《Haven in a Dangerous World (Old)》 1.1 - Reincarnation Force The most dangerous, most unfriendly environments known to humankind are not the monster filled forests of Kith Kilan, nor the hostile Suon Kiin deserts to the south, for those a man might survive in if he is well prepared. No, the land that kills is the northern expanse: The Rhew. ¨C Barmir¡¯s Guide to the Unknown, 976 I stare blearily at the two men in front of me, one of which is screaming cuss words at the other. My hearing¡¯s going in and out, though, so I¡¯m not quite sure what he¡¯s saying. Not that it matters. Dad warned me about this. Warned me repeatedly, in fact. Don¡¯t go kicking hornet nests. I give a weak chuckle, ignoring the cussing man gesturing furiously at me. Gosh, it hurts to laugh. I had kicked open a big one. My luck¡¯s run dry, and everything¡¯s coming back to bite me. I shift my hand covering my stomach. It¡¯s strangely warm compared to my other one. Random thoughts continue to swarm my head. Eighteen years of running around, constantly trying to keep the stupid boys of my delinquent riddled school and neighborhood in check. Pride surged through me. I did a darn good job, the best anyone could ask for. The stupid boys learned to avoid me and the girls under my protection, and if they didn¡¯t learn fast enough, they got a broken nose and a mouthful of loose teeth for their stupid antics. I wasn¡¯t gonna take any of their nonsense.
{(start-up Sequence 832¡­
It was supposed to be a routine patrol around the alleyways around school at dusk, clearing out delinquents and other undesirables. I¡¯ve done it several times with no problems before. So, when I saw a poor girl being cornered by two thugs, I gave it no thought and flew in. They whirled, their stupid, greasy faces flashing in surprise. Dodge the first punch Punk#1 threw. Sweep his feet out from under him. Duck under Punk#2¡¯s arm. Grab it. Flip him over my shoulder. Stand protectively in front of the poor girl with arms crossed and an intimidating look. Easy. They scrambled to their feet red-faced and veins bulging on their forehead. Not surprising.
<[begin]:protocol.objective5>
¡°You! Who the heck are you? What do ya think you¡¯re doing, getting in our way?¡± Punk#2 shouted. They apparently hadn¡¯t known who I was. Then again, they didn¡¯t look like the usual sort of trash around here. Must¡¯ve come from out-of-town. ¡°Wait, she¡¯s the Kamikaze!¡± Punk#1 said. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Greenville¡¯s Pitbull!¡± Oh? Maybe they did know who I was. Surprising that they used my more agreeable nicknames instead of my less than savory ones. ¡°So what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna deal with her. Haven¡¯t ya heard she¡¯s crazy?¡± ¡°Like I care. Look at her standing there. I don¡¯t like the look on her face.¡± ¡°Better get out of here, girly. Looks like they won¡¯t be backing down,¡± I said to the girl behind me. The girl nodded, and I pushed her towards the entrance of the alleyway. She took off with a glance over her shoulder.
<[begin]: protocol.objective5.1>
What happened after that was quick. You¡¯d think such a life changing event would happen in slow motion, like in movies. Punk#2 moved in for a choke hold. Break some fingers on his right hand. Dislocate his shoulder. Kick him in the back of the knee. Elbow Punk#1 in the gut as he comes up from behind. Roundhouse him in the head as he doubles over. Turn back to Punk#2 only to receive a punch to the jaw. Disorienting. I miscalculated. He¡¯s left handed. He punched twice in the face again and once in my stomach just as Punk#1 began to come around. Block his next punch aimed at my face. Spit blood in his eyes. Sweep Punk#1¡¯s feet out from him again just as he¡¯s about to regain them. Turn to find Punk#2 charging like a bull. I really shouldn¡¯t have ignored him. He kept recovering faster than I expected him to. It was just, Punk#1 was so much bigger, and I knew if he¡¯d ever get a hold on me¡­ Well it wouldn¡¯t end well. I barely had time to grit my teeth as Punk#2 rammed into me and launched me. I slammed in the wall. Gravity didn¡¯t seem to work the way it should have. I should have slid down the wall, crumpling at its base. No, I remained confused at my feet.
<[begin]: protocol.objective5.2>
The reason behind this abnormality quickly became apparent. It was finally dark, and the single street lamp in the alleyway flickered on, lighting me up. All three of us froze, staring in horror at my abdomen. ¡°Wha¨Cwhy is there a rebar here?¡± ¡°Freak! It¡¯s going straight through her!¡± Punk#2 shouted. ¡°What the heck man! How could you do that? You fricking killed her!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! This is all wrong! I never meant this! What am I going to do? They¡¯re gonna send me prison! My dad¡¯s gonna kill me. I¡¯m dead. I¡¯m so dead. I can¡¯t go to prison! What am I gonna do?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. This is your fault!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dead¡­yet,¡± I said. ¡°Please¡­ call an ambulance.¡± The pain was just starting to hit me. It felt like someone was pouring molten lead into my stomach. I suppose, in a way, that was true. It was weird. I should be panicking. I was scarily calm. ¡°No! I can¡¯t call the police! I¡¯ll go to prison! I can¡¯t go to prison!¡± Punk#2 yelled.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Freak man! Call them! She¡¯s freaking dying! Can¡¯t you see that man!¡± ¡°You call them!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t! You broke my phone last week! Frick! Give me your phone!¡± ¡°What? No! They¡¯ll trace it back to me!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t freaking matter! They¡¯ll trace it back to you anyways ¡¯cause you¡¯re a fricking dunce!¡± At this point, I start to tune them out. My mind starts drifting. Nothing much matters anymore. There¡¯s a metal bar sticking through me, and that¡¯s that. I¡¯m surprised they haven¡¯t run by now.
A movement from the alley entrance breaks me from my thoughts. Girly is back with a policeman in tow. I feel touched that she¡¯d come back. Policeman orders the two punks hands up facing the wall, then comes to check on my. I don¡¯t catch what he says on the radio. He turns and says something to me. I stare at him in confusion. He speaks into the radio again. You know, everything¡¯s so far away now. Someone should turn on the lights, ¡¯cause it¡¯s getting pretty dark in here. Turn on the heater, too, while you¡¯re at it. It¡¯s pretty cold. I think it¡¯s getting colder. Sorry, Dad. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be up in time for school. I¡¯m too tired, so let me sleep in today, Ok? Dad? Why are you crying? Oh hi, Mom. I haven¡¯t seen you around for a while. Sorry, I haven¡¯t been going to your grave as much as I should¡¯ve. You¡¯re drifting with me now, aren¡¯t you? It feels nice.
<[dismiss]> <[retrieve]: ¡°soul¡°>
I feel a sudden jolt, and invisible hands suddenly grab me. I¡¯m jerked out of the nice flow I was floating in. A dizzying array of colors flash past. Nausea assails me. Where did Mom go? It hurts. It feels like I¡¯m being torn in half.
<[decrypt]: ¡°soul¡°>
A probing finger invades my mind. It sweeps up my memories like dust into a dustpan. No! Those are mine! I won¡¯t let you take them from me. It¡¯s so hard, though, to hold onto them. They¡¯re being sucked away. I repeat to myself who I am. Over and over and over. Keep me sane, please, as this thing ravages my memories, tearing everything from me. Devin McMullen. Female. 18. Brown hair, blue eyes, athletic build. Practical sense of justice. Senior in a sucky high schoolwith three more months till graduation. Single working dad in a two bedroom apartment in the bad part of town. He works in a sucky desk-job. Mom¡¯s dead. Has been since I was 8. No siblings. Good in fights and little else. Probably won¡¯t go to college. Plan to get a job straight out of high school to help Dad pay for rent. No real friends, but plenty of enemies and surprisingly a fan group composed of mostly females.Hates pickles, mushrooms, and peaches. Loves pizza and brownies. Devin McMullen. Female. 18.Brown hair, blue eyes, athletic build. Practical sense of justice. Senior in a sucky high schoolwith three more months till graduation. Single working dad in a two bedroom apartment in the bad part of town. Mom¡¯s dead. Has been since I was 8. No siblings. Good in fights and little else. No real friends, but plenty of enemies. Devin McMullen. Female. 18. Practical sense of justice.Senior. Single dad in an apartment. Mom¡¯s dead. Has been since I was 8. No siblings. Good in fights and little else. No real friends, but plenty of enemies. Devin McMullen. Female. 18. Single dad. Dead mom. Good in fights and little else. No friends.
<[begin]: {memory.wipe}>
Devin. Female. Single dad. Dead mom. No friends. It hurts.
<[dismiss]; [begin]: {!reincarnate}>
I slowly picked myself up from the war ruins of my mind only for the invisible hands interrupted my weeping, pushing me inside a hard¡­ something. Instantly claustrophobia assaulted me. I rammed myself against my enclosure to no avail.
<[install]: {instinct.pattern}>
The probing finger was back. I shrank away, but it only dropped a packet of information inside my head and then disappeared. The packet unfurled and strange emotions and instincts suddenly flooded me, seeking to take root. The dark, gleeful, murderous ones especially shot straight for me. I pushed them away as hard as I could. You are not changing me! I am Devin! I am Female! I have a Single dad! A Dead mom! No friends! I don¡¯t know what those all are, but they¡¯re me, so back the frick off!
<[dismiss]; [install]: {random.attribute}>
Okay. Now I¡¯m just confused. I feel something float around me like motes of dust, and just as I concentrate on them, they¡¯re sucked into me. I feel very¡­ green right now. What the heck does that even mean? I¡¯m feeling much less overwhelmed after my personal victory over whatever it is that is that¡¯s trying to change me. It¡¯s succeeding, and I¡¯m pissed about that, but, I still was able to keep just a bit of myself. I treasure that piece. Nothing¡¯s going to take it away from me.
<[install]: {guidance.system}, {set.abilities}, {random.abilities}; [install]: {growth.pattern}>
The probing finger returns and deposits four more packets of information. They were less destructive than the last, mostly surging a little, then settling on the floor of my mind, not changing anything, just adding to what little I had. I felt tired. The need to sleep washed over me, and I remember little after that urge.
<[begin]: {!transfer}>
//¡­ Sequence 832 shut down)}
1.2 - Bitter Cold Take my hand, weather the cold We¡¯ll make it through To that place, that haven Safe, buried in the snow. ¨CFrom ¡°Path of the Water Star,¡± Selkie fairy tale It¡¯s cold. It¡¯s so very cold. The transition between asleep and awake is almost not existent. One second I¡¯m arguing with an ostrich about whether stools or chairs were better for ridding on top of a hippo, and the next second I¡¯m more awake and more cold that I thought I ever could be. Cold? Why am I cold? I shouldn¡¯t be cold. Where am I? It¡¯s so white. Everything¡¯s white. Has the world always been this white? I¡­ I can¡¯t remember. I had the feeling that it had been green¡­ or brown¡­ gray? I shiver. Or I try. Shivering is¡­ shaking from the cold, right? I am freezing. Shouldn¡¯t I be shivering? Goosebumps raising on my skin or something? But what are goosebumps? Skin is¡­ the thing covering the body, soft, flexible¡­ Mine¡­ mine is hard and slick. That¡¯s wrong, right? And white stuff¡¯s beginning to attach to it. I don¡¯t like it. I try moving, try to get the stuff that¡¯s making me colder off. I stretch and strain with all my mind and¡­ nothing happens. Why can¡¯t I Move?This is scary. I¡¯m freezing cold, no idea where I am, and can¡¯t move. Someone Help!!!! Please! I don¡¯t like being alone! It¡¯s scary! And cold! And really I don¡¯t know where I am and I don¡¯t know how I got here or what¡¯s happening and I feel like I lost something really important but I can¡¯t remember what it was! I can¡¯t remember anything! A blast of freezing air assails me. Sharp, cold bits pound against my skin. It stings, but also brings me back to reality, cooling my raging thoughts. I grimace. I think I do, anyway, or maybe it was more in my head than anything else, just like my panicking rant earlier. Okay. Calm down. Deep breaths. In and out. That¡¯s not working. I can¡¯t breathe. I start to hyperventilate in my head. A small part of me wonders at the things I keep trying to do but don¡¯t seem to be able to accomplish. Was I something else besides a hard, little, round, smooth thing? Okay, okay. Breathing is out. I¡¯m okay now. It didn¡¯t matter. Think about what I do know.I don¡¯t know anything. Stop that line of thought. The panic will come back if I follow it. What do I know? I must know something, right? I¡­ I know I¡¯m cold. Good, that¡¯s good. Keep going. I know what I am¡­ kinda, and some of the things I can¡¯t seem to do. Okay, what else? I know all I can see is white, and cold air and hard little bits keep hitting me. I really want to get out of this¡­ this¡­ Blizzard? Is that was this is? It¡¯s comforting to have a name for it¡­ A name! I have a name! I¡¯m Devin¡­ I¡¯m female? I have a dad¡­ and a mom! I grin triumphantly! There. I¡¯m not so lost as I thought I was. I can make it through this. First things first. I should probably look around a bit more closely now that I¡¯m not panicking anymore. Okay¡­ I see¡­ white. Alright. Good to know. White is this direction. I turn a bit. White in this direction as well. I turn again. And¡­ more white. Alright. We¡¯re making good progress. Turn again. I see white. Turn. A lot of white so far. Turn, and we¡¯ve made a full circle now it looks, and all white. What I¡¯ve discovered, it¡¯s very white wherever I look, low visibility with all the blizzard stuff flying around, and apparently I can look completely around myself without moving anything. I¡­ don¡¯t think I used to be able to that. Alright, before I start to panic again, what¡¯s my next step? There is nothing around me except white, which I don¡¯t think will help me very much. I¡¯m starting to get too cold to think, so I need to think fast, and the blizzard stuff is really starting to hurt. Think. Think¡­ Think¡­ I can¡¯t think with all this stuff hitting me! I push outwards in frustration. Suddenly, there¡¯s a pocket of silence as nothing hits me as well as nothing under me. I fall the short distance to the ground and the blizzard stuff resumes it¡¯s assault against my skin. What was that?
Slowly, but surely, this ice will freeze my heart. ¨C the last words of Gremil the Infallible Congratulations! Frost is slow, but it builds, conquering even the mountains with its icy breath. Not many can conquer it. [Ice Manipulation I]:You can now slightly control any ice around you for a slight cost of mana.(1 cmR/ 5 mana)
And what the heck is this??? I stare at the floating blue screen. Ice Manipulation? What does that mean? What is ice? I can control it? Ice¡­ it couldn¡¯t be¡­ the white stuff, could it? What is mana though?
Mana:The forces that govern the world have changed from what you once knew. A mysterious power drifts through the universe now, and you have learned how to utilize it to exhibit your will on the world.
Okay¡­ that didn¡¯t really help. So¡­ I can use mana to affect things around me? That¡¯s nice, ¡¯cause I can¡¯t really move at the moment. Could I build like a wall of ice around me to stop the blizzard stuff from hitting me? A mental image of a white, hollow dome appeared in my head. An igloo¡­ Okay. That¡¯d work. How do I do it though? How much mana do I have? I think I used some earlier to push¡­ stuff away from me, and I created a slight divot in the ground that was already sort of protecting me from the¡­ I think they were ice bits in the blizzard. Can I do it again? How much mana do I have?
Status Menu
Name: [Locked] Race: Dungeon Level:1 Attribute: Green
Health:16/20 (1/hr) Mana:5/20 (1/hr) State:Severely Cold (All regeneration is reduced to 1/hr)
Named Monsters: 0 Rooms: ?%¦®] Floors:?%¦®]
Monsters:0 Animals:0 Plants:0
[¦®]
Skills: [Influence I] [Incorporation I] [AmbientAura IV] [Earth Manipulation I] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer I] [Karma I][Ice Manipulation I]*
Okay¡­ This is weird. Is this supposed to be about me? I have a name, though. It¡¯s Devin. Why is name locked? I¡¯m a dungeon? What¡¯s a dungeon? Okay, not right now. I¡¯ll figure that out later. By the looks of it, I really need to get out of this blizzard. My health went down a point even just looking at this blue thing¡­ a screen? A floating screen? I really hate not knowing what things are. Okay, stop getting distracted.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. I give a metaphorical slap to my mental face and focus on the screen once more. I have 5 mana. Math¡­ I suck at math, but weirdly enough, I seem to have an innate sense of measurement. I¡¯m not sure if this is a new thing or not. Well, whatever. Let me think. That means I spent 15 mana to make a 1 cm diameter circle around myself by the looks of the divot I¡¯m in. And that circle wasn¡¯t even full of ice. I think the amount of ice I moved was probably a third of the size. That doesn¡¯t make sense. [Ice Manipulation I] said it cost 5 mana to move circle with a radius of 1 cm, if I understood that right. Unless¡­ I didn¡¯t have [Ice Manipulation I] before making that circle. So, after getting that skill, I got better. I got way better. The problem was that first 15 mana I spent. I am cold. Apparently cold enough for it to actually affect me. Regeneration¡­ I regenerate 1 mana and health per hour because of that? What was my original regeneration? Forget it. Can I make an igloo with the amount of mana I have? I can move a single 1cmR circle of ice¡­ supposedly. Can I move less? Does it have to be a circle? How about, say, a tendril? How do I go about doing it anyway? An hour is a freaking long time! I can¡¯t wait for it to regenerate. My health is down to 14. I¡¯m going to die if I don¡¯t figure this out. Alright, let¡¯s do this. Ice! Move! ¡­ Ice Manipulation, Activate! ¡­ Abracadabra! (What?) ¡­ ¡­ Okay, that was pointless. I feel stupid. Um¡­ I¡¯m not sure what to do¡­ What exactly did I do last time? ¡­ I¡­ pushed? I pushed outward? Is it like a push and pull thing? Can I grab onto the ice? I reach out with my mind tentatively. It took a few seconds and some mental acrobatics, but finally, I get a slippery hold on a tiny bit of the ice right in front of me. I pull up¡­ and my hold slipped. Crap! I quickly check my mana. I still have the same amount. I breathe a sigh of relief.Okay, that scared me. Looks like it won¡¯t cost me anything if I don¡¯t actually move anything. Let¡¯s try it again. ¡­And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And¡­ finally! I managed to pull the piece of ice up, creating a little pillar of ice about 1 inch tall and .5 cm wide. I was ecstatic! And then my high fell. That took all of my mana. I moved too much. I can¡¯t finish this.
The ice, it encroaches on our domain. Our world begins to die. ¨C Emril¡¯s Journal Congratulations! Ice is eternal, and as you grow closer to its essence, so are you. [Ice Manipulation II]:You now have slightly more control over any ice around you for a slight cost of mana.(1.5 cmR/ 5 mana)
Level [2]!:You future is bright; you steadily march forward; though small, someday you will seize might.You''ve discovered your first Rareskill and improved upon it:(+1 health; +1 mana; +1 path point; paths unlocked; full restore)
I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. This¡­ this¡­ I started crying in my mind. This literally saves me. I was ready to give up, but now, now I can live. With my now full mana, I could move around 58 inches, give or take. I¡¯m around 2.5 inches in diameter. I can surround myself with 58 inches. I make make an igloo! I pulled and pulled and pulled the ice up, over, and around me, making a full dome. It¡­ took a while to say the least. I was down to 5 health by the time I got it up high enough for the blizzard to stop affecting me so much. I kept expecting another level, happened. I did get another one in [Ice Manipulation], though.
There is a natural ice castle near the city of Tirom. It is the most beautiful thing I¡¯ve ever seen. ¨C The Journey of Luloulan Congratulations! Ice is slow and methodical. You are learning to be the same. [Ice Manipulation III]:You now have slightly more control over any ice around you for a slight cost of mana. (2cmR/ 5 mana)
Now, I¡¯m safe. I¡¯m tired again. It¡¯s less cold, now. I think I¡¯ll go to bed¡­
Status Menu
Name: [Locked] Race: Dungeon Level:2* Attribute: Green
Health:5/21* (2.5/hr)* Mana:5/21* (2.5/hr)* State:Cold* (All regeneration is reduced by 50%)
Rooms:1* Floors:?%¦®] Named Monsters: 0
Monsters:0 Animals:0 Plants:0
[¦®]
Path Points: 1*
Paths: {Beginner I (0/5)}*
Skills: [Influence I] [Incorporation I] [AmbientAura IV] [Earth Manipulation I] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer I] [Karma I][Ice Manipulation III]*
1.3 – Luck of the Draw There¡¯s nothing much up there in the Rhew, yet for some inexplicablereason, so many find themselves drawn to it. The wide expanse of nothing miles upon miles; the forever long nights and the days that last seemingly but a moment; the colors of the sky as the ribbons dance; all of it sets a man freer than any other place. It¡¯s a good place to die. ¨C Marivan to Dunal I woke up. It was annoying how simple it was waking up, like switching on a light bulb¨Cnot that I know what a light bulb is. I feel like there should be something more to it, a slow rising to awareness that¡¯s just not simply there anymore. Why do I feel like I changed so much? And where do all these weird terms like light bulb or blizzard or igloo come from? It¡¯s not something I can solve at the moment, though. I¡¯m awake, and that¡¯s that. Moving on¡­ Now what? I¡¯m out of that dangerous situation, thank goodness, but I¡¯m a little lost. What should I be doing? I look around for inspiration. Oh, there¡¯s a blue screen floating in front of me. I wonder why I didn¡¯t notice it before. I¡¯m not that introspective¡­ am I?
The mightiest kings of old ruled not by force, but by simply being. ¨C A Ruler¡¯s Almanac Congratulations! Your influence grows. One day your domain will be as vast as your eyes can see. Everything will bow beneath your light. [Influence II]:You¡¯ve dominated your spawning room. Creatures will now fall under your influence faster.(1% to creature conversion rate)
Spawning room? I¡¯m supposed to spawn in a room? I didn¡¯t freaking get a spawning room! I had to make it myself! That¡¯s not fair! I almost died out there! Why is everything so messed up? And what creatures? In case you haven¡¯t noticed, you freaking jerk! There¡¯sNothing out there formiles!!!!! Obviously the universe hates me. What is this, set on hard mode??? Okay, now I¡¯m feeling spiteful. Just you watch, I¡¯ll make this the biggest fricking domain thing you¡¯ve ever seen. Just you watch. Muwahahahahaha!!!!!! ¡­ That was rather¡­ refreshing actually. I just really can¡¯t let anyone see me do that if I ever do it again. I think I¡¯d die from embarrassment. Alright then. Rage against the unjustness of the universe. Check. Semi-sort of goal. Check. Now, to just set about working on it. I¡¯m just going to assume that making more rooms is the way to go about that. This room is not that big actually, now that I think about it. There¡¯s not a whole lot of space, which is fine since there¡¯s enough room for me, but I just have the feeling that it should be way bigger. Not to mention the walls aren¡¯t that thick. I should work on that. Alright. First job of the day! Make this room better. The best way of going about that? I decided on a two-pronged approach. Expanding upward would do me no good; the walls don¡¯t have enough ice to be able to support that kind of venture, and I have the distinct feeling that it would be an inefficient use of mana. I don¡¯t have a lot to begin with. So, instead, I¡¯ll just reinforce it with the ice I pile up while digging down. I¡¯ll have my very own secret underground house! And down we go. I reach out and pull the ice underneath me towards myself. It was so much easier than last time. So much so that it surprised me. I pulled too hard, lost hold of it, and it went shooting off to crash into the side of the igloo, bushing my side as it passed. A sudden burst of cold air rushed into my room. Ouch! That hurt. Did I loose health from that? That¡¯s dangerous!
He was being an idiot, so I picked up a rock and threw it at his head. What¡¯s wrong with that? ¨C Iolian to an Officer of the Peace Congratulations! You realize that tools for destruction are all around you. A simple stone becomes a weapon in your hands. [Natural ProjectileI]:You can now use thematerialsaround you to create and launch projectiles(1cm projectile/ 10 mana)
The mightiest kings of old ruled not by force, but by simply being. ¨C A Ruler¡¯s Almanac Congratulations! You have touched the world. Certain beings are now aware of your existence. Level [3]!:You¡¯ve created an entrance to your domain. Beings in the vicinity now know of your presence.(Radius of 1 mi; once created, entrance cannot be closed; +2 health; +2 mana; +2 path points; full restore)
Foreboding floods me. Crap! Crap crap crap crap crap! That doesn¡¯t sound good. I¡¯m not going to fall under the delusion that whatever out there that may or may not know where I am now is going to come and rescue me. I¡¯m fragile. I¡¯ll die if anything comes. I¡¯ve got to hurry and do something about this! But what do I do? Is there anything in my skills that can help me? I desperately look through my skills.
Skills: [Influence II]* [Incorporation I] [AmbientAura IV] [Earth Manipulation I] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer I] [Karma I][Ice Manipulation III][Natural Projectile I]*
I already know what [Influence], [Ice Manipulation], and [Natural Projectile] do. At least mostly. So, please please please have something useful, other skills.
[Incorporation I]:You can incorporate the things within your domain to allow for easier environment design.(Only applicable to things without souls; 5% mana absorption; +10% mana absorption if materials are fully incorporated (5 hrs) and not just stored.)
[Ambient Aura IV]:You release an aura that acts as a low level light source. Later levels allow for additional effects.
[Earth Manipulation I]: You have slight control over any earth around you for a slight cost of mana.(1 cmR/ 5 mana)
[Plant Growth I]: Plants grow faster in your domain.(5% to plant growth speed)
[Green Thumb I]:You have a chance of resurrecting a dead plant. You have a chance of evolving a plant into a better quality in the direction that you desire.(15% to resurrection; 5% to evolution)
[Tamer I]: Creatures are naturally inclined to like you. You have the chance that they will initiatea contract with you. You have a chance of evolving a creature into a superior species in the direction that you desire(15% to contract initiation; 5% to evolution)
[Karma I]:Your luck is unnatural. For every action that results in an extreme amount of good luck, the following action will have an increased chance in resulting in an extreme amount of bad luck. Vice Versa(20% in luck reversal)
This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.What the heck? What the heck is that skill? Why is it so messed up? Is that why everything seems to be going wrong? My luck is a freaking seesaw! I want to cry! It¡¯s so unfair. Why am I stuck with this stupid skill??? And none of the other ones are even helpful at this point. There¡¯s no earth to manipulate! There¡¯s no plants! There¡¯s no animals! There¡¯s not even anything here that I can absorb¡­ er¡­ incorporate! Unless you count all this freaking ice around me that I just so happen to need to move! Oh, wait. Can I do that? Can I incorporate ice? I could dig way faster that way. Do I just¡­ like¡­ eat it? I once again begin pulling ice to myself, this time picturing myself taking a bite. A cool feeling enters my center and I felt a slight increase to my mana. Huh. I try it again This is so much easier!!!! Why couldn¡¯t I have figured out this earlier. I can dig faster and gain mana while I¡¯m at it. It¡¯s not perfect, I¡¯m still spending mana, but not even close to the rate I was before. I start to dig. I dig and dig and dig, and pretty soon I have a 5 ft tall dome with only about a third of it sticking out above the ground. At that point, I realize I can¡¯t dig anymore. I still have some mana left, but I feel too full. I don¡¯t think I have any room left inside of me. I take a look at [Incorporation] again. I could just digest all the ice inside me, but it looks like it¡¯d take a full five hours to do. I¡¯m too impatient to sit around for five hours without doing anything. I look up at the entrance of my room. It could use some stairs¡­ Why did I think that? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to think of a way to block it off. But stairs would look really nice. No! Dangerous things could be coming for me right now. I need to focus on something else besides providing an easy way for them to get in. Like making the exposed walls of my igloo thicker. I draw from my reservoir of ice and slowly begin to build up the walls. I start at the base of them where they touch the ground, building up a 3 ft thick ring around my igloo and slowly start to build up from there. I get about halfway up my dome before I have to replenish my ice reserves. At this point, it begins to be an automatic process. I loose myself in shaping the ice. I don¡¯t realize that I can¡¯t actually see what I¡¯m working with. I build the ice to the top of the dome, then add a little extra. I pull a little here and a little there, and soon I have a blooming ice flower on top of my igloo. Continuing with the theme, I widen my entrance by digging so a good half of it is now underground with set of steps leading down to it. Ice vines with small sparkling berries curl around the entrance way. I add a bit more of my aura to the berries to make them glow a green color that shone with life and growth. I create more of them to line the walls of my room all the way to the ceiling. Then, I start building the staircase. Wide steps at the bottom leading up to the entrance, with curling ice vines as the handle rails.
I was against it at first. I didn¡¯t see the benefit of allowing them within the walls of our city. Vanarian culture is¡­ interesting, to say the least. ¨C Mayor of Vera Congratulations! You incorporate everything you see as a process of growing, and by doing so, your domain becomes more beautiful. [Incorporation II]:You can incorporate the things within your domain to allow for easier environment design.(Only applicable to things without souls; 6% mana absorption; +12% mana absorption if materials are fully incorporated (5 hrs) and not just stored.)
I take a mental step back to admire my work. I had an 8 ft tall room now with a flowing staircase and a 3.5 ft tall entrance. I nearly scream. What had I done? I had done exactly what I had least wanted to do! Why did I make a staircase? Why did I widen my entrance? I¡¯mdoomed! Okay. Calm down, me. Look at the bright side. I now have a pretty staircase. Enough about the freaking staircase!!!! I wanted to punch something. I couldn¡¯t, so I settled for the expensive pastime of launching as many projectiles as I could against the wall. Even then, my mind wouldn¡¯t let me take my rage out on the stupid staircase itself.
Warning:You have depleted your mana. Continuing will reduce your health.
I passed out.
Status Menu
Name: [Locked] Race: Dungeon Level:3* Attribute: Green
Health:23/23(5/hr)* Mana:0/23* (0/hr)* State:Mana Depletion* (Mana will not regenerate for 24 hours)
Rooms:1 Floors:1* Named Monsters: 0
Monsters:0 Animals:0 Plants:0
[¦®]
Path Points: 3*
Paths: {Beginner I (0/5)}
Skills: [Influence II]* [Incorporation II]* [AmbientAura IV] [Earth Manipulation I] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer I] [Karma I][Ice Manipulation III] [Natural Projectile I]*
1.4 - The Akhlut There are many things under the ice flow. Not much on top of it, but things, dangerous things thrive underneath. I wouldn¡¯t stay in one spot for long. Whatever lies down there has ways of finding you as you walk above the ice. ¨C Therian Traveler ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just me and my little rubber ducky Singing and splashing in the tub! Oh, my days are peaceful And my nights are fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, As here I rub-a-dub-dub!¡± I sing. If I had to guess, it¡¯s been about a week or so since the staircase fiasco. Those first few hours after I woke up from mana deprivation were the scariest of my life, right after nearly dying in the blizzard. I kept thinking that something was going to pop through my open entrance. Nothing ever happened, though. Well, unless you count the massive snow drift that had come in through the entrance. Nearly gave me the cold status again. It took some experimentation, but I finally figured out that I could spin ice in a way that it resembled spider silk. It gave me my very first achievement! Here look.
You have earned the achievement:|Ingenuity!| ¨CManipulate something to the extent that it is now something entirely different than what it once was. (+3 path points; unlocked |Ice Silk| as an addable attribute; {Ingenuity I (0/50)} path)
|Ice Silk|: A curious type of ice formation that has many similarities to spider silk. Twice as strong as silk, its durability causes it to be highly sought after by adventurers, however, it melts easily unless enchanted, Many types of Arctic Spiders form this type of silk, but in certain circumstances, it can form naturally on its own.
|Ice Silk| is pretty strange. I put a whole bunch of it in layers hanging down from the entrance as kind of a door. It does pretty good keeping the snow and ice out. It¡¯s pretty to look at, too. Water droplets form when I first make a strand of silk. I¡¯m not sure the reason why that happens, it just does. They slide down the silk and then freeze, creating bead like ice. Every time the wind blows hard enough to move the silk strands around, they tinkle against each other, making a nice sound. And the rare times the sun peeks over the horizon and shines through my door, specks of light shine across my room from the ice beads. It scared me the first time ¡¯cause I¡¯d never seen the sun before- it only rises like once every 21 hours, and then only for 3 hours. I must have been asleep the other times it rose. Now I look forward to when it does. Something about it¡­ warms me. I hate when it sets. On another note. I¡¯ve been up since I woke up a week ago. I don¡¯t think I really need sleep unless I¡¯m over stressed. So, I¡¯ve mostly just been making stuff while trying to make my mana last as long as I can. That involves a lot of eating ice. I haven¡¯t had to resort to digesting yet because at the moment, my mana regeneration¡¯s better than my digestion rate. Waiting four hours to completely refill my mana is better than waiting five, though I have a feeling that¡¯ll probably change if I keep leveling [Incorporation]. It¡¯s easier to level skills, I think, than to level up. I¡¯m not really sure what the requirements are for leveling up. So far, they kind of feel like milestones. So, later on, it¡¯ll probably be harder to level up. On the other hand, to level a skill, all I need to do is keep working on the skill. Well, thinking about random things like this hasn¡¯t been all I¡¯ve done. I¡¯ve created an |Ice Silk| chandelier in my entrance room to complement the door. That¡¯s right. My entrance room. I have another room now. Beat that, Sucker! Well, it¡¯s not really different than my other room, besides the floor. I started the short hall between the two where I abused my wall with projectiles. It slopes down a ways, so the second room is completely underground but otherwise the same dimensions as the first. After creating another |Ice Silk| curtain door, I made a circular impression about 3 ft away from the edges of the room that¡¯s about a 2 feet deep and 9 ft in diameter. I managed to first weave rugs out of |Ice Silk|, then pillows. stuffing it with a form of |Ice silk| I call Ice Cotton! Sadly, it didn¡¯t give me anything when I made that. I guess it was too close to |Ice Silk|. I did get a skill in [Ice Manipulation], though after that.
I saw a man once who had such control that he could weave Ice into light. No one believed me, but I will never forget that day. ¨C Caoyan¡¯s Musings Congratulations! Ice has a beauty like no other. It is fresh. It is pure. Create something inspiring. [Ice Manipulation IV]:You now have slightly more control over any ice around you for a slight cost of mana. (2 cmR/ 4 mana)
Well, that¡¯s all I¡¯ve done this week. Not very much, you say? Hey, that took me a really long time! First I had to carve out the room, then I had to figure out how to weave all the pillows and stuff. It took me quite a while to figure out what pillows and rugs were! All I had were vague impressions of fluffy stuff. So, forgive me if I pout. I did a lot. ¡­ I really think I need someone to talk to. I¡¯m going to start going crazy soon. Whatever. I can find a conversation partner later. Today¡¯s task. Fire pit. hehe. It¡¯s amazing how many ideas keep rushing to my head once I started creating stuff. Of course, it won¡¯t be real fire. I don¡¯t know how to make that. I¡¯ll just have to settle on putting my aura into a sculpture. I start with a small ice ring about a foot high in the center of my pillow nest. I left a spot when I ended yesterday just for that reason. I carve the ring to look like it has stone plastered to it¡¯s sides. I¡¯ve kinda figured out how to color the ice, mostly different shades of white and ice blue, but still, it¡¯s enough for the ring and the pillows and rugs and the wall decorations to have a bit more life to them.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. After that, I start building the fire in the center of the ring. I start with logs, then work up to the flames. Honestly, this is child¡¯s play compared to making rugs. The tricky part is actually implanting my aura in the sculpture. I¡¯ve done it to the berries, but for the fire, I want it to feel warm, or at least have that illusion. I want it to flicker. It¡¯s hard. Almost harder than creating |Ice Silk|. I didn¡¯t think it would be. Every time I try, It¡¯s not quite right. I get frustrated, and as I get frustrated, as weird sense of melancholy flutters through my mind. I miss the warmth of a fire, I realize, and then, for the first time, my aura flickers.
All my life, I have worked in the forges. Nothing is more familiar to me than the warmth of the flame. ¨C Hu the Blacksmith Congratulations! You have sought for the warmth, longed for it even, and now you have found it. [Ambient Aura V]:Your aura has changed. You now have options of which type of aura you wish to release.(|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|; Auras as addable attributes)
|Aura of Warmth|:A warmth without heat. As such, this aura is gentle to its surroundings. Wood will not burn. Ice will not melt.
A breeze sneaks in through the front door, brushing past my skin. In my mind, I shiver. I can almost feel the warmth in the other room. It felt like home, the one I can¡¯t remember. Oh, how I long for it. If only I could move. I strain towards the warmth, and suddenly, I¡¯m there, nestled in the pillows near the fire pit. The sculpture almost seems alive, a dancing orange flame.
I''ve always thought the world was small. It consisted of me, my family, and my town. Now, I''ve seen but a small piece of the world, and it''s many times larger than my tiny world back then. - Ronmo Bucklem Congratulations! Your domain is your world. Traveling becomes almost effortless. [Core Teleportation]:You can now teleport you core to any room in your domain at the cost of your mana regeneration for 24 hours. Think carefully before teleporting.(You can no longer be attached to anything)
Okay, cool. That¡¯s worth it, in my opinion. That means that as I build more rooms, I can bring my core further and further from the entrance. I wonder if I can move rooms around, too. Would that be too convenient? I like this room a lot after all. I guess I can just make a whole bunch of them, but I also have other ideas I want to try. Hehehe, get ready for some serious building! ¡­ Tomorrow. It¡¯ll have to wait until tomorrow, I guess. I¡¯m not willing to risk it while my mana¡¯s not regenerating. I don¡¯t really want to see what happens if I deplete my mana while it already can¡¯t regenerate. That said, it¡¯ll be a long 24 hours. I¡¯m warm though, finally warm. Suddenly, I felt a slight rumble. What the heck is that? It¡¯s getting louder. Something¡¯s coming! I¡¯m scared. I have no way of protecting myself. Except¡­ except my projectiles. With the mana that I have, I can shoot off maybe a total of three. That¡¯ll have to do. It can poke a hole through hardened ice, so I¡¯m sure it can do a lot of damage to whatever¡¯s coming. I just hope whatever it is, it doesn¡¯t try it eat me. The ice of the floor behind me bulged and then smashed open with a bang, shooting ice into the walls and scaring the crap out of me. Something burst out of the hole and landed like a beached whale inches from me. I held my mind¡¯s breath, hoping it wouldn¡¯t notice me, my light that I constantly radiated noticeably dimming. Whatever it was, it was huge, it''s body only half fitting into the room, the rest still down the hole. It looked like... Like a killer whale, but with fur. Slick, waterproof fur marked with the black and white killer whale pattern. Scars decorated its body. The head, a weird mix between a whale and a dog or maybe a seal, twisted to look at me. Little one¡­ let me rest here¡­ for a while. I froze. Don¡¯t be startled, Little one¡­ I mean¡­ no harm. I just needed a safe¡­ haven¡­ for but a little while. I apologize¡­ for intruding. ¡°What are you?¡± I question. Little one must be newly hatched.I could hear the grin behind its voice.Will Little one allow me safe haven if I answer? ¡°If you don¡¯t try to eat me.¡± Huhuhuhuhuhuh,it made a slight wheezing noise, and it took me a second to realize it was laughing. Oh, ¡¯tis been long¡­ since I last laughed. My name¡­ ¡¯tis Ah¡¯m. I am an Akhlut.Ah¡¯m pulled itself up off the ground and dragged itself further into the room, curling itself in a large circle around the fireplace. I stare. I don¡¯t mean to, but I can¡¯t help but notice Ah¡¯m¡¯s legs. While like a killer whale, Ah¡¯m also vaguely resembled a wolf. It was cute¡­ in a vicious sort of way. What¡­ ¡¯tis this thing Little one has created? ¡®Tis¡­ warm. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s a fire pit.¡± Little one¡­ lie not. That is no fire. ¡°It¡¯s a sculpture! I made it out of ice and put |Aura of Warmth| in it.¡± /Aura of Warmth/¡­ ¡¯tis interesting, Little one. ¡®Tis what¡­ drew me here. I thank Little one for it. ¡°Are you hurt? You sound in pain.¡± Little one need not worry. ¡®Tis old pain¡­ Rin Khult reopened. ¡°Whose Ren Kilt?¡± Rin Khult¡­ ¡¯tisNaitaka¡­ big snake with horse-like head and nasty teeth¡­ Mean thing. ¡°Oh my gosh! Are you alright? It sounds scary!¡± Little one, there are worse things down below than Naitaka. Be careful. Little one¡­ ¡¯tis very vulnerable. I shiver. ¡°But what do I do then? I can¡¯t grow any faster than I already am!¡± Thank you¡­ Little one. I must go. I may return sometime. ¡®Twas pleasant¡­ Little one¡¯s company. Stay safe¡­ Little one. Ah¡¯m lifted itself up and lumbered to the hole. ¡°Wait, Ah¡¯m. Don¡¯t go yet!¡± I yelled, but Ah¡¯m was gone.
Status Menu
Name: [Locked] Race: Dungeon Level:3 Attribute: Green
Health:23/23(5/hr) Mana:16/23* (0/hr) State:Teleport Cool-down* (Mana will not regenerate for 24 hours)
Rooms: 2* Floors:1 Named Monsters: 0
Monsters:0 Animals:0 Plants:0
[¦®]
Path Points: 6*
Paths: {Beginner I (0/5)}{Ingenuity I (0/50)}*
Skills: [Influence II][Incorporation II][AmbientAura V]* [Earth Manipulation I] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer I] [Karma I][Ice Manipulation IV]* [Natural Projectile I][Core Teleportation]*
Achievements: |Ingenuity!|
Cover Tell me what you think of the cover. Made it in photoshop. It''s a bit of a rather edited collage of a couple of pictures I found off google (I can''t draw ice to save my life). Does it make it feel more like a dungeon reincarnation story? Thanks for reading, peeps. I''m have fun. Hehe. If you have any ideas of where you think this story is going, or even just stuff you''d like to see happen, I''d love to know for comparing notes and all. I have a general idea, but input is always nice. Also, anything I could do better? How''s the pacing? And what do you think of all the flavor text? (I''m actually trying to get this up to 50 words so I can post it, lol, mostly want to know about the cover, but hey, other stuff''s fun too. Peace out)The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. 1.5 - Monsters in the Basement A little girl by the name of Nammy Tamage, age six, showed up at the Lindain Sheriff¡¯s Office on the Eighth day of the month of Firr. She reported in great hysteria that the four other members of her family had disappeared. After an extensive search of the surrounding area with no clues as to the disappearance, Nammy was probedfurther for more information. She said, quote, ¡°It came from the basement.¡± The Tamages have no basement. ¨CReport #1509 of Missing Peoples Section, Lindain What the heck was that??? Did that just happen? Didthat just happen? Did a freaking fat whale dog just burst through my floor and then turn around and leave without answeringanyof my questions? Okay, the thing answered a few, but not theimportant ones! I¡¯m going to sue it! I am so going to sue it! Rude! It didn¡¯t even fix the stinking hole! It totally ruined my home decor! Who wants to live with a hole in their floor. And don¡¯t get me started on that less than ominouswarning it said before it left. Nuh uh. Stupid whale dog. See how I¡¯ll chew you out if you ever come back. Maybe put a hole in the floor of your house and see how you like it. Hmph! ¡­ But seriously, what am I going to do. There¡¯s scary things beneath my floor. This gives a whole new meaning to monsters in the basement. And it¡¯s not like I can just call an exorcist or move houses. What the heck is an exorcist? Where do these sayings keep coming from, anyway? They keep popping up in my head randomly. Sorry, not important. Not to get distracted at all¡­ especially in a moment of impending doom. Those seem to happen a lot recently. Sigh. I turned to look at the extent of the damage.
Warning:You have created a second entrance to you dungeon that extends well beyond the reach of your domain that encroaches upon a high level area. You must be wary creating additional entrances, it is not well advised as once an entrance has been made, it cannot be closed.
Nonononononononono!! I didn¡¯t make it! Take it back! I didn¡¯t freaking make the stupid hole! Some whale dog burst through my floor. Why can¡¯t you understand that you stupid blue screens! I pull at the ice around the hole to close it, but the ice crumbles away whenever I attempt. Why can¡¯t I close it? Why?
Congratulations! You survived your first encounter. Prepare yourself, for there is a second coming.
What? I¡¯m panicking. I¡¯m officially, wholeheartedly, panicking. Don¡¯t tell me this is not the time to panic, because thisis the time to panic. And panic I will. Something¡¯s coming! And the stupid! Blue! Screens! Aren¡¯t helping! What do I do? What do I do? What do Ido????I¡¯m not ready for this! I just got done dealing with a whale dog of all things. I can¡¯t deal with this! I can¡¯t handle whatever¡¯s coming! And there it is¡­ Slowly rising from that cursed hole in the floor. First eyes, wide and on top like a frog''s, then the rest of the head rise up on a long, long slimy green neck. The head itself is thin and elongated with a blotchy coloring of browns and greens. Water dripped down its flaring nostrils. It vaguely looked like a weird, green... horse with feelers drifting around its chin and rugged, torn fins for ears. Nothing too scary. That is, until it flashed its teeth. It was like a death trap. I think I just peed myself. Is that what I hope it¡¯s not?
Rin Khult[Naitaka]: Level (54) ¨C Often described as a carnivorous horse-faced water snake, naitakas are considered stupid but tenacious. Once they latch onto a prey, they will never let go, even going as far as swimming for over a year in pursuit. Rin Khultin particular is a nasty one of the breed, a rare case where it has a limited access to mana. It has personally wiped out many pods of the fearsome Akhluts, as well as many an adventurer. Is currently in pursuit of Ah¡¯m the Akhlut. Favorite skill: [Suction] ¨C Creates a small suction force towards its mouth.Rin Khult likes to use it more than is logical¡­ or good for him.
You stupid whale dog! Just kill me now! No, wait, I take that back. I want to live! The naitaka drew closer. ¡°Nice horse-snake thingy¡­ Good horse-snake thingy. I promise you I¡¯m not tasty. I promise you Ah¡¯m¡¯s already left. The stupid whale dog went that way, straight back down that hole, so if you could just leave¡­¡± I say hesitantly. It cocked its head, considering me, then opened its mouth wide. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I felt a suction force pulling on me. ¡°No! You¡¯ve got to be kidding me! Don¡¯t eat me! Ah¡¯m¡¯s not here! Why are you after me? I¡¯ll give you a toothache!¡± A pillow rose off the floor and flew down it¡¯s throat. It stopped sucking for a second, seemingly surprised at the pillow, then resumed it¡¯s suction force. I moved an inch forward towards its mouth. In a panic, I threw a projectile at it. The ice pellet glanced off its scales, leaving a dent. A bit of health was chipped off the floating health bar above its head. It stopped again, regarding me, then apparently deciding I wasn¡¯t particularly dangerous, it resumed once more. I move a few more inches forward, its mouth was now looking very scary with it razor sharp teeth and slug-like black tongue. In a moment or so, those teeth would snap behind me. I hurriedly formed another ice pellet, only this time, my heart plummeted as I lost control of the projectile. I watched in horror as it sped toward it¡¯s gaping mouth. It¡¯s going to swallow it. My light dimmed.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. It happened fast. The ice pellets launched like a bullet as it was caught in the suction force¡­ and it shot straight through the back of the naitaka¡¯s throat, puncturing the wall behind it. We both froze in shock, not sure exactly what happened until the pain hit the naitaka. It screams. And when I say scream, I mean scream. I don¡¯t have ears¡­ I mean, I¡¯m sure I used to and I¡¯m still getting used to that fact, but I could have sworn the scream of that Ren kilt or whatever burst my nonexistent eardrums. It was a harsh, jarring, inhuman screech that will haunt me forever, and it freaking hurt! I cringe as it flail around my room, slamming its head several times randomly into my walls before falling like a tree and coming to a rest next to me. Blood begins to puddle around its head. I stare at it in trepidation, longing to be able to scoot away as fast as I can. It¡¯s dead, right? No, I guess not. It¡¯s still got health, but crazily enough, it lost more than two thirds of it. It¡¯s knocked out then, right? Please don¡¯t wake up. Please don¡¯t wake up. Its eye snaps open. I jolt in surprise so hard my body actually rocks. It lunges at me and its teeth brush my side. Pain blossoms. It freaking hurts! I think it took off a chunk of me! GetAway! I am not going to be your dinner! It rears slightly for another lunge and quickly closes in on me. I scream and throw out my last projectile as fast as I can. I can¡¯t help but look away as I do so, waiting for the teeth to crunch right through me. Is this the end? Is this how I die, as fish food? I had hoped I could live a little longer, figure out why I¡¯m here, what I¡¯m supposed to be doing, maybe even find my lost memories of what I was before. I repeat for the last time my mantra, my little line that helps to keep me sane. I am Devin, female, with a dad and a mom, and even though I¡¯m not really sure who they are, I¡¯ll find out one day.Only now that day will never come. Goodbye world. I¡¯ll see you around sometime. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Man, I never knew death took this long. I¡¯m glad it¡¯s not as painful as I was expecting, but I was expecting, you know, more pain. A whole lot more. And being crunched to death. All I feel is a slight throbbing in my side where the teeth nicked me earlier and¡­ a slight puff of warm air? What is that? I turn to look and freeze. I¡¯m¡­ not dead¡­ But I came very close to it. Horse-snake thingy¡¯s jaws are literally inches from me, and the warm air I felt? That was it breathing on me¡­ breathing its last few breaths before toppling over with a crash. My hastily shot projectile had gone through the roof of its mouth, puncturing into its brain. I can¡¯t believe it. I¡¯m alive? I¡¯m alive? Laughter wells up within me. It bursts out in weird little waves. I¡¯m sure if I had a face, I¡¯d be crying at the same time. I¡¯m really alive. But, really world. Can you please stop messing with me. I might go crazy if anything else like this gets thrown at me. I really might.
This sword has always felt smooth in my hands, well-worn, traveling through the years with me. My constant companion. ¨C Old Guardsman at the South Pass Congratulations! Warriors are not made in a day. Level [4]!: You have slain your first monster.(+2 health; +2 mana; +2 path points; full restore)
You have earned the achievement:|Powerful!| ¨CKill something 10 levels higher than your current level. (+2 health; +2 mana; +2 path points)
You have earned the achievement:|Dauntless!| ¨CKill something 25 levels higher than your current level. (+5 health; +5 mana; +5 path points)
You have earned the achievement:|Against the Odds!| ¨CKill something 50 levels higher than your current level. (+10 health; +10 mana; +10 path points; {Valiant I (1/100)} path)
You have earned the achievement:|Crack Shot!| ¨C Kill something 25 levels higher than your current level with a single critical hit. (+20% to accuracy, +5% to critical hit chance)
That wasn¡¯t an arrow. That was a twig launched from very, very far away. ¨C Magistar Terret¡¯s on King Julian Vibrants IV¡¯s assassination Congratulations! Ordinary items become weapons in your hands. [Natural ProjectileII]: Projectiles you launch have greater piercing power(2 cm projectile/ 8 mana; +5 piercing power)
That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s quite a lot of achievements. I got a huge upgrade to both my mana and my health from it. I guess I deserve it. Thatwasthe most harrowing experience of my whole life. I think¡­ I think I¡¯ll got make some more rooms, you know, to get away from this massive hole I apparently can¡¯t do anything with. Yeah, running away¡¯s a good idea¡­
Status Menu
Name: [Locked] Race: Dungeon Level:4* Attribute: Green
Health:42/42* (5/hr) Mana:42/42* (0/hr) State:Teleport Cool-down(Mana will not regenerate for 24 hours)
Rooms: 2 Floors:1 Named Monsters: 0
Monsters:0 Animals:0 Plants:0
[¦®]
Path Points: 25*
Paths: {Beginner I (0/5)}{Ingenuity I (0/50)}{Valiant I (1/100)}*
Skills: [Influence II][Incorporation II][AmbientAura V][Earth Manipulation I] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer I] [Karma I][Ice Manipulation IV] [Natural Projectile II]* [Core Teleportation]
Achievements: |Ingenuity!||Powerful!|* |Dauntless!|* |Against the Odds!|* |Crack Shot!|*
1.6 - Sliver Fish Swarm Every environment has it¡¯s bottom-feeders. For the Eastern Lakes, it¡¯s the Giant-legged Sturgeon; the Suon Kiin deserts, the tiny Scorpion Vulture. the Kith Kilan forests, the Rubber-bellied Carrion Newt; the Rou Ban highlands, the Laughing Spider-dog; and for the little know ocean under the Rhew, it¡¯s the Sliver Fish¨CJust to name a few. There are many, many bottom-feeders in the world, and most hardly present any danger to the common traveler as long as they are even somewhat prepared, except¡­ except perhaps the Urban Cockroach. ¨C Barmir¡¯s Guide to the Unknown, 976 It¡¯s been about a day since the naitaka attacked. I can¡¯t really bear to be in the same room as it, but I also can¡¯t bear the cost of transporting at the moment. If another thing comes when I don¡¯t have any mana¡­ I don¡¯t want to think about it. But I¡¯ve had enough moping around. I can ignore it, so let¡¯s settle on some more¡­ constructive things. Floor first. I need to harden my floor. I can¡¯t handle another entrance if something else decides to break through my floor. So, I pack it. It feels a bit different than just moving ice around or swallowing it. I have to squeeze, and it actually makes me tired, like I¡¯m lifting weights or something. It¡¯s a weird feeling since I don¡¯t have any muscles. Someday, I¡¯ll get around to that. The more I recall random feelings of having a body, the more I seem to miss it. I wonder if there¡¯s a way that I can get one. It would make things so much easier, honestly. As a plus, weirdly enough, packing ice didn¡¯t seem to take up as much mana. I had thought it¡¯d be the other way around. Huh. After newly reinforcing my floors as much as I can with my level of [Ice Manipulation], and my walls while I was at it, I turn my attention to new rooms. Don¡¯t blame me for running away. That open hole is dangerous. Even now it feels like an open mouth ready to swallow me whole. The feeling it gives me is so much worse that my first entrance. It¡¯s like a constant tooth ache in my mind. Again with the body references! I need to figure out how to get one so I don¡¯t drive myself crazy with half formed ideas of what it actually feels like! Wait, not now. I need rooms. Distance is too important. I can¡¯t leisurely experiment right now. I force my attention to the staircase room. I¡¯ll start building another offshoot room like this one over there, only this time, I won¡¯t waste as much time being super ornate. This room has been pretty much ruined and all my decorations gone to waste. All my poor pillows¡­ My two rooms right now are set up like two circles right next to each other with a short hallway connecting them. The staircase is on the opposite side of the hallway. I start on the right wall from the staircase and make a much longer hallway. I loop it around to behind the wall of the staircase so I can make my new room as far away from the hole of death as I can. I¡¯ll have three circular rooms all in a row. It¡¯s a weird layout, but it works for my current purposes. I place more beaded silk curtains at each end of the long hallway. I make this room slightly bigger than the other two, elongating it into more of an oval, and place a rather confusing maze of silk curtains. Not that it will really obstruct anything. Its more to just tangle anything moving through the room at a quick pace and to diminish visibility. I even managed to figure out how to make the silk slightly sticky. Hehe, it¡¯s almost like a nest of real spider webs. Not a bad trap for my first try. Maybe I can make more¡­ It¡¯s kind of hard thinking them up, though, and I don¡¯t have very many materials on hand at the moment. I don¡¯t really want to fill my home with a bunch of traps no matter how much safer that¡¯ll make me. It¡¯d just make the whole place uncomfortable, and well¡­ paranoid feeling. And if I ever get a real body, I don¡¯t want to be tripping over traps all the time. And Iwill get a body. At least the silk curtains serve a dual purpose. They¡¯re pretty to look at, and moving at a slow walk shouldn¡¯t really get you tangled up. It¡¯s more of a counter measure against lunging things like the stupid horse-snake thing. For good measure, I placed more silk curtains in the fire pit room and upgrade my silk doors as well. Hopefully, it¡¯ll slow anything trying to charge into my domain while I finish it off with projectiles. Speaking of projectiles, I should practice to get the skill up. They¡¯re what saved my life, and getting better at them won¡¯t hurt anyone. Well, actually they will. Heheehehee. Can I create them anywhere in my domain, or only right around my core? I try creating a projectile near my staircase. It takes a second, but I manage to get an ice pellet in the air. It¡¯s much harder than using the skill right next to me and it costs a bit more mana to create. I think distance has a role to play¡­ something about my influence being the strongest directly around me. Alright, add that onto my growing list of things to do. Work on projectiles. Back to traps, though. They¡¯re really not that bad of an idea if I can find the right place to put them. Honestly, I really just want to close the hole. The knowledge that I can¡¯t grates on me. Can I make like a trap door that only opens from the inside? That¡¯d be really great, but I have a feeling that that would be pretty much the same thing as just closing off the hole. What the heck, I¡¯ma try anyway. I pull some ice up into a thick compressed slab and lay it over the hole. I wait for a second to see if it will crumble away like my attempts to cover the hole will. It doesn¡¯t. Apparently, a slab covering a hole is not considered closing off an entrance. Hm¡­ Maybe because it won¡¯t actually keep anything out? That¡¯s a scary though. It¡¯s a pretty heavy slab. Still it¡¯s weird that it lets me do this and doesn¡¯t let me cover the hole¡­ And there it goes¡­ My poor slab crumbles into dust. What was that? A delayed reaction? Or did it read my mind? Sigh¡­ As I¡¯m mourning the loss of my slab, something silver flashes in the corner of my vision. My attention is drawn to it. It¡¯s the corpse of the horse-snake. Did it just move? I really really really hope it didn¡¯t. I stare it for a couple of minutes. Nothing happens. I hesitantly turn my attention back to the making another slab, when once again, something moves in the corner of my vision. I¡¯m officially freaked out now as I stare hard at the dead thing, not daring to take my eyes off it. Then, as I watch, something small and silver pokes out of the naitaka¡¯s side. It pops back in, and I can¡¯t see it anymore, but I can still see the hole it popped out of. That hole wasn¡¯t there a few minutes ago. I continue staring. Another silver thing pops out in a different spot and then disappears back inside. Then, another, and another. Suddenly, the whole corpse is flashing with the things, popping in and out of the skin. Nausea assails me. Whatever they are, they¡¯re eating the corpse. The corpse is deflating before my eyes.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Stop. Stop! That¡¯s not right! Stop eating it! Don¡¯t you have a little respect for the dead?¡± I scream. Instinctively, I pull at corpse like I do my ice, trying to get it away from whatever¡¯s devouring it. In my rush, I accidentally begin to devour it myself. It¡¯s a creepy process to watch, but kind of beautiful at the same time. First the skin flaked off, turning into glittering light reminiscent to snowflakes. The rest of the body soon followed suit as I completely absorbed it.
Flinch? Flinch is for coward. Strong must go into thick fight and tear flesh from bone. Makes best meal.¨C K¡¯lict Breakbone,Balor Warrior Congratulations! The path of the strong comes from devouring the weak. Level [5]!:You have absorbed your first defeated monster(+2 health; +2 mana; +1 path point; +monster¡¯s characteristics as addable attributes; full restore)
I dissectedit, broke it apart, trying to see how it ticked. I sadly didn¡¯t learn much from the artifact. ¨C Scholar Warren Congratulations! You knowledge increases as you incorporate. [Incorporation III]:You can incorporate more things within your domain to allow for increased environment design.(Only applicable to things without souls; 10% mana absorption; +20% mana absorption if materials are fully incorporated (5 hrs) and not just stored; Schemas and addable attributes created from absorbed items)
¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to!¡± I say in horror. I was just telling these silver things not to eat it and there I go and eat it myself. This blue screen is mocking me for it. I hear a slight scraping sound, like metal against metal, and when I turn my attention to it, I get my first good look at what was eating the naitaka. Fish. They were fish floating in the air. Small, skinny silver fish with wide, glassy eyes all staring at me. They were about 3 inches long, but there had to be more than thirty of them. Their scales glinted ominously.
Sliver Fish [Swarm 30+]: Level (25) ¨CCarrion feeder of the ocean. Feeds off of corpses, especially the strong. A sliver fish is naturally weak on its own, but in swarms, sliver fish can devastate a level 70 creature with ease. Sliver fish can be identified by their silver coloring and razor sharp scales that can cut through almost anything under level 100, and cut through anything under level 50 like butter. They also have the ability to swim through air like it is water. They won¡¯t often attack directly unless agitated.
They¡¯re veritable swimming knives! And they¡¯re giving me the evil eye! Why the heck does this keep happening to me? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because of the stupid [Karma] skill! It just has to be one thing after another, doesn¡¯t it. What¡¯s a girl got to do to get some peace around here? ¡°Oh, no you don¡¯t. Don¡¯t you dare move, you stinking fish. Don¡¯t look at me like that! Okay, I¡¯ll admit, I took your food away, but really, what¡¯s a little bite between friends? So, if you could just back away¡­¡± I say. And of course, they¡¯re coming to swarm me. Why do my persuasion skills never work? Alright, fishes, get ready to rumble, ¡¯cause for once, I¡¯m actually prepared. As they swim closer to me, I released my tangle of silk on them, trapping them like flies in a web. They squirm around, frantically trying to get free, sometimes cutting up the silk, sometimes cutting up each other. ¡°If you would just¡­ Stop¡­ Moving! I could throw you out like the trash you are!¡±I reach out with my conscience, trying to use my mind to get them to stop moving. I feel myself almost start to slip into them. I felt clearly their limited thoughts and feelings. They were angry, they were scared, and always, always starving. I sympathized with them. It was a scary world out there, so I reached further, bringing all the force of my own feelings, my own fear, but also my willingness to accept them as my own, to protect them and feed them. One by one they slow, then stop completely.
I couldn¡¯t help but bow. His manner, his might, it was too divine. ¨C Corvis the traveling bard. Congratulations! Your influence grows. One day your domain will be teeming with life, and you will be sovereign. [Influence III]:You¡¯ve brought your first race under your influence. Creatures will now fall under your influence faster.(3% to creature conversion rate)
A good king makes good decisions when it is required. A great king listens to others first, then makes good decisionswhen it is required.¨C A Ruler¡¯s Almanac Congratulations! Servants are what make the king. You have begun to gather your retinue. Level [6]!:You have brought your first monster under your influence(+2 health; +2 mana; +2 path point; +monster¡¯s characteristics as addable attributes; full restore)
Um, cool?
Status Menu
Name: [Locked] Race: Dungeon Level:6* Attribute: Green
Health:46/46* (5/hr) Mana:46/46* (5/hr)* State:Normal*
Rooms: 3* Floors:1 Named Monsters: 0
Monsters: 38* Animals:0 Plants:0
[¦®]
Path Points: 28*
Paths: {Beginner I (0/5)}{Ingenuity I (0/50)}{Valiant I (1/100)}
Skills: [Influence III]* [Incorporation III]* [AmbientAura V][Earth Manipulation I] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer I] [Karma I][Ice Manipulation IV] [Natural Projectile II][Core Teleportation]
Achievements: |Ingenuity!||Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!|
1.7 - Winter Lichen The greatest feeling of all the world is when something you¡¯ve planted for the first time sprouts. It feels like you are worth something, that you are needed and loved, because each man knows that plants are the only thing in this world that love unconditionally. They will care for you just as much as you care for them. ¨C Therian herbalist You know, when they¡¯re not attacking you, sliver fish are pretty to look at. I¡¯m not scared of them anymore. Scratch that. I was never scared of them. It was more like¡­ just a nervous feeling, you know? ¡®Cause I don¡¯t get scared. Nope, have never once been scared in my whole life. Ahem. Back to the pretty fish. It doesn¡¯t take me long to notice that after bonded with them, their scales took on a slight green tint. Adding to the green lighting from my ice berries, the fish almost seem to disappear if they¡¯re not moving. Once they move, a bit of light catches on them and their scales flash silver. It almost makes it feel like my room is underwater now. Huh, I think I can use this. They¡¯ll be great little guards for my hole. If anything scary tries to climb up the hole while the fish are in it, it¡¯ll be like trying to climb through a garbage disposal while it¡¯s on. They¡¯ll be shredded! Muwahahaha! As I¡¯m thinking this, one sliver fish comes up to me and nudges me with a feeling.Hungry. ¡°You¡¯re hungry?¡± Hungry.Suddenly, all the sliver fish turn towards me and stare at me with their wide eyes.Hungry,They all nudge at once, HungryHungryHungry. Crap! I¡¯m an idiot! I totally forgot! I already knew they would be constant eating machines when I bonded with them. Why¡¯d I go and do that? It¡¯s like I have a bunch of babies now. Hungry.Calm down! I have to think right now! I have nothing to feed you with, so let me think! Okay, when in doubt, look at my status. It¡¯s helped me out before, so it can¡¯t hurt. That reminds me. What the heck are path points. I get them when I level up and stuff. I¡¯m assuming I put them into paths, but what do paths even do? I try mentally clicking on the {beginner I (0/5)} path. It looks helpful, and besides, it¡¯s the cheapest.
{Beginner I (0/5)}: |?(¡À1) ?|
What? No description? That¡¯s not helpful at all. Come on, blue screens, you¡¯re lacking! Should I just put points in? I think that¡¯s what those weird symbols mean. What the heck. I¡¯m just going to go for it. I focus on it, trying to bring it up to 5.
{Beginner I (5/5)}: |?(¡À5) ?|
Everything must learn through slow and simple steps. A caterpillar must learn first to spin silk before it can fly. ¨C Sage of the Wild Congratulations! {Beginner I (5/5)} Path:Complete. (+3 health; +3 mana; +5 health regeneration; + 5 mana regeneration; +1 random starter seed)
I swung my sword a thousand times, and he said I passed the test, but he still won¡¯t let me out of the garden. ¨C Guardsman¡¯s son Congratulations!It is through the simple paths in life that one is led to greatness. Level [7]!:You have completed your first path.(+1 health; +1 mana; +4 path points; {Beginner II (0/8)} path; full restore}
When the famine of 803 ended, we cried at the sprouting of the first crops in years. ¨C Juvio Hudson Congratulations!A nation depends upon its crops. Level [8]!:You have spawned your first seed.(+2 health, +1 mana, +2 path points; full restore}
We''d often go hunting in the woods for edible mushrooms, and sometimes even down to the lakes near the village for algae to make vests out of. Mom would always scold us for playing in the mud. ¨CThe Memoirs of David Hallowy Congratulations!You have received +1 winter lichen sprout (fungus and algae mix, must have soil/rock, can photosynthesize through ambient heat source)
Hallelujah! This is perfect! My luck has pulled me through! Crap, I think I just jinxed myself. I hope nothing bad happens¡­ Whatever, I¡¯ll deal with it then. But I finally figured out how to increase my regeneration!!!! And I got a seed out of it, too! This is the best day of my life! I wish I had done this so much sooner. I can plant a farm! I can do something finally with my stupid skills! I¡¯m green for goodness sake. I¡¯m pretty sure that has something to do with nature. I have a [green thumb]! And [plant growth]! Aren¡¯t I more suited to planting things than moving ice around? But soil, I need soil. Where can I get soil when all there is around me is ice. Wait, there¡¯s an ocean below me right? There¡¯s soil at the bottom of oceans. Really good soil. Quickly, I make some pots of really condensed ice. I¡¯m hoping I can tie some |ice silk| rope to them so that my fishies can carry them down below. Ah, now that I think about it, my fishies, are the purely carnivores? Or can they eat plants. I don¡¯t think the description description said. I can only hope they¡¯re omnivores. If not, I¡¯ll have to send them out on feeding missions down below. That¡¯s my best bet. I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t think of that before. Well, I got my first plant out of it, so it¡¯s all good. ¡°Okay, you fishies, come here. Come hold this rope very carefully. Make sure not to accidentally cut it. Go down to the bottom of the ocean and put dirt in the pots and bring it back. Okay?¡± My fishies looked at me blankly. I don¡¯t think they understood any of that. I sigh, exasperated. Okay, let¡¯s try a different approach. Hold. Go. Bottom. Fill. Back.With each word I emphasized a mental picture. The fishes look at me for a few seconds, and then I see it register in their minds. A few swim over, grab the ropes carefully in their mouths, and swoop down the hole. I send a few more after them to be bodyguards. I hold my breath the whole time they are gone. Please let nothing bad happen to them. Let¡¯s gnaw on some snow to keep down the nerves. I¡¯m really hoping this won¡¯t be a something can go wrong, will go wrong moments. Ug! The suspense is killing me!Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡­ They¡¯re back! I can feel it! Right at the edge of my domain. I wait a few seconds longer and then see them pop out of the hole. Oh, thank goodness! They¡¯re safe. They come over and deposit the full pots of soil in front of me and give me a status report through a series of mental images. Nothing much seemed to have happened. Swimming with the pots seemed difficult. They had some trouble figuring out how to swim when the pots kept floating up, and the ice ropes started to melt a little as they got lower in the water. They lost one of the pots because the ropes melted all the way through. Getting the pots back up was a process in and of itself. They were heavier because of all the silt and stuff. But my fishies had done it! Oh, my wonderful fishies! You deserve a break. Go find some food down the hole. I think it should be safe enough. Take turns going, though. Don¡¯t all go at once, and watch out for each other while you eat. Be careful looking for food. Don¡¯t pick on something you can¡¯t fight. I¡¯m going to play with my soil now. I reach out towards the silt and pull on it like I do with my ice. I had forgotten how difficult it was the first time I tried with ice. It was like I was repeating the whole ordeal all over again. I¡¯m just glad that this time it¡¯s in more favorable circumstances.
Every man lives by the soil. Every man dies by the soil. ¨C Duende adage Congratulations! Earth is ageless. You grow wise as you seek to understand. [Earth Manipulation II]:You now have slightly more control over any earth around you for a slight cost of mana.(1.5 cmR/ 5 mana)
Easier, but I guess it will take some practice to get it to the level of my [ice manipulation]. I start to make another room branching off my twisting hallway. I make the floor a bit wider and the ceiling a bit shorter than my other rooms and fill the ceiling with looping vine engravings full of fat, ice berries three times the size of my previous ones. They cover the ceiling. I fill them with |aura of warmth| and get two notifications when I¡¯m done.
I din¡¯t dare breathe as that Eira dance¡¯njus¡¯ ten feet from me. It¡¯s beauty like other, I say, that spirit o¡¯ snow. But if it¡¯d found me, I knew it¡¯d kilt me inna heartbeat. ¨C Pao Gramm¡¯s tavern tale Congratulations! Domains of Ice and Snow are seldom known. You are one of the few. [Ice Manipulation V]:You now have greater control over any ice around you for a slight cost of mana. (2 cmR/ 3 mana)
The Temple of Lightis a holy place. Within it¡¯s walls anything above a whisper is seldom heard. ¨C Acolyte Adams Congratulations! You aura spreads. Your domain basks under its glow. [Ambient Aura VI]:Your aura has grown. Aura¡¯s you own now gain an additional effect.(|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|; +2% chance of evolution under |Aura of Light|; +10% plant growth speed under |Aura of Warmth|)
I want to see it with my own eyes, my new room. I could teleport, but instead of inflicting a negative status, I weave myself a rug with four tassels on each corner right out of the ice below me just so I¡¯m already on it when it¡¯s completed. I ask some of my fishies that are waiting for their turn to go below to pick up the tassels and fly me to my new room. They drop me off and go back for the pots while I stand back to admire my workmanship. It reminds me of the sun, shining down softly and so full of warmth. Not a bad job. I compress my domain¡¯s ice, further strengthening the walls and floors as I wait for the fishes to come back. It¡¯s become a habit of mine, slowly trying to compress the ice even more than it is. It¡¯s hard work, but it¡¯s worth it. Alright, my fishies are back with the pots, and now I can start working on my farm. I dump the ice pots. Silt and stones spill onto the floor. One of the rocks barely slipped out of the opening. I¡¯m not even sure how my fishies fit it into the pot. It¡¯s pretty big. A bit smaller than my pillows I created. It even had a little dip on the top of it like a shallow dish. Okay, I can¡¯t just do this willy-nilly. I¡¯m going to make it pretty. I¡¯m a girl, and I like pretty things. Or cool things. More cool things, I think. I don¡¯t like pink. Or frilly bows. Hmph. Bows are for wimps. I begin by making another indent in my floor like in my fire pit room, except bigger, with sloping sides instead of sheer ones. I place a very swirly ¡®s¡¯ shaped walkway straight through the middle of the pit at a height slightly lower than the edges of the room and carve stone shapes into into it like on my fire pit. The ¡®s¡¯ of the walkway almost reminds me of a drawing of a whirlpool with how curved it is, so I raise up a little circular platform right in the center of the pit to complement it. I make an even smaller ring like my fire pit on the center of the platform and place my big stone in the center of that, filling the rest in with soil so it looks like a planter box. Thinking a bit, I line the ice of my planter box with |aura of warmth| to hopefully keep my soil from freezing. I put a bit more soil in the little dish of the rock and take out my winter lichen from my stomach space thing where all my ice goes after eating it. The lichen popped up there after I completed the beginner path. It was a weird feeling. Carefully, I plant the lichen in the dish of the rock. I hope I¡¯m doing this right. The rest of the soil, I put in one half of the pit, lining the bottom with |aura of warmth|. I¡¯ll plant any other plants I get by chance or grow from the lichen. I have a feeling that completing the beginner paths will get me more plants. I¡¯m excited! I¡¯m like a real farmer!
Status Menu
Name: [Locked] Race: Dungeon Level:8* Attribute: Green
Health:52/52* (10/hr)* Mana:51/51* (10/hr)* State:Normal
Rooms: 4* Floors:1 Named Monsters: 0
Monsters: 38 Animals:0 Plants: 1*
[¦®]
Path Points: 29*
Paths: {Beginner II (0/8)}* {Ingenuity I (0/50)}{Valiant I (1/100)}
Skills: [Influence III][Incorporation III][AmbientAura VI]* [Earth Manipulation II]* [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer I] [Karma I][Ice Manipulation V]* [Natural Projectile II][Core Teleportation]
Achievements: |Ingenuity!||Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!|
1.8 - Eira and Evolve What is the main difference between man and monster, for it surely isn¡¯t the shape. Many races of man are more strange, more obscure, than some monsters will ever be. Is it intelligence, then, or perhaps the ability to cast skills. No, my dear sirs, that cannot be the answer, for how well documented are the strange beasts that come nigh unto man¡¯s intelligence, as well as the various skills they employ. No, there¡¯s only one difference, and that is a monster¡¯s ability to evolve. ¨COf Monsters and Men, 883 I need more silt. Also water.I need water. I had originally wanted to fill the other half of my garden-in-process with water and create sort of Feng Shui effect¡­ I decided against it. It¡¯d look funny. Let¡¯s go with just more soil instead. Maximize planting space. I¡¯ll create another room as a pond and resting spot for my fishies. Although they¡¯re fine swimming in the air, I think it¡¯d be better for them to be where they are naturally supposed to be. You know, underwater. Besides, plants also need water. I really need to figure out an irrigation system for my garden, but I have no idea how to get water that¡¯s not salt water. For my fishies, it¡¯ll be fine, they live normally in salt water. Maybe I can send them to find some salt water plants under the ocean for their pond later, if there are any. But that won¡¯t work for my lichen, I think. It¡¯ll need fresh water, at least every once in a while since it¡¯s already a hardy plant. But I¡¯m still not sure where to get fresh water. Melting ice is an option, but I can¡¯t really melt ice at the moment. Hmmm let me chew on this idea for a while. I send some fish down the hole with the pots for more silt. I also create some more pots to send down for water, even though I can¡¯t do anything with it at the moment. Maybe having some nearby will give me inspiration. While I¡¯m waiting for them to come back, I start to think again. I also need to find a more viable food source for my fish. It¡¯s not really practical to keep sending them down the hole, not to mention dangerous. And I still haven¡¯t figured out if they can eat plants. I don¡¯t really think that lichen will cut it, though. If only there was a plant that grows meat. Ug! So many problems have begun to pile up recently. It¡¯s making me wish for back when my life was simpler. It¡¯s all the whale dog¡¯s fault. Stupid whale dog. Absentmindedly, I pulled up the the {beginner II} path. Maybe I can get something good again. Who knows. I could get a meat plant! I fantasize in that daydream for a bit as I complete the path. I wish I had enough points for {valiant}. I have a feeling that the rewards for that one would be amazing.
Here, take this training sword. Go beat that dummy. Try not to fall in the dirt. - Gullina Hemsworth, training instructor Congratulations! {Beginner II (8/8)} Path:Complete. (+4 health; +4 mana; +5 health regeneration; + 5 mana regeneration; +1 random starter seed; {Beginner III (0/12)} path)
Bananas? What is this strange thing? You say they''re called bananas? Are you trying to kill me? - Lycocien Lander, mercenary Congratulations!You have received +1 banana palm sprout (tropical, must have soil, can photosynthesize through ambient heat source)
"Uh¡­ That¡¯s not exactly what I was expecting. Sure, it¡¯s nice that I got another plant, but really bananas? What am I supposed to do with bananas? We¡¯re as far as you can possibly get from the tropics!"I complain to my returning fish. They deposit the pots around me. Ug, whatever. I plant the sprout in my makeshift garden anyway, making sure to put some |aura of warmth| ice surrounding it to keep the plant extra warm. Well, if it dies, I¡¯ll be sad, but I wouldn¡¯t expect otherwise. I mean, we¡¯re surrounded in ice. It¡¯s just not the right climate for such a plant. I would know. It think it¡¯s my [green thumb] skill, either that or my [plant growth], that¡¯s giving me so much information about what plants need. I would be completely lost without it. And well, if it does die, I can always try to resurrect it with [green thumb]. All of a sudden, I feel a commotion from the fish I placed as sentries for my first entrance, my front door. A sense of warning comes from them, and then I feel something enter my home. I waver for a second on whether to flee to my silk curtained room or go to the stairway. One way is safer, but I can¡¯t really handle the situation. The other way is way more dangerous, but then, I could also confront the intruder. It hit me. There¡¯s an intruder in my house. There¡¯s an intruder inmy house. I¡¯ve had too many intruders in the last couple of days. I will not stand for things coming in whenever they want like they own the place. They have no right to keep doing this to me! Whatever it is, it needs to get outright now! I get four of my fish to lift up my carrying hammock rug thing and we dash towards the staircase room. I feel my connection to two of my fishies disappear. We swing around the corner and come into view of the entrance. At first, all I can see is a ball of ice floating in the air at the end of the stairway. I look closer and see that it¡¯s actually a humanoid, not very big, maybe a foot in height. It¡¯s actually very pretty, like a little fairy made out of ice. It has a body completely made out of what looks like ice and a smooth face with eyes completely the color of black. They should look wrong, but somehow it looks charming. It¡¯s hair looks like magical lace dust made out of snowflakes and sparkles floating in a non-existent breeze. It¡¯s dress is made out of the same materials. Several of my fish were still darting around it as I came in, trying to cut it up. They were having little success as the eira was surrounded by a light misty defensive barrier that frosted my fishes scales with a layer of ice, dulling their blades whenever they got too close.
Eira [Snow Spirit]: Level (18) ¨CBeing of ice and snow. Forms when there are strong natural currents of mana.As one of the only things living atop the Rhew, Eira are used to solidarity. They have strong senses of territory, defensive nature, and large amounts of hate towards anyone that intrudes or changes the landscape of the Rhew. Beware of their strong ice based skills.
I hesitate for a second, caught off guard by it¡¯s delicate features as my fish escorts lower me to the floor. But then my sight is drawn to the ground below it. Two of my poor fish are laying frozen on the ground, the life drawn out of them. ¡°They¡¯re gone?¡± My voice cracks in confusion. ¡°Did they just die? Please tell me they¡¯re not dead. Did that thing murder them?!¡± My rage flares up once more. ¡°Get out!¡± I scream. ¡°GetoutGetoutGet Out!¡±I begin launching projectiles at the eira, which deflects them with ease, but then my fish, all 36 of them, start responding to my range and launching themselves at the intruder. The eira¡¯s defense starts to crumble as it tries to deal with the swarming razor fish and my ice bullets. Cuts start to form on it¡¯s body from the sharp scales and a small chunk here and there disappear as my projectiles glance off of it. ¡°Get out!¡± I scream again.
Something happened. It was like he was a completely different person. All I can say is he went crazy when they killed his family and began attacking everything in sight. ¨C Borill the dwarf Congratulations! Your wrath can only make you stronger. Take care it does not consume you. [Ambient Aura VII]:Your aura has grown. You now have additonal options of which type of aura you wish to release.(|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|, |Aura of Fury|; +2% chance of evolution under |Aura of Light|; +10% plant growth speed under |Aura of Warmth|; Frenzy and target stun effect under|Aura of Fury|)If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
|Aura of Fury|:An offensive aura of anger directed heavily at a target. If the target is within 10 level of the caster, target has a 50% chance of being stunned for 2 seconds. Aura causes Frenzy in the user ((+2 mana/ min) for 5 sec; +20% skill cast speed for 5 sec; -15% health for 15 sec)
I felt a craze-filled fog overcome me. I felt weak and strong at the same time as my rage seemed to grow. Mana came to me so much faster now. The eira froze under my fury and during that time, three of my projectiles hit, taking off an arm at the shoulder, a foot, a chunk of its side, and dispelling its defensive barrier. The freezing effect subsided, and the eira turned to me and screamed, its eyes pitch black holes of hate; its teeth pointed things surrounded by a bed of black gums. It scared the heck out of me. The eira geared up to cast a skill in my direction, but one of my sliver fish flashed past it¡¯s face, nearly taking out an eye one the way and disturbing it¡¯s casting process. The resulting explosion nearly took off its other arm. It screamed once more in pain and frustration, then fled out the door.
The aggressorsnever stood a chance. Barsian¡¯s walls are known for their thickness. How could they ever hope to break them? No, they merely died in the ditches.¨C Barsian¡¯s Siege of 733 Congratulations! Your home is your castle. Defend it well. Level [9]!:You have successfully defended an attack on your domain.(+2 health; +2 mana; +4 path points; full restore)
You have earned the achievement:|Safe Guard!| ¨C Defend your domain through a different tactic than slaughter. (+5 health; +5 mana; +10 path points; {Defender I (0/10)} path)
Tolbeth¡¯s champion was a unique one, one that never fought with sword or shield. A well-thrown pebble worked in most cases. ¨C The Hero of Tolbeth Congratulations! When it comes to weapons, projectiles are your bread and butter. [Natural ProjectileIII]: Projectiles you launch have greater piercing power(3 cm projectile/ 8 mana; +5 piercing power)
Oh, my poor fish. You poor things. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be with me forever. I wish I could cry right now. They¡¯re my only companions, my only friends, and two of them died to keep me safe. Reverently, I absorb their bodies and watch as they dissolve into shining dust. It¡¯s the best funeral I could give them. I have to get stronger so that this never happens again. I don¡¯t want to loose anyone, least of all in our own home where I¡¯m supposed to keep them safe. As I mourn, a sliver fish drifts towards me. It gives me a feeling of comfort as well as a questioning mental nudge. ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± I say as I reach out to touch its feelings. Then, I receive a prompt.
One of your monsters is seeking to evolve. Because of your skill, [Tamer I], you have some control over the direction of the process through addable attributes: Addable attributes (18): |Ice Silk|;|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|, |Aura of Fury|;|Suction|, |Crushing Bite|, |Tenacious|, |Untiring|, |Rage|, |Thick Skin|, |Jet Stream|, |Focus|, |Blunt Force|, |Bludgeon|;|Razor Scales|, |Carrion Feeder|, |Air Swimming|, |Swarm|
Your [Sliver Fish] wishes to evolve. You have (1) evolution attribute slot available. Choose (1) of the addable attributes to add to your [Sliver Fish]¡¯s evolution path: |[Attribute Slot] + [Locked] + [Locked]| (12% evolution chance per slot) x (50% evolution chance (First time)) (Chance affects: Chance of evolution; Success of evolution; Success of addable attribute addition)
¡°This, what is this? You want to evolve?¡± The fish¡¯s emotions light up in affirmation. ¡°Addable attributes¡­ I-I don¡¯t know which one to choose.¡± The fish sends me a mental picture of silk, so much silk, with the fish hiding in wait like a spider. Protect,it nudges. ¡°|Ice silk|, you want me to add |ice silk|? Are you sure?¡± It affirms, and I hesitantly drag the attribute to the slot. Light instantly covers the fish, and I¡¯m bombarded with notifications.
Luck is a strange thing. It relies heavily on chance. So too, does evolution. ¨C John Aldman¡¯s Forces of the World Congratulations! Life is lived through constantly evolving. Level [10]!:You have evolved your first monster.(+2 health; +2 mana; +2 path points; full restore)
You have earned the achievement:|Breeder!| ¨CEvolve one of your creatures into a unique species. (+1 health; +3 mana; +4 path points; +1 evolution attribute slot; +5% chance of evolution in the direction you desire)
We were already in over our heads. It was too strong for us to handle, this cursed basilisk. But then it had to go and evolve right in the middle of the fight. We¡¯re doomed. ¨C Private Folham of the SubjugationArmy Congratulations! Evolution makes a creature much stronger than it would have been otherwise. [Tamer II]:You¡¯ve experienced success with the difficult task of evolution which is key to the success of a tamer(+5 path points; +5% chance of evolution; +1 evolution attribute slot)
The light slowly disappear, and I take my first look at my newly evolved fish. It was a lot flatter than my sliver fish, grayer coloring with darker spots that sometimes shined with iridescence. Two huge fins spread out on either side like wings, and it seemed to glide as it swam.
Congratulations! Your [Sliver Fish] has evolved into a [Flying Silk Gurnard]! [Flying Silk Gurnard]: An evolved form of a sliver fish with the ability to spin [ice silk] from glands within its mouth. It has similar characteristics to an arctic spider in its tendency to spin webs to catch prey drifting in the ocean currents. Like sliver fish, silk gurnards have the ability to swim through the air with large, fan-like pectoral fins. They have sharp scales, though not as sharp as the common sliver fish, as well as having four small limbs to help weave webs and comb through the ocean floor.
It¡¯s beautiful.
Status Menu
Name: [Locked] Race: Dungeon Level:10* Attribute: Green
Health:66/66* (15/hr)* Mana:67/67* (15/hr)* State:Normal
Rooms: 4 Floors:1 Named Monsters: 0
Monsters:36* Animals:0 Plants: 2*
[¦®]
Path Points: 46*
Paths: {Beginner III (0/12)}* {Ingenuity I (0/50)}{Valiant I (1/100)}{Defender I (0/10)}*
Skills: [Influence III][Incorporation III][AmbientAura VII]* [Earth Manipulation II][Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer II]* [Karma I][Ice Manipulation V][Natural Projectile III]* [Core Teleportation]
Achievements: |Ingenuity!||Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!|* |Safe Guard!|*
1.9 - Floundering in the Deep I was thrown into this world, unsure of myself. I knew not where I was headed, or even worse, how to get there. Someone somewhere had a plan for me. Why else was I given the skills I have? I am no hero. Yet my path says otherwise. I am no savior, yet countless behind me I have saved. Where am I supposed to go in this world? What was it I was meant for? I feel a lack of satisfaction for everything I do. Here still I am. Here still I¡¯ll be, floundering in the deep. ¨C The Melancholyof Annabella, 656 Okay, okay, okay. Evolution is a pretty crazy thing. How much can I evolve plants, then? I mean, look at how my sliver fish changed just from adding on |ice silk| as an attribute. I got a notification not long after it evolved that the attribute changed into a skill called [ice silk weaving]. Will all of them do that? How come I don¡¯t have that skill? Is it because it falls under [ice manipulation] somehow. That makes it so broad¡­ Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, [ice manipulation] is colored blue under my status. Some other things are colored blue, but none of my other skills. [Karma] is colored purple. Could the colors mean something? I haven¡¯t thought about it before.
Colors are used to indicate the rarity of a status item: Common,Uncommon, Rare,Unique,Mythic, Legendary
Oh, my gosh! That makes so much more sense now! So, the rarer ones are harder to get? And I¡¯m assuming the rewards are better. Well, in most cases. [Karma] is debatable and |aura of fury|¡­ well, it has some pretty obvious drawbacks. Man, now I kind of want a legendary skill. I wonder what kind of bad luck I¡¯d have to go through to get one of those. No, never mind. I¡¯d rather not get one. Let¡¯s think about something else. There¡¯s too high of a possibility of jinxing myself. Yeah, um, let¡¯s think of a name for mister gurnard, shall we? Um¡­ Gurnard. Heck no! Flip the table! Can¡¯t I do better than that? I mean come on! Even Fluffy is better than Gurnard. Niko? It sounds stupid. I think for a few more minutes, but I literally can¡¯t think of anything better than Niko that doesn¡¯t sound even more ridiculous. Am I really that bad at naming things? Really? Niko¡¯s the best I can do? I¡¯m sorry fishy. ¡°I guess your name is Niko now. You¡¯ll have to live with it for the rest of your life. But hey, you¡¯ll be like me! I have a name, even though my stupid status says it doesn¡¯t. I bet yours will do the exact same¡­ if you even have one.¡± Niko stares at me funny for a moment.
When she first came into the world, much mana was consumed by all of us there to give her a suitable name. And so was she named Annabella. ¨C The Rise of the Hero, Annabella Congratulations!Names are important in this world. They define the very essence. [Epithet]: Allows the ability to give a name to a monster.(-15 mana (-5 mana extra for each rarity level above Common) every 10 monster levels )
You have chosen to give [Flying Silk Gurnard] the name of [Niko]. (-50 mana)
Congratulations! [Flying Silk Gurnard] has accepted the name [Niko]. [Niko] is now designated as a named monster. [Niko] has evolved into [Greater Flying Silk Gurnard]. Designate [Niko] as a boss monster for floor (1)? ¨C (y/n) [Niko] has room for one additional attribute: |[|Ice Silk|] + [Attribute Slot] + [Locked]| (22% evolution chance per slot) + (40% evolution chance (1st Named monster))
You have chosen |Jet Stream| as an addable attribute. |Jet stream| has changed to [Jet Stream I]: Propulse forward at a high speed towards a target. A stream of bubbles encases you and inflicts mild confusion on target for as long as the skill lasts.(4 sec/ 10 mana)
Listen, I know what was out there. I know what destroyed that village. It was something massive, something horrifying, something named. ¨C Warren¡¯s Warning Congratulations! Monsters with names can never again be compared to those without. Level [11]!:You have named your first monster. Named monsters can act as boss monsters on a floor.(+1 health; +1 mana; +10 path points; full restore; Named monster perks: +10 to intelligence; +10 to endurance; +10 to strength; +10 to defense; +10 to health; +10 to mana; [Leading I]; [Jet Stream I])
Ouch, that was a lot of mana. Good thing I leveled up and got it all back. I turn to Niko. ¡°Well Niko, what can I say? You got bigger. Way bigger. Yeah, you can be a boss monster for this floor, though I don¡¯t really know what that means, but I think adding |jet stream| as an addable attribute was a good choice for the job. You¡¯ll be a fast little bugger.¡± Niko nudges me in appreciation. I must say, however, all this repetition ofCongratulations! is really starting to grate on me. Come on, blue screens, can¡¯t you think of anything more creative to say?
¡­
That¡¯s a first¡­ Huh, maybe the blue screens have some personality to them after all. That brings up a whole other can of worms, though. Who¡¯s behind them? Did they have some thing to do with bringing me here? Can I contact them? Why do something like this now? Are they trying to be funny? Do they watch me? It certainly feels like they spy on people with all their weird and random texts or sayings from people. It even gives names and stuff. Why do they do that? Are they recording everything everyone does? Are they a god or something? Can they actually read my mind? That¡¯s creepy. Am I over thinking this?If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Okay, now I¡¯m starting to feel paranoid. And angry. Why haven¡¯t I ever gotten help if some thing has always been watching me? ¡®Cause I sure the heck needed it. Do you know what? Forget you! If you aren¡¯t going to help me, I¡¯ll just figure it out by myself. See how well I do without your help, you stupid person behind the blue screens! ¡­ Sigh. Okay, maybe I am really over thinking it. It was just such a weird blue screen. Better not to think about it for now, since I can¡¯t do anything about it. I sigh again. Anyway, change of thought, I feel like there¡¯s something I need to do. Something I¡¯m missing, but so much has been going on the last couple of days¡­ I need to sit down and think of all my options at the moment. I haven¡¯t really had the time to do that. I feel like I¡¯ve just been mostly going with the flow. I could get started on another room and add a pond for my fishies. I could figure out my fresh water problem. My defenses still feel like they are lacking¡­ I could spend some more path points, just to see what I get. {Beginner} will probably give me another plant going by precedence. I have enough for both {ingenuity} and my new {defender} path. I have no idea what they¡¯ll give me, though, and I still feel like I¡¯m leaning towards saving up enough for {valiant}. I can¡¯t really say why, but I have a really good feeling about it. Maybe because it is a rare path. Or, you know, I could try to complete non of them by adding points to all of them at the same time. Maybe I¡¯ll get some bonuses for partially completing them. I kind of doubt it, since neither of the {beginner} paths I completed before gave me anything until after I completed them. I put the points in one by one¡­ I could try and level my skills. They¡¯ll give me more path points, but some of them level up so sporadically. Like my [incorporation]. I¡¯ve been eating ice. Lots and lots of ice, so much so that if compared to how I leveled my other skills, it should be way further than III. [Influence] has grown even less. I could level up more to get path points, too, but that¡¯s almost worse than leveling skills. I¡¯ve been leveling up a lot recently, that¡¯s true, but honestly, it¡¯s been mostly for first time this, or first time that. It¡¯s not really something to stake things on, since I can¡¯t level up on those requirements. The only thing I can think of at the moment to level up from is either another floor or animals. Another floor doesn¡¯t seem very viable at the moment. If my intuition¡¯s anything to go by, something in the rules of this world will make itreallydifficult to add another floor, even though floor is kind of a nebulous concept. I¡¯m not exactly sure what it will cost me, so expanding outward is a better option. Animals on the other hand, should be easier¡­ I think. I¡¯m not exactly sure what they are, or really, how they¡¯re different from monsters, but surely they¡¯d be at the bottom of the ocean. Blue screens, do you know?
[Animals]:The world gives natural danger ratings to creatures. Animals fall outside those ratings, as they are too week to pose any danger to the lay person. Animals serve as essential components to make an ecosystem thrive. While ecosystems can survive without monsters, it cannot survive without animals.
Oh, how nice of you to answer me. I was rather expecting you wouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m catching on to you, you know. You better watch it, blue screens. Don¡¯t do any funny business, now, or you¡¯ll regret it. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know there¡¯s something fishy about you. I know fish. In fact, I¡¯ll go have my fish find some interesting animals and plants I can use right now. See how strong and independent a woman I am? Where did Niko go? It¡­ he¡­ left sometime when I was ranting. Niko¡¯s a he right? I¡­ I can¡¯t tell. I should be able to. I¡¯m connected to him¡­ her? This¡­ this is a weird problem¡­ uh¡­ Let¡¯s just go with him. Yeah, him seems like a solid choice¡­ maybe¡­ Uh, there he is. He set up shop right above the hole? Okay, that¡¯s cool I guess. Be the bouncer. Not a bad idea. He¡¯s got a nice web going where he can drop down with |jet stream| straight into the hole. I bet that would hurt anything trying to crawl through. I just wish I had thought of it earlier. That hole has literally become the bane of my existence. Not only has horrors crawled up it several times already, threatening my life, but I just can¡¯t seem to think of any ways of trapping the heck out of it besides stuffing sliver fish down it. Maybe I¡¯ll send Niko down it to web it up if the world system thingy allows that. Would that be considered closing it. My bead curtain didn¡¯t count for my front door. Not that it did anything to keep the eira out. Sigh, so many variables. My mind hurts from thinking too much, and on top of that, I haven¡¯t gotten anything done. I think I¡¯m finally over what happened with the eira. It was not¡­ pleasant, to say the least. It was an eye opening moment for me, and loosing my fish still hurts. A lot. I need to get stronger. It can¡¯t happen again. But what can I do? I don¡¯t have a direction to go in. I wish someone would tell me. I feel so lost and confused, and I feel like I¡¯m barely holding myself together. I¡¯m not okay. I lied. I¡¯m not over what happened with the eira. I¡¯m not over anything that¡¯s happened really. I can¡¯t fall asleep. I haven¡¯t slept since the time I was knocked out with mana deprivation. At first it was interesting to see how long I could go without sleep, but ever since Ah¡¯m came¡­ How long has it been since then? I¡¯m terrified of what I¡¯ll see in my dreams. I¡¯m terrified I¡¯ll wake up in the worst situation I¡¯ve ever been. Everything I¡¯ve been doing is just stop gap measures, not any real solutions. And the rest? It¡¯s just been to distract myself from my growing fears. What is this world? Why am I here? What am I supposed to do? I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m not strong. ¡­ Breathe¡­ Just sit here and breathe for a second¡­ One step at a time¡­ Just one step at a time. Okay, Niko, next time you¡¯re free, try out webbing the hole. In the mean time, Silt and water trips for my fish, while I finish my garden and start another room. Maybe try out some trap mechanisms. I wonder if ice hinges will work? One step at a time. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make it¡­ Somehow¡­ ¡­ I hope¡­
Status Menu
Name: [Locked] Race: Dungeon Level:11* Attribute: Green
Health:67/67* (15/hr) Mana:68/68* (15/hr) State:Normal
Rooms: 4 Floors:1 Named Monsters:1*
Monsters:35* Animals:0 Plants: 2
[¦®]
Path Points: 56*
Paths: {Beginner III (0/12)}{Ingenuity I (0/50)}{Valiant I (1/100)}{Defender I (0/10)}
Skills: [Influence III][Incorporation III][AmbientAura VII][Earth Manipulation II][Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer II][Karma I][Ice Manipulation V] [Natural Projectile III][Core Teleportation] [Epithet]*
Achievements: |Ingenuity!||Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!|
Poll Seriously, I need some ideas. I kinda started this whole story on the spot... hehe. I mean I know I have the ability to keep writing, it''s just I''m afraid the uniqueness of the plot line might fade. She''s kinda stuck in the wasteland with hardly any resources and I''m stuck how to get her out of there. Need fresh ideas, Pizzazz, all that crap. So yeah, having the input would be nice. I hope all my mechanics and stuff I''ve got going so far works. If it doesn''t tell me along with some suggestions on how to make it better. This is my first time really writing something like this. I knew it''d be hard, but I wanted to try it out anyway because I just love these kinds of stories. I''m honestly surprised that it''s working as well as it is. Especially the luck portion of it. I didn''t think that''d have as great of impact as it has.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I just want to say thanks again for all your guys''s comments and insights. It''s been awesome reading them. Some of you just crack me up. ^^ 1.10 - River of Souls There¡¯s something different about the System than it was in times of old. Long ago, the ancients made use of the System to create massive civilizations that spanned continents, each city a piece of art more wondrousthan the next. Now, we are little more than tribal beings, content to war with our neighbors. The System used to inspire to create, to reward those that did. Now, it rewards senseless slaughter for something as little as experience. We used to be one people no matter the race. Now, we fight brother against brother. What caused this change? ¨C Petra, The Sage of the Wild I need rejuvenation. I need to see the sun. It¡¯s been too long. I think I¡¯m getting winter depression. If my internal clock is right, though, it won¡¯t be up for another four hours. I content myself filling in the other half of my garden with silt. It doesn¡¯t take long, and I figure out that I can add bits of |aura of warmth| to hopefully help my plants grow. And grow they have! The banana sprout has grown. Little leaves are poking out of the soil. And the lichen, my lichen. It¡¯s completely ignored the soil in the dish and latched onto the rock itself, looking like little grey explosions of growth. I give a little laugh. My plants are growing. Peace floods me. This. This is what I¡¯m meant to do. Raising these little guys, protecting them. Giving them a safe place in this unforgiving wilderness. Grow well, little guys. Then I growl, my happy mood dissipating instantly. Something once again has entered my domain. Really? I can¡¯t even go two hours without something intruding? My fish swarm, sensing my agitation. Little one! Little on! Call your guards off! ¡°Ah¡¯m?¡± Yes, Little one. Call them off. I apologizefor intruding once again. I have need to speak with Little one. ¡°Fishies, let Ah¡¯m up,¡± I sigh. Ah¡¯m lumbers into my garden after a few minutes with difficulty. I almost laugh. The whale dog is covered in silk webs. Looks like Niko did his job. I¡¯ll have to reward him later. ¡°Watch the plants.¡± Plants?Ah¡¯m looks at me in confusion.Ah, greens, little little greens. Little one has grown much to make greens. Much like land-dwellers.The whale dog swings its head around and grunts in appreciation at my plants. It¡¯s then I notice there¡¯s something hanging from its mouth that was covered my silk earlier. Is¡­ is that a seal? Please don¡¯t tell me it brought its lunch¡­ ¡°Ah¡¯m.¡± I jolt. The seal just spoke. It¡¯s not dead? ¡°Ah¡¯m! Let me down already!¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± See. I brought Land-dweller.Ah¡¯m drops the seal and gives a grin of self-satisfaction, showing a mouth full of threatening teeth which I tried to ignore. Did it just call the seal a land-dweller? That makes absolutely no sense. ¡°Oh, come on, Ah¡¯m,¡± the seal harrumphed. ¡°How long have you known me now? Do you really not remember my name? Now, where¡¯s this Little one that you wanted me to meet? I¡¯d like to introduce myself, but I don¡¯t seem to see her, though I heard her voice earlier.¡± The seal suddenly stretched itself with its face pointing to the ceiling, and then something¡­ happened. It¡¯s skin spit straight down its stomach. That¡¯s the best way I have of describing it. It was disturbing. I watched in rapt horror as two pale arms reached and lifted the head of the seal away like a like the hood of a coat. The thing stood up out of the seal skin, and I realized it was a man standing there with pale blond hair and dressed in various animal skins. He reached down and picked up the seal fur and draped it over his shoulders. There. ¡®Tis Little one.Ah¡¯m gestured to me with its snout. What the heck just happened?!?
I chose to be an adventurer. I can¡¯t say Mother wasrather fond of the idea, but the lure of treasure was too great. ¨C Latell Mitchell Congratulations! Adventurers are the first major hurdle a dungeon has. Not many live to tell the tale. Level [12]!:You have encountered your first adventurer.(+4 health; +4 mana: +5 path points; full restore)
¡°Ah¡¯m. I don¡¯t understand. What are you pointing at? The only thing that¡¯s over there is a¡­ gem?¡± He¡¯s an adventurer? Crap, crap, crap! ¡°Ah, um. Hi¡­¡± Best impressions, best impressions. I tried to brighten a little in greeting, but I fear that I failed miserably at the task. I have no idea what¡¯s going on, and that scene of him climbing out of the skin did not help my nerves one bit. Crap! He could be here to kill me! I¡¯m just a sparkly gem! I¡¯m too pretty to die! Stupid whale dog, why do you haunt me so! ¡°Ah¡¯m. It-it-it talked!¡± Yes. Little one talks. ¡°B-but it¡¯s a gem! It¡¯s a gem thattalks!¡± Yes. Little one does talk,Ah¡¯m said exasperated. Oh no. Now he¡¯s going to kill me ¡¯cause I¡¯m creepy. My light fluctuates wildly.Little one, calm down. This one ¡¯tis an idiot. ¡°Is it¡­? It¡¯s a dungeon! No no no! Ah¡¯m what did you do?! You brought me to a fricking dungeon! And right to its freaking core! We¡¯re going to die. Oh, we¡¯re so going to die.¡± Stop that, idiot.Ah¡¯m smacked him on the head with a paw.Little one ¡¯tis not dungeon. ¡®Tis safe haven.The man seemed not to notice and continued ranting. ¡°But dungeon! Why is there a dungeon here? There hasn¡¯t been one for at least, like a thousand years! And now there¡¯s all of a sudden one here, way out here in middle of nowhere for goodness knows why! And you just had to bring me to it! Right to the place it¡¯s most defensive of! I¡¯m too young to die!¡± Ah¡¯m pounced and knocked the man to the ground and roared in his face. I said shut up, Idiot! Listento me! ¡®Tis safe haven! Protects! You not touch Little one, Little one hurts not. Little one different. Not like dungeons of many cycles past. Now. Idiot. Figure out why. ¡°Different?¡± The man leans his head back to stare at me from the ground, whale dog still hovering ominously over him. The man pauses to think. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± he says slowly. ¡°The dungeons in the records¡­ it never said they had any sentience. But this one, this one here can speak. Little one. What makes you different? Why are you here?¡± ¡°Um? Uh? I mean¡­ I honestly have no idea what¡¯s going on right now. I mean, I¡¯m just trying to survive. I don¡¯t know what happened. I just woke up one day in the middle of nowhere and now it feels like every things been trying to kill me since.¡± Not me,Ah¡¯m said proudly. ¡°Oh, no! Ah¡¯m, I have a bone to pick with you! You¡¯re the one that started it all! Right when you decided to burst through my freaking floor! You know what came after you? Do you, you stupid whale dog?¡± Ah¡¯m frowned.¡®Tis not a whale dog, though,it said, sounding slightly offended. The man crawled out from under its paws.¡®Tis Akhlut. ¡°Wait, let me get this straight? He burst through your floors?¡± the man said. ¡°Ah¡¯m¡¯s a he?¡± ¡°Of course he is.¡± ¡°Well, I never realized, since I refused to give it such a designation.¡± The man laughed. ¡± Haha. I¡¯ll have to use that term more often. I wonder why I didn¡¯t come up with it. Alright. I can see your holding a grudge. Well, tell me then. What came up after this stupid whale dog who burst through your floor? ¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°You haven¡¯t told me who you are,¡± I pouted. ¡°What if you bring something along for the ride as well.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right. I forgot about introductions. You really are different, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I guess? I wouldn¡¯t really know.¡± ¡°My name is Nattiq Morlo. I¡¯m a selkie adventurer. The Sage of the Wild was my great-grandmother. I met Ah¡¯m when he washed up on my tribe¡¯s shore just south of here by about forty miles. I was about¡­ seven at the time? He was annoying to take care of. Always complaining until Mam-gu, ah Grandma Petra, would hit him on the head to be quiet. Haha. He¡¯s been annoying my tribe ever since. My mother is from a Aleut tribe. My father from a Brythonic. Mam-gu¡¯s from dad¡¯s side. Mam-gu Petra knew everything there was about ancient civilizations. She traveled the world. I would take you to her, but she passed on to the great river of souls in the sky last year,¡± he said and then blushed. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve often been told I ramble. That was bit long for an introduction, huh. Oh, right. I solemnly swear that I will never bring anything bad to your domain.¡± ¡°Um. Okay¡­ I¡¯m¨CMy name¡¯s¨CI¡¯m called¨C¡± Devin.I struggle. My name won¡¯t come out. My light dims in frustration. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to tell me.¡± ¡°I have one. It¡¯s locked though. It won¡¯t let me say it!¡± Little one¡¯s name ¡¯tis Little one.
You have been given the name [Little one]by Ah¡¯m the Akhlut.Will you accept this designation? (y/n)
¡°My name is not Little one! Its-¡±
You have rejected the name [Little one].
¡°Okay, okay, it¡¯s notLittle one. Do you have any names besides yours, which you can¡¯t seem to say, that we can call you by? I¡¯ll try my best to figure out why your name is locked.¡± I think for a moment. ¡°Haven, maybe? It¡­ it feels right. I¡­ like protecting things. And it¡¯s not too different from mine.¡± ¡°Alright, Haven it is. Nice to meet you, Haven.¡±
You have been given the name [Haven] by Nattiq Morlo. You are naturally more inclined to protect than to harm (+15 path points; +5 health regeneration; +5 mana regeneration; +50% regeneration rates for those who seek haven in your domain. +5% plant growth speed)
¡°Woah, what was that?¡± Nattiq asked. ¡°I lost quite a bit of mana and now it¡¯s coming back a lot faster than it normally does. ¡°I think it¡¯s ¡¯cause you named me. I got a something that allows me to give 50% more to your regeneration if you¡¯re seeking haven in my domain¡­ or something like that.¡± ¡°Woah! That¡¯s crazy! I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been anywhere that gives that big of a bonus. Wait, we¡¯re getting off track. You told me you¡¯d tell me what did come up after Ah¡¯m? It¡¯ll give me some dirt on him, which is surprisingly hard, since he¡¯s so stupid.¡± Hey. ¡®Tis not stupid. I bring Little idiot seal here. ¡®Tis smart. ¡°Ah. It was the stupid guy, Ren Kilt or whatever, that was chasing him.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Rin Khult. ¡®Tis naitaka.The man whirled on him. ¡°A naitaka was chasing you? And you brought it here?! What level was it?¡± No more than 20 or so. ¡°It was level 54.¡± ¡°Level 54?! What part of 54 is no more than 20?!¡± Nattiq turned to me. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I killed it.¡± Oh, Little one killed Rin Khult? ¡®Tis impressive, Little one. ¡°I nearly died!¡± ¡°What level are you?¡± ¡°Right now? I¡¯m 11. No wait, 12. I just leveled up when you came. I was level 3 when it came.¡± He whirled on Ah¡¯m again. ¡°You brought a level 54 naitaka to a level 3 dungeon core! Why the heck would you do that, you stupid idiot!?¡± It was rather refreshing to see someone else yelling at the whale dog. ¡®Tis no harm done. Little one survive. If not, Little one not different. Little one not meant to be. But Little one survive, so Little one meant to be. Little one different. Little one help. I ¡¯tis have feeling. World change now Little one meant to be. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the sliver fish here came after you killed it?¡± ¡°And an eira.¡± ¡°How did you kill it, the naitaka?¡± ¡°I got lucky. Drove off the eira, though.¡± ¡°You stupid idiot whale dog! What kind of reasoning is that? I¡¯m tired of your stupid way of thinking! You¡¯re not even making sense! What the heck does that even mean?¡± Little seal. Many not realize, the river of souls dims. No new souls join in many, many cycles. Nattiq froze. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Go take look. ¡®Tis out tonight. Not see from Little seal¡¯s tribe, after all. Too far into warmer waters. Nattiq rushed out of the room. ¡°What¡¯s the river of souls?¡± I ask. ¡®Tis river of lights flowing in sky. Souls of dead flow to join in cycle of life and death, only¡­ cycle ¡¯tis long been broken, though legend ¡¯tis still carried down with Little seal¡¯s people. ¡°What does it mean that it¡¯s dimmed?¡± Little seal¡¯s Sage not return to river of souls.Ah¡¯m¡¯s face grew sad. Nattiq returned to the room just as he said that. ¡°Is it true?¡± Ah¡¯m only nodded. ¡°Where is she?¡± Ah¡¯m knows not. ¡°Haven can help?¡± ¡°What? How can I help? Look, I¡¯m sorry about your grandmother, Nattiq, but I know nothing about this.¡± Little one can help. I ¡¯tis have feeling. My feelings never wrong. ¡°How? She¡¯d have to be Legendary or something to have any kind of affect on the river of souls! Clearly, she¡¯s n-¡± Nattiq was cut off as I suddenly started glowing. We all froze.
Congratulations! You have been correctly identified as the legendary dungeon [Haven].Take care. Something now looks your way. (+100 health; +100 mana; +100 path points; +50 to health regeneration; +50 to mana regeneration; 50% to domain growth speed; [Ice Manipulation V] and [Earth Manipulation II] combine to form [Elemental Manipulation X] (highest level, 10 cmR/ 1 mana))
Before I could even get excited about this crazy new skill, I felt¡­ something. It made me physically shiver. It was cold. It was wrong.Itwas looking at me.
You¡­ What are you.
It began digging into me.I couldn¡¯t move. I couldn¡¯tthink.
Do not touch.
The effect of whateverit was, lessened on me suddenly.
You! Why are you here?! You shouldn¡¯t exist!
Nattiq wobbled. He turned towards me and started walking with drunken steps. ¡°Nattiq? Nattiq, what¡¯s wrong?¡± His eyes focused on me. There was nothing there in his eyes, nothing but a sea of red. ¡°Nattiq! Ah¡¯m! Something¡¯s wrong with Nattiq!¡± I looked towards Ah¡¯m. The whale dog¡¯s eyes had turned red as well, and he took a heavy step towards me. I reel back. I¡¯m scared! What¡¯s happening?It¡¯s wrong! It¡¯s all wrong! Why? Why are their eyes like that? Why isit still looking at me? It hurt so much! Something make itstop!
This is my World.
I felt something whoosh out, with me as the center. All of a sudden, the two topple to the floor, and the presence ofitwas gone.
It is dangerous, small one. You must grow. The world focuses on you, now. You will not live long if you stay still. Grow towards the sun¡­
... ... Someone, please, tell me what just happened.
Status Menu
Name:Haven [Locked]* Race:Legendary Dungeon* Level:12* Attribute: Green
Health:91/171* (70/hr)* Mana:172/172* (70/hr)* State:Normal
Rooms: 4 Floors:1 Named Monsters:1
Monsters:35 Animals:0 Plants: 2
[¦®]
Path Points: 176*
Paths: {Beginner III (0/12)}{Ingenuity I (0/50)}{Valiant I (1/100)}{Defender I (0/10)}
Skills: [Influence III][Incorporation III][AmbientAura VII] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer II][Karma I][Natural Projectile III][Core Teleportation] [Epithet][Elemental Manipulation X]*
Achievements: |Ingenuity!||Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!|
2.1 - Bone-Faced Worg Canis Osvultus, or the bone-faced worg. Often colloquially called a skulldog or a skullwolf, the bone-faced worg is smaller than its worg cousin (Canis Vargr).Hardier in nature than true worgs, with notable regeneration, the bone-faced worg is a often difficult enemy to face. Bone-faced worgs are characterized by dark brown to black fur with little to no fur on their faces¨Ccreating a skull like appearance¨Cas well as what many have said to be glowing red eyes. ¨C Compendium of Monsters, 778 Some may call me an angry man. They¡¯d be right, and they¡¯d get a broken arm for it. It isn¡¯t my fault my father is Curo Llid. The Curo Llid, greatest wall commander in all the Seven Sisters. Ha. People talk about him like he¡¯s some kind of hero, all because twenty years ago, he managed to drive off a dragon. It was only a lindwyrm. What¡¯s so great about driving off a lesser dragon? Killing it would¡¯ve been better. People who disagree with me can shut their trap, or I¡¯ll shut it for them.Sure, tell me I have anger issues. If you have a problem with that, you know where to find me: Third stool from the wall at the bar of the tavernThe Lamia¡¯s Scale, locatedin a worse part of Celaeno. Tonight, I¡¯m on my third mug, and the thing I hate most right now is being disturbed, with my father as a close second. ¡°Dicter! Dicter Llid! Is Dicter Llid in here?¡± I studiously ignore the man, but my fist tightens around my drink. Whoever it is stomps into the room and asks a regular the same question, then continues his floor-bruising march in my direction. A hand slams down on my shoulder. ¡°Are you Dicter Llid?¡± ¡°Tsk. Can you be any louder?¡± I can feel the man scowl as I stare into the amber liquid of my drink. ¡°Are you Dicter Llid?¡± He repeats. ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± ¡°Your father is Curo Llid?¡± I nearly punch him then and there. This man. My taboos. He did both. He interrupted my drinking, and then, he had the gall to mention my father to my face. ¡°Again,¡± I say through clenched teeth, ¡°what¡¯s it to you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s missing. We would require your help in locating him.¡± I feel the blood beginning to rush to my head. The heat that¡¯s always burning in my chest stirs. ¡°I don¡¯t know where he is.¡± I work my jaw, trying to keep what little control I have over my temper. ¡°That does present a problem, but you still are our best lead at the moment.¡± ¡°Go ask his men.¡± ¡°We have. According to his lieutenant, you are apparently the last person to have seen him.¡± ¡°So what.¡± ¡°We would ask that you come with us.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I said no. I¡¯m not going with you. I don¡¯t know where that bigot is, and frankly, I don¡¯t care.¡± I felt the man shift a little. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m sorry, but I have to insist. Your father is a good man. Shouldn¡¯t you be more worried that something might have happened to him?¡± He¡¯s judging me. I feel the grip his hand on my shoulder increase like a vise. His fingers dig deeper. That¡¯s it. I plant a solid foot on the ground and whirl around, launching my fist into his face. He releases me as he staggers back with blood dripping down his nostril. I almost charge at him, but instinct tells me to stop. I find a sword pointed inches from my throat. I look up, slowly raising my hands in the air. King¡¯s Guard. There were three of them in the room and probably several more waiting outside the tavern, all donned in utilitarian armor picturing a seven-starred crest. The one I punched glowers at me while holding his hand to his nose. He¡¯s younger than I thought he was. Standing next to me is the guard with his sword to my throat. He hasn¡¯t lowered it. Just behind him was the third, an older man looking through a satchel around his waist. I hadn¡¯t seen them with my face in my drink. I¡¯m an idiot. I punched a freaking King¡¯s Guard. That¡¯s enough to get tried with treason. The older guard finds what he¡¯s looking for: a pair of iron handcuffs. ¡°Dicter Llid, you are hereby under arrest by order of the King¡¯s Law. You will come silently and with no resistance or be put down without trial.¡± I grind my teeth and briefly think about running. Likely if I try, I¡¯ll just wind up with a sword in my back. I¡¯d rather not make more holes for myself. Reluctant, I hold my wrists out for him to strap on the iron cuffs. Instead, he pulls my arms around my back and slaps the cuffs on. I feel a tingling sensation. They¡¯re runed. I feel the strength and mana pour out of me. I growl under my breath. I hate the feeling. They take me and stuff me in some coach. Four hours and a crick in my neck later, I¡¯m in the city Maia, where I¡¯m let out to take a leak. They don¡¯t uncuff my arms, which are sore from having to lean against them awkwardly in the carriage, so I¡¯m forced to stand there while a guard lowers my pants for me. When I¡¯m done, he pulls them back up without so much as a flicker of the eyelid. Clearly, he¡¯s done this before. I pity the man. A guard throws me a loaf of bread while the rest change horses. The bread bounces off my chest bread lands in a puddle of mud. I glare at her. She did that on purpose. I don¡¯t stoop down to try to pick it up. Better to starve than to put myself through even more humiliation than I¡¯ve already gone through.It would have been almost impossible anyway. ¡°Up,¡± the older guard says. I turn and look at him. He¡¯s leading a jumpy looking horse. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Up. We¡¯re riding for Alcyone.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I just take the carriage again?¡± ¡°We¡¯re taking the direct route.¡± I groan. The direct route is too craggy to take a coach. From Maia, the direct route is seven hours to Alcyone. Most people take the old road, a remnant of an era gone by. It¡¯s paved, mostly, and smooth going, but it takes around fourteen hours winding through the hills. I¡¯d rather have taken the old road. Besides, the direct route is known to break horses¡¯ ankles, and coincidentally, it¡¯s also known for its frequent monster attacks.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°This is going to be a joy,¡± I mutter. The female guard that threw the bread at me leans over and smacks the back of my head. ¡°Cheer up, daddy¡¯s boy, I¡¯ll protect you if any monsters come running. Of course, I might let them have a nip or two first.¡± I snap my teeth at her, trying to bite her retreating hand in spite. ¡°Haha! What are you, a bunyip? You¡¯re cute,¡± she said with a mocking smile. She slips an arm around my waist, and for a moment I stare at her confused before she launches me into the air. I land with a thud on the horse¡¯s back, draped over it on my stomach like a sack of potatoes. She laughs hard as she mounts her own horse. I¡¯m forced to ride like that for more than an hour, and by the end of it, I¡¯m hissing in pain every time the horse takes a step. Finally, the old guard stops the group and helps me sit in the saddle properly.
You have gained the title [Unconventional Rider]: +2 endurance, +5 speed when riding this way.
I cursed and promptly shut out the world. This day couldn¡¯t get any worse. Of course, fifteen minutes later, it starts raining. The guards pause once more to bring out oilskin cloaks. There wasn¡¯t one for me. After forty minutes riding in the miserable drizzle, it starts hailing. Thirty-five minutes after that, the hail changes from pea sized to cherry sized. It doesn¡¯t stop until half an hour later. I stand corrected. I¡¯m soaking wet and shivering; my cuffs haven¡¯t stopped chaffing, and the water didn¡¯t help; I have a rash and several bruises from riding like a stolen wife; and now I have so many more bruises forming on almost every part of my body that it looks like someone targeted me with a slingshot from every possible angle. Now, now it couldn¡¯t get any worse. And fate had to prove me wrong once again. A howl sounds off in the distance. Worgs. It had to be worgs. And not just any worgs, bone-faced worgs. Hardier than regular worgs and impossible to scare off. I could see them in the slowly forming mist. They stared at us, half a dozen or so, their red eyes glinting in the dark the only thing that made their ghastly white faces stand out from the fog. Did I say how much I hated worgs? They circled around us a few moments longer, the guards slowly tracking them with their eyes, and then they launched themselves at us, running almost too quick for the eye. The first few impacted with the guards in front. One went straight for the horse¡¯s neck, but got sliced nearly in half from the sword the guard riding atop. It hurriedly backed away, it¡¯s wounds healing at a visible rate. Of the other two, one went for another horse¡¯s hind leg, bringing the horse down. The guard somersaulted in the mud and lashed out at the worg with his sword, just missing. The other worg ignored the horse, and instead directly attacked the rider, knocking them both to the ground to wrestle in the mud. I cracked a grin to see that the rider was my female friend. I had wanted to shove her off her high horse myself, but I guess a worg doing it for me is good enough. It¡¯s good to see her with a face full of mud. My grin grew wider¡­ That is, until I got tackled from the side. I rolled over quickly in the mud. A quick glance around found me with a worg a few feet from my face. I scramble to my feet as it runs towards me, and I manage to catch it in the side of the head with my foot, launching it a yard or so away. Not far enough, but it¡¯ll have to do. With a pop and a painful twist, I dislocated my left shoulder to bring my hands to my front. It¡¯s not my first time in handcuffs, but I hate doing that, so it¡¯s usually my last resort. Facing a worg is a pretty good reason to use it. By the time I¡¯ve finished, the worg is up and almost on me. It leaps for my throat. I raise my right arm as fast as I can, dragging my left arm and still dislocated shoulder with it. I hiss through my teeth. That hurts! But it¡¯s worth it, as I manage to catch the worg right across the mouth with the chain. I can¡¯t put any support behind my left arm, so I push my right arm out further so it does most of the work, keeping the worg from chewing my face off. Drool follows the chain and drips down my left arm. The worg pushes in closer, its hot, rancid breath heavy on my face. I can¡¯t help but stare at its skeleton-like face smeared with dried blood, the fur not starting until it ears. I struggle to keep my right arm straight, pulling the chain up to get more leverage against the worg. The chain creaks as the worg struggles against it, the worg¡¯s head tilts in an increasingly odd angle as the chain pulls at its cheek. It¡¯s now looking more at my right shoulder than my face. I¡¯m worried that the chain won¡¯t hold. It¡¯s the only thing keeping me from becoming a chew toy. This day sucks! It¡¯s just sad to say that I¡¯ve had worse. Annoyed, the worg changes tactics. Seeing my right arm near its mouth, it takes a nap at it, catching a chunk of my arm with its canines. I bellow in pain, but still manage to use its lunge to roll it to the side. In the same motion, I roll over it. In this mounted position, I now have the advantage, and the advantage I will gladly take. Just perfect. I needed something to take today¡¯s stress out on. A worg punching bag. Just my favorite. I slam my right fist against its face. It yelps and flails, trying to get out from under me. I punch again, and again, and again. The only thing that would make me happier is being able to use both hands, but with the dislocated shoulder and the runed handcuffs¡­ this¡¯ll have to do. I punch harder, and feel its skull give slightly. I grin maniacally. My next punch comes even harder. I pull at the raging inferno inside and keep punching. This. Is. All. His. Fault. I accent every word of the thought with a punch.Everything! Why couldn¡¯t he just stay the heck out of my life! I never needed him. Why did he keep barging in? Why did he insist on beating me like a dog? That¡¯s notdiscipline! I don¡¯t need a father like you! Just leave! Me! Alone! I continued to rain blows down on the worg, lost in my rage. I didn¡¯t feel the skull crack, nor that it caved in, nor the blood and gray-matter covering my fist. Finally, I¡¯m pulled off the dead worg. ¡°Hey, Bunyip. It¡¯s dead already. You can stop now.¡± In confusion, I come to my senses. I look up to see the mud splattered face of the lady guard. ¡°It¡¯s dead?¡± ¡°Yeah. You killed it good. Nothing but mush now.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± And then I get a notification. Not a level up like I¡¯m expecting, but a dark red screen. Redder than any I¡¯ve seen before.
A [Legendary Dungeon] has just been located. The race for its conquest has begun. ~ Quest Log ~ "A Dangerous Place"- A dungeon has appeared in the Northern Rhew, a being that threatens the world with its very existence.Beat the dungeon in the shortest time possible and claim it holds within. Requirements: Find Dungeon Core (0/1) Rewards: 10,000 fame; 1,000,000?; Dungeon Core (Enchantable) {Cannot Decline}
What is this?
Status Menu
Name:Dicter Llid Race:Pict Level:17 (28,800/28,900)*
Health:201/270* (34/min)* Mana:190/190 (10/min) State:Dislocated Shoulder(Strength decreased by half)*
Strength:7* Endurance:17* Dexterity:10
Focus:7 Will: 5 Accuracy: 12
[¦®]
Fame: 20
Titles: |Hard Hitter| |Trouble Maker| |Powerful| |Celaeno Guard| |Unstoppable| |Heavyweight| |Adventurer| |Barfly| |Impulsive| |Irascible| |Jailbird| |Mauler| |Unconventional Rider|*
Skills: [Sucker Punch IX][Charge VIII][Break VII] [Counter III] [ExplodingFist VI][Kick Back IV] [Feint I]
2.2 - Of the Lost and the Soul We were lost. There was nowhere to go, no place to turn. Everything looked the same. I about broke down, but I couldn¡¯t allow myself the luxury. Not when she needed my help just to keep sane. She was already losing it, already starving for lack of food these past fifteen days. My only gratitude was that we did not lack water. The morning dew was plentyto keep us quenched throughout the day as we wandered. Only, it also chilled to the bone, and each day her cough was growing worse. So, I plodded along with her on my back, hoping desperately for some sort of salvation. I thought it a hallucinationat first when I stumbled upon the salvation we had been granted. It rested there inconspicuously between the massive boulders of our continued maze, a strange tree of ice. ¨C Tennik Farthen I didn¡¯t even think about moving for a long time¨Cor rather than moving, I just stared at the wall, not even daring to think. I had this weird feeling that if my brain began processing again, that something, that terrifying stare would come back and rip through everything that I am. It was a feeling similar to a child afraid to move out from under the blankets because of the monster under the bed. I knew that something was long gone. I knew it wasn¡¯t coming back, at least not for a long while, but the fear to move out from under the blanket was still there. So, I stayed, staring at the wall, thinking of nothing while my nonexistent heart still pounded in my imaginary throat. I didn¡¯t come to my senses until I found Niko nudging me, informing me that he and all the other fishes were hungry. It broke me out of my reverie, and the childlike fear drifted away. I sigh and sent half of them down the hole, then turn my attention to my two guests. They were still conked out on the floor. How long had it been? A few hours at least. It was getting close to sunrise. I could feel it. ¡°Grow towards the sun, huh,¡± I mumble. And with that thought, [Elemental Manipulation] was brought back to my attention.
The elements are an unusual classification with a set of rules not determined by the laws of the universe, but by the strange manipulations of the System. In short, they are not at all logical. ¨C Althea the Astronomer Congratulations! Your affinity for the elemental is astounding. Your domain knows no bounds. [Elemental Manipulation X]: You now have control over any of the four main elements¨CFire, Water, Earth, Air¨Cas well as any of their subsets that you understand for a slight cost of mana.(highest level, 10 cmR/ 1 mana; requires actual element for manipulation) Current Understanding:
Fire:Main Water:Main, Ice Earth:Main, Plant Air:Main
Um. This is rather confusing¡­ This is not quite what I thought it was when it said [Elemental Manipulation]. I thought it¡¯d be more like the periodic table, manipulating electrons or protons or the base elements inside of something. Instead I get whatever this is. I feel wronged, somehow. I mean, I wouldn¡¯t really classify plants as earth¡­ And isn¡¯t ice water already? Just in a different state. Isn¡¯t really manipulating one manipulating the other? Why are they classified differently? And fire isn¡¯t really an element at all. It¡¯s just heat¡­ Yeah, feels more like a cop-out. On another note, looking at this skill makes me feel that I¡¯ve been using [Ice Manipulation] and [Earth Manipulation] wrong, or at least not to their fullest. The word element jogged some memories for me, about atoms. I might be able to do something with that. It looks applicable especially now that I have plant manipulation. Maybe I can help them evolve though manipulation? Now that I think about it, I really haven¡¯t been using any of my skills to their fullest, or anything else that I have for that matter. Maybe I¡¯ve just been stressed, too worried about surviving. Or maybe it¡¯s this slight feeling I¡¯ve had all along that I¡¯m not supposed to be here, and in the next moment I¡¯ll wake up and it¡¯ll have all been a dream. Either way, my creativity has been stunted, if I had any in the first place. The ordeal a few hours ago washed all that away, though. I¡¯m here now, and it looks like I¡¯m here to stay, so I¡¯m going to make something amazing. With this skill, I finally have the means to do it, something that¡¯s been itching in the back of my mind for a while now, and that itch just exploded with the thought of growing towards the sun. First things first. Underutilized resource: path points. I can finally go on a spending spree. Look out {valiant}, here I come.
Being valiant isn¡¯t something a person is born with. It takes work, practice, a willingness to push fear to the side, but most of all, it requires soul. ¨CJustice Grahm Congratulations! {Valiant I (100/100)} Path:Complete. (+50 health; +50 mana; +20 health regeneration; +20 mana regeneration; {Valiant II (0/120)} path; |Aura of Souls|)
Luck is a tenuousthing, but if I didn¡¯t have any, I¡¯d be long dead in a ditch. ¨C Iolian Congratulations! Your trials have made you stronger. Luck has shown you favor. [KarmaII]: Your luck is unnatural. For every action that results in an extreme amount of good luck, the following action will have an increased chance in resulting in an extreme amount of bad luck. Vice Versa(20% in luck reversal; 10% in luck remaining good; 5% better System rewards)
We didn¡¯t get to where we were by chance. We carved our path from the very stone. ¨CKing Julian Vibrants IV Congratulations!The paths you follow grow increasingly different from those around you. Level [13]!:You have completed your first rare path.(+8 health; +10 mana; +10 path points; full restore}
I sometimes see it off in the distance. Ya can¡¯t see it anywhere else but in the far north. Natives¡¯d speak of it on cold nights: the River of Souls. ¨CGuardsman Dunal Congratulations!Your auras grow strange and unique. Level [14]!:You have obtained your first unique aura.(+8 health; +10 mana; +10 path points; full restore}
Yes! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssss! Yesyesyes!!! Finally! [Karma] leveled up and I leveled up twice just from completing the {valiant} path. I knew it was worth it. And I even got a unique aura. I wonder what it does.
|Aura of Souls|:A soul is the source of life. Breathe basic life into objects you manipulate. Transfer a portion of your own soul to objects you manipulate.
I don¡¯t know what that means, but it sounds awesome! And crazily over powered. There¡¯s no way I would have ever gotten such an aura without [karma]. I have a hunch that I wouldn¡¯t even have gotten a unique aura from the rare path if it weren¡¯t for that skill. [Karma]¡¯s been such a pain in my life. As much as I get good stuff because of the skill, my life as basically gone to crap because of it. It almost feels like I¡¯ve gotten more of my share of bad luck than good, but it¡¯s finally starting to pay! I mean not much right now, but it proves that the skill actually gets better as it levels. I was worrying that it¡¯d actually get worse from how my luck¡¯s been. Even though my 20% chance of my luck reversing didn¡¯t change at all, 10% chance of my luck staying good instead of reversing is like a boon out of heaven, and the 5% chance that I¡¯ll get better System rewards just makes it all that much sweeter. I¡¯m going to keep churning out the goods. Heehe. Let¡¯s do {ingenuity} next! It¡¯s the most expensive after {valiant}.
Ingenuity makes the world turn. ¨CCaoyan¡¯s MusingsA case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Congratulations! {Ingenuity I (50/50)} Path:Complete. (+25 health; +25 mana; +5 health regeneration; + 5 mana regeneration; {Ingenuity II (0/60)} path; [Biome Creation]; [Fluid Floors])
Ug, I¡¯m tempted to look and see what the skills do, but no, wait until the end. I wanna spend all my path points on every single one of my paths. Leave figuring out what everything does until the end, that way it¡¯s a surprise. I like surprises. Well¡­ as long as they¡¯re good ones. Alright, I¡¯m super excited! {Beginner} next!
Take it slow. Don¡¯t rush life. Little steps are how one moves forward. ¨C Petra, Sage of the Wild, to Nattiq Morlo Congratulations! {Beginner III (12/12)} Path:Complete. (+5 health; +6 mana; +5 health regeneration; +5 mana regeneration; {Beginner IV (0/15)} path; +1 random starter seed)
Okay, the starter seed was to be expected. And now, {Defender}.
I sure as heck wasn¡¯t letting those monsters into my home. So, I beat them up, and I beat them up good. ¨C Latell Mitchell Congratulations! {Defender I (10/10)} Path:Complete. (+8 health; +10 mana; +10 health regeneration; +10 mana regeneration; {Defender II (0/15)} path; |Aura of Protection|)
I gazed out upon his domain, the one we spent years together building. It was a sight to behold in this wasteland. ¨C Magistar Terret Congratulations!The way before you is wide and the rewards endless. Level [15]!:You have completed your first uncommon path.(+8 health; +12 mana; +8 path points; full restore}
Cool, another level. And another aura. Let¡¯s complete it again and see what else it gives.
We fought for days, our enemy surrounding us like the sea on all sides, but we held fast. We did not falter. ¨C Curo Llid Congratulations! {Defender II (15/15)} Path:Complete. (+10 health; +13 mana; +10 health regeneration; +10 mana regeneration; {Defender III (0/20)} path; |Aura of the Lost|)
Huh. Another aura. I thought it¡¯d be something different. |Aura of the Lost| sounds kind of ominous¡­ I hope it¡¯s alright. It¡¯s another unique one, surprisingly. [Karma]¡¯s new effects are showing already. I mean, {defender}¡¯s only an uncommon path¡­ Well, with the path points I have left, I can only afford {beginner}.
Every kingdom needs its builders. ¨C A Ruler¡¯s Almanac Congratulations! {Beginner IV (15/15)} Path:Complete. (+6 health; +8 mana; +5 health regeneration; +5 mana regeneration; {Beginner V (0/20)} path; +1 random starter animal pair (+starter feed); |Trap Schema|)
I looked back at all my notifications. This is crazy! Three level ups, and a ton of health and mana, among other cool things just from completing paths. Suddenly, my world isn¡¯t looking so dismal anymore. I rub my imaginary hands together, excited to jump in and see what all this stuff does. First the skills.
In the Palace of the Sun, there exists a most wondrouswater garden. It truly is an oasis in this fierydesert. ¨CChu Guhan Congratulations! Your domain grows, encompassing all walks of life. [Biome Creation]:You can now create and sustain various biomes in place of rooms.(1 mana/min per designated biome as upkeep)
Dungeons have floors. This is common knowledge, but this dungeon defied common knowledge. It had spirals and rooms that moved when you weren¡¯t looking. It was impossible not to get lost. ¨C David Hallowy Congratulations! Your domain is unusual. Where your floors begin and where they end is unknown. [Fluid Floors]:Floors for you are no longer a concrete concept in your domain. Rooms or biomes can be moved around for the same cost as [Elemenal Manipulation X](10 cmR/ 1 mana)
Woah. Um. Am I classified as a dungeon anymore? I feel like my subtle definition I¡¯ve been getting ever since I first woke up has now been flipped on its head. But really, this is actually perfect! It¡¯ll be much easier to do what I want to now.
If I had to describe the crying fern in one word: it cries. ¨CKernan Lith Congratulations!You have received +1 crying fernsprout (creates fresh water through ambient mana, must have soil, can photosynthesize through ambient heat source)
|Aura of Protection|:Protecting is the nature of the soul. Gives things you manipulate protection from the environment (not applicable to physical or magical attacks).
|Aura of the Lost|:A way home is the plea of the lost. Lost ones are more likely to stumble upon your domain. Your domain now stretches into several dimensions, connecting areas where beings tend to lose their way (must first establish way point for full connection).
Pymgy rabbit! It¡¯s so small! I wanna keep it forever and ever and ever! ¨CNammy Tamage Congratulations!You have received +2pygmy rabbit kits (tiny rabbits [male and female], must have sagebrush, can act as a food source for creatures and other animals) and +1 rose sagebrush sprout(silver sagebrush bred with a wild rose, bares rose hips; must have soil, can photosynthesize through ambient heat source)
|Trap Schema|:A packet of information about how to create various traps and constructions. Open? (y/n)
My jaw dropped. Well, if I had one, I¡¯m sure it would be on the floor. I felt it as the |Aura of the Lost| activated on its own. It was a bizarre feeling, like my world was shifting. My domain settled into an in between. It was somehow both here and nowhere, tendrils of it drifting to several places at once. I felt one¡­ settle, if that was the right word, in a desert, I think. The aura brought back feelings of overwhelming heat that stretched on for miles amid the sand dunes. I felt another settle in a remote valley in the middle of the mountains. Another in the middle of the ocean, and another in a confusing forest. More and more spread out to places that were strange and disconcerting, causing whoever entered to become increasingly lost. The hub of connections felt weird, but also it caused me to settle. It was the best I had felt in days. It felt right, like I¡¯ve always been meant to gather in these lost ones, to take them under my wing. Yosh! I had a definite purpose now. I¡¯ve got to make a place for them to stay, not to mention beef up my defenses. And oh how I¡¯m liking the look of that |Trap Schema|. I hit yes. Information filled my head and I couldn¡¯t help but smile. This is going to be fun.
Status Menu
Name:Haven [Locked] Race:Legendary Dungeon Level:15* Attribute: Green
Health:294/294* (2/min)* Mana:316/316* (2/min)* State:Normal
Biomes: 1* Floors:?%¦®]* Named Monsters:1
Monsters:35 Animals: 1* Plants:4*
[¦®]
Path Points: 3*
Paths: {Beginner V (0/20)}* {Ingenuity II (0/60)}*{Valiant II (0/120)}*{Defender III (0/20)}*
Skills: [Influence III][Incorporation III][AmbientAura VII] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer II][Karma II]*[Natural Projectile III][Core Teleportation] [Epithet][Elemental Manipulation X] [Biome Creation]* [Fluid Floors]*
Achievements: |Ingenuity!||Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!|
2.3 - Under the Banyan Oh, the Aoyin sits under the old Banyan tree Eating all the turtle-cattle he can see. Shake, turtle-cattle, shake. Flee from the four-horned beast. ¨C Hiisi Nursery Rhyme When one wants to go up, one must first go down. Why? Stability! And, well, resources too, but mainly stability at the moment. I hesitate, staring anxiously at my obnoxious, unwanted hole. For a second I wonder if I really want to do this. If I do, there is an enormous possibility that I will have just landed myself in another whole heap of trouble, but if I don¡¯t, I feel like I¡¯ll stagnate and die whenever the next wave of whatever comes. Most likely eiras at the moment. Then again, they¡¯ll swarm anyway if I do this. Think positive. Be proactive. I¡¯ve been just riding the flow, and that needs to change if I want to survive in this world. So, time to face my fears. Ice powers, activate! I reach out and tug at the ice around the hole, pulling it down and at the same time widening the hole. I grit my teeth in my head as I do. There¡¯s a war of instincts raging in my head, the desire for growth versus the absolute loathing to expand this cursed hole. But I keep going, pulling the ice down and down and down, picking up more and more ice as I go, and packing the sides of the hole so they¡¯re thick, hard, and stable. It¡¯s a long way down, but not nearly as long as I had hoped. Looks like my buffer between me and the sea below wasn¡¯t as thick as I once thought. Soon enough, my influence has flooded the whole expanse of the hole and I¡¯m through to the waters below. Hesitantly, I look around with whatever sense I use to view my domain remotely. I hadn¡¯t ever taken notice of it before, but that sense was quite a bit different from the one I used to view the immediate surroundings around my core. It was like my remote viewing was in black and white without any sound, or maybe more like if you could somehow see what the feeling of something walking across your skin looked like. It was strange, not at all like the bright colors and normal vision I used to see my immediate surroundings. Underneath the ice was even stranger. I could feel the lighting was blue tinged with green even if I couldn¡¯t exactly see it. And it was cold. So, very cold. But not desolate like one would think. It was thriving. I could feel the life pulsing through the water even though there was nothing living in my direct vicinity except strange clear anemones grasping the underside of the ice. What a strange world. It wasn¡¯t what I was expecting, which was, I don¡¯t know, a massive wasteland of only big scary things with pointy teeth? But, no this¡­ this I immediately fell in love. Clear water as far as the eye can see, jellyfish floating serenely in the distance, and a carpet of star fish all in this underwater closed off world. I couldn¡¯t help but stare for a long time. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m not going to make this place mine. I look around once again and see something that catches my interest. Long roots of ice hang down from the ceiling. I spread out my influence a little more. I was expecting more resistance, but I guess that this underwater world qualifies as more of a cave than open ocean, so none of my instincts or even the system are preventing me from moving outward from the hole. I close in on a hanging icicle thing and inspect it. It¡¯s weird. There¡¯s something flowing from the tip. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s water, actually. And looking closely at the water with my [elemental manipulation] skill provides me with the information that it is really, really salty water. Brine, I think it was called. The salt seems to be keeping the water from freezing as it drips down the cracks in the ice. When it hits the less salty water, it causes that water to freeze, creating these weird hollow brinicles. But these are exactly what I¡¯m looking for, and a much easier way of executing what I¡¯m planning. I give a little dance of glee in my head and then spot my fully fed sliver fish returning. Hi. Look at what I found! Oh, well I guess you guys have already seen it, but guess what, these will be the roots of my world. You can go back up there. Send the others down, will you? I give a mental wave as they swim up the hole and turn my attention back to the brinicle. I sit there and think for a moment, staring at the icicle as the other half of my fish swam down the hole and floated protectively around me, occasionally snapping at a few of the krill drifting through the water. Salt, huh. Salt, salt, salt. Salt¡¯s a mineral. Minerals are like earth, though by the looks of it, I doubt that [earth manipulation] could actually influence salt. At least, not in it¡¯s dissolved form. Is there a skill called [mineral manipulation]? I¡¯m going to make a bet there is, and that it¡¯d be classified as an earth element subset. Hm.., Well, can¡¯t figure it out without trying, so here goes nothing. I take a feel for the water around me using the [water manipulation] of [elemental manipulation]. The water swirled around me exactly as I wished, and I played with it a bit more to get a better feel for it. Mini whirlpools sprang up as I swirled the water around. Then I stopped moving it and just let it run through my imaginary fingers, feeling the components of the water. Tiny microbes, bits of sand and algae, and lots and lots of salt jetting from the brinicle. I focused on the salt and tried to pull it towards me. It was weird, honestly. Moving the salt by moving the water was easy, but moving the salt through the water was another matter. Different from ice¡¯s slipperiness, or water¡¯s draining, salt tended to disintegrate whenever I managed to get a hold of it. It was aggravating. I tried again and again and again, and finally, I just scooped a whole bunch of salt together and yanked. It shot towards where my independent perspective was hanging from the hole. It was so sudden and surprising that I instinctively withdrew to my core in my garden room with a light simulating a pounding heartbeat. Calm down. I just scared myself, that¡¯s all. I took a look at the two lazy bums still sleeping on my floor. It didn¡¯t look like they¡¯d be up anytime soon. Hesitantly, I drift back to the brinicle. Nothing about it changed except that it grew several inches in my hole¡¯s direction. The surrounding area was still clear of large predators and such as well. Good, looks like it¡¯ll take a while, but even without [mineral manipulation], I¡¯ll still be able to grow the icicle. I put the project aside for a second and yanked some ice into the water. It was strangely difficult, like trying to sew leather. The ice had a tendency to break off and float back to the ceiling if I did it wrong, and the water pushed against the ice at every angle. Manipulating both at the same time was just as hard as trying to force the ice deeper into the water, but eventually I was able to anchor the ice to the ground. It confirmed my suspicions. With salt, once I got a hold of it, the whole process would be much easier as it would be just guiding the salt through the water and letting it freeze everything for me. Not to mention, it¡¯d be easier to create fresh water by taking the salt out of it. I might be able to acquire other minerals somehow. Then I could work on interesting designs and decorations! Among other things¡­ I spread my influence further into thewater until it was a wide bubble around my hole. I begin the struggle of drawing all the salt in the water to a single point on the ceiling. Little bits of ice formed in the water as the salt grew more concentrated. They floated to the ceiling like flower petals floating in the breeze. It was pretty and it distracted me for a second. My influence fluctuated and flooded out further than I had intended.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Life is slow to take root, but quick to flourish. ¨C Ju Lan Congratulations! Your influence strengthens. Your hold over your domain will not falter. [Influence IV]:You¡¯ve dominated 25,000 creatures. Creatures will now fall under your influence faster.(6% to creature conversion rate)
An ecosystem thrives only because of the abundance of its smallest part. ¨C Silver Alchemist Ariana Congratulations! Your influence grows exponentially. The creatures that inhabit your domain are small, but many. [Influence V]:You¡¯ve dominated 100,000 creatures. Creatures will now fall under your influence faster.(8% to creature conversion rate)
Congratulations! You have acquired new animals and plants due to your spreading influence: Animals ¨C 24,091 Rhew Krill, 2 Ghost Medusa Jellyfish, 123 Purple Sea Stars, 92 Durian Sea Urchins, 1 Vent Octopus, 3 Sea Spiders, 5 Feathered Stars, 24 Ice fish, 19 Orange Sea Squirt, 560 Glass Anemones, 1 Star Slug; Plants ¨C 130,000+ Green Algae, 432 Zebra Kelp, 142 Soft Coral
The least of all is often the most significant. ¨C Quilin Proverb Congratulations! You only grow as fast as your environment. Level [16]!:You¡¯ve reached 100,000 creatures.(+15 health; +2 mana; +10 path points; full restore)
Ah. Oh, wow. That sent shivers down the edge of my core. I felt the massive amount of animals and plants connect to me all at once as my influence washed over them. While not as strong a connection as the ones I had with my monsters, the sheer amount almost overwhelmed me. I soak in the feeling a moment longer, wondering if any of these creatures had corresponding monsters, before moving back to my salt exercises. I gather the salt in the water back to my spot on the ceiling of ice, slowly guiding more and more salt through the water until an icicle begin to form. I guide the growing tube all the way to the sea floor where I make it spread out like a skirt. I use this tube like scaffolding, pulling the ice from above and ice I made from because of concentrated salt to reinforce the structure, and soon, I have a twisting pillar of ice solidly anchored to the seabed. I grin, adding |aura of light| in swirling patterns around the pillar, making it look like eerie glowing ancient alien technology I once saw¡­ somewhere. I wonder if I¡¯ll ever get my memories back.
Congratulations! You have gained understanding of an |Elemental Subset| of [Earth]. You are now able to manipulate |Minerals| as part of [Elemental Manipulation X]
Yes! Right on the money! I called it! I totally called it. Even got the name right. Beat that, sucker! After that, it¡¯s a breeze to create my ice pillars underwater. I pull and twist and shape the pillars into increasingly odd shapes, tangling them all together in random patterns of thick and thin, then connecting them all to the ceiling around my hole and reinforcing the ice all around. The glow cast from my swirling |aura of light| lights up the twilight of this underwater world, making it look stranger still. |Ice silk|, connected to the twisting forest of pillars, drifts in the currents. It¡¯s like a fairy palace, grown from the roots of an ancient tree. I¡¯m proud of myself. You can¡¯t tell me that I didn¡¯t do a good job. The whole thing looks like the exposed roots of some banyan tree, and it stretches a good 100 feet or so in every direction. It¡¯d be hard for anything large to navigate the twisting roots even with the rather large amounts of open space in between them. They just fold in on themselves too much. I smile, seeing that my creatures are already starting to make a home within the roots. The starfish began to climb them, while the octopus had already found a cozy nook formed out of several ice pillars. Ice fish swim leisurely and the krill swarm in clouds, chased occasionally by my sliver fish. I¡¯m not sure where the jellyfish went, but they¡¯re probably around here somewhere. Everything else will take time to grow up the pillars. I frown a bit, thinking that my glowing designs would get covered up by the plant life, but then I brighten when I think that it¡¯ll lend more to the whole ancient feeling. Later on I might come back to see if I can imbue |aura of light| to the plants themselves. Overall, though, I gotta say, it¡¯s pretty crazy to look at. Speaking of auras. Hey, blue screens, can you add them to my status? It¡¯d be helpful. Aura¡¯s are starting to be my bread and butter after [elemental manipulation]. Oh, add that too, what elements I can use. Pretty Please!
Status Menu
Name:Haven [Locked] Race:Legendary Dungeon Level:16* Attribute: Green
Health:309/309* (2/min) Mana:240/318* (2/min) State:Normal
Biomes: 2* Floors:?%¦®] Named Monsters:1
Monsters:35 Animals: 24,921* Plants:130,500+*
[¦®]
Path Points: 13*
Paths: {Beginner V (0/20)}{Ingenuity II (0/60)}{Valiant II (0/120)}{Defender III (0/20)}
Skills: [Influence V]* [Incorporation III][AmbientAura VII] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer II][Karma II][Natural Projectile III][Core Teleportation] [Epithet][Elemental Manipulation X][Biome Creation][Fluid Floors]
Achievements: |Ingenuity!||Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!|
[¦®]
Auras:* |Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|, |Aura of Fury|, |Aura of Souls|, |Aura of Protection|, |Aura of the Lost|
Fire:*Main Water:*Main, Ice Earth:*Main, Plants, Minerals* Air:*Main
Sweet! It actually listened. But man my status is getting long. I wonder how other people deal with it. 2.4 - Safe Harbor It¡¯s a goal in my life to travel to all the wonders of the known world. Each one offers something unique, and I plan on experiencing all seventeen. From the floating isles of Hardiff, to the hanging temple of Jo Goth¨Cand those in between: Platimenia, the city at the edge of the world; the giant Edith Statues that dominates the Milana Mountains; and the Carepen Gates, the massive structure that spans a continent. I¡¯ve been to the Tolk Mushroomforest, to the unusually sized shells at Seashell Cove, and to the Balancing Pillars at Fare Caolan, but there are so many others I long to see, and new wonders I long to discover. ¨CIolian Yosef, Wanderer I¡¯m miffed. The sun¡¯s going to come up in a couple of minutes or so, and my stupid guests aren¡¯t going to be up to see my magic show it looks. I use my perception to wander around my domain a few minutes more, occasionally having Niko nudge them to see if they¡¯ll wake, then reluctantly give up. How someone can sleep so long, I¡¯ll never know. I glance at them once more, then gather all the ice around my core. I want to see everything with my own eyes. I take a deep breath, and then I surge. Like a tidal wave, a geyser even, I burst out of the ground surrounded by ice. The sun peeks out from the horizon at that moment, reflecting off the prisms in the ice. Everything sparkles, and it hits me harder than the magical underwater world. An overwhelming feeling of nostalgia assails me. I¡¯ve lost something. I stare at the sun, slowly growing higher using my ice, the massive pillar already dozens of feet above the ground. The hole in my heart only grows wider as I realize for the first time, I don¡¯t belong here. This was never my world. I look up at the stars that are beginning to fade with the sunrise, searching desperately for home. Which star was mine. Where did I live? What was my life like before I was stolen away? Was there anyone there that longs for me? Do they long for me like I long for them? Is it possible to miss something you don¡¯t even remember? There¡¯s nothing here to answer my questions except the sun glinting off the ice for miles and miles. I am an alien to this world. My home, far away and out of reach. The sun flares even brighter and the feeling I had down in that underwater world returns in force, the sadness banished from my mind. I will rise like this sun, shine over everything on this planet, and make a world like it has never seen before. If I can¡¯t go back to a home I can¡¯t remember, I¡¯ll just make my own and thrive like no one¡¯s ever seen before. For an instant, I see it. My domain spreading for miles and miles on this unforgiving terrain, budding with life and people. I grin, my ice pillar reaching 300 feet into the air. I pause for a second, gathering more ice around me in a bulb on top of the pillar. Movement on the ground catches my attention. Ah¡¯m and Nattiq are up and outside my caves below, standing on the open ice and staring at my pillar rising in the sky. I smile again. Here goes to the first step. I take another breath and then burst outward. Huge offshoots of ice strain out from the enormous bulb of ice atop the pillar. I branch them. I branch them again and again and again, over and over, intertwining them in a similar way to my roots down below. I branch them until they become so thin, they turn into |ice silk| drifting in the wind, so long that when they float down from their sudden growth, they brush the ground. I pull at some of the little beads quickly forming on the |ice silk|, shaping them into long thin leaves thickly decorating my swaying branches, then make everything glow with |aura of light|. I pause cover the whole construction with my influence and then to take a look at my handiwork. A slight breeze causes my branches to sway and rustle, drifting to and fro like those underwater jellyfish. It¡¯s calming. I can almost smell the green. It smelled of life. Ah, |aura of souls|. It felt like a breath, |aura of souls|. I gathered the aura together, tightly winding it and compressing it, filling it with thoughts of life and growing, thoughts of a teeming forest, damp and fresh after the rain, and when I was ready, I released it like a breath into my massive ice tree. And the tree breathed it in. It rustled and moved and came alive. It was a simple life, even more so than a true plant, but it was alive nonetheless.
Long nights I have carved, yet no one shall know of what I make until I am long gone. But they¡¯ll know, and they won¡¯t forget. ¨C Creator of the Screaming Pillar at the edge of the Suon Kiin deserts Congratulations! You have made a significant change to the world. Level [17]!:You have created a wonder.(Choose: +50 health, +50 mana, or +20 path points (As of this point, full restore is no longer in effect))
You have earned the achievement: |Creator of Wonders!|¨C Create something classifiedas a wonder of the world. Your wonder is now designated as a pilgrimagesite.(+20 path points; |Calming Aura|, {Architect I (0/50)} path; 20% less danger traveling to your wonder)
|Calming Aura|:People will feel peace within. 30% less aggression under aura. Status effects reduced and have a 10% chance of being removed under aura.
Please name your wonder: |? ?|
Eh? Eh?? Eeeeeehhhh? No, wait, what the heck??? I¡¯m honored that my tree was classified by the system as a wonder, but my¨Cmy full restore! Why did you take it away! It was the only thing keeping me alive! I dissolve into a puddle of tears. You know what? Fine! I didn¡¯t need it anyway. But why take it away at level 17? That¡¯s such a random number, it doesn¡¯t make sense. And all of a sudden making me choose! I thought you were systematic, blue screens! Not random! Or at least, not as random as this. I curse you to trip on every stone you come across. You keep insisting on making my life more and more difficult! Grrrrr!
Please name your wonder: |? ?|
Let me think, for goodness sake! Gosh! Can¡¯t a girl have a little peace around here? This is a serious problem after all. I have no idea how much damage creatures do in this world or how it corresponds with levels. I could be taken out in one hit after all. But, the faster I build my domain, the less likely something will get close enough to attack me. So far, with full restore, the only thing that will keep me alive is regeneration then, if I can stay alive long enough to kill whatever¡¯s attacking me. Don¡¯t get me wrong. I abhor killing. It¡¯s the last thing I will do, but I¡¯m not so moral that I won¡¯t kill in self-defense. I have already. I want to live in this world too much to hang on desperately to morals like that. I have a feeling that even in my previous life I was like that. The question is, which to choose. Health will help me survive heavier hits, and I have a feeling that health has something more to it than just that. Mana will help me fight, grow, and overall, protect myself, so having more of that is always helpful in casting heavier attacks or moving more stuff around. Thing is, regeneration is even more helpful than either. Health regen will allow me to last longer in fights, and mana regen will allow me use of more mana than just getting more mana. The thing is, I¡¯d really go for more regen, but that isn¡¯t an option. The only place I¡¯ve seen more regen as a reward is really the paths. If you add on all the other rewards I tend to get when completing rewards, more path points seems to be the best choice at the moment. I only hope that the path rewards hasn¡¯t changed like the leveling ones have. That worries me. On the other hand, I feel like I¡¯m getting the hang of this world, finally, if I can actually reason like this. I won¡¯t say I¡¯m perfect at it. I still feel like I¡¯m missing a whole lot, and I could be doing way better, but I can say I¡¯m doing the best I can.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. It¡¯s weirdly mathematical, the way my life has turned out to be. I¡¯m not sure how much I like that. It gives structure to my life, but I feel like I¡¯m loosing something in that exchange. I know for a fact that my life didn¡¯t use to be like this. Well, whatever. I can mull over that some other time. I choose the +20 path points. Question is, do I want to spend them now, or save them. I do have a new path open now¡­ Too bad it costs 50 points. I only have 43. I could fill out either {defender} or {beginner}¡­ hm. {beginner} tends to give me starter things: plants, animals, information packets. It could be useful to see what else I can get. {Defender} so far has given me auras. I don¡¯t really think that¡¯ll keep happening, but it could. What the heck, let¡¯s get {defender} and then save up for {architect}.
In the dungeons of old, there existed two types of named monsters: The fixed floor bosses and the wandering Guardians. Of the two, Guardians are the more dangerous. ¨C Holbalt Ulrick, Dwarven treasure hunter Congratulations! {Defender III (20/20)} Path:Complete. (+30 health regeneration; +30 mana regeneration; {Defender IV (2/30)} path; Choose: |Aura of Reflection| or +1 random Guardian(named monster))
Migh¡¯y terrible, ¡¯em owl cats. ¡®Em silent like night, but¡¯ll play with ¡®ere food righ¡¯ viscious like. My¡¯a friend, Yacob, ¡®e was snatched up righ¡¯ in front¡¯a me. ¨C Goteb the Gremlin Congratulations! You have chosen +1 random Guardian, type: Flying Owl Cat (also known as Owl Griffin); Name: Timp
I¨Cwhat? What the heck is going on with these screens? Please. Just please stop messing with me! When the heck did I choose that? Huh? When? Tell me. Just exactly when was it? Don¡¯t arbitrarily choose for me! And what is going on with the two points in {defender}? I never put them there. I quickly check my status. No, I still have 23 points. Where did that come from? Now that I think about it, the first {valiant} path also had a random point in it. Do these screens glitch? I gulp. I can¡¯t rely on them.
Please name your wonder: |? ?|
Fine! If it¡¯ll shut you up! Since you¡¯re already freaking out on me, why don¡¯t you just name it yourself or something!
You have named your wonder: |?Harbor?|
I was being sarcastic, though¡­ Little one! What ¡¯tis this? ¡®Tis like a cave but not! ¡®Tis still part of Little one¡¯s domain?Ah¡¯m calls. ¡°Um, yeah! Wait just a sec.¡± I mold some of ice into a flowing staircase spiraling around the trunk of the tree to the large bowl that formed at the base of the all the tree¡¯s branches. I¡¯m currently resting there. It¡¯s a quick make, so not my usual craftsmanship, but it¡¯ll do. As Ah¡¯m and Nattiq begin climbing the long staircase, I weave|ice silk|into rugs and pillows to line the bowl and hang brightly glowing strings of beads across the branches above. Pillows are the best. ¡°Woah, this place is cool!¡± Nattiq says when they reach the top. ¡°You can see everything from here.¡± He glances around. Look. River of souls.Ah¡¯m points with his muzzle. I see it, fading into the early morning light, the river of souls. It¡¯s flickering faintly in the western sky, a dim streak of twisting rainbow streams. It seems weak, like it¡¯s about to flicker out of existence. ¡°The world is dying?¡± I ask. It¡¯s a suspicion I¡¯ve had for a while now, that the lights were somehow connected to the state of the world, and looking at the lights, that feeling only grows. Little one notices. ¡°Wait, the world¡¯s dying?¡± Nattiq says concerned. Yes. ¡®Tis dying bit by bit. World¡¯s soul ¡¯tis only as big as all souls living on it. River of Souls dims. I watch. Much less than cycles gone by. Little one feels it, too. Less souls born each cycle, world¡¯s life ¡¯tis being sucked out.Ah¡¯m says gravely. I must say, he has a knack for the ominous. Stupid whale dog. But I can feel what he talked about. The world¡¯s energy is slowly dimming every second like a cooling ember. We stare quietly at the streaming lights for a few moments longer before Ah¡¯m speaks again. Rin Khult ¡¯tis there.He seems surprised, as if he didn¡¯t realize this before he said it. ¡°What?¡± I say. Rin Khult ¡¯tis there. ¡°Wait,¡± Nattiq waves his hand. ¡°Rin Khult¡¯s the naitaka that was chasing you and ended up attacking Haven, right? You said¨Cyou said the river of souls hasn¡¯t had a new soul in years. You said that mam-gu¨Cthat mam-gu wasn¡¯t up there. My grandmama didn¡¯t go to the river of souls! That¡¯s what you said! Then you go around and say that some naitaka is up there while my grandma is who knows where! That¡¯s what you¡¯re trying to say, you stupid whale dog? Why?!¡± Ah¡¯m grumbles in thought for a second, then turns abruptly to face Nattiq. I know not. But ¡¯tis true. River of souls ¡¯tis not have new soul for cycles till Rin Khult. I know not reason why Rin Khult ¡¯tis different, but I think, have thought for long while¡­he turns to me, that saving souls¡¯tis something to do with Little one. Little one different from world somehow. I know not how. We stare at the whale dog in confusion. ¡°How do I have anything to do with all this. Look, yeah, maybe I am different from everything else. I¡¯ve been kinda feeling like that, but how could that possibly have any effect on souls¡­¡± I trail off, my new aura is brought to my mind. |Aura of Souls|¡­ I look at the massive tree swaying below us. It seems to dance with the life pulsing through it. Calm. Save talk for another moon. Eira now approach and number ¡¯tis not small. I look below and sure enough, there¡¯s a whole crowd of eira moving closer to my tree. They¡¯re hard to see against the ice, but they¡¯re there. ¡°There¡¯s got to be like more than fifty of them down there,¡± Nattiq says. I groan and then turn my attention to Ah¡¯m. ¡°You know, you owe me, whale dog.¡± For what? ¡°For setting the stupid horse snake on me,¡± I harrumph. Nattiq grins. ¡°Haven¡¯s got you there, whale dog,¡± he laughs. ¡°She¡¯s got you there.¡±
Status Menu
Name:Haven [Locked] Race:Legendary Dungeon Level:17* Attribute: Green
Health:309/309(2.6/min)* Mana:195/318(2.6/min)* State:Normal
Biomes: 2 Floors:?%¦®] Named Monsters:2*
Monsters:35 Animals: 24,921 Plants:130,500+
[¦®]
Path Points: 23*
Paths: {Beginner V (0/20)}{Ingenuity II (0/60)}{Valiant II (0/120)}{Defender IV (2/30)}*{Architect I (0/50)}*
Skills: [Influence V][Incorporation III][AmbientAura VII] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer II][Karma II][Natural Projectile III][Core Teleportation] [Epithet][Elemental Manipulation X][Biome Creation][Fluid Floors]
Achievements: |Ingenuity!||Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!| |Creator of Wonders!|*
[¦®]
Auras:|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|, |Aura of Fury|, |Aura of Souls|, |Aura of Protection|, |Aura of the Lost|, |Calming Aura|*
Fire:Main Water:Main, Ice Earth:Main, Plants, Minerals Air:Main
2.5 - Falling to Pieces ¡°Stop them! Don¡¯t let them into the camp. Frick, there¡¯s not even that many of them. We¡¯re being over run. Argh! Ug. Stop Ret, go help Sam. I¡¯m alright. It just grazed me. Go, go, he¡¯s being swarmed. I can handle it here. RAAAAAAAH. Die you stupid things! This is why I told that ridiculous official Bakers that an outpost can¡¯t be set up in the Rhew, no matter how rare amber gold is. It¡¯s! Just! Not worth it! Noooo! Dang it, Hubert! Kale, Hubert¡¯s down! He went under! That wretched monster cracked a hole in the ice and he fell in. What? No way. He¡¯s dead Kale. You can¡¯t get him. He¡¯ll have frozen to death in seconds. Stay here and guard Lilith! We need her alive! She¡¯s the only thing keeping the freaking eira at bay! So stay at your post!¡± ¨C Georgian Millt, failed Rhew expedition So, Little one wants me to fight? ¡°That¡¯d be helpful, yes. I¡¯ll help, but I don¡¯t really have the means to fight off that many at the moment¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help too. I¡¯ve got nothing better to do, and this looks like it¡¯d be fun!¡± Nattiq grins. ¡°Ah¡¯m, give me a ride, will ya?¡± He launches himself onto the whale dog¡¯s back and pulls out two short, slim swords from¡­ somewhere. One moment he had nothing in his hands, and the next, with a slight twist or something, he was spinning the short swords in his hands. ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, you mean these? I¡¯m not a mage or anything, just quick with my hands is all.¡± He gives a wink. Idiot ¡¯tis wanting to look impressive for Little one.Ah¡¯m blows out a puff of air in exasperation. ¡°I am not trying to show off. You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± I know. I ¡¯tis many cycles older.He puffs himself up. ¡°Yeah, and who here has messed up? You, you stupid whale dog.¡± I kill more. ¡°Yeah? You think? Wanna try that out? There¡¯s a whole army waiting outside for us to test that on.¡± I ready for challenge. ¡®Tis idiot? ¡°You bet your gills on it.¡± I ¡¯tis not have gills, though. ¡°You¡¯ll wish you did though, ¡¯cause soon you¡¯ll be too scared to come up for air,¡± Nattiq says smugly. Idiot ¡¯tis not make sense. Little one, Idiot ¡¯tis idiot, ¡¯tis Idiot not?Ah¡¯m gives a breathy laugh. ¡°Your making fun of me. I¡¯ll make you regret it, stupid fish. I ¡¯tis not fish. Idiot ¡¯tis idiot once more. Matter not, I banter long enough. ¡®Tis time to go and sink teeth into prey. Be safe, Little one.Nattiq gives a yelp as Ah¡¯m spins and launches himself and Nattiq down the stairs. I shudder as the first eira enters the area beneath my tree, pushing through the thick, layered strands of |ice silk|. It¡¯s tangled for a couple of seconds as it twists and turns, pulling and snapping angrily though the strands, and then it¡¯s through. A sharp pain flows through me, like someone plucking out several strands of my hair. It¡¯s uncomfortable. More and more come, tearing through my barrier of tendrils. I grunt and grit my mind¡¯s teeth. The feeling of ripping hair continues.It hurts. Why does it hurt? It never used to before.
Eira horde [Snow Spirits]: Level (18+) ¨CBeings of ice and snow. Form when there are strong natural currents of mana.As one of the few things living atop the Rhew, Eira are used to solidarity. They have strong senses of territory, defensive nature, and large amounts of hate towards anyone that intrudes or changes the landscape of the Rhew. Rarely, they put aside their lone-wolf nature to gather together, form a horde if they find a large enough threat to their world. Beware of their strong ice based skills. (Warning): Your changes to the landscape have triggered an attacking wave. Eira (approx. 64) have now entered your domain.
Ah¡¯m launched down the last few flights of stairs, crashing directly into the oncoming horde, tearing it apart and sending several flying through the curtain of my tree. It billows outward, allowing those eira to pass through uninhibited. I wince as I feel two souls float free of their bodies as these ones are crushed under his feet. Ever since I got |aura of souls|, I¡¯ve felt a growing connection to the souls around me. The feeling wasn¡¯t exactly¡­ pleasant. The souls floated out of my domain and disappeared from my vision. Ah¡¯m leaps up like a fox and Nattiq flips off of him at the top of his arch. The whale dog slams down again, squashing another eira and injuring several more. They bombard him for his efforts with little effect. Nattiq lands lightly on the ground, and with a blur, the four eira around him collapse, their souls drifting off. Several eira launch icicles at the selkie, but they never reach him. Every single one was split in two, shooting off in different directions after passing him on either side. One of the remnants pierced an eira all the way through its head. I can¡¯t help swallow. It¡¯s clear that they¡¯ve worked together before. They¡¯re a devastating force, ripping through the eira¡¯s defenses like paper. As much as it¡¯s cool, I can¡¯t help but grow cold inside. Life is disappearing all around me, and yet I can¡¯t ask them to stop. This world won¡¯t allow those kind of niceties, and I refuse to be naive. These things came here to kill me, and if they weren¡¯t prepared to die, then so be it. I just wish it didn¡¯t have to be this way. But when a wolf starts attacking humans, it is put down. I don¡¯t suppose this is much different, even if it still pains me. And still, I let Ah¡¯m and Nattiq rampage. Nattiq dances through the horde like swimming through water, leaving a trail of eira behind him like bubbles in his wake. Ah¡¯m takes a less graceful approach, smashing through everything in his way, launching eira after eira into the air with his massive tail and scattering them in every direction. Soon enough, there¡¯s a wide berth around him and the nearest eira. They keep their distance and shoot icicles from far away, trying to keep him away from an ancient eira in the midst of chanting. Nattiq begins to wade his way over to the whale dog just as the eira casts its skill. Massive icicle spears shoot up out of the ground towards Ah¡¯m belly. Most block his path, pinning him in a cage of thick spears. A few pierce directly into his flank, and one deep into his stomach. Blood begins to flow. It steams in the cold air as it drips down the icicles to puddle and freeze solid on the ice. It looked strangely like a red carpet. ¡°Ah¡¯m!¡± I scream. Ah¡¯m roars. He shatters the icicles and launches himself at the group of eira around the old one. They scatter and flee out from under my tree, using the curtain as a barrier. He charges through after. Nattiq follows quickly after him. I feel the first one he kills, and I flinch. The next one and the next one and the next one wash over me like a chilling wave. I feel it. I feel it all. It feels wrong. It¡¯s grating, like fingernails on a chalkboard every time one dies. This isn¡¯t right. Stop. Stop killing them. Stop. ¡°Ah¡¯m stop!!!¡± I bellow. Little one. ¡®Tis angry. Ice ones die. ¡°No! Ah¡¯m stop!!!¡± No. ¡°Ah¡¯m! Their souls! Their souls are disappearing!¡± What? ¡°Ah¡¯m they¡¯re gone! Something¨Csomething is taking them! It¡¯s chipping them away. Stop killing them!¡± All of a sudden, I¡¯m assaulted by a massive, jarring screech. It sounded like metal on metal and it jolts my vision.
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Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Accept?: (y/n)
The screeching noisecontinues until I hit yes. The silence that follows is almost as unnerving. I feel like throwing up. My head. It hurts. Little one. ¡®Tis sorry. Ices ones already all dead. I know not. I ashamed. Forgive me, Little one.Ah¡¯m pants heavily surrounded by a pile of corpses. They¡¯re all dead. He didn¡¯t leave a single eira alive. I stare in horror. This is somehow different. It¡¯s not the same. When they died under my tree, it felt like a peaceful release. They drifted off like jellyfish in the sea. But whenthey died out here, it was like someone was ripping their souls to shreds. I begin to hyperventilate. True hyperventilating, even though I have no lungs. I can¡¯t breathe. I can¡¯t breathe at all. ¡°What was that? What happened?¡± Nattiq calls out. ¡°Ah¡¯m, are you alright? You¡¯re bleeding.¡± He grunts as the whale dog slumps on him for support. He helps Ah¡¯m back under the tree. They start-up the staircase. I finally find my breath and stop them. ¡°Take him back inside the caves,¡± I say with difficulty. I¡¯m still try to calm down. Ah¡¯m hurt. The past can¡¯t be changed, but I learned something direly important from it. This world¡­ There¡¯s a reason it¡¯s falling to pieces. ¡°Haven, you alright? You sound a bit hoarse,¡± Nattiq says through gritted teeth. He¡¯s doing most of the work. Ah¡¯m is barely moving to help him, so Nattiq is just up dragging the whale dog along on his back. ¡°Give me a second. I¡¯ll¨CI¡¯ll be right down.¡± I feel a cold wind brush my core. Something is behind me. I whirl my attention around. Floating there is a diminutive eira, the smallest I¡¯ve seen yet. It has more masculine features than the first one I met. Short hair, with a flowing shirt and shorts rather than a dress, but still rather feminine. A young boy, perhaps, or a tomboy. It¡¯s thin, pale skin even paler. It¡¯s weak, its bones sharp and defined. It¡¯s frowning at me. ¡°One¡¯s still alive,¡± I whisper.
Eira runt [Snow Spirit]: Level (3) ¨CBeing of ice and snow. Form when there are strong natural currents of mana.As one of the few things living atop the Rhew, Eira are used to solidarity. While being creatures of mana and ice, they often mate and bare young. However, though Eira raise their young to adulthood before leaving them on their own, they will not care for those they deem weak. This Eira is one such example. Left to die at a very young age by its parents, it miraculously managed to thrive out in the froze expanse. Expect differences from the standard Eira.
With a snarl, the runt rushes me and lands a solid punch on my side with a crack. Argh! That hurt, you freaking punk! I launch an ice pellet straight into its face. It reels back from the blow, pulling up its hand to feel its cheek. Tears begin to pool in its pitch black eyes. They drip down its face and land on the rugs below, turning into ice as they fall. It sniffles, then grits its teeth as it swoops down for another go at me. It misses. just glancing off my side, and I hit it with another pellet. It freezes, its short hair drifts through the breeze. It turns and looks at me, and I see a gash dripping with clear blood tinted green flowing from its cheek. A wronged look crosses its eyes. I¡¯m caught off guard as it begins to wail. ¡°What the heck? Wait, what kind of tough survivor are you? You¡¯re making me feel like a bad guy. Stop. Please stop crying.¡± I don¡¯t have the heart to kill it. Not after all that.I activate |calming aura|. The eira calms, taking great hiccuping gasps in between whimpering sounds. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re family¡¯s all dead now. That really is my fault. I can¡¯t make that up to you. I¡¯m sorry. You can hate me. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± The eira flutters down and slumps over my core in a puddle of tears. It begins to cry again, the type of cry that makes my heart ache. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say again, my voice choking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Pretty soon, the eira¡¯s crying dim and then die out, and I¡¯m the one wailing instead. The eira awkwardly pats my core, making comforting noises.
[Eira runt (lvl 3)] would like to make a contract with you. This will allow the eira to become one of your Guardians. Accept? (y/n)
Surprised, I turned and looked at the eira. It¨Cno he¨Cgives me a sweet smile and nods. I hit yes.
The Everman Empire was bound to fall. It grew too large, took over too many territories, and most of all, it angered every other nation around it. It had no allies, so it was assaulted on all sides. There was no choice in its fall. ¨C John Aldman Congratulations! Allying yourself with others is key to a successful domain. Level [18]!:You have contracted with your first monster.(+10 health; +10 path points; 20% evolution chance; +1 extra evolution attribute slot or level eira twice)
One of the strongest races is that of the Tennin. They have evolved and perfected the art of the monster contract. They are a force to behold, fighting alongside their army of monsters. I would rather wrestle a brucha than march against them. ¨C Haruime Ro, Tengu war lord Congratulations! Contracts are one of the only things binding in this world. [Tamer III]:In your first contract, the creature was the one to initiate.(+10 path points; +1 evolution attribute slot; contract monster¡¯s characteristics as addable attributes; added skill to contract monster: [Leading I])
Please name your Guardian:|? ?|
¡°Name it Oroesi,¡± Nattiq says. I hadn¡¯t heard him come up. I brighten a little in greeting. ¡°Alright.¡± Since I¡¯m already getting an attribute slot from leveling [tamer], let¡¯s choose to level him twice.
Congratulations! [Eira runt] has accepted the name [Oroesi]. [Oroesi] is now designated as a named monster. [Oroesi] is now level 5. |[Attribute Slot] + [Attribute Slot] + [Attribute Slot] + [Locked]| (42% evolution chance per slot)
Addable attributes availiabe (24): |Ice Silk|;|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|, |Aura of Fury|, |Aura of Souls|, |Aura of Protection|, |Aura of the Lost|;|Suction|, |Crushing Bite|, |Tenacious x2|, |Untiring|, |Rage|, |Thick Skin|, |Jet Stream|, |Focus|, |Blunt Force|, |Bludgeon|;|Razor Scales|, |Carrion Feeder|, |Air Swimming|, |Swarm|; |Ice Flurry|, |Icicle|, |Ice Spear|, |Float|, |Ice Mist| (Oroesi already has these attributes)
I ponder which attributes to choose. Let¡¯s go with these.
You have chosen |Thick Skin| as an addable attribute. You have chosen |Ice Silk| as an addable attribute. You have chosen |Focus| as an addible attribute. [Oroesi] has failed to a acquire|Ice Silk|. |Thick Skin| has changed to [Thick Skin I]: Skin becomes more durable for a short period of time. 5% chance to shrug off attack with no damage.(5 sec/ 15 mana) |Focus| has changed to [Focus I]:Mana attack power boosted by 25% for a short period of time. 10% less chance a mana intense skill will backfire.(5 sec/ 15 mana)
I let out a shaky breath¡­
Status Menu
Name:Haven [Locked] Race:Legendary Dungeon Level:18* Attribute: Green
Health:297/319* (2.6/min) Mana:211/318(2.6/min) State:Normal
Biomes: 2 Floors:?%¦®] Named Monsters:3*
Monsters:35 Animals: 24,921 Plants:130,500+
[¦®]
Path Points: 43*
Paths: {Beginner V (0/20)}{Ingenuity II (0/60)}{Valiant II (0/120)}{Defender IV (2/30)}{Architect I (0/50)}
Skills: [Influence V][Incorporation III][AmbientAura VII] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer III]*[Karma II][Natural Projectile III][Core Teleportation] [Epithet][Elemental Manipulation X][Biome Creation][Fluid Floors]
Achievements: |Ingenuity!||Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!| |Creator of Wonders|
[¦®]
Auras:|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|, |Aura of Fury|, |Aura of Souls|, |Aura of Protection|, |Aura of the Lost|, |Calming Aura|
Fire:Main Water:Main, Ice Earth:Main, Plants, Minerals Air:Main
Brief Hiatus Hey guys, I''ll be leaving for Wales for about a month, so I probably won''t be able to write much, if at all. Just a heads up and all. I''m super excited but really nervous all at the same time. This''ll be one of the first times I''ve left the US. Wish me luck.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Hope you guys have been enjoying my story so far, and hope that you have a great couple of weeks, ''cause I sure will. Good luck on all your various endevours. Stay strong, you can make it! You can do the thing! Don''t let any whale dogs through your door. They''re more trouble than they''re worth, so just don''t. ^^ 2.6 - Legends of the Hynafol What happened to the Hynafol? Why, they disappeared. Why did the Hynafol go? They had something they feared. What scared the Hynafol? The eyes up in the sky. What did it do to the Hynafol? It made everyone die. ¨CSong the Gorsydd Ruins morgen sings ¡°How¡¯s Ah¡¯m?¡± ¡°He should be fine in a few days or so. He¡¯s got a quick health regeneration rate. It¡¯s the only reason he¡¯s been alive as long as he has. Normally he¡¯d be up and about in a few hours, but he got hit pretty bad, stabbed right through the stomach.¡± ¡°Oh. Where¡¯s he now?¡± ¡°I put him in the room we came in, the one kinda like up here with all the pillows. Looked the comfiest.¡± ¡°Will he be safe there?¡± ¡°Should be fine for now. Nothing really lives down there. Not for miles, anyway. You were just unlucky with the naitaka. What are you going to do with him?¡± Nattiq nods towards Oroesi. ¡°Ah, he¡¯s a guardian now, I guess. That reminds me.¡± I pull the owl cat from my space and put it on a pillow. ¡°I have another.¡± ¡°Woah, is that an owl cat? How¡¯s you do that? It popped out of nowhere.¡± ¡°You could call it sleight of hand.¡± I grin. Oroesi takes one look at the griffin and bares his teeth. ¡°Girl or boy?¡± ¡°Timp¡¯s a girl. I also have these.¡± I pull out the pigmy bunnies as well. ¡°No really. How are you doing that? You can¡¯t call it sleight of hand. You don¡¯t have any hands.¡± ¡°Just something I can do, I guess. Ah, Oroesi, don¡¯t eat the poor bunny! I only have two. At least wait until they mate or something.¡± I quickly make a new room below this treetop patio and pull the bunnies into it so that they¡¯re out of Oroesi¡¯s reach. It¡¯s a good thing I did, ¡¯cause Timpalso looked ready to pounce. I call up some sliver fish with a pot of soil and carpet the bunnies¡¯ floor. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to do some redecorating. My room arrangement is not the most logical at the moment,¡± I say, mentally dusting off my hands and settling into the pillows. I watch as Timp takes a swipe at Oroesi. ¡°You can move your rooms around?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t tried it yet, but I got I skill recently that makes it sound like I can.¡± ¡°That¡¯s freaking cool! I wish I had something like that.¡± I turned my attention to look at him. ¡°You¡¯re weird, Nattiq. How would this be useful at all to you? Aren¡¯t you an adventurer?¡± ¡°What does that have to do with it?¡± He harrumphed. ¡°Don¡¯t you just go around fighting monsters or something?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, kinda¡­ I do more than that though.¡± He sighed and pulled out a knife and started cleaning the underside of his nails. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Adventurers are more like road sweepers, honestly. We keep the major roads safe and clear of monsters so that people can travel. We also deliver letters and packages, work as guards or escorts, or explore surrounding areas to make sure the typography hasn¡¯t changed or document it if it does, but only high-ranking adventurers do the last one. Sometimes, we help out city guards if there¡¯s a monster wave, or some help out in various armies whenever there¡¯s a war or they decide to have a monster raid. Other than that we¡¯re jack-of-all-trades, helping out whenever someone has a request. But yeah, the main duty is to sweep the roads. I don¡¯t really know why they call us adventurers other than it being a name from a long time ago.¡± I pause and think about what he said. I always though adventurers were more like a ragtag bunch of mercenaries under one organization. I wasn¡¯t wrong, but they actually seemed to have more of a purpose in society than their name would suggest. Sweepers, huh? I wonder how dangerous it is out there. Am I the only one floundering? ¡°Hey, tell me more about the world.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know anything honestly.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I don¡¯t really know where to start. The world¡¯s really big. I haven¡¯t even seen any of it even though I¡¯ve traveled the most out of everyone I know except probably Ah¡¯m or Mam-gu. I guess I could start with the bedtime story my mom used to tell.¡± ¡°Bedtime story?¡± ¡°You sound sceptical. It¡¯s a pretty good history of the world, though, so just listen.¡± Nattiq sits down and leans up against a pillow. Oroesi follows his lead while keeping a good distance away from Timp, who pretends to fall asleep, but keeps an eye cracked on Oroesi. I sigh. I have a feeling that these two won¡¯t get along. I can feel a headache brewing already. ¡°It goes like this: There was a time long, long ago, back when man had no fear of monsters. There were only three nations then, a queendom ruled by a wise and gracious queen, an oligarchy ruled by ten men of skill and learning, and a principality ruled by a strong and noble prince. Under them, the people lived long and flourished. Their lives expanded into the ages, and some even say the people could live forever. These nations stretched into the ends of the world, and the lights of their city never dimmed. They had carts and carriages that moved by their own power and moved faster than birds fly. Their magic was strong enough that a simple soldier could slay a dragon. Gems and precious metals lined their streets, people were clothed in colorful silk, each home a mansion tiled in amber gold and fire rubies, and monsters were docile under their hands. The story embellishes them even more but I forget the rest, but if you want to go by tavern tales, some people say they could fly, walk on water, raise people from the dead, move mountains and seas, even travel though the stars.¡± ¡°That sounds a bit hard to believe.¡± I mentally scratch my head. Still, bits and pieces of this story sound like I¡¯ve heard it before. Carriages moving by their own power and traveling through the stars, huh? ¡°It does, doesn¡¯t it. But these people¡¯s ruins last forever. We still use their roads. They criss-cross the country and offer the safest way from one place to another. Any good adventurer knows them like the back of their hand.¡± ¡°What about all the gold and stuff. What happened to all that treasure?¡± ¡°Who knows. The books have illustrations of the cities, and multiple scholars on the subject over the years have confirmed in the ruins that, yeah, they were one lined with that stuff. But if people came and stole it all over the years, or if it all just vanished, no one really knows. I¡¯m not sure which one I believe. Strangely enough, sometimes people still find ancient weapons, armour, or accessories in random ruins. All our knowledge of these ancient kingdoms comes from the murals and books found in them.¡± ¡°If thieves stole amber gold from the walls, why didn¡¯t they take the weapons or the books?¡± ¡°Who knows. It¡¯s a question that¡¯s baffled centuries of scholars.¡± ¡°Well, what happened to the people, then? The ones from back then?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t really know that either. The records just stop after the reign of Prince Hamaladrid VIII of the Iridian Principality. Some think they just vanished along with the amber gold, others think there was a natural disaster that wiped out almost all of the population. The ruins don¡¯t really suggest a natural disaster, though. Almost all of them look like someone just left the table for a moment. Kind of haunting, actually.¡± ¡°How many have you been to?¡± ¡°Somewhere between fifty and a hundred. I never really counted. They¡¯re all over the place. A couple of scholars have even suggested that there might be a city under the Rhew. There¡¯s actually a pretty big possibility of there being one if the records are anything to go by. It¡¯s become something of a legend, actually. The City of the Hynafol in the Great Northern Expanse: Dinas Aur.¡± His eyes sparkled as he said the name. ¡°Sadly, no one¡¯s been able to find it yet even though the people who have looked for it must be in the tens of thousands.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°What¡¯s the Hynafol?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what scholars call the people of that age, the Hynafol.¡± ¡°Does the bedtime story stop there?¡± ¡°No, it continues, though, scholars debate its accuracy.¡± ¡°Who are these scholars?¡± ¡°They¡¯re from all over, but they¡¯ve all studied at the College of Dysg. Mostly they serve as chancellors for various countries.¡± ¡°What does the story say?¡± ¡°Simply that the world died.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There came a day when the world shook and heaved in on itself. The sky turned red and stars rained down from the sky. The sun was dyed a sickening black and two large eyes opened in the heavens. The earth and seas gathered themselves together and rose into the air to do battle with the eyes in the sky, only the eyes blinked and the earth and seas fell to the ground once more. The world returned to how it once was, only the people grew weaker than the monsters, and so they died. This was because the will of the world had vanished.¡± ¡°Woah.¡± ¡°Yeah, woah.¡± ¡°Why do they dispute it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no evidence for it. Nothing suggests that any major disasters like that have happened. Of course it could have been covered up over the years. The world¡¯s topography doesn¡¯t stay the same for long. One day there¡¯s a mountain there, the next there¡¯s not. Only the ruins seem to ever stay the same. But still, scholars say if it did happen, it would have left lasting changes no matter how long ago it was. Not to mention that the will of the world never vanished.¡± ¡°Will of the world?¡± ¡°The screens. Everyone sees them. They transmit the will of the world. We still have them, so it can¡¯t be that the world died.¡± A chill runs through my core. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m more inclined to believe the scholars. Afterall, it¡¯s only a story to tell children at night.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t most stories have a kernel of truth though?¡± ¡°Yeah, but Haven, eyes opening in the sky? That¡¯s a little bit too fantastical.¡± I swallow, but continue my train of thought. ¡°What if the will of the world really did die, though. Ah¡¯m says that the river of souls is dimming. The world is dying.¡± ¡°But¨Cbut the will is still here. People see it all the time! Look I can even pull it up. You can¡¯t see it, but I¡¯m looking at it right now, so how can the will be dead? What does that even mean, that the world¡¯s dying? It looks fine to me.¡± ¡°The river of souls¨C¡± ¡°Look. Just stop. The river of souls is fine. It has to be. If it wasn¡¯t, someone would have noticed it long ago.¡± ¡°Ah¡¯m noticed. I can feel it dimming, too.¡± ¡°Ah¡¯m¡¯s just a stupid fish. He doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about. And what can you say, really? I can tell just by looking at you, you¡¯re a rock. How can you feel anything?¡± ¡°Is there a reason you don¡¯t want it to be true?¡± I angrily shout. Nattiq launches to his feet. ¡°It¡¯s freaking ridiculous! It makes absolutely no sense!¡± He yells back. ¡°It makes perfect sense! You¡¯re just denying it!¡± ¡°What are you saying?! You¡¯re delusional!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the delusional one! You just don¡¯t want to even think about the possibility that there¡¯s something out there eating souls! Otherwise your grandma would be long gone!¡± Nattiq freezes. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°What, that you¡¯re delusional? Or that your grandma is gone. Face it, you know it¡¯s true.¡± I quip. ¡°No, not that. The¨Cthe other thing.¡± ¡°¡­that something¡¯s eating souls.¡± I watch as he sits down heavily and shivers. ¡°Eating souls? Why¨Cwhy do you think that?¡± ¡°Why does that matter? You don¡¯t seem to care anymore that the river of souls is dimming.¡± ¡°The Siellose. No, it can¡¯t be.¡± ¡°What? What can¡¯t be?¡± ¡°No, I must be wrong. I have to be. Haven, what made you say that?¡± ¡°First let me confirm something. What color are your screens, the ones that you normally see?¡± ¡°They¡¯re red, why?¡± It¡¯s my turn to freeze. ¡°Haven, everyone¡¯s are red. Why does it matter?¡± ¡°¡­mine are¡­¡± I whisper. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Mine aren¡¯t red,¡± I say. Nattiq stares at me. ¡°Mine¨Cmine are blue.¡± ¡°Yours are blue?¡± His stare turns even more disbelieving. ¡°Nattiq, I¡¯m scared. After you identified me as legendary, something¨Csomething looked at me. It looked at me, and it was like it was going to eat me. It eyes were massive, and it was red, so very red. I¡¯m afraid it will come back.¡± ¡°I was¨Cwhat was I¡­?¡± ¡°You. you and Ah¡¯m. I don¡¯t know what happened, but you both turned creepy. It was like you were possessed. Both your eyes were completely red, you looked like you were about to attack me.¡± ¡°But, what¨Cwhy?¡± ¡°Something chased it off. Nattiq, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m originally from this world. I have these¡­ hazy memories of somewhere else. Something brought me here, and that something drove off those red eyes. I think it help you and Ah¡¯m, too, because you both collapsed and were unconscious for hours after that. I don¡¯t know what would have happened if that thing kept possessing you.¡± Nattiq¡¯s frown deepens. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything about this earlier.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t know what it meant. Even the quest I got after the eira came just confused me more.¡± ¡°What quest?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Save our souls, or something. It was weird. I couldn¡¯t read it, and it was really hurting my head. That¡¯s where it said something was eating the souls.¡± Nattiq shivers. ¡°What?¡± I ask. ¡°I got a quest, too,¡± he says in a jolting manner. ¡°It was to conquer a legendary dungeon.¡± I stare in horror. ¡°You mean, people are coming? To kill me?¡± My voice cracks. Nattiq stares at the floor, not answering my question. ¡°I didn¡¯t think anything of it. I mean, you¡¯re a dungeon, of course people are going to try an conquer you. But, it was just so sudden, and why would there be a system quest? System quests hardly ever happen, and not ever for something people would have done anyway. Plus, it says you¡¯re dangerous. How are you dangerous? In what way? You¡¯re nice and smart and you honestly wouldn¡¯t hurt anything, and you¡¯re even way up in the Rhew. How could that be dangerous? Everyone knows dungeons mind themselves. So, why would the will set a quest, and that massive reward? Unless¡­unless you want to harm the will.¡± His head jerks up and he focuses on me. Red begins to bleed across his eyes. ¡°Nattiq? Nattiq, your eyes!¡± He lurches forward towards me, a sword suddenly in his hand. Oroesi chimes in alarm and comes between me and Nattiq. Timp lunges at Nattiq ankles, but the selkie just ignores her. ¡°Nattiq stop! Please! Don¡¯t! You¡¯re scaring me!¡± I scream as Nattiq raises his sword. He slashes down, aiming at my core. Oroesi flies up and the sword slices against his side. The eira crumples to the ground. ¡°Oroesi!¡± I scream and launch ice missiles at Nattiq. He manages to block most of them, but one stabs through his leg and another catches him on the side of the his head, knocking him to the ground. ¡°Oroesi!¡± I immediately turn my attention to the eira. His would steadily spills blood. ¡°No. You can¡¯t die. I just met you. Don¡¯t you dare go dying on me.¡± I pump all the mana I can into him and desperately activate every aura I think can remotely help in this situation, all while using ice to try to stem the flow and close the wound. If only I had the ability to heal! ¡°Haven¡­you¡­attacked me?¡± I hear Nattiq say with a betrayed tone. ¡°Shut up!¡± I scream at him. ¡°The quest was right! You are dangerous!¡± ¡°Shut up! Shut Up!! SHUT UP!¡± I could almost feel tears running down my face. ¡°What haven are you? You¡¯re just like every other dungeon there ever was, killing everything that comes into your domain!¡± I spin on him, rage bubbling up from within. An angry green light flared. ¡°I attacked you?I attacked you?!Oroesi is dying because of you!¡± ¡°I¡­what? I¨C¡± The red tinge to his eyes disappears. ¡°Oroesi? I did that? I didn¡¯t mean¡­I attacked you?¡± ¡°Leave!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I. Said. Leave!¡± ¡°Wait, why?¡± ¡°Just leave me alone!¡± I form ice pellets in the air. Nattiq flinches. He looks at me hesitantly for a second, then vanishes down the stair well. I hear him limping all the way down. ¡°Oroesi, please be okay.¡± My connection with him throbs achingly. Why did it turn out like this? Does it mean that I¡¯m really all alone? In this war? Against that terrifying red? My light dims. I wish I had tears that could fall. Why do I always feel like crying? I¡¯m really tired of it.
Status Menu
Name:Haven[Locked] Race:Legendary Dungeon Level:18 Attribute:Green
Health:101/309(2.6/min) Mana:135/318(2.6/min) State:Normal
Biomes:2 Floors:?%¦®] Named Monsters:3
Monsters:35 Animals:24,921 Plants:130,500+
[¦®]
Path Points: 43
Paths: {Beginner V (0/20)}{Ingenuity II (0/60)}{Valiant II (0/120)}{Defender IV (2/30)}{Architect I (0/50)}
Skills: [Influence V][Incorporation III][AmbientAura VII] [Plant Growth I][Green Thumb I] [Tamer II][Karma II][Natural Projectile III][Core Teleportation] [Epithet][Elemental Manipulation X][Biome Creation][Fluid Floors]
Achievements: |Ingenuity!||Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!| |Creator of Wonders|
[¦®]
Auras:|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|,|Aura of Fury|,|Aura of Souls|,|Aura of Protection|,|Aura of the Lost|, |Calming Aura|
Fire:Main Water:Main,Ice Earth:Main,Plants,Minerals Air:Main
2.7 - Step One: Create a Golem Let me tell you kids, your dad is strong. Super strong. Nothing can beat him. Even dragons go down with a single slice of my sword. There was only one time in his life that your dad has ever had trouble, and that was when he went against the dreaded, fifty foot tall diamond iron golem. It was a fight, and I almost lost, but your dad hacked and slashed with all his might, magnificently dodging each of its striking fists that were bigger than the biggestGowrow by only a hair. After days of fighting each other to nearly a draw, I finally got behind its massive beast of a head and chopped it right off. If I hadn¡¯t, I¡¯m sure that its next strike woulda killed me right then and there. And that¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m alive to tell the tale. ¨C Calib Sorenson¡¯s bedtime story Alright, time to slap my cheeks. I can do this. So what, the world is against me. That¡¯s nothing new. It¡¯s been like this the moment I first woke up. All that¡¯s been added to that list is the big chance that people I know will turn against me at any given moment. Honestly, if I¡¯m expecting it, it¡¯s not that hard to handle. I just won¡¯t give them the chance to cause any lasting damage with it. And judging by Nattiq¡¯s attitude when he snapped out of it, he felt guilty. With that puppy face, I can¡¯t really blame him for what happened. Next time it happens, though, I¡¯m going to punch him in the face. I¡¯ll deal with that later though, the problem of why he was possessed. I think I have an idea, but¡­ No, let¡¯s not deal with that right now. Thank heavens that Oroesi is doing okay now. For a minute it was touch and go. I don¡¯t think he would have survived if he didn¡¯t have [thick skin]. For now, his bleeding has stopped and his wound is looking much better. I think a lot of luck comes from it being a clean slice. I really wish he hadn¡¯t protected me, but with out that, I think I would have died. This won¡¯t do. I¡¯m simply too unprotected in this state. Heck, anyone could waltz up and poke me, and I¡¯ll shatter to pieces. Let¡¯s fix that then. I reach out and grab some ice and knead it around with imaginary fingers. I could simply coat myself with a layer of compact ice. It¡¯d work. My defense would go up significantly. I swirl the ice around myself like a jacket and pack it as hard as I can. Brr. This is cold. I¡¯ll freeze to death. Quickly, quickly, cast |aura of warmth| and |aura of protection|. Much better. But, you know, it¡¯s kind of stiffing. I feel like I¡¯m wrapped up in a blanket. I almost feel like I have even less mobility than when I didn¡¯t have it on, somehow. Besides, I want to move around! I stare at Oroesi with jealousy. He can move around, and he¡¯s completely made out of ice, so why can¡¯t I? Why do I have to be stuck in a body like this? I sigh, pulling up more ice to play around with as I think. Let¡¯s look at this from a different angle. I used to have a different body. I know that for a fact. I had¡­ arms and legs. I had fingers that often curled into fists. I had feet that dug into the ground to get a grip before launching me into the air. A roundhouse kick¡­ Did I use to fight? I grow excited. This, this will work! If I can remember how I once fought, I¡¯ll be able to protect myself. I won¡¯t have to rely on anyone else and no one will have to get hurt in place of me. I look up at the ice I¡¯m playing with and woah. Already there¡¯s a basic body shape similar to Nattiq¡¯s. Too, bulky, though. He¡¯s a man. I¡¯m a woman. I slim it down using my memories and the physique of the first eira I met. Long legs, thicker at the thighs than the eira¡¯s. Tone the calf¡¯s. They look like a runner¡¯s. Add little more to the biceps and thicken the wrists so they¡¯ll take a punch. Athletic body is what I¡¯m aiming for, so big breasts will just get in the way. I linger there for a second, though. The eira had nice ones. I¡¯m jealous. I feel like I always wished I had big ones¡­ But no, really, I can¡¯t fight with them, not when they¡­ I sigh in exasperation. Toned body, that¡¯s what I¡¯m looking for. One that¡¯ll pack a punch. To make myself feel better, I add some glorious hair. Long, but not too long, a couple of inches past the collar-bone, all made out of |ice silk|. It drifts in the wind. Let¡¯s add a widow¡¯s peak for the heck of it. The eyelids have a slight curve to them, tending to droop down near the corners. I couldn¡¯t figure out how to fix that, but the eyes themselves big and glint prettily in the light, so I guess that makes up for it. It takes me a minute to get the eyelashes down and¡­ I made them too long. They look way too much like a cow¡¯s. I hope they won¡¯t get in the way, but I like them too much now to start over. For the eyebrows, they need to be thicker than I would do normally, and straighter, for them to work well with this face. I can¡¯t do them thinner. The face immediately turns doe-y. And week looking. I need some umph so people won¡¯t pick on me, but still look pretty enough. I could do it with a harsher bone structure to the face, but¡­ Eyebrows work good enough. Nicely shaped thick eyebrows that¡¯ll look scary if I¡¯m ever mad. Hehee. This is fun. Little bit of a longer nose, straight, slight upturn at the bottom, flare it out just a bit more. Moderate cupid¡¯s bow for the upper lip, make the bottom lip a bit thicker and draw in the corners a bit more. Dimples are a must. Ears, make sure they curl in a bit more and don¡¯t attach fully to the face at the bottom. Hm, step back, not bad, not bad. Took a while, but not bad. The problem though¡­ this won¡¯t move. It¡¯s a glorified statue. How do I make it move? The way it is now, it¡¯s only one big block of ice with bits of |ice silk| attacked. Thick, compact ice. This won¡¯t do. I really should have worked on the inside before the outside. What do I know about body structure? There¡¯s a skeleton. That¡¯s important. There are joints and muscles and tendons to move the bones. There¡¯s a nervous system and a circulatory system. Both are needed to move the body. There¡¯s also the organs that process fuel to make the body run. Do I still need that? I haven¡¯t ever needed to eat anything since coming here. I used to eat? Huh. That¡¯s a new fact. I wonder if I could run it with mana instead¡­ I mean I can move ice around with my mana. This is just ice. I could move it around with by manipulating the ice, but I feel like that¡¯ll just end up with tentacles for arms. I really don¡¯t want that. So, skeletal structure it is. Let¡¯s get it as close to human as possible. I¡¯ll probably be missing some, since I don¡¯t know all the bones and stuff, but I know the basics. Compact snow, oh wait¡­ I can¡¯t just do that. If I make a solid bone, it¡¯ll just break, won¡¯t it? It needs to be able to take a lot of force, especially if I¡¯m going to fight. Don¡¯t bones have lattices in them? I experiment, weaving tinier and tinier latices, testing out the bones by launching them at the ground from the top of the tree and looking at the results. It takes me way longer than I planned for to be satisfied with the result. The trap schema surprisingly help when I got too frustrated. It has a lot more than just traps in it. It had everything from plumbing systems to bridge design. Looking at bridges really helped. But still, even with that I almost gave up. If it wasn¡¯t for this last attempt succeeding, I would have. The bone shattered in just the way I wanted. It didn¡¯t shatter like glass, it didn¡¯t shatter like a rock, it shattered more like wood, or better yet: bone. Perfect.
Few can create with their hands these days. Those towering monuments of ages past gather dust waiting, though no new ones join their ranks. ¨C Yrek the Melancholy Congratulations! Your success relies solely on your ingenuity. You have unlocked the addable attribute ¡ª|Glacier Bones|:+10 path points to the {Ingenuity II} path.
|Glacier Bones|: Bones strengthened by the never melting hardness of a glacier. The cold is one with you, you will never be chilled to the bone.(+5% to ice based attacks; +15% to defense; resistance to cold; |Skeletal Schema|)
Yes! Now I¡¯m pumped. Thank you, [Karma]! I got just what I needed! Bless the heavens for that schema, now I won¡¯t be flailing around¡­ much. An hour later, I have a working skeleton. All the pieces move just like I want them to. Nice skull, beautiful rib cage, long slender arms and legs, delicate fingers. Hehe. Okay, ignore that. I¡¯m just sounding creepy, even to myself. Now to join it with my sculpture. It¡¯s actually kind of creepy to watch all the ice flow out-of-the-way so I can put the skeleton in. Kinda like watching a flower blossom¡­ a very morbid flower. I really hope that image doesn¡¯t get stuck in my head. Honestly, making muscles, tendons, and ligaments was much easier than bones, but still, it was way harder than I thought would be. I had the perfect material to work with, the |ice silk|. Bundling enough of it together, it created a good rope like structure. Working a bit more on it and it worked almost like a muscle. Change the properties a tad near the bases of the rope, and I had my self some tendons. The problem was the word almost. Sure it was ropy, stringy, and even had some bounce to it, but it didn¡¯t constrict. Not in the way that muscles do when you flex them. Hours later, maybe even days--I lost track--I had something of a solution. By now the whole patio was covered in strands of |ice silk|, but finally, I managed it! This! This is my pride and joy! This single limp strand of |ice silk|! It may look simple, but behold! Once I fill it with mana, it goes rigid! Hehe. It contracts! Oh, man. Give me a few moments. This whole business of working so long has given me a massive headache. Urg. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve concentrated so long on one thing before. I¡¯m not really sure if I¡¯m meant for this kind of business. How long have I been working for, anyway. Well, however long I worked for doesn''t matter. What matters is that I discovered two new things.
What are the uses of soft ice, you ask? Nothing. Really, there¡¯s nothing you can do with it except sleep on it, if you want to freeze to death. ¨C Scholar JoabSupport the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Congratulations! Your success relies increasingly on your ingenuity and familiarity with ice. You have unlocked the addable attribute ¡ª|Soft Ice|:+10 path points to the {Ingenuity II} path.
|Soft Ice|: Ice that is supple and soft while still strong and damage resistant.(+5% to defense; resistance to cold)
I say that the hardest part of creating an automaton is the control center. That idiot La Angle says it¡¯s the muscle structure, but clearly he¡¯s never heard of pistons. ¨C Yaksha inventor Congratulations! Your success relies increasingly on your knowledge of the workings of mana. You have unlocked the addable attribute ¡ª|Glacier Muscle|:+10 path points to the {Ingenuity II} path; 10% less mana to work a muscle system.
|Glacier Muscle|: Muscles strengthened by the freezing run offs of a glacier. The cold is one with you, your muscles will awaken with the chill.(+10% to ice based attacks; +5% to defense; resistance to cold; +10 movement speed in cold weather;|Muscular Schema|)
Gosh, I¡¯m glad that¡¯s over. I rub my imaginary temples. Overall, it¡¯s a super simple structure containing only muscles, bones, and |soft ice|, which I used for skin, but even if the muscle system is super childish, I¡¯m pretty proud of it. I tweak it a bit more now that I have the schema for it, and for a finishing touch, connect all of it together by threading it with mana strands, as I call them. Honestly, I¡¯m surprised that the System didn¡¯t give it to me as an addable attribute, because I have to say, the mana strands are awesome. Basically, they are threaded all throughout the body, straight down into even the bones. What do they do? You guessed it. Once I fill them with mana, they¡¯ll work exactly like a nervous system with the added bonus of also working like the circulatory system. It was a bit disappointing learning that my rib cage is basically obsolete now, but I guess I¡¯ll hang onto it. It and the stomach I ended up filling with a mixture of |ice silk| and |soft ice|. I did the same for the skull, except I left a bit of hollow space. But I must say, when I was experimenting with the mana strands, I was really surprised. The first time I connected with them, I nearly screamed. After all, it was weird to feel everything they were touching! So creepy! I step back and look at what I¡¯ve got. It doesn¡¯t really look that different from before I started on the inside. It¡¯s fleshed out a bit more, I guess, but even though it¡¯s pretty much opaque, you can still almost of see the bones through the skin. Kinda creepy, but in a way, kinda cool as well. Well, anyway¡­ One last touch. Auras. I must have auras. First add |aura of protection|. Don''t want it somehow melting if I come across a balmy day. Next is |aura of warmth|. I''d hate to be freezing everyone I come across with a touch. Hm, I could add |aura of fury|, but I have a feeling that that would just end badly. |Calming aura| is probably a better idea. It makes life easier when people are less inclined to attacking you. I''m not sure what |aura of the lost| would do. It seems to affect domains rather than singular things. I don''t think I want to have lost people randomly stumbling onto my body at the moment, but I do want to experiment with it sometime. Hm. I could also add |aura of light|, but I''m not sure I want to be glowing all the time. I see how it could be useful at certain times... but... Speaking of which, might as well add all these auras to my tree as well. I think I only have |aura of the soul| and |aura of the lost| on it at the moment. Yes! Let''s make the whole tree light up too! Make it glow at night! How cool! Why didn''t I think of it earlier! And |aura of warmth| to make it all toasty everywhere underneath it. Maybe a bit less at the roots though. I don''t know if my animals down there could handle the warmth. Again, no |aura of fury|. I kinda never want to use it again. It''s awful. Final touch to the tree |aura of protection|, and to the body, the big moment where I hope something awesome will happen, |aura of souls|. The moment the aura seeps into the body, I shiver. A chill runs through me. I watch as a light begins to shine in its eyes. It feels very alive right now, like it could move any second.
Of all the ruins I have traveled to, by far the most annoying would be those in the northwest corner of the Rou Ban highlands. I believe it was called the Automated Temple of Kor¡¯ha? ¡ª Leviathan Adventurer Congratulations! Why gather servants when you can make them? [Golem Creation]:You¡¯ve created your first working automaton completely out of one of the natural elements. Use it as a servant or to house your own soul.(Can be programmed; Can be controlled remotely or directly driven for a total of 20 hours at a time (cool down: 4 hours); If creator is a dungeon, golem cannot move outside of dungeon¡¯s influence)
The industrial city of Grendle (at age 150 years)¨Cperiod: 33 CE (otherwise Hynafolian Era); population: 0; automatons: 1,056 and growing; location: has since been lost. In short: a city in all senses of the word. The birth place of the Clockworks ¡ª D21-FCA, Clockwork Scholar Congratulations! Even if you were to disappear, your empire will continue on into the ages. Level [19]!:You have created your first automaton.(|Automaton Body Schema|;|Automaton Programming Schema|; 5% less mana consumed when creating multiple automatons.)
Please name your Golem:|? ?|
Behold my creation! Oops, wait, wait. Don¡¯t look at it yet. It needs some clothes. Quickly I weave some with |ice silk|. Ok, now you can look. Behold my creation!! Muwahaha! It¡¯s! ALIVE!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA Forget that! Let¡¯s try this baby out! I manipulate the mana strands in the body remotely. It feels a bit weird. Even though I normally manipulate ice like this, it feel a bit different somehow. Maybe it¡¯s the way I can see the body move. It feels like I¡¯m having an out-of-body experience. Anyway, I lean the over to pick up the core. For a minute or two I just let myself sit there in its hands, taking it all in. Then, here comes the kinda nasty part. I basically shove my core into the skull. It felt like I¡¯m being submerged underwater for a second, but after I settle in, it¡¯s nice and cozy. I then connect my core directly to all the mana strands. Yup, I¡¯m now a glorified brain. It¡¯s the craziest thing once I connect. I feel¡­ alive. For the first time, I can feel everything perfectly clear. Everything tingles, everything all the way down to my toes. I blink, then flex my fingers. I lift my hand to look at them. This is¡­ this is it. This is what I¡¯ve been missing. A tear rolls down my face. Don¡¯t look at me like that! Yes, I put tear ducts in. I even made it salt water. I see your judging eyes. I just missed crying okay! Whatever. I¡¯m going to go for a walk now, so I can get used to this new body. Oh, wait name first. Hehe, let¡¯s go with this.
You have named your Golem:|?Devin?|
Success! This thing is now officially me! I grin my hardest with my new pearly white teeth.
Status Menu
Name:Haven[Locked]¨CDevin Race:Legendary Dungeon Level:19* Attribute:Green
Health:309/309(2.6/min) Mana:195/318(2.6/min) State:Normal
Biomes:2 Floors:?%¦®] Named Monsters:4*
Monsters:42* Animals:24,944* Plants:131,600+*
[¦®]
Path Points: 23
Paths: {Beginner V (0/20)}{Ingenuity II (30/60)}*{Valiant II (0/120)}{Defender IV (2/30)}{Architect I (0/50)}
Skills: [Influence V][Incorporation III][AmbientAura VII] [Plant Growth I][Green Thumb I] [Tamer II][Karma II][Natural Projectile III][Core Teleportation] [Epithet][Elemental Manipulation X][Biome Creation][Fluid Floors][Golem Creation]*
Achievements: |Ingenuity!||Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!| |Creator of Wonders|
[¦®]
Auras:|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|,|Aura of Fury|,|Aura of Souls|,|Aura of Protection|,|Aura of the Lost|, |Calming Aura|
Fire:Main Water:Main,Ice Earth:Main,Plants,Minerals Air:Main
2.8 - Crossroads I came to a crossroads down in the desert, and I knew not which way to turn. The sun burned in the east, and the wind howled in the west. My way I could not discern. My lot I threw in with the stones, carved with ruins of old, though I knew many would curse me and accuse me of selling my soul. To the south, they pointed. Don¡¯t follow the road. Make of it what you will. I¡¯ve made my choice, carved out my own way, one that doesn¡¯t follow the world. ¡ªThe Traveler¡¯s Shadow, a bardic tale I crack my knuckles ominously and grin at the sound. I tried to do it a few minutes ago, but it didn¡¯t work. It was a humiliating sight for the next few minutes where I tried to figure out how to modify them so they¡¯d pop properly, but I got it now and I¡¯m raring to go. I stare intensely at the face in front of me. It didn¡¯t deserve to live in this world. It was an offense to the eyes. It needed to die, and I was the person to help it along. ¡°Well, then. How shall I go about killing you?¡± I say sweetly to that despicable face. ¡°No need to worry. It won¡¯t hurt a bit.¡± I plant my feet solidly and feet the momentum build as I begin to twist, building up from the legs into the waist, up through the spin and shoulders, down the length of my arm and out through my fist. A solid punch that would have broken even a stone, only I grimace and droop. I completely missed my target. ¡°Timp,¡± I say, looking down at the little owl cat. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just not cut out for this anymore. I only remember bits and pieces. I thought I could fight, but it looks like I can¡¯t.¡± I crouch down and snuggle the feline bird in my arms. ¡°Chirrririp,¡± Timp cries in protest, struggling to get out from my grasp. ¡°Why did the system name you Timp anyway? Why didn¡¯t I get to name you? Hey stop that, haha.¡± Timp pushes against my cheek with a paw. ¡°Chichichichirip!¡± She calls. ¡°Cheer up, huh. You¡¯re right!¡± I drop the owl cat and clench my fist in a victory pose. ¡°I can¡¯t give up now! I need to relearn how to fight again! That punch felt pretty good; I just need to connect it. Let¡¯s try it again.¡± I readjust my position and give a little growl as I stare my opponent down. I take a deep breath in (something I had to figure out as well. It doesn¡¯t feel right not being able to take breaths) and twist again. From the feet, through the legs. Connect with the waist and travel up the spine. Enter the shoulders and roll down the arm. Out through the fist. Thwaaaaaack. My fist landed solidly an my opponent was launched through the air. A shiver runs down my spine. That felt good. I give a fist pump and grin. Thump. Next thing I know. I¡¯m staring dizzily up at the ceiling of my new training room I had made a few hours ago about half way up the tree. The punching bag swings above me, its drawn on face giving me a mocking leer. It came back and hit me! I stare in shock. You dare! You dare counter my beautiful punch through cheat moves! I¡¯ll rip your intestines out and string you up with them! Watch this, sucker! Roll back on my shoulder. Push my hands against the floor. Launch and twist. Swing feet through the air. Solid connect. Successful spin kick from the ground. Thwaaaaaaaiinck.Hm? What was that? It sounded good at the beginning, but near the end? I look up and realize why I wasn¡¯t falling back to the ground. My foot was stuck in the chains of ice I made to hang the punching bag. It had caught in a way where I was completely dangling upside-down from one foot, much like the picture of the hanged man from terot cards. The face on the bag sneers down at me once again. ¡°Arg! This is ridiculous! Timp! Come help me!¡± The cat bird looks at me haughtily, picking at the fur between her claws with her beak. ¡°Ug never mind. I¡¯ll do it myself. So much for loyal guardian.¡± I hold up the bag and untwist the chain from my foot using ice manipulation. The bag seems to shake with laughter at me when I fall to the ground. ¡°That¡¯s it. You¡¯re done for, bud. You¡¯ll wish you never made me pull out my trump.¡± I grin maliciously, rising a foot into the air. Ice pellets form all around me and I launch them at the bag. In seconds, its torn to pieces. ¡°Hahahahaha! Take that sucker! Laugh at me now!¡± I touch back to earth and grin wildly. Hehe. This little trick. If I hadn¡¯t fallen down the stairs earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have figured out I could do this. Hahaha. I can make ice float. I do it all the time with my ice pellets. It hardly takes any mana, actually. So, guess what. My body is made out of ice. I can fly. Muwahaha! Watch out world! You¡¯ve never seen something like this before, have you? Wait. Actually. Don¡¯t jinx me. You probably have. Heck. Eiras are living, breathing proof. I groan. I did jinx myself. Why does this world have to be so crazy? It makes no sense! Nothing in my world was like that. It was completely logical. Nothing magical whatsoever. Grrr! I glance over at Oroesi lying on a unfolded futon couch in the corner of the room. He looked a lot less pale than he did a while ago. I heave a sigh of relief. Alright. That¡¯ll have to do for now, training wise. I look back at the shredded punching bag that was just barely hanging on for dear life and nod. ¡°Wait there, heathen. I¡¯ll be back for you. Don¡¯t cry for mercy when I come to take what¡¯s left of your miserable life,¡± I say before heading downstairs. I stop by my garden room to check on my plants and give them a quick water. I smile. They are doing so well! I plant the crying fern and the rose sagebrush before leaving with a bucket of water. A quick check of everything else in my domain shows that other stuff has grown. I have more sliver fish. And more plants and animals, it looks, including two new bunnies! Hehe. Good job Niko. Thanks for keeping an eye on everything while I was concentrating on other stuff. Surprisingly, he''s the diligent house-maker type. Huh. I wouldn''t have guessed.Now to get this over with. I''ve been holed up for a while, but not once has either of those two idiots left my domain. Well, Ah''m''s still recuperating, so I guess I can''t really kick him out, but, I''m astonished that Nattiq''s stuck around for this long. I marched to room with the hole with a frown on my determined face. Pushing my way through the hanging bead curtain, I come across Ah¡¯m laying on in stomach with a pillow wedged under his face, his eyes closed. I dodge his tail waving around in annoyed circles and almost trip on a deflated Nattiq. A continuous amount of unintelligible muttering rose from his lips. I back up in confusion. Ah! I can stand no longer! You! Idiot! Shaddap!You whine for too many suns. My head ''tis hurt from constant noise.Ah¡¯m opens his eyes and whacks him over the head with a tail. He looks at me and raises an eyebrow. Huh. I didn¡¯t know he could do that. If Idiot ¡¯tis that miserable, hurry. Apologize to Little one. Not too late.Nattiq slumps over and begins sniffling. ¡°But it is too late. She hates me now! She hasn''t come down once in almost three weeks.¡± He begins to bawl. I flinch back in disgust. Was this the man who slaughtered eira like it was nothing?On another note, has it really been that long? Wow, sense of time is screwed. Tis you a child? Idiot no better than sniveling kit. Of course Little one ¡¯tis mad. Idiot clawed at Little one¡¯s friend for no reason. But Little one not coming down ''tis from different reason. Probably...Nattiq wilts further with every word. ¡°It¡¯s true. I wouldn''t want to talk to me either. I¡¯m a horrible person. I deserve to die.¡± Ah, suck up, Idiot. No. Not Idiot. Coward. Coward and wimp. I misjudge Coward, too scared to even face Little one.Ah¡¯m harrumphs. ¡°C¨Ccoward! I¡¯m not a coward!¡± He angrily launches to his feet only to deflate once more. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened. Something¡­ fed my doubts. Inflated them. Blinded me. I attacked and¡­ Oh, gosh, I truly am an idiot. Why did I do that? I felt it. She was crying,¡± he mutters. I sigh. If he¡¯s going to be like that, it makes it really hard to hate him. Ah, whatever. I march over him and dump the bucket on his head. He jumps in shock and starts sputtering. ¡°Wh¨Cwhat? Who are you!? You aren¡¯t supposed to be here! This is Haven¡¯s domain!¡± Huhuhuhuhuhu.Ah¡¯m laughs.Coward ¡¯tis idiot. Not recognize Little one. I ''tis say Little one working on something. ¡°Little one? Wait what?¡± Nattiq stares at Ah¡¯m and then me in confusion. ¡°Haven?¡± he asks hesitantly.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Yeah. And?¡± ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°What does it look like, idiot?¡± ¡°Um¡­ Uh. I¨CI don¡¯t know.¡± He looks away as red travels across his cheeks. ¡°Nattiq,¡± I say. He slowly turns his head back to face me. His face looks like a kid waiting to get scolded. I smile. A confused look crosses his eyes. ¡°Clench your teeth,¡± I say as sweetly as I can before launching a punch straight into his face. The back of his head slams against the wall with a crack. Oh, Little one ¡¯tis strong. I much impressed.Ah¡¯m grins as I shake out my hand. I let out a slow breath. That was very much worth it. Nattiq looks up at me while holding his nose. Blood dribbles down his chin. ¡°Uh?¡± His voice was nasally. ¡°Payback for Oroesi.¡± ¡°R¨Cright.¡± Little one changed much, no? ¡°Yeah. You like it?¡± I give a little spin. ¡°It¡¯s a golem that I can manipulate. I made it. It took me a while.¡± Huhuhu. Impressive. Not many ¡¯tis able to create golem.Ah¡¯m clumsily claps his paws together. I bow. ¡°Really pretty,¡± Nattiq whispers. ¡°What did you say?¡± I ask. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Are you asking for another of these?¡± I raise a fist. ¡°Nononono. No, really. You don¡¯t have to. I think you actually may have broken my nose.¡± I raise it a bit higher. ¡°No! Please! Have mercy!¡± He hides behind his hands. ¡°Fine. But it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve forgiven you yet.¡± ¡°Ah, right. Of course.¡± He droops a little once more. ¡°First time was understandable, but attacking me a second is uncalled for.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°How am I supposed to trust you when you could turn on me any second?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You should be. You almost killed my guardian. If it wasn¡¯t for him, you could have very well killed me.¡± He lowers his head even further. Ah¡¯m growls and smacks him on the head with his tail. Idiot ¡¯tis bad. Don¡¯t try to kill Little one. ¡°I¡¯m really really sorry. I won¡¯t ask you to forgive me.¡± He bows low to the ground. ¡°Fortunately for you, I won¡¯t just kick you out.¡± His posture goes rigid as he listens. I sigh. ¡°I need your help.¡± He jumps up with hope-filled eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. Just so you know, I¡¯m still mad at you for attacking me and Oroesi, but most of all, for not believing me. You didn¡¯t even try to listen to what I had to say. Look. I know it wasn¡¯t something easy to swallow, but you¡¯re just being naive. The world is rarely what you make it out to be, so you have to be willing to look at the possibilities. Don¡¯t turn a blind eye to things. Don¡¯t try to assume the world is perfect. It rarely is. There are dark things in the world, and if you just cover them up and pretend everything¡¯s alright, you¡¯ll just sink with the ship. If that happens, then you really will be a coward, won¡¯t you?¡± Nattiq flinches. ¡°Putting all that aside, there¡¯s something very wrong with this world, and whether you like it or not, you¡¯re going to be sucked right into the middle of it if you follow me around, ¡¯cause I am very much a target at the moment. I just want to survive, and if I have to take out the disease affecting this world to do so, then so be it. But that means you have to make a choice. Either leave now, go back to how you used to live, hiding your head in the sand so you don¡¯t see what¡¯s going on around you, or help me fix everything even if it means making the whole world your enemy.¡± A wrinkle creases Nattiq¡¯s brow. ¡°But¨C¡± ¡°There are no in-betweens here. You have to choose one. If you¡¯re not resolved, that whole situation up there will just happen again.¡± He gulps. I give a sigh. ¡°Alright then. I give you two hours. If you haven¡¯t made a decision by then, then I ask you to leave and don¡¯t come back. I really can¡¯t trust you.¡± I turn to leave. ¡°Wait! No! I¡¯ll do it,¡± he says. ¡°What was that?¡± I turn and ask. A fire burns in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll go with you. I want to help, I don¡¯t care if the world hates me for it.¡± ¡°Even if you die?¡± ¡°Even if I die.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I nod. ¡°Welcome to the team. A¡¯m how about you? I need to ask you the same question.¡± ¡®Tis Little one need to ask? Of course, I choose to help Little one. Mighty Kraken ¡¯tis not stop even me.He grins. ¡°Well then, looks like we¡¯ve got ourselves a team.¡±
Come, the morning light rises. This is the time to move. This is the time to change what would be the future. For our lives, for our families, we must not fail. ¡ª Jung Tae of the Mat¡¯BaeanRevolution Congratulations! What drives great men? A cause. Level [20]!:You have created a cause.(+5 path points;[Loyalty]¡ª the longer a comrade works under you, the more loyal they will feel towards your cause. They will become less likely to succumb to temptation from other sources.)
Your cause has been named: |?Against the World?| ¨CSince the world has turned against you, you turn against the world. You will not roll over and die. You will not go down without a fight. You will take whatever comes to you head on. Gather others who respond to your plight. Gather those who have been slighted by the world and fight back with all your soul.
You have earned the achievement: |Leader!| ¨CHave worthy people join your cause.(+5 path points; 5% chance added to a strategy¡¯s success; {Strategist I (5/25)} path)
This gives me chills. My first mythic skill. I know I have a legendary one already, but this one is rather special, it looks. It gives me hope. It makes me believe that if I can gather enough people, I really can make it through this. Whelp things aren¡¯t looking so hopeless anymore. I grin. Hehe. Maybe it¡¯ll even help with the random possession instances, though I might be hoping to much. With the way this world has been so far, it¡¯d be too easy if it was just solved like that. I turn and look at my new comrades. Ah¡¯m just looked lazy, but Nattiq was staring hard into the space right in front of him with a frown. ¡°Did you get anything?¡± ¡°Hm? Yeah. It¡¯s weird. I got a normal red screen, a warning really about joining a strange cult. Said it¡¯d destroy my soul or something like that. I couldn¡¯t really read it ¡¯cause it started glitching on me. I¡¯ve never seen that happen before. But Haven, I think I might be starting to believe you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡®Cause just now the red screen disappeared and was replaced with a blue screen.¡± ¡°Really.¡± I give a knowing smile. ¡°Against the world, huh? Not a bad name. Sounds fun.¡± Oh, Idiot say something smart for once. ¡°How would you boys like to take on the world?¡± I cross my arms. ¡°Are you offering an adventure? I couldn¡¯t ask for a better way to pass the time,¡± Nattiq grins. ¡®Tis sound fun. I join. ¡°First things first,¡± I say. ¡°Need to upgrade home base so it really is a base of operations. How do you two want your rooms, since it sounds like you¡¯ll be staying here for a while.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to make rooms!¡± Nattiq launches up and follows me towards the door. ¡°I guess I¡¯m making yours first. Ah¡¯m stay here for a while. You still need to heal. Oh, and by the way, Devin. That¡¯s my real name.¡± ¡°Devin? I like it a lot.¡± Nattiq blushes when I look at him. ¡®Tis nice name, Little one.
Status Menu
Name:Haven[Locked]¨CDevin Race:Legendary Dungeon Level:20* Attribute:Green
Health:308/309 (2.6/min) Mana:297/318 (2.6/min) State:Normal
Biomes:2 Floors:?%¦®] Named Monsters:4
Monsters:42 Animals:24,944 Plants:131,600+
[¦®]
Path Points: 33*
Paths: {Beginner V (0/20)} {Ingenuity II (30/60)}{Valiant II (0/120)}{Defender IV (2/30)}{Architect I (0/50)}{Strategist I (5/25)}*
Skills: [Influence V] [Incorporation III] [Ambient Aura VII] [Plant Growth I][Green Thumb I] [Tamer II][Karma II][Natural Projectile III] [Core Teleportation] [Epithet] [Elemental Manipulation X][Biome Creation][Fluid Floors][Golem Creation][Loyalty]*
Achievements: |Ingenuity!| |Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!||Creator of Wonders!||Leader!|*
Causes:|?Against the World?|-- 3*
[¦®]
Auras:|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|,|Aura of Fury|,|Aura of Souls|,|Aura of Protection|,|Aura of the Lost|, |Calming Aura|
Fire:Main Water:Main,Ice Earth:Main,Plants,Minerals Air:Main
2.9 - Hanging Lanterns Lanterns save lives. Your duty is to make sure they stay lit, you hear me? Out there, right outside those walls, monsters live, and like it or not, people get stuck outside at night more often than you¡¯d think. That¡¯s why we establish way points, safe houses where folks can stay and wait the night through. And a lantern marks Each. One. Of them. They¡¯re what keep the monsters at bay. I¡¯ll say it again. Your jobs are to make sure they stay lit. The wards you learn are precisely for that reason. So don¡¯t be pansies. You walk out there an hour before sundown and you don¡¯t come back until you know each lantern on that road is flickering, you hear? ¡ªFrederik Long at the initiation of newSeven Cities Wardsmen ¡°Finally! For the first time in my life! I¡¯m getting my own room! Woohooo!¡± ¡°What are you, a kid? You don¡¯t have to get so excited.¡± ¡°What do you know? You¡¯ve never had to live with seventeen people in a three-bedroom house before. Look at all this space you have!¡± Nattiq gestures at the expanse beneath my tree. ¡°S-seventeen?¡± I sputter. ¡°You have that many people in your family?¡± ¡°Ah, no. I have more. That¡¯s just Mom and Dad and the younger kids. My three older brothers and my older sister are married already, so they¡¯ve moved out. You¡¯ll make me a cool room, right?¡± ¡°Make it yourself. I¡¯ve got other things to do right now.¡± ¡°But you said you¡¯d make me one.¡± ¡°Alright, alright already. Give me some space. I¡¯ll make it. But there¡¯s something else I want to do first, so just sit there and watch quietly.¡± I take a deep breath and shake out my shoulders. I can¡¯t believe how much better I feel now that I have a body. I feel so much more confident about everything. I grin. ¡°Here I go,¡± I say under my breath. I grab as much ice I can with manipulation and drag it along in a semi-circle. Soon, I have a deep, wide ditch almost completely circling the tree and a small mountain of ice piled up where the circle would connect. It slumps against the base of the tree. Hm. I strengthen and shape the ice and then hollow out the underside so the ditch runs underneath, then create a series of ice handrails on either side. A bridge, granted, a steep one, but aesthetically pleasing nonetheless. I begin to shape the hole that marks the entrance to my underground caves, or rather the ice around it. The hole itself is still pretty enough, with the garlands of vine-shaped ice, but lets continue the vibe I¡¯m creating. I raise pillars in a semi-circle around the hole and decorate them with carved hydrangea flowers. A sloping octagon for the roof, peaked at the center and flaring at each corner, carved tiles that look like scales and a statue of Timp decorating the peak. A pagoda. I hang Chinese lanterns on the underside of the roof and light them with |aura of light| and |aura of warmth|. The pagoda itself connects the bridge, the entrance hole and the spiraling staircase up the tree. It makes for a good hub. I place railings and benches connected to the railings around it, leaving room for four openings, three to the places already mentioned and a fourth to a carved walkway circling to the other side of the tree¡¯s island. I weave pillows and cushions and hanging curtains for the inside of the pagoda. Looks comfy. Nattiq stands quietly behind me, but I can feel how wide his eyes are at the moment. Don¡¯t you worry fish boy. I¡¯m not done yet. I continue the walkway out over the ditch, making pillars of ice so it¡¯s a raised one. I zigzag and branch the walkway at seemingly random points, occasionally connecting them to random islands I raise up. At each point of the zigzag or at the dead ends, I create a circular platform. I then raise circular walls and a thatch-style roof, with a beaded curtain for the openings and a few circular windows. Each inside has a fire pit, around which are pillows and rugs. I place shelves circling the walls and place pots on the shelves. I hang hammocks and Chinese lanterns from the ceiling beams. In total, there¡¯s about twenty-four houses lining the walkway. They are similar, but each one has its differences. I string lines of glowing lanterns, ringing wind chimes, and fluttering flags between the houses and place carved five foot tall lanterns where the walkway meets the ditch. Then, I fill the ditch with water from down below after giving everything I¡¯ve made |aura of protection|. Nattiq explores the village on stilts while I do.The whole thing has taken more than a few hours--most of the night, actually. I''m surprised he hasn''t gotten bored yet. ¡°This is so cool! Can I have one?¡± ¡°Sure, but I was going to make you something else.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯d be a bit cooler, but you can choose what you want after I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Actually, wait there. I want to get my stuff from home.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± ¡°If I swim fast, I can be back about two or three days.¡± ¡°I should be done making what I have by then, I think.¡± He bounds off. While I¡¯m filling the ditch, I think. What¡¯s my biggest problem right now? There are two, both just about equal. One. The System of the world isn¡¯t the System I have. Which came first is a chicken and egg problem, but from the story Nattiq told and the problem with the river of souls, I¡¯m willing to bet that the System I have now was the original System. That means that at some point in time, the System that is working now hijacked the world from the original System. Why? It might have something to do with souls. The question, though, is the thing that is eating the world¡¯s souls the same thing that produces the red screens? I¡¯m willing to believe it is. What does that mean for me though. Well, according to the last fight with the eiras, my domain has an effect on the souls, namely, they return to the river of souls rather than being eaten. I highly doubt that the thing eating the souls, this soul devourer, likes that. I have a feeling that it isn¡¯t able to touch the souls in the river. As a result, I have a bounty on my head. And considering how whatever it is can influence and even possess people, that means that I¡¯m going to be bothered a whole lot in the future. That¡¯s problem one. The second problem is I¡¯m ill-equipped to fight against the coming waves of things after my head. I simply don¡¯t have enough resources. Sure. I have ice. Lots and lots of ice. And I can create whatever I want with it, so that helps. I have plants and animals, however, most are microscopic sea creatures that do nothing to add to my fighting force. I¡¯m planning to try a new way of evolving them though, rather than relying on the System to do it for me. But still, I kinda doubt I could turn a krill into a fighting machine, but who knows. So, my fighting force consists of the flying fish, Niko, Oroesi, Timp, Ah¡¯m, Nattiq, and whatever else I can make or whoever I can drag into my cause. Not a whole lot. What can I do to solve these problems? Well, solving the second does a whole lot to solve the first. If I can grow strong enough to fight against the people after me, I can work towards solving the matter behind the red screen. I have a real vendetta against it now, and I highly doubt it would be willing to leave me be. Ever. That¡¯s the feeling I got. So, I just have to beat it before it beats me. Back to what I can do, though. Easiest way to get resources¡­ One is via paths. Karma may or may not help in getting me the things I really need. But each path gets more and more expensive, and when I factor in how my leveling has changed, I¡¯m actually not getting as much as I used to. That means I need to think even more carefully about what I spend them on. Second, I need to build like my life depends on it, ¡¯cause it does. I haven¡¯t been building as much as I should have, so I really need to ramp things up. Having good defenses will do a lot in saving my life later down the road. Third, I need to experiment with everything in my arsenal. Plants, animals, elemental manipulation, projectiles, anything else I have that could give me a fighting chance. If I can discover new auras, all the better. I can feel big things coming my way. The tension is rising. Forth, expand. It goes along with building, but I¡¯m thinking of it in a little different way. Specifically |aura of the lost|. That one is a special one. It¡¯s so different from all my other auras. Because of it, I¡¯m effectively the center of a hub. I can feel the different spokes even now, all settled in various places around the world, but the aren¡¯t set. They¡¯re like flickering doorways that are sometimes open, sometimes closed. I need to solidify the connection. Why? Even though it¡¯s risky, people who are lost are usually looking for something. They have a longing that drives them forward, a desire to struggle against the cruel nature of the world. Just the type of people I¡¯m looking for. If they find the world as unreasonable as I do, I can rope them into my cause and expand my fighting force. Basically, I just need to get stronger. Let¡¯s add more weights to my training room, while I¡¯m at it. I sigh. I have a semi-plan for now. It¡¯s workable, but it¡¯s a lot to do all at once, especially since I don¡¯t know how much time I have until the first invaders come. I stare down at the lake as I top off the water. It¡¯s a serene seen. Wind rustles through the hanging leaves of the massive tree above me. It creates ripples in the lake that lip against the shore and stilts of the quiet village on the water. It flips through the flags and wind chimes like its playing. It¡¯s a nice chorus of sounds the wind makes. I suck in another breath as the sun shines through the branches above, hitting the water with golden highlights. I¡¯m struck with the thought that this was something I made with my own two hands. Two hands even that I made myself. What a strange place I¡¯ve come to, where one can create anything they can imagine. And, for the first time since I¡¯ve arrived, I can say I¡¯m glad I came.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Well, let¡¯s get crackin¡¯. Onto the next section.Let''s put all these depressing thoughts aside for now and focus on something more fun. I''ll just relax for a while and keep creating my own fantasy land. I haven''t really had chance to go all out. I can always focus on defensive stuff later. I have time. What I need is something to help me de-stress. I head back over to the pagoda after making a few boats tied to the stilts and nets to decorate the walkway. I was aiming for a fishing village after all. At the pagoda, I climb a little way up the stairs clinging to the outside of the tree. A little past the height of the top of the pagoda, I grow a tree limb stretching out from the stairs. On top of that I make a platform and a railing. Then, I climb further up, about three-fourths of the way up the tree all while adding a railing to the stairs and fixing their shape so they look like they¡¯ve grown right out of three. There I create more branches connecting to the stairs, branching out in all directions, shaped wide and flat like walkways before drooping down like the rest. Some reach down far enough to brush the surface of the lake. I place a railing on each branch, with breaks every once in a while. I form little porches at each break with couches and cushions. Then I head up to the top of the stairs to the patio, where I do the same thing to the branches at the top, only instead of porches, I create a series of pagodas much like the one below, only smaller and more like gazebos. On the underside of each pagoda, I hang a massive chain. It was tricky, but I placed the pagodas in such a way that they lined up with the porches of the branches below. I weave a chain that reaches all the way down to platform I made first on the stairs. The chain loops through a pulley system with weights at one end and a hanging basket on the other that rested on the platform. A makeshift elevator. Considering it for a second, I decide to make three more on each side of the tree for the sake of convenience. It¡¯d be a pain to have to walk up the stairs every time. As for the chains connecting to the pagodas, they have a similar pulley system and connect to four chains near the bottom. Those chains are connected to a platform that rests just level to the porches. On each of the porches I make a house. The houses are bigger than the ones in the fishing village. They¡¯re also square, their roofs matching the pagodas. The walls are posts and thin ice that almost looks like paper after I add |aura of warmth to them|. The doors to these slide open. Inside are raised floors covered in woven mats for two-thirds of the room. Inside walls suggest two other rooms which contain low, cushioned beds, while the part that¡¯s not raised contains kitchen cabinets, counters, and a fire pit. A ladder in one corner leads to a loft which contains different things in some houses, but mostly just more cushions and pillows. If the residents ever wanted to, there¡¯s a rope that activates the pulley system. It¡¯ll raise or lower the whole house either up to a series of branch walkways under the pagodas or all the way down to the water¡¯s surface, or even just hanging randomly in the air. The way I positioned most of them at the moment is like that, scattered at random levels all around the tree. They look like handing lanterns from below. A hanging village.More pretty than practical. I like it. Hehe. After a thought, I growl in annoyance. I then spend the next couple of hours working out a working plumbing system for both the sinks and the toilets. If I¡¯m going to have actual people living here sometime, it¡¯s better to be thorough. More hygienic. So, the toilet plumbing leads to a treatment plant I worked really hard on that will filter and sanitize the stuff, where I can then use it as fertilizer for my plants. It involved a whole lot of pipes that I had to disguise as branches and roots. I have to thank the |trap schema| and a kid named Julio Martinez from my memories for the whole thing. I saved him from some bullies and we hung out together for a while before he moved. He was really proud of his dad, who had a job¨Cnot many did in this area¨Cat a waste treatment plant. Kids would tease Julio for it, said he always stank of poop, but even with that, the kid never got ashamed of his dad. I had to listen to him talk about the whole treatment process over and over again at lunch. So, I knew the process down to a ¡®t¡¯ at least. It was gross, but who knew it¡¯d help me. As for the Asian influence to everything, I had Chloe Liu to blame for that. I only knew her for a year. Her mom moved into the area for a job and then promptly moved out again after she realized how bad the area was. Chloe took me just one time to her grandmother¡¯s house out in the suburbs of some city. Her grandfather had built a Chinese style house when they immigrated. It wasn¡¯t big, but I had fallen in love. In the years after that, every once in a while I would research Asian architecture in passing. It always help my mood. One day, I was going to build my own house with that kind of architecture. Well, I guess now I can say I have. I look proudly up at my hanging village and out across my fishing village. Honestly, there was no need to create something like this at the moment. One or two houses would have been fine. But, it was soothing. It helped me think and decompress from everything that has been happening recently like I thought it would. And, more importantly, I recently found that crisp memories tended to surface. Like those of Chloe and Julio. I remembered things when I built, and that in itself helped me settle more than I can say. Finally done with everything. I think I got lost in work again. I''m not sure how long I''ve been working for, but I vaguely remember seeing the sun rise more than a few times. More than three. That means Nattiq''s been gone longer than he said he would be. That makes me worried. I ask Ah''m. A week and a half, if I understood him correctly. That''s how long Nattiq has been gone. Ah''m doesn''t seem too worried, but I have this niggling uncomfortable feeling. ¡°Haven! I¡¯m mean Devin!¡± Nattiq yelled, looking around for me. "You''re back! Either is fine. I don''t care which you call me. Forget about, that. Is everything alright? You were gone for so long." I waved at him to catch his attention. "Ah, Devin, don''t worry. I''m fine. I just got a little caught up with--" he heaved as he reached me. I had my feet dangling off the edge of a viewing platform I had placed halfway up the tree. ¡°What is all this?¡± ¡°Houses.¡± ¡°They¡¯re houses?¡± ¡°Yeah, hanging houses.¡± ¡°Is this what you were talking about earlier? They¡¯re so cool! They look like lanterns. How do they work?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s them. You can raise and lower them using pulleys. I thought you¡¯d like them. I can make one how you like it on the inside if you want to change it. Where¡¯s all your stuff?¡± ¡°Ah, I have it.¡± He raise a satchel. ¡°You have so little.¡± ¡°Haha, no actually, I have a lot with me. Mostly all my gear and weapons. I have some heavy armor and a few pieces of furniture too. Pots and pans and stuff.¡± ¡°You. Fit all that. In there.¡± I raise an eyebrow. ¡°Well yeah. It¡¯s an item bag after all. How else did you think I was supposed to carry it all.¡± ¡°An item bag?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of one?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Nattiq looked at me in surprise. ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± He scratched his head. ¡°They can store a lot of stuff even though they don¡¯t look like it. The technology came from the ancient era, the Hynafols, but it¡¯s one of the few things that scholars have figured out how to reproduce, and pretty cheaply at that. Basically they can hold anything you can pick up, so your strength actually affects what all you can store in it. One hundred different types of items is the max it can hold, and if it¡¯s the same type of items, it can hold a hundred of those as well. So you could put a hundred apples in and have it only count for one slot. But, theoretically someone who was strong enough to pick up a carriage could store his carriage in his bag. Each bag is bound to a person and only that person can open it and store stuff. Though, it comes unbound after death. Adventurers, travelers, and merchants use it the most, but almost everyone has one. They¡¯re given as a traditional coming-of-age present.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¨C¡± I stare in disbelief. Something as broken as that exists? What kind of world is this? ¡°Never mind that, though,¡± he quickly said. ¡°I forgot, but just remembered what I was going to say. It¡¯s a big deal. Haven, an adventurer came through my village.¡± ¡°An adventurer?¡± ¡°Yeah, from down south. He was looking for you.¡±
Status Menu
Name:Haven[Locked]¨CDevin Race:Legendary Dungeon Level:20 Attribute:Green
Health:309/309 (2.6/min) Mana:78/318 (2.6/min) State:Normal
Biomes:3* Floors:?%¦®] Named Monsters:4
Monsters:45* Animals:24,959* Plants:131,800+*
[¦®]
Path Points: 33
Paths: {Beginner V (0/20)} {Ingenuity II (30/60)}{Valiant II (0/120)}{Defender IV (2/30)}{Architect I (0/50)}{Strategist I (5/25)}
Skills: [Influence V] [Incorporation III] [Ambient Aura VII] [Plant Growth I][Green Thumb I] [Tamer II][Karma II][Natural Projectile III] [Core Teleportation] [Epithet] [Elemental Manipulation X][Biome Creation][Fluid Floors][Golem Creation][Loyalty]
Achievements: |Ingenuity!| |Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!||Creator of Wonders!||Leader!|
Causes:|?Against the World?|-- 3
[¦®]
Auras:|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|,|Aura of Fury|,|Aura of Souls|,|Aura of Protection|,|Aura of the Lost|, |Calming Aura|
Fire:Main Water:Main,Ice Earth:Main,Plants,Minerals Air:Main
Rant (kinda) You can really ignore this if you want, there''s just some random stuff I wanna say. I''m not going to chew anyone out except myself, ''cause that''s who I''m annoyed with at the moment. There''s a summary at the bottom. First of all, I want to thank everyone that''s read my story so far. I know that''s really cheesy and the story itself is really short so far, but I''m an introvert. So, just posting a chapter and seeing how many people read it and also those that respond, it frankly blows me away. Thank you. *bows deeply* Second, I''m the type of person that takes things as they come. I have almost no plan. Not in my life, not in my writing. In case you haven''t noticed it by now. I write whatever comes to me on the spot. That''s my style of writing. Others may have a whole plan layed out, and they know exactly what is going to happen in each chapter. Those are the people that have plans for their lives. Kudos to them. But I cannot write like. I litterally can''t. I get stuck. My writing goes nowhere. Page one has no words. I lose interest pretty quickly, because if I''m going to do that, I need to have figured out exactly how the world works from the get go, every single little detail. It''s too much to try and do at once and it''s honestly no fun. There''s another reason why I tend to write on the fly instead. I discover things. I see the world build up in ways I wouldn''t have thought of, and I get excited when it slowly fleshes out into something real. The red screens? They didn''t exist in my head until right as I wrote them. I mentioned that Karma, a skill I just randomly put down, is way more important to the story line than I ever thought it''d be. Same with the auras. I was like, how is this dungeon going to have light? Don''t dungeons kinda glow usually or something? And they just kinda grew from there. Ah''m literally popped up out of nowhere. I was like, let''s put an ahklut in, ''cause those things are dang cool. Devin getting a body, okay that one''s been around since I wrote her first fight scene. Too much of her character is physical for her not to have a body. But there comes a problem with that. Is it even a dungeon story anymore? Can I call it that? I enjoy writing like this. You can see it from my flavor text and quotes at the beginning. I''s probably my favorite things to write, and I do it all the time. I make up little scenes even when I''m not writing a story. There''s a problem with writing like this though, and it becomes increasingly obvious as I go. There are glaring inconsistancies where I''m not keeping things the same as I write because I forget about them, or there''s things that I just haven''t thought of yet, or things that just don''t get added ''cause I am trying to have Dev do everything I really her want her to do all at once. Sequence of events is kinda wobely at the moment. After all, everything I post is a first draft. I apologize for that. It''s not nice to you guys. But I get so excited when I write a new chapter that I have to show every one even though it''s not perfect.You can tell by my little mistakes in spelling and sentence structure that people find pretty quickly.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Your guys'' comments have been inspiring. I read them and am oh they''re right, I forgot to add that. Dang it. Or like wow! That''s so smart! I never would have thought of that! So, cool. Can I implement that? But then, where will it fit into the story? A lot of the ideas I like, should have come up earlier. But I''m hesitant on changing things, because it usually is something that will change the story from that point on. You guys will get confused. More than that, I''ll get confused. I''m already feeling it. I''m reaching my limits as I try to keep track of everything that''s happening. It really hurts my head. I feel like I''m banging my head against a wall because my brain just does not work like that. Reminds me of trying to figure out how physics works. I can do the equation, I just have no idea why it works the way it does. This story has been more of a mental exercise than anything I''ve ever writen,even with all mynotes to keep me on track. You should see it, lol. I write these generally on wordpress before I post them on royalroad. There I actually have to code the tables, so I have a huge sheet of just html. It''s annoying but I make it work... somehow. Don''t worry. I''m not planning on dropping this story or anything. But it does call for a rewrite sometime in the future. Not right now, because my plot line is still not fleshed out. I just wanted you guys to know that. So, while Dev is really starting to annoy me, and Nattiq... Ah''m not so much actually... I''ll keep writing for now because I''m curious how it''ll go. Better to have more material to work with during the rewrite anyway. I don''t know how long it will be until I actually do it though. (For one thing, she''s getting too OP, even though I didn''t want her this OP. T-T I keep trying to add limits to her, but she somewhow circumvents it. Why??? Why do you do this to me Dev??? And I start having a harder and harder time figuring out her rewards. I may have to start adding negative skills and stuff. Thank goodness for the excuse of Karma, the great equalizer, I''m so glad it''s a thing (Plus a lot of people seem to be having trouble visuallizing the things Dev creates, which is troublesome...)) * - So summary of rant. Thank you for reading. It''s a first draft. There are tons of plot holes. Devin annoys me. There''ll be a rewrite sometime, but I don''t know when. Aaaaand. I''ll keep writing all while being overly annoyed at everything in general. That about sums it up. I think that''s all I had to say. Who knows I may have more stuff to rant about in the future. Don''t be too mad at me. I really apreciate everyone. Thank you for everything. It''s going to be a bumpy ride. Btw, I modeled the tree after a weeping willow, but it could have some other aspects. A sakura tree would be pretty cool, but I''m actually planning on having more massive trees with biomes for each of them. Some of you were wondering just how big the tree was, I have it as just over 300 ft tall, with the branches reaching up and out, it''s probably closer to 350ft. As reference, the tallest tree in the world is a redwood tree standing at379.7 ft tall. (115.7 m). The statue of liberty stands at 305 ft. Haven''s tree harbor is a lot wider than a redwood, probably fitting your average four bed room house inside (apx 50ft). Maybe bigger, but it''s bell created by the branches is simply massive.From what I know, weeping willows are about as wide as they are tall. Devin made hers maybe three times that. I should have mentioned that the island with the tree isn''t directly in the middle of the lake either. 2.10 - The Gwisin There are three rules if you ever leave these walls. First: don¡¯t leave the road. Second: Don¡¯t leave the road. And the most important: Do Not. Leave. The Road. It won¡¯t guaranteethat you¡¯ll stay safe¨Ceven the towns aren¡¯t safe¨Cbut sticking to the roads means you¡¯ll have a whole lot better chance at surviving, because in these parts, monsters are the least of your worries. It¡¯s the puca you should be worried about. This whole area has been given to them. They¡¯ve been using it since long ago, and those nations out there have let them have it to keep them under control. Those pricks are guarding the border to make sure we never leave, all because we live in the puca¡¯s ancient breeding grounds. ¡ªTradesman to hisapprentice I was young. They told me to never leave the road. I left the road. There are worse things in the dark than monsters. So, much worse, and with their fingers stuck in your mouth, they force you to smile. When I was found and returned to my parents, they say I changed. I don¡¯t remember what I was like before. That was long ago, so long ago, I¡¯m used to the break. The break in my mind that only widens as the rain pours gently down. My black clothes, ripped and covered in blood, is slowly soaked in the down pour. My black hair sticks to my face, long enough to brush my lip. I peek through it. The man lying here had followed me. He wanted to rob me. I laugh and the man, the dead man, lies there bleeding in the rain. I search his pockets. Find a pouch of money. I take his knife as well. Then, I eat. Red, red meat. Blood dribbles down my chin. A dark taste, and it goes down hard, but I eat anyway. It¡¯s the only thing I can. My eyes roll back as I swallow. A chill runs through me. Then, I get it. So much red.
A[Legendary Dungeon]has just been located. The race for its conquest has begun. ~ Quest Log ~ ¡°A Dangerous Place¡±¨C A dungeon has appeared in the Northern Rhew, a being that threatens the world with its very existence.Beat the dungeon in the shortest time possible and claim it holds within. Requirements: Find Dungeon Core (0/1) Rewards: 10,000 fame; 1,000,000?; Dungeon Core (Enchantable) {Cannot Decline}
¡°This. What is this?¡± ¡°A quest.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°A dungeon.¡± ¡°An old thing¡­ what¡¯s it like?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I want to know.¡± ¡°Shall we see?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t eat.¡± ¡°Maybe, you can.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Should we go?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I stand and leave the lifeless body and the empty alleyway behind. The sun is setting. It glows red, highlighting the rain beneath the clouds. The storm is heading north. I move through the town of Gran Beth to follow it. People shy away from me. ¡°The Ghost,¡± they whisper. I don¡¯t care. I slip into a clothing shop. The attendant turns and jumps. She tries hard not to scream. ¡°S-sir. I didn¡¯t see you,¡± she stammers. ¡°W-welcome. What can I do for you?¡± She avoids eye contact. ¡°Clothes. Warm. For the Rhew. Preferably black.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to the Rhew?¡± I nod. ¡°The quest, then? But everyone just got it. Shouldn¡¯t you think it through a bit more?¡± I stare. She gulps hard. ¡°A-alright,¡± she says as she slips out from behind the counter. ¡°Let me just gather a few things for you.¡± She returns shortly with thick, dark furs. Coats, jackets, pants, boots, hats, anything that could keep a person warm. I choose precious few. Just enough to manage in the cold weather. She looks at me questioningly, and I stare until she looks away. ¡°F-fifty aur,¡± she says, ¡°for all of it.¡± I reach over and place the shiny rose gold coins down. From the dead man¡¯s purse. Then, I sweep everything into my item bag and slip out the door. From there, I enter the library. ¡°Map,¡± I say to the keeper. ¡°of as far north as possible.¡± I place ten aur on the counter. He nods and ruffles through various scrolls, then hands me one. I take it and leave. I unroll it as I continue north through Gran Beth. ¡°The north.¡± ¡°Not much on the map.¡± There was less and less drawn the further north the map showed. ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t buy enough. Should have bought more.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll freeze.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± The walls of the town rise up in front of me. I contemplate them as I draw closer. Just enough to keep the monsters at bay, I decide. ¡°I¡¯m always cold,¡± I say as I pass through them. The guards stagger and shy away from me. I¡¯ve scared them. Not the first time. ¡°What is that?¡± I hear one whisper. ¡°A gwisin.¡± ¡°So, creepy. Pale. It¡¯s like a ghost.¡± I glance at the guard. The man jolts. Then, I continue walking. ¡°His eyes. Did you see them?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°They were almost as white as the white of his eyes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a gwisin. White eyes, pale skin, black hair. Can¡¯t even hear them when they move. Haven¡¯t you heard the stories?¡± I move out of range. My sensitive ears could no longer pick up what he said. It didn¡¯t matter. I know the stories. Gwisin. One of the races. Classified as puca race along with wraiths and wendigos and ghouls. A cursed race. Vampires were once a puca race long ago. But they were too industrious. Now they¡¯re a dynol race just like humans and elves. ¡°Dynol, lycan, afanc,¡± I sing as I walk. ¡°Magog, knocker, dryad, djinn, and puca. Naughty, naughty gross pickaughty puca.¡± The different classifications of races. ¡°Why classify them?¡± ¡°There¡¯s too many.¡± ¡°Some look like monsters. The wicker. The gargoyle.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t evolve. And they form communities. Cities. ¡± ¡°Some monsters look like races. The arachne. The dire ape.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t really.¡± ¡°They do.¡± ¡°They evolve. They don¡¯t interact with their own kind either.¡± ¡°There are in-betweens.¡± ¡°There are. Like eiras and golems. Not quite a race, but not quite a monster. Too many outliers in for those types. Scholars don¡¯t know what to do with them. The system recognizes them as either.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a gwisin.¡± ¡°I am,¡± I giggle. ¡°You weren¡¯t one.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°You were a human.¡± ¡°I was. That was long ago.¡± ¡°Puca infect.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re categorized as puca.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t reproduce normally, the scholars say. Vampires really should still be puca.¡± ¡°Vampires are tolerated.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tolerated.¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re not. We aren¡¯t. They¡¯re just scared. They don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll do. They can¡¯t stop us from coming in anyway. And you agreed not to infect.¡± ¡°Ah. You¡¯re right. This road. It isn¡¯t smooth.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°It¡¯s old.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°No lanterns, either.¡± ¡°Only the Seven cities¡¯ roads have lanterns.¡± ¡°Ah. The sun went down. I can¡¯t see the city anymore.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It will take a long way to get to the north.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Monsters will come now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m still hungry.¡± ¡°A nian.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Rustling. The bushes part in front of me on the left side of the road. Something large and bulky emerges. Its scaly armor glints in the failing light. ¡°Ah. It is a nian.¡± The nian. It looks like a lion, only bulkier, its shoulders extending above its head like a bull. Spiraling horns rise from its forehead. Its body is covered in plates of green chitin armor. My fingers twitch. What would it be like to pull that armor off? How would it feel? ¡°Good. It¡¯d feel good.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Shall we?¡± ¡°Wait until it charges.¡± The nian sniffs the air then spins to face me. Immediately, it charges. ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Now.¡± I [flicker]. The nian passes through the me and a shiver runs down my spine. The nian skids to a stop, confused. I activate [spontaneous gash]. A plate of its chitin armor rips off and falls to the ground. The nian bellows in pain as blood begins to pour from its shoulder. I [flicker] again, appearing right before its eyes. I activate [chill], [haunt], and [apparition]. The temperature drops. Things flicker in and out of existence around me. Long scrapes form along its armor. The nian screams and stumbles as it tries to flee. I laugh manically. ¡°It¡¯s hilarious! These monsters. Everyone¡¯s so scared of them. Yet they¡¯re scared of ghosts, too. Hahahahahahahaha.¡± ¡°Stop playing with your food.¡± ¡°You enjoy it too.¡± ¡°True.¡± I take off another plate of armor with a wave of my hand. Another scream. The nian is almost to the bushes. I [flicker] in front of it again. It back-peddles awkwardly. ¡°Well, I¡¯m bored now.¡± I lift it up with [poltergeist] and rip it to shreds with [spontaneous gash]. Blood rains from the sky as I hold the corpse aloft. I bathe in it. Then I get to work. My insatiable appetite. I devour. So much red. Even in the dark, my eyes see red. The meat moves down my throat. More. I need more. ¡°There¡¯s none left.¡± ¡°None?¡± ¡°You ate it all. Only bones and chitin left.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I stand up and make a vague attempt at brushing off my damp clothes. I pick up a horn as proof for the Adventure¡¯s Union, then, I start heading north. ¡°I¡¯m still hungry.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Will more monsters come?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°I hope.¡± I walk long. Days. Weeks. Maybe more. I [flicker] occasionally, when I tire of walking. Monsters that cross my path get played with, then devoured. Sometimes even the unfortunate passerby. Yet still, I¡¯m never satisfied. Still I head north. Always north with only myself and my broken mind to keep me company. I come across the City of Paoler. ¡°Not going in?¡± I circle around it. ¡°They don¡¯t like puca.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Aventurer Union and the Mercenary Union won¡¯t pay me if I make trouble in cities. I¡¯ll earn demerits.¡± ¡°But towns are okay?¡± ¡°Mostly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble then. A bed would be nice.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t. Too hungry. I¡¯d eat someone.¡± ¡°What poor self-control.¡± ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t mind.¡± The hunger came in waves. Sometimes I could control it. Other times, it was overwhelming, and I could barely think straight. I had to be careful to avoid cities then. The only reason. I needed the money, and being a sweeper was good pay.All for brokeback root. The only thing in this world that kept me sane, that kept the hunger at bay, that kept the voices back, that kept me from cracking further. ¡°I¡¯m running low. Gran Beth didn¡¯t have any.¡± ¡°Stop in Paoler.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t let me in. We¡¯ve tried.¡± ¡°That was a while back. Try again.¡± ¡°No. They shot at me. It hurt.¡± ¡°Felt good.¡± ¡°Hurt.¡± ¡°Do you need it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll take over.¡± ¡°Is that so bad?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Stop struggling. It¡¯s easier if you let go.¡± ¡°No.¡± I leave Paoler behind. Dinner that night was a cockatrice. Not very filling. I slept very little and set out when the sun rose. The same routine followed. Walk. Fight. Eat. Walk. Fight. Eat. Sleep. Over and over and over. Only thing that changed was how many monsters I came across. I¡¯m doing a very good job of sweeping the road. Haha. My item bag is full of various monster parts. Proof for the Union so I can get my pay. It¡¯s getting colder. Not enough to pull out my winter gear, but enough to wake up in a bed roll covered in frost and to start seeing patches of snow on the ground. Each day, there¡¯s more and more of it until the whole ground is covered, and then one day, a storm hits. I put on my winter gear and continue on. The storm lasts a full week. I¡¯m out of brokeback root. The world is white. I¡¯m going crazy. Hahahaha. ¡°You¡¯ve been going in circles.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a storm, you can¡¯t tell.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired yet.¡± ¡°A little. Don¡¯t wanna stop.¡± ¡°Still, you¡¯re headed east now.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be. I¡¯m heading north.¡± ¡°You¡¯re out of breath.¡± ¡°Not.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wheezing from the cold.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°You can barely keep your eyes open.¡± ¡°I¡¯m awake.¡± ¡°Let me take over.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too tired to continue. I¡¯ll keep us moving.¡± I frown and keep silent, trudging through the snow. As much as I hate to admit it, I¡¯m wearing down. My body wants me to collapse right there. If I do, though, I¡¯ll probably freeze. ¡°Now will you? Just for a while. Let me run wild just for a bit.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°You know you can¡¯t hold on much longer.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Just for a bit,¡± the voice gets smoother and smoother, lulling me into a trance. My feet slow to a stop. ¡°You¡¯re tired. You¡¯ve been walking for so long. Just sleep. I¡¯ll make sure we get there. Trust me. I want to find the dungeon as much as you do.¡± ¡°N¨Cno.¡± ¡°Why do you keep refusing? Isn¡¯t it hard. The world has hated you ever since you¡¯ve returned from that forest. It¡¯d be better if you just let go. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡± ¡°N¡­¡± ¡°Just let go. Sleep.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ For¡­ a bit¡­.¡± My head slumps down as I¡¯m drawn into a dark deepness. My awareness fades. The snow falls gently. ¡­ ¡­ A second later, the head rises. It¡¯s covered completely by a layer of hair. ¡°Food.¡± The head turns abruptly to the left. The wind pushes the hair out-of-the-way. It was a sight that would freeze anyone. There was nothing. No eyes. No nose. No features whatsoever. Just a blank face. This was the true face of a gwisin. The one feared in the stories. The thing stood there in the blizzard for a moment longer before [flickering]. The snow piled up where it once stood. Twenty miles to the north lay the quiet village of Han under a gathering blanket of snow. The sun was just setting, though still light enough for people to be moving about. Han¡¯s wall wasn¡¯t high, but it was situated on a slight rise, which helped with the monsters, but every once in a while, one would manage to get in. The trees in the area were brittle, only good for firewood, and there was no real areas nearby to build a quarry. Han had to import their wood and stone, and money was scarce. If is wasn¡¯t for Harold Larson, a retired soldier from down south, the village would have long been overrun. At level 28, he was by far the highest level person in the village. This evening, he is just starting his rounds, waving at Benjamin as he leaves through the gate. He makes his way down the slope, checking and resetting traps and making sure the wards he set were still active as he works his way further into the forest. It doesn¡¯t look like anything¡¯s been through here in the past couple of days. He sighs in relief. He stops suddenly when something flickers by him. A cold chill runs across his skin. He grips the hilt of his sword and swallows as he scans the forest. He moves only after a couple of minutes pass. Still, the uncomfortable feel doesn¡¯t leave him. Something is very wrong. His instincts are screaming at him, but even with his trained eye, he can spot nothing. The feeling passes. He swallows again and continues to check the last few traps, then starts to make his way back to the village. A few paces later, he freezes, starting at the ground. Then he spins around himself, scanning the forest again. Something has tripped a ward. He glances up at the village. It¡¯s still quiet. Then, he looks around him again and back at the ward. ¡°Did something trip it, or did it go off by itself.¡± Sometimes it did happen. A ward just stops. Especially since he was a novice wardsman with what he picked up as a soldier. Hesitantly, he resets the ward, keeping a wary eye out around him. ¡°Still, the village was too quiet. Benjamin should have been alerted by the ward. No, actually. If it¡¯s this quiet, that means nothing tripped the ward. It stopped by itself.¡± Harold continues back up the hill, his nerves somewhat settled. His jaw clenches a few moments later when he comes across another tripped ward. This time, he doesn¡¯t stop. He runs straight for the village. He reaches the gate to find it wide open. Benjamin, its keeper, is nowhere in sight. It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s been forced open though. He breathes heavily as he enters the village. The quietness, where before it was homely and quaint, now felt wrong. Harold begins to jump at the dim shadows between houses, nearly pulling his sword out. He jumps again when the wind causes a door to creak as it swings. ¡°Why is Hailey¡¯s door open?¡± He takes a step to peek inside. A hand grips his shoulder. He tries to spin around as something drags him into an alley way. He forces whatever it is down and pulls his sword out and against its neck. ¡°Woah, woah,¡± Wen Valence whispers. ¡°Harold. It¡¯s just me.¡± Harold lowers his sword and rolls off the man. A scream rings out and both men tense. Harold starts in its direction, but Wen pulls him back. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Gwisin.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a gwisin.¡± ¡°So? Sure gwisins are a bit scary and all, but if you leave them be, they¡¯ll leave you be. I served with one in the army.¡± ¡°No. You don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s a faceless gwisin.¡± Harold freezes. ¡°You saw it?¡± ¡°Briefly. Joshua was closing up the bar. He kicked us all out. When we were walking out, we saw a person standing in the middle of the road. Stitch, the stupid man, he called out to him. He was drunk and staggered up to the man in the road, next thing I know, Stitch doesn¡¯t have a head. I was lucky I was near the back of the group. I stumbled back into the bar shock as it made short work of everyone else before they even had a chance to scream. I watched it as it started to eat them, Harold. It had no features at first. Nothing on its face. But then it split in half, a monsters mouth that just kept eating and eating and eating. If Joshua hadn¡¯t dragged me out the back door¡­¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Joshua now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°How many were eaten?¡± ¡°Nine at the bar. Fifteen or so more, counting the screams I heard. Probably more. It moves weirdly. Like a ghost. One moment it¡¯s over there. The next it¡¯s over here.¡± ¡°Hailey?¡± ¡°Him and his family. I checked the house. They¡¯re not in it. There was some blood on the floor.¡± ¡°Benjamin?¡± ¡°Not sure, but since he was at the gate¡­¡± ¡°What level would you say it was?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not a monster, so I couldn¡¯t identify it. Much, much higher than anyone else here. Harold, it may be even higher than you.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± the soldier stands. ¡°Harold¨C¡± Wen grabs his arm. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m going after it.¡± He tugs loose from Wen¡¯s grip and steps out from between the two houses. He heads towards the scream originated from. A few minutes later, he¡¯s standing in front of Lillian¡¯s house, its door wide open and a trail of blood leading out into the snow. A pile of bones rests scattered at its end. This wasn¡¯t the only house in this state. Every other house he had come across the doors were open. He stabs the door frame in anger. A chill runs down his spine. He slowly turns. A dark-haired man stands a ways behind him with something gripped in its hands. ¡°You¡¯re the gwisin?¡± Harold says. The man doesn¡¯t respond, only bringing up the thing in its hands to it face. Harold finally sees it. Hair falls out of the way. A pure white canvas stares back at him. It cracks in half, a gruesome smile stretching from ear to ear. Eyes appear, yet they¡¯re just deep staring pits that drip blood. Harold clenches his teeth as the gwisin takes a bite out of the thing in its hands like an apple. A large crunch is heard. The Gwisin rolls it a bit in its hands as it chews, and Harold had to keep himself from screaming in rage. That was Wen¡¯s head! The gwisin¡¯s next bite swallows the head whole, and then, the gwisin disappears. Harold swings at the empty air in front of him, catching the appearing Gwisin in the shoulder. The gwisin gives a piercing screech, then flickers out of view. Things begin to fly at him. Pitchforks and barrels and so much tableware all aiming at his body. He slashes at them, knocking them out of the air, but an unnoticed knife finds its into his side, puncturing his lungs. He grits his teeth. ¡°Why did you come here?¡± He shouts. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± a voice whispers by his ear. He spins around. He stares at the spot in the last bit of fading light, but there¡¯s nothing there. Now it¡¯s completely dark, and things are beginning to flicker in the edges of his vision. ¡°Leave!¡± He yells. ¡°You¡¯ve already hurt enough people. Leave us in peace!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re the only one left,¡± the voice tickles his ear. Harold freezes. ¡°No,¡± he breathes. ¡°It can¡¯t be. You¡¯re lying.¡± He lashes out with his sword. Maniacal laughter sounds in the distance.People begin to materialize around him, people from his village, bloody, wounded, dying with horror-stricken on their faces. ¡°No!¡± He rushes to them, tries to help them, but they gouge deep gashes on his forearms and chest before fading away. ¡°Come out, you coward!¡± He screams. ¡°Night night,¡± sounds the voice behind his ear. There¡¯s a pain in his neck, and then he knew no more. The gwisin, stares curiously at the beheaded body expecting it to slump, but it remains in its kneeling position. It picks up the head and begins to munch on it. ¡°Interesting man. Tricky. If it was daylight, the fight would¡¯ve been much harder.¡± It reaches up and touches the hole in its shoulder. Its hand comes back sticky with blood. Even in the dark, the man had managed to catch him a few more times with his sword. A long scratch lined its belly and there was a flap of skin dangling from its palm. The gwisinrips it off and swallows it, then proceeds to eat the rest of the body. It raises its head and sniffs the air. ¡°Ah,¡± my eyes blink open. ¡°That smells like brokeback root.¡± I stand up and rummage through a nearby house. I come out with a pale root in my hands, tearing a piece off and placing it in my mouth. The rest goes in my item bag. ¡°Much better.¡± I glance around me at the empty village, my night vision crisp. ¡°What happened here? Blood?¡± A stain decorated the ground in front of me. I run my tongue over my teeth. Remnants of a meal I didn¡¯t remember remained. I stare a few seconds longer at the stain before moving off out of the village. Two weeks later, a merchant in Paoler notices that the shipment of maple cider from Han never came. He notifies his hired mercenaries to find out the reason. When they arrive, they find an empty village. The culprit, at this time, is just entering the fishing village of Gogledd in the far north, home of a particular tribe of selkies. That man¡¯s name is Yul Yeong, and he¡¯s searching for a dungeon.
Status Menu
Name:Yul Yeong Race:Gwisin Level:34 (1,138,400/11,560,000)
Health:290/370 (20/min) Mana:220/620 (52/min) State:Normal
Strength:8 Endurance:10 Dexterity:9
Focus:33 Will:26 Accuracy:12
[¦®]
Fame:12,200
Titles: |Impersonal| |Creepy| |Cold| |Raw Foodism| |Crazy| |Hair-raising| |Adventurer| |Mercenary| |The Ghost| |Dissonant Laughter|| Remorseless Killer| |Cannibal| |Illusionist| |Faceless| |Multiple Personalities|
Skills: [Cold Grip VIII][Chill VI] [Heat Sense X] [Spontaneous GashVII] [Haunt III][ApparitionV][Frenzy IV] [Poltergeist VII][Flicker VIII] [Ward Resistance III]
3.1 - Forewarning To us, there was no forewarning. Or maybe there was, we just weren¡¯t able to recognize it for what it was. First came a monster swarm. Every monster in the ocean for miles climbed up the beach and headed for higher ground. Watersfront was directly in their path. We fought them off. They weren¡¯t concentrating on us. Most just passed on by. We heaved sighs of relief. Next, the air grew stifling. Nothing moved. It was deafeningly quiet. I noticed the ocean slowly receding, leaving foam in its wake. The horizon was hazy. By that time, it was too late. A wall of water had crept up behind that haze, towering above our heads, growing closer and closer, and then¡­it fell. ¨CJacob Fletcher, survivor of the Tragedy of Watersfront Roaring. So much roaring. My head pounds. Everything feels distant. ¡°Haven. HAVEN!¡± Nattiq shakes me. I can¡¯t feel it. ¡°No,¡± I whisper. ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± ¡°Haven! What¡¯s wrong? Are you alright? What happened. Devin, please. Talk to me.¡± The roaring continues, drowning out his words. ¡°I¡¯m not ready. Not ready. I¡¯m not. It can¡¯t be happening.¡± Nattiq shakes again. His worried face appears in front of me. ¡°I still have time. I don¡¯t. I do. Please don¡¯t come.¡± My vision fades in and out. My hands shake. No, its my whole body that¡¯s shaking. A panicked light flickers from my core. ¡°But it is. Something¡¯s coming. It¡¯s there. It¡¯s getting closer. Closer. Closer. No, don¡¯t come.¡± My breath catches in my throat. No, that¡¯s wrong. I¡¯m breathing too fast. My mana is fluctuating out of control. The whole tree shakes with me, and sliver fish swim around me, agitated. Whatever¡¯s out there, it¡¯s chasing me. I could feel it. I ignored it. Nattiq brought it to light. ¡°I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t.¡± It was one thing to have things suddenly attack me. It was a whole other thing, something on a completely differently level, to know something was slowly making its way towards me. Its aura¡­it was palpable. I could feel it even from this distance. The moment it stepped on the Rhew. Cold. So cold. Colder than the ice around me. Bloodthirsty. Hungry. It wanted to eat. A horrible grin flashes through my mind. One that wanted to swallow me whole. I¡¯m drowning in it. It moved too fast to see. It whispered horrors in my ear. It¡¯s tongue slipped across my skin. Blood comes pouring out in its path. Unconsciously, I latch on to Nattiq¡¯s sleeve with a death grip.
Don¡¯t. Please don¡¯t notice me. Just pass on by. Keep walking. I¡¯m not here. I don¡¯t want to die.¨C Ipo the spriggan Congratulations! Your senses are the only thing keeping you alive. [Premonition I]:You can now sense malicious beings or events approaching in the near future. (cost: 15% of mana permanently)
The feeling flares. Ghosts form, poking me, laughing, taunting with rotting teeth and melting skin. I choke back a scream. ¡°He¡¯s coming,¡± they sing. ¡°He¡¯s coming for you.¡± ¡°Nononononononnono.¡± I flinch back. The feeling of impending death begins to overwhelm me. This time, I don¡¯t hold back the scream. The ghosts around me laugh. Nattiq is yelling again, holding me, trying to keep my arms down, trying to prevent me from scratching at my core. It¡¯s better to die right now, isn¡¯t it? He¡¯s coming for me. I shake. I laugh. I scream.
{(self-destructive tendencies recognized; (status.soul) = unstable; [force]:{instinct.pattern})}
Feelings bubble up, pushing aside the self-destructive ones, feelings I had locked away long ago. They weren¡¯t mine. I never had them. Not the ones that came to my rescue. They were planted in me. I somehow knew it. I didn¡¯t want to ever have to rely on them, but now, I¡¯ll die if I don¡¯t. My shaking stops. I stare off into the distance. The ghosts continue to haunt me, but I ignore them, lost in the tide feelings that flow out from behind the dam. I can feel it. I¡¯m no longer myself. These feelings are controlling me, these¡­ instincts. I am no longer Devin, no longer Haven that seeks to only protect, afraid to kill. I am nothing more than a dungeon. My life is being threatened. No need to hold back. Push aside distractions, memories, feelings, only focus on the instincts.
I wander. I choose not my way. I travel by instinct. And that is how I got here today. ¡ª Last stanza of The Epic of Benzal Temian Congratulations! You remain calm in difficult situations. [Tranquility]:You have suppressed your emotions and let your instincts guide.(Enter a state of enhanced concentration at the expense of your ability to feel major emotions. Memories, detracting thoughts, and personality traits will be suppressed while instincts will be heightened. (Drains mental capacities; once a day; limit determined by endurance))
I open my eyes. I feel cold and calculating as I notice I¡¯ve been moved back inside the tree, the |ice silk| draped room to be exact. A man stands over me. An akhlut as well. I study them, determining their threat level, then dismiss them. They are registered as comrades under a cause. I can ignore them. They count as part of my dungeon because of it. I turn my head south. [Premonition] is strongest there.
Threat Approaching: Level (34), high abilities¨C[Time remaining: 6:57:34]
The words from the screen spill from my lips. ¡°Haven, are you alright?¡± I turn to the man. ¡°Selkie,¡± I identify. ¡°You will fight?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Intruder.¡± ¡°Haven, you¡¯re acting really weird right now.¡± ¡°Threat is approaching. Will you fight?¡± ¡°Yes, you know that.¡± I nod and turn to the akhlut. ¡°Akhlut, will you fight?¡± Yes, Dungeon. I ¡¯tis help against invader.I nod. The selkie stares at the akhlut. I look around my domain. ¡°Defenses, negligible.¡± I click my teeth. ¡°Fighting force, the same.¡± A slight feeling of annoyance bubbles up. I push it down and focus on whatever information I can glean from [premonition]. It was not much, only the feeling that most defenses would be ineffective. I growl. A ghost crosses my vision. Product of [premonition], but it gives me hints what my opponent could be. I access information from the system.
Races of the Puca Class:Wisp, Wraith, Banshee, Specter,Morgen, Bogie, Sluagh, Gwisin, Wight, Ghoul, Wendigo, Gidim, Yurei
The knowledge that fills me is disturbing.Could be any of them, depending on the direction they raised their skills. Could be another class, but puca was the most likely. Best case, it¡¯s a morgen. Worst case, it¡¯s a sluagh or banshee. Gwisin is a close third. Morgens aren¡¯t effective unless underwater. Sluagh are invisible, intangible until the moment of their attack. They carry off souls. It is unknown if they eat them or not, but their attacks directly strike at the soul. They ride the wind, and they¡¯re hardly ever alone either. After a second, I rule out sluagh. Whatever¡¯s coming is too slow to be a sluagh. Banshees. Relatively harmless, pacifist crybabies. But crossing one¡­ they have a powerful innate skill that allows them to kill a person just by screaming, and not just any scream. There has never been a defense against it. Nothing works. Not [silencing], not [sound proof], not even the thick walls of a castle or even purposefully deafening oneself. The scream penetrates everything. There¡¯s a small chance a person will live after hearing it¡­ an even smaller chance that they won¡¯t go insane. If it¡¯s a banshee after me¡­ ¡°Selkie.¡± ¡°What is wrong with you? You¡¯re not yourself.¡± ¡°The race of the intruder.¡± ¡°The race? I don¡¯t know. He looked pretty normal. I¡¯d have to say human.¡± ¡°Features?¡± ¡°I only saw him from afar. Pale skin. Black hair. Had a creepy vibe to him. My brother swears he saw a ghost hovering around him. I could smell the blood on him from across the village. I followed him around for a couple of days, but he never did anything. I didn¡¯t want to approach him because I felt like he would know somehow that I¡¯ve met you.¡± ¡°A yurei then, a morgen, or a gwisin. Good. Not a banshee. But still¡­ gwisin. Troubling.¡± ¡°P¨Cpuca?¡± Indeed troubling, Dungeon. Puca hate cold. ¡®Tis not often puca stray north. ¡°They may hate the cold, but it does not affect them much. Most have cold based skills,¡± I say. ¡°But what can you do against a puca? They¡¯re freaky. They come up in scary stories all the time. Everyone knows they infect¡­ Turn you into them¡­ or eat you.¡± ¡°Quiet selkie. Akhlut. Tell me. Where can I find a ward?¡± Ward. Idiot ¡¯tis have one. ¡°Oh, no nono. You¡¯re not talking about my necklace, are you?¡± We look at him. ¡°No.¡± Idiot. ¡°No. You can¡¯t have it.¡± ¡°It is necessary for defensive purposes.¡± ¡°No. It was a gift from Mam-gu Petra. I¡¯m not letting you have it. Besides. It won¡¯t help any. All it does is make me less noticeable when swimming.¡± The selkie frowns and crosses his arms over his chest. Dungeon still ¡¯tis need it? ¡°Yes. If I am to create defenses, I will need it.¡± The akhlut launches himself at the selkie and pins him to the ground. I stand and take the necklace off of him as he struggles. ¡°Stop!¡± A simple thing. A metal ring on a leather string. But I feel the runes marking the ring pulse with a strange power. One I want. I tilt my head and swallow the necklace. ¡°No! Why¡¯d you do that!¡± The man yells. The akhlut keeps him pinned. Five hours if my plan works. That doesn¡¯t give me a whole lot of time. I check the clock.
[Time remaining: 6:32:14]
Only an hour and a half to implement it. I grit my teeth. It may not be enough. I dive deep into my domain, under the ice while throwing up thick walls around my tree. A maze, wall after wall after wall filled with pathways of pits dropping onto spikes or all the way to the ocean below; trip wires thin and sharp enough to slice flesh; walls that would easily collapse. Simple traps. Things I could do with my attention elsewhere, looking, looking for something I could use. I find it a mile to the east, a bit of hope, protected by a massive octopus, a vent lord.
Vent Lord: Level (28) ¨CAn octopus of giant proportions feeding off the life surrounding a volcanic vent. Comparable in size and aggressivenessto that of a kraken. A vent lord is a dangerous creature. It is not advisable to provoke this creature as it is known for its intelligence, its quickness, and its ability to tear anything to shreds. Avoid at all costs.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.I size the thing up and nod. Let¡¯s see how good its mental defenses are. I swarm it with my influence. It freezes, feeling the invading force, then begins to writhe in panic, searching for the thing attacking it. It pushes back against my mind, angry and fearful, but I brush such pathetic attempts away. It was strangely disappointing. For a thing known for its intelligence, it fell under my influence much too easily. The vent lord floats gently beside me as I dominate the rest of the ecosystem around the volcano. Still, if it was a head to head confrontation and not a battle of the mind, I would have no doubt been torn to pieces.
There are many monsters termed as lords. They settle in the richest areas and take control. They have complete dominion over their surroundings.¨COf Monsters and Men, 883 Congratulations! Your influence expands continually. [Influence VI]:You¡¯ve dominated a lord and his rule.(10% to creature conversion rate)
I scavenge the vent, injecting my influence into anything that I deem useful. In this state, I realize with annoyance that I had never used influence properly, as seen by my pathetic attempts to manipulate salt. Influence directly ties in with manipulation. The greater influence I wield over an object the easier it is to manipulate it. I had just found a treasure trove.
Congratulations! You have gained understanding of an |Elemental Subset| of [Fire]. You are now able to manipulate|Magma|as part of[Elemental Manipulation X]
Congratulations! You have gained understanding of an |Elemental Subset| of [Earth]. You are now able to manipulate|Metal|as part of[Elemental Manipulation X]
Congratulations! You have gained understanding of an |Elemental Subset| of [Water]. You are now able to manipulate|Acid|as part of[Elemental Manipulation X]
Congratulations! You have gained understanding of an |Elemental Subset| of [Air]. You are now able to manipulate|Toxic Gas|as part of[Elemental Manipulation X]
Congratulations! You have gained understanding of an |Elemental Subset| of [Earth]. You are now able to manipulate|Wax|as part of[Elemental Manipulation X]
From the magma, I found traces of starlight¨Ca metal with similar magic properties as silver, only stronger¨Cmixed in among other metals. I gather it, the acid, wax, and gas, as well as copious amounts of magma, and tell the vent lord to follow me. I gather salt as well as I travel back. The selkie jumps as the vent lord crawls into the room. He waves the sword he had been sharpening at the beast. ¡°It¡¯s with me,¡± I say. Still, he looks hesitantly at the octopus and at the amorphous blobs of material floating in the air. I set the salt and the metal down, and knead the wax as I create another maze, this time of rooms spiraling up the tree. It¡¯s too simple, though, so I place more traps includingnoxious gasses under the floor to be released by stepping on a switch, and slippery slopes that slid into acid or magma pools. |Aura of protection| keeps the ice from melting to either substances. I create a system for my staircase spiraling outside my tree that smoothed out the steps and created a slide impossible to climb. If need be, I can get rid of it altogether with that system. I have to be careful. Once an antagonistic being enters my domain, I can¡¯t manipulate it very much. It¡¯s a law that¡¯s imposed upon me, a racial weakness. I abhor it. There¡¯s another as well. One that does not allow me to close off the path to my core. I curse the world. That¡¯s why traps are necessary, mechanisms that lead to a chain of effects. But it¡¯s still not enough. I move the room to the top of the tree, line the |ice silk| with thorns and acid and place it where ever I can. Even the thin, draping curtain of tree branches has it. I create golems, many of them. Some are basic humanoid figures, others are copies of my companions and monsters. It¡¯s an army, one with deadly surprises when killed, either bursting with magma, gas, or acid. Myself, I ran magma through my veins, giving an almost rosy tint to my skin. I placed acid in my stomach cavity, and gas in my lungs. With little effort, I could breath out any of the three like a dragon. I found I could place |aura of protection| on my allies to protect them from the effects of the substances. They weren¡¯t considered skills, just pieces of the environment. I check the time.
[Time remaining: 1:46:43]
It was rushed. My whole defense system was rushed and likely wouldn¡¯t hold for very long. Fourteen minutes though. I pour acid into the lake, line the bridge with every trap I could think of including weakening it to the point of collapse, and create a moat of magma midway through the outer maze spanned by a similar, railless bridge with a convex sloped walkway. A person could very well slip straight into the magma. It was hot and bubbling, protected by |aura of protection| to keep it from cooling. My mana was beginning to run low, but one final thing. I manipulate |aura of the lost|, concentrating it on both mazes. The mazes, they begin to slip in and out of the material dimension. As a result, no room or path was stable, it shifted, moved. The place it resided was never the same. Leave it and you might never find it again. Its design was ever-changing, and it could run with or without my prompting. That I hadn¡¯t figured this out earlier was bittersweet. It only told me how much my emotions and misconceptions clouded my thinking. Finally, I feel it.
The item has?Necklace of Ardor?been fully incorporated.(20% mana recovered, |Basic Ward Schema| discovered.)
The most important thing recovered from the era of the Hynafol would be wards. Without them, we would have perished against the monsters long ago. ¡ª Higher Wardsman of Oi¡¯ufe Congratulations! Wards are the basis of defending your domain against creatures. [Warding I]:You have discovered the basic runes of warding.({Rune of Baneberry}, {Rune of Bittersweet}, {Rune of Elderberry}, {Rune of Juniper}; Materials used to make runes and the runes themselves determine the effects of the ward.)
I found it! There¡¯s a correlation between influence and manipulation. This is why focus and will determines the amount of mana a person can utilize. ¨C Scholar H¡¯daif Congratulations! You knowledge increases as you incorporate various things. [Incorporation IV]:You can incorporate more things within your domain to allow for increased environment design.(Only applicable to things without souls; 15% mana absorption; +30% mana absorption if materials are fully incorporated (4 hrs) and not just stored; Schemas and addable attributes created from absorbed items)
Wards. As much as they were effective against monsters, they were even more effective against puca. It was strange. No one knew why it had such a great affect on them. Wards were expensive to maintain, and good materials were hard to find. Not many places in the world had them. Not according to the information the system gave me. It was vaguely irritating that the runes I received were so basic, though, even though I had known it would be likely. {Juniper} was a rune of relaxation. {Elderberry} for increased memory recollection. Useful, but not in this instance. The other two would have to do. I didn''t have much, but this was what the starlight was for, and the wax, both useful substances against most puca. Wax for {baneberry} and starlight for {bittersweet}. Or rather a mix of the substances for the best result. 9:1 wax to starlight for {baneberry} and 8:2 starlight to wax for {bittersweet}. I shaped the runes with care in strategic places and choke points throughout my domain. {Baneberry} would place a barrier that repelled. With enough strength though, someone could get through. {Bittersweet} would invoke confusion, one that would tend to disorient people, making them lost. Someone with enough willpower could break it. Lastly I turned to my pile of salt. Salt had an amplifying effect for wards, it seemed, and as a double advantage, puca tended to hate the stuff. I connected each {baneberry} rune with a line of salt embedded in the ice, making a shape like a complex web. This would extend the barrier along those lines and boost its effects on each rune. As for the {bittersweet}, I drew concentric circles with the salt around each so that it radiated out like a pebble dropped in a pond. The effect would radiate out similarly. I quickly think through the things I had done to prepare. That was it. That was all I could do to prepare in advance except for one thing. A bout of nervousness pushed through the cover over my emotions. I took a deep breath and placed my path points into {strategist}.
War is no simple thing. Sure for us soldiers it is. We hack and slash, block and bash, but for us that¡¯s all. The person working the hardest is that person watching on the hill. ¨C Tice Graden Congratulations!{StrategistI (25/25)}Path:Complete. (+5 health; +5 mana; +10 health regeneration; +10 mana regeneration;{Strategist II (0/50)}path;[Predict I]:You are able to make a slight prediction of an opponent¡¯s next move(cost: 5% of total mana permanently)
Behold my most powerful skill: [Tackle]. It was formed when [dash], [leap], [roll] combined. Though, Terry said he got it just by practicing. ¨C Herdsman Congratulations! Through your knowledge a way appears. Level [21]!:Your progress is unmistakable.(+20 mana; +10 path points;[Premonition I] and [Predict I] are compatible and merge to form[Forewarn I]; Skill level increased to[Forewarn II]:You can see flashes the events concerning you in the future. When fighting, you can see your opponent¡¯snext move.(cost: 30% of mana permanently))
I grit my teeth. Today, I¡¯ve lost a total 121 mana due to these passive skills. It hurts, but they could very well save my life. My [forewarning] sparked.
[Time remaining: 0:00:03]
It was him. He was here.
Status Menu
Name:Haven[Locked]¨CDevin Race:Legendary Dungeon Level:21* Attribute:Green
Health:284/313 (2.75/min)* Mana:107/197 (2.75/min)* State:Tranquil ¨C(Endurance remaining: 45%)*
Biomes:4* Floors:?%¦®] Named Monsters:4
Monsters:473* Animals:25,243* Plants:132,200+*
[¦®]
Path Points: 23*
Paths: {Beginner V (0/20)} {Ingenuity II (30/60)}{Valiant II (0/120)}{Defender IV (2/30)}{Architect I (0/50)}{Strategist II (0/55)}*
Skills: [Influence VI]*[Incorporation IV]*[Ambient Aura VII] [Plant Growth I][Green Thumb I] [Tamer II][Karma II][Natural Projectile III] [Core Teleportation] [Epithet][Elemental Manipulation X][Biome Creation][Fluid Floors][Golem Creation][Loyalty][Tranquility]*[Warding I]*[Forewarn II]*
Achievements: |Ingenuity!| |Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!||Creator of Wonders!||Leader!|
Causes:|?Against the World?|¡ª 3
[¦®]
Auras:|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|,|Aura of Fury|,|Aura of Souls|,|Aura of Protection|,|Aura of the Lost|, |Calming Aura|
Fire:Main,Magma* Water:Main,Ice,Acid* Earth:Main,Plants,Minerals,Metal,*Wax* Air:Main,Toxic Gas*
Poll 2 Sorry, should have done this days ago. I am stuck. I have a bit of writer''s block and it''s bugging the heck out of me. Arg! I know what I want in this next chapter, but am not sure how to go about it. So, yeah, here''s a little poll for you guys to take. After that, I''ll try to write the chapter as fast as I can. I''m also debating if I should add some more plot lines in between the previous and the next, but I have a feeling you won''t like that very much, though I am super tempted for some reason. I haven''t gotten back on Dicter''s story, and I want to jump back in that sometime. I also want to introduce some lost characters, but haven''t found a good enough spot for them to come in.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Slowly I''ll get around to talking about all my different races I have. There''s a hundred or so split between eight classes. That''s not including all the monsters I have. Hehe. Just a tidbit. Also, question, how''s my character''s voices? Are they different enough from eachother? Even in the flavor text? Or does everything feel kinda the same person talking all the time. I always worry about it because it''s one of my pet peaves whenever I read something that only seems to have one personality for all the characters. Thanks guys!!! 3.2 - The Man in the Forest To the south of the Seven Cities lies the Niwl Forest. Don¡¯t go in. The road ends. The mist begins. Monsters lurk. You will get lost. End of story. Not many come back alive. They can be counted on one hand. And you¡¯re not one of them. So, stay here. Live your life in safety and comfort. Forget about the cursed forest before your curiositygets the better of you. If you go there ever, you¡¯ll keep being drawn back to it. You¡¯ll be drawn in. It¡¯ll suck you in. It has sucked so many people in. So many¡­ ¨CMother to her son ¡°Ohohoh? What¡¯s this?¡± I say. My waltz along the top of the short wall halted at a seller¡¯s tent. I smirk as I look through the man¡¯s wares, then reach down with my umbrella and scoop up a purple fruit from a basket. The iridescent shine to it glistens in the sun as I bite through its skin. Yellow juice dribbles down my chin. I flick my tail in pleasure. ¡°Mr. Quilin, sir. I would appreciate it if you bought my fruit before you eat it. Otherwise I would have to call a city guard, and we both know we don¡¯t want that,¡± the seller says with a frown. I squat down and balance a coin on the point of my umbrella. His eyebrows draw together as he looks up at me. ¡°This is a Damsel Plum. They¡¯re not usually in season at this time of year. Where¡¯d ya find it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s a trade secret, sir.¡± ¡°Just between you and me, I would be careful selling those here. George Hendle¡¯s private garden up inMerope may be easy to get in and out of, but the fruit from his orchard has a very distinctive taste.¡± I smile as I take another bite and push the tip of the umbrella closer to his nose. The man pales and snatches the coin on the end of the umbrella, quickly shoving it a metal box and stuffing that in a bag. ¡°I must apologize sir, but I realized that a serious piece of business has been neglected. Therefore, good day to you sir, for I must be closing.¡± He hurries off, leaving behind his baskets of plums. I laugh and finish off the one I had been eating as I look around the busy market. It was mid afternoon. The shadow from Alcyone¡¯s castle draped over the people bustling in the south side of the street. It¡¯s still manages to be a stiffing day despite the cooling wards and the slight breeze. I pull open my umbrella to shade myself from the sun as I look out over the crowd. Squinting against the sunlight, I see something glint as it moves, pushing through the people like a boat through water. Then, I grin. ¡°Oi! Everand! When did you get back? I thought you were in Asterope!¡± I call, drooping the umbrella behind me as I wave. The glint in the crowd moves towards me. ¡°Nope, we just got back. Still have that red umbrella, I see,¡± Everand Alcyone says, returning my grin. He runs a hand through his dusty blond hair. The seven stars on his armor catch my attention. ¡°I can see. Looks like I caught you at a bad time.¡± I eye the squad of men trailing after him. ¡°Hello, Sir Reinhardt.¡± The older guard standing at Everand¡¯s shoulder grunts at me to return the greeting. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. We¡¯re just headed to the castle. Why do I always find you squatting on a wall. Get down, you¡¯ll make me have a crick in my neck.¡± ¡°I enjoy it. It¡¯s easier to see everything.¡± My wooden sandals clatter as I slip to the ground. ¡°Plum?¡± I pick up another fruit. ¡°You¡¯re selling fruit?¡± ¡°Nope, confiscating contraband.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to eat evidence. Where¡¯s the seller?¡± He glances around. ¡°Ran off. You were looking for Commander Llid weren¡¯t you? How¡¯d that go?¡± Everand places a hand on his forehead in exasperation. ¡°You, why do you always do that? You know you¡¯re supposed to arrest him.¡± ¡°I forgot my seal.¡± I shrug. ¡°So, how¡¯d it go? Where did the mysterious Curo Llid disappear to? Everyone¡¯s dying to know.¡± A man I hadn¡¯t noticed before standing near the back of the group flinches. I raise an eyebrow as I twirl my umbrella. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you while we head back to the castle.¡± I follow him as he begins to push south through the crowd followed by his squad. ¡°Father told me to go toAsterope first. That¡¯s the last place anyone had ever seen him. His platoon is stationed there to keep an eye onHaruime Ro. Everyone know¡¯s he¡¯s bound to make a move on the Seven Cities, and Father thinks it¡¯s soon. Tengu never sit still for long. Of course, you already know all that. Sorry, it¡¯s been on my mind. With Commander Llid disappearing as suddenly as he did, it bodes ill for the Seven Cities.¡± ¡°He really did just vanish, then?¡± ¡°Yes. He did. One of his men was the last on to see him on the twentieth day of the month of Jasad at around the third bell, right about when the sun was rising. Honestly, we didn¡¯t find much more than that.¡± We turn a corner out of the busy market onto a much wider road. The crowds thin as we head further down, the buildings changing from shops to mansions and villas of the wealthy and noble. ¡°Nothing at all?¡± ¡°No. No sign of struggle, no tracks, and no one supposedly saw him after that.¡± ¡°Out of thin air.¡± ¡°Yes. We couldn¡¯t come back with only that, though. It was the same information we had before we left, which means that even with our presence, there¡¯s been no breakthrough on the case. Luckily, Commander Llid¡¯s lieutenant overheard him say earlier that night that the Commander had been planning to visit with his son, Dicter Llid, soon in case he didn¡¯t have time later because of the Tengu war lord. When searching the Commander¡¯s quarters, there was a mostly packed bag and a letter meant to be sent to Dicter. Apparently there had been several similar ones over the course of the month, but it seems Dicter burned every one he received.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s Dicter, then?¡± I glance at the ragged man with patchy scruff and knife cut, dirty blond hair surrounded by the King¡¯s Guard. His bronze skin contrasted sharply with the jagged blue swirls decorating every inch of it. Pictish markings. Supposedly, they were born with them. But then again, many people consider me more strange looking than any pict, with my purple hair so dark it looked black and the two long horns rising out of it like tree branches. My tail flicks as I grin at the thought, my slitted pupils thinning. Still, I scratch the few scales lining my check in thought, the only place on my face that had them¨Cright on the cheekbone under the eye. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s him. He was¡­very reluctant to come with us.¡± ¡°I see he got you,¡± I say, glancing at the bandage across his nose. The castle looms over us. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you have it healed?¡± ¡°You know why. There¡¯s no point in having such a small thing healed. Better to save the energy for someone who actually needs it.¡± A coach passes us on our left. I talk a glance at it, but not long enough to figure out who it belonged to before turning back to Everand. ¡°And the scratch above your eye? Was that him as well?¡± ¡°No, that was from a bone-worg.¡± ¡°Bone-worg? You fought a bone-faced worg?! Why¡¯d you take the north path? You know that¡¯s not safe! You¡¯re a prince for heaven¡¯s sake. Have a little more consciousness about your safety.¡± ¡°There was no time. The sooner we find him, the better. The Tengu are bound notice soon. Maybe they even have.¡± ¡°Still¡­ does he know where his father is?¡± I say as we pass under the portcullis of the castle. Everand nods at the guards stationed there. ¡°No. At least he says that he doesn¡¯t. I¡¯ll leave it to Father¡¯s men to find out if that isn¡¯t true.¡± ¡°What do you think, though?¡± ¡°I¡¯m inclined to believe him. Though, I don¡¯t condone his seeming lack of affection for his father.¡± ¡°So¡­ he hate him.¡± ¡°Yes. It seems so.¡± We enter into the castle. A squire breaks off from a wall in the towering hallway to lead us to the throne room even practically everyone in our group knew the way. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know where the Commander is and he doesn¡¯t care. Why¡¯d you bring him, then?¡±My eyes flicker across the hanging tapestries. Heroes and kings fought grotesque monsters in the flickering candles and dim sunlight streaming through high windows. ¡°Well, he resisted questioning and then assaulted the King¡¯s guard. It¡¯s a front to the King¡¯s authority. Of course he was arrested.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, especially when the guard happened to be the Fourth Prince of Alcyone and all of the Seven Cities. I forgot how little privilege common folk have when it comes to the King¡¯s authority,¡± I say wryly. The prince frowns.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Not everyone is a talented wardsman. It¡¯s a matter of course that you are given leeway over things. Still, you really shouldn¡¯t keep going around beating up guards.¡± ¡°You make it sound like I pick fights. It¡¯s not my fault your father, his royal excellency the King of glorious Alcyone and the illustrious Seven Cities, the mighty, wise and noble Cedric Alcyone the Third of the long and enduring line of divine king heroes has personally made a request to me to spar with the King¡¯s Guard and the Palace Guard. Keep them on their toes and all.¡± Everand¡¯s eyebrows bunched together. ¡°Do you really need to say his whole title? Father would have just been fine.¡± ¡°Really. I could have embellished it more.¡± I grin and lightly smack the back of his armored knee with my tail. Reinhardt catches my eye with a frown. ¡°Stop that.¡± The prince swatted at me. ¡°Sometimes, you¡¯re too much of a child, Yen.¡± ¡°Sometimes you¡¯re too stiff. You need to loosen up or you¡¯ll start loosing your hair.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the stiff one? Says the lizard wearing a bath robe who spouts out the most formal of all possible titles for the king. No one does that anymore.¡± ¡°Only to mock you. What happened to King¡¯s authority?¡± I finger my yukata. The robe was decorated with red maple leaves. ¡°And it¡¯s not a bath robe.¡± ¡°Father demands respect for his rules. Not pomp. Frankly, I could do without it, as well. This castle already has enough of it just from the decorations alone.¡± Gargoyles glare down at him from the tops of pillars supporting the roof. He shrugs up at them. They weren¡¯t exactly decorations, but there¡¯s no denying that they¡¯re gaudy. They clink as they shift in their armor. ¡°What do you think of that quest?¡± I ask. We come to a stop before a pair of ornately carved doors. The wards on them glimmer in the setting sun. Everand places a hand on the thick nob before he spoke. ¡°The one about the legendary dungeon? Honestly, I can¡¯t really say.It¡¯s unprecedented. A system generated quest is rare enough not to have happened for generations, but for it to be a dungeon of all things¡­ I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll wait to see what the scholars say about it. Father will most likely call a meeting if he hasn¡¯t already. I don¡¯t know if the Seven Cities have the resources to claim something that far north, not with a war brewing.¡± He takes a breath and pushes into the room. I and his retinue follow behind. The man, Dicter Llid, mutters under his breath. ¡°Father,¡± Everand calls. ¡°I have returned fromAsterope.¡± Cedric sits on a rather simple throne on a raised dais located at the opposite end of the spacious room. Likewise, a simple crown rests on his dusty blond hair. He looks almost identical to Everand, albeit with many more years marking his face. The aura he gives out, however, is almost overflowing with authority. He leans forward in his chair as we stop before the dais. ¡°Welcome back, Everand. And it¡¯s good to see you, Yen Tao. What have you been up to since I last saw you?¡± ¡°Mostly wandering in the north market for ingredients for wards. I did make a trip to Pleione for a ward inspection.¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± He gives a tired smile before turning back to his son. ¡°What news have you?¡± ¡°Father, it¡¯s just as the reports say. Commander Llid disappeared without a trace on the Twentieth of Jasad. Unfortunately, we weren¡¯t able to uncover any clues while there. However, we did manage to find his son, Dicter Llid, in Celaeno.¡± Everand motions Dicter forward. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Chevaleresse Tael, the report,¡± Everand says. A woman within the squad steps forward and hands a leather scroll to the prince, who in turn hands it to the king. The hall grows quiet as the king scans its contents. He glances at Dicter before continuing. Then, he rolls up the report and gives a sigh. ¡°So then, Dicter. Where has your father disappeared to?¡± He asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the man says sourly. ¡°I try not to make it my goal to keep tract of him. In fact, the less I know, the better.¡± ¡°You are before the king,¡± a retainer next to the dais spits. Cedric waves the man off. ¡°You are rather cold to your father.¡± ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± ¡°Why did you pick a fight with my guard?¡± ¡°My temper flared. I punched before I looked. For that, I apologize. I didn¡¯t realize it was the prince.¡± Dicter grits his teeth, then gives a small bow to the king and then to Everand. This man, he has a lot of pride, but knows when to apologize. If you can call that an apology. I smile. He¡¯s rather interesting. ¡°Still, whether you apologize or not, it still is a serious offense. This is my guard. I don¡¯t tolerate those who resist their authority. My authority. I am of a mind to send you to the quarries for this insult.¡± Dicter cringes. ¡°However, I am feeling lenient today, as I have more urgent issues to deal with, as I am sure you are aware. I am willing to lessen your sentence seeing as you are Curo¡¯s son.¡± Cedric stares at the pict. Dicter shivers under the weight of it. ¡°How old are you, Dicter?¡± The man frowns at the question in confusion. ¡°Twenty.¡± ¡°A year younger than my son. Hm.¡± The king stares at him once more, then sighs as he shifted positions. ¡°Dicter, my son will be leading a task force to search for your father¡¯s whereabouts. You will go with them.¡± Dicter jerks up, startled. ¡°What?! No, wait¨C¡± He grows quiet under the king¡¯s hard eyes. ¡°I¨CI¡¯ll go,¡± the pict says after a moment. ¡°You may leave. Everand, make sure you look after him. Curo would be mad at me if anything happened to his son.¡± Everand nods and turns to leave. ¡°One more thing.¡± Everyone pauses. ¡°Dicter. You said you don¡¯t know where your father is. That¡¯s not true, is it?¡± Dicter freezes. He gulps and slowly turns around before making eye contact with the king. ¡°South Pass. His last letter mentioned South Pass.¡± The king nods, then looks at Everand, who returns the nod. ¡°Then, Everand, if you could make sure your squad is outfitted for South Pass. No, actually. It would be better to take only half your squad. Go. Figure out who you are taking.¡± The group turns to leave once more. ¡°Yen Tao.¡± I pause. ¡°If I may speak with you.¡± The king waves everyone out of the room, including his retainers. I nod as everyone else leaves. ¡°Your thoughts.¡± ¡°I am not sure what to make of it. It is a strange situation.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± ¡°What worries me more is that this is not the first.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m glad it has occurred to you as well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the only thing worrying me, though.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°The system quest.¡± The kings eyes narrowed in thought. ¡°It is a strange thing, I will admit. What are your thoughts on it.¡± ¡°It¡­has an ominous air about it. I don¡¯t think it should be pursued.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± He tapped the edge of his chair. ¡°I shall keep it in mind then. What are you going to do?¡± I smile. ¡°I think I¡¯ll go on an adventure. Traveling with your son sounds interesting.¡± ¡°Haha. That would soothe my worries greatly. I appreciate it, Yen.¡± ¡°Anything for my king.¡± ¡°If only I were. Still, my young friend. Thank you. I worry. Enough of that. Now go. Pack what you need.¡±I smile again and leave with a bow. By the time the sixth bell rings, I find a group of eight people standing just inside the gate. As I walk up, Everand is talking to a wall guard. ¡°Are you sure, you want to go out? The sun is setting. I don¡¯t advise getting stuck out there in the dark.¡± ¡°No, as soon as Yen Tao gets here, we¡¯ll leave. Time is too important to wait until morning. We¡¯ll be fine. Yen Tao is a talented wardsman.¡± ¡°That¡¯s I am.¡± I walk up to him. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Only if you are.¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°What about at least taking horses?¡± The wall guard asks. ¡°No,¡± I say as we start heading out of the gate. ¡°You know the road doesn¡¯t go far south. They¡¯ll just die out there. Better without them.¡± The wall guard reluctantly nods. ¡°Fare thee well!¡± He yells. ¡°Fare thee well,¡± responds the prince. We pick up our pace as the gate slowly closes behind us. I cast a quick ward to increase speed, shaping the rune with mana instead of normal ingredients. Not as effective, but more practical. It¡¯s not long before we come to the end of the road. The lantern there flickers ominously in the dimming light. As an almost ritual, we all hold our breath as we step off the last stones of the ancient road. Before us lies the Forest of Niwl, dark and foreboding even in daylight, at twilight it¡¯s mists feel like the clammy hands of death. The trees stand out like pale bones. ¡°I hate this place,¡± I mutter as I cast [torch light] and a ward to keep the mist and monsters at bay. Small floating balls of light flicker into existence as the mist rolls back. ¡°Well, come on.¡± I wave them forward, glancing at Dicter who I find surprisingly subdued. He still sports a grimace on his face, though. The walk, though creepy, is smooth for the first couple of hours. After that, we begin to stumble on monsters. I recast the ward as the Everand and his squad kill each monster. They¡¯re not a threat. Not yet anyway. They will be. We¡¯re moving. Wards, even quick, are effective at keeping monsters away up to a certain extent, but that does nothing if we walk right into them. A certain amount of time is needed for the effects of the ward to work. It¡¯s like ripples in a pond pushing a leaf away, but if the center of the ripples is moving, it can still run into the leaf. The other problem is the quick wards themselves. And the mist. Quick wards don¡¯t have a very long lifespan. A couple of hours at most before they lose their effectiveness. I have to keep recasting them, which consumes much of my mana, almost more than my regeneration can handle. This mist makes it worse. It degrades the wards faster. ¡°Everand. I¡¯m beginning to run low. We¡¯ll need to stop for a while,¡± I say. Everand nods. I set up a quick ward on the ground with silver sand. And every one rests inside. ¡°The mist will get thicker from here,¡± I say as I sit down on a log. ¡°You¡¯ve been here before?¡± Dicter asks. ¡°Yeah, he has. Plenty of times. It¡¯s the only reason we¡¯re going through Niwl forest instead of around. This freak here has wandered to many places.¡± Everand responds. ¡°Won¡¯t we get lost though? Everyone gets lost in Niwl.¡± ¡°Aw, Bunyip, are you nervous?¡± Tael asks Dicter.Bunyip?I raise an eyebrow. ¡°We won¡¯t get lost,¡± Reinhardt says. ¡°He has a skill.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s more like a few skills that I use with a particular ward¨C¡± I stop and flip around to look at a place just outside my ward. ¡°Everand,¡± I say in a low voice. ¡°Get ready. Something¡¯s coming.¡± The air flickers and a pale body appears suddenly. Behind me I hear the ringing metal of swords being released from sheaths. ¡°That¡¯s¨C?¡± I hear a guard names Derik say. ¡°Is that a gwisin?¡± Dicter finishes. The gwisin turns towards us, blood dribbling down his chin. A mildly confused look crosses his pale eyes. I notice something in his hands. He brings it to his lips and takes a bite. ¡°An¡­arm? A severed arm,¡± I say. A slight shiver passes through me. ¡°Should we attack?¡± Tael asks. Everand makes a sign to hold. The gwisin chews and swallows. A wistful sigh leaves his mouth. ¡°Ah,¡± he says in a low voice. ¡°I want her.¡±
Status Menu
Name:Yen Tao Race:Quilin Level:23 (38,820/52,900)
Health:280/280 (14/min) Mana:310/310 (38/min) State:Normal
Strength:10 Endurance:7 Dexterity:13
Focus:13 Will:19 Accuracy:14
[¦®]
Fame:18,400
Titles: |Unusual| |Umbrella Maker| |Wanderer| |Swordsman| |Adventurer| |Merchant| |Wardsman| |Honorary King¡¯s Guard| |Friend of Royals| |Greater Wardsman|
Skills: [Insight IX][Warding X][Quick Ward VII][Counter VI][Torch Light VI][Talisman IV][Sense IX][Magnetic Ripple IV]
3.3 - The Core Dungeon cores. If there were any left in the world, their value would be untold. Many assume that dungeon cores are helpful in casting spells, that one is able to draw on them as a power source. This is a common myth, mostly because of the stories of dungeon cores powering the cities of old. The stories are indeed true, but still, one will never be able to draw mana from a dungeon core. No, dungeon cores are material. They are a necessary ingredient for the most powerful wards. The ones that power the cities of old. Futhermore, cores are enchantable, which increases any ward¡¯s potency. As such, if a core were to be found, one could start up the ancient ruins once more. ¡ªBarmir¡¯s Guide to the Unknown, 976 ¡°A tree.¡± I raise an eyebrow. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°On ice.¡± ¡°Yes. Strange.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The dungeon?¡± ¡°I thought dungeons were more¡­underground.¡± ¡°It¡¯s legendary.¡± ¡°True.¡± I eye the walls of ice before me and the tree that stood towering above them. ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± I say. ¡°You just ate.¡± I think back to the ice kraken that tried to pull me under. Now, its remains rested in my stomach. ¡°Still. It was cold. I want something warmer.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you eat the selkies?¡± ¡°They gave me meat. Plus¡­the suspicious one.¡± ¡°The one that watched you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I brush the hair out of my eyes. ¡°Lead me here.¡± ¡°Very kind of him. How¡¯d you know he would?¡± ¡°Hm¡­didn¡¯t. Just smelled better than the rest. Tastier. Rather eat him.¡± ¡°You are a picky eater.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Shall we go?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I walk into the maze. Time passes, and I feel increasingly frustrated. This is not my first dead end. ¡°How many is this?¡± ¡°Twelve.¡± I glance up at the top of the walls. ¡°Can¡¯t you [flicker] up there?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t. Can only [flicker] to places I can actually reach normally. I can¡¯t get up there. Besides it¡¯d be cheating.¡± ¡°So what about cheating.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it. It¡¯s like not following the road or not using the front door.¡± ¡°Idiot.¡± ¡°You do those too, though.¡± ¡°Only because I have to. I¡¯m a gwisin.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± I turn back the way I came. ¡°But unlike you, I hate these racial weaknesses. I can¡¯t go against them.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t. It¡¯s easier. Hurts less.¡± I turn right and walk a ways in silence. The ground suddenly collapses underneath me. I slip. As I fall, I reach out and manage to catch an edge, grunting as I slam into a wall. ¡°Trap, by the way.¡± ¡°You could have told me earlier.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± My eyebrows furrow at the spikes lining the bottom of the pit. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get hurt,¡± I mutter. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have died from that.¡± I pull myself up and see a string lining the path way. I walk over to it and crouch down. ¡°There weren¡¯t any traps earlier.¡± ¡°Must be we¡¯re going the right way.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I touch the string lightly, then pull back my finger. A line of blood begins to bead across my skin where I touched it. ¡°Sharp.¡± I gingerly step over it, continuing on at a much slower pace. I came to another dead end. ¡°I thought you said we were going the right way.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a dead end.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Everything looks the same.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Where do I go, then?¡± ¡°Back?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I turn and travel back the way I came, careful to step over the wire. I pick a different way. Once again, the ground collapses from underneath me. This time, I manage to [flicker] before it completely disappeared. I pear down into the hole. ¡°Dark.¡± ¡°Must go all the way to the sea.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Much deadlier. You would have frozen to death.¡± ¡°Scary.¡± I continue walking and come to a crossroad. ¡°Which way?¡± ¡°Just pick one.¡± I turn left. A faint rumbling sounds over my head. I lash out with [spontaneous gash]. Thick ice chunks rain down around me. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°The wall fell.¡± I look and see a gaping hole where the wall once stood. I frown. ¡°Move.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Move!¡± A faint smell of rotten oranges hits my nose. Wispy yellowish gas rises from the ice cluttered path. I [flicker] further ahead and begin to run. ¡°Poison?¡± I gasp. My muscles begin to spasm slightly. The ground breaks once more. I struggle to catch an edge, my [flicker] spell failing. I scream and pull myself up as quickly as I could. My foot feels like its burning, like its ready to fall off. I look down at it. My boot is melting and the skin underneath is flaking off. Smoke rises off of it. I look over the edge. A pool of filmy white liquid rests at the bottom. ¡°What is that?¡± I choke. ¡°Acid.¡± ¡°It hurts. It hurts so much.¡± ¡°It feels nice.¡± ¡°It hurts.¡± I pour water over my leg and strip the boot off. My foot feels boiling and freezing all at the same time. I wash it off and rub healing salve over it, then bind it. I dig around for another shoe in my item bag. I growl at the pain. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Are you turning back?¡± ¡°No.¡± I reach out and cast [spontaneous gash]. I had to cast it twice before it succeeded. Scrapes formed all along the walls and path I was on. Several traps fired. Arrows of ice shot out, walls and floors collapsed. One pit had the distinctive red glow of lava floating in its depths. I stood and limped to the end of the path where it split once more. I picked a random one and repeated my actions with [spontaneous gash]. Traps fired when the scrapes touched them. ¡°Much better.¡± ¡°Wastes mana. You¡¯re poisoned. You¡¯re skills are failing to cast more and more.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll make a mistake and die if I don¡¯t.¡± Continuing this process, I move on. Not long, I come across a hall thrashed by [spontaneous gash]. I stare in confusion. ¡°I¡¯ve been here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gone in a circle?¡± ¡°No. The tree is in a different position.¡± ¡°What is it then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. What will you do?¡± ¡°Continue forward.¡± I walk past the shredded walls. Turning right brings me to an open area. A wave of intense heat washes over my face and a red glow fills the air. ¡°A moat.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s filled with lava.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a bridge.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The thin ice bridge spanning the wide moat filled with bubbling lava makes me wary. It reminds me of a string of spider¡¯s silk just waiting to break. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense. Why is there lava flowing over the top of ice.¡± ¡°Because of the dungeon.¡± I sigh as I approach the bridge with growing hesitation. I take a step on it. My foot slips, almost sending me straight over the edge into the boiling liquid. ¡°Nope. Not doing that.¡± I take a deep breath and gather my mana. I strain and manage to cast [flicker], appearing on the other side of the moat. The drain of mana hits me as I¡¯m almost immediately attacked by something. I draw a knife as my arm is slashed. Whirling around, I search for my assailant. I feel the skin of my back slice open. I spin and manage to catch a glimpse of silver. I close my eyes, tracking whatever it is with [heat sense], but the lava is washing everything out. I cast [apparition]. Dim figures appear. My attacker launches at them as I bring my knife across its back. It falls to the ground. The whole maze rumbles for a second as I reach down and pick it up. I pause, looking around me before examining my dead attacker. ¡°A fish?¡± I shrug and place it in my mouth. Juicy flesh rolls over my tongue. I flinch. I pull the half-chewed fish out of my mouth. The maze rumbles again, but I ignore it, poking at the sharp edges of the fishes scales. I run my tongue over the bleeding cuts on the inside of my mouth. ¡°Ow.¡± I pick out the meat and gingerly eat it, throwing the rest of it into the lava. I keep a piece of its tail. Then, I tend to my wounds before heading into the rest of the maze. The traps in the second half are almost exactly the same as the first half, only swarming with monsters, most of which are made of ice, which makes them trickier. I run into swarms of flying fish made out of ice, almost as sharp and harder to kill. It was hard to target them with [poltergeist]. It was easier, but more mana intensive to just blindly attack with [spontaneous gash]. By the end of it, my clothes were shredded. I had to put on new ones, but slowly, the chill began to invade. After the fight with the giant ice octopus, I had to pull out one of my few mana potions. This place was slowly draining me of mana, and I wasn¡¯t generating enough for the upkeep. My health was steadily dipping too, and in the fight with an akhlut made of ice, I was hit by another gas trap. The new poison reduced my health regeneration to zero. My skills still failed about half of the time. ¡°This is hard.¡± I sit, drinking a health potion. I didn¡¯t have many of these either. I glance down at the remains of my recent fight. Two ice golems at once. One, another akhlut, and the other was an oversized owl cat. The worst thing was that I couldn¡¯t even eat them. They were just chunks of ice. ¡°I want to eat!¡± I wail. ¡°No point in crying.¡± I sigh and continue on. The fights continue to get harder. I begin to have to rely more and more on my knife whenever my skill fails. I come across more and more golems each time, having to fight off flying fish while an octopus is attacking, humanoids who fought in close quarters while floating eira launched icicles at me, and the cursed aklut and owl cat combination. Of course, throughout this the combinations of various golems shifted, and more than once I tripped over a trap while battling.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I almost wanted to give up, to turn back. It was too hard. Why was I doing this? But the small growing seedling of annoyance, hate, hunger, and curiosity drove me on. ¡°So this is what a legendary dungeon is like. I haven¡¯t even made it to the tree.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a mess.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± It was true. There wasn¡¯t an inch of skin I had left that hadn¡¯t been mauled in some way, either by the golems or by the traps. I had been in this horrid maze for days, most of it spent in the long dark of nights with little sleep. Sometimes I¡¯d come across turns I had taken before, or corpses I had slain. A distinct feeling rose up inside of me as I once more came across the moat of lava. I was on the wrong side once again. ¡°This¡­the maze is moving.¡± ¡°Yes. It would seem so.¡± I give a laugh. My mind cracks and shifts. The laughter turns hysterical. ¡°This is so fun! Hahahahahahaha!¡± Days later, I finally make it out of the maze. Bloodied and starving, poisoned once again from the traps, my back shredded by a splash of corrosive acid, and completely out of spare clothes and only one of each potion, my gaze travels up the massive weeping tree. The branches sway in the wind as I smiled with glee. I step through the thick layer of branches and come out the other side covered in fresh bloody scratches festering with acid. ¡°It hurts.¡± ¡°It feels good.¡± ¡°The branches scratched me.¡± ¡°They were also covered in acid.¡± ¡°It hurts.¡± A lake stretches out before me. Lights from houses twinkle on the water. What looked like large hanging lanterns dangled from the branches overhead. A bridge spans the lake. It reminds me of the one spanning the lava moat. I shudder. I had to cross it five times. It was scary. There were traps. It was slick, and I almost fell several times. The last time I crossed it, the bridge completely fell apart. I did not want to cross this bridge. I tested the water. It bit at me. ¡°It¡¯s acid.¡± ¡°It¡¯s acidic. Less of an effect than regular acid.¡± ¡°Still no good.¡± ¡°Not enough mana.¡± ¡°Sleep for a bit. I¡¯ll keep an eye out.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t take over.¡± ¡°No. Not enough mana to cross the bridge. Too dangerous. I¡¯ll wait.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I take out my bedroll and fall asleep on the bank of the lake next to the bridge. When I wake up, my mana is full. After a few times casting [flicker], I make it across the bridge into some kind of pavilion with a cave leading into the tree. I enter. The first floor is harmless enough. I explore it and find two sets of stairs leading both down and up. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, I choose the stairs heading up. What follows is another maze even more frustrating than the previous one, if it could be. The traps come from all around. Acid sometimes pours from above; sometimes the ceiling cracks and falls on me, once even lava. I narrowly avoided that one. The poison is more potent. It has less area to disperse. There are still pits where the floor falls away, sometimes even the bottom of the whole room disappears. One I fell into turned out to be a slide straight into lava. I managed to catch myself by digging my knife into the wall on the way down. It was the worst hours of my life trying to climb out again. [Flicker] wasn¡¯t able to bring me all the way out, just took me up in short bursts which caused me to slide down again. There weren¡¯t as many golems. The bigger ones from the maze outside were scaled down and it was easier to maul them all with [spontaneous gash] right as I entered the room, especially with the room packed with those stupid flying fish. These rooms shifted too. I cursed the world and everything in it when I managed to fall down the same slide when I came across it again. ¡°I hate this dungeon! I hateIhateIhateIHATE!!!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It needs to die! Diediediediedie die. I¡¯m going to kill it. Rip it to pieces. Tear it apart in the most painful way. Feast on its flesh. I hate it. Hate it!¡± I slash at the golem in front of me. ¡°Yes.¡± It falls to the floor. With heavy breaths, I enter the next room. It was a big room. Another wave of heat assails me, and I groan. ¡°I hate lave so much.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°This room is completely covered in it.¡± ¡°Yes. There are islands though.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I leap to an island. It was small. More of a stepping stone than an island. A trail of them led to the doorway on the other side. The lava bubbles and boils turbulently, and after I leap across two more stones, it bursts into a fiery pillar. Two large eyes slide open in the pillar, so big they could swallow me. I barely manage the goops of lava launched from the pillar as it shakes. It¡¯s another giant octopus, only this time, its skin is lined with flowing rivulets of lava. It groans as it breathes. ¡°That¡¯s not a golem.¡± ¡°No, but those are.¡± I turn and notice smaller octopuses made of lava, barely discernible as the float in the stuff. ¡°Ah.¡± This is going to be interesting. I grin. I begin launching skills. [Haunt] and [apparition] to keep the giant one busy. The room darkens in a strange way. Ghosts begin to flicker in and out of existence around the giant. Its eyes widen and track them around the room. It scoots back and lashes a flaming tentacle at the ghosts. The tentacle only passes through empty air and slams down on the ocean of lava. I jump another island to avoid the resulting splash, then cast [poltergeist] on several of the golem octopuses and raise them out of the lava, numbing them with [chill] and [cold grip]. Their struggle in the air slows and their bodies begin to solidify and harden. They lose their rosy glow and become solid chunks of rock. I launch them at the large one. They slam against its body and in particular, its eyes. It begins to flail around blindly. From there I continue to wear it down, alternating between [spontaneous gash] and launching the solidified lava golems while avoiding its blind attacks. After a hard few minutes of attacking and dodging, the thing finally goes down. I heave as it slowly sinks into the lake of magma. ¡°Hard.¡± I struggle to breath. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Too hard.¡± In disappointment, I eye the corpse. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to eat it.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± I say. It sounds sad in my ears. ¡°Was that the last boss?¡± ¡°Probably. Shall we go?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I turn and leave, pulling out my last health potion as I do. I down it, leaving the room. The short stairway opens up and I find myself at the very top of the tree. It¡¯s a strange place filled with pillows and lights trailing on string overhead. The branches of the tree form a canopy above us. I notice the akhlut first. A live one, not a golem. There is a man as well, holding a pair of short swords in his hands. I frown. Strange that he would be here. Then I see the golem, still made of ice but different from the others. It felt more alive, with finer craftsmanship and details. I green glow emanates from its, no, her eyes. A shiver runs through me. Here is the center of the dungeon. I can feel it. She is the dungeon core. The other two hover protectively around her. Out of the corner of my eye I notice a swarm of flying fish much like the one I first fought. There is also a natural owl cat and an eira behind the core, and a few more ice golems and two lava ones roaming around the top of the platform. They all stare at me warily. I smile and spread out my arms. ¡°Well. Here I am,¡± I say. ¡°So, dungeon core. May I eat.¡± A angry light flashes through her eyes for a second, then disappears. ¡°I ask you to leave.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then, please die.¡± She raises her hand and launches several icicles my way along with a bout of poisonous gas. Once again, I am poisoned. My [flicker] fails. I roll to dodge out of the way. My [heat sense] flares and I raise my knife to block the sword swinging down on me. I launch the man with [poltergeist]. He tumbles into the eira. The paw of the akhlut slams into me, and I slide to the edge of the platform. The swarm of fish launch at me. I growl and cast [spontaneous gash]. Much of the swarm is instantly shredded, but the rest slip past and begin to slice me apart. I [flicker] out of it, also casting [apparition] and [haunt] as I do. The surroundings turn into a mess of confusion. It¡¯s like the gates of the underworld have opened as myriads of gristly ghosts scream and swirl through the air. Carefully, I begin to layer on to the illusion. Each ghost brings a deathly [chill] as it passes through others and they begin leaving long [spontaneous gashes] on their victims as the close in. I keep track of my enemies using [heat sense], occasionally flickering in and out of the fray with [flicker] to spread more confusion. Fear begins to build. I can taste it, see it in their eyes. I cast [frenzy]. Pain rushes through me because of the skill. But along with that pain came an intense feeling of joy and madness. I begin to laugh. I can¡¯t help myself. In a strange way, I can feel the crack in my mind beginning to mend. The two sides of my mind come together. I am whole once more, but in a horrible way. The world is just a rush of colors. I want to break it. I want to take it apart. I want to eat. I want. Iwantwant want. I [flicker] suddenly in front of the core, stare at it with longing and a crazed grin smeared across my lips. The madness and horror of my ghosts still swirls behind me. She stares at me with veiled terror. That emotion. It¡¯s still buried. I need to bring more of it out. I reach out and stroke her cheek with my hand, leaving a jagged gash in the skin as I do. She gives a small sound, and the terror rises just a bit. The akhlut bellows and charges at me, ignoring the wounds of the haunting ghosts. My other enemies are too busy with my ghosts to notice. I growl as [flicker] fails, making me dodge to the side. In return, I tear out a huge chunk of skin from its side. It roars and slips as pain courses through it. It slides on its wound a few painful feet. Catching the eye of the core, I begin to eat. To chew. To swallow. Over and over again, the pieces of dripping red meat slide down my throat like silk. My eyes flutter. It¡¯s good. It¡¯s good. It¡¯s good. It¡¯s good. It¡¯s good. I need more! I [flicker] next to the akhlut and tear a thick strip of skin from its leg with my own fingers. It screams again and lashes at me with its tail. I [flicker] back before it hits, only to be hit by a flying piece of ice. It pierces me in my stomach. I turn and look at the core. She had launched it at me. Slowly I bring up the piece of meat and swallow it whole with eyes on the core the whole time. She shivers in horror and anger, her emotions much more distinct than before. I shiver as well, but with the pleasure that her reaction brings me. It feels good. So good. So good. So good. ¡°Hahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahhahahahha!¡± I laugh. The pain of the piece of ice in my stomach only makes me laugh harder. The man comes at me swinging once more. I fail to [flicker] once again. The sword rips through the muscle of my arm. I manage to seize him with [poltergeist]. A chill rushes through my veins and my movements slow. I turn and see the eira casting a skill. Frowning, I launch one of the man¡¯s swords at it, but it dodges. Flying fish begin to harry me again, and the core launches a sphere of lava in my direction. I feel tendrils of ice beginning to slither up my legs as well as the bite of acid. I [flicker] out of it, still holding the man in the air. The owl cat flies at me. I narrowly dodge its reaching claws. It still manages to catch and tear off a part of my ear. I grimace realizing I had forgotten about the stupid bird. I glance around. Most of my ghosts are managing to occupy the golems. It¡¯s a stale mate between them, though my ghosts are slowly beginning to win against them. That leaves the others mostly free of my ghosts. The akhlut is trying to stand while being harried by two of my ghosts. The owl cat is swooping around again, and the eira is trying to catch me in another spell. The few fish left are regrouping. I am still holding the man. He struggles vainly. I cast [cold grip], but it fails. The core herself is trying to deal with the ghosts attacking her companions and myself. She manages to obliterate several ghosts with globs of acid or lava. I frown at her split attention. That needs to change. I [flicker] in front of her once more. She flinches. ¡°Look,¡± I say. ¡°Look. Only at me. Look.¡± She lashes out with her fist. A solid punch connects to my face. Pain blossoms as I stumble back. I look at her and see her foot just before it connects with my head. My grip on the man loosens and he slips to the ground. I feel my hair tear as the owl cat swoops and gets a solid grip on it. I try to [flicker] but it fails. Another punch lands on my face, and I swoon dizzily. An icicle, this time from the eira, punches through my shoulder. That sharp pain wakes me up, and I manage to [flicker] away just as the man¡¯s sword slices through the air where I stood. I reach up and touch my stinging cheek. ¡°HAhahahahahahaa. Good! Goodgoodgoodgoodgood! This is fun. Fun. So much fun.¡± I grin, the end of the sentence coming out more of a growl than a real word. The akhlut finally manages to get to its feet, swatting away the two ghosts, which disappear. I can feel my mana draining quickly, the effects of [frenzy] are beginning to wear off. I drink my last mana potion. ¡°Well.¡± I [flicker], appearing behind the core. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this then,¡± I whisper in her ear. She spins around to face me. I grin. She glances at me with a mixture of surprise, pain, and horror, all her emotions fresh on the surface. I bask in the feeling as she stares at my hand lodged in her chest right at the heart. Her confusion flutters away, replaced by rage. I didn¡¯t even see the punch she launched into my gut. I double over, coughing as I¡¯m forced to pull my hand from her chest. ¡°I forgot,¡± I sputter. ¡°You¡¯re a golem. Don¡¯t have a heart.¡± Ice swirls up around my legs once more, stinging with acid. She covers a fist with a layer of lava and punches me again in the stomach. I scream. ¡°It hurts! Hurtshurtshurtshurts!¡± I lash out, managing to catch her in the side of the head. Her face cracks and I see a glowing green gem within. I feel her companions close in as I grasp at it with [poltergeist], tearing it from her head before I [flicker] away. Her monsters spin around to face me as I cradle the gem in my hands. I ignore them as I look at it. ¡°Give her back!¡± The man yells, running towards me. ¡°No,¡± I say, lifting a finger and running it along the edge of the crystal. I chip a piece of it off. A long scream wracked with pain sounded from the gem. ¡°Beautiful,¡± I say. I lift the piece to my lips and place it in my mouth. I almost spit it out. It tasted like dirt and mold and rock. It was disgusting. An icicle piercing through my thigh causes me to swallow it instead. I choke, almost dropping the gem. Again, the man slashes at me with his remaining sword. I curse as my [flicker] fails, dodging the sword by a hair. This man. Dangerous. He good with his sword. I¡¯ve almost died too many times. If I didn¡¯t have [flicker]¡­ I quickly grab a hold of his arm and cast [spontaneous gash], aiming at his neck. He twists almost in midair and leaps back, leaving his arm in my grasp. He grits his teeth as he falls to the ground. The gem gives a wail and the whole tree shakes. A massive glob of lava appears overhead. I [flicker] as it comes splashing down. A few droplets that I failed to dodge sting on my skin. I look down at the gem. Her light pulses in swirling shades of green. I can feel her emotions roiling in its depths. Anger, hate, despair. It was lovely. Lovely. So lovely. Lovely. I want. I want her. I want her. I want her. ¡°I want!¡± I take a bite of the arm I am holding. Blood dribbles down my chin. My mind breaks in half once more as the effects of [frenzy] fade. My ghosts fade away, leaving behind shards of broken golems. The remaining monsters stare at me hesitantly, ready to charge at my slightest move. Every one of them was hurt though, dripping blood much like myself, straining to keep from loosing consciousness from the loss of it. ¡°I want,¡± I repeat. The man¡¯s eyes flash in confusion and pain. Everyone else just continues to stare. ¡°To eat?¡± ¡°No,¡± I say as I grin down at gem. ¡°I want to make you a gwisin. I want you as a mate.¡± I feel a shiver run through the gem, as well as a strong sense of rejection. The world warps around me. It flips on itself, twisting and turning. I lose sense of everything. When I find myself again. I¡¯m standing in the middle of a forest. A group of armored people stare warily at me. I glance at them in confusion as they whisper to each other. Where am I?And where is she? The core. I don¡¯t have her anymore. Where is she? I take another bite of the arm, slowly chewing as I run my mind over the recent fight. I sigh. ¡°Ah,¡± I say in a low voice. ¡°I want her.¡±
Status Menu
Name:Yul Yeong Race:Gwisin Level:34 (3,581,793/11,560,000)
Health:65/370 (0/min)* Mana:220/620 (5.2/min)* State: State:Poisoned; Cold ¡ª(Skills have a 30% chance of failing; -50% of health and health regeneration reduced to 0; Mana regeneration reduced by 90%; Strength, Accuracy, and Endurance reduced to 2)*
Strength: 2* Endurance: 2* Dexterity:9
Focus:33 Will:26 Accuracy: 2*
[¦®]
Fame:12,200
Titles: |Impersonal| |Creepy| |Cold| |Raw Foodism| |Crazy| |Hair-raising| |Adventurer| |Mercenary| |The Ghost| |Dissonant Laughter| |Remorseless Killer| |Cannibal||Illusionist||Faceless| |Multiple Personalities|
Skills: [Cold Grip VIII][Chill VI] [Heat Sense X][Spontaneous GashVII][Haunt III][ApparitionV][Frenzy IV][Poltergeist VII][Flicker VIII] [Ward Resistance III]
3.4 - Aftermath After the War of 812¡­the slavers came. The aftermath that occurredwas worse, so much worse than the war itself. After our warriors left to fight on the plains to the east, we were trapped in our own city, no where to run, with the oceans to our back and the enemy surrounding us¡­ The plains were a trap. We could see the fires burning from our walls, hear the screams of our men drifting on the breeze. We knew the war was lost. So, we surrendered, let down the gates. Some chose death instead, leaping to their death in the frigid waters of the ocean below. The rest, we had to watch our home burn as we traveled in chains to the iron mine. ¡ªGwen I scream, brimming with a seething fiery rage as I slam my fist into my punching bag. ¡°Idiot! You¡¯re such a stupid idiot!¡± I bellow at myself, trying to avoid looking at any of it¨Cthe aftermath. If I do, I¡¯ll wallow in self-pity, and I am not doing that again. So I bottle up my anger and let its scalding heat flow through me, drowning out the need to fall into utter despair. I slam my fist again. It had been utter disaster. Everything had been ruined. All but two of my ice golems were gone. The maze was wrecked. The wards had been completely ignored, like he didn''t even notice them. The tree had massive gashes tearing open the sides of its trunk, looking like the tree had leprosy or something. Most of its branches snapped and tumbled down into the lake. Not a room inside remained stable. It threatened to make the whole tree split and keel over. I had shored it up the best I could, but I was in no mood to do anything more. Basically, everything I had mad was trashed by one single man. It didn¡¯t console me at all that the underwater roots had been mostly untouched. While all this had been devastating, it wasn¡¯t the worst. No, the part that had me almost in a blubbering pile was all the pain. The pain of losing more than half of my fish. Losing the golems had hurt, but not nearly as much. The first fish down in the maze¡­I don¡¯t know how it had gotten down there. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be there. The monster had eaten him. And killed the others. My lip quivers. To distract myself, I slam my fist again. Ah¡¯m was hurt. Again. He hadn¡¯t even fully recovered from the hole in his stomach. Now he has long, red raw patches where the skin and muscle were peeled from his side. He was still awake at least. Grumbling, but awake. Nattiq had slipped into a coma or something. He had lost a whole arm. It had been my fault. All my fault. I punch hard, gritting my teeth. I was completely useless. We were awful, uncoordinated, and tripping over each other as a fighting unit. That monster was terrifying. It disappeared. Reappeared in the worst places possible. Even¨Ceven poisoned, even covered in blood, he just became more terrifying. He didn¡¯t need to touch to attack. A swipe of his hand through the air brought so much pain. You didn¡¯t know what he was aiming at. You didn¡¯t know which direction the attack came from. He could throw you, lift you up in the air and tear you apart, all without touching anything. I saw it all. And his ghosts. You couldn¡¯t touch them. Nothing seemed to work. You could only keep attacking in desperation as they swooped down, swooped through you, dragging their sharp, freezing nails through your insides. I lean my head against the punching bag, gasping, trying to calm my breathing. Hyperventilating would not solve anything. I grip the fabric hard. Somehow, somehow, we survived. Barely. By the skin of our teeth. I¨CI don¡¯t really know how. I had panicked. I wanted him gone so bad I just pushed, pushed as hard as I could. He¡­slipped. Slipped through something. Disappeared, but in a way that I knew he was gone. Yet I could still feel him. Strongly. He was far, far to the south. It felt hot and arid. Dry. I reached up to my face, then dropped my hand before I touched it. A small part of my core pounded. It was painful, the constant throbbing. My connection with the monster throbbed in time with it. I didn¡¯t want to think about it. This throbbing. I had felt it, back before, a day or so after I had been identified as legendary. I ignored it. Now it¡¯s come back so much stronger. I push the thoughts away, not wanting to ponder them. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot,¡± I say. ¡°That skill, [Tranquility]¡­.¡± It was cold. It was me but at the same time it wasn¡¯t. It was like I was a shadow of myself. I didn¡¯t like it. It did safe my life, though, our lives. Raw instinct had flowed through me. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot.¡± In this world, I am a dungeon. In this world, to survive, I have to be a dungeon. There¡¯s no other way. When I first woke up, I had nothing except a few vague memories and a packet of foreign instincts. I had shied away from them, deeming my memories to be important. The instincts scared me. I pushed them back into the corners of my mind and tried to forget. Tried to continue living as a human. This is where it got me. Woefully unprepared for what was coming. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t¡­If it hadn¡¯t¡­Would I have died?¡± Instincts weren¡¯t the curse I thought they were. They were a boon, a manual to how to live in this world. There was so much information I had access to, but never realized it. I didn¡¯t even know I could turn to the System for answers. I stare down at my hands. But¡­as much as it had saved me, I don¡¯t want to turn unfeeling again. The instincts that had awoken were now warring with my emotions inside. It was turmoil. Instinct tells me I me stone. Emotion tells me I am human. I¡¯m not sure they¡¯ll ever reconcile. Because, I died in my last life. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever reconcile with that. I knew that dying wasn¡¯t something that could be called unfair. It couldn¡¯t be called wrong, or something that wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. Death didn¡¯t work like that. But at the same time the feelings raged in me. It was. It was unfair. It was wrong. It wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. I touch a spot on my stomach. Why did it? Why did death happen. Why did I die? Why did other people have to die, too? My hands shake. I remember, during the fight, I only could continue fighting because of [tranquility]. If it wasn¡¯t for that¡­ But it broke down midway through the fight. The instincts keeping me from panicking seeped out of me, returning to their former place. Emotion welled up, washing over me. I found myself fighting for my life. And a few seconds later, I found a hand through my heart. My hand went to the place. If I was a human, I¡¯d be dead. His face. The glee it held. The joy, exhilaration, madness gleaming in his eyes as he plunged his hand into my chest. I shudder. He ripped me out of my head after that. I had almost broken completely down there, both mentally and physically as he ran a finger across the edge of my core. He was going to kill me. I drop to my knees and hug myself to suppress the shudders. The pain flares in my core, the place where he dug his nail in, the place where he tore a piece of me out and swallowed it. It felt like someone digging out my brain with a toothpick, poured lava through my veins, and skinned me all at once. I thought I had died. After he disappeared, I couldn¡¯t function. I don¡¯t know if it was because of the pain of having a piece chipped out of me or the after effects of [tranquility]¨CI suspect it was both. I could not think. It hurt. Waves of pain and exhaustion washed over me, and I almost passed out. A little piece of me remembered, though. It was a slice of information I found when the instincts had taken over. I pull up the information again. It¡­I need to mull over it. It changes a lot of things¡­ It was the sole fact that a person¡¯s mana dwelled in the blood. They could increase their mana by drawing it in through the pores and refining it. Using mana would draw it out of the bloodstream and into the muscles. Regeneration was just the rate at which the mana returned to the bloodstream. Most people wouldn¡¯t go through the process of refining natural mana. It was tedious, slow, and slightly painful. The art was becoming lost over the generations. Most used a catalyst that happened whenever they leveled up to increase their mana. Whenever a monster was killed by a person, they receive a part of the monster¡¯s soul. That soul translates into experience points. When enough soul is connected, it shows as a level up, which means that the soul coalesces into two droplets, which can be used to refine your body or mind. The soul is the catalyst that draws in natural mana at a pace impossible if you were to refine it yourself. It infuses your body or your blood with mana, increasing your mana capacity¨Cthe mana in your blood¨Cor your overall health¨Cmana that dwells in your bones and seeps out whenever the body is hurt to repair it. My System is different. I don¡¯t have blood. I can¡¯t store mana in blood. I can¡¯t collect pieces of souls. I have no experience points. Instead, I draw in natural mana. I store it in my core. I don¡¯t have to refine it to use it. That¡¯s why I can never qualify as a mana battery. I am one, technically. I gather mana from the atmosphere. But people can¡¯t use natural mana. It¡¯ll seep right out of them before they can even try to use it, damaging their veins in the process. Wards don¡¯t have that problem though. They can run off of natural mana or refined mana. I found out that the ward I made will never run out of mana because they are connected to me. Why this is important. For one thing, natural mana always has a tint, which is what people have to refine out. If it comes from somewhere cold, the natural mana will chill. If it¡¯s hot, it¡¯ll burn. If it¡¯s dry, it¡¯ll dehydrate. If it¡¯s wet, it¡¯ll drown. If it sits in a dungeon core long enough, it won¡¯t even enter something that doesn¡¯t belong to the domain. Basically, the natural mana I draw in, I own it. No one else can take it. Ah¡¯m and Nattiq joined my cause. On a low level, that means they joined my domain. The natural mana of my domain was available for their use. In a way, without even knowing, they¡¯ve been slowly increasing their mana without even knowing. They don¡¯t need to refine it because this natural mana only has my tint to it. Mana can speed up the bodies healing process. It can increase cell regeneration at a dramatic rate, but it can¡¯t replace what is lost. It will leave scars. But, in those last few moments of consciousness I had, desperate I reached out I found I could control the mana in their bodies. Not the most pleasant of ideas. I still find it creepy when I think about it. In short, I forcefully stopped the bleeding in both Ah¡¯m and Nattiq, directing their mana and my mana to their wounds, speeding up the healing process and closing them up. They didn¡¯t die from blood loss. I suck in a breath of air and hold it. It wasn¡¯t much. They¡¯re still littered with scars. The body can only take so much forcefully mana induced healing, but as long as they¡¯re not bleeding out, it¡¯ll heal. I¡¯m not sure if Nattiq will ever have an arm again, but I want to try to help him if I can. If I could make him a new one¡­ It was my fault¡­ After I woke up, I remade my body. Made sure my tree wouldn¡¯t fall down. Briefly checked on my injured, including the vent lord. He was beaten black and blue, but thankfully still alive. Then, I found my punching bag. That¡¯s it. I¡¯ve been beating on it for most of the day. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot.¡± If only I had known earlier. Known about a lot of things. I haven¡¯t been a dungeon at all. Just an idiot. I say I can take in mana directly. Have I ever? No. I haven¡¯t. I didn¡¯t even really know what mana was. I didn¡¯t know it was floating around me, ready for me to reach out and grasp it. The only way I knew to increase mana was from experience. And that was leveling and paths. It¡¯s almost humiliating. It feels like I¡¯ve gone my whole life without taking a breath, and now I finally figured out how to breathe. I¡¯ve been suffocating this whole time. The notification I get when I manage it the first time feels like it¡¯s mocking me.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Be careful not to lose any limbs down there. Your total health and mana take a hit. Same with losing too much blood. Health and mana potions can only do so much. The mana in cannot be fully refined. It will dissipate a while after use. ¡ª Beck Dewan before the Pit Congratulations! You¡¯ve crossed an important milestone. Level [22]!:You have learned what all dungeons are born to do. You just took a little longer than most.([Mana Absorption]: absorb natural mana from the air to boost the mana and the health of your domain; +10 path points.)
I reach out and feel the flow of mana around me. There were hints. I didn¡¯t see them, but they were there. Lines the System told me such as that eira were born from natural mana currents. I draw mana into my core. There¡¯s two layers to it, I discovered. I hadn¡¯t ever really looked inside myself before. The thought bugs me. It¡¯s a strange interplay between the two layers. They act as my blood and body. The outer layer was thick. It¡¯s mana was slow, its current was gentle, a dark forest green. I could feel it. It was my health. The inner layer was packed tight. Hard. The mana was fast, swirling, a vibrant green who¡¯s glow pierced through the outer layer. The mana that powered my skills. My core damaged. The crystal around that part was grey and sick, like it was decaying. My mana regeneration was trying to keep up. I could see it. Dark green would flow close to the gash, losing its color. The grey would green just a bit. The now dark mana would sink and fall into the center, the densely packed swirling vibrant green. It would then slowly regain color, a speck of dark green amidst the bright. Once it had, it would float up once more to the outer layer to repeat the process, the very slow process. The moment I cast a skill, however, the opposite occurs. The green mana shoots out from the center, touches the edges of my core, and loses color. It¡¯s translated as force on the outside world, force I use to manipulate things or whatever. After that, the mana slowly falls back to the center where it regains its color. The result: my core looks like a washing machine on the inside. It¡¯s super weird. And my emotions effect the vibrancy of it all. Drawing in mana from the outside is interesting. It takes a bit of effort to get it past the walls of my core, but once it does, it immediately travels straight to the center and is dyed bright green. My total mana goes up as the density of that center layer increases. Which is super good! Yay. But I haven¡¯t figured out how to increase my health, to get it to stick to that first layer instead of falling straight to the second. Which is sucking right now. My gash. It¡¯s the worst injury I¡¯ve gotten since I came to this world. It¡¯s long and deep. A little deeper and it would have started leaking my dark green mana. I can feel it. I shudder. Right now, it¡¯s at a balancing point. I¡¯m still loosing health. But my regeneration is just enough to keep it at where it is. So while it¡¯s still a dangerous state to be in, I won¡¯t die anytime soon. My regeneration just sucks. I don¡¯t know how to fix it. I don¡¯t even know if the gash in my side will be fixed if I increase my regeneration, either. I sigh, frustrated, and slowly work on increasing my mana capacity. Another worry niggles at me. Where is Niko? I can¡¯t find him anywhere. Originally, he was fighting in the school of sliver fish with me at the top of the tree, against that monster, the gwisin¨CI officially hate gwisins now. But, right after the fight started, I lost track of him. Right about when the ghosts appeared¡­ He wasn¡¯t dead. I could feel my connection to him. It was strenuous, but there. He just wasn¡¯t in my domain¡­ I hope he¡¯s alright. He feels far away. Another thing bothers me. These screens. I¡¯ve been ignoring them. They scare me, but I can manage to read through them now.
Your core has been severely damaged.
Yes, I know.
One of your skills has become damaged due to the damage to your core: [Golem Creation]¡ª(Can be programmed; Can be controlled remotely or directly driven for a total of 12 hours at a time (cool down: 12 hours); If creator is a dungeon, golem cannot move outside of dungeon¡¯s influence)
I grit my teeth. 20 active hours to 12. That hurts. Kind of a lot, but the next two screens help, just a bit.
If a projectilist is on the legendary level of the Hero of Tolbeth, he no longer is a projectilist. Rather, he is a siege weapon. ¡ª Master of Siege Arts Congratulations! Your mastery of the projectile is astounding. [Natural ProjectileIV]:Projectiles you launch have greater damage(3 inch projectile/ 5 mana; +10 blunt damage or +10 to piercing damage depending on projectile)
Why does no one use projectiles? They are difficult to master, as one must be a master of controlling mana to control projectiles. It¡¯s a simple skill to learn, a difficult one to improve. ¡ª Professor Halbalt on Projectiles Congratulations! You are natural with projectiles. [Natural Projectile V]:You can now merge materials you use for projectiles. You can now successfully use liquids as projectiles.(6 inch projectile/ 5 mana; added damage depending on material used; +10 piercing power to liquids)
They happened during the fight. I noticed. My projectiles suddenly got a whole lot more deadly. I think they were just waiting for a stressful situation to level up. Kind of annoying, though. I didn¡¯t have a chance to use all the effects of the second level up, though. I was too busy trying to survive to figure it out. It sounds really cool, though. I decide to try it real quick. I take a bit of lava and form a projectile. It looked kinda like a glowing makeshift arrow. I swirled it around in the air, playing with it. It was weird. You could tell it was still liquid, but, for the most part it kept its shape, especially at the tip. I launched it at the wall. It slammed into it like an arrow, drilling a good couple inches into the wall. Then the projectile fell apart, dripping lava down the wall. This¡­could be very deadly. Mixing ice into the projectile was even worse. The two were somehow kept separate even as they merged together. When slammed into the wall, the projectile dug in even further. The lava dripped down the wall; if it wasn¡¯t for [aura of protection], it would have begun melting it. The ice from the projectile actually created a layer of ice over the existing ice. The projectile had both burning and freezing effects. It made no sense¡­ Adding metal to the mix, made it even sharper and did more piercing damage. Acid added corrosive damage. The gas actually solidified into a poison. Now, I have a deadly sharp projectile with burning, freezing, corrosive, poisonous properties. I wonder how well that monster would have held up under this. I twirl the projectile around, some of my confidence coming back. I pause, thinking. I have path points. I chew on my lip before putting my path points into defender. I still didn¡¯t feel safe.
Let this moment linger. Let it stand still within the confines of time. Lest we forget what must not be forgotten. Lest we forget it to time. ¡ª Evensong of the Temple of the Sun Congratulations!{Defender IV (30/30)}Path:Complete. Through a twist of chance, completion of path causes ¡ª{Strategist II (55/55)} Path: Complete (+80 mana regeneration;{Defender V (0/50)}path;{Strategist III (0/95)} path;[Standstill I]:You are able to stop your perception of time¡¯s movement for a short while, but in that instance you cannot move. Can be used in conjunction with[Forewarn II](-120 mana/ sec))
This? What does this mean? If it does what I think it does¡­ I punch the punching bag to get it swinging, then try out the skill. Time slows down to a stop. The punching bag stops mid swing. My body grows heavy and I cannot move a single one of my muscles. But my thinking is sharp and clear. Strangely, [forewarn] activates. I can see the predicted path of the punching bag as one¡­two¡­three seconds pass. Time speeds up. The punching bag resumes its pendulum swing. I dodge and slam a high kick against its side as it swings pass, then step back. This could be very useful. I manage a small smile.
Status Menu
Name:Haven[Locked]¨CDevin Race:Legendary Dungeon Level:22* Attribute:Green
Health:64/313 (2.75/min) Mana:37/371 (4.1/min)* State: Damaged --(-2.75 health a minute)
Biomes:5* Floors:?%¦®] Named Monsters:4
Monsters:23* Animals:25,243 Plants:132,200+
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Path Points: 5*
Paths: {Beginner V (0/20)} {Ingenuity II (30/60)}{Valiant II (0/120)}{Defender V (0/50)}*{Architect I (0/50)}{Strategist III (0/95)}*
Skills: [Influence VI][Incorporation IV][Ambient Aura VII] [Plant Growth I][Green Thumb I] [Tamer II][Karma II][Natural Projectile V]*[Core Teleportation] [Epithet][Elemental Manipulation X][Biome Creation][Fluid Floors][Golem Creation] [Loyalty][Tranquility][Warding I][Forewarn II][Mana Absorption]*[Standstill I]*
Achievements: |Ingenuity!| |Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!||Creator of Wonders!||Leader!|
Causes:|?Against the World?|¡ª 4*
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Auras:|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|,|Aura of Fury|,|Aura of Souls|,|Aura of Protection|,|Aura of the Lost|, |Calming Aura|
Fire:Main,Magma Water:Main,Ice,Acid Earth:Main,Plants,Minerals,Metal,Wax Air:Main,Toxic Gas
3.5 - What Happened to Niko Sandstorm approaching. High winds to the south-west headed northward. According to weather ward, not an occurance based on natural weather patterns. Will hit South Pass at the seventh bell. All personnel advised to take cover and await orders. Watch tower is to keep eyes on storm. Watch for unusual changes.Code yellow with chance of changing to code red. High chance of source of storm being a sandworm migration. Activate battlements as preparation. Attack will commence on Wall Commander¡¯s order. Again. Sandstorm approaching. All personnel are advised to take cover and await orders. ¡ªWarning bell at South Pass Where? I wake. It hard wake up. Head hurt much. Thought. It warm. Much warm. Not good. Warm mean not cold. Not cold mean not by Home? Where Home? Where I? Scared. No. Need calm. Think. I help fight. I fight with brothers. Keep Home safe from Bad. Sharp. Slice through brothers. Falling. Brothers falling. Cold hand. Much same as grasping currents. I caught much like in net. Black? No more think. End of think. Where now? I in black. Black hurt. Rub wrong. Tight. I wiggle. I wiggle out. Much light. Cold hand grasp I. I startle. Different from before cold hand. Cold hand solid now. Cold hand scary. Where Home? ¡°This?¡± voice say. ¡°Fish.¡± ¡°Different. It looks different from the others.¡± Cold hand flip me on back. ¡°It has wings.¡± ¡°Yes. Where did it come from?¡± ¡°Ghosts. It¡¯s shiny. More like a rainbow than others. Ghosts like trinkets like that. Probably picked it up and wanted to show you.¡± I shake. Scary. ¡°Oh? This belongs to the core?¡± ¡°You going to eat it?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Cold hand flip me again. I see. It Bad Man that hurt Home. Bad Bad. No hurt Home. ¡°You. Gwisin. State your purpose in coming here?¡± Different voice say. It shiny man with shiny scales like brothers. Shiny brother? ¡°Hm?¡± Bad say. ¡°Ah. I¡¯ve no purpose. Could say I¡¯m lost.¡± ¡°Lost? How do we know you¡¯re not lying?¡± Shiny Man say. ¡°Everand,¡± say man with fish tail. He have pointy horn. And red tree that open and close. ¡°What would it matter if he were lying or not?¡± ¡°He could very well be trying to get close to us before eating us.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be biased, Captain, Sir. Gwisins generally mind their own. They don¡¯t attack randomly. I had a friend that was a gwisin. She was a fine adventurer, just a little quiet is all. You do have a supply, right, Gwisin?¡± Different man say. Man dull shiny. Man carry pointy stick. I not like pointy stick. ¡°Ah. I do.¡± Bad grin big, lifting up strange root. It bad grin. I shiver. ¡°He was eating an arm,¡± Shiny Man say. ¡°The arm¡­ is worrisome,¡± say Fish Tail Man, ¡°But I don¡¯t think he¡¯s lying. Considering how he appeared out of nowhere, he must have been caught up in a spacial fluctuation. It¡¯s rare, but it does happen from time to time. Who knows how far he is from where he started. Most important is that he is lost, Everand. We can¡¯t leave him here. Not in Niwl.¡± Fish Tail stare hard at Shiny Man. They talk through eye?Shiny Man give little nod. ¡°Forgive me if I¡¯m not as trusting as you two when it comes to puca.¡± Shiny Man turn away. ¡°Sorry, he means no offense.¡± Fish Tail give smile. ¡°None taken.¡± ¡°Where are you headed, Mister, ah¡­¡± ¡°Yul Yeong.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Fish Tail Man say. ¡°You see, We can¡¯t very well leave you here. This place¡­people get lost easily. It¡¯s not easy to find a way out. We¡¯re headed to South Pass. I must insist on you joining us for your own safety. Once we leave Niwl, then you can be on you way.¡± ¡°Niwl¡­ I can¡¯t. I¡¯m heading back up north.¡± ¡°North? I¡¯m sorry. We can¡¯t turn back. Our situation is¡­urgent. I must ask you to come peacefully with us.¡± Fish Tail flick finger. Make shiny light. ¡°Ah.¡± Bad frown. Light fall on Bad. ¡°A ward.¡± ¡°Just a precaution. Nothing more.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impressive. You are talented. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Yen Tao. Now if you would, we¡¯re resting for a few minutes more before we head out again.¡± ¡°Yen Tao¡­Well, a word of advice. Make sure your ward won¡¯t come lose. I wouldn¡¯t want something to happen¡­¡± Bad smile. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± Fish Tail follow eye of Bad when Bad look north. Bad squeeze cold hand. I hurt. Bad move closer to men, sit down on log and stretch out. I catch scent from Fish Tail. Home! I squirm. I bite, slip out of cold hand. Swim fast. Bump into Fish Tail. Scent not Home. Like Home, but not. Bad hiss with pain. ¡°What? What is this?¡± Fish Tail say. He hold me in warm hand. ¡°Mine,¡± say Bad. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s mine.¡± Bad frown. I hide in Fish Tail hand. ¡°He looks like he doesn¡¯t like you.¡± ¡°Mine.¡± ¡°Surely you¡¯re not going to eat him. He¡¯s not much of a mouthful, and considering your¡­snack earlier¡­¡± ¡°Give it.¡± ¡°Yen, what is it?¡± Shiny Man say. ¡°A fish of some sort. Come look at him. He¡¯s interesting.¡± Fish Tail move away from Bad. Bad growl as Shiny Man walk over. ¡°Look,¡± fish tail say. ¡°He¡¯s almost got wings.¡± Fish Tail touch fins. Feel strange, but I trust Fish Tail. Fish Tail smell much like Home. ¡°Weird. Can it fly?¡± ¡°Mm. Seems like it. It looked more like swimming, though. He¡¯s nothing like I¡¯ve ever seen before. Just what kind of fish is it?¡± ¡°Is it a sliver fish? I heard those could fly,¡± Shiny say. Bad stand. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. I haven¡¯t seen one, but the records say sliver fish are much sleeker, almost like a knife. They only live in the north¡­¡± Fish Tail look at Bad. ¡°It¡¯s mine. Give it back.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t think I will. Just consider this your payment for having us lead you through the Niwl.¡± ¡°Give. It. Back.¡± Bad swipe at Fish Tail. Sharp! Fish Tail, dodge! Hurt! But no, Fish Tail okay. Fish Tail open red tree and twirl. Sharp disappear on red tree. Fish Tail fast, appear before Bad, sharp pointy pulled from trunk of red tree poking Bad in neck. Fish Tail smile scary, but Fish Tail cool. I happy. ¡°You have a lot of cards up your sleeve even with me sealing your most utilized skill. I¡¯ll have to watch for that. Just so you know, the ward I casted is a prisoner¡¯s ward, a bit of an unusual one since it is a quick cast. Simply put, every time you show any aggressive tendencies, it will seal another of your skills and give you that nice little shock you¡¯re feeling at the moment. Not the most efficient, but it¡¯s the best I could do in such short notice. But, don¡¯t think for a second that I don¡¯t have something much much worse if you try something like this again.¡± Bad shake much. Bad bleed from biting tongue. Fish Tail back away when Bad fall to ground. ¡°Well,¡± Fish Tail say, brushing off hands. ¡°I think we¡¯ve rested enough. How about it, Everand? We ready to head out again?¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°You¡­what¡­are you?¡± Bad have trouble speaking. ¡°Me? Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m a Qilin?¡± ¡°Not¡­that¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re asking about my warding. You have resistance, don¡¯t you? That¡¯s surprising. I heard it¡¯s extremely difficult for a puca to acquire that skill. It makes me wonder how you did it. Not that you¡¯d be able to do anything against my wards at such a low level.¡± Fish Tail swirl red tree in hands. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Mmm no. You¡¯ll have to earn that answer. Now, I¡¯m heading out whether you people are or not. Take care not to get left behind. I wouldn¡¯t want to be you if you did.¡± ¡°Derik, help him up. We¡¯re leaving. You¡¯re in charge of the gwisin. Make sure he doesn¡¯t do anything,¡± Shiny Man say. Dull Man with pointy stick pull Bad up. Group start moving through creepy trees. Miss Home. Fish Tail look at I. ¡°You¡¯re from the north, right? The Rhew?¡± What that? I from Home. ¡°How did he?¡± Fish Tail look back at Bad. Shiny come close. ¡°I wish we could leave him here to get lost or die or whatever,¡± Shiny man say. ¡°You know we can¡¯t.¡± Fish Tail shake head. ¡°A feral puca this close to the Seven Cities¡­¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just kill him?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking me? Usually you¡¯re a stickler for the rules. He hasn¡¯t shown us any hostilities.¡± ¡°Hostilities? What do you call what just happened back there?¡± ¡°You know that wasn¡¯t real hostilities. He was just after the fish. Besides, I say feral, but he¡¯s a pretty well known adventurer. Do you want to get on the Union¡¯s bad side?¡± ¡°They won¡¯t know. He¡¯ll just disappear.¡± ¡°I wish I could say yes. He¡¯s too dangerous to keep alive. It seems even with the root, he¡¯s eaten people. He should be hanged for that, but there¡¯s a reason why he hasn¡¯t. This is Yul Yeong. You may not have heard of him, but I have.¡± ¡°Is he that dangerous? From what I see, with you here, we¡¯d be able to bring him down without any difficulties.¡± ¡°Normally, I¡¯d agree with you. He is stronger than a regular gwisin. From what I¡¯ve heard, he¡¯s got the perfect skill set for a gwisin, too, including one called [flicker], which is notoriously hard to get. It¡¯s also extremely hard to deal with. If I hadn¡¯t managed to seal it off when we first met him, it¡¯d be hard to touch him much less kill him. That isn¡¯t the problem. But yes, we¡¯d be able to kill him if it came to it.¡± ¡°Then what is the problem? You aren¡¯t one to hesitate even if the Union is involved. I am the one that is usually reluctant to deal with them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­He doesn¡¯t actually belong to the Union.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not an adventurer? Why is that a problem?¡± ¡°No, he is one. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s being loaned to them.¡± ¡°Loaned? By who?¡± ¡°Abred Meddwl.¡± Shiny spit weird word, look much angry. ¡°Why haven¡¯t I heard anything about this before. If he belongs to Abred, that¡¯s serious.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. You really should have heard of him. He¡¯s been making his way up and around the East Coast for a while now, even stopped by the Seven Cities a few years ago. The Traveler in Black, he¡¯s sometimes called. Or something like that.¡± ¡°Traveler in black? With a name like that, of course it wouldn¡¯t catch my eye. You know how many people wander around in black.¡± ¡°Your father¡¯s probably kept his eye on him. Small villages had a habit of disappearing along his trail. Not many, but enough for smart people to start putting two and two together.¡± Shiny grit teeth. Fish tail give insult? Rude. Hehe. ¡°So, we can¡¯t kill him.¡± ¡°Not likely. Not without triggering the [life] skill that¡¯s no doubt placed on him.¡± ¡°How obnoxious.¡± ¡°I know. Best plan is just to see if we can hole him up at South Pass. I don¡¯t know how long we can keep him there, though. There¡¯s something I want to ask him.¡± ¡°Speaking of South Pass. I don¡¯t believe Commander Llid has anything to do with the place. Even if he did, he wouldn¡¯t just up and go there, not with the situation as it is inAsterope. He¡¯s lying. Father knew it. I know it. You know it.¡± Shiny glance at weird man covered in blue swirly. Blue Swirly look angry, but stay in back. Bad walk too with men, muttering to self. Creepy trees creepy and creepy. I not like.I swim, sit on Fish Tail head. Fish Tail give smile. ¡°He¡¯s not lying. You can tell by his face that the letter did mention South Pass,¡± say Fish Tail. Shiny grunt, annoyed. ¡°But, no, you¡¯re right. Just because the letter mentioned it doesn¡¯t mean he knows where his father is.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d he say it then?¡± ¡°My guess is the frequency. His letter probably mentioned it several times. Whatever the reason, Curo Llid was worried about South Pass. Under the scrutiny of your father, Dicter felt the need to mention something, anything. You know how it is when your father activates his skill. The only thing that would have come to mind was the place written so many times in his letter. Maybe even multiple letters. Even with how much Dicter hates his father, he still took the time to read his letters. A complex perhaps? Hating him but still wanting to be recognized? To make him feel proud? Hm¡­¡± Fish Tail look at Blue Swirly. ¡°Interesting¡­ Still, this is all just my own conjectures. Still, the question is, why did your father play along?¡± Fish Tail raise eyebrow at Shiny. Shiny give sigh. ¡°Whether or not South Pass has any information on where Commander Llid is, it doesn¡¯t matter.We don¡¯t have a lead. And, well¡­ something has been happening at South Pass. There¡¯s been reports of unusual movements from the monsters in the sands of Suon Kiin, but they¡¯re strangely vague. Father¡¯s been worried for a while now. This is probably just an excuse to have someone investigate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s like him. Killing three birds with one stone. I suppose these strange movements are also the reason that Curo Llid was so fixated on South Pass. We find out what¡¯s been happening, if Curo ever came here, and get to drop of two pieces of troubling cargo. I guess that¡¯s four birds for us. Even Dicter benefits. He gets a place to blow off steam and beat up monsters to his content. Surely he¡¯d fare better out on the wall rather than rot in a city tavern. He has the potential.¡± ¡°You almost sound like a doting father.¡± ¡°You flatter me. How long are you going to nurse that grudge against him?¡± ¡°He almost broke my nose.¡± ¡°Ah, I almost forgot you were that type of person.¡± Shiny frowns. ¡°Remind me why I am friends with you.¡± ¡°Because my personality is just divine. Wherever I go, people just love me.¡± ¡°Right. And I don¡¯t suppose¨C¡± ¡°Shush.¡± Fish Tail stop walking. ¡°You hear that?¡± He give whisper. I listen. It quiet. No bug sound anymore. I listen more. Slow sound. Quiet but long. Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss Creepy. Danger. I not like. ¡°That¡¯s?¡± Shiny whisper. ¡°What is¨C¡± Fish Tail shove Shiny aside. Long Black strike spot where Shiny stood. ¡°Stay on, little fishy. Things are about to get a bit bumpy.¡± Fish Tail pull out red tree and knock Long Black back. I see Long Black. Nasty thing. Like eel, but not. Like otter but not. Have face of big, big otter, or catfish. Have body like otter too. Neck different, much like eel. Long, long neck. Not like. Body sit in tree above, neck strike fast. ¡°It¡¯s a serpopard!¡±Man yell. He get bit and thrown in air. ¡°Thomas!¡± Shiny yell. Shiny on feet now. ¡°I got him,¡± Lady Shiny say. She much like Home too. She jump, run on air some, like I swim in air. Catch thrown man and drop to ground again. Good job Lady Shiny. Shiny launch sharp attack with long sharp pointy. Sharp much like Bad Man sharp. It fly through air and hit Long Black. Long Black growl. Other men fight more Long Black that show. Not big like first Long Black, though. One. Two. Three. Three Long Black. Still scary. I hide on Fish Tail head as he fight off Long Blacks with other men. ¡°How is he?¡± Shiny say. ¡°He¡¯s fine. A bit chewed up, but he¡¯ll manage. Stand up, you big baby, and help.¡± Lady Shiny help Bit Man up. I stop watching. Distracted. Fish Tail fighting Big Long Black. ¡°I¡¯ll hold off this one for now. Go beat up the other two.¡± He wave Shiny away. ¡°Hey! You stupid cat or snake or whatever you are, you freak! Look this way! Yeah, that¡¯s right, you ugly thing with a stupidly long neck. Bet your mother threw you out because you were so ugly!¡± Angry Long Black not nice Long Black. Attack Fish Tail with big mouth, but Fish Tail use red tree to push Long Black head aside. Long Black head slip by and hit tree. Fish Tail take spikes from little branches of red tree and throw at Long Black. Hit Long Black along neck and give light. Part of neck with spikes go stiff. Long Black can¡¯t bend part of neck. Long Black try attack by spit at Fish Tail. Fish Tail block with red tree and hit Long Black in head. No! Fish Tail not notice. Long Black attack with claw from behind. Not hurt Fish Tail. I spit silk, tie up claw in tree above. Claw get tangled. Long Black roar. Fish Tail notice and cut off claw with sharp pointy from red tree trunk. Stab sharp pointy in Long Black eye, too. Long Black twitch and die. I shiver. Cold soul gone from Long Black. But I happy he no attack anymore. ¡°Oh, what was that, little guy?¡± See, I help Fish Tail. Fish Tail not die. ¡°Looks like you can hold your own pretty good. Good job.¡± Fish Tail pat me like Home pat me. I happy. ¡°Oi, Yen! You alright?¡± Shiny say. ¡°I¡¯m just fine and dandy. How about you? Kill that thing yet?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even need my help, did you?¡± ¡°Nope. This little guy did a better job than you would have anyway.¡± ¡°The fish? You¡¯re saying I¡¯m more worthless than a fish?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one that said it. Not I.¡± Shiny frown. Lady Shiny laugh behind hand. ¡°Good job, though. Looks like I don¡¯t need to clean up after you.¡± ¡°Of course not. Why would you? We, the King¡¯s Guard, can handle a few serpopards just fine,¡± Shiny mutter. Long Blacks all dead now. Souls all gone now. ¡°Still, it¡¯s your fault your wards didn¡¯t keep them away.¡± ¡°Serpopards are ambush creatures. They like to wait in the trees for prey to walk underneath them. They¡¯re not easily moved just by the influence of wards. It couldn¡¯t be helped. We walked into them.¡± Fish Tail make more light with finger. Light settle over men. Men start walking again. I glad. We walk long. Sun set. Sun rise. We take break sometime. Little monster sometime attack, but men kill easy. No big one, I happy. Then, trees stop. No more of them. Open up to grass and grass and grass. And big, big, big much rocks. ¡°See, there, fishy,¡± Fish Tail say. ¡°We¡¯re out of Niwl now. Those over there, that¡¯s the Milana Mountains. And that there, that wall spanning the gap in the mountains. That¡¯s South Pass.¡±
Status Menu
Name:Niko Race:Greater Flying Silk Gurnard Level:11 Attribute:Ice
Health:170/170 (11/min) Mana:290/290 (17/min) State:Lost ¡ª(Separation from Dungeon reduces health and mana by 15%)
Heart:13 Spirit:19 Luck:20
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Perk Points: 2
Perks: {Boss Monster: (+10 intelligence, endurance, strength, defense, health, mana)}{Unlock Next Perk: (0/10)}
Skills:[Razor Scales IV][Carion Feeder V][Air Swimming VII][Swarm V] [Trap III] [Ambush II][Ice Silk I][Leading I][Jet Stream I]
3.6 - Sanctuary of the North Is it feasible that this journey through life isn¡¯t the struggle we thought it to be? Could it be that we aren¡¯t doomed to a death with nothing lingering beyond? Is there something in this world to strive for? What is it that lies beyond the veils of death? Is there hope and is there any worth in hoping? I do not wish to die. More than that, I do not wish to die alone. If I must die, let it be surrounded by those I love. Let it be sweet. Let it be peaceful. Finally, let there be meaning to my life, so that I may find sanctuary and solace in death. ¡ªThe Poet of Vera I sent them back, the two idiots. I don¡¯t even know why they¡¯ve been helping me. Sooner or later, they¡¯re going to end up dead if they stick around me. So, I¡¯ve kicked them out of my dungeon until further notice. At least until I know I¡¯m better prepared. It¡¯ll most likely be another month-long project, maybe two, but it will be worth it. More importantly, with them around I just can¡¯t think! It¡¯s so annoying! Once he finally woke up, Nattiq started follow me around everywhere saying that he won¡¯t let me out of his sight or something. He¡¯ll be the one to protect me. Right, Nattiq, like that¡¯ll work with one arm. To think I was worried about his mental state when he woke up. He¡¯s more like a love-sick puppy. Ug! Why are you in such high spirits? What is but a flesh wound? Ha. You¡¯re crazy. Ah¡¯m is no better. He¡¯s being sour. Won¡¯t talk, just gives stupid grunts. What are you? A hormonal teenager? You stupid whale dog. Just get over it. You¡¯re being worse than I am. Get out of the house, go do something. Quit being so depressed. That¡¯s supposed to be my job and you¡¯re stealing it. And weren¡¯t you making fun of Nattiq earlier for being so depressed? You¡¯re just a hypocrite now. What are you even so depressed about anyway? Sigh. In a way, the way they¡¯re acting helps. I¡¯m so exasperated with them I¡¯m in no mood to beat myself up over what¡¯s already happened. I can only work on improving myself. So, to give me peace of mind while I work on renovating my dungeon¨Cagain¨CI kick them out. Leave. Go to your seal village or whatever. Don¡¯t stick around here. You were fine without me your whole lives, So, out. Out out out. I¡¯m done with you now. Come back when your mood¡¯s improved or something. Or conquered the world. Or your level reaches 900. Scratch that. Apparently that¡¯s not feasible. Highest known level recorded according to the System is 234, and that was a long, long time ago. Most don¡¯t even get past 30 their whole lives. Some kind of level cap. Reaching 40 makes you an elite, and 50, well, let¡¯s just say you¡¯re basically a one in a million. How disappointing. Nattiq¡¯s doing pretty well for himself. He¡¯s level 15 at only 15 years old. Almost a genius. It¡¯s funny. I thought he was much older, but the more I get to know him, the more childish he becomes. More his age, I guess. But still, he¡¯s got one of those older looking faces¡­ You could call me a genius, since I¡¯m level 22, but it¡¯s apparently not the same. Grrr. Dungeons are weird existences that don¡¯t follow the normal rules of the world. There hasn¡¯t even been a dungeon for thousands of years or so. And, well, my way of leveling is unique anyway, so you can¡¯t really judge me by any of the world¡¯s criteria anyway. Ah¡¯m¡¯s not a genius either even though he¡¯s at level 42. That¡¯s because he¡¯s a monster. Monsters level a bit differently from the world¡¯s races what with being able to evolve and all. Of course, he¡¯s got more intelligence than a lot of monsters, and he says his fighting ability is stronger than his level indicates¡­ Considering he was running from the naitaka, I¡¯m not sure I believe it. Well, enough of that, since they¡¯re gone now, I can roll up my sleeves. Well, actually I can¡¯t at the moment. I¡¯m in the middle of my 12 hour cool down for controlling Devin. Right now, I¡¯ve got the golem resting against a wall in my garden room looking to all the world like she¡¯s meditating cross-legged with me in her lap. Feels strangely like an out-of-body experience. But, I can do my work from here, so it¡¯s fine. First, I check [forewarn]. I¡¯m almost paranoid that something¡¯s coming for me, but I see nothing. I give it a good five minutes or so, just to make sure, then leave the skill running in the background, always sending it a steady supply of mana that I¡¯m drawing in from the air. It feels weird that I can use ambient mana now to power my skills. No time to lament not knowing I could, though. I have other things to do. It¡¯s still faster casting skills with my own mana, though. Not too practical in a fight. As always, I¡¯m not safe like this. My world I¡¯ve created is too small. So, in this situation, what can I do but grow towards the sun? I gather mana from as far away as I can reach, pulling it towards me, then surge outward with my influence like a tidal wave. I smile. It seems like I was correct. I hadn¡¯t realized it before, but with the recent events surrounding my instincts, I noticed that because of [biome creation], my instinct regarding creating an enclosed dungeon has vanished. This means, I can create an open air dungeon so long as it is still under my influence. Of course, the further my influence is away from my core, the weaker it is, and with no way to enclose it, it tends to weaken and dissipate, but I¡¯m willing to take a chance on the advice the System gave me. It seems like it¡¯s trying to keep me alive at least.
The bigger a territory, the harder it is to rule. Take care when conquering.¨CA Ruler¡¯s Almanac Congratulations! Your influence stretches over miles. [Influence VII]:You¡¯ve dominated an enormous area. Your influence will dwell more thickly in places you have concentrated your efforts on. Slowly, your domain will begin to defy the laws of nature even without your guidance.(+10% to creature conversion rate; +10% to environment conversion rate)
I frown a bit. Defy the laws of nature? Doesn¡¯t this world already do that? If not, what is mana? What are skills? What are auras? Pushing the thought aside, I sigh and lock on to my little volcano in the ocean below. I pull on the magma, building up the volcano as I weaken the ice above it. As I build, it shoots up and breaks through the surrounding ice and creates a mini volcano island of molten lava. Slowly, it spreads across the ice in a viscous, glowing puddle. Steam fills the air as the ice evaporates where it touches. It¡¯s not enough though. I need more. I reach below the crust of the planet and grab whatever magma I can, directing it on to alternate routes. More lava geysers come shooting through the ice in various directions around my tree. I wince once I noticed I accidentally cooked some of my plants and animals below. Their souls float up to the river of lights above. ¡°Forgive me. I didn¡¯t mean to,¡± I say, wincing again. My sliver fish excitedly eat at their remains. My guilt compounds, but there¡¯s really nothing I can do about it. In the grand scheme of things, they would have been eaten by something anyway. All I can really do, is be careful not to kill anything while renovating again¡­hopefully. I try to usher my creatures away from my work, but a few minutes later they just come back. It¡¯s like trying to keep kids away while you¡¯re testing out fireworks. Something¡¯s bound to go wrong. I sigh and continue pulling up the lava, trying to cast [aura of protection] on as many fish I can, but it doesn¡¯t quite work as it should, since the lava I¡¯m manipulating is no longer considered part of the environment. ¡°Gosh, dang it! Stay away from the glowing pillars of death, will you? You stupid little things. You¡¯re worse than moths to a bug zapper!¡± I shoo them away again. ¡°Have some self-preservation! Why are you so interested in it? You weren¡¯t before I started messing with it.¡± Soon, the area around my tree is covered with a lake of rapidly cooling lava stretching several miles in every direction. In the ocean below, the pillars of lava rising up from the ground were already cool, creating massive columns of obsidian rock. I harden them. I start shaping the pool of semi-cooled, jelly-esque lava covering the ice. I pull it up straight, continuing the columns from down below, raising them high into the air, even higher than my tree. Thick large pillars cooling into glistening black obsidian. It looked like an alien mountain range rising into the sky, like myriads of massive fingers jutting out of the ice flow. Some were packed together in a row, looking like the edge of a knife. Others stood proudly, like long thin needles. They created a strange maze with their rising bodies. One with multiple paths that seemed to go everywhere and nowhere at once in a disorienting display of grandeur. Mist gathered and settled over those paths. I left rivulets of lava flowing from cracks in the jagged mountains, several of which created bright lava-falls that flowed into little lava lakes or to cracks in the ice, keeping the air moist and damp at the bottom of the mountains despite the chill. It brought about the feeling of a freezing yet hot rain forest that I liked. I casted my standard set of auras on the whole thing to preserve it. Perfect. Changing my attention to a quick side project, I raised one last pillar below my own tree, rising it above the clouds. It was thicker than most with a crater at the top to accommodate my little lake, which at this point, turned into more of a series of stepped lakes similar to those of mountain terrace rice paddies. The bridge turned into a series of bridges zigzaging down the terraced steps. I switched out the island of ice in the middle of the lakes with more obsidian, but kept the tree ice. The tree trunk I grew longer and twisted around the pagodabefore letting it rise into the sky in a gentle spiral. The pagoda I made much bigger than it was, adding several stories, and continued the series of little lakes to its steps. Looking at it, it seemed as if it were a sitting on a mirror, nestled in the arms of my tree. As for the hole that the naitaka created, without the tree¡¯s roots, it looks strangely bare. The roots are actually twisting through the top of the mountain, creating a series strange caverns inside that glowed with the pulsing lights decorating roots. The hole itself was nestled right up against the side of the mountain. I guess it¡¯s alright for now, though. I left repairing the rest of my villages under the tree for later, as well. It can wait. I need to work more on the ambiance of my mountain range. Having a good, mysterious ambiance does a lot for inspiring awe, respect, and a sense of wariness. Hopefully, with those, I¡¯ll be less likely to be attacked. At this point, it¡¯s already been more than a week of me just sitting there working on my mountain range. Not needing to eat or sleep really puts a damper on your sense of time. I¡¯m not sure I like that I can go ridiculously long periods of time without stopping. Makes it feel like I¡¯m not very alive anymore¡­ I enter my golem and stretch, my bones popping. I feel a little stiff, so I stand up and go through some stretches before turning to my next project: my plants, which I haven¡¯t touched in a long time. More specifically the crying fern. My garden hasn¡¯t changed a whole lot. I mean, my plants have grown quite a bit, but there¡¯s still not a whole lot of them. It consists solely of a banana tree, the crying fern, a rose sagebrush that my pigmy bunnies are nibbling at, and the rock covered in winter lichen. That¡¯s it. They¡¯re doing really well. They look healthy and fresh and large, especially when you consider the environment they¡¯ve grown in. But there¡¯s still only four of them. Forgive me, my plants! I have neglected you! I increase the effect of |aura of warmth| on my plants while thinking about how much stronger my auras were when I directly controlled them. As I watched, my plants visibly grew. The banana palm became a few inches taller, the winter lichen grew thicker on the rock, the crying fern produced thick droplets of water as its leaves spread out, and the rose sage produced a flower. The little rose bloomed, then drooped, its petals falling to the ground. In its place grew a small oblong fruit, a rose hip.
The fruit of the land is the fruit of commerce. ¨C Ba Lei, Merchant Congratulations! Your domain is able to support fruiting plants. [Plant Growth II]:You¡¯ve grown your first fruit. Your plants are now hardier, able to thrive harshenvironments. They are difficult to kill.(+10% to plant growth speed)
My goal? What is any herbalist¡¯s goal? We all strive for one thing: the creation of plants¨Cof life¨Cpurely through mana. Aren¡¯t scholars the same? ¨C Tenten Rill, therian herbalist Congratulations! Could you survive without your auras? [Ambient Aura VIII]:You have grown used to utilizing auras effectively.(|Aura of the Seed|: By combining the effects of |Aura of Warmth| and|Aura of the Soul|, a new aura has been born. You are now able to create a seed using mana and a base material (ease of creation and amount of mana used dependent on knowledge of seed))
Ah! This is great! This is so great! I can have more plants now! Perfect! Because what I need are more plants. I grab a massive amount of dirt from the ocean floor and a handful of small pebbles. I roll the pebbles around in my hand as I scatter a thick layer of dirt through out my mountain range while still leaving various patches of ice as well as the lava rivers alone. Once the dirt was spread, I turned to the pebbles, activating my new aura.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Different than my other auras, which have their own individual sources inside my core, I can feel this aura drawing upon two other auras. It feels like something hot and something cool swirling together to make something alive. It¡¯s strange, but not unpleasant. The aura and a piece of my mana slip into one of the pebbles. I feel the life from my aura latch on to the pebble with the help of my mana. It begins to push out, and soon, a little leaf pokes out of the newly created seed. It¡¯s adorable! I fiddle with the seed a bit more, willing it to grow healthy and strong and produce lots and lots of water. The seed was a crying fern. I created many, many more of them and planted them everywhere in my mountain range, but especially on the cliffs. I concentrated my |aura of warmth| on them to make them latch on properly and grow faster. Soon, they began crying, and viol¨¤, waterfalls! Rivers! Lakes! Irrigation for other plants! Hurray! I even plant some in my little lakes under my tree. As they cry, water pours over the edge of each stepped lake and eventually over the side of the mountain itself, creating a nice series of waterfalls all around its edge. I create more seedlings of my other three plants, planting them all over the place. My mountain range begins to come to life. Little groves of banana palms sprout up on the ground and standing precariously on the sides and peaks of mountains. The rose sagebrush, too, dot the valleys and mountain sides. Winter lichen sporadically covers the faces of the of the towering pillars. I¡¯ll need more plants, and these ones are still young and tiny, but for now, it¡¯s good enough. Except for one thing. I focus and strain for a couple of hours to create a seed for grass, soft and flexible, drawing heavily on the underwater grasses in the ocean below. Finally, I make it and plant it. The next few grass seeds are much easier to make. I scatter them throughout the valleys.
Mom! Look mom! The date tree has dates! ¨C Fenrand Sorenson Congratulations! Your domain is flourishing with plant life. [Plant Growth III]:You¡¯ve raised several crops from seed. Your plants now have faster reproductiverates.(+15% to plant reproduction rate)
A good ruler pays attention to the people growing his crops. Crops make up the bulk of your economy. Let the people caring for them suffer, and your kingdom may as well be a desert. ¡ª A Ruler¡¯s Almanac Congratulations! Plants are the army of your domain. [Green Thumb II]:You have become proficientat caring for plants. Plants are more responsive to your mood. They come alive when you are in danger.(15% to plant aggression, flexibility, and strength when there are signs that you are in danger.)
I feel like the rewards for the skills are getting stranger and stranger. Oh, well. Ug, looks a couple of days have passed while I just created plants. That sure took a lot out of me. I enter my golem again and stand up, rolling my neck and shoulders. I check [forewarn] again, but it hasn¡¯t notified my of anything while I was working, and it doesn¡¯t say anything new now. I sigh in relief. I can¡¯t stop now, though. It¡¯s actually physically impossible for me to stop. The reason being I don¡¯t actually have a path to my tree, where I¡¯ll be spending most of my time. And, according to stupid dungeon instinct rules, I must have a path open to my core at all times. Plus what I have now is just the basis of my defenses. If possible, I¡¯d rather people just get lost and never make it to me rather than setting up lethal traps. Let¡¯s go with that. I¡¯ll probably still put traps in though, but if I can avoid killing people¡­ I think I still want that. It¡¯s hard to tell after all that¡¯s happened, but I feel like I still want that. I start with the mountains. I carve the insides with confusing mazes of rooms which sometime lead to open air bridges connecting the mountains. There were multiple bridges spanning between the mountains, creating so many paths that lead to dead ends that it would be hard to figure out the right one. More often than not, the paths through the mountains would dump you right back at the beginning. The traps would, too. Only one path through the mountains actually lead to the mountain with my ice tree, and the entrance was one that was in a hard to find, out-of-the-way place, a nook about eight feet off the ground almost completely hidden behind crying ferns. If one was careful, they could find it, but if they weren¡¯t paying attention, then they wouldn¡¯t. I feel myself settle a little when I finish that path. I set my creations with my auras, especially |aura of the lost| which I lay heavily over everything. The aura immediately made everything confusing. The rooms, the bridges, the entrances into the mountains, and even the mountains themselves all began to shift in a way that wasn¡¯t obvious, but somehow you still knew they had moved. No landmarks were set in stone here. Whether you found the right entrance to my tree or even found the exit to the mountain range all depended on luck. Well, that and your disposition towards me. The mists blanketing the valleys don¡¯t help either. Nor does the fact that most of the mountain tops rest above the clouds. For added measure I even made wards. I made all four of them and scattered them randomly about. I know I¡¯m not really that proficient at them. The stupid gwisin blew right through them and it still makes me angry, but well, every little bit helps. So, randomly throughout the mountain range one could stumble upon the repelling barrier of {banebury}, the relaxing {juniper}, the memory-inducing {elderberry}, or the most common of all, the disorienting {bittersweet}. |Aura of the Lost| made it so their positions were never concrete either. Hehe, I¡¯m evil. Well, with this, hopefully no one will have to die, and I won¡¯t have to fight anyone. It¡¯s a win-win for everyone. So, if you come knocking on my door, just get lost. Literally. Please. I¡¯m begging you. If you can¡¯t find me, no one gets hurt.
Strength is necessary for wards. If wards aren¡¯t strong, things come through. ¡ª Higher Wardsman of Oi¡¯ufe Congratulations! The strength of your ward determine the strength of your domain. [Warding II]:You have improved upon the basic runes of warding. Their effectiveness increases(5% to effectiveness of wards)
Good. I think my dungeon has improved. Hopefully¡­ Another week has passed while I carved the paths through the mountains. I feel like I¡¯ve been in and out of my golem a lot. It¡¯s rather annoying, but sometimes to get precise details, it¡¯s easier to have an actual body. So, I just have to deal with the stupid time limit that broke. Sigh. I lay back on a bed of grass. All my plants have been furiously growing. They cover most of the valleys now and much of the mountains. A banana tree sways in the wind over my head. Since it¡¯s night now, and for night for most of the day, I decide to add |aura of light| to all of my plants so there¡¯s light. They make my mountains glow like some kind of magical fairy forest or something. It¡¯s weird, but also kind of cool. It¡¯s also strange to think that all of this is just sitting on ice¡­ What a strange world I¡¯ve come to.
You have created an additionalwonder. Three more and your achievement,|Creator of Wonders!|, will rank up to|Creator of Marvels!|¨CCreate several things classifiedas wonders of the world. Each additional wonder is also designated as a pilgrimagesite.(+5 path points; +10 path points to {Ingenuity II} and{Architect I} Paths; 25% less danger traveling to your wonder during a pilgrimage)
Your wonder has been named:|?Sanctuary of the North?|
Strange indeed. Sanctuary. I like that. I breathe in and close my eyes. It¡¯s quiet except for the rustling of plants and the sounds of the waterfalls. There should be insects, I decide. Birds, too. Right as I think that, something lands on my nose. I open my eyes and jolt up. Whatever it is flies off with a high-pitched screech. Several more screeches sound around me. I panic a bit before realizing that [forewarning] never triggered, and whatever it was, it was tiny. I feel a nip at my finger tip and look down. It was a dragon! A tiny white dragon about the length of my thumb.
Congratulations! A flock [12] of snowdrop dragons have integrated into your domain. While small and often considered household pests, fae dragons play an integral role within an environment pollinating plants and scattering their seeds. Take good care of them.
One need not always have force when taming a creature. Sometimes feeling alone will do the trick. ¨C Wala Halem, tennin tamer Congratulations! What was once an enemy is now a friend. [Tamer III]:You have tamed a creature that was antagonistic towards you through words alone.(+5 path points; +20% chance of creatures understanding your meaning even if they can¡¯t understand your words.)
Listen son. There¡¯s no need to kill every monster out there. Not every monster is out to get us either. There are plentyof peaceful monsters, ones that can even help us in our daily lives, just like this wampus cat protects out home. ¨C Xander Gren Congratulations! A domain isn¡¯t a domain without creatures. [Tamer IV]:Your first species has reproduced.(+5 path points; +15% to creature reproduction rate)
Lords are difficult to tame. Not many in the history of the Tennin have managed to make a contract with one. They are proud beings. ¡ª Tennin Historian Congratulations! The stronger your monsters, the stronger your domain. [Tamer V]:You¡¯ve integrated a lord into your domain.(+10 path points; +5% chance of evolution; +1 evolution attribute slot)
Bah! Fae dragon, necessary but annoying. Still, they work better than bees and birds and butterfly. My fields have never produced more now that a flock of ¡¯em started nesting in them. ¨C Ent farmer Congratulations! As your domain grows, it will naturally draw creatures in. [Tamer VI]:A species has naturally integrated with an environment you¡¯ve created.(+10 path points; +5% to domain¡¯s productivity)
Luck sometimes isn¡¯t good or bad. Sometimes it just is. ¨C Caoyan¡¯s Musings Congratulations! Luck is ambiguous. There is no predicting it. [KarmaIII]:Your system has encountered a glitch as luck would have it. The skill[Tamer I]has not leveled as it was meant to, but as such, rewards have increased. Your luck is an unusual thing.(+10 path points; 20% in luck reversal; 15% in luck remaining good; 5% better System rewards)
Eh? Wait what?
Status Menu
Name:Haven[Locked]¨CDevin Race:Legendary Dungeon Level:22 Attribute:Green
Health:64/313 (2.75/min) Mana:427/631 (4.1/min)* State:Damaged --(-2.75 health a minute)
Biomes:6* Floors:?%¦®] Named Monsters:4
Monsters:36* Animals: 75,321* Plants:1,144,000+*
[¦®]
Path Points: 50*
Paths: {Beginner V (0/20)} {Ingenuity II (40/60)}*{Valiant II (0/120)}{Defender V (0/50)}{Architect I (10/50)}*{Strategist III (0/95)}
Skills: [Influence VII]* [Incorporation IV][Ambient Aura VIII]* [Plant Growth III]*[Green Thumb II]*[Tamer VI]*[Karma III]*[Natural Projectile V][Core Teleportation] [Epithet][Elemental Manipulation X][Biome Creation][Fluid Floors][Golem Creation] [Loyalty][Tranquility][Warding II]*[Forewarn II][Mana Absorption][Standstill I]
Achievements: |Ingenuity!| |Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!||Creator of Wonders!||Leader!|
Causes:|?Against the World?|¡ª 4
[¦®]
Auras:|Aura of Light| |Aura of Warmth||Aura of Fury||Aura of Souls||Aura of Protection||Aura of the Lost||Calming Aura||Aura of the Seed|*
Fire:Main,Magma Water:Main,Ice,Acid Earth:Main,Plants,Minerals,Metal,Wax Air:Main,Toxic Gas
3.7 - Way Point Yeo¡¯ena Bay. Locals call it Lost Bay. Area wise, the bay is small, yet somehow, every year people manage to get lost wading through swamp and the cypress trees. As of yet, the death rate is rather low, unlike many other ominous places people have managed to find themselves lost in. The bay only claims those of low health, most others find themselves wandering around for a few days, perhaps weeks, before finally finding their way out again. Not many monsters live in the bay. The ones that do are hardly a threat to an armed traveler.Because of this reason, many choose it as a tourist destination. Great interest is placed on unraveling the bay¡¯s mysteries. That said, be wary out those running from the law. Many seek refuge in this mysterious swamp. ¡ªAshtonDelan¡¯s Travelor¡¯s Guide ¡°Ouch! Really, stop biting me! You can stop now. I¡¯m trying, so be patient. Timp! Come scare these stupid things off of me!¡± I call as snowdrop dragons swarm over me. I¡¯m trying to concentrate on making a snowdrop plant, but they keep messing me up. I figure the plant is in their name, so maybe they¡¯d like them better than the roses. Though, they do seem to like the roses, or more specifically, the rose hips that have started growing. That, I don¡¯t like so much. They eat the rose hips, but spit the seeds at everything, including me. ¡°Will you stop it! I don¡¯t need more seeds in my hair! Ow stop! Will you listen to me?! Timp! Help!¡± I swat at the pesky dragons buzzing around my head, little seeds hit me like bullets. I had asked Oroesi for help earlier. He¡¯s hiding from them now because of it. He tried. He really tried. Only it wasn¡¯t long before they were chasing him around hitting him with seeds. He was bawling his eyes out when I finally managed to get them away from him. Timp on the other hand, enjoys chasing the white dragons. She¡¯s not so easily intimidated by them. Only, she has such a short attention span that she forgets she¡¯s supposed to keep them off me, so I have to keep calling her. The banana palms seem to sway in amusement at my predicament. Ever since [green thumb] leveled, all my plants feel more alive. I swear they¡¯re laughing at me right now. I glare up at the trees as Timp launches herself at the dragons. The little things shriek as they scatter. Sighing, I turn back to the pebble in my hands. After a minute or so, I finally have it. The pebble gives a little pop as my aura grasps onto my image, and I have a snowdrop bulb. I make more and scatter them throughout the valleys along with a blanket of concentrated |aura of warmth| to get them started. Almost immediately they start popping out of the ground like daisies¨Cer¡­ snowdrops. They¡¯re cute. I finger the pale glass-like flower. Reminds me of little white tears. The dragons launch themselves at the flowers. Timp trails after them, occasionally nuzzling the new snowdrops. Watching them, I chuckle a little. The dragons use the snowdrops to make strange little nests, weaving the flower¡¯s leaves into domes. You almost can¡¯t see the nests unless you look for them. I smile. Well, they¡¯re out of my hair now, so now I can concentrate on more important things. Namely, my paths, but more importantly, the disconcerting state of my health, which hasn¡¯t regenerated at all since the stupid gwisin came. And there¡¯s a little thought which has been bugging me that I want to try out, even though it may be dangerous¡­ Let¡¯s try path first, as it takes the least amount of effort at the moment. Easy as click of the button, but which one to take? With the amount of path points I have, I could finish four paths: {defender}, {architect}, {ingenuity}, or {beginner}. Or there¡¯s always the option of saving up for {strategist} or {valiant}. Efficiency wise, I can finish off both {ingenuity} and {beginner} at the same time, so that might be a smart idea, but what exactly is it that I am aiming for as a reward? Honestly, I need more health or even more health regeneration. I need to fix the damage, but I have a sneaking feeling that karma won¡¯t let me have it that easily¡­ I mean there have been plenty of chances so far where I could get either one of those as a reward, but didn¡¯t, so grrr. It probably won¡¯t happen unless I solve it myself. Karma is weirdly snarky like that, so let¡¯s not depend on it too much for rewards I absolutely have to have¡­ Let¡¯s look at the track record I have had so far. {Beginner} has always given me something physical, whether a plant or an animal. {Ingenuity}¡­ it gave me [biome creation] and [fluid floors], two really good skills, though it probably won¡¯t give me something that good the second time, but it will probably still give me some sort of skill¡­ {Defender} gave me |aura of protection| and |aura of the lost|. Chances are it¡¯ll be another aura, but maybe it won¡¯t. With a name like {defender}, it could be something else entirely. Heck, any of them might surprise me. And, well since I haven¡¯t completed it before, I have no idea what {architect} will give me. Maybe some kind of building schema¡­ While I think, I pick up a pebble and start messing with it absent-mindedly. Hm¡­ Let¡¯s go with the two.
Cooking is Life. ¨C Emril¡¯s Journal Congratulations!{Beginner V (20/20)} Path:Complete. (+10 mana regeneration; {Beginner VI (0/30)} path; +2 random starter seeds; +1 random starter hybrid;[Cooking I])
The best inventions are a product of many things. ¨C Kernan Lith Congratulations!{Ingenuity II (60/60)} Path:Complete.(+35 health; +45 mana; health regeneration unavailable; + 15 mana regeneration; {Ingenuity III (0/80)} path; {Rune of Wolfberry};{Rune of Currant};+1hint:|Sentinel|)
I groan. I¡¯m sorry, [karma]. I shouldn¡¯t have said you were snarky. Why won¡¯t you give me health regeneration??? And what¡¯s up with [cooking]? I mean it could be useful? Heavy on the question mark¡­ And the hint? I haven¡¯t seen that before. I shrug and take a look at my rewards.
Parrot Waxcap. Strange thing. A mushroom, but also one of the rare sources of organic gemstones. ¨C Hu the Blacksmith Congratulations!You have received+1 parrot waxcap sprout(Green glossy mushroom, creates small green gemstones through ambient mana, must have soil or rotting material) and+1carpet moss sprout(thick and spongy moss, must have soil, can photosynthesize through ambient heat source)
The Tolk Mushroom forest has many, many weird phenomena, my favorite being the blooming of the pixies¡¯ parasols. ¨C Borill the dwarf Congratulations!You have received+1 pixies¡¯ parasol sprout(fungal and animal hybrid, adolescent stage: small blue luminescent mushroom, adult stage: small blue luminescent airjelly; must have soil or rotting material)
Any wardsman worth his salt knows how to lay wolfberry wards.If you don¡¯t, you¡¯re no wardsman.¨CFrederik Long, wardsman Congratulations!You have discovered{Rune of Wolfberry}:signifies a sense of wariness. Wolfberry allows one to create a ward that alerts the wardsman of anyone who crosses it. Classified as a sensory ward. Medium ¡ª carving.
Energy breathes. Know how it breathes. It will come as you connect. ¨CSage of the Wild Congratulations!You have discovered{Rune of Currant}:signifies flow of energy. Currant allows one to direct the flow of energy through a predetermined path. Classified as an energy ward. Medium ¡ª carving, chalk.
System hint¨C|Sentinel|:Sentinels watch. They stand firm and never waver, keeping guard throughout the night like stone. They are more than just a warning system. They come to life when faced with danger and return to stone when it has passed. They do not live but are flowing with strange energy. Some believe they are not of this world for dimensions seems to twist where they stand. You have the components. Let sentinels guard your domain.
I furrow my brows. What does it mean? This hint is not much of a hint. I don¡¯t even know what the heck it¡¯s hinting at. It¡¯s so vague. There¡¯s no direction to it. It feels more like a piece of lore than anything else. All it really says is that I have the components to make a sentinel? I chew on my lip. Several minutes later, I sigh in exasperation. There¡¯s no way I can solve this. Not right now anyway. My brain feels fried. It¡¯s like a riddle¡­ Let¡¯s move on to something else. Let¡¯s plant these new plants and then work on my health regeneration?The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. I make several more parrot waxcaps with |aura of the seed| and plant them in the caverns throughout my mountain range and under several banana palms. I like them. The mushrooms are shiny and green, almost jade-like, and they glisten like there¡¯s mini galaxies in their caps. The screen said they¡¯re supposed to produce gemstones. I wonder if I can use them as a trade commodity, something like money. They sound valuable. I do the same with the soft carpet moss, creating more and draping it across rocks and nestling it into nooks and crannies. With a grin, I discreetly place several moss-covered rocks that resemble couches and beds in places that anyone might want to relax. Of course, they have to be looking for them to find them. I even go and add some in the pagoda and throughout the rooms and houses in the ice tree as well. The pixie¡¯s parasol is another mushroom, smaller and more delicate than the waxcap, colored a sapphire blue. The cap almost looks like it could come loose with a touch, light enough to float on the breeze. I¡¯m guessing from the description that eventually it will. Airjelly sounds like a jellyfish that floats through the air, so maybe the little mushroom caps will turn into little jellyfish. If they do it all at once, it would look really cool, so I make a whole lot of them and scatter them mainly on the mountain sides. If they do turn into jellyfish, they¡¯ll fill the air. Hehe. Now that that¡¯s done, I settle cross-legged on a patch of carpet moss. Timp rolls around on the moss near me. Oroesi¡­ He¡¯s up in a palm with his chin on his knees warily watching the snowdrop dragons flutter around the snowdrops. I let out a breath and close my eyes, feeling for Niko. A warm feeling trickles back through the connection. That¡¯s a relief. He still seems to be in safe hands, it seems, though he seems excited about something. I wonder what it is. I clear my head and focus on my core, drawing in ambient mana. It settles in the center of my core, becoming light green. Gently, I grab a strand from the center and guide it to the edges of my core. It falls back to the center. I do it again, watching closely. Every time I do, the color darkens just a tad. Eventually¨Cafter many, many, many cycles¨Cit becomes dark enough to match the color of my health. At that point, the piece of mana, after falling to the center, begins to rise again like a balloon filled with helium and settles in the outer layer of my core. I breathe out and stretch. My twelve-hour time limit in my golem is almost up again. That meditation session took longer than I thought it would. I¡¯ve sat in one spot for hours. It¡¯s a good activity to do when I can¡¯t move around. I check my status to see if anything changed. My mana increased to over 700 from all the ambient mana I absorbed, but that was to be expected. What¡¯s more exciting is that my overall health actually increased as well. Not by much, but still it increased. Even more interesting was that my mana regeneration actually increased slightly as well. I was not expecting that. Hm. I wonder if I can do a similar process to increase my health regeneration. If I can, then yay! I actually can do something about the stupid damage to my core. Though at this rate, it would take forever. I want to work on it, but like with the stupid |sentinel| riddle, I¡¯ve burned myself out, so on to something else. Muwahahaha. Yes, the idea I¡¯ve been meaning to play around with ever since forever. I just haven¡¯t had the means to feasibly go about doing it until I got |aura of the seed|. Do I really want to do this, though? It could be so very dangerous. I could be inviting the wrath of the heavens upon my domain. There are so many things that could go wrong, all pointing to an invasion. Do I want to? The answer? It¡¯s yes. There are multiple reasons for doing it like I don¡¯t have enough information or allies. I¡¯m completely cut off from the world, and in a way, that¡¯s more scary than what could come through. The bottom line, though, is this: I am lonely! I need to meet people. Ah¡¯m and Nattiq aren¡¯t going to cut it. They¡¯re good people, but they aren¡¯t really friends. More like acquaintances, weird people I know. They¡¯ve helped me, and I¡¯m grateful for that, but I want a real friend! I grasp the pebble I¡¯ve been playing with since earlier. It feels cool to the touch. It¡¯s actually not a pebble, but a really small piece of ice, an ice pebble if you will. I stare at it for a second, hesitating. I¡¯m not actually sure if this will work or not, but here goes nothing. I imbue it with |aura of the seed|, then quick as I can pick a random direction and hurl it outwards. With a small pop, it disappears from view. I feel the seed land and take root, flowering into a tiny ice tree.
This? What is that? A tree made of ice? ¡ª Iolian Congratulations! Roads are the veins connecting to the heart of your domain. Level [23]!:You¡¯ve established your first way point. People can now travel to your domain via the spacial distortions created by your way point.(1st way point location: Yeo¡¯ena Bay; +20 path points)
I breathe out and watch as a small ice tree begins to grow between two close mountains. It¡¯s a strange thing. The tree is here and yet not. It¡¯s in two places at once and yet in neither of them. When I threw the seed, I actually threw it while activating |aura of the lost|, guiding the seed through one of the tendrils that had formed when I first got the aura, the tendrils that spread throughout the planet connecting to strange places. When the seed landed, I felt that it was far, far to the south. Even farther than where Niko is at the moment. It landed in what felt like a small bay surrounded by mountainous islands, in shallow and marshy waters where trees grew close together, tall and ropy. My seed settled right in between them and sprouted, instantly opening a connection between the bay and my domain through a hole in the trunk. I waited with [forewarn] blaring as hard as it could to see if anything would come through. The skill triggers, but the information it gives is dark and murky, with a flash of pale white. Instantly the gwisin pops into my head with his pale face leering. I nearly scream as I backpedal, tripping over a root and sprawling across the ground. Several minutes pass slowly as I wait with wide eyes, staring at the opening of the tree. Finally, something moves in the shadow of the tree¡¯s split trunk. I struggle to launch to my feet, only to realize I am unable to move. Panic grips me as not one muscle responds to my will. No no nonono! I¡¯m not letting this happen again! Please don¡¯t. I can¡¯t do this! I struggle to move, but still nothing happens. I watch in horror as the figure steps out into the moonlight, its dark cloak ruffling in the icy breeze. A dark shadow casts over its face as it steps towards me. I try to stifle my rising panic. I see nothing under the hood, but still I strain. My brain isn¡¯t working fast. I¡¯m scared. I don¡¯t even have the sense of mind to form projectiles in the air as it takes another step towards me. It¡¯s too sudden. The figure stops in front of my feet. I watch in horror as it crouches down. I can feel its stare on me. Slowly, it cocks its head, almost as if it¡¯s questioning. Then it reaches out a gloved hand in my direction. The wind blows, catching on the figure¡¯s hood, blowing it back and exposing its face. Two deep dark holes fill my view. The moonlight filters through them. It lights up a pale, milky grin. I stare at the face. My mind freezes. A skeleton is staring at me with an outstretched hand.
Status Menu
Name: Haven [Locked]--Devin Race: Legendary Dungeon Level:23* Attribute: Green
Health: 103/352 (2.75/min)* Mana: 718/776 (4.58/min)* State: Damaged --(-2.75 health a minute)
Biomes: 6 Floors: ?%¦®] Named Monsters: 4
Monsters:36 Animals: 75,533* Plants: 1,144,300+*
[¦®]
Path Points: 30*
Paths: {Beginner VI (0/30)}* {Ingenuity III (0/80)}* {Valiant II (0/120)} {Defender V (0/50)}{Architect I (10/50)}{Strategist III (0/95)}
Skills: [Influence VII] [Incorporation IV][Ambient Aura VIII] [Plant Growth III][Green Thumb II] [Tamer VI][Karma III][Natural Projectile V][Core Teleportation] [Epithet] [Elemental Manipulation X] [Biome Creation] [Fluid Floors] [Golem Creation] [Loyalty][Tranquility][Warding II][Forewarn II] [Mana Absorption][Standstill I][Cooking I]*
Achievements: |Ingenuity!| |Powerful!| |Dauntless!| |Against the Odds!| |Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!| |Creator of Wonders!| |Leader!|
Causes:|?Against the World?|-- 4
[¦®]
Auras: |Aura of Light| |Aura of Warmth||Aura of Fury||Aura of Souls||Aura of Protection||Aura of the Lost||Calming Aura||Aura of the Seed|
Fire: Main, Magma Water: Main, Ice, Acid Earth: Main, Plants, Minerals, Metal,Wax Air: Main, Toxic Gas
3.8 - Island Oasis Hallowed souls, We see thee, Struggling on the edge of decay. How may we free thee? Like broken bowls, We mourn for thee, Shattered into dust at the end of the day. How must we save thee? Oh hollowed holes, We hold thee, With trembling hands to rest we lay Thy fragmented body. ¡ª The Lament, Hymn of the Temple of the Sun It¡­ What? How? I have no idea what¡¯s going on right now? There¡¯s a¡­ but dead? No, wait, I must be dreaming. There¡¯s no way a skeleton can move. No way this thing in front of me is a skeleton. It¡¯s just a really nice person, in a creepy mask, smiling, holding a hand to help me up. Yeah. That¡¯s it. That¡¯s what it is. The figure leans down further, its hand stopping right in front of my nose. The glove on its hand does nothing to cover up how freakishly bony its fingers are. Nope Nope Nope! This is not happening right now. I don¡¯t do skeletons. I can handle ghosts. Mummies and skeletons are just nope! I struggle in vain to scramble away from the skeleton, still not able to move a muscle. I want to cry when I notice it¡¯s because my [golem creation] skill is on cool down. As a result, we¡¯re stuck in this awkward situation where neither of us are moving. We just continue to stare at each other. What am I supposed to do in this situation? I know I¡¯m an idiot already! There¡¯s no need to keep making me confirm it! I mean it¡¯s like I open a window to my house and a swarm of wasps fly in, like I find a diamond and suddenly every thief is after me, like I wander in the woods only to get lost and run into a mountain lion, get on a boat and it sinks! It¡¯s not fair! Nothing like this ever happens to anyone else! How was I supposed to know something would walk in right when I opened a door¨Cer planted a tree. It¡¯s not supposed to work like that! Why is my luck so awful? Why am I stuck with a skill like [karma]. I could really do without it! I don¡¯t need it! If it weren¡¯t for it, none of these horrible encounters would keep happening! Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! My train of thought freezes when the skeleton suddenly cocks its head. It pauses, then it shakes its head in a weird way, clacking its jaws together rapidly. The clattering sends shivers across my core. What a creepy sound. The skeleton stops chattering and continues its staring contest with me. I don¡¯t think either of us will win at this point. The skeleton has no eyelids and I¡­well, I¡¯m pretty much just a frozen block of ice. My eyes aren¡¯t blinking any time soon. The awkwardness of the situation increases. It is beginning to feel more surreal than anything else, like it¡¯s a dream. What am I supposed to do? Finally, I couldn¡¯t stand the silence any longer. ¡°Um¡­Ah¡­Hi?¡± I say with a weak voice. Claclacclalaclacllaclaaccllaclaaak.The skeleton shakes its head again, its jaw clacking as it does. I get the strangest feeling that it¡¯s laughing when it does that. I could have sworn a glint flashed in its eye sockets. The skeleton makes another gesture with its hand to help me up. ¡°Um¡­Sorry? I can¡¯t actually move at the moment¡­ So, you can¨Cum¨Cyou know¡­¡± The skeleton cocks its head and taps its chin with a finger, then nods and squats down, gently sliding its hands under my back and legs. I give a little squeal when it lifts me up and settles me on a mossy rock-couch. It then sits down on the ground in front of me. ¡°Uh, thanks¡­ I guess.¡± The skeleton somehow grins wider. It flashes a series of hand signs. I stare in confusion. The skeleton stares back, expectant. ¡°I¨Cdon¡¯t know what that means¡­¡± I have a weird impression that the skeleton raises an eyebrow even though it doesn¡¯t have one. Seeing strange hints of emotion in its face, though, makes the situation seem a lot less uncanny. The skeleton taps its chin again and then raises a finger in the air, tracing out glowing letters that slowly fade. I would have frowned if I could at the moment. ¡°Sorry. I can¡¯t understand that either. I don¡¯t know how to read those letters. I mean I can read, just not those ones. They¡¯re a different language? They look cool. Swirly. Um. How does language work anyway? I mean so far everyone I¡¯ve met has spoken English. Wait it shouldn¡¯t work like that, if only for the fact that Ah¡¯m is pretty much an animal and somehow I¡¯m still able to understand him. That makes no sense. I shouldn¡¯t, right? It¡¯s obvious that people from another world wouldn¡¯t speak English, right? Or am I really speaking English right now? Can you understand me? You seem like you do. Why can¡¯t you speak? You move when you shouldn¡¯t be able to¡­ I¡¯m sorry, that was rude of me. And I was rambling. I¨Cjust all the questions I haven¡¯t thought of before kind of hit me all at once. I¡¯m kind of nervous at the moment. I haven¡¯t offended you, have I?¡± The skeleton shook its head. ¡°Oh¡­ okay. Um.. we seem to have a language barrier at the moment.¡± It nods. ¡°We can try yes or no questions for now. Can you speak?¡± It shakes its head ¡®no¡¯. ¡°You can¡¯t. Hm. So, you communicate with hand signs, or with glowing magic letters hanging in the air?¡± The skeleton clatters and then nods. Yeah it does seem like its laughing. ¡°Are you¡­friendly?¡± My nerves tighten as the skeleton pauses, tapping its chin. Then it clatters and nods again. I let out a mental sigh of relief. ¡°So¡­are you a boy?¡± I ask awkwardly.¡®No¡¯ was the answer. ¡°Okay, so a girl.¡± ¡®Yes.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t expecting that. Huh. The skeleton is a she. ¡°Are you lost?¡± She taps her chin, then shakes her hand in a tilting way, which I took to mean ¡®kind of.¡¯ ¡°Hm. So¡­ now what? Are you going to stick around?¡± She shrugs. ¡°What are you, if you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± She tilts her head and places a palm on the ground, covering it with a thin layer of dirt, then stands it upright with two fingers still on the ground, looking like the legs of a person. ¡°You were¡­raised from the dead.¡± She gives a ¡®kind of¡¯ while shaking her head. A ¡®not quite,¡¯ maybe? Then what is she? Oh! That¡¯s right! I can look it up. Nihihi. Underutilized database, here I come. Cough cough, I mean you, system. I skim through the racial information and come upon a race within the dynol, a category much like the puca.
Dynol:Human, Elves, Therian,Vampire, Huldra,Pict, Lich, Jotun, Clockwork, Yat, Drow, Myrmidon, Tennin
Lich:Characterised by skeletal body structure. In ancient times, liches were often considered along with vampires as puca due to their similarly unfavorable appearances according to popular opinion and the lack of understanding on how liches were formed. Much of the confusion came from the fact that liches are not an original species. One is not born a lich. As such, any race, and even some documented monsters have, later in life, become liches. The process of how a person changes from one race into a lich was discovered by the Clockwork ScholarD21-FCA in the year 621. Unlike vampires and the puca races, liches were discovered to produce not through infection as popular belief once held. They are in fact created through a process D21-FCA coined as Mana Resuscitation. The theory behind Mana Resuscitation states that as long as their body is buried within six hours in a mana dense area, there is a chance that the mana will cause a person¡¯s soul to continue to attach itself to its body and the person will live on as a lich. The chances aren¡¯t high, but still favorable enough that liches have become a major part of society today. (To read more on the Mana Resuscitation phenomena, consultJohn Aldman¡¯s Forces of the World.) Early myths hold liches as sources of disaster, especially regarding unwarranted puca attacks. This has since been proven false. Whileliches do have some degree of control over puca¨Cwith ghouls being by far the most influenced¨Cliches have often been the most influential in keeping the puca at bay.Indeed, there have been many instances where cities would have been overrun if not for the presence of a lich. As such, it is suggested that every city employ a lich in their city guard. Liches themselves are a subject of interest. Most, if not all, liches are very amiable and not prone to creating conflict. It is rare to see a lich that is not in the midst of helping people, even to the extent of falling for fraudulent schemes or robberies. Liches, unlike puca, enjoy hot, arid weather and many communities of liches can be found in desert areas serving in merchant caravans.
Dad died a year ago. He¡¯s still been living with us, though. Yesterday he fixed our roof because it kept leaking. Even though he¡¯s just bones now, he¡¯s still the same. Nicer even. He doesn¡¯t hit Mom anymore. ¡ª Fenna Jones Congratulations! Liches are an unusual race due to their association with souls. The Eater of Souls is not well inclined to them. Level [24]!:You have discovered a race that is inclined to support you in your cause.(+15 path points; +10% to prosperity and growth of domain when supporting liches; liches will be more inclined to ally with you even without visiting your domain.)
Woah, interesting. I like these liches¡­even if they are skeletons¡­ Only, another screen pops up suddenly.
{(//return: (status.language_packet.lich_sign),(status.language_packet.written_letters) = damaged; unable to [access] until (dgn.core) complete {restore})} {(//return: (status.dgn.core) = damaged, {restore} option found;!recommended: {shut down}, {restore})} Restore? Y/N [Y] {(¡­initializing¡­ [begin]: {restore})}
My consciousness seems to jolt before panic has a chance to set in. My mind shatters in layers as I sink into a deep murky pool. My thoughts slow in the sludge until they come to a complete stop.
{Restart} ¡­(¨’)¡­ ¡­(?)¡­ ¡­(¨’)¡­ ¡­(?)¡­ {Loading¡­|99%|} ¡­(¨’)¡­ {Loading Complete} {Restore Complete}
When I woke up, they told me I had slept for sixth months. ¡ª Warrior wounded at the Pit Congratulations! Rest deep to recover from dangerous wounds. Level [25]!:You have successfully completed your first System Restart.(+15 path points;damagedstatus removed; health regeneration restored; |Lich Sign Packet|, |Common Writing System Packet|,|Hynafol Writing System Packet|restored; 100+ |Racial Language Packets| added to |Common Language Packet|; 5+ |Racial Writing System Packets| added to |Common Writing System Packet|; +4 hours to[Golem Creation]active time, total: 18 hours)
It was jarring. I woke up suddenly like bursting out of water. The skeleton was hovering worriedly over me. What was that? Restart? I don¡¯t like it. It¡¯s scary. Nothing like falling asleep. I was forced under. It felt like I was drowning. Please, don¡¯t do that again. Even if I do feel worlds better than when I was damaged. I can feel it. There¡¯s still a scar on my core, though it¡¯s been smoothed, not as sharp and jagged. More importantly, the ever-present gray within the swirling energies of my core has disappeared. It feels refreshing. Still, never again am I going to go through that. I shudder. Deciding I needed fresh air, I let myself tumble out of my golem. The skeleton freaks out a bit, panicking as she turns back and forth from my core to my golem in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± I say. ¡°Just a bit shaken up. How long was I out for? Oh, try signing again. I think I can understand now.¡± She cocked her head after looking relieved. ¡®About half a bell,¡¯ she signed. Half a bell? So¡­ I consult the system. A day is divided into twelve bells. The length of days is the same as Earth¡¯s, so, I was out for about an hour. ¡°Sorry, I was out for so long. It was¡­unexpected. I don¡¯t wanna do that again.¡± ¡®What happened?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ve been hurt for a while. I guess I just slipped into a bit of a coma to fix it? I¡¯m not really sure. I went through a restore or something.¡± ¡®Are you alright now?¡¯ ¡°Yeah, I should be fine now.¡± ¡®Good. Mind if I ask questions now? I¡¯ve been so curious.¡¯ She seemed to brighten now that she knows I can understand her. ¡°Sure, go ahead. I mean, you answered mine. Or at least tried to. You¡¯re a lich, right?¡± She nods. ¡®I am. My name is Namena Tammage. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Dungeon. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m meeting a real live dungeon! It¡¯s so exciting. A once in a lifetime experience. No, more than that!¡¯ Her signing speeds up along with her excitement. I almost have trouble reading it. ¡°Ah, my name¡¯s Haven. Or Devin. Either one is fine. Well, technically I named my golem Devin, but it used to be my name.¡± I give a little twinkle. ¡®Your golem? Can I assume that this,¡¯ she points to the golem, ¡®is a golem? Interesting! It¡¯s so much different from normal golems. It¡¯s not alive.¡¯The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t met a normal golem. This is just one I¡¯ve made to help me move around better, I guess.¡± ¡®You made it! Wow. Speaking of making, Miss Haven, your domain is lovely. You made it as well? And warm even though it should be cold. Amazing!¡¯ She gives her chattering laugh. ¡°Yes, I did. Thanks!¡± I brighten. ¡°Um, so¡­¡± ¡®You¡¯re asking why I am here?¡¯ She cocks her head. ¡°More that if you¡¯re lost or not.¡± ¡®Oh, you consider that more important?¡¯ She taps her chin. ¡®In a way, I was lost. I didn¡¯t expect to find myself here when I was wondering around the Lost Bay. Though I had my reasons to enter the bay, since I have no place to return to, can you really call it lost?¡¯ ¡°If you have no place to return to, do you want to stay here?¡± Her grin seems to widen and the twinkle returns to her eye sockets. ¡®If I may make this my home,¡¯ she signs, ¡®I would appreciate it to the bottom of my rib cage.¡¯Clacalcalclalclcalaa,she laughs. ¡°Haha, great! Ah, well¡­ I should tell you, just so you know. It might affect whether or not you want to live here. It¡¯s¡­well¡­ the System of the world, the red System, pretty much hates my guts. It¡¯s kinda trying to make everything go after me. So, if you stay here, you might get caught in the crossfire.¡± ¡®So, that¡¯s the meaning behind that System Quest. It was strange to consider a dungeon isolated far to the north a danger. From what I¡¯ve heard from the legends, dungeons were contained existences. They didn¡¯t tend to disturb their surroundings much. In fact, they seemed to regulate the existence of monsters. Why is it going after you?¡¯ ¡°I have a different System, actually. It¡¯s blue. And both me and my System are quite opposed to the red System. It¨Chow do I say it? It eats the souls of the inhabitants. My existence will interfere with that if I continue to expand.¡± Namena seems to frown. ¡®You¡­ save souls from being eaten?¡¯ She asks. ¡°Yeah. When I integrate someone into my domain, or someone dies within my domain, or I kill someone myself, their souls return to the River of Souls rather than be devoured by the red System. That includes monsters. It sounds kinda awful when I say it that way, but that¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡®You know, liches are more sensitive to souls than other races just by virtue of how a lich is made. Liches live for a long time, and our souls are tied to our bodies for more than our original life expectancies. Many of us can see the souls of those around us. Long ago, people were afraid of liches because we could see the souls, even those corrupted souls of puca. The deeper the corruption, the more erratic a puca becomes. Liches have the power to touch souls, to peel off the dirt and sickness from them and restore them to something closer to what they were before. In the Suon Kiin desert there lies the Temple of the Sun. It was founded by Nafiewa Rejak, a lich who was originally a Tennin Princess. There are many lich monks that search the records of the Hynafol for references of the soul. The Temple of the Sun has the largest library of Hynafolian text, second only to the Library of the Scholars.¡¯ ¡°They search about souls?¡± ¡®Yeah, they search about souls. Since we can see souls, it¡¯s no surprise that we worship them. They are important to us. Souls are old things. They pass through the River of Souls many times over, living many lives in order to grow stronger, purer, and eventually reach paradise. Souls are old, but the races of the puca are new. They begin appearing after the fall of the Hynafol. Those who become puca, their souls stagnate, begin degrading. Liches have watched this over and over and over again. Eventually, when the soul can take no more, it crumbles into dust, like its been sucked dry by something. The monks of the Temple of the Sun have created many theories over the years, but what they agree on is that the degradation of souls is tied to the event that destroyed the Hynafol.¡¯ ¡°Do you believe the bedtime story?¡± ¡®You are talking about the one of the eyes in the sky and the will of the world vanishing?¡¯ ¡°Yeah, that one.¡± ¡®You are saying it is real?¡¯ She taps her chip. ¡°I don¡¯t know how accurate the story is, but I do believe that an invader attacked the will of the world and is now devouring the souls.¡± ¡®There are two main camps of theology within the Temple of the Sun. The first is that there is no life, no souls beyond those of this world, nothing lies beyond the stars but empty expanse. There has never been any evidence of any life in the heavens. So the story must be false, just a thing to explain a disaster. They say that there is a disease of the soul that must be cured. They focus much on alchemy and its effects on the soul. The other camp believes in alien existences. There is life beyond the stars. The story then, is possible. There has never been any evidence for there not to be any life in the heavens. And so, something could very well be siphoning off the souls of this world. We just have to find it.¡¯ ¡°Which camp do you belong to?¡± Her grin does the thing where it seems to grow wider. ¡®What do you think?¡¯ ¡°You believe the story.¡± Calalclaalclacllalcclalaccla,she laughs. ¡®I do. Miss Haven, do you know what this means? Your story, if it¡¯s real. If you do contain the ancient will of the world, if you can save soul, this will be the first time we have ever made progress against the degradation of souls! We can beat back the dark!¡¯ She picks me up and twirls around while laughing. She carefully sets me back down on the mossy rock. ¡®Souls won¡¯t have to die! I won¡¯t¨CI won¡¯t have to watch pure souls break down and disappear when they die. Those pure souls¡­¡¯ She pauses, facing the rising sun. Dew drops glisten on her cheekbones. They look tears. ¡®Enough of that, though. We can talk about it later. Show me around this amazing place.¡¯ ¡°Okay,¡± I say. I begin guiding her around the valleys, showing her my various plants and mushrooms. ¡°These ones are called pixies¡¯ parasols. I haven¡¯t seen it yet, but supposedly they turn into little floating jellyfish.¡± ¡®I¡¯ve heard of them. They are hard to find, only occurring in a few other places besides the Tolk Mushroom forest. I am surprised you have some! What a glorious sight it will be when they bloom.¡¯ We travel, visiting lava lakes and waterfalls, water lakes and lavafalls, caves filled with parrot waxcaps and little piles of gems they¡¯ve made. She is amazed at the hanging bridges between the mountains, and the sun reflecting off the glossy mountains. She stood for several seconds taking in the view at the top of one. But her reaction to Harbor, my original ice tree, took the cake. She was signless, her jaw dropping as she explored the inside. Eventually, she turns to me and says: ¡®You can make anything?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know about anything, but I feel like I can at least create different biomes now¡­maybe, if I try. I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not that creative.¡± ¡®You call all this not creative?¡¯ ¡°Someone else with the skills I have would probably make something better.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t discount yourself. This is amazing! Do you think you can create a desert?¡¯ ¡°Oh, yeah, liches like deserts, don¡¯t they? I think I can. Give me a few moments. If I¡¯m going to create something, I wanna see what my {architect} will give me.¡± I put my path points into {architect}.
Take your hand. Feel the life thread runnding through the stone. You feel it, you cut along it, and the stone will split cleanly, like you¡¯re cutting butter. ¨C Master stonemasen. Congratulations!{Architect I (50/50)}Path:Complete. (+30 health regeneration; +30 mana regeneration;{Architect II (0/100)}path;{Rune of Dewberry I}: signifies an imbuement of power.Dewberry allows one to imbue an effect on anything the ward is placed upon. Effects: |freezing|,|antigravity|. Classified as an imbuement ward. Levels with [Warding] skill. Medium ¡ª inlaied carved obsidian glass)
Muwahaha! A rune huh. Not only that, a rare leveling rune. Not exactly what I was expecting, but it makes everything better. Hehe floating islands here I come. I already have the medium I need. Let¡¯s get cracking! ¡°Watch this,¡± I say as I grab a chunk of magma, letting it cool rapidly into obsidian. I say chunk, but it¡¯s massive. It¡¯s about two of my mountains put together and squished down into a vague dish shape. I carve the imbue and energy runes on the underside of the island, then let go. It wabbles for a second before stabilizing as it floats in a leisurely circle around my mountain range, hidden partially by the clouds. Namena¡¯s jab drops once more. ¡°Don¡¯t let your breath get taken away there. I¡¯m just getting started.¡± I gather up large amounts of sand and cover the island with a thick layer. Then I create a little platform and carve {dewberry} and {currant} into it to create a little free-floating elevator that will travel along a path between Harbor and the island. We travel up to the island itself and settle on a carpet I filched from Harbor. ¡°This next part will probably take a while, maybe even a week or more. You can go wander around for now. If you need anything just come and get me.¡± I give her a bracelet imbued with antigravity in case she ever gets lost of falls in a trap or something. Since she isn¡¯t antagonistic towards me, my domain won¡¯t be very aggressive towards her, if at all. Since I tend to cast |aura of souls| onto everything I make, I¡¯ve noticed it all blends together into something of a limited intelligence that makes up my whole domain. It¡¯s weird to think my dungeon is alive, but it is¡­ Especially since it can move around between dimensions. Mulling on the thought, I plant several ice trees and guide them to massive proportions. This takes almost a whole day to complete. While not as tall as Harbor, their branches interconnect in a tight weave, able to cover the whole island in an umbrella like dome. Their trunks stand like strange pillars in the sand. I create large hanging orbs and imbue them with concentrated |aura of light| and |aura of warmth|, then run lava throughout every part of the new trees and underneath the sand. Heat begins to radiate out of them. I cast a diluted form of |aura of protection|, concentrating most of it on the lava, so it doesn¡¯t affect its surroundings while still giving off radiating heat, and pretty soon, the island is covered in an intense dry heat. The orbs hanging from the tree branches were blinding and harsh.Truly like a desert. After a bit of thought, I carve {currant} on the trees, and with some experimentation, I combine it with manipulation of air. It directs the breeze coming from outside the island to come up through the bottom of the island, warming as it passes the lava, and exiting through the roots of the trees, creating little dust devils as it stirs up the sand. The intensity of the wind on the island is determined by the strength of the wind outside, though I had to tone it down when a dust storm nearly formed. Fiddling with this takes me quite a while. I had to take breaks because I kept getting too frustrated. It wasn¡¯t as easy as I thought to add the effects of a skill to a rune. The next thing I do is cast |aura of the seed| to create different types of desert plants, which takes me another day. I plant huge barrel cactuses filled with water, most of it will originate from an underground lake I put in the island after second thought. I make {currant} combine with manipulation of water to keep the lake full. It collects water from the outside clouds the island passes through. I could have planted some crying ferns, but they didn¡¯t seem to fit very well with the theme. Well, the real reason was that what I could do with {current} was beginning to interest me. Changing my mind, I only made about half of the ice trees in the desert conduct wind. The other half draw up water from the lake when it gets too full and send it to their branches. From there it¡¯ll seep out and rain down where it can collect in the barrel cactuses. With this I now have water trees and wind trees that make up the pillars of my desert. Other plants I planted in the desert include an aloe vera plant filled with a healing salve, another cactus that produces juicy fruit, and some occasional patches of grass, and my banana palms. I¡¯ll have to come back and work on the variety later. I plant a patch of snowdrops next to the couple of oases I scattered throughout the desert, shaded by a grove of banana palms. I create some date palms after a few minutes thought and place them throughout the desert, mostly concentrated in with the banana palms surrounding my oases. Well, I think I¡¯m done for now. It only took me four or so days, seems like I¡¯ve improved on my creation speed.
You have created an additionalwonder. Two more and your achievement,|Creator of Wonders!|, will rank up to|Creator of Marvels!|¨CCreate several things classifiedas wonders of the world. Each additional wonder is also designated as a pilgrimagesite.(+5 path points; +15 path points to {Ingenuity III} and{Architect II}Paths; 30% less danger when traveling to your wonder during a pilgrimage)
Your wonder has been named:|?The Island Oasis?|
I greet you Greater Wardsman. Stay long, live happy, and protection for your travels. ¡ª Traditional Nymph greeting to wardsmen Congratulations! Increase the wards in your domain. Increase your strength [Warding III]:Your wards increase in utility. Their effectiveness increases as well(5% to effectiveness of wards;{Rune of Currant II}addtional effect:|Growth|)
I was expecting that! Ha. Did it again. Only I wasn¡¯t expecting my vent lord to somehow sneak onto the island. He seems to like hiding in the sands. He might have turned one of the oases into a volcanic mudpot. Huh. Timp likes scampering around here too, flying acrobatically between the branches. She never stays very long, though. I think the heat tires her out. Of course, Oroesi never comes close to the desert, but some of the snowdrop dragons do, which surprises me. They¡¯ve taken a liking to the other oases, living among the snowdrops and eating cactus fruit, sometimes even the aloe vera. I start to look around for Namena. She visited me a few times while I was creating the desert. We spent breaks together. She would eat bananas and rose hips. The food just kind of¡­ disappeared somehow. I¡¯m still not sure how that works. I should see if I can get my golem to be able to taste food for me, especially now that I have the cooking skill. I do need to create more edible plants. I want to eat. Other than that, she also showed me how to write in the air using mana. It was interesting, much like how |aura of light| works. But now that I¡¯m finally done with the island, I can¡¯t seem to find here. Did she get lost? Is she stuck in some trap? Before I can get too nervous, though, I find a note from her near the dimensional ice tree entrance: I won¡¯t be gone long. There¡¯s a group of liches near the bay. I¡¯m looking to see if any of them will be willing to migrate to your dungeon to live. Since you create such a wonderful desert, it would be a shame to live in it alone. On top of that, I want to send a message to the Temple of the Sun concerning your exhistance. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t reveal anything that will endanger you. The message will be to only a person I know I can trust. I did want to mention, I had attempted to leave just before I had begun writing this note to see if it was possible to travel back and forth repediatedly through your entrance in the ice tree. It was, but something interesting occured. I recieved a prompt to join your cause. Let¡¯s shake this world up together. ¨CNammy
Status Menu
Name: Haven [Locked]--Devin Race: Legendary Dungeon Level: 25* Attribute: Green
Health: 313/352 (3.25/min)* Mana: 726/776 (5.08/min)* State:Normal*
Biomes: 7* Floors: ?%¦®] Named Monsters: 4
Monsters: 44* Animals: 75,679* Plants: 1,144,600+*
[¦®]
Path Points: 25*
Paths: {Beginner VI (0/30)} {Ingenuity III (15/80)}*{Valiant II (0/120)} {Defender V (0/50)}{Architect II (15/100)}*{Strategist III (0/95)}
Skills: [Influence VII][Incorporation IV][Ambient Aura VIII][Plant Growth III] [Green Thumb II][Tamer VI][Karma III][Natural Projectile V][Core Teleportation] [Epithet] [Elemental Manipulation X] [Biome Creation] [Fluid Floors] [Golem Creation] [Loyalty][Tranquility][Warding III]*[Forewarn II] [Mana Absorption][Standstill I][Cooking I]
Achievements: |Ingenuity!| |Powerful!| |Dauntless!| |Against the Odds!| |Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!| |Creator of Wonders!| |Leader!|
Causes:|?Against the World?|-- 5*
[¦®]
Auras: |Aura of Light| |Aura of Warmth||Aura of Fury||Aura of Souls||Aura of Protection||Aura of the Lost||Calming Aura||Aura of the Seed|
Fire: Main, Magma Water: Main, Ice, Acid Earth: Main, Plants, Minerals, Metal,Wax Air: Main, Toxic Gas
3.9 - South Pass Vermis Harenae,the common sandworm, most often found in the deserts of Suon Kiin. Legends often characterize sandworms as massive worms bent solely on eating man (or caravan). There has only been one known case where a sandworm has ever attacked a caravan. This was due to several reasons including a severe drought, being driven out of its own territory, and idioticprovocation on part of the caravan. Rather than caravans, the main diet of sandworms are rocs from the Milana Mountains, which come down to eat cicada foxes of the desert. Sandworms and cicada foxes have a unique, symbiotic relationship. Cicada foxes have a distinctive call they sound when attacked by rocs. It vibrates at a distinct frequency allowing it to penetrate deep into the sand. Sandworms will pick up that sound and come to eat the rocs, often rescuing the cicada foxes in the process. Sandworms themselves are solitary creatures. It is rare to see more than one at once except for annual mating migration, a three-month long process which redefines their territories. As such, sandworms do not raise their own young, leaving them out in the desert soon after birth. Cicada foxes will often take it upon themselves toraise the sandworm larvae (often called cicadas) to adulthood. ¨C Compendium of Monsters, 778 South Pass? That mean big wall? We take long to walk across much grass to it. It big, strange. Long wall packed hard sand. Tall as Home tree. Wide as many, many Home tree. Air dry. Not like. Make scales rough and thirsty. Group walk up to wall. Something make ring sound from inside wall. ¡°Who goes?¡± Man at top of wall shout. ¡°Members of the King¡¯s Guard of Seven Cities,¡± Shiny say. Small door opens in big, big gate in side of wall. One. Two shiny men rush out and push group inside. ¡°Better hurry,¡± one man say. ¡°Storm¡¯s coming. Nothing good happens if you¡¯re outside when it hits. We¡¯ll check your documents inside.¡± Group walk inside wall. More shiny men inside. Too many shiny men now. Can¡¯t tell apart! How will I know my shiny men from new shiny men? Fish Tail! Help! Too much shiny. Make I dizzy! I slip from Fish Tail head, but he catch so I alright. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong, little guy? Excuse me, could I ask for a cup of water?¡± Fish Tail ask. ¡°What is that?¡± Big shiny man say. More shiny men follow him. He wave man to poor water into weird bowl and hand to Fish Tail. ¡°I believe it is an evolved sliver fish.¡± Fish Tail slide I into bowl. Water feel nice. Skin much too dry, but it soak water now. I feel better. Thanks, Fish Tail. ¡°A sliver fish? This far south?¡± Big Man say. He lead group down hall and to door. ¡°Yes. Strange things do happen from time to time.¡± Big Man laugh. ¡°Here, you can have your men rest here. If the leader of this group would follow me. Yen, you too.¡± Much of group go into room. We not follow them? No, look like Fish Tail and old friend Shiny follow Big Shiny Man into different room. ¡°I see you haven¡¯t changed at all. How long has it been since you¡¯ve been here, Yen?¡± Big Man sit behind weird box thing. He wave Fish Tail and Shiny to sit, too. ¡°Hm. Five years or so?¡± Fish Tail say as they sit. I look around room. A weird square with much color hang on wall behind Big Man. It show wall, no, it called South Pass, right Fish Tail. Big scary thing rise above South Pass in square. It scaly and long much like naitaka, but scales wrong. Not for water. Men on South Pass fire sparkly light at Big Scaly Thing. I not like square. Big Scale look like he want to eat I. I glare at it. No eat I. ¡°And who is this with you?¡± Big Man ask as I look at square. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. You haven¡¯t met him yet. This is Prince Everand Alcyone of the King¡¯s guard in the Seven Cities. Everand, this is Lieutenant Allen Strange. His last name isn¡¯t the only thing strange about him,¡± Fish Tail grins. ¡°Prince?¡± Man behind box say. He stand and bend forward at waist toward old friend Shiny? What that mean? Old friend Shiny name Pinsy? Okay Shiny is Pinsy. ¡°It¡¯s an honor for you to visit personally. It means much.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such need to bow. It¡¯s an honor to be here. Our Seven Cities and the Guards of South Pass have always had friendly relations with each other. It¡¯s better to get on with more important matters than to stand on ceremony,¡± Shiny Pinsy say. ¡°Lieutenant, what can you tell me about the situation here? The recent reports we¡¯ve been receiving were considerably vague.¡± ¡°It would be better for Wall Commander Tolman to update you. If I could see your documents, we can get right to processing you and then I can take up the wall. Commander hasn¡¯t left the top for days now. He¡¯s been saying his chest itches.¡± ¡°His chest?¡± Pinsy pulls out weird crinkly rolled-up white thing. He hand it to man behind box. ¡°It¡¯s an old battle wound from a few years ago,¡± man say as he take white thing and opened it up. He look at it for a bit, then spread dust over it. Dust make white thing glow. He nod and hand back white thing. ¡°He says it itches when trouble is coming.¡± ¡°You believe him?¡± Pinsy ask as he take white thing and put it away. ¡°He¡¯s yet to be wrong,¡± Man say. ¡°For how long has it been going on?¡± Fish Tail ask. ¡°His intuition has been going off since about a three and a half months ago.¡± ¡°Was that about when we got the first report?¡± Pinsy ask. ¡°The one that said ¡®Trouble Brewing?''¡± ¡°Ah, yes. That one Commander personally sent. It right after he first said his chest itched if I remember.¡± ¡°You said he hasn¡¯t left the top of the wall?¡± Fish Tail say. ¡°Yes. He hasn¡¯t budged from that spot for four days. I know he has an [endurance] skill, and high endurance in general, but if he doesn¡¯t get any sleep soon, we¡¯re all scared he¡¯s going to keel over. He just keeps looking out over Suon Kiin.¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t bode well,¡± Fish Tail whisper. ¡°We¡¯d better go and see him then,¡± Pinsy say. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take you there now.¡± Everyone stand. We go? Where? Big Man lead way out of room. Down many dark halls. It remind I of hiding places in rock. Caves that twist and turn, though flickering red light sticks on walls make it not same. We come to stairs and go up and up and up. Go through door at top of stairs, and we now at top of wall. Can see far and far and far. Much, much sand stretch out. I not like scene. Sky is weird color. Much like color of sand. Air feel wrong in more than just too dry. Above birds circle high. I not like birds. Birds eat fish. One swoops low. I hide lower in bow and see bird. It big, big, big bird. It almost half big as creepy tree back in lots of tree. Where I met Fish Tail and group. Bigger than one, two. Two men. It scream loud. I cringe. Men cover ears. Sparkle bubble appear around wall. Bird run into bubble and screech in pain. It fall for bit, but then fly back up into the sky. ¡°A roc?¡± Pinsy ask. ¡°There¡¯ve been many more sightings of them as of late. Usually they just circle around. It¡¯s not often they come this low. There¡¯s the Commander there.¡± Big Man point at man stand at edge of wall. Fluffy! So fluffy! Look Fish Tail. It fluffy man. I splash in water. We walk over to Fluffy Man. Fluffy Man is truely fluffy. He have flat face. Like otter but not. More like Long Neck face, but pale and much fluff around head and neck. Maybe like sea-lion face. More fur. Much, much red fluff fur around face. Shachihoko catfish? Or Orobon waterpanther? Hm. I not decide what he most like. ¡°Commander Tolman!¡± Fluffy Man turn. Big Man straighten and put fist on chest. ¡°Lieutenant Strange.¡± ¡°Yen Tao is here along with Prince Everand Alcyone of the King¡¯s Guard of Seven Cities.¡± ¡°Prince.¡± Fluffy nod head. Oh, he say Pinsy¡¯s name! So also Big Man. I understand! It hard to listen everyone talk. I not understand lot. But I understand some. I getting better! Hehe. ¡°Yen Tao.¡± He nod to Fish Tail. Yenta? That Fish Tail name? I so good. I learn Fish Tail name. Fish Tail nod. Big Man move away toward different group of shiny men on wall. ¡°Captain is fine,¡± Pinsy say. ¡°What can you tell us about the recent situation?¡± Hm. Yenta. Which use? I like Fish Tail, but I like Yenta, too. Fish Tail, Yenta, Fish Tail, Yenta. Fluffy grunt. ¡°Not much,¡± he say. ¡°We¡¯ve had more sand storms in the past couple of months than in the last year.¡± ¡°Do you know the reason?¡± Yenta ask. Or it Fish Tail ask? I still not decide. ¡°Sandworm migration according to the weather sage. There¡¯s one coming now, in fact.¡± He point out across sand. Light flash in distance. Storm rolling. I smell it. Air tingly. Rumbling sound come after while. Not like normal storm, though. Normal storm smell wet. This one dry. Much dry. I eye storm and frown. ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that? Don¡¯t sandworms migrate this time of year?¡± Pinsy shuffle on feet. ¡°Yes, but the amount of times they¡¯ve migrated just this month alone is already more than the last three years combined. They¡¯re not staying in one spot. They keep moving. Everyday they get a little closer to the wall. It¡¯s got the rocs all agitated as well.¡± Fluffy point to the sky. ¡°They can¡¯t hunt with the sandworms moving about as much as they are. Something is out there, and it¡¯s spooking the sandworms. I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ve been vague in your reports?¡± Pinsy say. ¡°It¡¯s only my intuition. There¡¯s not much I can write other than increased amount of sandstorms. They wouldn¡¯t listen to me if I wrote more. The King of Seven Cities may be willing to bet on my intuition but the other city-states in the area won¡¯t. They¡¯ll say I¡¯m being paranoid. Most of those old fools don¡¯t even believe that sandworms can cause sandstorms anyway. Idiots.¡± ¡°Any idea what it is?¡± Fish Tail ask. Yenta? Fish Tail? Yenta¡­ ¡°This says puca,¡± Fluffy say touching chest with hand. ¡°It was a puca that gave me this scar. A few inches lower and it would have been through my heart. It¡­that war.¡± ¡°Was it the Wight¡¯s War?¡± Pinsy ask. ¡°Hm? Oh, yes it was. It¡¯s been what, thirty years now?¡± Fluffy pull at red beard. ¡°Thirty-six. It was back in 964,¡± Yenta say. Fish Tail? Yenta. Yenta. Yenta is! I decide. It shorter. ¡°Unpleasant war.¡± Fluffy frown. ¡°What was it like? I know that the records say that a very powerful child prodigy was turned into a wight and that it caused all the puca in Carepen to go crazy. Brokeback root wouldn¡¯t work at all,¡± Pinsy say. I bored. I not know what they talk about. ¡°Yes, you could say the puca went crazy, but it was more than that. Their movements were coordinated. They became rabid, hate-filled, hungry things, but that doesn¡¯t mean they had lost their minds. They knew what they were doing. It was more like someone had removed their inner restraints and they let loose, but in a way that made it seem like they wanted to bring down the country itself.¡± Fluffy get far off look in eyes. I wonder what he talk about. ¡°I was in Fengal at the time. The city was nearly sacked. I spent seven nights atop the wall just trying to keep the incoming puca off. We were doomed when our last wardsmen was taken out by a specter who managed to somehow [teleport] behind the wards. The wards of course didn¡¯t last much longer. When they broke, the puca came swarming. A wendigo came after me and stabbed me through the chest with a claw. I struggled and managed to take off one of his arms and an eye, but he would have killed me if that wasn¡¯t the exact time that Annabella killed the Wight Child.¡± He turn back to Yenta. ¡°I¡¯d know a puca anywhere. I can feel it. This wound hasn¡¯t let me sleep in days. Whatever is out there feels like a puca, and not just any puca. That thing out there is on the scale of the Wight¡¯s War.¡± He point out again while talking to Yenta. What he point at? I look but only see growing storm. ¡°You, too.¡± Yenta look serious. What wrong? ¡°What is it? How serious is it?¡± Pinsy say. ¡°Some force is moving in this world.¡± Yenta look toward storm. ¡°It¡¯s bigger than anything ever before. I¡¯m afraid that what is to come will rock the foundations of the world.¡± They quiet now. Not talk for long time. It feel weird. Keep talking. I pay attention more. I wanna learn what you saying. I not like feeling left out, now. Home at least speak feeling. I understand Home. I feel lonely longer I not understand. ¡°That¡¯s ominous,¡± Pinsy finally say. ¡°Commander, what do you know of Commander Curo Llid?¡± Yay more speak! Ko Manda. Name? Word? Maybe mean feeling of bubble tickle stomach when swim too fast. I like feeling ko manda. I blow bubble. ¡°Llid? What about him? He¡¯s an old comrade of mine from the Wight¡¯s War. Heard he was up in Asterope watching Haruime Ro.¡± Aitor¡­ and Rumay ro. Stero and Lid. I learn much word. What they mean though? ¡°Did you know that he¡¯s been missing since the month of Jasad?¡± Asad? What Asad? Wind start up now. It blow in weird spurt. My water feel gritty now. It uncomfortable. ¡°Missing? Since two months ago? No, I haven¡¯t heard anything about this.¡± ¡°When was the last time that you have heard from him?¡± Yenta ask. ¡°We kept up a regular correspondence. Every few weeks I¡¯d get a letter from him. My last letter to him was three months ago. I told him about the sandstorms and the feeling I got. That¡¯s it. I haven¡¯t gotten a letter back from him.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°So that¡¯s why he was concerned with South Pass,¡± Pinsy say. South Pass! I know word! Yay! ¡°Why? What¡¯s happened? Do you know where he is?¡± Fluffy ask. ¡°We don¡¯t,¡± Yenta say, ¡°though he sent his son letters as well, apparently several mentioning his worry about the state of South Pass. We came here to check if he ever came here and to check up on the situation. Also to leave you two packages.¡± ¡°Packages?¡± Fluffy frown. Aka jez¡­. Weird word. ¡°One of them wouldn¡¯t happen to be that puca you brought along with you, would it? I can feel him from here.¡± Yenta grin. ¡°It would. We found him eating an arm in Niwl. Thought it¡¯d be better to keep him here for the time being.¡± ¡°What makes you think I want a feral puca in my wall?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so good at taming them. It¡¯d be a good experience.¡± Fluffy grunt. ¡°And the other package you dropping on my lap? Is it another problem child?¡± ¡°It is. Dicter Llid¡¯s his name.¡± Lid! I recognize. ¡°Curo¡¯s son, then.¡± Curroson? Coro sonthe? Onthen? How many word is it? Grr. It hard. ¡°The king sent him here to cool off. You must know that he¡¯s been at odds with his father. He needs something more concrete to fight against than society and the King¡¯s Guard.¡± Ingsgard. Why much weird word? Language hard. ¡°He picked a fight with the King¡¯s Guard?¡± Fluffy raise eyebrow. I heard word again. Ingsgard? What it? ¡°Yeah, nearly broke the Prince¡¯s nose, then tried to argue with the king. Of course, he pretty much wilted under the king¡¯s stare after that.¡± Pinsy! They talk about Pinsy? Pinsy look away. He look pouty. Home sometime look like that, too. ¡°Hahahaah!¡± Fluffy laugh. ¡°So, he¡¯s got fire. Good, good. I like this package much more than the other one. I¡¯ll make a real soldier out of him.¡± Yenta smile. ¡°Any idea where Commander Llid might have gone?¡± Pinsy say. Fluffy calm down and start think. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t. He¡¯s not the type to just leave his post, even if he was worried about something. Something might have happened. My bet would be that the tengu had something to do with it. He¡¯s been getting in their way for years.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Pinsy pull out white thing and make weird black mark with stick. He have hard time. Wind pick up even more. I look at storm. It much closer now. Another ringing sound from inside wall come. Shiny men move around faster now. ¡°Storm¡¯s closing in. We best be getting inside,¡± Fluffy say. We head back to door and down stairs to different room. Cozy room with flickering red light in small stone cave in wall. They sit down and different man bring in food. Yenta feed me pieces. I leave water to get closer to food. It gross now anyway. Too much sand from wind. ¡°What are your plans now?¡± Fluffy ask. He watch me eat. I do swirly flip in air. He smile. ¡°Our plans?¡± Pinsy say. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough information at this point, honestly. We don¡¯t have any clues as to where Commander Llid has gone. Our best idea now would be to investigate where the tengu have taken him, but we don¡¯t need to do that personally. I¡¯ll have my father send someone to look into it. Since we¡¯re here, it¡¯d be best to see if we can figure out the reason behind the sandworm migration. I¡¯m worried about the amount of sand coming through South Pass. It could lead to desertification in the lands around the mountain range, maybe even into the Niwl Forest. The monsters there are already jittery enough as it is. If Yen Tao is okay with it, I¡¯d like to head into Suon Kiin.¡± I hear Lid and South Pass again! I not catch much else, though. I distracted. Fluffy hold out hand with food. I want, so I swim over. ¡°Are you taking your men with you? If so, I¡¯d advise against it. Migrations cause large groups to be dangerous. It¡¯s better to travel with a group of at most five during this time.¡± Yummy food, it taste good. I eat all food he have. He offer more, but I full now. Look for something fun. ¡°Then me, Everand, and let¡¯s see, Tael should be good.¡± Yenta eat piece of fruit. ¡°And maybe a lich or a verian would be good. Someone who knows the desert. I won¡¯t get lost or anything but that doesn¡¯t mean I know my way around. I haven¡¯t crossed the desert very often, and I¡¯m not sure what we¡¯re looking for.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look around to see if I can find someone for you. Shouldn¡¯t be too hard. We have a merchant caravan staying here. They¡¯re waiting for the storm to pass before heading into the desert as well. Those merchants. Sure are a brace lot,¡± Fluffy say. His beard move as he speak. Look fun. I dive in. He jerk a bit in surprise and laugh as I wiggle around. It like playing in seaweed. Or my silk. I like. I startle when sharp tapping noise sound on door. It open and lady come in. She stand straight and put hand over chest. ¡°Commander, the gwisin¨C¡± ¡°He did something.¡± Yenta cut her off as he stand. She glance at Fluffy before speak. ¡°That¡¯s not it. He hasn¡¯t done anything. He suddenly turned ill. We¡¯ve taken him to the health ward, but his situation hasn¡¯t seemed to have gotten any better. The healer would like to see you, Commander, and you as well.¡± She turn and face Pinsy. Pinsy frown. ¡°Sick? The gwisin?¡± He ask. He and Fluffy stand. ¡°Yes. If you could come. She said it was urgent.¡± We follow her out door. I almost left behind. I swim quick down hall to catch up. It hard. They walk fast. Swim in air harder than swim in water. Swim in air take more endurance to keep afloat. Under water it not take much. I reach Yenta as they come to different door. I sit on Yenta head as we go in. I much tired from swimming hard. It long way to reach different door from room we eat food in. New room smell bad. Smell sharp and metal and blood and bad liquid flowing through veins. Make I feel sick. Woozy. I droop and slump on head. Fish Tail reach up and pat I on back. ¡°Healer Gena?¡± Fluffy say. New lady sit by bed stand and put hand on chest toward Fluffy. New Lady have wing long bird on back and feathers in hair. Much like bird people but no bird face. Bone man stand behind Feather Lady. Not sure I like Feather Lady. Like Bone Man, though. I smell he friendly, though scary look. I frown. Bad bad lay in bed. Not like. He smell sick now. It make me feel little better. He not look well. Pale. Much, much pale. Can see veins, skin clear. ¡°Commander, you¡¯re here,¡± Feather Lady say. Ko Manda again. Say much, maybe mean name? Fluffy name? They talk to him. Ko Manda. I like Fluffy better. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± Fluffy say. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. From what I¡¯ve been told he just suddenly keeled over and started puking his guts out, if I were to put it in the terms of one of the officers of the King¡¯s Guard. It¡¯s true that he hasn¡¯t stopped spitting up blood.¡± Feather Lady say. Red water dribble down Bad lip. It smell like blood. Not good. Blood not supposed to not be in body. He dying? That good or bad? I look around. Fluffy frown. Feather Lady look worried. Pinsy scratch back of head. Yenta walk over to bed. They so serious. Maybe bad thing then. ¡°What¡¯s your diagnosis?¡± ¡°Severe burns on one of his hands. It looks to be a mixture of burn types, both acid burning and severe heat. Poison as well runs thickly through his veins. It¡¯s causing the mana in his body to run wild. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to utilize it properly for days now. Most like from being inhaled seeing how it¡¯s concentrated in his lungs.¡± Feather Lady ruffle her feathers. ¡°Aren¡¯t puca supposed to have high immunity towards poisons?¡± Pinsy ask. ¡°Less of high immunity and more that their body acclimates to the poison quickly. Gwisin especially build up resistance at an extremely rapid rate. Normally, a poison should never last as long as it has in his body. And his wound too, it should have healed by now.¡± ¡°Is it a new type of poison, then?¡± Fluffy say. I hope we leave soon. I still feel queasy. Not like being in room. Bad bad not good be around. ¡°No, I was able to identify it with the help of Jemsen,¡± Feather Lady say, waving hand at Bone Man. ¡°It¡¯s not all that rare. Often found coming out of thermal vents actually, though not many are stupid enough to breathe in such large quantities. No, it¡¯s something else that¡¯s been causing his heath regeneration to deteriorate. His almost see through skin color, I¡¯d say, is a symptom. He¡¯s slipped into a coma to deal with it. As for what it is, I¡¯m at an impasse. It really seems as if his body is rejecting itself somehow. I can¡¯t explain it any better.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Fluffy say. She means that his soul is rejecting his body. More specifically, it seems as though his soul is being split between two places. It is trying to return to its other half at the moment, but his body is rejecting that, so he hangs into a strange balance.Bone Man move hand in weird way. Everyone pay attention to his hand. They watch. It mean something? What it mean? He talk with hand? He weird. Not like I able talk with fin. No one understand I. Psh. Everyone know that. Weird man. ¡°His soul? Is it possible that slipping through a spacial distortion could split a person¡¯s soul?¡± Yenta ask. Spacial distortion? I haven¡¯t thought of about it. It is possible, but only in very select cases, most of which involve a space-time distortion rather than just a spacial distortion.Bone Man make weird move with hand again. It distracting. Make people watch and not talk. But it look cool, so I fine, though I wanna learn more language. It hard pay attention when room make I feel sick. ¡°Is he important to you?¡± Fluffy ask Pinsy. ¡°Rather than important, Yen says he¡¯s more problematic.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°He¡¯s called Yul Yeong, if you¡¯ve ever heard of him.¡± ¡°Yul Yeong? The Ghost? Him?¡± Fluffy look at Bad with frown. ¡°Yen, you really think that he¡¯s connected with Abred Meddwl? Isn¡¯t that a stretch even for a rumor?¡± ¡°The craziest rumors are bound to be true. Reality is stranger than fiction, they say.¡± Fluffy grunt. ¡°Abred? Abred Meddwl, as in head of the Counsel of Plantimenia?¡± Feather Lady say. She shiver much. Is she cold. I hot. Too hot. Not like. I lean against cool Yenta horn on head. It help little bit. ¡°No matter how much that man is praised, I don¡¯t like him.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve met him? What¡¯s he like?¡± Pinsy say. ¡°He¡¯s charismatic and handsome. Everyone in Plantimenia loves him. But it¡¯s¡­not right, the way they seem to worship him. And that city. It¡¯s too perfect. Nothing ever goes wrong. No sick, no broken, no aged, it¡¯s freaky.¡± Feather Lady shake her head. ¡°What¡¯s even stranger is the fact that Abred has been head of counsel for more than a three hundred years now, but for some reason, not many seem to notice that irregularity. Tennin live long, but not that long,¡± Yenta say. He take me down from off head. He look worried. ¡°Healer, could you take a look at him.¡± He hand me over to Feather Lady. She look me over, but I not care. I really much not feeling good. ¡°What is he?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m going with some kind of evolved sliver fish. I¡¯m pretty sure he is from up north. We found him when we found the gwisin in Niwl. He¡¯s not sick is he? With poison or a split soul?¡± Feather Lady glance at Bone Man. Bone Man shake head. She look I over more, closer. ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t seem to have any poison. Jemsen didn¡¯t notice anything wrong with the soul. By the looks of it, it¡¯s heat sickness, especially if he originates from the north. Also dehydration. While he¡¯s a type of fish that can do well on land, that doesn¡¯t mean that he doesn¡¯t still need water. Make sure to keep him cool and hydrated. He should be fine.¡± She pour bowl of water and put I in, then give back to Yenta. ¡°What are we going to do about the gwisin?¡± Pinsy say. ¡°As much as I would like to just let him die, in Yen thinks Abred is involved, then I¡¯d rather not risk that man getting involved. As much as it pains me¡­ Gena, do your best to cure him.¡± Fluffy rub face and sigh. ¡°I can probably cure the poison with some effort, and graft skin back onto his hand, but I can¡¯t do much about his soul,¡± Feather Lady say. ¡°Can you do anything, Jemsen?¡± Fluffy turn to Bone Man. I cannot. I am not a healer. Just the priest for the wall.Bone Man shake head. ¡°You have any life wards?¡± Yenta ask? He pull out piece of soft metal and beads. Soft metal much soft, like clay, but smell much of metal. Fish Tail work beads into soft metal. I feel him pull mana into soft metal. He twist and twist and twist, making weird circle with soft metal. ¡°Just a basic one inscribed in the walls,¡± Feather Lady say. Yenta look at wall. He pack mana in beads and I feel Fish Tail give mana push. Mana begin run like current in ring, swirling around like whirlpool in bead before overflowing and moving on to whirlpool in next bead. ¡°That¡¯ll do. It¡¯ll at least keep his soul in his body for the next couple of days. If his soul hasn¡¯t stabilized by then, it probably never will.¡± He line edge of bowl with ring. Water begin to chill. It feel good. Much good. That ward? Home do ward sometime. Much recent thing, though. More do aura. Aura light, fluffy, spread everywhere like water. Ward different. It thin, like stream, only going where current go. Yenta wipe off salt water beading on forehead. He look bit tired. Hard to make ward? ¡°The problem is that his situation is something we just can¡¯t do anything about at the moment. We¡¯d need the other half of his soul. Jemsen, have any idea where it might be?¡± Bone Man reach over to Bad and run finger down forehead and nose and touch both Bad eye, then place hand on Bad chest. The best I can feel is that it is further north of us, moving, though which direction is hard to make out. Strange. Disembodied souls don¡¯t usually move.Bone Man move hand strange again. ¡°In that case, I can only make preventative measures.¡± Yenta reach into bag again take out much thing. I lean over edge of bowl to see what he do. He pick up thin, hard metal string. It shine pale pearly color. He take out weird tool to pinch metal and twist. He swirl metal much back on itself. Swirl much like ocean current or wave. He take thin cloth and stick to make mark. Make many mark and put much mana in mark, then take out gooey water from little pot and put on cloth. He put metal on cloth, too. Gooey water make it stick. Yenta pick up different pot and brush purple water over metal on cloth. It harden and turn shiny. He smooth out purple water with mana, and make cloth and metal bend to make ring. He connect metal and cloth end together with mana and give mana push. Mana flow through metal, but settle in mark on cloth. It feel like not let anything out. He put on Bad wrist. ¡°This should help some. It¡¯s basically the same as the life ward you have here already, just a little more concentrated.¡± Sound ring from somewhere. I look around. What it mean? Fluffy look up. ¡°Looks like the sandstorm is over. When are you wanting to leave.¡± ¡°Soon. If we¡¯re investigating, it¡¯s better to get out and back as soon as possible,¡± Pinsy say. ¡°Tolman.¡± Yenta turn to Fluffy. ¡°Did you ever send anyone out?¡± ¡°I did. They never found anything. Just that the sandworms are on the move.¡± ¡°Sir,¡± First Lady say. One that lead us to Bad and Feather Lady and Bone Man. She quiet. I forget about her til now. ¡°Private Dewy. You sent him out in a squad more than a week ago, heading southwest. He hasn¡¯t come back yet.¡± Fluffy frown. ¡°Why haven¡¯t I been informed?¡± ¡°It was in the morning report, Sir. Private presumed MIA due to increased sandstorms. He was the only on in the squad not to make it back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still on my desk. I haven¡¯t had the chance to look through them yet.¡± Fluffy rub face. ¡°No flare?¡± ¡°No flare, Sir. Lieutinant wanted to send out a search party, but there¡¯s been a sandstorm everyday this week.¡± ¡°Last known location?¡± ¡°Just off Albenheim.¡± ¡°Prince Everand, if you could.¡± Fluffy look much tired. ¡°Albenheim Plateau is a good a place to start as any.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He turn back to First Lady. ¡°Go to the caravan, and find people who know the desert well. See if one of them is willing to brave the sandstorms. If you mention Yen Tao, that should get them more disposed towards the idea. Tell them I¡¯ll pay them 400 aur to go. And get Private Nkisi.¡± ¡°I¡¯d willing to add another 400. If we can get another as well, I can do 400 for each,¡± Pinsy say. ¡°No, I¡¯ll send one of my own men with you. At most, only pay him 200. He gets paid well enough as a guard anyway, and he¡¯ll be getting an advance for this.¡± ¡°Commander.¡± First Lady straighten and put fist on chest, then turn and leave. Farewell? No, greeting? See it much when entering, too. Maybe it be like Bone Man finger signs. Meaning respect maybe? I glad I feeling much better now. Water feel cool. I not so dizzy anymore. ¡°We¡¯ll need to get your supplies all set. That will take a bit, at least an hour or so to get a working set of desert gear together for you two and your other man. By then it will be dark. It¡¯s better to leave early morning, so I¡¯ll have put together some rooms for you.Your men that are staying behind will have to be situated as well.¡± ¡°What about sandstorms?¡± Pinsy ask. ¡°I have yet to see one until at least mid-afternoon. Come, we¡¯ll get that started.¡± Fluffy started out door. Pinsy follow, but Bad start coughing sudden. It wake Bad up. Feather Lady rush over and help Bad sit up. Blood come up, much blood. It take while for coughing stop. ¡°Take slow breaths through your nose. Control your breathing. Hold it. And out. Through the nose, through the nose. Cough deep. Get it all out of your lungs. Good. That¡¯s right,¡± Feather Lady say. Fish Tail turn to leave, but Bad catch arm. ¡°Don¡¯t¨Cleave¨Cwithout me.¡± ¡°What?¡± Yenta say. ¡°You¡¯re¨C¡± Bad start cough again. ¡°You¡¯re going into¨Cdesert. Don¡¯t leave¨Cwithout me.¡± ¡°Why? Why do you want to go with us. What point? You¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°You¨Cbecause of you. I see it. You have fate¨Cwith her. I want her. Ineedher. She is mine. You can take me back to her¨Cbecause you¡¯ll meet her one day. Your fate¨Cit¡¯s intertwined.¡± Bad eyes turn weird. Black part turn pale, look like eye only white. Creepy. Not look like he see anything, but see everything. ¡°Who is she?¡± ¡°She is life. And I must have it.¡±
Status Menu
Name:Niko Race:Greater Flying Silk Gurnard Level:11 Attribute:Ice
Health:170/170 (11/min) Mana:290/290 (17/min) State:Lost, dehydrated, overheated ¡ª(Separation from Dungeon reduces health and mana by 15%; movement speed and endurance reduced by 20%)*
Heart:13 Spirit:19 Luck:20
[¦®]
Perk Points: 2
Perks: {Boss Monster: (+10 intelligence, endurance, strength, defense, health, mana)} {Unlock Next Perk: (0/10)}
Skills:[Razor Scales IV][Carion Feeder V][Air Swimming VII][Swarm V] [Trap III] [Ambush II][Ice Silk I][Leading I][Jet Stream I]
3.10 - Encroaching Hm? What is this? A lizard? There''s something weird about it. It looks funny. Why are its eyes yellow? Is it... It''s crying! But a lizard crying? What in the world is going on? There must be something wrong with it. Wait a second. Let me get a bit closer. Is that... is that blood? Ug. What''s that smell? It''s horrid. Urg. I feel sick. No, stay back there. Don''t come down here, Dmetr. Something''s weird. I don''t like it. We need to get out of here. -- Ban, at Fare Caolan War. It''s been coming steadily. I can feel it as I gaze at the at the setting sun. Something far to the south is building strength. But then, so will I. I''m no longer hesitating. I decided that needed to get as big as I could as soon as possible. And by big, I meant my forces. I needed more people at my back. The only way to do that is to expand, open more rifts to strange places no matter the danger involved. War is coming. Of that, I have no doubt. There have been little signs. The gwisin was the first real sign, like the first snow of winter coming much too early. He wasn''t the last. This month has been war, only it was just the beginning of something that is frightening. It''s not just the things I consider little now, like the increasingly frequent eira attacks. Two days ago alone, there were four separate waves that invaded my territory. They had been attacking consistently as far back as when Namena appeared, only they would get lost and subsequently most often fall in the lava pits. I hardly noticed them until one of them managed to break through almost all the way to Harbor. They''ve been learning. If only it had just that. I look down. My hand trembles. Too often. Too often I''ve taken lives now. A disaster. I clench my fist. It wasn''t just the eira that I pierce through with projectiles. It was the lives of those things, and of my own. The first came through shortly after I planted my next dimensional ice tree, not long after Namena left--the first step of gathering more under my cause. It was little. A small, almost fox-like thing with sandy fur and large, bat like ears. I only had a glimpse at it as it entered before it launched itself at my face. A projectile later, it was writhing on the ground with a hole through its lungs. It was then I got a good glimpse at it. It was frothing at the mouth, bleeding from its eyes and ears and nose. A strange smell wafted up from its flesh. It was sweet, like roasted almonds, but sickening so with hints of rotting plum. I gagged. Even my sliver fish wouldn''t get near it, and they''re carrion eaters. I cremated it in lava and cut off the connection to that ice tree. It swiftly withered. That was just the beginning, though. It happened with the next ice tree. A deer like creature stumbled through within the hour after I created it. It was beautiful. Pure white with horns that looked like branching coral, only on closer look, it was missing a leg, dripping puddles of putrid black blood. It turned and looked straight at me, yellow pupils glowing with a sickly light. I watched as a slow tear of blood dribbled over its eyelid. Then, it charged, flying straight into the projectile I launched. It too, was similarly cremated, and the connection to the tree severed. I got the feeling that something was deliberately sending them through, but I was determined to carry on with my plan. If I didn''t, it was obvious that I would stagnate. The next one that appeared was a flying creature. It appeared a week later, and it didn''t even come from one of my dimensional trees. It flew in straight from the sky, scattering drops of blood as it flew, drops that stung and ate right through my ice skin when they landed on me. I felt instantly when many of my plants withered and died. A full twenty of my snowdrop dragons died when their homes were smothered in the stuff. Seeing this, I knew I couldn''t let any of my creatures go near it. I launched my most potent, most damaging projectiles while running after it. The bird was large, its wingspan almost three times as long as Ah''m. It''s form was sleek and slippery, and more often than not, it would shift slightly so that my projectiles would slide off, scraping along its skin before flying into the distance. It was frustrating. Every single second it was aloft it would scatter more and more of its damaging blood across my domain, destroying plants and animals and even my wards. Frantically, I created a weave of |ice silk| and launched it into the air right before driving the bird into it with projectiles. It still managed to dodge the projectiles before it was tangled in the net over my desert island. In the brief second before it broke free, my vent lord reached up, breaking through the ice dome over the desert. The vent lord slammed a tentacle onto the bird''s back, sending it straight through the dome, and into the sands below. A massive plume of dust and sand rushed into the air as I launched myself after the bird using |ice manipulation|. When I landed in front of it, it was already on the brink of dying. It looked much more progressed than the other monsters that had entered my domain. What I had thought was a slick hide was disintegrating, steaming, raw and goopy skin. Bone peeked through in several places. A large swath of skin was burnt from the vent lord''s tentacle. My poor vent lord didn''t come out unharmed either. Where he had touched the bird, his skin had begun to slip off. I hurriedly helped him burn the area. The result didn''t look much better, but at least his skin was no longer melting off his bones--or rather--cartilage. I''m still not sure how it could fly. It looked like it was about to fall to pieces right there. It''s baleful eye locked onto me, and it struggled to attack, snapping its jaws so hard that, to my horror, the lower jaw broke off and slid down its melting skin. Its eye began slipping out of its socket as it cocked its head at me in a mix of confusion and resentment. "Don''t look at me like that. I didn''t do this to you." The words slipped out of my mouth when the last light of life faded from its eyes. It slumped into a steaming pile of rotting flesh. I turned away in disgust, but something caught my attention in the corner of my eye. A wisp or something seemed to slip out of the bird''s empty eye socket. I grabbed at it, trapping it within the ice of my hand. I studied it with a frown. The thing was almost completely black. A worm, eyeless, with a mouth that seemed to take up more and more of its body the longer I looked at it. It drew the world in through that gaping hole. No... there was an eye. Deep deep inside its circular mouth, surrounded on all sided by thin jagged teeth that would latch on and never let go. A single eye, pink with a black center. It glared at me hard through the ice. I felt myself being sucked in by its stare. It gave a shriek that reverberated through me, shaking me to my core, waking me up. Quickly, I detached my hand, balling it up thick and hard before flinging it from me. I breathed heavily, staring at nothing for a long time. I gulp as the sun touches the horizon. The memory of it haunts me. It''s there. Deep deep below the earth where I buried it, the worm, still looking as if any second it will dissipate into fleeting wisps of smoke even as it sits frozen within the ball of ice. It''s not alone either. In that subterranean room, shelves line the walls, each containing rows and rows of frozen worms of infection. The days following, the number of diseased animals, animals infected by this devouring worm, the rate at which they flung themselves into my domain only increased each passing day. Strange animals. Ones that come from below, from above, from without, even forcing themselves through dimensional trees already long withered and slipping through the tenuous connections I have with the outside world. They come as mice, as birds, as hulking muscled fishes, as numerous eira, all eventually disintegrating at my doorstep and leaving behind a disgusting worm. They don''t die, the worms. Every time an infected died, I''d retrieve the worm. Within three weeks, I''ve collected more than a hundred of them. I''ve tried killing them in almost every way I can think of. Stabbing them, drowning them in water, acid, lava, smoking them with toxic gasses, suffocating them with wax, nothing works. Ice only stops them from moving. So, I freeze them, and shove them into that room. My friends, my monsters, they can''t touch them. I won''t let them. The disease, it permeates. And slowly, it begins to come from within as well as without. A week and a half ago, I hadn''t been careful enough. I had forgotten the first two, the fox and the deer. When the waves of eira first started, I was able to influence several into joining my domain. It made me happy. They no longer looked to harried, so flustered and angry. They looked more at peace, more joyful. The ones I couldn''t influence, I let them leave if they fled. Most did. It was a comfort that I didn''t have to kill all of them. It was a poor choice. The following waves that attacked changed. I noticed one, then maybe two rabid ones within the attacking ice beings, jittery, unfocused, and increasingly short-tempered. Then, with ever new attack, there were more, and more, and more until this last one, there were but three who could be considered sane. Only now do I realize that one I let go must have been infected. They always knew where to find me. I don''t know how, but I was growing desperate. It was getting harder to hold them back when their numbers are constantly growing. The infection progression isn''t always the same either. Some monsters seem to be able to hold out longer against the bodily disintegration than others. Yesterday was the worst. I shudder. The eira''s attack coincided with a rabid vent lord''s. It was so much bigger than mine, coming from somewhere even more north than me, and it destroyed my domain. My golems couldn''t get close. Even ones made of granite were blasted to pieces or even melted from the intense heat. So, I made more. I made so may. I tried to flood it with golems made from all different types of material. I screamed. I yelled. I cried as they were crushed to pieces along with anything else in its path. The vent lord''s roar rattles through me as the sun sinks lower. The memory is still fresh. I clench my teeth. A mirage of the monster appears before me, its glowing tentacles flailing about, flinging golems in every direction, crashing into mountains and sending them tumbling. It screams again, the sound shakes the air. I launch a massive swarm of projectiles at it. They lodge deep before melting out the holes. Its single remaining eye swivels to stare at me, completely enraged. They other was torn out by my own vent lord, in a struggle that left him slumped to the side just seconds before. He was the only thing holding the monster back, a loosing fight, since the monster dwarfed him. The vent lord launches an a tentacle towards me. It comes rushing down like a meteor, inevitable, like death descending. I raise pillars of ice to slow its descent, changing its angle to barely miss me as it slams into the ice. It breaks through to the seafloor and delves deep into the earth. Sea water rushes into the air from the after shocks, spraying everything within the surrounding area. Almost instantly, it begins to freeze in the frigid air. The vent lord stiffens under the frost. That moment, a rabid eira attacks me, latching onto my arm with a mouth full of razor teeth. My arm throbs. The mana within distorts, blackening as it travels back towards my core. I cut of my connection and sever the arm. The eira stumbles back and spits it out, then launches itself at me once more. I impale it with a projectile. The vent lord trembles. Chunks of ice break off it and fall to the ground with a crash. I see one of my own recently acquired eira about to be crushed by falling ice. I sweep it to the side, but fail to see a rabid eira sink its teeth into my eira''s neck. I scream in anger and send a piece of ice through its skull. I feel my connection with my eira waver as black spidery lines crawl from the bite. Within seconds, she begins frothing at the mouth. Tears of blood spill from her eyes, ears, and nose as she shrieks in pain. The bite mark bulges and squirms. Something wriggles towards her heart. Her head tilts back and lolls, swerving to look at me in despair. A hand reaches out towards me, a plea for help. I reach out toward her, trying to make my way through the maze of jutting ice as fast as I can. The vent lord shudders again. Sending out another wave of falling ice. Everywhere around me is chaos as my monsters battle against the invading infected, but I keep my eyes trained on her. "Hold on!" I scream. I am almost to her. Her hand slips and falls, completely separating from her body and lands with a squelch. She looks down at it in confusion, touching her bleeding stump. She lifts up her bloody hand, sniffs it, then licks it. I freeze, mere feet from her. She looks at me, a yellow glint in her eyes, and grins. I launch myself backwards the moment she rushes me, right as a massive tentacle slams down at the spot I once stood. She is buried underneath. I grit my teeth and swallow the scream in my throat, launching projectiles at the vent lord. He''s shaken off all the ice and is moving again. I dodge another tentacle as I feel more of my connections disappear. Some from death, some from the black, creeping, infectious distortions. It ripples disgustingly through my connection before it disappears. I shiver. I scream and launch wave after wave of projectiles. At this point, my mana is becoming dangerously low as I lift and drop a slab of granite on the vent lord''s head. It wobbles and sweeps a tentacle towards me. It breaks through the many ice walls I hurriedly fling up and slams into my side. The air rushes out of my lungs and I feel my ice creak ominously. I am flung in the side of one of the few mountains still standing, sinking in a good inch. I hang there for a second before my body falls to the ground. An eira pounces on me, but I slam it into the mountain face with a wall of ice. I stand groggily, and stare at the vent lord. It wobbles as well. The disintegration is beginning to take effect. A tentacle slips and falls to the ground with a thud. I scream and launch projectiles at it as more and more pieces of it slough off. Frustration wells up within me as it slumps to the ground. It''s only a hill of flesh now, but I had nothing to do with its death. I scream at the sky. Where am I to get revenge? I go around stomping out all the remaining rampaging rabid eira, though most by now have become puddles as well. Then, I go about capturing the fleeing worms before they can do more damage. The one from the vent lord was massive, as big as my arm. It wriggled and writhed before I finally managed to freeze it solid. From the piles of bodies I manage to find one, but not the other I am looking for. With a heavy heart, I climb to the top of the only remaining mountain. It stands only half as tall as it used to. I deactivate every single one of my auras. The world grows calm as my influence retracts and settles down into this dimension. The cold slowly creeps in. I sit for a full three hours doing nothing, only watching the sun rise and set.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. It''s dark now. A single day. It''s too short. The sun rises and dies in only three hours. It''s too close to resembling a fleeting life. I clench my hand again. Can I even hold anything in them? Can I protect anything? Or does everything I touch really die? Blue notifications hover in the edge of my vision, but I wave them off. Instead, I look out over my domain. What am I left with? A single mountain surrounded by a wasteland of ruins, bodies, and too much ice. Harbor and my desert are long gone. My vent lord died in his last exchange with the monster. I didn''t even get around to naming him yet. I raise my hand and part the ice under him. "You were so brave. That''ll be your name. So long, Brave. Safe journey to the River of Souls." He slips into the sea. I similarly bury the bodies all around me, shuddering whenever I came across one of my original sliver fish. My hand at my side clenches even harder when I come to Oroesi. I didn''t even see how he died. "Oroesi." My voice chokes up. "Oroesi. You--" I lift my head and scream at the sky before falling in heaving sobs. An hour later, I had nothing left in me. The tears had run dry and shudders only crossed my body every once in a while. "It''s cold," I say. A little head nudges me. I jerk. "Niko?" I whirl around. It isn''t Niko, though. A little snowdrop dragon stares me in the face. She makes a little creening sound. "Haha." I give a weak laugh. "You''re not Niko. Have you seen Timp? I can''t find Timp. You''re still alive, so..." I shudder. "No. Timp. She''s dead. I can''t feel her anymore. You''re the only one left. You''re so little I didn''t notice you until now. It''s only you and Niko left. Only you, me, and Niko where ever he is. I hope he''s safe. Come over here. It''s too cold for you." I guide the snowdrop dragon into my arms, and wake up the cooling lava running through my veins. Slowly, both me and the dragon begin to warm up. "What should I do, little dragon?" I say. The dragon cooes. "So, you don''t know either. I''ve really been bumbling about, huh. I don''t suppose I can do that any longer. It''s funny ''cause I keep telling myself. When will I ever learn?" We watched as a star streaked across the sky. In the east, the sky brightened as the moon began to rise. My gaze shifts again to Oroesi. A lump forms in my throat. "Why are you there when I need you?" I ask. "You''re my comfort budy, right? I suppose I must put on a brave face now, though, since you''re gone. Let me give you a proper send off, at least. Goodbye, Oroesi--" My words choke in my throat once more. "Find happiness." I split the ice and let him sink into the sea. I let out a breath of air. The bodies are all gone now, laid to rest in the ocean. My thoughts turn back to the worms. They''re frightening. They corrupt not just the body, but the soul as well, turns it dark and murky. That soul doesn''t go back to the River of Souls, either, but then, it doesn''t seem to be ripped to shreds and swallowed by something either like I''ve seen before. In the end, those murky souls just float away somewhere to wander. It''s horrify to watch that darkness creep upon the soul. My only comfort is that my monsters, the ones that were killed before they could be infected, all drifted up to the River of Souls. The souls of the infected monsters I killed as well. Only those who died from the infection wandered to far off places. They seemed lost. I had a feeling that vengeful and dark feelings would well up if they died somewhere besides my domain. The small dragon shook me out of my dark thoughts. Hunger drifted through our connection. "You''re hungry? After all this? Haha, that''s right. Life does go on like that. How long has it been since I''ve been hungry? Since before coming to this world, right?" I concentrate and form a seed out of ice. I plant it and concentrate my aura on it. It grows into a flowering rose sagebrush. The flowers swiftly drop off and fruit grows in its place. The dragon dashes for the fruit, burying her face deep within its red, sticky flesh. "You like that, huh. You''re face is completely red now." I smile a little while watching her. "I suppose you need a name. How ''bout Rosehip? Since you like them so much." A blue screen flashes into view, but I ignore it. I''m not in the mood to figure out what it says. Down below, a shrill screech sounds. I look over the edge. An eira with crazed eyes rams into the mountain and growls at us. I slam a slab of ice on top of it and send its corpse into the ocean. "This is going to be a normal thing now, huh. I guess I''ll have to get used to it." I sigh. Standing up, I slowly stretch myself out. "Well, I can''t baby myself any longer. Rosehip, shall we get to it? I think I''ve figured it out." I grab ahold of the mountain with |elemental manipulation|, flooding it with my influence and mana. Slowly, it becomes malleable in my hands. The obsidian begins to flow as if molten. A blue screen pops up. I push it aside and continue molding the mountain. Slowly, a shape begins to surface. Arms, long and muscled, hanging to the ground. Legs, short and stout, thick like tree trunks compared to the arms. A dense torso, hunched but intimidating. Wide shoulders, and a thick ropey back. A round face set on a short neck. Big, haunting, baleful eyes stared out from under jutting eyebrows. I sigh and take a break, several hours having passed. Rosehip has long since fallen asleep. I make myself a hood and place her inside so that she''ll always be with me. An hour later, I have enough mana and mental capacity to begin again. I take a deep breath. The empty landscape catches my eye. "It''s okay. This isn''t like how it used to be. I''m not alone. Let''s do this." I form a fierce mouth filled with jagged teeth under a stunted nose and a long, flexible tail extending from the back. It curls several times around the waist. I graft on thick claws of granite to hang at the end of its arms, and line a thick layer of alternating plates of granite on its arms, chest, and back to form armor. I pull spikes of granite to pull out of its back, and a covering over its head to form a helmet. After another break, a large elongated shield comes next, made completely of granite, along with also a massive broadsword almost as tall as the statue is. I line the edges of the broadsword and shield with hardened obsidian and embed a skeleton of granite. I breathe in and focus my mind for this next part. Slow, and steady, I draw curling runes along the statue''s skin. These runes were for {rune of currant}, and they swirled and curled in on themselves like rolling banks of fog. They crept up the arms from the claws, rolling over the shoulders and meeting in a swirling mass just under the shoulder blades. I drew them up and over the collar-bone and down to the pit of the stomach where they spread down the legs and around to the back. Searching the sea bed, I find what I''m looking for, chalk from underwater chalk beds. I have to wait a couple of hours for it to dry, though, as it rests by a pool of lava I draw up from below. While it does, I harden the statue and imbue it with |aura of protection|, |aura of the lost|, and |aura of souls|. A faint presence wells up within the statue. The chest seems to rise and fall like a giant within a deep slumber, alive, but somehow still immovable. I draw the swirling carvings of {rune of currant} over the head and face, but I also overlay them with {rune of wolfberry}, for the senses. Sharp jagged lines form this rune. In a way, they are harder to draw than the rarer, curling form of {rune of currant}. They feel alive in the way that lightning was wild. They form a mass form right at the edge of the brow, arching down sharply and pooling especially within the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. They shoot down further from there, traveling in straight lines down the arms and legs to the extremities. I imbue them with mana, and they slowly brighten to a dull green, pulsing slightly. I dust the other carvings with dry chalk and also flood them with mana. They gradually light up with a green glow like a river traveling down a dry riverbed. The swirling carvings somehow made the whole statue look more indistinct, rippling with an unseen energy. A blue screen pops up once more in the corner of my vision. "Good," I say, dismissing the blue screen. "Sorry, I couldn''t carve you better. But, in a way. It makes you look stronger, rougher, more primordial, or something. Haha. You''ll be Dial from now on. Well, how do you feel about this new world, Sentinel?" The whole statue creaks and groans as it stands to its full height. I have to be careful not to fall off its head as it stretches for the first time. It gives an experimental swing of its sword, unfurling its tail from around its waist to give it balance, then opens its mouth and gives an earthshaking roar that echoes for miles. "So," I grin. "We think alike." A hot, molten feeling for a while now has been rising up within me. It condenses into a tight ball, roiling and seething, before cooling rapidly. It sits in the center of my chest, radiating an intense cold. I am chilled to the bone with anger. A cold, quite, dense, anger. And, like the statue, I too give a roar.
Status Menu
Name:Haven[Locked]--Dial* Race:Legendary Dungeon Level:31* Attribute:Green
Health: 342/452 (8/min)* Mana: 367/936 (10/min)* State:Normal
Biomes:3 Floors:?%¦®] Named Monsters:3
Monsters:0 Animals:229 Plants:500+
[¦®]
Path Points: 155*
Paths: {Beginner VI (0/30)}{Ingenuity IV (20/100)}*{Valiant II (43/220)}*{Defender VI (0/100)}*{Architect II (95/100)}*{Strategist III (30/95)}*{Survivor II (30/50)}*{Destroyer I (55/100)*{Failure III (14/30)}*
Skills: [Ambient Aura IX]*[Gardener VI]*[Karma IV]*[Natural Projectile VII]*[Core Teleportation] [Epithet][Elemental Manipulation X][Biome Creation][Fluid Floors][Golem Creation][Loyalty][Tranquility][Warding V]*[Forewarn III]*[Mana Absorption][Standstill III]*[Cooking II]*[Purity]*
Achievements: |Ingenuity!| |Powerful!||Dauntless!||Against the Odds!||Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!||Creator of Wonders!||Leader!||Besieged!|*|Bloody!|*|Fall of a Domain!|*
Causes:|?Against the World?|-- 5
[¦®]
Auras:|Aura of Light| |Aura of Warmth||Aura of Fury||Aura of Souls||Aura of Protection||Aura of the Lost||Calming Aura||Aura of the Seed||Aura of #*(&@|*
Fire:Main,Magma, Water:Main,Ice,Acid, Earth:Main,Plants,Minerals,Metal,Wax,Chalk,*Jade,*Diamond,* Air:Main,ToxicGas
Game plan K, here''s what''s up. First off, it want to apologize for the last chapter. It''s definitely generating a lot of mixed feelings from what I''m seeing. I apologize that you have to see me go through this hugely messy writing process. I''ve already started working on the rewrite. It''s slow but it''s going. You probably won''t be able to see it until much much later in the story though. This chapter was drastic. It was on purpose for a few very specific reasons that are tied to each other. The haven in my head was slowly being backed into a corner and it had no way of resolving that without bathing her in blood. Because of this chapter, her hesitation that I''ve been having to deal with this whole time is gone. She can move forward with confidence. Two, it also brought back some of the dangerous world feel that it felt was lost just following her around creating stuff. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The worms themselves are important to the story line. They''ll show up much more often now. I agree with you that this chapter was terribly rushed and came much too soon though, but it''s needed to get it out to have my ideas solidified. So here''s a poll. You choose. 4.1 - The Lonely Sentinel Farewell, I bid you Again, like once in a Random occurrence Ever so long ago. This nostalgic scene Happened by coincidence, Either that or by fate¡¯s Ernest, heartfelt wishes. Wring not you hands, and End all your worries. Let us meet anew in Lands we¡¯ve yet explored. ¡ª Severa of the Adlet; A Song of Parting Screaming out my lungs really clears the cobwebs in my head. I take a deep breath and slap my cheeks, then step back to take a look at Dial, my new sentinel. Honestly, it''s not my best job, all hard lines and no grace, but at this point, I don''t care. If a strange, massive, armored thing works, it works. Still, he almost reminds me of that type of monkey...an...an ape, except with a tail. A very angry ape thing... But his fierce face fills me with confidence, like I finally have something I can rely on, which is surprisingly hard to come by in this world. Well, enough of that. I''d better look through my screens since I''ve put them off long enough. With all the commotion and crazy stuff happening, I just haven''t had the time or the mood to actually look through them. In retrospect, that might not have been the best idea... I shake my head as they all flicker into view at once, and I''m reminded why I didn''t want to do this. It''s a wall of text several screens thick. Ug... not to mention, they''re all jumbled together. I''m not even sure what order they''ve popped up now. It''s been a whole month, after all. Let''s see... I wonder if the contents will clump together if I...There!
[Warding III] --> [Warding V]: Your wards increase in utility. Their effectiveness continues to increase as well (20% to effectiveness of wards; |Sentinel| has received a bonus synergizing effect. Your |Sentinels| can now connect to a network of up to {3}; Named Golems will automatically be included into your |Sentinel| network as subsidiaries. They will serve as the eyes and ears of your |Sentinels|)
[Forewarn II] --> [Forewarn III]: You can see clearer flashes the events concerning you in the future, even full visions. When fighting, you can see your opponent¡¯s next couple of moves.
[Standstill I] --> [Standstill III]: You are able to stop your perception of time¡¯s movement for a short while, but in that instance you can only move at the cost of an extra 300 mana per sec. Can be used in conjunction with [Forewarn III] (base cost: -100 mana/ sec)
[Natural Projectile V] --> [Natural Projectile VII]: Instead of having to gather material to form a projectile, you can now increase the size of your projectile to enormous proportions with mana (Base: 3 foot projectile/ 5 mana; added damage depending on material used; +50 bludgeon damage to projectiles)
[Core Teleportation] has received an additional effect. You can now teleport to the location of any of the beings connected to your |Sentinel| network without any negative effects. You are able to connect directly and control your |Sentinel| network.
Oh, those are some interesting effects. Completely out of mana I form a massive granite projectile and throw it. Well, rather than a projectile, it¡¯s more of falling meteor at this point. Maybe that¡¯s exaggerating at this point, but seriously, a projectile the size of a skyscraper hurtling through the air is bound to do a crap ton of damage. The one I threw tears through the ice and sends shock waves through it. Viola, instant mountain has appeared in the landscape. I think my eyes have gone dead. Is it alright for me to hold this amount of power? Now that I think about it though, I was hurling similarly sized rocks at the rabid vent lord as the fight progressed. It didn¡¯t really do very much what with the stupid animal melting them and everything. While I may have been able to take over the world with this kind of power back in my previous world¡­ Here¡­ I¡¯m really just weak. Forget that. I will be strong. Strongest in the world, in fact. I never took to well to people standing over me anyway. I¡¯ll pull them all down off their high pedestals for thinking they can walk all over people as they wish. I freeze time with standstill. Let¡¯s see how long I can hold it. Two seconds were all since I wasted so much mana making that projectile just now, only enough time for me to take two steps. If I waited for all my mana to regenerate, it would be several seconds worth. That¡¯s a lot of time in a fight. This power, it used to be so frustrating to have. It did nothing in the fight, only freezing time, not allowing me to do anything¡­ It was like it was mocking me. I felt it when it leveled up. Not that it did much. It allowed me to move, but only in slow motion. But this new level up, I can move normally through the frozen time as long as I have I have enough mana. I grip my fist. I need to get more mana. Putting that aside for now, what is a |sentinel| network? Frowning, I reach out to Dial with my mind. Something seems to click as I settle in to a strange web of interconnecting lines with him at the center. A sudden amount of information flows through me. I am seeing things, hearing things, feeling things through three different points of view. One is Dial, while the other is my golem, Devin¡­ I can move both at the same time if I concentrate. It¡¯ll take some work getting used to, but I definitely should be able to do completely different things at the same time with them. While thinking, I practiced flexing my fingers in both Dial and Devin. From what I could tell, golems and sentinels, are very similar. They are both created beings with almost no though, running completely through programs. The difference lies in that sentinels are more of a security system. They interconnect with each other to form a massive network wherein, just like cameras, they can see and hear everything any one of them does. Golems are fully autonomous of each other, and well, also tend to be smaller. If sentinels are the overseers, golems are the laborers. Well, except now my golem is connected to the network, just at a more limited degree. I found that I can travel the network with my mind. Because of this I can actually transfer my conscience from one body to the next. In Dial, I have access to a wider range of information than I¡¯d ever get from just my golem. In him, I see and hear and feel for miles, all while doing the same from multiple points of view all at once. Still, I¡¯m confused. The screens never said anything about plants being connected to the network¡­ It feels weird feeling everything from the point of view of a rose-bush. I do feel prettier though. Plant thoughts are really simple¡­ They really like dancing¡­ which is pretty much just swaying in the breeze¡­ Still¡­ As an experiment, I hollow out a bit of Dial in his center, then set Devin on autopilot and teleport my core straight in the hollow. Instantly I feel much more protected. Let¡¯s keep my core here. I stare down at Devin as she begins to wander around. It feels weird to watch her, like I¡¯m having an out-of-body experience. Well, I¡¯ve got more blue screens to sort through.
[Cooking I] --> [Cooking II]: Your experiments with produce from your domain has yielded some...(cough)interesting(cough) results. (+5% chance of completely curing health, mana, and fatigue when consuming food cooked by you; +30% chance of becoming poisoned when consuming food cooked by you; +2% chance of death when consuming food cooked by you)
I nearly choke. What the heck? A chance of death? Really? Um... let''s ignore this for now. Yeah, it''s better that I don''t look at this... But am I really that bad at cooking? I know it turned out all black, but it was only one time. Give me some slack. I''ll start crying.
{Ingenuity III (15/80)} --> {Ingenuity IV (0/100)}: Ingenuity brings forth new discoveries. (New subsets of the four main elements have been added to your control under [Elemental Manipulation X]: |Jade| and |Diamond|; 80% chance {Ingenuity} path''s next rewards will allow you to discover new destructive elemental subsets.)
{Architect II (15/100)} --> {Architect II (95/100)}
{Strategist III (0/95)} --> {Strategist III (30/95)}
Diamonds! Jade! Suck it! I don¡¯t need to know how to cook. I¡¯ll be rich just by making the compacting diamonds into the biggest diamond ever seen! I laugh as I imagine myself spilling diamonds and jade from my fingertips. This is so awesome! Who wouldn¡¯t want to hold a pile of diamonds in their hands? Well, it¡¯s kinda worthless right now since I don¡¯t have any diamonds or jade to mess with, but if I ever needed to buy a castle in the future, I totally could. One day, I will ruin the economy of a country, just for the heck of it. Be afraid, world. Be very afraid, for I am an evil mastermind. Hehe. Haha. Wahahahahahaha! Okay, let¡¯s stop at that line of thought. Let¡¯s not be a massive creepy statue laughing at a pile of gemstones in the middle of nowhere. I swear, I¡¯m getting crazier every day. I really need a real person to talk to. When are you coming back, my lich friend? But it¡¯s strange. Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t seen something like the second reward before¡­ The second part of {Ingenuity}¡¯s rewards¡­ It¡¯s kinda weird. Anyway. It¡¯s not like these screens haven¡¯t gone quirky like this before. I mean¡­ look at [cooking]. I¡¯m still mad about that. Watch me hold a grudge, stupid blue screens. I shake a fist at the sky. Gosh, I feel so big now, sitting in this statue.
You have earned the achievement: |Besieged!| -- Fight a war against a force vastly outnumbering you while surrounded on all sides. (+20 path points; +20 to {Valiant II (0/100)} path; {Survivor II (30/50)} path; +30% increase in abilities while fighting outnumbered.)
You have earned the achievement: |Bloody!| -- Kill over 2000 creatures (+20 path points; +20 to {Defender V (0/100)} path; {Destroyer I (55/100)} path; |Aura of Fury| has a greater chance of activating on its own, plus an increase in increase in its effectiveness [|Aura of Fury|: An offensive aura of anger directed heavily at a target. If the target is within 50 levels of the caster, target has a 60% chance of being stunned for 5 seconds. Aura causes Frenzy in the user (+500 mana for 10 sec; +30% skill cast speed for 10 sec; -40% health)]; +50% strength while under the effects of Frenzy.)
Frenzy... I had forgotten about that. It was dangerous to use before with how little health I had, but I wonder if I can make proper use of it now. But, 40% of health... ouch! But in exchange for the other effects, the longer I look at it, the more I feel it''s totally worth it.
You have earned the achievement: |Fall of a Domain!| -- Loose all that you''ve ever created in an all out bid for survival. (-50 path points; {Failure III (14/30)} path; Once you loose ground against an invading force, +50% chance you will not take it back again. (Chance is retried with each push to retake ground; +2% chance added against you with each successive push.))
{Defender V (20/50)} --> {Defender VI (0/100)}: A bitter road the defender follows. Not always can precious things be protected, but your ability to protect grows increasingly stronger. (+100 health and mana; +50% to the durability of your creations; +30% to defense of friendly creatures while within your domain.)
{Valiant II (20/120)} --> {Valiant II (43/120)}
[Karma III] --> [Karma IV]: You have, against all odds, survived being besieged with a tidal wave of bad luck. It seems some cosmic being has it in for you. In regards to your future, the best of luck to you. (+50 path points; 25% in luck reversal; 25% in luck remaining good; 10% better System rewards; 20% extra chance in being able to survive extremely unlucky odds)
I don''t really like the sound of some of this... Yeah, there''s some amazing rewards. I thank the heavens for even just {defender}''s rewards, and {karma} just makes me giddy (I mean 25% chance of my luck staying good? Oh my, {karma}! How much you have grown!), but my eyes can''t help be drawn back to the |fall of a domain| achievement... My frown deepens and I bite my lip (actually, it feels weird trying to do that in Dial. He''s just not as flexible as Devin is. It doesn''t have the same effect...). It feels ominous. I stare at for a second longer before I aggressively dismiss the blue screen with a wave of my hand. Let''s just focus on the fact that I now have a much better chance of beating back an invading force now, just as long as I don''t actually lose any ground to anything. I think I''ll definitely be needing this boost later on. I put on a fierce grin as I look through the rest of my screens.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
I give a start and whirl around, scanning the horizon for a threat as the mana in my core roils. A few seconds later, I lower my guard and manage to calm myself down. It''s an old screen. The next screen proves it.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
I remember these words. They first appeared when the fox thing came and tried to attack my face. Of course, I dismissed it then, it''s just that this same screen keeps appearing with every infected creature that invades my domain. It took me a while to realize it since the normal eira kept invading at the same time. By the time it got to that massive battle, there was just so many of these stupid screens, and I was in over my head with constant fighting, that I didn''t have a chance to close them all. It really was a big reason why I haven''t looked through all my screens yet.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
I shudder in disgust, looking at the words. I never want to see another screen like this in my life. I think I may have PTSD towards those words. I look to the next screen.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
And I spoke to soon. Lucky me, there''s even more.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
Sigh. And more.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
And more...
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
Several Ominous Threats have been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
Several Ominous Threats have been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
Several Ominous Threats have been detected.
Several Ominous Threats have been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
An Ominous Threat has been detected.
And there''s the rest. Ug. Please, please, please! Never show me this screen again. Blue screens, why won''t you let me close them all at once? Why do I have to go through them one by one? I can''t even combine them like I did the earlier ones. Is it because they are warning screens or what? I hate you.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The next couple, though, catch my attention.
Through your constant interaction with an Ominous Threat, you have begun to discover several things about its Identity.
An Ominous Threat has been now been classified as The Original Infection.
The Original Infection has been studied closer and been reclassified as Origin Larvae, the embryonic form of The Original Infection.
As Origin Larvae grow, they are able to maintain their host''s body for longer periods of time. They go through several hosts throughout their lifetime. While Origin Larvae are not as serious a threat as that of a full-grown Origin, both are almost impossible to exterminate. An adult Origin is able to split off portions of itself to form new larvae. Take care.
So creepy! Those worms, even the name is creepy! But this still doesn''t really tell me what they are. I mean, I already knew they infected stuff. I guess it''s good to know that they can maintain their hosts longer as they get older... wait, if maintaining their host means that they won''t turn into steaming piles of goop... A chill runs down the edge of my core. Somewhere out there is a fully grown origin. I have a feeling that that infected host won''t look or act any different from a normal person... Slowly, discretely, infecting people around itself, all while hiding itself from the eyes of the world. This world is in much worse shape than I thought. I shudder to think what would have happened if the vent lord had an adult worm. I think I would be dead right now. These worms, they have to be somehow connected to the red screens. There''s no way they''re not, especially since they affect their hosts'' souls. Why else would they target me? And with my next screen, I know exactly how to fight them.
It. Just. Won''t. Die! It''s like a cockroach! -- Penao, while stabbing a chupacabra. Congratulations! Your ability to survive against the odds is astounding. Level [25] --> Level [31]!: Your struggle has brought forth amazing rewards. Be careful, you walk a thin rope. (+90 path points; +300 health; +100 mana; +5 per min to health and mana regeneration; [Contain]: Seal off the source of infection; [Holy Eyes]: the power to see the corrupted state of another''s soul and sense when a corrupted soul is near; [Bless]: Slow down the spread of infection; [Contain], [Holy Eyes], and [Bless] come together to form [Purity]: has all the effects of the previous skills as well as a high damaging effect on those with infected souls, can be added to attacks (magical or physical) as an additional effect)
Nihihi, perfect. Now I won''t just be lobbing projectiles only to have them melt uselessly, and that health and mana boost is especially nice. I dare you to fight me again, vent lord. I don''t know if it''s strictly because of {karma} that I got this skill when I needed it. I wish I had gotten it earlier. It was the reward for level [31], which I know popped up after the vent lord died. It really would have made life easier, but I can''t really complain now, since it will make future battles much more even. With it, I could actually kill the vent lord rather than it dying on its own. While I know that {karma} has quite a bit of an effect on the rewards, but just from the sheer amount of timely rewards, I have almost no doubt that these blue screens are doing it on purpose. While they are often annoying, I can at least say they want to keep me alive. They are pretty much the only thing in this world that wants that, huh. Well, for that, I really am grateful.
The Royal Protector of Gjiode was said to be undefeated. She destroyed even those who so much as looked at the Young Prince of Gjiode wrong. The Young Prince was probably lead the safest life of all the monarch in the history of the world. -- Tray Lin, Surveyor, while in the ruins of the capital of Gjiode. Congratulations! Every domain needs its protector. Level [32]!: Create your first |Sentinel| and connect to the network. (+20 path points; + 20 points to {Ingenuity IV (0/100)} path; Several of your paths are able to combine to form [Gardener VII] due to the effects of |Sentinel|)
A level up from creating a |sentinel|? Makes sense. Oh? What is [gardener]?
[Plant Growth III] [Green Thumb II] [Tamer VI] [Influence VII] [Incorporation IV] --> [Gardener VII]: Your garden has truly come alive. It responds to fully to your will. As such, you are your garden and your garden is you. (+50 path points; +50% to plant reproduction rate and growth speed (growth speed is able to increase further with infusion of mana); +50% to plant aggression, flexibility, and strength when there are signs that you are in danger. Plants are now connected to your |Sentinel| network as subsidiaries; +20% to domain¡¯s productivity, creature conversion rate, and environment conversion rate)
Okay, so that''s why my plants are connected to the |sentinel| network. Makes sense. I miss all my plants... Sighing, I sit down and dredge up some soil from below the ice. I spread it around me and create a little field of snowdrop flowers with |aura of the seed|. Rosehip, my cute little snowdrop dragon, shrieks in delight and dive bombs them from the top of Dial''s head, where she''s been snacking this whole time. "There you go. I should have done this earlier, sorry," I say. Yeah, I miss my domain. I sigh and turn back to the blue screens.
[Forewarn III] has become attuned to The Original Infection due to [Purity]. You are now able to feel its movements from a greater distance.
The next wave of Origin Larvae will hit in [08:46:32:51].
Crap. Crap crap. This is so not helpful. There''s another wave? Eight days? Can I build up my defenses in only eight days? I grit my teeth. I will do it. What do I need right now to be able to make it? Defense, stronger attacks, anything really. What can I do to get to that point? Path points. Path points, and more |sentinels|. First, let''s finish off {Ingenuity} since I have a pretty good guess what it''ll be due to the previous rewards.
Well, then. Let''s harness the power of nature. -- De Faue, eccentric Congratulations! {Ingenuity IV (100/100)} Path: Complete. ({Ingenuity V (0/130)} path; New subsets of the four main elements have been added to your control under [Elemental Manipulation X]: |Liquid Nitrogen|, |Lightning|, and |Amber Gold|)
I give a grin. I wasn¡¯t wrong. I was hoping for something like |lightning|. Who doesn¡¯t think |lightning| would be a cool super power. I rub the air together to cause some friction to make a spark of electricity, then I gather that spark, keeping it alive with mana. I do it again and again until I have a pretty good-sized ball of electricity only kept in place by my mana. I guide it along to coat Dial¡¯s hands in lightning and feel how it tingles. It feels pretty good, actually, like I can tear down anything now. And with gold added to the mix, I really am filthy rich. Hehe, but what really was a pleasant was |liquid nitrogen|. I mean, when I think of magical elements, liquid nitrogen doesn¡¯t come to mind. Really, the element system of this world makes no sense. I think the blue screen gave a quote about that once actually. Hm. If I remember right, nitrogen is a gas, and liquid nitrogen is the liquid form of the gas, meaning, it¡¯s really, really, cold. Nitrogen is in the air, right? I reach out and press the air together. A first, I just get drops of water, but after pushing the air together for a long time while trying to separate its parts, finally I get a tiny ball of liquid nitrogen. I pick a snowdrop flower. With these massive hands, it¡¯s really hard to do. Maybe I should move back into Devin for a bit. But well, I also still like feeling so protected at the moment, so let¡¯s just deal with clumsy hands. Ah, wait, I keep forgetting that |plants| fall under [Elemental Manipulation]. It just doesn¡¯t feel like it should in my mind, that I can make a flower float in mid-air. So weird. ¡°Sorry, flower, I¡¯m going to have to experiment¡­¡± I make dip the flower in the ball of nitrogen. It does exactly what I was hoping it would. It freezes the flower solid. Now this is ice magic. Haha. Alright, next path.
Burn this into your mind. That right there is the power of an Architect Mage -- During the War of Stone Bridge Congratulations! {Architect II (100/100)} Path: Complete. You have once built for beauty, now you build for war. (+2 per min to health and mana regeneration; {Architect III (0/150)} Path; [Create]: works in conjunction with [Elemental Manipulation X], you can now create any material with mana you can manipulate with [Elemental Manipulation])
Oh? Oh!? Is this what I think it is? Can I conquer the world¡¯s economies now! Can I fulfill my life long dream of rolling around in a massive pile of gold? I can! Muwahahaha! I conjure a pile of treasure now and here all while laughing gleefully. This is what I¡¯ve been wanting for so long! Projectiles are nice, but the truly deadly once like the ones made of lava, acid, and toxic gas are hard to produce fast without have the materials on hand. Even things like granite takes me a good couple of seconds to find, then cool if I want to make a bludgeon. Now I can do it instantly. This is the best. I feel like it¡¯s my birthday or something with all these great rewards. I really wish I had finished this path earlier, but I have the sneaking suspicion that I wouldn¡¯t have gotten this reward without going through those circumstances. I mean, it¡¯s a legendary skill reward from a rare path. That doesn¡¯t happen. I have only one other legendary skill and that¡¯s from being identified as a legendary dungeon. Alright, which one next? I still have 90 path points left. Let¡¯s do my other rare path. If the rewards are like the previous one where I got |aura of souls|¡­ hehe.
His shout echoes across the plains drenched in blood. We, upon hearing it, rose and fought like lions. -- Soldier at the Battle of South Pass. Congratulations! {Valiant II (120/120)} Path: Complete. Build up your bravery for the coming war. (+3 per min to health and mana regeneration; +100 health and mana; {Valiant III (0/200)} Path; {Rune of Cloudberry}: signifies connection. Cloudberry allows an auditory or visual connection (depending on the complexity of the carved rune) to form between each carved rune in a network of this type. [Bravery]: your shout boosts your follower''s moral, loyalty to your cause, and willingness to follow orders, while also lowering enemy moral, loyalty to their cause, and willingness to follow orders. 15% chance enemies will defect to your cause while under the effect of this skill. (Cost: 250 mana/min))
Nice. Now if I actually had a followers. Sigh. I''m still working on that. Somewhere there''s Ah''m and Nattiq. I''m still not sure what they''re doing, but if they ever come back, I''ll make them a {cloudberry} ward. Namena and her skeleton crew, too, whenever they''re getting back. Oh, that''s right? All my dimensional ice trees have died. She doesn''t have a way back at the moment. I need to maker her one, but all my connections to the outside world have gone fuzzy again. I''m not exactly sure where that tree opened up to. I groan. How am I supposed to find it again? Trial and error? Ah, wait. There''s a couple of blue screens left. I better looking at them before I get started on trying to find that swamp, cove, whatever, or even making more |sentinels|.
You have named your |Sentinel|: |?Dial?|
Please name your |Sentinel|: |? ?|
And that''s where they were. I was wondering if these screens would pop up. Well there''s that. Nothing new. What''s the last blue screen say?
[Ambient Aura VIII] --> [Ambient Aura IX]: You''re ability to use auras has almost reached its highest level. You are beginning to realize the truth of auras. Partings do not last forever. Every soul is connected. (Due to the strength of your longing, due to your pain and your loss, you have found a way to connect to the River of Souls using your combined auras to form |Aura of Rebirth|)
This... What is this?
Status Menu
Name: Haven [Locked]--Dial* Race: Legendary Dungeon Level: 32* Attribute: Green
Health: 652/852 (13/min)* Mana: 426/1136 (15/min)* State: Normal
Biomes: 3 Floors: ?%¦®] Named Monsters: 3
Monsters: 0 Animals: 230 Plants: 500+
[¦®]
Path Points: 13*
Paths: {Beginner VI (0/30)} {Ingenuity V (0/130)}* {Valiant III (0/200)}* {Defender VI (0/100)}* {Architect III (0/150)}* {Strategist III (30/95)}* {Survivor II (30/50)}* {Destroyer I (55/100)}* {Failure III (14/30)}*
Skills: [Ambient Aura IX]* [Gardener VI]* [Karma IV]* [Natural Projectile VII]* [Core Teleportation] [Epithet] [Elemental Manipulation X] [Biome Creation] [Fluid Floors] [Golem Creation] [Loyalty] [Tranquility] [Warding V]* [Forewarn III]* [Mana Absorption] [Standstill III]* [Cooking II]* [Purity]* [Create]* [Bravery]*
Achievements: |Ingenuity!| |Powerful!| |Dauntless!| |Against the Odds!| |Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!| |Creator of Wonders!| |Leader!| |Besieged!|* |Bloody!|* |Fall of a Domain!|*
Causes: |?Against the World?| -- 5
[¦®]
Auras: |Aura of Light| |Aura of Warmth| |Aura of Fury| |Aura of Souls| |Aura of Protection| |Aura of the Lost| |Calming Aura| |Aura of the Seed| |Aura of Rebirth|*
Fire: Main, Magma, Lightening* Water: Main, Ice, Acid, Liquid Nitrogen* Earth: Main, Plants, Minerals, Metal, Wax, Chalk,Jade,* Diamond,* Amber Gold* Air: Main, Toxic Gas
Update Sorry, guys for the hiatus. It might continue for a bit longer. The second half of this semester has been more work intensive than I thought it would be and I haven''t had much time to write, which is bugging me, but it makes sense since I''m doing 17 credits and working. bleh. I''ll try and get one out, but it may not happen in the next three weeks. So, at the very least, updates will occur after three weeks (that third week is finals week, which means I might be able to get one out sooner, maybe the week of the eleventh (my b-day ^^) since I usually have no class) Reasons are I have a major paper coming up that''s going to be like my whole grade. And most of my time recently was spent making up a language for one of my linguistics classes, which has been the bomb, let me tell you. I can translate stuff into it now! I''m so excited! Nihi. Comment, cause I''d love to spill my guts about it.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Here''s a sample: Sika ithi sum ithben t¡¯aikbeni a roben won las maq ithi! So, I''m real sorry for those who have been anxiously waiting for an update, I know how that feels, but in no way am I planning on dropping this even when I do the rewrite (which is coming slowly, since I''m trying to do them at the same time. Not the best, but ideas...) I will try my hardest to get one out sooner, but in three weeks is all I can guarentee. And I apologize in advance if there''s any incongruities in the next chapter, I''ll try to keep them to a minimum, but it has been a while since I''ve last written. I love you guys, and really, thanks so much for keeping up with my story. I''ll see you around hopefully. Sorry this isn''t an update. On a side note, how was your thanksgiving? If you had one. The US is the only one that really does that, right? Mine was too short in my opinion. 4-2 The Ikwir Luyo lxats¡¯ben won diri so Ikwir. While not as dangerous as the Rhew in terms of the environment¡¯s ability to kill, I assure you, the Ikwir is no less deadly. The cold doesn¡¯t dampen hunger there, and no one seems to know why the things in the north grow so big. I did try traveling through the place to see if I could discover the original city of Automaton. You know, Dig and I found on our Yat¡¯al¡¯ that we can hold our own in a fight against almost everything we come across, at least long enough to run away, which is more than most can say. But the wolves there¡­ I¡¯m not to keen on ever meeting them again. That was too close a call, huh, Dig? I wouldn¡¯t want to run into a Fenrir there. ¡ª A Yat at his ariyaqori festival
[Ambient Aura VIII] ¨C> [Ambient Aura IX]: You¡¯re ability to use auras has almost reached its highest level. You are beginning to realize the truth of auras. Partings do not last forever. Every soul is connected. (Due to the strength of your longing, due to your pain and your loss, you have found a way to connect to the River of Souls using your combined auras to form |Aura of Rebirth|)
This¡­ What is this? No, I¡¯m serious. What is this? I can feel it. My hands are starting to tremble. Is this¡­? Can I really? Is this what I think it is? Will I be able to¡­? I take a deep breath and hold it, letting my mind go blank. I sit like that for several seconds, then I let it all out in a massive puff of air. Alright. Let¡¯s try. It can¡¯t hurt, can it? I trigger |aura of rebirth|. I jolt as the world suddenly goes black. No, not black. It¡¯s more like I¡¯ve been cut off from the outside world and completely confined within my core. I can¡¯t see anything, but instinctively I know not to panic. It feels different from the time I spent all my mana. That was an overwhelming, suffocating darkness where I couldn¡¯t see, hear, or feel anything. While I can¡¯t see or hear anything, this time I feel¡­ a flow. A current. It moves and swirls around me in a similar way that mana does, only more subtle. If mana was a river, this would be a breath of wind, constantly moving in swirling eddies around me almost like it wasn¡¯t there in the first place. I reach out and touch an eddy next to me with a tendril of thought. It dodges my tendril and swirls a bit away and then closer again, brushing up slightly against my core before racing out again. I laugh a little. It feels strange, alive, maybe even a bit mischievous. I chase after it with my tendril. It swirls in loops, always dodging my tendril by just a hair. I laugh again. Then, the eddy stops. I slow my tendril in confusion. I feel it turn and swirl in spot once before slipping next to my tendril. It reaches out and takes a hold of my tendril like it was grabbing my hand, then launches off towards the sky. It moves so fast that my tendril stretches and thins to the point of snapping. I know it. I know it to the bottom of my core that that¡¯s bad. It¡¯s a very, very bad idea to let it break. I can¡¯t let that happen. Hurriedly, I feed more of my thought into my tendril so that it¡¯s no longer threatening to snap like an overstretched rubber band. But, now I feel myself thinning as I¡¯m drawn out of my core by the eddy. It¡¯s almost to the point where I can barely hold a grip to my core. I¡¯m starting to panic a bit now. I don¡¯t know where this eddy is dragging me, and it¡¯s grip on my tendril is too strong for me to let go, but if this keeps on much longer, I¡¯m going to slip right out of my core. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen if I do. Am I going to die? Right about when I feel my grip slip, the eddy stops, and I¡¯m left gasping and heaving. Too close. I¡¯m stretched so taunt that it¡¯s like the last rope holding up a breaking bridge. It feels like any breath of wind will break me now. I feel something else now though, something moving fast. Both the eddy and my tendril are buffeted by the current. My stretched out thought-body strains. Ow ow ow. Am I a kite string now? The eddy begins moving against the current, more carefully now, so as not to break me. It touches me to something that feels almost solid amidst the flow, like a rock or a pillar. My tendril sinks into it, and almost instantly the tension on my body dissipates. My drawn out body starts to dissolve in the middle, slipping back into both my core and the pillar. Suddenly, it¡¯s like my body is in two different places at once. Like it¡¯s overlapping in two different dimensions. Or maybe it was actually my soul¡­ That was something to ponder later. I give a shake as I open Dial¡¯s eyes. I can see the world again through the statue. But now, I can also feel the current buffering around me. It feels right almost like it¡¯s always been there. A screen pops up.
|Aura of Rebirth| has been activated. You have successfully formed a connection with the River of Souls. You have earned the achievement ¨C |River Keeper!| ¨C As a caretaker of the River of Souls, you are the first. You know this river. You know its currents and its bends. You know when it is healthy, and when it is sick. ({Aegis (0/5000)} path; [Forewarn III] -> [Forewarn IV] ¨C feel the state of the world through the River of Souls; +basic understanding of the thoughts and feelings of souls; due to karma, you¡¯ve gained a special reward: +100 aegis points ¨C you can choose to spend them this once or wait (the more points, the bigger the soul you can reincarnate; the skill ¨C[Rebirth]¨C is a locked skill under {Aegis (0/5000)} and can only be used once due to the effects of karma))
Before I can even have the chance to really read the screen, another screen pops up.
You have detected a soul that has refused to leave your side. In doing so, it has resisted the pull of the River of Souls. It¡¯s overwhelming need to protect you has caused it to begin degrading over time. It will eventually revert to its original state. Warning, this will reduce the soul to pre-reincarnation status. It will no longer have intelligence if allowed to continue.
I whirl around me, searching for the soul. ¡°Oroesi? Oroesi! Why are you still here?!¡± I see him now, faint, flickering like a dying candle in the breeze. ¡°No! You can¡¯t do that! You need to go! You need to leave right now!¡± I yell at him. He shakes his head and slips inside Dial to pat my core. ¡°Stop. Why would you do this? You¡¯ll stop being you.¡± My understanding of this world¡¯s reincarnations process was still limited, but I knew that if he kept being here, he would lose everything that defined him. He would be something else, the basest form of soul with no thought or feeling. He grins, then mimics a sobbing face and pats my core again. His body flickers again. He¡¯s fainter than before. Urgency fills me. He doesn¡¯t have much time. My eyes dart around, desperately searching for a solution. A line on the first screen catches my eye ¨C soul you can reincarnate. The words feel like they lodge in my throat. I look at Oroesi and without hesitation:
You have chosen to spend 99 Aegis points to reincarnate: |?Oroesi?|. Please wait¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­
A flash of light surrounds Oroesi. He looks at his immaterial arms in confusion before he¡¯s flung out of Dial and into a whirling mass of ice and snow, which begins to condense around him. My core lodges in Dial¡¯s throat. Anxiousness assails me. If this doesn¡¯t work¡­ If I¡¯m doing this wrong, and it¡¯s actually going to hurt him¡­ The sharp stone nails lining Dial¡¯s fingertips dig into his palm. I¡¯m clenching it so hard, the claws are starting to puncture through to the other side of his hand. With a bit of conscious effort, I relax the giant hand, then look up at the whirlwind surrounding Oroesi. The wind has picked up now. I have use Dial¡¯s hand to shield Rosehip¨Cthe poor, confused little snowdrop dragon¨Cfrom being pulled into the icy tornado. Most of the snowdrop flowers and a good portions of the rose-bush rooted on Dial¡¯s head tear off and fly into the cyclone. I look down at the Devin golem down by hiding behind Dial¡¯s feet. She¡¯s trying the best her semi-autonomous mind can allow her to not to get sucked in as well. Then, as sudden as it began, the wind stops and the snow flutters to the ground, revealing something within the eye of the once whirling cyclone. The tiny thing in the center begins to fall a beat after the drifting snowflakes. I reach out and gently catch it in Dial¡¯s hand.
|?Oroesi?| has been reincarnated as a [Winter Axolotl] (infant)
¡°Oroesi, you¡¯re¡­¡± I stare. So tiny. He¡¯s about the size of a kitten. He¡¯s pale, very pale, so white he could blend in with the snow, with wide set black eyes above a dorky, grinning guppy mouth. Three tendrils fan out like palm fronds on either side of his face and he has a tail like a tad pole¡¯s. ¡°Rrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeppp!¡± He chirps at me as he slaps one of his front feet a couple of times from where he rests on Dial¡¯s palm. Of course, I don¡¯t feel a thing, but it¡¯s cute to see, nonetheless. He puffs out his fronds like he¡¯s proud of himself. I give a laugh. That¡¯s my Oroesi. Always trying to prove he¡¯s a tough guy. I lower him to the ground, then transfer my conscious back over Devin just so I can hug him. My core is still in Dial, just my mind is back in my old golem. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back,¡± I say, squeezing him a little more that I should. He gives a dissatisfied grunt, but bares with it. I feel like a huge rock has been lifted off my shoulders. I¡¯ve lost a lot of my family, but at least Oroesi¡¯s back. Albeit in a much different form¡­ Though, this one makes me want to cuddle with him always. I snuggle with him for several minutes more before I sigh and push some mana into him. I¡¯m careful. I haven¡¯t tried this before, because I was too nervous. It felt kind of wrong to directly interfere with another creature, and I was really scared that I would make a mistake and ruin them forever, but now I think it¡¯s worth the chance. I don¡¯t want to lose him again, so this time, I¡¯ll make him stronger. Shakily, I guide the mana into his body. He shifts uncomfortably in my arms, but otherwise stays still. I close my eyes and feel how his body breathes and pulses. It feels me with a sense of wonder and joy that I spend several minutes more just watching him. He¡¯s alive! I give a grin, and wander a little deeper. I can feel his hidden talents, there buried underneath the beating of his heart, but for now, I leave them be. I focus on his bones first, and there I discover something that makes me extremely happy. Mana is stranger than I thought. I¡¯ve always been using it more as a third hand. Well, actually as my only hand if you only look at my core¡­ I create and shape things like I would on a pottery wheel, slowly working it until I have a decent vase or whatever. Either that, or the effects trigger automatically in a mana fueled skill without me really understanding how it works. Maybe it was because Oroesi¡¯s mine, because my mana helped recreate him, or maybe that he¡¯s been with me for a long time now, but working the mana felt different inside him. I thought I¡¯d have to reshape his bones, maybe even reinforce them with diamond, which I honestly don¡¯t know if that would be a good thing or not. He might have collapsed under the weight, now that I think about it. The mana falls like snow on his bones, melting into them. As I feed in more, sprouts emerge from the mana and bone. They grow as more mana is added. I twirl them around and around and thread them through the cells of the bone. The mana seeps in even deeper, carving out slight groves to allow the mana to flow through the bones easier. It looked almost as if someone had decorated his bones in with carved vines.
[Oroesi]¡¯s bones have become Mana Strengthened. (+2 to strength and defense, +20 health, 10% more mass)
Ever wonder why dungeons only seem to have one type of monster? ¨C Ifanc, explorer of old Congratulations! Late bloomers and the most beautiful. [Dungeon Evolution]: With the amount of time it took for you to learn this, you would be the runt of the litter if there was one. (Allows for dungeons to evolve their creatures in the direction they wish. No technical knowledge required.)
Wait for it. Wait for it¡­ I facepalm. I stand there for several seconds, then groan, rubbing my hand over my face. I tilt my head back and stare at the sky. ¡°You could have told me earlier!¡± I yell. ¡°You could have told me so many things earlier! It would have made everything soooo much easier!!! Thanks SOOOOO much for that! All this time, here I was taking the freaking slow route! Through Natural Evolution!!¡±
You¡¯re Welcome
¡°Ha! You think you¡¯re so funny!¡± I say with a frustrated, suppressed sort of half scream. [Dungeon Evolution]. [Dungeon evolution]. That implies it¡¯s a skill for dungeons. What am I? A level 32 dungeon that has just learned freaking [dungeon evolution]. Sound familiar? [Mana absorption] ring a bell? Anyone? Anyone??? I grind my teeth. My thoughts flash back to what little I remember before I came a core. That one instant, single point in time that I couldn¡¯t even tell if it was real, where a mass amount of strange feelings came pouring into my being. I fought, raged, against them, pushing most of it out again. The little bits that were left were the strange instincts of a newly born dungeon. That meant the rest of those life saving instincts had flow out the window. Including all the stupid skills like [dungeon evolution] and [mana absorption] that I know for a fact I was supposed to have learned long ago. All out the window. You know. OUt tHe FreAKINg WinDOW! I almost died several times, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Oroesi rubs his head against my cheek as I stew. He¡¯s definitely gotten bigger since I strengthened his bones. Now he¡¯s more of a small house cat, maybe little dog sized. The type that bark incessantly. ¡°I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t turn into one of those,¡± I say, looking down at him, before returning to my glowering at the screen mocking me with ¡°You¡¯re Welcome.¡± Oroesi gives a giiiiiiiirrrrup sound, kind of like he¡¯s gurgling and blowing spit bubbles at the same time. It¡¯s a weird sound, but kinda cute. He rubs his head again, and his frills tickle my cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not sulking,¡± I say. ¡°But, just so you know, if I ever somehow meet whoever is behind these screens, know that I WILL beat him, or her, to an inch of their life. It¡¯s just a tiny bit of payback, nothing harmful.¡± I smile sweetly at Oroesi. He cocks his head up at me.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
¡­
Please don¡¯t.
I sigh and look to the sun that¡¯s just starting to peek over the horizon. ¡°You seem to be talking more.¡± I look back at the blue screens. ¡°Hey, are you an actual person?¡± I get no response. ¡°Figures. Alright, Oroesi. Let¡¯s leave this place. It¡¯s been attacked way too often for my liking.¡± I carry him over to Dial, and we ride his hand up to the top of his head like an elevator. I carve out a bit of Dial¡¯s stone helm to look a bit like a crest, which also functions as a nice reclining chair. I sit down on it with Oroesi on my lap. Rosehip flies over and curls up for a nap on my shoulder. I pat her head. She¡¯s had a rough day. Or couple of days, now that I think about it. ¡°Alright, Oroesi, which way to you think we should go?¡± He gurgles as he pats my left hand. ¡°West it is.¡± I start directing Dial to walk. Already the sun is starting to climb low over the horizon to the south. In the next few hours, it¡¯ll be dark again. ¡°Should we head a bit south? It¡¯d be nice to have more sunlight?¡± I rub my chin. ¡°Or I guess we could just wait until summer. The sun¡¯s up all the time then. I don¡¯t know how long away that is though. Hm¡­ Welp I miss the sun. And green things. Heading a bit south shouldn¡¯t hurt. I¡¯d be attacked by those worms no matter where I go, anyway.¡± I shift Dial a bit more towards the south. We sit in silence as we travel. I hesitate a bit as we reach the furthest point where my domain has ever spread. The feeling assaults me that the first time in my life I¡¯m going to be moving outside my domain. The thought scares me, and for a moment, I want to run back to the place Harbor once stood, the place I opened my eyes for the first time, the place where I had live all my life so far. It¡¯s only been a few measly months, a half a year at most, but the place has always been my home. I look longingly back, and even though there¡¯s nothing there but ice, I feel like I can almost see the mountains that once rose up. Oroesi crawls up onto my shoulder and rests his head on mine, looking out over what was once my domain with me, then he pats my eyebrow comfortingly. I sigh and pat him back. ¡°Yeah, I know. We should go.¡± I start Dial walking once again, holding my breath as we cross the nonexistent barrier at the edge of what was once my domain. For a second there, I had a feeling, a fear and a hope all mixed together in one, that I wouldn¡¯t be able to cross that line, much like long ago, I wasn¡¯t able to leave that first igloo I made. I look back at the invisible line receding behind us and marvel at how much I¡¯ve changed since then. I scrunch up my face then turn back around again, moving Dial to quicken his pace. ¡°And off we go.¡± Oroesi gives an agreeing blleeek and crawls back into my lap. I lean back and return to pushing mana into the axolotl, this time, threading it through his muscles like a shuttle through a loom, humming as I go. He, on the other hand, starts to practice blowing spit bubbles. I smile and shake my head a bit. Watching him, however, I notice that his bubbles are getting larger and more opaque as he blows, until eventually, they detach and began to float away like true soap bubbles and pop. He keeps at it until they last longer and longer before popping and soon we¡¯re surrounded by floating bubbles. They trail after us like a gossamer shawl floating in the wind. He gleeks in delight. I reach up and pop one of the bubbles with a finger. A light mist from the bubble coats my finger. I stare, shocked when my finger begins to stiffen. I try to move it, when abruptly, my finger snaps off, bouncing off Dial and falling to the snow behind us. My mouth hangs open at the missing finger on my hand. Oroesi stares too, his eyes wide in horror at what his bubbles had done. He hurries over and begins to lick the stump like he¡¯s trying to make the finger come back. ¡°Oroesi,¡± I say, ¡°Your bubbles are freaking scary. That¡¯s some freezing power they have, somehow insta-freezing even ice¡­ You know, I¡¯m not even going to question how that¡¯s possible. I don¡¯t even know anymore.¡± I shake my head and reform Devin¡¯s finger out of mana, then turn back to working mana into Oroesi. While doing so, I subtly push a bit of air around us to make the bubbles avoid us. Oroesi licks my finger in apology. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I pat him. ¡°Actually, keep practicing. It¡¯ll keep you safer in the future.¡± I grin down at him and finish feeding the last bit of mana in to his muscles.
[Oroesi]¡¯s muscles have become Mana Strengthened. (+2 to strength, +3 to endurance, +20 health, 10% more mass)
I smile as Oroesi grows a bit bigger. Oroesi gleeks and shakes his legs a bit to get used to the new size. I look around a notice the sun about to set. I have been at it longer than I thought. The landscape has changed too. It¡¯s still very icy, but bits of rock are beginning to poke up out of the ice. The wind blows through the land differently as well, carving out strange ice formations as it swirls from further north. Curling arches and hanging cliffs appear as we head south. I stare jealously at ices caves with mouths lined with sharp icicles. If only I had been born in one of those instead. Something else catches my eye. It¡¯s small and stunted and shriveled looking, but that¡¯s definitely a tree. I know that Dial has massive strides, and that we¡¯ve traveled quite far in the last few hours, but I still wasn¡¯t expecting to find one so soon. I start as a blue screen pops up.
You have left the Rhew and entered the region known as the Ikwir, or the Northern Border. Life flourishes. Take care to watch for increased traffic in monsters.
¡°Okay¡­then,¡± I murmur. I stare as we slowly pass the tree by. I look up to my right, up on top of a rising bluff carved out of snow. I squint against the setting sun and can almost make out something standing there. Light ripples of the snow, and whatever it was is gone. I give a shudder. If I wasn¡¯t just seeing things, that thing was massive. Oroesi bleeks at the bluff. ¡°You saw that too? We should be fine. Even if it¡¯s huge, we have something just as big.¡± I pat Dial on its massive head. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡± The landscape gets stranger as we go along. We pass under icy overhangs that creek and groan, straining under the weight of snow piled on top. We pass by thick pillars of ice carved by wind into shapes that vaguely resemble growing creatures or buildings of a far distant age. Hillocks, smooth and covered in blankets of snow remind me of sleeping giants or monsters like up on the bluff. Snow slips off as we pass another of these hillocks resting off a ways in the distance, and for a second, I swear I saw an eye starting at me from underneath. I stop and stare at it as the last ray of sunlight disappears from the horizon, some time after even, until some sort of bird hoots in the distance. ¡°We should keep going,¡± I say while turning away. I start us moving again. I¡¯ve never had problems with the dark, usually surrounded by various glowing things, ut now I¡¯m hesitant to light anything up. Things are beginning to move in the dark. This wasn¡¯t something I had thought would happen considering the extreme cold. Every little sound makes me start. Even Dial¡¯s slow crunching through the snow brings no comfort. I have to fight the urge to stop Dial every time I hear something. A few paces later, and my breathing is even heavier. Oroesi crawls back up to my shoulders to stand as lookout. He croons and pats my head worriedly. Rosehip has continued to sleep through it all. A few more steps, and I¡¯m feeling woozy. White spots flicker in my vision, and non-existant bile rises in my throat. The feeling rises straight from my core. Both the sentinel and the golem are affected. Devin slumps where she¡¯s sitting as Dial¡¯s steps begin to falter. He can barely support his own weight anymore. Oroesi gives a surprised graaaaaak as the next step sends us crashing down into the snow. ¡°I think, maybe we should stop for the night,¡± I say, wiping off a face full of snow. The sick feeling settles a bit now that we;re not moving. We all freeze when we hear a wolf howl from very, very close. ¡°And that settles it. How much are you willing to bet those wolves are much nastier than I think they are?¡± My voice cracks. I scramble up, only to crash back over into a pile of snow.
Warning: Domain Sick ¨C you have gone too long without the support of a domain. Time spent outside an established domain will result in Mana Degradation.
My head swims as I try to read the words on the screen that just appeared. I¡¯m distracted as another howl sounds, this time even closer. ¡°Dial!¡± I yell, ¡°Dig!¡± I struggle to point to the snow bank in front of us. At this point, I¡¯m barely even thinking clearly, much less controlling the sentinel. This results in dishing out a series of increasingly slurred commands. as my head pounds like a drum. ¡°Ooroeesi,¡± I twist over to look at him shaking off the snow, ¡°Where iss Rosehhip? Finnnd Rosehipp.¡± He looks over at me with a gleek, and then bounds off looking for the tiny dragon. She¡¯s going to be hard to find. I grimace, and try to flip myself over. A few attempts later, and I successfully roll myself out of the snow drift I landed in. Oroesi snuffles in the snow, digging awkwardly. He pauses every few seconds to stare into the darkened distance, before returning to digging with renewed vigor. Dial digs behind me, sending large handfuls, or more like boatfuls, of snow and ice flying yards away. I sway woozily, watching as it flies through the air, before turning to stare off into the dark. I squint. Those are¡­ eyes? Yellow eyes p-popping up one after another, growing brighter as it gets even darker. If it weren¡¯t for the eyes, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to see them. They blend into the snow so easily, that you couldn¡¯t even tell they were there even when they moved. I am staring at, easily, over thirty wolves the size of grizzly bears. I shiver as they slowly circle closer. Oroesi digs even faster. ¡°Diiiiaaaaaaaaaaall!¡± I yell. ¡°Dial, Wooollvvvves!¡± He spins around from the bank just as the wolves launch themselves forward. Oroesi bleeks in shock, digs as fast as he can for a second longer, then lunges to grab the freshly uncovered Rosehip out of the snow. Dial drops down onto all fours as Oroesi makes a mad dash back towards me. Dial roars. The wolves flinch at the sound, giving Oroesi the second he needs to make it back. he drops Rosehip in my lap before scuttling back to make an aggressive stance in front of me. I wince as Dial makes clumsy swings at the wolves. I;m going to have to teach him how to fight later. I launch long magma projectiles at the wolves, nailing a couple of them. The rest, however, nimbly dodge the spears. They hiss and sizzle in the snow, but provide a dim, glowing barrier between us and the wolves. They hesitantly circle around it. I send more projectiles out as Oroesi begins blowing a large amount of bubbles. The wolves dodge my projectiles while ignoring the bubble drifting towards them. Or at least, they did until one of the bubbles pops against a wolf¡¯s head. It promptly freezes everything the bubble¡¯s mist touches, a good half the head, which then crumbles to pieces when the wolf tries to move. It then keels over. Everything but Dial freezes at the sight. I don¡¯t think even Oroesi was expecting that kind of power from the bubbles. Dial manages to bring a palm swinging down and smashes five wolves during that time period. The wolves launch themselves at the sentinel, clawing and smashing chunks out of its skin. And, Dial just stands there. This isn¡¯t working. I stare nauseous at the scene as Oroesi blows out more bubbles. A few wolves detach themselves and send blades of light from their claws, popping swathes of bubbles. I try to launch more projectiles, but motion sickness overwhelms me. I didn¡¯t know dungeon cores could get motion sick. I think manipulating mana makes me more sick. Alright, trying different approach, since Dial doesn¡¯t know how to fight properly. I concentrate, trying my best to ignore the dizziness, and shift my consciousness back over to Dial. I takes me a second, but I manage to slip in. I swallow down the need to faint and open my eyes. It hurts! I can feel the stupid wolves biting me! But, this is good, good. It¡¯s waking me up. I grit my teeth and howl at the wolves. I unfurl Dials tail and send it swinging at the wolves slowly getting closer to Oroesi through the field of bubbles. They squeal oddly as they are launched into the air towards me. I smack them down into the snow. They sit there twitching. One was even buried up to his neck in snow. A bite on my thigh brings me back to the ones swarming me. I rip one off my arm and send it flying into the bubble field. Several bubbles burst, and the wolf practically disintegrates into chunks of ice. I rip another two off and send them flying as far as I can. They disappear into the night, leaving only faint yelps from when they land seconds later. Annoyed, I glare at the wolves below me, smacking a few of them as they came in from different angles. They slam hard into the icy side of the bluff, hard enough to stick. Then, I jump. The movement shakes wolves off my legs and chest, and one was unlucky enough to be directly below me when I fell back down. I avoid looking at the squished pile of wolf. At this point, I¡¯m starting to run out of steam. The pain is no longer enough to keep me from almost keeling over, but I hold steady as best I can. There are just less than half the wolves left, but they are clearly less enthusiastic about attacking. We form a impasse, each side staring at the other, warily waiting for the other to move. Before they can start gathering their courage for another attack, I lean forward slightly and roar in their faces. The wolves yelp and scatter into the dark. Moments later, so does my consciousness.
Status Menu
Name: Haven [Locked]¨CDial Race: Legendary Dungeon Level: 33* Attribute: Green
Health: 583/852 (13/min) Mana: 87/1136 (15/min) State: Dungeon Sick; Mana Degradation ¨C Severe nausea, confusion, motion sickness; difficulty directing mana, stored mana dissipates*
Biomes: 3 Floors: ?%¦®] Named Monsters: 3
Monsters: 0 Animals: 0* Plants: 0*
[¦®]
Path Points: 23*; Aegis Points: 3*
Paths: {Beginner VI (0/30)} {Ingenuity V (0/130)} {Valiant III (0/200)} {Defender VI (10/100)}* {Architect III (0/150)} {Strategist III (30/95)} {Survivor II (30/50)} {Destroyer I (55/100)} {Failure III (14/30)} {Aegis (0/5000)}* {Traveler 0/15}*
Skills: [Ambient Aura IX] [Gardener VI] [Karma IV] [Natural Projectile VII] [Core Teleportation] [Epithet] [Elemental Manipulation X] [Biome Creation] [Fluid Floors] [Golem Creation] [Loyalty] [Tranquility] [Warding V] [Forewarn IV]* [Mana Absorption] [Standstill III] [Cooking II] [Purity] [Create] [Bravery] [Dungeon Evolution]*
Achievements: |Ingenuity!| |Powerful!| |Dauntless!| |Against the Odds!| |Crack Shot!| |Breeder!| |Safe Guard!| |Creator of Wonders!| |Leader!| |Besieged!| |Bloody!| |Fall of a Domain!| |River Keeper!|*
Causes: |?Against the World?| ¡ª 5
[¦®]
Auras: |Aura of Light| |Aura of Warmth| |Aura of Fury| |Aura of Souls| |Aura of Protection| |Aura of the Lost| |Calming Aura| |Aura of the Seed| |Aura of Rebirth|
Fire: Main, Magma, Lightening Water: Main, Ice, Acid, Liquid Nitrogen Earth: Main, Plants, Minerals, Metal, Wax, Chalk, Jade, Diamond, Amber Gold Air: Main, Toxic Gas