After some time passed, Berys finally regained most of its health back, urging Theron to let this beast loose and replace Borys to give Lux a chance at harmonizing their experience gain. Upon its return, he picked the direction opposite from where the sapling and the cave came from, believing there was more to discover on the other side.
The trolls roamed about the forest as the night resumed, and each Theron hunted with both his aspects. Not with ease, however, each kill necessitated Berys’ full usage of its skills, discouraging multiple enemy encounters. Lux studied all the fights with dutiful eyes, staying idle to recover most of its mana before using it again. The first hour passed after he felled four more trolls; coincidentally, that was when he leveled up.
One more until my maximum level.
[You gained 120 experience points!.] x4
[Aspect: (Elite) Savage Metal fist Bear gains reduced experience: 60] x4
[You leveled up! You gained +1 Might, +1 Speed, and +1 Toughness. +1 Free attribute point]
[Your aspect core - Full-grown horned Gray Brute Dire wolf leveled up! It gains +3 might, +2 speed, +4 magic, and +1 toughness. +2 free attribute points.]
[Level 9 reached! Select an extra trait from the list below. Options are based on your preferences.]
[1. +1 Summon slot.]
[2. +10 max mana.]
[3. +5 mana regeneration/hour.]
[4. +8 toughness.]
Theron stared dumbfounded at the options, his mind befuddled by the influx of choices granted to him. All four sounded damned amazing; max mana was important for his general needs, and so was mana regeneration. Toughness gave him extra survivability, an important trait to have when he braved human encounters since they would all target the owners of the aspects and not the aspects themselves. But… The summon slot. I can’t just ignore that option.
If he picked this option, summoning all three of his core aspects would be achievable. With Borys, Berys, and Lux at his side, he had confidence he’d survive a fight against multiple rank-2 aspects, and possibly contend with Hubert’s elite aspect, too, if that time ever came. He squinted while re-reading the options again, longing for an option to pick all of them… somehow.
With a smile, he picked the summon slot option, then conjured Borys by his side. The three bodies filled the immediate space around him, almost smothering his vision as they re-positioned themselves apart, earning a sly smile from Theron. With the numerous unfounded caves and lairs lying about this zone, he had no doubts he’d find more summon slot gems, hopefully acquiring enough to maintain this number of active aspects upon evolving to the next stage. Theron opened Lux’s status page to apply its free attributes, putting more points into magic; the utility of its ranged attacks proved to be essential in his survival so far:
Full-grown horned Gray Brute Dire wolf | Health : 18/18 | Mana : 28/28
Level: 8 | Next 1110 xp
Rank: 2 | Max Level 10
Mana cost: 6 | slot cost: 2
Element: Normal | Affinity: Magic
Class: Wolf | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+2/level)
Might: 27 (+3/level)
Speed: 22 (+2/level)
Magic: 28 (+4/level)
Toughness: 11 (+1/level)
Resistance: 2
-Abilities-
Crushing bite
Horn Pulse
Not much else butted their heads in as the party ventured forth, discovering naught since the darkness made seeing rigorous. Only the sounds of running water clamored as he reached a border between his zone and the other side, noting the lack of mists advertising the existence of others here, too—Theron hoped they weren’t as… difficult to deal with as Hubert’s men. He waited for a bit, hoping to see the signs of another individual, then gave up looking when not a single movement roused from the still, placid darkness.
Following the line of water, Theron halted when he came across another cave, the entrance to this one way, way larger than the beetles’ nest. He still hadn’t forgotten about the secret lair and the potential spoils and dangers lurking within, but he promised not to scour such a dangerous place until he was certain of his chances.
[Lair of the White-scaled Cold Basilisk.]
Basilisks… Another fantasy-like monster. Theron studied the scintillating scales speckling the entrance, adorning white flickering lights on the arid soil, reflecting the moonlight from above. He’d never seen any basilisks roaming about before, so he assumed these were the things one would only find inside dark caves, unwilling to show themselves to the prying eyes outside. The Cold naming caused Theron to shift his glance to Lux, fearing the effects of what ice did to his enemies applying to himself. Berys and Borys could shrug the cold off, but to what extent…
Well, unless he tried, he’d never know. Let’s go. At least we have a bigger space to work with this time, he assured himself as he paused a few steps before the gaping hole posing as the entrance, shivering when a gust of frigid wind gusted by. Cold, he clutched his sable cloak while peering through the absolute black veil of the interiors of the cave, and only when his head poked through could he see what awaited within.
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Dews of melting ice dribbled from the top-most parts of the cavern, with mists of ivory smog speckling the walls and floors surrounding the cave, foretelling the extreme cold awaiting from within. Theron’s eyes fluttered as he braved the cold, using Berys’ body as a shield from the incessant breeze of frosty air wafting around them, forbidding those weak against the cold to enter. In a way, stepping into this lair felt like it was winter all over again, only this time, the source of cold came from the basilisks lurking about this den, basilisks who Theron had never seen before.
They breached through the path leading from the entrance, entering a giant space filled with white smog and stalagmites of ice. The constant drizzle of water trickled from above, nibbling at Theron’s sable cloak and armor. He rubbed his hands furiously to tide the cold as he heard the echoes of slithering tongues permeating his direct surroundings, then followed by the glimmering scales of said basilisks clambering atop the cavern walls, their giant limbs and head broaching into his vision. The gentle ambient light revealed their appearance—Lizard-like, white from top to bottom, with scales of ivory and the gentlest hints of teal mantling their hides. Their tongues reached a distance further than their entire length, and upon a closer look, Theron studied their somewhat unclear size—it stood at about half his height, slightly smaller than Lux.
Two more appeared from below, opposite where Berys and Borys stood. Their hisses clashed against the growls of his aspects, warning Theron’s party to leave. He nearly ceded from the cold alone, yet, strength demanded courage, and he refused to budge. The basilisks entered an aggressive stance, their blue, beady eyes glinting as their mouths opened, firing icicles not too different from Lux’s magic—only longer and definitely more painful. Two punched Berys’ shoulders, which it shirked off with a shudder, and Theron’s party began their retaliation. With their obvious resistance toward ice damage, Lux’s horn pulses wouldn’t do much here, so he opted for it to focus on melee attacks this time.
In terms of physical prowess, the basilisks paled compared to his bears, but their icicles hit harder than he initially assumed. Berys lost 10 points of health from the first encounter, an amount he didn’t expect to see, not when it never showed any signs of being hurt from the outside.
[You gained 100 experience points!.] x3
[Aspect: (Elite) Savage Metal fist Bear gains reduced experience: 50] x3
[Rank 2: White-scaled cold Basilisk learned. Progress 30%]
Slightly less than the trolls…
The party ventured deeper, eyes scanning the cave as he crossed his arms, tiding the cold taking over his body. White mist was expelled from his breath as he entered another large section of the cavern, and like all the other caverns he’d entered, another swarm of basilisks broached into his vision, and another battle ensued. Difficulty-wise, The basilisks were about as threatening as a singular troll, only requiring a different subset of strategy since they focused primarily on ranged attacks. He cautioned both bears to shield themselves from the incoming icicles with their steel claws, and Lux had enough speed to avoid most attacks.
The second wave concluded with their tiny whimpers, with Berys losing 5 additional health points at the end, its brownish fur tattered with speckles of dust-white. Beads of blood dribbled from the edges of his bears’ claws, trickling the humid soil while he hunched over the dead basilisks, extracting their cold corpses and studying their features in the meanwhile.
[You gained 100 experience points!.] x3
[Aspect: (Elite) Savage Metal fist Bear gains reduced experience: 50] x3
[Rank 2: White-scaled cold Basilisk learned. Progress 60%]
Once finished, he bode his time until both bears regenerated most of their health, then pressed deeper. The next spacious cavern held two additional paths on the other side of the entry, and this one lacked any secret passages, unlike the one present in the beetle’s lair, further indicating the special circumstances hidden behind said secret.
Multiple basilisks reared their lizard-like head in, their eyes hungering over Theron’s flesh, tongues slithering and hissing. With his back against the wall, the party utilized the same strategy they used against the beetles, with a slightly worse outcome this time. Ranged attacks meant Theron had to be the one on the offensive, but his usage of his shield’s active neutered most damage coming toward his bears.
[You gained 100 experience points!.] x4
[Aspect: (Elite) Savage Metal fist Bear gains reduced experience: 50] x4
[Aspect of R-2 White-scaled cold Basilisk is added to your compendium. You can now summon it after materializing the aspect through the use of an aspect core.]
[You completed a quest!]
[Complete all aspect progress within this zone(Common monsters)(4/4). Completed.]
[You discovered a new quest!]
[Complete all aspect progress within this zone(Elite monsters)(0/4).]
[You obtained a materia: R-2 White-scaled cold Basilisk] x1
[Your aspect core - (Elite) Metal-clawed Bear leveled up! It gains +6 might, +4 toughness, and +2 resistance. +4 free attribute points.]
[Your aspect core - Sable Metal-clawed Bear leveled up! It gains +4 might, +4 speed, and +2 toughness. +2 free attribute points.]
Quest completion… and two level ups… sweet. Without further ado, he opened their status page to see their growth. With Borys’ balanced stats, he opted to focus one extra point on its speed and might. Allowing it to reach 30 speed, a benchmark granting it swifter movements.
Aspect - Sable Metal-clawed Bear | Health : 49/49 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 9 | Next 1970 xp
Rank: 2 | Max Level 10
Mana cost: 7 | slot cost: 2
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Bear | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+2/level)
Might: 54 (+4/level)
Speed: 30 (+4/level)
Magic: 0
Toughness: 30 (+2/level)
Resistance: 7
-Abilities-
Embolden claws
Hunter of the night
Berys’ might soared above the number 75 now, and Theron thought to shore up its speed imbalance by adding all free points into speed for this level.
Aspect - Elite Savage Metal-fisted Bear | Health : 68/68 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 7 | Next: 1200 xp
Rank: 2 | Max Level 10
Mana cost: 8 | slot cost: 3
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Bear | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+4/level)
Might: 75 (+6/level)
Speed: 19
Magic: 0
Toughness: 53 (+6/level)
Resistance: 30 (+6/level)
-Abilities-
Embolden Claws
Savage Slam
Innate Trait: Pure Metallic Skeleton
Blocks 15 physical damage passively.
Satisfied, they perused one of the paths, trekking the passage leading toward the Basilisk elite.