Liam stepped out into the alleyway and instantly felt the waves of dizziness and nausea hit him. He felt his Spirit Weave ability deactivate as he took a few breathes in to try and calm himself down before anything decided to rush up. After a few seconds had passed and nothing came up, Liam straightened his posture and looked around.
The alleyway was empty, and the sun looked like it hadn’t moved that much while he was in there. Before doing anything else, he used his Veil of Shadows ability to cloak himself.
Alright, let’s see what those notifications were about. Liam thought as he brought up his notifications.
“Secondary Class – Shadow of the Devourer ability Devour has finished processing Minor Soul Orb of the Diseased Feeble Forest Goblin.”
“No Health has been replenished.”
“No Mana has been replenished.”
“No stamina has been replenished.”
“50 Spirit Points has been replenished.”
“Congratulations! You have increased your Health Pool by 10 HP!”
“Congratulations! You have increased your Spirit Pool by 50!”
Huh, so it not only replenished some of my Spirit Pool, but it also increased it? It also increased my Health Pool. I wonder why it increased in both. I’m guessing the HP increase is what I was able to process from the Soul Orb, but my Spirit Pool? I don’t think that goblin had any spirit pool. So if that’s the case then… Liam thought until Eri chimed in.
“You’re right in that the creature didn’t have a Spirit Pool. I don’t think your increase in Spirit Pool size is related to the creature, but rather on you devouring souls. If I’m right about this, then the more Soul Orbs you devour the more chances you will gain in increasing your Spirit pool. – Eri.”
Liam was amazed by this discovery as he pulled up his Character Sheet.
“Personal Character Sheet. General Information. Name: Liam. Age: 22. Race: Cait Sith/Sealed. Bloodline: ??????. Zodiac: Gemini. Main Class: Spirit Weaver. Secondary Class: Shadow of the Devourer (Sealed). Health Pool: 497/497 (663/663 Sealed). Mana Pool: 462/462 (617/617 Sealed). Stamina Bar: 532/532 (698/698 Sealed). Spirit Pool: 35/200. Level 5 (7 Sealed).”
It looked like the added ten points to his health went straight towards the Sealed part which did bring his current health up by seven. His Spirit Pool did raise up by fifty as well. As Liam stared at his resource bars, he felt relieved. They were almost back to their original numbers. He just needed to be patient for a couple more days.
He nodded before closing out his Personal Character Sheet and asked, So what’s the plan now? You said you have some ideas that I might like? What are they?
“There’s a dungeon in that tower I want you to take on. In it you’ll gather both Soul orbs and replenish your Spirit Pool as well as harvest some poisons and other materials you might be able to use in order to make your very first Chemicalized Creation. – Eri.”
Liam’s attention was fully focused on that last sentence as excitement filled his eyes.
“*Laughs* Excited much? I knew you would be. *Turns serious* Also we need to talk about these tests that you will have to take. – Eri.”
Liam waited to see what she wanted to say about that as he started to slowly move out from the back alley of the building. He knew where he needed to go, so he figured he’d start making his way there.
“These tests aren’t going to be easy. So much so that I think you are going to need to use your Shadow Magic to help you out. Your Veil of Shadows, and Shadow Step are going to be your main uses during the stealing and survival tests. The killing one I’m not too sure what will be the best to use until we see what they plan on having you kill. – Eri.”
Liam nodded as he agreed with her. I thought you didn’t want me using my Shadow Magic. At least not until I can get strong enough to protect myself.
In normal cases I would tell you not to. Eri replied. However, the Fiddler’s Spider Web will more than likely have you take the tests in one of those rooms which means, at most, only those three will be there. Also, since they do not know your actual name nor what you really look like then it will be harder for them to know who you are.
Liam nodded, understanding what she was saying. However, he still had some questions. What about my Lunar magic? Do you think I should use that at all?
“*Shakes head* As much as I think it could help you, I don’t want you to use them. Its best to have an ace up your sleeve in case something happens, and you need to escape from them trying to kill you for some reason. Also, your Hubristic Aura, and Strife Inducement is a no go during the test as well as the abilities you have while in that Spirit Weave form. – Eri.”
Liam frowned. Do you think they would try? I wouldn’t think they would do that to an applicant especially one that is Nabal’s apprentice.
“Don’t underestimate the power of money. If a job appears to assassinate you someone would be more than willing to take it. especially since you’re not a fully pledged member of that Association yet. As for the apprentice part. You never know who might hold a grudge against him. For now, let’s gather as much material as you can and try to adopt a fighting style that best suits all of your abilities and not just the ones you like. – Eri.”
Okay, okay. Liam responded. He then thought to himself, What’s wrong with advancing the things that I like? It’s not like there’s always a situation perfect for all of my current abilities.
“And that’s what we’re going to work on. We’re going to test out all your abilities that you have and see how they work in the dungeon I want you to go into. – Eri.”
Liam started making his way up the steps that lead to the Dungeon Tower. As he approached the guards who were checking each adventurer, Liam thought about how he was going to get in. When he came out the day before, the guards were preoccupied with something, and he used that distraction to slip by.
He didn’t want to release his Veil of Shadows and do things the normal way due everything that had happened yesterday. Since he was told back at the inn that they were informed he was dead, he wanted to keep that until he understood what was going on.
He decided he was going to try and slip in while standing in someone’s shadow. Since he kind of cast a light shadow still he could blend in with someone else’s shadow and sneak in that way.
He made his way towards the person next in line. This man stood six and a half feet tall and was very broad. Liam figured he would be the best candidate to try this out and was not disappointed. Although he did notice a guard frown as he passed by them and looked confused a bit.
He wasn’t sure, but he believed that if he had tried to walk in without doing it this way the guard would have noticed him, and he would have been caught. He really needed to level this ability up more.
After he had gotten far enough away from the entrance, Liam stepped away from the man he was using and looked around. The area wasn’t overly crowded. There were a lot of people walking around, but not enough that it would create a problem for him to move around while in stealth.
Ok. Which one am I aiming for? Liam asked as he looked at the portals around the walls of the building.
“You’re aiming for that Yellow Dungeon to your right. The one in between the Blue and Green ones. – Eri.”
Liam looked at where she was telling him and saw it. No one was around the portal as he made his way towards it. He took a good look at the painting on the wall to get a better idea of what he was going up against and scrunched his brows.
The picture showed a cave system that showed three different creatures residing in them. They were yellow scaled snakes with a weird black zig zagging line running down their back, a group of orangish yellow Praying mantis’ with curved spikes running down their scythe-like claws, and a weird looking bug that kind of resembled a mixture of a beetle and a cockroach to Liam.
As he approached the portal, he looked at the sign and saw it read, “The Crackling Cave. Dungeon Type – Tower. Restrictions – Party Amount allowed – 7. Rules – Defeat the Elite Floor Monsters and Floor boss on each floor. Floors – 3.”
Another Tower type dungeon huh? Liam thought after reading the sign. He then shrugged and thought, Works out fine for me. I can use everything I have without holding back.
He then placed a hand on the portal and waited for the notification to appear to allow him to enter the dungeon. After it did he mentally accept it and walked through the portal.
As soon as Liam stepped through the other side of the portal, he placed his hands behind his head and blew out big amounts of air trying not to let the nauseating feeling win the battle.
It took him a few seconds to feel better before he deactivated his Veil of Shadows and looked around the room. The area he stood in was a rocky surfaced circular room. It wasn’t big. It was wide enough for a group of seven people to stand in without feeling clumped together. The ceiling was a few feet high up, telling Liam that if someone wielded weapons like spears, War hammers, Battle axes, or the like wouldn’t have a hard time swinging them.
As scanned the small rocky area, a chime sound echoed in his mind bringing a notification along with it.
“Congratulations! Focus Point Utility (Shadow) ability – Veil of Shadows has reached level 11! Progression to level 12: 0%!”
Liam smiled a bit as he closed the notification. I was just telling myself I wanted to level this ability up. Looks like it agreed with me. He then said out loud to Eri, “Ok so what are these monsters? What should I know about them and what do they have that you feel I need to get for materials?”
The monsters in here are all Lightning based creatures. Eri started. After you had gotten that dagger that Oni used on Cindy, I was thinking about the venom on it. Did he get it from the market? Did he already have it? Or were there creatures in one of these dungeons that had the monsters? Well, after you left the Goblin Forest Dungeon I saw the picture on the wall behind this dungeon and recognized one of the monsters. It was the Twin Fanged Adder.
“The same creature in the description of the venom on that dagger?” Liam asked as he pursed his lips and frown. “But why would that snake be in here? I thought you said this dungeon was filled with Lightning based creatures?”
I did. Eri answered. The Twin Fanged Adder has lightning abilities. There is a weak amount of it in their venom to begin with. The poison used on that dagger is a concoction where the crafter used Liquified Lightning Mana to draw out more of that lighting in the venom. If we can collect some of that venom and you make some Liquified Lightning Mana then you can craft some of that venom.
Liam’s eyes widened. He didn’t know that by mixing certain Liquified Mana into certain venoms that it could bring out or add to the effects that laid inside the venom. That was something he wanted to learn more about.
However, that’s not all I was thinking about you doing with that venom. Eri suddenly added.
Curious and excited, Liam asked, “What do you mean? Is there more to the venom?”
Making the venom will be the first step in what I was thinking about having you make. Eri stated.
Starting to feel a bit annoyed with Eri leading him by the nose, Liam questioned, “Well? Are you just going to dangle that carrot in front of me or are you going to give it to me?”
Eri let out a short laugh before saying, I know how much you’ve been wanting to start learning how to make Chemicalized Creations and I thought about a good first creation to make. It is a creation that involves this venom, a bit of Liquified Lightning Mana and Liquified Air Mana.
Let was starting to get excited as he read this, but then deflated as he stated, “I can’t make Liquified Air Mana. I don’t have any levels in Air Mana Manipulation.”
You’re right about that. But you won’t need to have any as long as you have a place where you can buy them. I think that market place would have some in stock since Liquified Mana is a needed material for Chemicalized Creations.
“Do you think I’ll be able to use their market place?” Liam questioned. “I didn’t think they’d allow me access to it since I’m not a fully-fledged member.”
You would normally think that. Eri replied. But I believe that if they are allowing you access to the alchemy rooms then you should have access to the market place in their Association. The reasoning behind that is since there are plenty of item creations that require materials that are not around the area.
“Ok so besides those snakes, what about the other creatures?” Liam asked. “I noticed there were two bug type monsters. A praying mantis one and a…beetle? Or maybe it was a cockroach?”
It’s not a cockroach I can assure you that. Eri corrected as she shivered. Those things are tough as hell thanks to the armor they carry around. Stronger than even the Long Horned Shock Beetles you will fight in this dungeon.
“Good to know,” Liam smiled suppressing the snicker that was starting to form after hearing the disgust in her voice at the mention of cockroaches. “And the praying mantis creatures?”
Static Clawed Mantis. They are nasty creatures that run Lightning based attacks through their scythe-like claws. Eri explained. We’ll talk more about them when you have to fight them. For now, I want you to look over current abilities. We need to know what you’re not using. Don’t worry about your Class Abilities or any on the non-combat ability section. Go ahead and pay attention to your Crafting ones though. Also, to save time instead of going to each Field and clicking on the focus Point there is a tab in your Personal Character Sheet that give you a list of everything you have in order of Magic and Focus Point.
Liam was amazed about that. He found the tab she was talking about and clicked on it. A list of all his abilities appeared and he read them, skipping over both the Class and Crafting abilities.
“Current List of Abilities and Skills. Arcane – Arcane Shot - Level - 10. Arcane Swarm - Level - 11.
“Crafting – Focus Point – Construction – Destruction Points – Level – 1. Small Creation Knowledge – Level – 3.
“Focus Point – Gathering Craft – Harvest – Level 20. Mining Strike Accuracy – Level – 2. Lumber Jack Efficiency – Level 2.
“Focus Point – Production Craft – Light and Burn – Level – 19. Temp Check – Level 18. Item Understandance – Level – 19. Crafter’s Endurance Improved (Weak) – Level – 18.
“Chef Craft Abilities – Cleave – Level – 10. Cleanse Material – 5.
“Elements – Focus Point – Gravity – Gravitational Force Increase - Level - 19. Feathery Upforce - Level - 10. Gravity Well - Level - 15. Gravity Force Push - Level - 1.
“Focus Point – Lightning – Static Grasp - Level - 9. Electro Orb - Level - 10.
“Lunar – Focus Point – Utility – Lunar Exposure - Level - 10. Lunar Hand - Level - 10. Lunar Reflector - Level - 1.
“Focus Point – Lunar Control – Lunar Orb - Level - 10. Lunar Swarm - Level - 5.
“Focus Point – Affliction – Epidermis Luminescence - Level - 1.
“Shadow – Focus Point – Utility – Veil of Shadows - Level - 11. Shadow Hand - Level - 18. Shadow Step - Level - 10.
“Focus Point –Shadow Control – Shadow Orb - Level - 10. Shadow Swarm - Level - 6. Grasp of the Shadow - Level - 13.
“Focus Point – Affliction – Blanket of Darkness - Level - 10. Shade’s Corruption - Level 1.
Liam knew he was growing a steady list of abilities, but he didn’t really realize how much he had. He tried to be more organized with stuff like this, however, after leaving the Tutorial Area he really hadn’t paid much attention to it all.
He berated himself mentally over that. He needed to be more organized and aware of this. Now that he found out about this tab in the Personal Character Sheet, it made it much easier to see everything. The only thing it did not have was the progression numbers that would appear if he looked at them personally from each Field and Focus Point separately.
This tab is perfect for if you want to view everything you have without having to go through each section one at a time. That and it also helps clutter it up by not including that annoying Progression section you see at the end of each ability. Now that we have everything up. Let’s get a good look at what you have. Eri started as she looked over the list.
Liam waited and listened as Eri mumbled to herself while she looked over the list.
Arcane abilities are still around level ten, not good, but not bad at the same time. Should really work on that. Construction Craft abilities aren’t really a major concern right now. Production Craft abilities are pretty high which is due to his crafting sessions as well as his usage of the Light and Burn spell during some of his battles.
Harvest is only high since it was originally a class ability before that one evolved. Most of his Gravity spells are at a decent level for his level which shows how often he uses them. The same could be said about almost all of his Shadow spells as well. His Lunar spells are still around level ten minus a couple, but that can’t be helped since it’s dangerous to continuously use especially right after using Shadow magic. He really needs to focus on a few things more than others.
Liam wasn’t sure if Eri was pleased with his current levels of his abilities or unhappy. She was right about the Lunar comment. Sure, the same could be said about his Shadow magic, but he had to rely on those a lot and the side effects weren’t as bad as the Lunar ones were. If he had to choose between having whispers go on in his mind versus being blind for a certain amount of time, then he’d go with the whispers.
Liam quietly chuckled to himself. He knew he was downplaying the side effects. The side effects from using both could be much worse than that, however he was trying to justify to himself why he used one over the over more.
Okay. Eri started up again. I’m sure you can tell by just looking at it, but you can see what abilities you tend to lean on more. The crafting ones are explainable since you use them for crafting. Harvest is only as high as it is because you used to have it as a Class ability but now you have to basically start over with the basics, however, that is now considered a skill than an ability. The same can be said about Cleave, but I’ll get back to that one in a moment.
Hearing that made Liam believe that he was in for a lecture now. And sure enough, he was right as Eri started back up.
In your Elements section, your Focus Point in Gravity is higher than your Lightning. While the applications of Gravity is great and comes in handy you are going to have to focus more on Lightning instead since the side effects of it can help just as much. Eri stated.
Confused by what she meant Liam asked, “What do you mean? Why focus more on Lightning? Is it because it is behind on levels compared to my Gravity Magic?”
There is that, but it’s something more fundamental. Eri replied. It is because Gravity Magic is slow to level up. While the growth you have preformed in getting it this far is commendable, the fact is once when you get it to level twenty it will be harder to keep that pace in level growth due to the cool down each ability has. I’m not telling you, you should stop using it. I am saying that if you want that effect that will give you some added time in slowing down your opponents, then Lightning magic is the way to go. The stun and paralyzing benefits it creates when you land a hit with it can create those moments you’ll need to land heavier blows, more attacks, or chant a spell.
Now, I know you’ve been fighting a lot of Undead type monsters and creatures like Skeletons are not the best to use Lightning magic on. However, you are no longer just fighting those type of monsters. You need to get your Lightning magic up to gain better abilities in that aspect to help you out while in the middle of fights.
Liam nodded, understanding what she was saying. He was told a few times by several people that Gravity magic was slow to level. If he needed to create a way to help him battle, especially while he was fighting on his own, then this was a good step towards that.
Now as for your Lunar and Shadow magics. Eri continued. It’s clearly obvious which one of the two you have been leaning towards.
Liam looked sheepish as he scratched the back of his head.
While Shadow magic has been beneficial to you in fights, and is tied to one of your racial benefits, you need to start working on your Lunar. Eri suggested. Granted, I think the two newest abilities you had recently received can be a good combo and I think you should practice them while we’re here to raise their levels.
Liam thought about the ones she was referring to. He had received three new abilities. One from his Shadow and two from his Lunar. If he had to think about which ones she was talking about it had to be from his Affliction Focus Points from both types of magic.
One targeted a spot on the skin while the other entered the target’s body and had a chance to create a debuff that affected the mind. However, both types of magic were opposites of each other and gave additional damage when some of the magic of one was still lingering on the target’s body when the other is used. Now if they were both active at the same time then the damage would bounce off each other creating nothing but critical damage with each moment passing.
“What about the other spell I got in Lunar? The one that shields damage,” Liam asked.
That one is a good one for you to practice as well. Eri stated. As it grows so does the amount it protects you from. However, much like the other Lunar spells, you’ll have to limit how many times you cast it. Until that Stat Shatter Debuff goes away, you won’t be able to raise your resilience and resistances since they are your top in both sub-stats.
Liam nodded. As he nodded, a sudden thought popped into his mind. “Wait, why are we talking about my abilities? I thought I needed to gather materials so I can prepare for those tests?”
Liam could hear Eri sigh. I’ll chop that question up to you being enthusiastic and excited to start crafting something you’ve been wanting to for a few days now. You need to work on your battle tactics. Your last fight was a good example of where you stand. And before you blame it on the Debuff, you need to realize that there are plenty of other Debuffs out there that can make or break a fight. So, you need to form proper strategies and techniques that will help raise your survivability when in that situation. Knowing all your skills and abilities, finding combinations that work well is key to surviving impossible situations. You’ve been coasting on your Lucky Break sub-stat quite a lot and we need to fix that before your luck runs out in a fight.
Liam opened his mouth to argue, but then stopped himself. She was right. That last fight was a close call in more ways than one. He almost died due to a skill or ability of his he had never used before activating on its own.
That being said, I must admit that your creativity using certain abilities of yours to use in ways that it shouldn’t is applaudable, but only a little. Eri stated. Using oil on a target or more then using Light and Burn to catch them on fire is an excellent example. Also, your use of the environment when you fell a tree to take out a group of monsters was good too. Even using Destruction Points and Mining Accuracy to bring down that pillar of stone on top of that Zombified Hobgoblin. While you used them in ways to help turn around a battle, you are not properly utilizing them. Spontaneous and untested ideas will get you killed if you try something out on targets much stronger than you. So, I want you to use this dungeon to test abilities and skills together. For example, you have a crafting skill that I think might pair well with your Dagger Weapon Arts.
Liam’s ears perked at that. With much curiosity he asked, “Oh? What crafting skill is that?”
Cleave. Eri said with a smile.
“Cleave?” Liam asked. He did want to test the skill out to see if it would work, but to tie it in with his Dagger Weapon Arts? He wasn’t sure how he would do that. “I don’t think I’ll be able to use it to chop off arms, legs, or necks. So why tie them in with those skills?”
You’re right. Eri started. While it is still a low level, using Cleave with a Dagger Weapon Art on something like an arm leg or a neck will prove to be impossible, that isn’t the only thing you can use it on.
Liam looked confused as he tried to think about what she was hinting at. After a few seconds an idea had slowly appeared. He wasn’t sure if that was what she was talking about, but still decided to voice it. “Fingers and wrists?”
Yes. Eri replied, happy he was using his brain. Although, wrists might be a little hard until you get it level twenty, but things like fingers, or small joints depending on the creature. Since your seal prevents you from using Weapon Arts the normal way, you have the ability to adjust and aim at different areas while using your muscle memory. And since Cleave isn’t a combat ability, but a Crafting one…
“Then it can help sharpen my blades to be able to make those attacks a bit stronger,” Liam slowly muttered as the thought of how it would work came into view.
Precisely. Eri agreed.
“Not only that, but it can also help to weaken and cripple my target while in battle,” Liam continued as he grew excited. “It might just work. We need to test this out!”
You will soon enough. Eri said as she tried to calm him down. She let out a chuckle at the expression he made. He reminded her of a child that found an interesting and fun toy. My hopes with this is, if this works then there are other Crafting abilities I want you to acquire soon to see if they will work outside their intended purposes.
“Other crafting abilities? Like what?” Liam questioned.
Eri sighed as she muttered, Maybe I should have kept that last part to myself. We’ll talk more about that later. For now, let’s head in and do what you need to do. Also don’t forget to replenish your Spirit Pool.
“Yes ma’am!” Liam shouted, feeling excited about what he was about to do.
