Too many of them!! The pain was searing with every fiber of her body, the worst being the fact that, while it didn''t have the frost magic, it seemed to be still magic infused. Still managing to move she ignored the arrow and stumbled to her fork, deciding to slide with all her might down the next dune, hopefully breaking line of sight in the process. ["I''ll find you, I''ll kill you!!!"] The shrieking voice was almost impossible to discern beyond the first two statements, the wailing was equally haunting and horrible, like a cross between a dying animal and a demon. Down the hill she went, the sound of the woman who was quickly losing her voice was fading to a shrill, spotty whimper. The sharp pain in her back continued to agonize her senses, so much so, that it would certainly have resulted in her teeth gritting, provided she had some. There''s no time, I have to remove it.. Her arms reached back attempting to grasp at it, but they lacked the length to reach on their own. Trying a second time, she leveraged the fork backwards and shimmied it in a dervish of motions. Though it took three attempts, she eventually trapped it between the prongs of the fork and prepared herself for the second round of pain. Be brave Dita. Be brave. It''s only a tiny wound so you''ll be just fine. One, two, three! She ripped the arrow our in one fell swoop from her back feeling her nerves crying out. A silent scream rushed through her mind as she scrambled to her feet leaning desperately against her fork. Snap out of it Dita! None of this is your fault! It''s just their fault for trying to kill you. You didn''t mean to kill them. Even if you did it was just self defense. Just self defense.. She was many things, but she wasn''t yet so heartless she could possibly not feel sad thinking about the brutally burned to death boy. In fact, she wasn''t sure she could ever escape the memory of the poor guy. Her eyes fell low, the sadness sapping her willpower relentlessly. No! We gotta focus on what we can do. Like figuring out what all came of the engagement! Bad first¡­ Mark of the Hunt A curse of a hunter that will periodically give a path that leads the hunter to their mark. The mark of the hunter is reserved for the most prized hunts. It''s said that the hunter will always see a glow around their mark. That''s.. not going to end well if I let it stay.. crap! I gotta dispel that somehow! Next would be.. rival? Nemesis: Elei: A half elf girl who will stop at nothing to avenge her fallen love. Damage Dealt: +50% Damage Received: +50% So it''s a double edged sword.. I think it''s sad, if I could communicate maybe I could have stopped the poor guy''s death. Guess if I was her I would have done the same thing.. I don''t know.. Heartbreaker A title reserved for those who have destroyed a budding love. Sometimes it''s better to have loved and lost, other times it''s better to have it meet it''s end before it ever starts. Alignment -1 I feel it''s poetic, but I wonder if someday I''ll have to kill her. I don''t want to. I want to learn to talk so I can apologize if I''m being honest.. Murderer A title for those who bear the cardinal sin of ending a life. To end a life is to bear its weight. Those who kill will always walk the line between madness and justice. Alignment: -5 Damage to Light Element Creatures: +5 Dark affinity: +1 I guess it was bound to happen.. I just wished it had been someone more convincingly evil. Now for the most unexpected.. <Dita can Evolve into the following species> GlimmerSprout BloodBarb Small Fireroot Lessar Dark Imp Wait! There is seriously a lot of choices!! Also.. what the heck is the last one?? Let''s check them out first. GlimmerSprout A species of Flora that specialize in manipulating light. It is said that high ranking ones can even fire a laser to defend themselves. A very sedimentary creature as it rarely has a need to move. Glimmersprouts are quite unique among Flora, having an affinity toward extremely bright areas but are ironically quite susceptible to a lack thereof. That sounds interesting, I love lasers but I don''t love being slow. I don''t know.. Bloodbarb A bloodthirsty plant that has a taste for the blood of all sorts. They are said to be directly as powerful as their reservoir of blood. A plant feared for their deadly ability to attach to creatures and live as a parasitic existence, eventually able to take minor control over a host. Bloodsucker is my best offensive skill so far, so I guess it''s not a bad choice.. but it sounds like it would look creepy.. and parasites are not really my idea of a great existence.. Small Fireroot A rare species of Flora that had a unique affinity for fire. They can control fire with grand precision, so much so that they are often sought out by monster tamers as the higher tiered version is far more ornery. A beautiful plant which thrives in the cinders. Fire is said to be their food, as they do not normally exist far from the firelands or active volcanoes. It could be useful for getting the fire affinity, but I don''t trust the eating of flames. What if I don''t find any? Will I just starve? Now for the odd one out I suppose. Lesser Dark Imp A creature known to trick and manipulate weak humans. They are one of the most hated creatures due to their being labeled as an abomination even among demonkin. The hateful imps are small and swift, though they are often killed due to the figurative Target on their back from death. If they survive, they are said to have immense potential. So we found the first chance at having a mouth. Though I don''t know if I like the rest of it. It doesn''t even tell me what they eat. What if they eat babies or something? Ah dang it! This isn''t easy at all!! Which one should I choose? {Name: Dita} {Lvl 20(MAX). Nightgloom} HP: 230/230 MP:310/310 SP: 6/6 AP: 105/105 {Attributes} Current status points: 195 Current skill points: 225 Strength: 39. Agility 16 Speed: 21. Dexterity: 16 Constitution: 0. Movement: 5 Magic: 14 Intelligence: 0 Luck: 30. Defense: 21 Resistance: 20 Mind: 17 Power: 19 Charisma: 26 Fire: -18 Water: 5. Ice: 2 Wind: 5. Earth: 25 Light: 19 Dark: 48 Lightning: -10 Decrypt lvl. 2 Blessing of Ancor lvl. 2 Bloodroot lvl. 2 Acolyte of Prejudice lvl. 2 Lucky lvl. 2 Nocturnal lvl. 2 Fenfire lvl. 2 Heartbreaker lvl. 1 Murderer lvl. 1 {Allignment} -15 The King of the Sands Lounging upon an overturned desert tree she sat, contemplating on the same thought that simply wouldn''t allow her rest. Guess I have to make a choice huh? The mixture of excitement and fear blended into an odd feeling she couldn''t quite place, in any case, waiting no longer held any merit. Feeling the familiar pain pulsate in her chest had tossed the figurative last straw in her mind. Bastard gave me this "gift" so I suppose not dying a slow and painful death to a fire burning inside would be a good thing. Fireroot ahoy! Besides, she had a master plan for bypassing her speech problem that would probably persist for some time. I''ve just got to draw in fire! That sounds so cool!! Her eyes lit up as she hovered over her status, the excitement of possibility flaring up like an inferno. Then, the cold reminder of what happened just a few hours prior came rushing to a melancholic face, one she wasn''t proud of at all. The silly part of it all was, she could see the sadness in her reflection which rippled slowly on the cold crystal clear water. The oasis around her making up just a tiny portion of her surroundings, it served as a fine temporary home. It was a figurative high ground in terms of the surroundings, she could see for a mile or so to three dunes in nearly any direction. There was, in fact, only one path she couldn''t see very far, but luckily, it was directly opposite to the would-be revenge-seeking pursuers. {Name: Dita} {Lvl 20(MAX). Nightgloom} HP: 230/230 MP:310/310 SP: 6/6 AP: 105/105 {Attributes} Current status points: 195 Current skill points: 225 Strength: 39. Agility 16 Speed: 21. Dexterity: 16 Constitution: 0. Movement: 5 Magic: 14 Intelligence: 0 Luck: 30. Defense: 21 Resistance: 20 Mind: 17 Power: 19 Charisma: 26 Fire: -18 Water: 5. Ice: 2 Wind: 5. Earth: 25 Light: 19 Dark: 48 Lightning: -10 Decrypt lvl. 2 Blessing of Ancor lvl. 2 Bloodroot lvl. 2 Acolyte of Prejudice lvl. 2 Lucky lvl. 2 Nocturnal lvl. 2 Fenfire lvl. 2 Heartbreaker lvl. 1 Murderer lvl. 1 {Allignment} -15 <Evolve into a Small Fireroot? (60:00)> <Yes> <No> Having almost nothing to go on in terms of the risks involved in evolution, she stared at the menu in deep concern for her safety for the numerical value she assumed was time. Well, the way I see it, my best bet is to blend into the foliage and evolve! Hopefully, my pursuers won''t choose to follow right away. Let''s go luck! Don''t fail me now! <Evolution Commencing! Please standby¡­> She braced herself, wincing in the figurative pain she expected, only to be disappointed by a lack thereof. She felt fine, that is until the woozy feeling hit her. She began to lose consciousness in a less than graceful manner, falling flat on her face in the process. K.O. So my guess was right huh? Guess there''s no avoiding it after all. [No, of course not.] So then when I wake up I should be able to handle fenfire! [Well, yes, at least the most basic stage that even a child could master.] Though I guess the bigger question is if I''ll wak-- HEY WAIT A MINUTE! [True, you could be dead right now and on a fast track to being my slave. Hello little Dita.] The crooked smile of the very bad devil man had fixated on her, completely and utterly unapologetic of her circumstances. You can''t just invade a girl''s thoughts like this! It''s personal! [Well, be as it may, It''s my business to be in the business of others, I trust you understand?] Not at all!! [Well, let''s just agree to disagree! Plus we''ve got far more interesting topics to discuss! Particularly one that you''ll be interested to hear!] His exaggerated spectacle of movements crescendoed her along with the big evil idiot, given she was, as per usual, stuck in his hand, haplessly swung along like a decoration. She wasn''t going to ask, if for no other reason than to deny him the control over her, even if she was curious. [Oh, if you play coy with me, I might just have to play around with your evolution! Can''t you see it? All the possibilities and hodgepodge monstrosities that would suit you?] His devilish features only emphasized a mixture of feelings, in fact, she couldn''t quite tell if he was being serious or not, which made her panic a bit. No! [Then why don''t you ask politely this time. You see, we can do this all day, but it''s to your advantage to cooperate with me. I promise I''m not half bad, and besides¡­] His smile widened and his eyes had a cruel flash of red summoning a shiver down her spine. [You''ll have to trust me.] Hmph, this is all your fault in the first place! [What was that? Please evolve me into a pet?] Ok! Ok! I get it, please tell me about the opportunity. She hated to give into him, and she knew, without a single solitary doubt, he knew, and worse yet, he loved it. [No, no, all wrong. You''ve got to grovel properly!] Please help me oh great one. Her eye twitched as the forced words came out of her mind with bitterness and hesitation. [Hmm.. still not good enough but I''m feeling generous. Aren''t I the best?] He glanced with a gleeful expression down at her expectantly. Y-yes. Stumbling on her words by sheer spite, she had at least survived even if she left her dignity in the dust. [Well, I''ve got a quest for you. Something of a task well suited to your particular path. You see, this word is highly favoring knowledge as a form of power, particularly of the arcane, or more accurately the unknown.] And? What is it? [Don''t rush perfection now, I was just about to get to the good part! I need you to find something for me, well, to be fair, it could be someone.] A gathering quest? Isn''t that too generous even for you oh great one? [Ah, your malice is truly admirable, how you inject venom into each word, I''m impressed! However, there''s a bit of a catch.] Why am I not surprised¡­ [Oh you will be. After all, this isn''t just any someone. It''s my brother''s soul was dealing with. You know, Mr. Boring who tried to give you the life Lilith wanted? Yes, if you haven''t gathered he''s quite smitten with her.] So then, if you killed him in the first place, what''s the point in me finding him of all people? [That is the question, and unfortunately, I can''t tell you until you find him for certain. Well, I could give you a hint, but the sad truth is, not even I can find him, us gods are such pitiable creatures that need to make a great sacrifice to descend upon the world. Woe and pity, blah blah blah. ] So I just find him? That''s it? [Ah, my dear little Dita, you''re not very quick on the uptake are you? That''s never it. Oh! But I''ll give you a good place to start.] Hmm? [Don''t sound so bored! It''s something you should know quite well! School! There are quite a few in this world you see, on both sides.] Both sides? Is there some kind of a war going on? [Well, truth be told, it''s less of a war and more an existential misunderstanding, you see, there are numerous factions that go about killing one another. But they pale in comparison to the distinction. It''s a distinction close to your heart, isn''t it? ] What are you getting at? [Monster or "the civilized species" which side do you consider your current self?] Aren''t I the second? Given I can think and communicate? [Wrong! Spectacularly so! You see, the definition of both sides comes down to a much more political stance. You may be intelligent but you''re still considered a monster, care to guess why?] Bigotry? Fear? Misunderstanding? [Oh! Looks like our contestant is set for a comeback! Yes on all fronts, but also due to one much more crucial reason.] That is? [Experience points! Levels! The whole damned thing. Kill or be killed, Darwinism, the survival of the fittest, you name it. The end goal is the same, but the sad truth of the current state of things is the two conflicting forces are at war with each other for experience points. Or in a more layman''s way of putting it. For power.] So it''s a glorified battle of who has a right to be strong? [Not precisely, but for the most part yes. You see, the monsters have a distinct setback, not all of them are smart, the "dumb" monsters are not always hinderances but for the most part, about five or ten percent of monsters are of proper intelligence.] Then why don''t they just accept the intelligent ones into the "civilized species"? Wouldn''t it make this whole conflict a moot point? [Precisely! Yes, it would, but that''s also the problem. You see, a certain goddess doesn''t want the two sides to get along, or rather, the church of a certain goddess doesn''t want it, for better or worse, the rhetoric of common knowledge is "monsters are evil!" or "civilized races are evil!" And so the cycle of two halves fighting to eradicate the other for the sanctity of their people exists.] So does that mean no matter what, I won''t be able to interact with humankind peacefully? [Don''t look so sad, nothing is ever written in stone. Change takes effort and if you truly want to reach them it''s certainly not impossible. You said it yourself, you can communicate can''t you?] I guess, but why did you tell me all this in the first place? [Two reasons, you''re going to be helping me search the first of many points where my dear old'' brother could be. Particularly a monster school for those seeking to learn and test their mettle. Also, you''ll hear plenty of what I just said there. But I didn''t want you getting yourself killed by trying to defend humans or something. That would be rather dull don''t you think? If you die it should be glorious! Something worth remembering! ] I certainly don''t want to die, so flashy of not, if and when I do, I guess doing something worthwhile is better than fizzling out. [See! Now you''ve got it! A sprout after my own heart. Oh, and before I forget. You should know, other monsters can view your status, thus they will know you''re a bit of an oddity. It shouldn''t be too much of a problem but.. ] She dreaded the possibility his "but" could hold but braced for impact all the same. [You may be a bit popular.] Huh? Why? Me? Popular? Her mind had fizzled out like a short circuit beautifully lacking in the comprehension of what was just said. [Well, you see you have a particular affix to your status that signifies you as a killer of the perceived enemy of monsters. Oh, good job escaping the humans by the way. I didn''t think you and your fork could make it out. ] She felt a pang in her heart of guilt at being reminded of her deed. [Don''t look so glum, remember, they were trying to kill you, and besides the poor idiot bit off more than he could chew with a level four fire spell.] Still. I just never thought it would happen so soon. [If it''s any consolation he probably would have botched the spell even if you hadn''t cast bloodsucker on him. Think about it this way, now that you were named his killer, you''ve given his sacrifice meaning through your growth! A lot better and less embarrassing to dying to his spell without your tampering right? ] She could feel it, the uneasy feeling of being consoled by a devil. Somehow, she couldn''t hate him for just that moment, just that one. Considering saying thank you, she figured he could read her feelings to know she felt a little bit better thanks to him. [Ah, look at the time! It''s time for you to wake up and smell the ashes! Again! Oh! And a word of advice. Don''t get too fire happy or you''ll probably regret it later. Goodbye little footstool!] You! Her anger shifted into a woozy feeling just as it had before her evolution as she abruptly awoke to the hazy cinders beside her, it was dim and dark at this time of day, but the fire in front of her illuminated the dark just enough to see a step or two in any direction. Fire? Where? She spun around quickly, slithering on her new feet replacing snake-like appendage. Her viewpoint took her nearly a third higher than her previous stature. The mysterious fire was circling her, but it took her three full attempts to figure out it was attached to her tail. Woah, so I''m basically like a charmander now? Damnit! I hope I don''t die if it goes out. Her face was a flourish of color, a mix of nature and fire burning with her chest. She could see down her body, it was smooth and still distinctly plant-like, but rather like a plant that thrived in fire. Her arms had become a little longer and with just a bit wider range of movement. The leafy appendages gave way to a more tough feeling structure that looked almost twiggy, but the glow of fire seemed to flow through her now like blood in a human would. The fiery veins and arteries pulsated and glowed in a pristine diminutive pattern that looked like graceful and glorious tattoos, but on a mostly nature ridden body. Woah!! I look so much cooler!! Not cute enough but it should be fine as long as I can.. She attempted to move forward and repeated the spin she had done at the start. Move.. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The problem wasn''t her mobility being lacking, but rather that it was too much to learn in an instant. The movements of a snake were a spectrum that her brain couldn''t understand. Moving in a circle was kind of easy, but the sort of back and forth motion needed for a proper movement was a very strange feeling to grasp. Ok, this could be a problem. Come on Dita, move!! Despite her enthusiasm and a pep talk, the movement was just barely what one could consider walking. Worse yet, there was a sound of movement in the distance to her left. Come on, gotta squirm my way out of the way. I''d stand no chance unless... She grabbed her fork and used it as a sort of oar to right herself in the sand. Her speed with a hint of help from the fork was quite a lot faster than her previous run and much less tiring too! Distancing herself from the cinders of the oasis, there were clear signs of movement, but it was just too dark to discern what "it" was. Following a few dunes to the right lead the creatures that stalked her to keep a set distance. It was a strange game of creating distance only to lose progress in a quick moment. So whatever they are, seem to be much faster than me, or have some way to keep the distance fixed. I don''t know if I can keep running. Let''s check the stats. {Name: Dita} {Lvl 1. Small Fireroot} HP: 167/167 MP:760/760 SP: 4/4 AP: 105/111 {Attributes} Current status points: 195 Current skill points: 225 Strength: 28. Agility 21 Speed: 18. Dexterity: 12 Constitution: 6. Movement: 4 Magic: 19 Intelligence: 12 Luck: 20. Defense: 17 Resistance: 30 Mind: 24 Power: 27 Charisma: 23 Fire: 28 Water: -30 Ice: -20 Wind: 15. Earth: 15 Light: 19 Dark: 48 Lightning: 15 Decrypt lvl. 3 Blessing of Ancor lvl. 3 Bloodroot lvl. 2 Acolyte of Prejudice lvl. 2 Lucky lvl. 2 Nocturnal lvl. 2 Fenfire lvl. 3 Heartbreaker lvl. 1 Murderer lvl. 1 Serpentine lvl. 1 Fire Magic Attunement lvl. 3 Poison Affinity lvl. 1 {Allignment} -14 {Debuffs} Mark of the Hunt Nemesis: Elei Ah! I forgot! I have a bunch of points to spend! Since they aren''t closing the distance let''s see what''s new! Serpentine lvl 1 A limber creature which takes after the great snake of creation. A serpentine is the symbol of things most holy, but also, in the wrong hands, something terribly sad. Poison Affinity lvl. 1 Alignment + 1 Slithering lvl. 1 Hmm.. so then there are two more attached? Then what about those? Poison affinity lvl. 1 Cost: 15 An affinity for the poison element that can be infused into other abilities to inflict poison aliment and damage. Poison rots and blemishes the untarnished face of even the devil above. Poison damage +1 Sounds like it would be useful for the attrition style fight, but I''m not sure if I could evade much of anything right now, so that''s not very useful yet. Slithering lvl. 1 Cost: 20 The art of movement of the serpentine race. Slithering was once hated, looked down upon by the hateful gods of old, now it is seen for its honesty, it''s glory and grace. So I definitely need to level this one! Expensive though ... Let''s check the last! Fire Magic Affinity lvl. 3 Cost: 30 The ability to control and cast fire magic. Lvl. 1 fire magic Lvl. 2 fire magic Lvl. 3 fire magic ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? Fire magic is thought to have spurred on the first life. Mastery of it is said to be encroaching upon the realm of Gods. Woah! That one has a lot left to unlock! Though I guess most of it is just tiers of spells? Wait, do I even have any fire spells? What about fenfire? Fenfire lvl. 3 A flame that burns from the cairn of lost hope. A harbinger of fervent change, it''s intensity only matches by its mystery. Venfire lvl. 1 Vile Flame lvl. 1 Soul Cairn lvl. 1 ????? Prerequisites Fire affinity +100 Woo! No more fire damage I''ll bet! Go me! Who''s awesome? I am! <Dita has learned a new skill! Burnout!> <Dita had learned a new skill! Firewall!> <Dita has learned a new skill! Venfire> <Dita has learned a new skill! Vile Flame> <Dita has learned a new skill! Soul Cairn> <Dita has learned a new skill! Dancing Flames> Woah! That''s more than I expected! Glancing at the skill tab she saw the varying descriptions lined up. Skills Skill points: 225 Cruel heart. Lvl 1 Cost 12 Bloodsucker Lvl 1 Cost 4 Eventide Lvl 1 Cost 1 Moonlight Burst Lvl 1 Cost 1 Diamond Dust Lvl 0/1 Cost 6 Dream Symphony Lvl 0/1 Cost 3 Burnout Lvl 1 Cost 15 Firewall Lvl 1. Cost 20 Venfire Lvl. 1. Cost 30 Vile Flame Lvl. 1. Cost 45 Soul Cairn Lvl. 1. Cost 15 Dancing Flames Lvl. 1. Cost 10 Fire Magic Affinity Lvl. 3 Cost 50 Slithering lvl. 1. Cost 20 Sufficing to confusion she gazed at the list while clumsily making her way across the slope of yet another dune in the deep dimly lit night. As if to spite her awe, the pursuers closed the set distance with startling speed. No choice! She stopped, preparing her fork for battle, she didn''t even have time to level the skills, let alone know their effect. The shadows surrounded her in the bat of an eye. [You..] [You are fast for a magic caster.] She was surprised to hear words she could clearly understand resonating clearly in the howling desert winds. How am I going to convince them I''m not a threat? Heck are they human or monster? I can''t tell... [You will come with us.] [There is no purpose to resistance.] The calm in their voices was unsettling at best but sounded almost like an insect, or maybe something undead. It was impossible to tell, so she, for now, nodded in approval. [You will comply?] She nodded with a serious expression in retort. [Hmm..] The beings began speaking between each other in a tongue she couldn''t understand, though it sounded a little like German. Feeling a pinprick to the recesses of her mind she could tell they were viewing her status, in part due to the shocked expression that seemed to travel from one to the next. One figure approached her close before removing its hood. A praying mantis-like humanoid stared her down with its compound eyes in an expression she couldn''t quite grasp. [You are strange.] Gee thanks, I love being told that by a giant bug person! Hmph. [But still, you have merit. The nameName is Bezrrl, this is my company. We serve the king of the sands.] [Does this one have a name?] A second softer voice came from a much smaller hooded figure as it pointed to her. Attempting to carve her name into the sand wasn''t working properly, so she attempted to focus flames to display her name. Strangely the flames did appear among the air, the only problem was, they lacked fidelity so they could only last several seconds. Her hurried attempts to draw her name eventually had them grasp it somewhat. [Dizzta?] She nodded, not wanting to try again. [This one will pay a visit to the consort of the king] [We need a third party. Someone uninvolved from the kingdom. This one will not be harmed if comply.] The lack of animosity or warmth in the voices made their words come with a strange and unique air, despite the request being anything but polite. She considered it must have been a cultural quirk or something, either way, she didn''t fancy her chances given the fact that they were quite higher status wise. Bezrrl Lvl. 26 Mantisian Warlord HP: 5434/5434 MP: 288/288 SP: 14/14 AP: 460/466 The leader, or what she hoped to be, was surrounded by colleagues that remained a mess of question marks. It appeared that when he introduced himself, the giving of a name gives the ability to see one''s status. This could seriously be a problem in the future! [What is this one''s purpose?] One of the smaller manticians asked, with a more innocent tone than the rest. Her carapaced hand pointed at Dita while asking Bezrrl. [This one is going to save us from the night keeper.] [Will we be safe?] The desperation in the voice felt almost childish. [ Yes we will.] The glance stared daggers into her eyes, but it wasn''t out of malice but out of hope. Perhaps helping them might lead her to a clue to the whereabouts of Asmodeus. Speaking of which, what would he be like? Would he be the same stickler love-struck guy he seemed to be? Or something completely different? A grandiose shadow rose far above the coming dunes like a skyscraper only many thousands of times bigger than one would expect. A couple of moments passed as she slowly began to make sense of the amalgamate shape. It was indeed skyscrapers, in part, but they were all sewn together in a mass of twisting metal and beehive like material. It was a city hive, no a mega city! Well, I''m a little intimidated but I think they''re a lot less likely to kill me than the humans. [Welcome back.] The guards at the windy gate both showed their respect dutifully with a bow in unison. [This one thanks you.] [What of the strange one?] [It is not for present ears.] [Yes, this one understands.] Passing by the gate the stares from the guards were less than intimidating, holding far more curiosity than she would have guessed. It was an open gate, with what appeared to be a system which could quickly drop a very heavy looking gate that loomed above her now. The interior was shielded almost completely from the sandstorm and instead had all the hustle and bustle of a busy market square. Many of the bugmen were extremely curious, but most seemed to give a quiet reverence to Bezrrl and his company of what she had assumed were soldiers. To either side, various stalls and travelers made their way into or out of the common area which seemed to function as a market for the lower middle class. The items being sold ranged from strange insect looking armor to livestock that looked rather odd, to even another that nearly made her gasp. Humans? I shouldn''t be shocked, but I suppose they''re slaves around the parts where monsters reign. I just hope they don''t eat them. Seriously though, they''re way too tasty. No, no bad thought! Bad thought! Luckily, it seemed like they were treated as work slaves or an exotic pet rather than outright food. But it was far too early to prove or disprove the theory. Then again, did she have a problem if they did? It probably was a mirror on both sides, the humans doing horrible things to the monsters. In this case, she lacked the luxury of choice, she was a monster and thus had little chance within reason of blending into humanity. Lost in thought she followed the graceful envoy up a series of steps that looked as though it could have gone up for miles. Slithering up steps was a very oddly difficult task and her fork came in very handy. Though it made the entire process a little faster, it was anything but a cure-all. The odd looks she received slithering about were embarrassing but necessary. Though she wanted badly to spend her points to make it easier, she couldn''t help but want to hold onto them. After all, it''d be a shame if the system favored putting a lot of points in one thing or another. It was less a question of purpose and more a question of unlocking some super cool skill or attribute by going deep into one stat or skill. It was a difficult feeling, that sometimes she would backtrack on. Though a few thousand steps later and she had regretted it, even if it was quickly forgotten by the surprisingly lavish interior that greeted her. Assailing her senses was a massive hall of breathtaking blues and regal yellows. The colors that coincidentally found themselves plastered on the flag that she had passively noticed as she had made her way up. The furniture was strange but the general aura of the area was incredibly civilized and quite startlingly clean despite the amalgamate exterior. Never judge a book by its cover huh? [This one will enter here.] Her would-be host was pointing toward a large door engraved with a massive telling of a story, one she didn''t have the time now to properly process. She was shoved through the door into a deep red glowing room that had light crystals that mirrored the ones in the sky almost precisely. The door was closed tightly behind her. Immediately she felt a strange scent assail her senses, it was like a mix of lavender and plum in a refreshing unison. [Hello little one.] She looked around for a beginning to the sound and was met by no obvious source within eyeshot. Eventually, her eyes drifted up as she nearly toppled over in surprise. Looking down at her was a massive six armed mantis, it''s crimson carapace donning scars yet still gleamed like pure ruby. Holy cakes! I''m going to guess he''s the sand king they were talking about earlier. [Ah! Indeed I am child. Though the title is wasted on me since I rather dislike the sands.] No way, you can hear my thoughts too?! [Indeed I can, though I find it rather peculiar that you have met another with such a feat. Though it must be lonely, not being able to speak, not even having a mouth. You are truly a strange child.] The words of the mantis seemed wise and strong-willed as he reminded her resoundingly of a general of a military, though in some cases more like a cheerful grandfather, she settled on somewhere in-between. Excuse me, sir, is there some reason I was brought here? [Hmm, well yes, but how do I explain this without it seeming unfair¡­ no, I suppose it was selfish of my men to capture you. Forgive me little one, what is your name?] Dita''s the name! [Ah! It''s a pleasure to meet you, Dita, I wish our meeting could have been on better terms, but I fear that may be a difficult bargain given the current problems in this place.] The grand beast sighed before gracefully coming to the floor without even making so much as a sound. [You see, we need someone unassociated, unsullied by the "problems" we currently face. As for what they are¡­] The large mantis brought a carapace laced hand to his jaw. [They are matters of betrayal, ones that we have yet to prove. You see, not everyone is happy with the choices I''ve made, but this particular issue is even deeper. A terrorist group that has been causing absolute chaos since their induction a few weeks ago.] The massive mantis leaned into her with a look that could only ever be considered snide. [No don''t say it. You''re wondering "why me" aren''t you? Of course, there is a reason it had to be an outsider. You see, almost every one of this city has a connection to each other, both politically and through a series of more intricate bonds. Long story short, we need someone with no ties both literally and figuratively speaking, you will infiltrate them, and if you can put an end to their trifling, then you will be heavily compensated.] So it''s not just to hunt them down, it''s to snuff them out from the inside out? [Precisely. The second reason you were picked is that your age, and the place by which they are most likely to exist. The Ezzrah University of magic. Yes, before you ask, you''ll be enrolled. Though don''t lose sight of your mission. Trust me, a favor from me is worth a million fold what enrollment to the university would give you. Ah. I can see it on your face. "Why do you think they are from there?" Simple, they use magic, though crude at times, they are being tugged along by the strings of a puppet master of whom is the linchpin to be dealt with.] So I kind of understand my criteria in being picked, but don''t you think it''s a bit of a tall order for me to take down an organization leader who is as smart as you say on my own? [Playing dumb doesn''t suit you. I can see your list of gifts as plain as day. If that doesn''t make you able enough, there is one other there which will assist you. Don''t forget the phrase. Downward Eagle. It will be the signal. Understand? ] Sorry, I just am new to all this, so I''ll do my best sir. [Hah, calling a faction leader "sir" I can see why you''re a chosen! While most call me king I will allow you to refer to me as you please little Dita. Though my name is Azerran and I created this city with my own six hands!] Thank you, I mean, it''s my honor! I mean, what''s a chosen? [Nothing if not honest, as they say. The chosen are, quite simply, those who come from worlds apart. They usually take a second gander at life here, but it''s strange, lately, the likes of your kind have multiplied, it is a curious affair that I haven''t the foggiest explanation. The blame lies with the gods if I had to guess.] Her eyes flashed to an annoyed expression directed at Bel of course. [It is late you will find your boarding in the girls'' dormitory building E, room 434. I wish you the best of luck in your studies, Dita. Oh! And one more thing. ] The crimson mantis retrieved something with the aid of a spell. [Take this, it''s a device that will allow your thoughts to create words within the city. I would imagine infiltration when you don''t have a mouth to speak with is too much even for a gifted one. Now go and remember, many lives are on the line and you may very well be the hero of my people. I will not take this lightly.] I don''t think I have a choice, but I understand why you would want to deal with them, but is there a reason you can''t forcibly expel them or investigate? [That''s the problem, they have the favor of some of the council of nobles. So taking them down without information would only lead to a temporary and pointless calm. No doubt they would start up again in no time. Also, try it on, it''s a choker, but it has the enchantment for common speech.] [Like this? Hey, I can talk! Woah, it sounds like my old voice! Well kind of.] [Good! It seems to be working. Now there is no finite time limit, but I will trust you to understand lives are on the line.] [Aye sir!] [Then may the luck of Belphegor be with you!] [I don''t think... I mean, thanks!] Stammering through the door she was met by a new face, particularly one much smaller than what she was expecting. [Is this one, Dita?] The small, cute, ladybug like girl stood about a head taller than her but had a thin almost lithe frame. Her features were very close to humans in a few measures, even her carapace was strangely like a young girl in armor. [Hello! Are you here to help me find the university?] The ladybug girl nodded a few times before turning toward the path laid out forward. [What''s your name?] The ladybug girl looked back startled and shy, resuming a sort of attentive almost militant dedication. [Sevv is this one.] Sevv Lvl. 5 Knight HP: 377/377 MP: 488/488 SP: 7/7 AP: 268/268 She pointed to herself. Guess introductions are even more important in this world after all. [Nice to meet you Sevv!] The ladybug girl nodded before resuming her role as a guide. It was a spectacular city, be it for the creative reuse of the buildings or the startlingly orderly conduct, it functioned as far as she could tell, like a finely oiled machine. They walked across the royal level to a strange area that must have been the figurative high castle of the society. [Have you lived here long?] She nodded quaintly. [Do you like it here?] She nodded again, this time a bit more vigorously. [Am I asking too many questions?] She began to nod only to stop midway as she turned to Dita with a panicked expression. [Sevv didn''t mean to-] Dita smiled a bit wryly. [Don''t feel bad, I think that maybe Bel rubbed off on me a little.] [Bel?] [My sworn enemy!] She looked with her strange mouth agape. [Well, I guess he''s not really that bad.] She didn''t seem to know how to respond, caught firmly between wanting to inquire more and feeling obliged to refrain. [Would you like to be my friend? I''ve only gotten a few of those since I was born. Maybe we would get along!] Patting the shocked ladybird was something of an interesting feeling, she really was in armor and totally suited the class knight if only she was bolder. [This one?] She pointed to herself. [Well, there isn''t anyone else that I could mean right?] She nodded curiously, perhaps not being too familiar with the term. [You do know what a friend is right?] She contemplated for a moment before nodding. [Friends are forever.] Dita cocked her head a bit being caught off guard. Well, she isn''t wrong per se¡­ [Yeah!] [But why this one?] [Well, I figure we''re both girls and we both have cool names! It''s a start, kind of, right?] [This one is confusing.] Surprisingly the accusation was this time directed at her as the ladybird had retorted in a manner Dita had to agree to. [I guess I can be, on occasion.] [This one is doubtful.] Her expression looked to be having a bit more fun than last time. [Hey now! Trust is really important in friendship you know!] [This is the university] Dita grasped hold of her surroundings that expanded like the magical school from her favorite movie and book series! [It looks like Mogwarts!!] The ladybird turned to her shocked, with her weapon at the ready. [Mogs?! This one will protect!] Dita felt a little pang of guilt this time, there was some rather conspicuous misunderstanding going on. [No, no not a mog, Mogwarts the school!] She put down her weapon with a confused expression. [There is such a place?] Well yes in literature, sorry I gotta tell it so she doesn''t think I''m weirder than I am! [Sort of, it''s very far away. I don''t think many would know about it.] [Is Dita from Mogwarts?] The innocent question making her grave dug deeper in the face of the poor little ladybug. [Well I''m from a place that''s around those parts, so yes! Kind of.] [Will Dita be able to find her quarters from here?] She nodded jovially in response. [Then this one must report back to Mazzrk! Nice to meet this one. Dita friend!] The method of talking did little to mask her happiness over making a friend. [Of course Sevvy! I''ll probably see you around!] Surprisingly she didn''t begin her walk in the opposite direction, no, she followed inward toward the center of the school. By the looks of things, there was a guard tower in the middle or something along those lines. In truth Dita was happy her new friend was likely to be stationed so close. [This one wishes you good night.] Sevv bowed her head in a noble movement. [Night night Sevv!] The small red blur made her way into the building at a much speedier pace before she found herself alone in a large complex of buildings. [E something¡­ building e¡­ something.. ah! Wasn''t it four hundred and something? ] She grasped the building letters right after she passed what she assumed was building b. The next she met was strangely building d making her a bit confused as to where c went. Despite this she had found e with relative ease, now would be the tough part. [Maybe there is a receptionist or dorm leader?] She peeked through the glass like windows of the entryway, it was filled with light from hovering flames and mystical blue-hued ice. The two varying colors seemed to indicate, at least to her curious mind, that the elements were sequestered to different portions of the dorm potentially cutting her search zone in half. [Lucky! Maybe I should put all those points into luck and get by in life by my good fortune? Nah bad idea.] [Oh yeah! I can finally take a moment to look at the remaining skills! So excited!] Burnout Lvl 1 Cost 15 Firewall Lvl 1. Cost 20 Venfire Lvl. 1. Cost 30 Vile Flame Lvl. 1. Cost 45 Soul Cairn Lvl. 1. Cost 15 Dancing Flames Lvl. 1. Cost 10 Fire Magic Affinity Lvl. 3 Cost 50 Slithering lvl. 1. Cost 20 Burnout Lvl. 1 Command fire to expunge an area remotely with flame. It is very volatile and extremely likely to backlash. Power: 280 MP: 25 Burnout is the fire magic equivalent to a novice skill, but as with all things fire, there is always a danger involved. This skill is likely the reason fire magic is considered best suited to daredevils and gamblers. [Nope, not liking all that chance of self-immolation, no thanks nope nope nope.] Firewall Lvl. 1 Craft a physical barrier out of flames, can be used to create any number of shapes and sizes. This skill is a combination skill. Power: 120 MP: 50 Firewall has always been thought to have a history built in sieging and defense. Often times mages will cast a firewall to buy time for reinforcements or another mage to prepare a strong spell. [Seems super useful but also really expensive. I feel neutral on the subject.] Vile Flame Lvl. 1 A flame that is said to burn violet with the ability to combine with other affinities. It has a particular affinity toward darkness attribute. This is a combination skill. Passive: Violet flames will replace standard flames increasing the value and consumption. Damage +25% per level. Consumption +15% per level. Alignment -1 per level. [Oh! Now, this sounds fancy! Purple flames! Yes, please. Don''t know about the alignment though..] Dancing Flames Lvl. 1 A signature skill of the fireroots! The ability to control fire into an extension of the body. This skill can be used in a myriad of ways. This is a combination skill. Passive: Fire control +2% per level. Passive: Fire Damage -2% per level. Passive: Fire Resistance +2% per level. [Hmm so that one is trading power for control. Could be super useful if fire is as tough to handle as it seems.] Venfire lvl. 1 A dark flame that targets the soul. It is very slow but can burn for an immense amount of time diminishing a foe over time. Power: 30 x duration MP: 3 per second. Venfire is also called the touch of corruption given its history of driving mad any who suffered and lived to tell the tale. [Ok, a little bit scary, but I''ll keep it in mind.] Soul Cairn lvl 1 An amalgamation of the soul, able to sustain based on the fire and souls of the defeated. The heart of the Fenfire. Passive: Absorb 6%(+ 2% per level) of darkness attribute damage. Passive: Heal periodically .05% from self inflicted damage.(+ .05% per level) Passive: Recover a portion of HP lost as MP. Passive: Recover a portion of MP lost as AP. Passive: Recover a portion of AP lost as HP. Passive: Alignment -5 per level. [Why do the good skills always have one thing that''s a drawback! But seriously that one is almost too good to be true!] [Do you often make a habit of talking to yourself in dark corridors in the middle of the night?] Dita froze, almost unable to brave turning around. [Yeah, that''s probably not the best idea if you''re trying to make friends here. Weirdo.] Another voice chimed in, she was in serious trouble now. First impressions out the window! [Come on Dita do you be honest or pretend you have a familiar or something? I don''t think they''ll buy it!] [Um, you know we can still hear you right?] Now she had done it, the group of three had a myriad of expressions, from the shy looking medusa to the sassy and judgemental dragoness, then to the ringleader, who looked like some kind of beautiful banshee. [Ahaha.. I can explain.] [Really? Well count me a skeptic.] The corpse bride chimed in. [Same here.] Echoed the dragoness. [Maybe we should let her talk..?] The shy Medusa finished with a small voice. [I¡­] (For anyone wondering she''s the third one currently!) An Icy Reception Amidst the piercing gazes of varying severity she stood, dumbfounded for an explanation. It wasn''t that the options weren''t clear, it was more that she didn''t want this school life to end up a mirror of her previous. She, despite all her efforts to escape it, could still remember it like it was yesterday. The snide and stuck up "popular" girls who had all but excommunicated her, the boys who usually had more interest in dating than friendship, and the conflict of interests by simply feeling out of place. In truth, she wasn''t quite unpopular, but she certainly wasn''t comfortable with her place. Being much more along the cute spectrum rather than pretty, the guys she would attract made her leery, her small experience with the opposite sex was awkward and always ended the same way. She wanted friendship, and they wanted love. She eventually had gotten a misguided reputation for seducing people which only lead her to a yet more anxious and precarious spot. No! It''s not going to go like that! Snap out of it Dita! It''s our chance to do things right this time! While her interests has greatly changed, in part by necessity, she had a feeling of confidence pour over her. [I was excited about my recent evolution, checking out all the new skills and deciding what to level up.] That''s right! Honesty will set me free! The three girls looked a bit confused and glanced at each other for a quick second. [Evolution? You call that an evolution?] The ringleader banshee smirked closing the distance to where the stunned Dita stood. [Still looking like a pip squeak if you ask me] The dragoness mirrored the sentiment with a low rumbling hiss. [Maybe.. it''s just a start.] The shy Medusa spoke in an almost inaudible rush of words. Not good! They seem like bullies! Well two of them at least.. maybe if I stand up to them it won''t be like last time! [How about you back off bitch.] Dita thrust her words out with confidence and defiance to the would be bullies. The banshee let out huff, giving a venomous smile of her own. [Ohoho~ big words for a little sprout. At least you''re not as much of a pushover as you look. We''ll see how long that confidence lasts.] The banshee turned with a smug expression and made her way toward the crimson staircase across the room. The shocked expression of the dragoness snapped back as she grit her fangs and glared hard at Dita before following close behind. The Medusa remained in a sort of sulking glance toward the floor, her glances reaching for Dita every now and then but only meeting her gaze for a split second before losing heart. As the three disappeared up the steps Dita was left with a big sigh of relief. Guess standing up to them helped a bit. Got a little bit of respect from their leader, wait.. or did I just make her into my rival?? Scrambling through her status she made sure there was no new entries to the nemesis list, luckily no such development ended up coming to fruition. Dita slithered toward the red stairwell that, by all accounts, seemed to be the fire side of things. This would almost certainly be her dorm''s location right? She thought for a long moment as she used her fork to move up the steps one after the next. The twisting spiral of stairs was romantic like a castle she had seen in fairy tales growing up. She felt like a princess waltzing up to her tower to await her fairytale life as a princess! As if things would be like that, not in this kingdom and not as a plant either. Reaching the first floor she took a moment to figure out the room numbers, but was quick to dismiss her room was not on the floor due to the numbers being vastly off. Shimmying to the next floor left her equally dumbfounded as the numbers again felt strangely off. What''s more there was a distinct feeling as though this floor was for upper classmates, if the school even operated in the traditional manner. The third floor again yielded no obvious answer to her questions, this made things extremely tricky, and gave her a bad feeling about the future of her dorm life. No way, it''s not in the ice side right? That''s not my specialty at all! I''m not gonna be able to relax in a refrigerator ! Slipping her way downstairs she moved past a couple of gossiping imps, but they put on a smile and greeted her so it was difficult to tell if they were kind or merely playing the part. Reaching the bottom floor she decided to make her way toward the blue hued stairs opposite the red ones which she stood, still dumbfounded. Scaling the steps for the second time was much more difficult given the black ice which ruined her already shaky attempts at stability. After clambering to the first floor above, she collapsed in a momentary exhaustion. Please don''t match the numbers, please don''t match! She chanted in her mind, hoping for the numbers not to match but instead was greeted by a medium sized pair of eyes looking down at her. [Are you alright? You seem to have taken a bit of a tumble.] The words came out with wispy grace from the transparent woman who seemed to be some kind of spirit or fairy. Though given her height, or lack there of, she was likely much less a woman and much more like a girl. Her hair was strangely parted in a symmetrical and perfect manner and her clothes, or what seemed to function as such was like a grand flowing dress. [Oh! I just had trouble getting up on the ice, I''m not used to the stuff so I ended up falling down from the black ice. I''ll be ok!] Dita gave her best smile as the icy girl responded in kind. [You must be a new student, my name is Mirtae and I am the representative of this dormitory. Could I assist you lost one?] Dita looked a bit confused and responded without thinking. [Wait! How''d you know I was lost? Is it that obvious?] She gave a calm hand to help her up before responding. [It''s not that, but rather that I''ve never seen your face before. And everyone who first makes their way here is often lost, at least at first.] The extended hand of the cold girl was much warmer than she expected, which mirrored Dita''s newfound expectation of this side of the dorm. [I''m looking for my room but I couldn''t seem to find it in the fire side, could you perhaps tell me where it is?] Dita handed the paper to Mirtae as she looked a bit surprised before looking a couple times between her and to her paperwork. [Are you sure there isn''t some mistake? ] That doesn''t sound promising.. The sentiment sent a chill down her spine. [I''m sure, why? Is something wrong? ] Not good! Not good! Mirae gave her a listless expression followed shortly by a weak smile. [Not so much a problem as you appear to be sectioned to this side of the dorms. But you''re a fire affinity monster are you not?] Dita sank low for a long moment before nodding. [Ah! Maybe it''s..] She paused causing Dita''s head to shoot up. [Could it be you''re trying to master both elements? Is this a sort of training method to adapt? I think that''s admirable!] The innocence of the misunderstanding lead no moment for Dita to correct the mistake. Though it was an interesting concept. If she could master the cold maybe she''d have one less weakness to worry about? After all, it''s way better to be alive than it is to have one ultra powerful spell or something. Though it was seriously tempting to go all in one and hope for the best! [Right this way! I''ll show you to your residence and you can meet with your roommate as well while you''re at it!] Well she sure seems happy about this? And a roommate? [By the way, your name''s Dita right?] Wait how did she know? Thats seriously.. creepy. [How did you know? ] The see through girl looked at her a bit oddly before smiling in a pitiable manner. [It''s on your paperwork silly.] Wait, why didn''t I think of that? [We''re here! Welcome to your room!] [Thanks for showing me! Also, is it always this cold in here?] The ice spirit looked at her as if assessing the words to be a joke or not. [Of course! It''s better to cultivate ice and water based skills! Also if you need anything let me know. I''m always around!] Dita nodded giving her a happy expression as the whispy woman disappeared into a nearby wall. Well, at least there are some good eggs around. Now onto the most important one. If I get stuck with a bad roomie this could end up making or breaking this school life! Come on cross your fingers! We''re lucky! Think lucky thoughts! . Pressing her hand to the door it opened automatically as if in reaction to her magic or maybe in recognition she belonged there. It left her with an odd view that almost felt voyeurous, given the fact that she didn''t have a moment to prepare herself. [Hello? Anyone in there?] The dark room was just barely lit, there were what looks to be candle light hovering like balloons throughout the room. The strange phenomenon gave just enough light for her to see a cutesy room with a princess like decor, raising even more of a question of who the mysterious roommate could be. A warm breeze flowed through the room cleaving a wave of comfort toward her through the otherwise painfully frigid surroundings. [Are you ok?] [Yes, just a little cold] [Then why did you pick the frost wing?!] The voice carried a cute almost ethereal trill to it, breaking the delicate silence with a decidedly sassy chime. Dita had nearly lost her balance at seeing her supposed roommate. Surprisingly the rather confident voice resounded from a rather small source. A small, fairy-like creature floated about curiously giving her a once over, clearly pointing to the fact she wasn''t exactly shy about it. She was certainly a beauty, though a pipsqueak version, a fact that nearly made her laugh in a manner that could have made her first impression rather questionable. Come on Dita introduce yourself ! Don''t just get trapped in curiosities, she''ll think you''re weird! [Erith.] Dita blinked a few times attempting to make sense of the crooked smile that followed the confusing words. Is it her name? Am I being named? No, it''s best to just ask.. [Huh?] [My name, you were wondering about it.] [How did you know?] [That you wanted to make a good first impression and thought I was naming you for some reason too? Nice to meet you too Dita] The sly expression mixed with a hint of teasing, clearly, she was able to read her thoughts! No, no! Not another Bel! She''s teasing too! Wait now she knows I think she''s teasing me! Shh brain stop it before you get us in bigger trouble! Glancing up with a wince she heard the incorrigible response of laughter in the wake of her panic. Eventually her jovial moment culminated into an aftermath of tears in her eyes and a wider smile than before. A tiny hand reached out, with a far more earnest expression entering the fray. [You''re way too easy you know that? And you already met the triage of pretentious prima donnas. Well more like two thirds of it. In any case, you''ve got a lot to learn, and you''re lucky you got me as your roommate!] Eagerly reaching out to meet her hand she clasped gleefully. A friend? Hmm one of the teasy-doting type too. Wait I can''t think this, she''s going to-- [Too late. You really don''t know how to shield your thoughts do you? Ah, so precious. You''re like a little hyim! Oh, you don''t know what they are right? They''re these adorable little sky cows that utterly love music.] The small beauty took a moment to look proud before continuing. [Teasy-doting type huh?] Dita placed her hands over her non-existent mouth in a desperate attempt to silence even her thoughts. [Well, since I can''t hide anything I might as well say it directly. Would you care to be friends? I''ve not really been able to make a friend yet and I-] The expression of the small horned fairy changed to one of pure disbelief. [Hold on just a second! You''ve never had a friend? What were you born a week ago?] [Well, actually, yes.] A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. [Wait, you''re not supposed to¡­] The frazzled fairy scrunched her brow studying her for a moment drawing a finger to her chin. She darted around in pure concentration before caving into the statement. [Geeze, and I thought I was a prodigy.] A large sigh met her as the expression evolved into a subtle pout. [I''ll be your friend but, you''ve got some explaining to do and who is Bel? Hmm by how he treats you I''d guess he''s your boyf-] Dita emminated an aura of pure unkempt fury as the rush of frustration had caught the fairy almost painfully clear on her mistake. [No chance. No way. Even if he fixed all the damned mistakes he made. I''ve got better taste than that!] The fairy gave a sly look, leaning into her cheek. [Really? From what I could gather he''s pretty hot.] The crescendo of the words just ended up leading to the fairy bursting out in laughter at her own terrible joke, leaving Dita quite stunned. A moment later and Dita had put on the fairy''s pout from a few moments prior. [I''m only being silly, but to think, you''re so young and participating in the prized jewel of sands, the royal zzern academy.] She paused giving her a serious look. [If I wasn''t quite so imaginative, I''d say something isn''t adding up. Care to enlighten me? Fairy''s honor I won''t tell anyone.] Dita looked at her, maintaining her leery pout. After all she had just met her, and she was already asking her to explain how she came to this world. [You''re from an entire different world?!] [Crap! I thought it! No fair!] [All''s fair in friendship! Now spill the deets! Oh and before you get to the good stuff come over here.] The fairy tugged her over to her side of the room, a beautiful crystalline bed with an equally stunning sheet of gold lined covers and pillows perfectly contrasted the deep blue hues. It was regal and royal feeling, neither of which she could have previously associated with monsters. [Y..you were a human?!] The expression of her fairy friend turned very dark very quickly. [I was ! But in my previous world, there are only humans! We didn''t hurt monsters like the humans here seem to do.] The fairy contemplated her words, still leery on the newest fact. [Well, I can tell you''re not lying. That''s a start I guess. Talk about baggage.] The little fairy sighed. [I didn''t really have a choice, and after meeting the captain I got dragged here too.] The shock once again flushed over the features of the small Erith. [If I wasn''t a prodigy able to tell every thought from fabrication I''d have thought you were as inept as a donkey.] Dita half leaped at the familiar sounding element. [Donkey''s exist!?] A pitiable, almost disappointed look washed over Erith. [Of course they do, are you, no, nevermind you''ve only lived a week and some days so we''re going to have to give you the benefit of the doubt. Next would be¡­ ] The fairy closed her eyes and held out her hand, a mythical mist circling around it in a bangle like circle increasing in size. {Inspect!} The fairy called out, trading the wispy formless mp for an all too familiar status box, only this time it was facing someone else. The small fairy girl retrieved a likewise small pair of glasses perfectly accentuating her features for a perfect mixture of cute and cool. [Let''s see.. hmm] Her eyes went from curious to confused and back again, small inaudible mumbles replaced her voice as she composed her glances one after the next. [Is there a reason you wanted to inspect me?] Dita asked nervously, being quite out of her element yet. [Two reasons, if we''re to be friends, I''d love to get to know you better. And of course, random curiosity. Perhaps the most valid of reasons any fairy could ever have. Now..] She cleared her throat before going on seamlessly. [We''ve got to teach you something before you leave this room. Unless you don''t mind sticking out like a salamander in the depths of the ocean.] Dita froze, the serious tone giving her roommate more of a professor sound to her. As if she traded her teasing, doting roomie for a far more practical one. [I may be a prodigy but I''m twenty years old. Firstly your age is going to make you stand out. Secondly your titles scream "I''ve killed a human so I''m a demon queen in the making" thirdly¡­] The fairy looked most upset for a moment further staring daggers into her with gritted teeth. [Why in the gods brown arse have you not spent your veritable sea of points? Do you make a habit of wasting potential or just have a thing for being weak?] [About that.. are they going to hate me if they find out?] Dita squirmed in an honest desire to make her second chance at school life count. [I''d ask if that was a joke if I didn''t already know the answer. Oh devils you know nothing girl! It''s like you were born-] [A week ago?] She froze massaging her temple with a shake of her head. [Sorry. Its just hard to believe even if I can tell you believe it.] [To be fair, I lived quite a lot more weeks in the first life! I was nearly nineteen!] The fairy shook her head dismissively. [Firstly, humans and the other races of the almin alliance are all foul, terrible creatures. They think only about cleansing the world of anything their god deems to besmirch their world.] [Secondly, those who fight against the humans are hailed as idealistic and heroes of monster kind. So no, you beautiful oaf, they''d hate you as much as reverence would beckon.] Dita blinked in disbelief, part in due to her residual guilt and part in due to her elated potential despite it all. [It''s a..good thing?] [More or less, but it will also set you up to fail magnificently. You, by what I can tell, have about as much grace in magic as a titan dancing ballet, no offense.] [None taken, but to be fair, I''ve had to do whatever I could to survive, I didn''t exactly have a teacher.] The fairy nodded in approval. [I''ve decided. I''ll be your friend and help you out. But there is one thing I want from you.] Dita looked a little shocked at the reiteration of what she had taken as already confirmed. [You must never forget. You may have been a human in a world far away, but don''t forget that the humans of this world are deadly. They will no sooner hesitate to behead you as a head of lettuce from its roots. Make my words Dita, you can''t return to them unless you have a wish for a swift death.] The serious tone of the fairy spoke clearly and from experience. It was now obvious, she had seen loss and was in no hurry to repeat it. Dita nodded with a serious expression meeting her gaze with unflinching resolve. [I understand, moreover I won''t forget your words.] The fairy nodded again, this time recovering into a sharp stare. [Back the moment at hand, now will you, prey tell, explain what you plan to invest this well of points into?] Her crosses arms spoke much louder than even her frank and demanding tone. [That, I couldn''t decide, I was actually going to decide before the captain took me to the king.] Shaking her head, Erith looked quite disappointed. [I suppose it''s all fine and dandy provided you didn''t decide to study here. You''re going to need to understand just how much is expected of you here. This isn''t exactly some kind of introductory magic course. This is the big guns.] Weaving magic in her hands the young fairy decided to give a spectacular display of show and tell. [Mana is the mind given physical form, the imagination given wing. It is not without limitation, but rather like an empty mold. It can be used to fit a billion molds. The limitations being usually dictated by our own body and mind in an attempt to avoid overdraw.] The fairy fixed her glasses before closing in. [The point is really simple. You don''t have many spells or much understanding of why you command what you do. That means you are extremely vulnerable to anything remotely charged in magic. To avoid spoiling you I''ll be blunt. ] [If even an average student cast a spell that you lack affinity for, or even one you hail as your comfort, it may result in you being maimed or even slain flat out. I trust I don''t have to explain where the problem lies?] Dita gulped, remembering the lightning orb that has come a hair''s breadth from contacting her in the battle with her not so fond beetle friend. [Then why am I able to cast it? I don''t understand.] [Simple, you''re only thinking about half of the job. You saw magic as a cure all, but didn''t properly prepare yourself for all of its rules. Simply by knowing it you''ll be less susceptible but maybe a bit less offensively powerful depending on how you view the functions in question. Believe it or not, it''s scientific!] The passionate rambling of Erith carried a lot of passion giving her a surprisingly cute side. [I suggest leveling your ice affinity. Resistance, and intelligence. Power comes after you can take a hit. Constitution is also paramount to avoiding sticky situations. Skills are far more subjective and so I''ll leave that to possibly capable hands.] The glasses were put away as the important spell was once again harbored. [As you saw earlier this is inspect. It''s simple and almost anyone can perfect it. Likewise it has a counter spell.] She smirked and put her hands on her hips before smiling. [Why don''t you try and cast inspect on me!] [Roger! Uh.. How do I do that?] [Focus! You''ve gotta focus on the information you want to see! Simple right? Well, not quite that simple.] The fairy went deep into concentration and gave a look of internal debate, staggering to explain the more intricate aspects to the otherwise complete novice. [Well, in any case, why don''t you imagine the spell {Encrypt}, no, better yet we''ll have you try and break through mine first. It''s easier that way.] Concentrating on the fairy before her she focused on the familiar floating name above, only to watch it appear in a hazy jumble. Erith Lvl. 16 Lessar Ice Fairy HP: 23??/???? MP:54??/???? SP:12/?? AP:12?/??? The face of the fairy took a turn for the worst as she began to look a little upset. [No! No, that''s all wrong! You''re not doing anything but reading the surface. Those are fake status numbers by the way. Plus if you do it that way you''ll only see part of the info! Try again, this time try and imagine my status like you likely do your own, all the details you can imagine.] The fairy struggled to put her intent into words, shown only by her distant stare as if piercing through the unwitting sprout. Dita responded with a powerful stare coupled by the duality of her wishing not to fail both her new friend and herself in kind. Surprisingly, the simple explanation of self inspection triggered a change like clockwork within her mind. <Dita has learned Inspect!> Wait, it''s really that easy? Isn''t there supposed to be some kind of intricacy to master? Was I really just doing it all wrong so far?! [Yes, it would appear to be so. Did you perhaps hit your head on something or have you always had these "issues"?] [Hey! Now that''s just rude.] [Sorry sorry, was just a joke. Besides you didn''t yet have much time to spend on rethinking things prior by looks of it.] Dita looked a bit puzzled, caught off guard by the lingering fact. [How much can you see about what happened? You know, in my memories or whatever?] Erith smugly retorted without even more more more an ounce of hesitation. [If you want to know so badly why don''t you inspect me! It''ll help move things forward in protecting your secrets. Though I''ll miss seeing all those memories. You''ll still share won''t you? We''re friends after all!] On one hand, the sentiment had ample teasing behind its words, on the other hand, she seemed rather smitten with her ability to see into her own head like a certain cocky devil man. Still, she was much less insufferable at least. Focusing on the inspect used a considerably high amount of resources judging by the throbbing feeling inside her head, a trait that seemed to follow the expenditure of a large chunk of mp or ap. [Inspect!] The fairy buried her face into her palms in a pathetic attempt to contain her giggles at the "chant" being spoken aloud. [You don''t actually say the names of the spells. Though chants do exist, they are often for much higher level spells and for children learning their first spells. Though I suppose you would count as a child so I shouldn''t be surprised. It''s ok little one, don''t get discouraged.] The last sentiment had made Dita a bit cross, as the fairy clearly said in a tone that was a half dozen measures beyond unnecessary at this point. [Well, at least I''m not a pipsqueak!] [Hah! As if I haven''t heard that one. I happen to enjoy my size. Though nice first try. You''ll learn, well, maybe someday. Anyways, back to the inspecting! If you want it to fully display to you, you''ll have to maintain focus. It''s a feeling, just like moving a limb or batting a wing. Though I doubt the latter would have any meaning to you.] Overlooking her failed retort, Dita pressed onward, focusing on the smug little fairy with all her might. A faint blue screen began to form into existence in front of her. It was just barely legible but grew slightly clearer the longer she held onto the feeling associated with it. It was no different than wiggling a specific toe by itself, difficult, but definitely possible. Making sense of the information seemed incredibly familiar. {Name: Esbeth Eil Erith} {Lvl 11. Lessar Ice Fairy} HP: 494/494 MP:10596/10596 SP: 4/4 AP: 95/96 {Attributes} Current status points: 0 Current skill points: 0 Strength: 4. Agility 12 Speed: 12. Dexterity: 8 Constitution: 2. Movement: 4 Magic: 444 Intelligence: 644 Luck: 14. Defense: 7 Resistance: 400 Mind: 544 Power: 566 Charisma: 34 Fire: -40 Water: 50 Ice: 50 Wind: 25. Earth: 25 Light: 25 Dark: 0 Lightning: 25 Fairykin lvl. 3 Prism Mage lvl. 3 Odd Affinity lvl. 4 Prankster lvl. 6 Ice Magic lvl. 5 Loved By Magic lvl. 2 Proud lvl. 6 Kind-hearted lvl. 3 Battle Maniac lvl. 1 Mischief Maker lvl. 3 Mind''s Eye lvl. 6 {Allignment} 5 She''s really good! No! She''s totally overpowered right? [Of course I am! I''m a prodigy you know.] Her puffy stance made her look nearly twice as pompous as her normal self. [More importantly, how do I go about blocking people from peeking at my thoughts?] Dita had masterfully ignored her gloating taking her a bit off guard but reminding her again of the lofty goal. [Oh, that, it''s kind of the opposite of what you just did to me! Imagine a boundary, one that you''ll create with that same conversation. Think of it like, like a shell! Or a magic barrier bubble! It''s the secret!] Pausing for just long enough for a breath she continued relentlessly. [Now, once we get you caught up with this we''ll have to- hey you got it! That wasn''t too slow either!] The feeling was once again like a large sensate shell around her that both seemed to shield her from the cold but apparently the mental side of things too. [I''m doing it? Wait I really am? I barely changed anything! Maybe I''m a prodigy too!] The crossed arms of the cocky Erith spoke loud enough to make clear her opinion. [Maybe someday. Anyways¡­ the real problem. Give me assist privileges right now! I''ll fix you up in a jiffy!] [Fix? Me?] <Will you give assist privileges to Esbeth?> Well, I do trust her, so I suppose it can''t hurt. <Esbeth is now Dita''s assistant!> [Wha? What does it help with anyhow?] Dita had a bad feeling judging by the small but evil laugh that persisted over the meaningless noise of her question clearly not reaching her. <Dita has learned Magic Affinity!> <Dita has learned Cold Affinity!> <Cold Affinity has become Frozen Affinity!> <Frozen Affinity has become Frozen Heart!> [Wait what did you-] <Dita Learned Coldflame!> <Dita Learned Paradoxical Elements!> [Not done yet!] <Dita has learned Two Point Casting> [Wait you can''t just go and-] <Dita has exceeded fifty intelligence and can now buffer spells!> <Dita has exceeded one hundred intelligence increasing MP by 25%!> [Are you spending it all!? My precious points!!] The cold she felt returned as her concentration broke leaving her as easy to read as before. There was one cardinal difference in the mix of it, the cold no longer felt unbearable, no, in fact, it felt very different overall. Otherwise, her fire had changed color, the heat from it being a mixture cold somehow mixing into the warm. This was certainly not her plan but it was probably for the best to level her weak points. Plus, Erith was smart, she surely would consider the options. <Dita has exceeded fifty magic and can now combine spells of equal value!> <Dita has exceeded one hundred magic and can now consume magic for sustenance!> [Why don''t you check out my handywork! You won''t be disappointed.] [Did you actually spend it all?] She asked knowing full well the answer but wanting to hear it even still to break the surrealism flat out. [Of course! But I had to make some compromises. But you certainly have some explaining to do.. what is with all these points?? Did you kill some kind of wandering hero or something ?] [Well, not really a hero but, he was a magician I think.] [Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow, to think you''ve killed a human before me. I have not even the foggiest of how you managed but I saw the title. But seriously, those numbers of yours aren''t fair at all..] Surprisingly she wasn''t pouting this time but actually prostrated herself by hugging her head in a hug. [How do I get that many points?] [I think it was for killing the sparky beetle. And that''s also where I got this!] Dita proudly lifted her fork to the skies trying to get the sulking fairy to release her grip. Surprisingly it worked. She instead recovered at top speed, remembering her prior curiosity of the mysterious fork. [I meant to ask about that. It''s quite a fancy little utensil and I''m quite curious of what purpose it serves.] Dita thought about it. Was it really a weapon? Or maybe a companion? No, that would certainly sound mad. [It''s a Memento of the monster, so I can honor its memory!] Wait, no way Dita that sounds totally fake she''s definitely not going to believe it! [Dita..] Here it comes! I messed up! Rest in peace my first friendship. [Just say it how it is. Lies are just. Well, they''re just bad. You don''t know why you have it really right? Hmph. It doesn''t take a mind reader to read that look on your face.] Dita weakly smiled, she was figured out and more so that she had liked to admit. Despite her best attempts to strike up another conversation, she felt just a bit too guilty. Luckily she was dealing with someone who rather excelled at slaying the silence in the air. Though to be fair, she was a bit cross of the fact she spent her points, though, now, like it or not it was done and over with. [So what is your main goal with studying here? More importantly who''s endorsing you?] The slew of questions came with a rather serious tone to follow. Crud I can''t tell her the truth on this, for her own safety. Forgive me! [I want to master magic and eventually find a way to evolve into a more beautiful form! As for the endorser, he wanted to remain anonymous.] The smug expression she received in response gave her only a wild guess at how much she knew. [Hmm, evolution huh? Though the mastery of magic answer is pretty generic. It takes a long time to evolve. Even if it only took me five years to reach my current state!] There it was again, the smug little fairy puffing out like a peacock. Though Dita thought of explaining her own evolution, but held back as to not take away from her achievement. [How long does it normally take to evolve?] [Well, it depends on the class of creature and dozens of other aspects, though evolutions can be spurred on by doing something extraordinary, that or getting a god to help you. Good luck on the last one.] The divine irony of her sarcasm probably had Bel rolling in his chair at the notion. Oh she would never hear the end of this. [Oh by the way..] [Hm?] [Check your status already! Aren''t you curious?] [Oh! I almost forgot.] [Geeze¡­] Gazing down in the new self was equal parts humbling as it was utterly shocking. {Name: Dita} {Lvl 1. Small Fireroot} HP: 167/167 MP:2345/2345 SP: 4/4 AP: 105/111 {Attributes} Current status points: Current skill points: Strength: 28. Agility 21 Speed: 18. Dexterity: 12 Constitution: 6. Movement: 4 Magic: 100 Intelligence: 100 Luck: 20. Defense: 17 Resistance: 30 Mind: 24 Power: 26 Charisma: 23 Fire: 28 Water: -30 Ice: 26 Wind: 15. Earth: 15 Light: 19 Dark: 48 Lightning: 15 Decrypt lvl. 3 Blessing of Ancor lvl. 3 Bloodroot lvl. 2 Acolyte of Prejudice lvl. 2 Lucky lvl. 3 Nocturnal lvl. 2 Fenfire lvl. 3 Heartbreaker lvl. 1 Murderer lvl. 1 Serpentine lvl. 4 Fire Magic Attunement lvl. 5 Poison Affinity lvl. 1 Magic Affinity lvl. 6 Frozen Heart lvl. 7 Coldflame lvl. 4 Paradoxical Elements lvl. 3 Two Point Casting lvl. 5 {Allignment} -13 {Debuffs} Mark of the Hunt Nemesis: Elei [Oi.. isn''t this a bit too biased?] The proud fairy looked confused beckoning the next word. [You poured everything into the frost element stuff.] [Of course, wouldn''t you? Ice is the best after all!] [But I''m a Fireroot.] [I know, I know, that''s why I leveled up some fire stuff too. And lucky for us you got coldflame! So you should be perfectly fine going forward. Though I think you need more status points to spend. We managed to get you the basic one hundred needed for some necessities but I didn''t even have a chance to get you some other expected skills for a student of this school. Though it''s more believable now that you might get endorsed, at least if you show the instructed your titles.] [So, do you think I''ll be able to keep up?] [Hmm, that depends on how crafty you are. Though there''s no sense in wasting more time on the all mighty "what ifs" as it is said if turnips were watches.] The tiny shrugging arms raised into an equally petite yawn. [You''ll need to get lots of rest. That''s also partly why I rose your frost resistance. Wouldn''t it be way too cold if you left it in the negatives? Or did you just intend to wake up a popsicle? Either way you''ll thank me later. Goodnight Dita!] [Wait where do I sleep?] [Bottom bunk? Or are you afraid of your tail starting a fire? Luckily that shouldn''t be a problem now that you have coldflame, so don''t worry about it too much. You can still toggle it between hot or cold, so rejoice, you can even switch to the fire side if you really wanted.] [You sure do know a lot about all this. I''d ask but you''ll probably just say-] [That I''m a prodigy? Yes precisely. I''m glad you understand. Now get some rest already. We both need our beauty sleep and curiosity kills the cat and what have you.] [Goodnight Erith! Thank you. Truly, I''m happy we met.] The sincerity in her voice roused a shake of the young fairy''s head. [Heh, such a softie.] Before she could retort the glow of her expression faded into a crystalline form. To put it simply, she had encased herself in a beautiful crystal of ice forcibly ejecting her from the chat. [Well, I suppose everyone has their own methods of rest. How would I even go about sleeping with the fire? She said it would be fine but can it really just be put under a blanket?] Slithering into bed she found movement much more graceful than before, no doubt due to the skill. Her body was exhausted with the plethora of new changes, the mixture of heat and cold in her body gave a strange and new sensation as if they were orbiting her heart in equal passing. It was almost akin to a second heartbeat. She struggled to relax with the flickering light of her tail, even though the fluffy hide blankets, ones that seemed to be a byproduct of a bear or large fluffy creature. Sleep came, but not in a natural manner, in fact, she quickly found herself pulled into a dark and empty place. What is it she saw first?