“So… If the sense of smell is heightened at night and I’m drenched in my own blood…” Alex said, and V.V. turned her eye back onto him.
“Ah, an oversight.”
Aaaawooooooo
A howl could be heard through the domed shelter and Alex’s heart dropped into his stomach. He’d already resolved to fight anything that needed to be fought and made sure V.V. never got hurt so badly again but couldn’t it wait a few hours at least? V.V. sprung into action as she plugged the air hole and started kicking up dirt around Alex. She was digging down but not removing the dirt, so it piled up inside the Dome. Alex tried to shovel but pain shot through his side with every scoop he tried to make. The Orbs mimicked V.V. and piled the dirt into the sides of the seven-foot-wide area and his Sphere packed it in place as it didn’t have the same telekinetic abilities that came naturally to the Orbs and V.V.
Emerald was the only one not helping with the hole as it continued to stay close to Alex’s injured body. The closer it was to an injury; the more healing was applied to that area which wasn’t expressly listed in the description of the ability. Alex’s mind still found time to wander and think about things that weren’t immediately relevant to his situation. He tried to help and stay out of the way as much as his body would allow. Before long, there was more dirt in the upper portion of the Dome than the lower. V.V. turned to Alex after she’d dug as much as she could.
“This was a bluster on my part. Try using Scour to remove as much blood as you can. Store your gear even after you Scour it though. After that, purchase a few rags, soap and find something with a pungent smell.” V.V. spoke quickly and Alex began doing what she said. He didn’t feel like it was her fault seeing as it was his bloody clothes that were the issue. Forgetting that he had Scour made him want to hit himself as well.
Alex opened his System Store and before he could rummage through the robust catalog of items, he thought about the things he needed, and several windows opened in front of him.
System Credit Store
(Credit) Categories: Local Fabrics (Tier 1)
Cotton – 9
Linen – 36
Corduroy – 188
Cashmere – 582
Polyester – 12
Rayon – 53
Silk – 312
Mohair – 738
Denim – 17
Nylon – 71
Satin – 372
Brocade – 911
Canvas – 23
Fleece – 98
Velvet – 420
Organza – 1181 >
(Credit) Categories: Local Soaps (Tier 1)
Rain – 22
Forest – 59
Smoky – 168
Unscented – 303
Lavender – 28
Orange – 77
Charcoal – 198
Oatmeal – 373
Fresh Linen – 33
Cinnamon – 96
Clove – 211
Ginger – 421
Rosemary – 41
Vanilla – 113
Coconut – 264
Honey – 466 >
(Credit) Categories: Repellants (Tier 1)
Gaseous Wing – 1427
Zipper Heart – 3335
Ooze Snail Shell – 5538
Nostra Hair – 7178
Gag Tongue – 1752
King’s Knot – 3660
Last Gasp – 5798
Breath o’ Ak – 7548
Weeping Sac – 2290
Whisper Rot – 4336
Cheese Fig – 6211
Fecal Worm – 7989
Fog Toad Lung – 2765
Swift Fungus – 5213
Cola Fruit – 6943
Night Decay – 8254 >
Three much more manageable panels, each having something he was in need of appeared side by side. From left to right, Local Fabrics, Local Soaps and then Repellants of various kinds were on display. Alex quickly clicked Cotton, and it opened a new window asking about the amount he wanted in feet, the color and quality he wanted to purchase. He chose six feet, skipped over color and left the quality at Normal before moving onto soaps as the bolt of cotton fell to his feet. Soap was an even easier pick as he chose Unscented. The window that popped up this time asked how much he wanted in ounces, form and quality. He chose ten ounces, liquid form and Normal quality. The soap popped into existence and floated down to rest beside the bolt of cloth.
“V.V, look at this list of repellants and pick whatever you think is best. If you don’t know then I’ll just pick the most expensive thing.” Alex said urgently. V.V. moved to him quickly and spoke.
“King’s Knot, four of them.” V.V. said with even more urgency than Alex. He did as she instructed and other than asking for the quantity, there were no other options. Four small boxes appeared and started to descend to the ground. Before they’d moved an inch, V.V. had already swept them up and moved towards the exit. She quickly shoveled away dirt that had obstructed the opening and left the Dome. As V.V. exited, Ruby floated into the middle of the shelter and cast Summon Hearth Gem. A fist sized green emerald with fire burning within it appeared in front of Alex. It floated in place and gave off soothing waves of comfort.
Alex stripped down to his underwear with the help of his Orbs and used Scour on himself and his gear. After he’d used the skill a few times, he put his gear into his storage. He laid down and turned on his side while his Orbs started to use the cloth and soap to wash away as much of the remaining smell as possible. Scour had removed the dirt and dried blood, but he wanted to be as thorough as possible. The waves of calming warmth from the Hearth tried to put him to sleep but he could be getting attacked any second. After the Orbs had ran the cotton cloth over him several times, he pushed himself into a moderately comfortable position and waited for V.V.
On the outside, V.V. dug four holes into the ground around the Dome. She then opened the first box and noxious gas poured from it. The gas was heavier than the air around it, spilled onto the ground and spread. V.V. plucked a small twig from the box and dropped it into the first hole and covered it. She moved quickly to the second and then third holes, doing the same thing. As she opened the last box another howl ripped through the woods. She didn’t spare any attention for the noise and dropped the final twig into its new home and covered it as well. Finally taking a glimpse at her map, she could see dozens of red dots moving around. Zipping back into the Dome she was met by Alex, gagging and holding his nose, with more tears than he’d shed for her leaking from his eyes. She covered the entrance with more dirt and the Sphere tamped it down.
“Yes, I was afraid you’d react poorly to the repellant but it’s a good thing.” V.V. said as she busied herself with moving bits of dirt around so she could get to the bottom of the Dome.
“Zish ish a ood ting?” Alex asked, still holding his nose after his gagging episode passed.
“If it’s this bad for you, it’ll be much worse for monsters with keen senses of smell.”
“Otcha.” Alex acknowledged her logic but was still feeling extremely nauseous. The Hearth Gem slowly filtered the noxious gas, and Alex was slowly able to breathe properly again.
They sat in silence as both V.V. and Alex looked at their respective Maps. Alex watched as red dots would get close and then immediately retreat the way they’d come from. After some time went by, he decided to keep his Map up but push it to the side while he looked over his gains. He watched as the System materialized a single shoebox sized box in front of him. Wasting no more time, he opened it.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Awesome Opossum Hooded Poncho
Slot: Back
Armor: 17
Durability: 121
Effect: Comfort 4, Weather Warder 2, Lightfall 1
Ability: Feign Death 3 (3/3) Uses – Recharge 1 per 24 hours.
“Cool… but… some of this stuff is disgusting.” Alex said after reading the item’s description and then looking at the item itself. It was indeed a poncho, but it had a hood made from the furry head of an Opossum. When the hood was pulled over his head, the floppy, boneless snout would be hanging in his face. The eye holes were filled with some type of black mesh to prevent wind or rain coming through, he supposed. He lifted it to his noes and took a quick sniff and was surprised to find that it smelled like petrichor, the earthy smell that followed rain in the woods. It sighed and flipped the poncho around so that its dead eyes faced the wall and lifted it to slide over his body. He’d avoid putting the hood up if he could help it. After moving a little to test the feel of the poncho and aggravating his internal wounds again, he decided to check what the effects were.
Weather Warder 2: Resists external temperature changes while maintaining the Users optimal temperature. Does not protect against damaging heat or cold.
Lightfall 1: Dissipates a certain amount of kinetic damage from falls.
“Hmm… I wonder if Heat Resistance and Weather Warder stack…” Alex mumbled to himself. V.V. either didn’t care to respond or didn’t hear him. Alex tugged at the poncho a few more times, adjusting it a bit before he decided to do what he’d put off after the battle with the Deer. It was time to check his stats and level up.
User: Alexander Ingram
Race: Human (Other)
Age/Sex: 19 / Male
Titles: First Among Many, The Sky Is My Kingdom, Lonely Warden
Class: Orb Caller
Orbs: Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, Opal
Level 5: 5200/7500
Profession: None
Exp: 11621
Companion: Vibrant Void
System Credits: 56933*
System Tokens*: 3 X-Grade Tokens, 6 A-Grade Tokens, 4 B-Grade Tokens, 3 C-Grade Tokens
Skills: Mana Tolerance (1), Mana Absorption (1), Advanced Mana Channeling (1), Scour (1) Call Orb (1), AbsOrb (1), ResOrb (1), S. Healing Orbling (1), Advanced Blink (1), Greater Barrier (1), Greater Summon Sphere (1), Advanced Storage (1), Advanced Identify (1), Advanced Scan (1)
Body: Natural Stamina (1), Natural Regenerative (1)
Mind: N/A
Soul: ??? (?)
“I’m not sure if that’s a lot of experience or not…” Alex said and noticed the asterisk beside his Credits and clicked it.
System Reward Pending
A System Reward has been put on hold due to distance between the User and their Companion. Once the User is within range of their Companion, System Rewards are available for collection. Collect Reward? Y/N
“Did you get a reward when you were away from me last night?” Alex asked V.V. who was still diligently staring at her Map.
“Zzhmm…” Was the only sound V.V. made in response. Alex was about to ask her again but decided he’d let her focus on surveillance. He thought Yes and a single panel popped up.
System Rewards: Credits
System Reward: 6400 Experience and 75,000 System Credits*
System Reward: 40,000 System Credits*
System Reward: 50,000 System Credits*
“Oh, shit! That’s more than I expected…” Alex said, his voice raising somewhat at the sight of so many credits. The reward for claiming the zone was massive but this wasn’t anything to scoff at. He’d just had to spend over fifteen thousand on soap and smelly wood, so he was happy to fill his coffers back up a bit. Even more asterisks were present, so he focused on each one and they opened.
System Rewards Pending Log
System Alert.
Companion Combat initiated with Mana Starved Coyote Level 16.
Companion Combat initiated with Mana Starved Coyote Level 15 x2.
Companion Combat finished. User defeated 3 Mana Starved Coyote Levels 15-16.
System Experience pending
System Rewards pending
“Mana Starved?” Alex said, and this time V.V. turned towards him.
“Oh, you can see what the Coyote’s Species Modifier was. I was wondering what they were since they clearly weren’t Mana Crazed. They had too much control over themselves for that.”
“Species Modifier?”
“The name before the species of monsters. There are exceptions like if something were called Lord or King Mana Crazed Mouse. Lord and King would be its Station and Mana Crazed would be the Modifier. It gets really wild when you run into beings with Titles.” V.V. said as she slipped into teaching mode.
“Were they any different other than being more aware? Does the Modifier make them stronger?”
“Hmm… It depends on the Modifier honestly. In this instance, yes and no. They were smarter but weaker than their counterparts. I’m unsure as to why they weren’t Mana Crazed to be honest. Everything on this island should be Mana Crazed for months if not a year or two before the Mana levels stabilize. Once that happens, most of the Crazed animals will have died off and new creatures will take their place.”
“Why will the Mana Crazed die off?”
“They have nothing to eat. Every one of them is desperate to find non-Mana Crazed lifeforce. They fight amongst themselves if their species clash too much or if they start to starve, but they can’t survive by eating other Mana Crazed creatures. They’ll try of course but Mana Crazed meat is like poison to other Mana Crazed. I’m saying Mana Crazed a lot…”
“So, it’s basically a death sentence…”
“On an isolated island, thousands of feet in the air, yes.”
“So why are the Zone monsters working together and patrolling around the center?”
“That’s due to the Zone’s interference. The Ruler can give orders to Subordinates and even if they don’t want to, as long as they want to be a part of the Zone, they’ll comply. The Zone should offer some kind of relief from the effects of the Mana Crazed Modifier. All it really did was restrict them from wandering too far from the center though. They still acted as the Modifier demanded.”
“It’s like being brainwashed.” Alex said, feeling slightly bad for the monsters who had just recently tried to eat him.
“I’d say it’s like any other Status Effect. If you’re on fire, you try to put it out. If you’re thirsty, you try to find something to drink. The huge surge of Mana put all these creatures on metaphorical fire, and they are desperately trying to put it out by eating you.”
“Fantastic. I’m a refreshing splash of water to these animals trapped in an inferno…” He grumbled to himself.
Alex laid back against his dirt chair that had been formed around him by his Orbs and closed his eyes for a few minutes. He didn’t allow himself to fall asleep, but he just needed to get his thoughts in line. Dwelling on the sad reality of the animals on this island and what could be happening on the surface of the planet was depressing. Opening his eyes, he looked back to his Status and opened his class. There were too many other things he had to do before he could lament the sad situations of all other life. His life was what needed to be focused on at that moment.
Orb Caller: Class Options
Summon Level 1: 100/1000
Enhance Level 3: 2500/5000
Elements Level 1: 100/1000
Utility Level 3: 2500/5000
Experience: 18021
“Now that’s what I’m talking about. Those Coyotes gave me a ton of experience and I wasn’t even there.” Alex said.
“They were in a way, more advanced than the other creatures we’ve faced, so it’s not entirely surprising.” V.V. said with her back turned to Alex as she continued to watch over her Map.
“I’m going to keep upgrading Enhance and Utility as much as possible and if there’s anything left over, I’ll dump that into Summon or Elements.”
“Sound choices.” V.V. said, distracted by red dots moving closer and then quickly moving away from them. Realizing he had enough for both Enhance and Utility to level twice, he decided to go ahead and boost them up two levels each.
Orb Caller: Class Options
Enhance Level 5: 10000/25000
Orb Skill: 1/1: Boost Defense: Target self or other for a minor boost to defense.
Defense Increase: 15
Range: 7ft
Duration: 7 minutes.
Orb Skill: 1/1: Boost Attack: Target self or other for a minor boost to defense.
Attack Increase: 15
Range: 7ft
Duration: 7 minutes.
Orb Skill: 1/1: Boost Speed: Target self or other for a minor boost to speed.
Speed Increase: 15
Range: 7ft
Duration: 7 minutes.
Orb Passive: 1/1: Focus Aura: A togglable aura that will slightly boost the focus of entities within its reach. Up to 2ft range.
Orb Passive: 1/1: Speed Aura: A togglable aura that will slightly boost the speed of entities within its reach. Up to 2ft range.
Orb Skill: 1/1: Boost Recovery: Target self or other for a moderate boost to health and mana recovery.
Mana Recovery: 9mps (Mana per second)
Health Recovery: 9hps (Health per second)
Range: 7ft
Duration: 7 minutes.
Orb Skill: 0/1: Reinforce: Temporarily Increases and Restores durability of target object.
Temp Durability: 50
Resto Durability: 5dps (durability per second)
Range: 5ft
Orb Skill: 0/1: Enrage: Boosts a targets attack power but puts them into a state rage. Target will attack indiscriminately until effect wears off or until broken.
Quality: 5
Range: 5ft
Orb Skill: 0/1: Numb Aura: Deadens feeling in biological lifeforms bodies which may result in inability to move affects body parts.
Quality: 5
Range: 5ft
Orb Caller: Class Options
Utility Level 5: 10000/25000
Orb Skill: 1/1: Dome of Protection: Can create a dome to protect the User from moderate environmental elements. The dome can be constructed up to 9ft high and 9ft in diameter. Durability: 1000
Defense: 56
Orb Passive: 1/1: Wound Care Aura: A togglable aura that will clean wounds at a moderate speed of both debris and disease. Up to 4ft range.
Orb Skill: 2/2: Summon Sustenance: After targeting a User, the orb can summon acceptable nutritious sustenance for that individual.
Quality: 5
Orb Skill: 2/2: Summon Hearth Gem: After targeting a User, the orb can summon a stationary floating gemstone that will attune to the targeted User’s needs. Regulates temperature of both User and surroundings. Restores Health, Stamina and Mana over time.
Quality: 5
Orb Skill: 1/1: Transmute: Change the property of one thing into another.
Quality: 5
Range: 40ft
User Skill: 1/1: Scour: Removes non-harmful substances from target.
Quality: 5
Range:4ft
Duration: 1.25m
Orb Skill: 0/1: Stealth: Bends light around the Orb and blends itself into the background.
Quality: 5
Target: Self
Duration: 5m
Orb Skill: 0/1: Ward: Cast a stationary barrier around the User that deflects both attention and moderate attacks.
Quality: 5
Range: 40ft
Duration: 40m
User Skill: 0/1: Craft: Create small objects through Mana. Adding material related to the desired craft reduces Mana cost.
Quality: 5
Range: 5ft
Duration: Varies on Size, Material and Quality
Alex looked over the newly listed abilities and smiled. Every level boosted all previous abilities by a nice chunk, and it was always fun to see what the new ones would be. He didn’t waste any time and started assigning the skills. Reinforce went to Opal, Enrage to Ruby, both Numb Aura and Ward to Emerald and Stealth to Sapphire. He didn’t know who’d be best at utilizing Stealth, but he figured that Sapphire could boost itself, go invisible and knock the crap out of something. He tried assigning it to the Sphere first, but nothing happened. He almost immediately assigned Craft to himself but decided to ask V.V. if she’d like it instead.
“Hmm… It could be useful to me in my endeavors. Do you have plans for it if you acquire it?” V.V. asked.
“I’d probably make nails or something to build a shelter if we manage to take the Zone I guess.” Alex said, not completely sure of what he wanted to use the skill for. If it were a more peaceful time, he could see himself making tiny figurines or toys… But now all he could think about was surviving the next day and then the next.
“There are endless possibilities with a skill like this. It isn’t quite as useful as Transmute maybe, but still a powerful tool.” V.V. said as ideas were already rushing through her. Alex could tell she was lost in thought as she bobbed side to side as she did when she was contemplating things. He’d seen her do it several times while she played with her poisons. Smiling to himself, he made the decision and transferred the ability to V.V. He’d forgotten what happened the last time and she froze in the air for a moment before vibrating violently. Realizing his stupidity, he tried to move over to her as she fell out of the air. Fortunately, it wasn’t needed as V.V. caught herself about a foot before she hit the Dome floor.
“You may consider warning me before doing that next time. Thank you for the ability though.” V.V.’s voice went from slightly annoyed to jubilant. She floated across the room from Alex and started swirling dirt around the air while keeping her Map open beside her. Before long she’d started forming glass bottles with the dirt and Alex sighed. Of course she was going to make more bottles.