Ashley

When I wake up again, I find myself back in Blake’s cavern. Which I’m growing used to by now.

What I’m not used to is seeing Blake sitting in a corner practicing his spellcraft with his eyes closed and multiple runes and spell circles flashing around him. Since I’ve woken up before him every time up till now.

I leave him be though. After all, I have my own things to deal with right now.

Like checking out my new mini boss sourced Skill Tree.

So I open my Skill Trees before navigating the mess of hundreds of Skill Trees to find the one I’m looking for. A process that turns out harder than I would’ve liked.

But any irritation from that search vanishes the moment I read the description for Alpha’s Breath.

{Alpha’s Breath – Allows the user to instantly expend all of their destruction affinity mana in a single powerful blast of destruction affinity flames from their mouth.}

That would explain why its breath attack was so powerful. It probably had a massive amount of mana converted to destruction affinity mana and blasted it all out at me at once.

This skill though… it’ll be very helpful to me.

Very, very helpful.

Since I can adjust the amount of mana I put into the attack by converting a certain amount of mana into destruction affinity mana. Making the attack only use up said destruction affinity mana and not any of the other mana I haven’t converted.

I can make it use up all of my mana to attack, or just a small portion.

I could even make it just use up a single unit of mana.

It may even end up being a stronger finishing attack than Frigid Tempest Call.

Actually, on second thought, it most likely is stronger than that. Especially because it’s focused into a single breath attack instead of being spread out in a wide area like the tempest is.

I glance at Blake to find him still practicing his spellcraft, then I focus on the Skill Tree again. Just to look at what skills are offered branching from the root skill.

The first skill I see ends up being that very skill I saw the alpha using before. The one to heal from devouring other things nearby.

Which could synergize rather well with Incorrigible Appetite, which lets me eat anything. Not to mention all of my bite skills that are still piling up, what with the second skill branching from the root being a destruction affinity bite skill.

Either way though, I’m still not a fan of eating monsters. So it won’t be very pleasant to use.

But I’ll use it.

The universe seems intent on making me bite and eat things, so I might as well use the powers given to me.

Doesn’t mean I’ll have to like it though.

It’s also five hundred Skill Points to purchase. So expensive.

More expensive than the two hundred Skill Points costing biting skill.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Then the third skill branching from the root is a skill that is actually quite interesting.

{Alpha’s Target – Allows the user to mark a target as prey. Doing this will make the target outline in red for the user at all times, no matter what obstructions may be in their path. It will also increase all damage done to the target by twenty percent. However, the user will also feel an instinctive drive to hunt down the target.} – [Spend 300 Skill Points to unlock this skill.]

From the looks of it, it’s a form of berserk skill. One that basically makes it incredibly difficult to lose the enemy, makes my attacks stronger against only them, but also makes it hard to focus on things other than said marked enemy.

I purse my lips a little as I remember how the alpha was chasing after the drachne lord and just the drachne lord. Not looking at anything else during our death march.

Guess this skill would explain that.

But how did the drachne lord get away if that’s the case? Unless there are limitations or maybe a time limit on the skill for its effects to wear off or something?

Probably.

The fourth skill branching from the root is the usual destruction mana manipulation. Albeit only a lower stage one than the kobold lord’s.

So not something I can see myself purchasing.

Unless it’s to see what’s beyond it in the Skill Tree, that is.

And the fifth and last skill branching from the root in the Skill Tree. A skill just like the kobold lord’s skill for controlling minions.

Except instead of kobolds, it’s dracoraptors.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if the drachne lord has a similar skill later on down its Skill Tree. Considering the fact that it was leading its brood.

Now then.

At this point, after killing a bunch of the drachnes along with some dracoraptors and the alpha and the drachne lord, I have a little over three hundred Skill Points. Which isn’t enough to get the skill I’m wanting at the moment.

That skill being Mana Vision, which costs five hundred Skill Points.

Because I know I could sense things through walls and the like with a skill to see mana. Which would be rather helpful.

Depending on their level of mana, that is.

And considering the fact that I’m in desperate need of as many powerful skills as I can get right now, I should probably go ahead and buy something with these three hundred Skill Points.

It won’t likely take too long to get five hundred Skill Points again after that anyways.

“If people outside of this Unique Domain heard that they’d cry tears of blood,” Chaos comments, but I ignore him.

Because that’s a them problem and not a me problem.

Chaos chuckles at that thought.

So my choice in the end is Alpha’s Target.

Since I need something to help me more in one on one battles against something strong. Plus for tracking purposes.

And I can use this skill rather well against a mini boss.

I just hope the berserk part of it isn’t too bad.

With that thought, I raise my head to find Blake with his hands held out in front of him and multiple spell circles with numerous shifting symbols and script flowing through them above said hands. All of different colors, albeit with a lot of purple mixed into each one.

They spin and shift over and over again before splitting off into twice as many circles and then just moving into the center in a single warping sound. Making all of them vanish in an instant.

Then I watch with my eyes widening a little as space begins to warp a little above his hands, just stretching to make the distance there look longer than it really is. Or than it should be.

Meanwhile bits of water and flame rush through it as if trying to attack something.

And for some reason, seeing this makes a rush of memories flood into my mind.

Memories of me sitting in some fancy bedroom in a high-rise far above the streets below, with Blake playing with far simpler magic in front of me as I clap my hands with a joyous smile on my face. My emotion quickly carrying over to him as he smiles proudly at his work and my reaction to it. To the fountain of water he made in the air along with the dancing wolves and ravens.

And that’s not the only memory, because numerous other memories of me spending time with him as he played with his magic throughout our childhood flood into my mind. Just bits and pieces here and there, with little other memories attached to them besides some broken emotions.

Emotions that… leave the joy from remembering how we played back then beginning to fade a little bit.

When I finally return my focus to the present again, I find Blake smiling at me from where he’s working before he gets up and begins walking over to me.

“You ready to begin collecting gunpowder?” he asks while reaching his hand out to me.

I blankly stare up at him for several seconds, but he just keeps holding his hand out to me with a patient look in his eyes.

So I eventually mutely nod and accept his hand, letting him pull me to my feet.

Then we teleport out of the cavern and begin heading over towards the closest fortress to begin gathering gunpowder.

But despite that, I just can’t get those memories out of my head.

And it’s… really…

I don’t… actually know how I feel about them.