“Our battles with Loekan’s minions have escalated in the last day. Tkarn says that we’re being targeted by one of his lieutenants, Paskel, another like her but more powerful. He’s particularly tricky, and difficult to catch. We’re holding our own for now with the help of Lakesh and his warriors, the conflict has helped to involve them with us and I suspect they’re going to be staying with us for the long run unless anything more comes up to change that, but we’re still on the back foot here.
“Paskel has been employing poisons more powerful than anything we’ve experienced so far. He’s supplying the rest of the gremlins with the poison, and using it every new trap, we can’t get enough antidotes and potions to keep up with the new injuries.”
Nel’s report paints a dark picture, and while I’m confident that Red can more than hold her own against even that self-proclaimed King Loekan, she’s only one soldier. The fact is that we’re underarmed, underprepared, and we can barely supply ourselves with the necessary potions… Things can’t continue like this for long.
“Has anyone died?” I send back, running my hand through my hair as I try to figure out what we’ll do.
“Not yet, but we might need to start thinking about what we’re going to do when someone does die.” Nel sends back.
“Morale will take a hit.” I send, rubbing at the side of my head. “We’ll be painting Loekan as a dangerous villain, someone we need to overcome together. I think that should help a little.
“We’ll also need to gather people together for some kind of funeral, make sure that they know that we value their lives and mourn their passing. Let them know that they’re not just disposable tools, to be used and thrown aside.”
“I’d suggest thinking about what we do with the remains of our deceased as well.” She says. “Some have traditions that we can borrow from, but we need to discuss it before we have a pile of corpses to deal with.”
“Things are that bad?” I ask, gritting my teeth and glaring at the icy wall.
“We’ve been lucky so far, but there’s no telling how long our luck will last.” She replies. “I have to get back to my tasks. Do you think we can employ the alchemist? Even simple potions could help keep our heads above water.”
“I’ll make sure we get what we need.” I reply, watching Thresh as she continues her work, sparing only a brief worried glance back towards me. The others are busy keeping watch, but from how tense they are I’m sure they’ve noticed that something has come up.
“Things are rather busy back home.” I say, deciding to let Thresh listen in. Perhaps it’ll inspire her to join us, knowing how much she’s needed. At the very least she doesn’t seem like she’ll be using our weakness to her advantage, she’s given no indication of trying to squeeze us for a good deal, so I’m sure this is the best approach.
“How bad is it?” Adler asks, before the others have the chance to.
“No one is dead yet.” I say, “We’re dealing with powerful poisons, however, and Nel can’t find enough antidotes or potions to deal with it.”
“No healer yet?” Eshya asks, glancing back towards Thresh, catching onto my play.
“Only the same one we’ve visited before. He’s not leaving his surgery, and some of the wounded are going to end up dead before they get there.” I explain. “We need potions.”
“What sort of business are you up to?” Thresh asks, bottling her creation. From how her shoulders slouch in relief I think she’s finished with her work for now, and she certainly doesn’t seem disappointed in what she’s produced, though she doesn’t quite seem proud either.
“We’re making a home in the dungeon below the academy.” I say lightly. “Some of the beasts down there are dangerous, though. Without a steady supply of potions, I’m not sure we’ll be able to keep our efforts up.”
“Then you won’t be able to get any of those ingredients that you’re offering me?” Thresh asks with a long sigh. “I’m not against helping you. So long as you can assure me that I’m not going to regret it. I’m not going to give up my studies in the academy to spend my life making potions for you.”
“I’m not going to ask you to.” I say. “We can get a workshop in a secured part of the ruins and bring the ingredients to you. If you’d like, I’m sure we can also bring you down to the dungeon on excursions like this, so long as Frey and Arduelle give us permission to bring you down.”
Or more accurately, to let her back up to the academy again.
“That sounds agreeable.” She says, finishing with bottling the liquid. For some reason it doesn’t quite feel the same as the potions I’ve used so far, but perhaps it’s just because she’s not as experienced as those who’ve made the potions I’ve used.
“It’s just a base at the moment.” Vii explains, noticing where I’m looking. “A pretty high-quality base for a low liquid stage potion. I don’t think I can make anything so powerful, not at the moment at least. Do you have a good Skill for it?”
“I wouldn’t call the Skill ‘good’” Thresh says, as she uses a cloth to wipe up the last remaining droplets of base left in the cauldron. She wrings the liquid into the last bottle, and finishes packing up her gear. “It’s serviceable, but I’d like it to be better.”
“You can make antidotes that will work against powerful poisons?” I ask.
“I…” She hesitates for a second. “I’ll need high quality ingredients, or some so common that I can afford to familiarise myself with them. I have to… waste… some ingredients in order to get familiar with its uses so that I can make the most of it.”
“Well, the dungeon is abundant if nothing else.” I say. “We’ll make sure you have what you need, so long as you can help us.”
“It’s a deal.” Thresh says, still somewhat cautious of us, but thankfully willing to accept the simple terms.
“I’d like to get to it the moment we get back to the academy.” I say. “By the sounds of it they’ll need our help as soon as we can get back.”
“Is there any chance you can make any antidotes here that we can bring back?” Eshya asks.
“I have to give everything I produce to the teacher.” She says, shaking her head. “I’m not sure there’s any good ingredients for an antidote here either. It’ll be more effective if I can get a sample of the poison being used as well.”
“We’ll leave it for now then and focus on our currents tasks.” I say, begrudgingly accepting my current powerlessness. It takes a little effort to redirect my focus away from the worries and concerns of my current home, but there’s nothing I can do for them right now.
“The crystal flower.” Thresh reminds us, shifting her bags around until she’s comfortable. “You’re all okay to keep going?”
“Until sunrise, wasn’t it?” I ask. “I didn’t hear any rules against camping out here, is it fine with everyone if we just stay out here. We can camp out in spring spots without much trouble, I’m sure.”
“That way we can go further, maybe we’ll find something good to hunt.” Eshya says with a smile.
Thresh nods eagerly.
“That sounds perfect.” She says excitedly. “I’ll be able to focus on my work.”
“Camping could be fun.” Vii says, seeming much less bothered about being in these caves compared to how she was before. I haven’t been so bothered by it myself, the little underground lake stole all the fright out of me.
“So which way do we go?” I ask.
“Across the water?” Eshya suggests. “Do you think you can make it across, Thresh?”
“Easily.” Thresh replies, nodding along as she double checks all the straps on her bags. Eshya leads us through, swimming across the watery expanse, while Vii simply glides over the gap, getting there first and ensuring it’s safe.
Thresh widens her stance, her sharp feet sinking into the walls and holding her aloft. She makes it look easy as she walks along the walls all the way to the other side, not touching the water once. The shattered ice left in her wake is somewhat unsettling but the cave itself doesn’t show any signs of imminent collapse.
Adler and I resolve to swim the distance, lacking reliable means to fly or walk on water. While in theory a mastery of the ‘Swimming’ Skill could potentially manage as much, I’m not anywhere near that point as of yet, and I doubt I’ll ever get there. There are too many other Skills that I’d rather invest my time in.
We watch the cave behind us, and the fish below, cautious of threats though I’m quite sure that we’re safe for now. I doubt we’re being followed at the moment, but there is a chance that Freid and the local collared beasts have found our trail.
Freid isn’t likely planning on letting us continue unhindered, so I’m expecting him to arrive sometime tonight or tomorrow as we continue to explore and defend Thresh as she brews.
The icy caverns continue on for a good distance after that, and over time we grow more and more drowsy. Thresh accidentally messes up one of the potions that she’s trying to make, spilling some of the potion on the ground which unbalances the mixture. Though she tries to make some use of it, in the end she has to abandon it.
For all that I expect an ambush nothing happens, and even as we settle down in a spring spot, where the air is warm and the earth soft, we’re yet to come across anything that could be considered a real fight. Between the fish and the few mice we’ve caught, I’m more and more convinced of the villagers claims about the local beasts.
“Is everything going well?” I ask Thresh as she looks through her bags, carefully examining each bottle in her pack. Most are potion bases, the mana in them not moving quite the same as in the complete potions, but there is a good selection of both. She also has more than a few spare bottles yet to be filled.
“Not well enough.” Thresh replies. “This is… acceptable, but not enough to stand out above the others. I need to produce better than this.”
“This isn’t good enough?” Vii asks, her eyes wide open as she examines the potions. “I can’t make anything better than this with those same ingredients, are the rest of the class really that good? How, are you supposed to make better than this?”
“With better Skills.” Thresh grumbles. “Other students have talents that can help put them above us or have been training since they were younger. Keeping up with them is… difficult.”
“The advantages of living in a first grade civilisation?” I ask, thinking back to what little I know. In the first and second grade civilisations they get to learn about their talents earlier, allowing them to train themselves for it.
In combat class that mostly means they get to train to earn themselves other options, but I suppose for others it means that they get a head start over others. I wouldn’t doubt that first grade citizens have it easier, than second, even if I don’t know the details.
“I suppose.” Thresh grumbles. “I just have to work harder. I’m not giving up, and I’m sure that I can develop a Skill capable of recording and fully anticipating every chemical and magical reaction. It’s just… not just yet.”
“Keep working on it.” I say, “If you help us, there’s plenty we can do to help you.”
“You’ve already got your deal.” Thresh says, meeting my eyes before yawning. “I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you.” I say, trying to relax.
“Eshya,” Vii says, sitting down by the elf’s side. “Is your mapping Skill working right? We’re not lost down here, are we? If we’re staying out this long, the marks we left on the walls could disappear somehow, couldn’t they?”
“The Skill is working properly.” Eshya says, holding out her hand. “Here, take a look yourself.”
Vii takes the offered Skill and her eyes glaze over as she looks through the invisible maps fluttering past her gaze.
“Oh, that’s… this is good.”
“Let me take a look.” I say, slipping down beside Eshya and taking the Skill for myself.
“Help yourself.” Eshya says with a shrug, and a proud little smirk. “I found a pretty good Skill if I say so myself.”
“Thank you.” Adler says, a little more hesitant in taking the new Skill.
“What are you doing?” Thresh asks. “Sharing Skills? That’s not possible.”
“Ah, yeah. We haven’t told you about that yet.” I say, “We have upgraded versions of the support device. They’re not well used at the moment, and I’m not sure how much the welfare officers would appreciate them, but I think it would help you develop that Skill that you’ve been dreaming up.”
“I… Can…?”
“Not here, we don’t have any spare support devices, or sleep potions.” I say. “Also, I’ll need you to keep quiet about it. And the dungeon. And everything else we’re getting up to.”
“I… okay. I can do that.” She replies. “It won’t actually get me in trouble with the welfare officers though, will it?”
“Not if they don’t know about it.” I reply. “Just focus on your alchemy and you’ll be alright.”
She nods quietly. She’s not the sort of person we’d ordinarily employ, but she has something that she wants to work towards, and we have the resources she’ll need to get there.
Settling down, I look over the map. It isn’t nearly as impressive as a gps, but hey, it’s still good enough to keep us from getting lost. At least it is if Eshya and Vii are the ones reading it. I don’t feel confident in navigating my own way through these tunnels, no matter how good of a map I’ve got.
Before bed, I exchange a few messages with Red and Nel, confirming that everything is still in order. The fight is ongoing, and violence seems a continuous thing, Red is convinced that Paskel is trying to wear them down, preparing for a larger offensive.
Nel is trying her best to keep them supplied but there’s been more pressure on them with gremlins attacking anyone who moves around openly. They’re getting some support from the local slayers, but they’re not quite enough to make a significant difference. We need better supplies, and warriors with more experience.
We maintain a careful watch during the night, but our sleep isn’t interrupted. Freid is taking his time in finding us, maybe the other students are giving him trouble, or maybe no one wants to chase us this far through the tunnels.
As the week goes on, the tension in the air grows palpable. The trouble back home is heavy on my mind, but Freid’s lacking presence makes for something of a distraction in itself.
What this time does give us is a chance to work on ourselves. My mana form is growing in leaps and bounds as I’ve invested my time in developing my stats. The more interesting thing however is the changes in coming from my liquid development and the core shards.
“So, we can permanently reshape ourselves?” I ask Eshya one night before bed. “That’s what this liquid stage development is about?”
“Pretty much, yeah.” Eshya replies. “I’ve made myself stronger and more flexible. I’m trying to make my eyes better, but it’s not as easy.”
“What about other things?” I ask, feeling the shards moving about inside me. “Can I add new organs? Can I make my skin harder? Oh! Can I change my appearance a little, I wouldn’t mind making my hair a little more fiery.”
“I guess, maybe?” Eshya shrugs. “Try it and find out. Or wait until our next class and ask the teacher.”
Turning towards the mana form and how it’s interacting with my flesh. I start messing with the flow in the shards, paying close attention for changes.
Tightening the flow within a shard in my stomach makes my guts twist up, though I’m not sure I can feel anything different about it beyond that. It drifts away before I can try to explore the feeling any deeper.
One particularly dense shard shifts about in my butt, and while I focus on it the fat content becomes a little bit more dense. My mana seems to flow into the fat, making it act a little bit like the mana batteries in my armour.
Turning body fat into mana batteries… is an interesting idea, and I can certainly see the advantages in it, but… No. I think I’ll try and do something else with it.
Shifting the mana flow around a little, the spot gets harder almost like a tumorous lump. I quickly change the nature of the mana flow within the shard yet again, trying to add purpose to the mana like when I cast a spell. I can’t feel any changes, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any.
Time moves on, and our training continues without distraction.
Vii marks down our progress through the week using a Skill that she pulled out of Chip, and as we approach evening on the third day we find the crystal stage flower that Thresh has been after.
It sits lonely on a small pile of loose, shattered ice in a room wider and larger than most we’ve visited so far.
“I get the feeling we’ve got a fight coming.” Eshya says, her hand falling on her sword hilt as she smiles eagerly.
“A fight?” I feel the air rumble as something speaks from deeper in the room. A thick mist engulfs the far side of the cavern, and two large blue eyes gaze out at us.
“Why do you sound so eager for violence?” The beast grumbles, glaring through the haze at us.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Skills & Stats
~Mana Form:
Current mana density: 1664 units
~Mana distribution:
Defence: 0/66%
Offense: 0/60%
Mana sense: 92/92%
Recovery: 0/35%
Gluttony: 0/29%
Misc.: 0/42%
Efficiency: 92/100%
~Favourited Skills:
-Chip Shredder
-Multi-mind
-Tag
-Mana surge movement
-Reactive defence
-Fire burst punch
-Annihilation magic
-Charged casting (Annihilation)
-Mana form flow fixer
-Branching magic
-Swimming
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
//Author Note
More chapters available
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“Our battles with Loekan’s minions have escalated in the last day. Tkarn says that we’re being targeted by one of his lieutenants, Paskel, another like her but more powerful. He’s particularly tricky, and difficult to catch. We’re holding our own for now with the help of Lakesh and his warriors, the conflict has helped to involve them with us and I suspect they’re going to be staying with us for the long run unless anything more comes up to change that, but we’re still on the back foot here.
“Paskel has been employing poisons more powerful than anything we’ve experienced so far. He’s supplying the rest of the gremlins with the poison, and using it every new trap, we can’t get enough antidotes and potions to keep up with the new injuries.”
Nel’s report paints a dark picture, and while I’m confident that Red can more than hold her own against even that self-proclaimed King Loekan, she’s only one soldier. The fact is that we’re underarmed, underprepared, and we can barely supply ourselves with the necessary potions… Things can’t continue like this for long.
“Has anyone died?” I send back, running my hand through my hair as I try to figure out what we’ll do.
“Not yet, but we might need to start thinking about what we’re going to do when someone does die.” Nel sends back.
“Morale will take a hit.” I send, rubbing at the side of my head. “We’ll be painting Loekan as a dangerous villain, someone we need to overcome together. I think that should help a little.
“We’ll also need to gather people together for some kind of funeral, make sure that they know that we value their lives and mourn their passing. Let them know that they’re not just disposable tools, to be used and thrown aside.”
“I’d suggest thinking about what we do with the remains of our deceased as well.” She says. “Some have traditions that we can borrow from, but we need to discuss it before we have a pile of corpses to deal with.”
“Things are that bad?” I ask, gritting my teeth and glaring at the icy wall.
“We’ve been lucky so far, but there’s no telling how long our luck will last.” She replies. “I have to get back to my tasks. Do you think we can employ the alchemist? Even simple potions could help keep our heads above water.”
“I’ll make sure we get what we need.” I reply, watching Thresh as she continues her work, sparing only a brief worried glance back towards me. The others are busy keeping watch, but from how tense they are I’m sure they’ve noticed that something has come up.
“Things are rather busy back home.” I say, deciding to let Thresh listen in. Perhaps it’ll inspire her to join us, knowing how much she’s needed. At the very least she doesn’t seem like she’ll be using our weakness to her advantage, she’s given no indication of trying to squeeze us for a good deal, so I’m sure this is the best approach.
“How bad is it?” Adler asks, before the others have the chance to.
“No one is dead yet.” I say, “We’re dealing with powerful poisons, however, and Nel can’t find enough antidotes or potions to deal with it.”
“No healer yet?” Eshya asks, glancing back towards Thresh, catching onto my play.
“Only the same one we’ve visited before. He’s not leaving his surgery, and some of the wounded are going to end up dead before they get there.” I explain. “We need potions.”
“What sort of business are you up to?” Thresh asks, bottling her creation. From how her shoulders slouch in relief I think she’s finished with her work for now, and she certainly doesn’t seem disappointed in what she’s produced, though she doesn’t quite seem proud either.
“We’re making a home in the dungeon below the academy.” I say lightly. “Some of the beasts down there are dangerous, though. Without a steady supply of potions, I’m not sure we’ll be able to keep our efforts up.”
“Then you won’t be able to get any of those ingredients that you’re offering me?” Thresh asks with a long sigh. “I’m not against helping you. So long as you can assure me that I’m not going to regret it. I’m not going to give up my studies in the academy to spend my life making potions for you.”
“I’m not going to ask you to.” I say. “We can get a workshop in a secured part of the ruins and bring the ingredients to you. If you’d like, I’m sure we can also bring you down to the dungeon on excursions like this, so long as Frey and Arduelle give us permission to bring you down.”
Or more accurately, to let her back up to the academy again.
“That sounds agreeable.” She says, finishing with bottling the liquid. For some reason it doesn’t quite feel the same as the potions I’ve used so far, but perhaps it’s just because she’s not as experienced as those who’ve made the potions I’ve used.
“It’s just a base at the moment.” Vii explains, noticing where I’m looking. “A pretty high-quality base for a low liquid stage potion. I don’t think I can make anything so powerful, not at the moment at least. Do you have a good Skill for it?”
“I wouldn’t call the Skill ‘good’” Thresh says, as she uses a cloth to wipe up the last remaining droplets of base left in the cauldron. She wrings the liquid into the last bottle, and finishes packing up her gear. “It’s serviceable, but I’d like it to be better.”
“You can make antidotes that will work against powerful poisons?” I ask.
“I…” She hesitates for a second. “I’ll need high quality ingredients, or some so common that I can afford to familiarise myself with them. I have to… waste… some ingredients in order to get familiar with its uses so that I can make the most of it.”
“Well, the dungeon is abundant if nothing else.” I say. “We’ll make sure you have what you need, so long as you can help us.”
“It’s a deal.” Thresh says, still somewhat cautious of us, but thankfully willing to accept the simple terms.
“I’d like to get to it the moment we get back to the academy.” I say. “By the sounds of it they’ll need our help as soon as we can get back.”
“Is there any chance you can make any antidotes here that we can bring back?” Eshya asks.
“I have to give everything I produce to the teacher.” She says, shaking her head. “I’m not sure there’s any good ingredients for an antidote here either. It’ll be more effective if I can get a sample of the poison being used as well.”
“We’ll leave it for now then and focus on our currents tasks.” I say, begrudgingly accepting my current powerlessness. It takes a little effort to redirect my focus away from the worries and concerns of my current home, but there’s nothing I can do for them right now.
“The crystal flower.” Thresh reminds us, shifting her bags around until she’s comfortable. “You’re all okay to keep going?”
“Until sunrise, wasn’t it?” I ask. “I didn’t hear any rules against camping out here, is it fine with everyone if we just stay out here. We can camp out in spring spots without much trouble, I’m sure.”
“That way we can go further, maybe we’ll find something good to hunt.” Eshya says with a smile.
Thresh nods eagerly.
“That sounds perfect.” She says excitedly. “I’ll be able to focus on my work.”
“Camping could be fun.” Vii says, seeming much less bothered about being in these caves compared to how she was before. I haven’t been so bothered by it myself, the little underground lake stole all the fright out of me.
“So which way do we go?” I ask.
“Across the water?” Eshya suggests. “Do you think you can make it across, Thresh?”
“Easily.” Thresh replies, nodding along as she double checks all the straps on her bags. Eshya leads us through, swimming across the watery expanse, while Vii simply glides over the gap, getting there first and ensuring it’s safe.
Thresh widens her stance, her sharp feet sinking into the walls and holding her aloft. She makes it look easy as she walks along the walls all the way to the other side, not touching the water once. The shattered ice left in her wake is somewhat unsettling but the cave itself doesn’t show any signs of imminent collapse.
Adler and I resolve to swim the distance, lacking reliable means to fly or walk on water. While in theory a mastery of the ‘Swimming’ Skill could potentially manage as much, I’m not anywhere near that point as of yet, and I doubt I’ll ever get there. There are too many other Skills that I’d rather invest my time in.
We watch the cave behind us, and the fish below, cautious of threats though I’m quite sure that we’re safe for now. I doubt we’re being followed at the moment, but there is a chance that Freid and the local collared beasts have found our trail.
Freid isn’t likely planning on letting us continue unhindered, so I’m expecting him to arrive sometime tonight or tomorrow as we continue to explore and defend Thresh as she brews.
The icy caverns continue on for a good distance after that, and over time we grow more and more drowsy. Thresh accidentally messes up one of the potions that she’s trying to make, spilling some of the potion on the ground which unbalances the mixture. Though she tries to make some use of it, in the end she has to abandon it.
For all that I expect an ambush nothing happens, and even as we settle down in a spring spot, where the air is warm and the earth soft, we’re yet to come across anything that could be considered a real fight. Between the fish and the few mice we’ve caught, I’m more and more convinced of the villagers claims about the local beasts.
“Is everything going well?” I ask Thresh as she looks through her bags, carefully examining each bottle in her pack. Most are potion bases, the mana in them not moving quite the same as in the complete potions, but there is a good selection of both. She also has more than a few spare bottles yet to be filled.
“Not well enough.” Thresh replies. “This is… acceptable, but not enough to stand out above the others. I need to produce better than this.”
“This isn’t good enough?” Vii asks, her eyes wide open as she examines the potions. “I can’t make anything better than this with those same ingredients, are the rest of the class really that good? How, are you supposed to make better than this?”
“With better Skills.” Thresh grumbles. “Other students have talents that can help put them above us or have been training since they were younger. Keeping up with them is… difficult.”
“The advantages of living in a first grade civilisation?” I ask, thinking back to what little I know. In the first and second grade civilisations they get to learn about their talents earlier, allowing them to train themselves for it.
In combat class that mostly means they get to train to earn themselves other options, but I suppose for others it means that they get a head start over others. I wouldn’t doubt that first grade citizens have it easier, than second, even if I don’t know the details.
“I suppose.” Thresh grumbles. “I just have to work harder. I’m not giving up, and I’m sure that I can develop a Skill capable of recording and fully anticipating every chemical and magical reaction. It’s just… not just yet.”
“Keep working on it.” I say, “If you help us, there’s plenty we can do to help you.”
“You’ve already got your deal.” Thresh says, meeting my eyes before yawning. “I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you.” I say, trying to relax.
“Eshya,” Vii says, sitting down by the elf’s side. “Is your mapping Skill working right? We’re not lost down here, are we? If we’re staying out this long, the marks we left on the walls could disappear somehow, couldn’t they?”
“The Skill is working properly.” Eshya says, holding out her hand. “Here, take a look yourself.”
Vii takes the offered Skill and her eyes glaze over as she looks through the invisible maps fluttering past her gaze.
“Oh, that’s… this is good.”
“Let me take a look.” I say, slipping down beside Eshya and taking the Skill for myself.
“Help yourself.” Eshya says with a shrug, and a proud little smirk. “I found a pretty good Skill if I say so myself.”
“Thank you.” Adler says, a little more hesitant in taking the new Skill.
“What are you doing?” Thresh asks. “Sharing Skills? That’s not possible.”
“Ah, yeah. We haven’t told you about that yet.” I say, “We have upgraded versions of the support device. They’re not well used at the moment, and I’m not sure how much the welfare officers would appreciate them, but I think it would help you develop that Skill that you’ve been dreaming up.”
“I… Can…?”
“Not here, we don’t have any spare support devices, or sleep potions.” I say. “Also, I’ll need you to keep quiet about it. And the dungeon. And everything else we’re getting up to.”
“I… okay. I can do that.” She replies. “It won’t actually get me in trouble with the welfare officers though, will it?”
“Not if they don’t know about it.” I reply. “Just focus on your alchemy and you’ll be alright.”
She nods quietly. She’s not the sort of person we’d ordinarily employ, but she has something that she wants to work towards, and we have the resources she’ll need to get there.
Settling down, I look over the map. It isn’t nearly as impressive as a gps, but hey, it’s still good enough to keep us from getting lost. At least it is if Eshya and Vii are the ones reading it. I don’t feel confident in navigating my own way through these tunnels, no matter how good of a map I’ve got.
Before bed, I exchange a few messages with Red and Nel, confirming that everything is still in order. The fight is ongoing, and violence seems a continuous thing, Red is convinced that Paskel is trying to wear them down, preparing for a larger offensive.
Nel is trying her best to keep them supplied but there’s been more pressure on them with gremlins attacking anyone who moves around openly. They’re getting some support from the local slayers, but they’re not quite enough to make a significant difference. We need better supplies, and warriors with more experience.
We maintain a careful watch during the night, but our sleep isn’t interrupted. Freid is taking his time in finding us, maybe the other students are giving him trouble, or maybe no one wants to chase us this far through the tunnels.
As the week goes on, the tension in the air grows palpable. The trouble back home is heavy on my mind, but Freid’s lacking presence makes for something of a distraction in itself.
What this time does give us is a chance to work on ourselves. My mana form is growing in leaps and bounds as I’ve invested my time in developing my stats. The more interesting thing however is the changes in coming from my liquid development and the core shards.
“So, we can permanently reshape ourselves?” I ask Eshya one night before bed. “That’s what this liquid stage development is about?”
“Pretty much, yeah.” Eshya replies. “I’ve made myself stronger and more flexible. I’m trying to make my eyes better, but it’s not as easy.”
“What about other things?” I ask, feeling the shards moving about inside me. “Can I add new organs? Can I make my skin harder? Oh! Can I change my appearance a little, I wouldn’t mind making my hair a little more fiery.”
“I guess, maybe?” Eshya shrugs. “Try it and find out. Or wait until our next class and ask the teacher.”
Turning towards the mana form and how it’s interacting with my flesh. I start messing with the flow in the shards, paying close attention for changes.
Tightening the flow within a shard in my stomach makes my guts twist up, though I’m not sure I can feel anything different about it beyond that. It drifts away before I can try to explore the feeling any deeper.
One particularly dense shard shifts about in my butt, and while I focus on it the fat content becomes a little bit more dense. My mana seems to flow into the fat, making it act a little bit like the mana batteries in my armour.
Turning body fat into mana batteries… is an interesting idea, and I can certainly see the advantages in it, but… No. I think I’ll try and do something else with it.
Shifting the mana flow around a little, the spot gets harder almost like a tumorous lump. I quickly change the nature of the mana flow within the shard yet again, trying to add purpose to the mana like when I cast a spell. I can’t feel any changes, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any.
Time moves on, and our training continues without distraction.
Vii marks down our progress through the week using a Skill that she pulled out of Chip, and as we approach evening on the third day we find the crystal stage flower that Thresh has been after.
It sits lonely on a small pile of loose, shattered ice in a room wider and larger than most we’ve visited so far.
“I get the feeling we’ve got a fight coming.” Eshya says, her hand falling on her sword hilt as she smiles eagerly.
“A fight?” I feel the air rumble as something speaks from deeper in the room. A thick mist engulfs the far side of the cavern, and two large blue eyes gaze out at us.
“Why do you sound so eager for violence?” The beast grumbles, glaring through the haze at us.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Skills & Stats
~Mana Form:
Current mana density: 1664 units
~Mana distribution:
Defence: 0/66%
Offense: 0/60%
Mana sense: 92/92%
Recovery: 0/35%
Gluttony: 0/29%
Misc.: 0/42%
Efficiency: 92/100%
~Favourited Skills:
-Chip Shredder
-Multi-mind
-Tag
-Mana surge movement
-Reactive defence
-Fire burst punch
-Annihilation magic
-Charged casting (Annihilation)
-Mana form flow fixer
-Branching magic
-Swimming
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
//Author Note
More chapters available
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