Theron’s new party resembled Theron’s old formation. The troll, which he named Trolgar, fulfilled Borys’ primary function in his old party, albeit a speedier(with appropriate levels) variant of it. The Basilisk, he named Cuby—from ice cubes and his lack of naming talent—almost replaced Lux’s role, packing stronger magical attacks, but its puny might barred it from helping in the front lines, unlike Lux’s occasional usage of crushing bite. Also, Theron could do without the never-ending chill wafting off the light layer of ice atop its skin.
It would be hasty to think those two would do… much against the empowered monsters down here. Their lower levels and Theron’s slight unfamiliarity with their skill set could end up in their deaths if he pushed them; however, as long as he exercised caution, he believed he’d get away with his greed.
Also, before he left, he opened Berys’ status page. He allocated extra points into its might just to ensure his best aspect dealt real damage against whatever awaited him in this empowered cave.
Aspect - Elite Savage Metal-fisted Bear | Health : 74/74 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 8 | Next: 1390 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: 85 (+6/level)
Speed: 19
Magic: 0
Toughness: 59 (+6/level)
Resistance: 36 (+6/level)
-Abilities-
Embolden Claws
Savage Slam
Innate Trait: Pure Metallic Skeleton
Blocks 15 physical damage passively.
###
The next path led to a den of mossy basilisks. They were asleep when he spotted their ivory skin from outside, rousing in an instant the moment Berys’ hulking figure entered the fray. Yeah, no amount of shuffling would allow Theron a moment of stealth as long as his monstrous aspect walked by his side. He frowned as the first barrage of missiles slammed Berys’ staunch figure and halted its steps. To watch its health dropping by two points per icicle sent a frigid fear to his heart, but with the troll’s quick advance and the basilisk’s own magic, those projectiles waned as he focused them down one by one, ordering Trolgar to retreat once he felt the eyes of the basilisks shifting toward it.
[Your aspects earned 200 experience points!.] x4
[Aspect: (Elite) Savage Metal fist Bear gains reduced experience: 100] x4
[You obtained a materia: R-2 White-scaled Basilisk.] x2
In this fight, with the loss of Lux and Borys, his elite aspect lost half its health points before every single basilisk fell. Not a good trade, he frowned as he calmly absorbed the basilisk’s essence. Hopefully, with the Cuby and Trolgar’s increased levels, the next fight wouldn’t be so precarious. He still had a few hours before night arrived, enough time to let Berys regenerate and his mana replenish.
Only two more paths remained; the first Theron found to lead to another branch of passages, which prompted him to return after marking one side of the wall with Berys’ claw mark. He resumed his journey on the final route, which led him to a chamber filled with four trolls—foes he dreaded meeting. They had the usual moss-stained silvery hide, which swayed as they marched toward Theron’s position.
Two died with Berys’ initial slam, empowered further with its emboldened claws. Their might shoved any notion of putting Trolgar into action, and he chose to limit Cuby’s role in this battle after witnessing one of the trolls switching their target toward it. Four trolls perished after a gruesome fight; Theron had never seen Berys swelling and bleeding this much before, cautioning him to peruse even further. Its metallic skeleton only reduced 15 points of damage from each attack, but as damage escalated, its usage diminished rapidly. The trolls’ inflated stats made their assault into an onslaught; even when mantled with Theron’s shield active, he couldn’t do much to prevent damage from piling up on his dearest aspect.
[Your aspects earned 240 experience points!.] x4
[Aspect: (Elite) Savage Metal fist Bear gains reduced experience: 120] x4
[Your aspect core - Silver-back Beast Troll leveled up! It gains +5 might, +3 speed, 1 toughness, and +1 resistance. +2 free attribute points.] x2
[Your aspect core - White scaled Basilisk leveled up! It gains +2 speed, +6 magic, and 2 resistance. +2 free attribute points.] x2
[You obtained a materia: R-2 Silver-back Beast troll.] x2
2 levels. Two. The gains, again, far, far outweighed the risk he was putting on. Never had he seen such a message before; these level-ups would be extremely helpful in the long run. Seeing it nigh brought tears to his eyes.
Of course, Theron was pumped to explore further after witnessing it. He propped up both the troll’s and the Basilisk’s status page, then plopped in stats he deemed best put on those two aspects. To the troll, he allocated 2 extra toughness to ensure it wouldn’t perish from a single icicle spear—the rest he put on its might. For the basilisk, as much as granting it extra toughness appeared good on a surface level, with its non-existent toughness growth, that idea went away quick. To be honest, for Cuby, no attribute other than magic appeared sensible in his eyes. So, that was what he did.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Once finished with his leveling up business, Theron peered deeper into the second section of the secret lair, optimistic.
###
Yeah, not tackling them all at once.
The first thing he saw when he explored one of the paths available was a group of shambling treants, with their empowered elite sitting in the middle of the admittedly larger cavern. And a cursory viewing of the other spaces revealed the same sight; an elite sitting amongst its standard counterpart. With their reduced power—hell, even with Borys and Lux—Theron doubted his chances of clearing these.
Although… with the treant’s lumbering speed and Cuby’s strong projectiles…
Theron foresaw an opportunity to clear the smaller treants without dealing with the gigantic monster in the middle, by abusing Cuby’s ranged options and their lack of traversal capabilities. Sure, there were risks behind this approach, like everything else, but he could just book it if shit went haywire.
Cuby’s frosty figure shuffled to his side. Shoot them one by one, he projected, glaring at the closest treant. It opened its maw, unleashing a chilly gust of frigid air, then blasted the spear forming between its jaw, catching the back of the said treant with a loud clack. Its increased levels caused its spears to pierce deeper into their staunch bark, but not so strong it killed them outright in a single hit. Three more projectiles fired before it fell, its death wallowed by the other treant’s shambling figures, shifting their slow feet toward Theron’s position, the elite included.
[Your aspects earned 160 experience points!]
[Aspect: (Elite) Savage Metal fist Bear gains reduced experience: 80]
Theron withdrew his steps while maintaining a line of sight. In a moment of ingenuity, he willed Cuby to climb up to Berys’ large back, and it maintained its attacks without the need of moving—forming a synergy Theron had never thought of using before.
[Your aspects earned 160 experience points!] x2
[Aspect: (Elite) Savage Metal fist Bear gains reduced experience: 80] x2
Two more fell before they reached a curve in the passage, forbidding further abuse of their ranged prowess. It didn’t matter much after that; half their numbers had perished before another treant showed up at the entrance, swiftly dispatched by a combination of Berys’ savage slam and Trolgar’s furious fist. Only three were left after the first round of ballistics, The elite and two common treants. When their figure lurched toward the passage, Theron turned tail and ran.
[Your aspects earned 160 experience points!] x2
[Aspect: (Elite) Savage Metal fist Bear gains reduced experience: 80] x2
Once out of sight, they rested to regenerate Cuby’s mana. Its magic affinity boosts its mana regeneration well, yet it would still take hours before it would be full. He checked the time from outside before diving in again, recognizing the ruddying skies; the night would grace their presence in a few hours.
The next venture earned him the final two kills. The elite cried upon his final trespassing, swearing vengeance with its croaky cries as it unleashed its vine whips upon Berys’ shielded figure. Each lash pushed Berys back a few steps, and after Theron saw its health dropping by 5 points per whipping, he immediately ordered everyone to get the hell away.
[Your aspects earned 160 experience points!] x2
[Aspect: (Elite) Savage Metal fist Bear gains reduced experience: 80] x2
[Your aspect core - Silver-back Beast Troll leveled up! It gains +5 might, +3 speed, 1 toughness, and +1 resistance. +2 free attribute points.]
[Your aspect core - White scaled Basilisk leveled up! It gains +2 speed, +6 magic, and 2 resistance. +2 free attribute points.]
Okay… that elite hits… hard. Every inch of Theron’s body blared Theron to scamper the hell away from engaging the treant elite, fearing the loss of Berys from its sky-high damage. He strongly doubted a savage slam would end the treant’s life, nor could Trolgar and Cuby inflict enough damage to change the tide of the battle. He clicked his tongue and clawed the frustration boiling in his chest, then left.
And such, that marked the end of Theron’s first dive into the secret lair.
###
The sunset bathed Theron in its warmth on his way back to the checkpoint. For once, he appreciated the fresh air contrasting the stuffiness of the mossy cave, noting the gentle note of fresh trees and the rare shrubberies dotting the forest floor as he followed the checkpoint’s steel beam in the distance. He held a sly mirth on his lips; his first foray into the secret lair ended up in a massive success. It propelled his unused aspects to a higher level, all the while granting him a humongous boost to his essences, and more importantly, Theron was simply delighted he found a place to farm experience points.
Next… The troll cave.
He recalled the absolute near-devastation he experienced from his last fight against the troll elite, the bloody battlefield which earned him the strange seed sitting in his satchel, waiting to be used. Although, with his party’s increased power, he doubted the next elite battle would be as close as it used to be. He opened both Trolgar’s and Cuby’s status pages, putting points to where he deemed it best; one speed and one might for Trolgar, just to even out its speed to thirty, and full investment on Cuby’s magic, as usual.
Aspect - Silver-back Beast troll | Health : 30/30 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 8 | Next 1520 xp
Rank: 2 | Max Level 10
Mana cost: 7 | slot cost: 2
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Troll | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+2/level)
Might: 53 (+5/level)
Speed: 30 (+3/level)
Magic: 0
Toughness: 20 (+1/level)
Resistance: 3 (+1/level)
-Abilities-
Furious fist
-Troll’s regeneration-
Regenerates 10% health per minute. This effect is stopped if the troll is under a status condition(poison, paralysis, etc) or is burned.
Aspect - White-scaled basilisk | Health : 26/26 | Mana : 12/49
Level: 8 | Next 1520 xp
Rank: 2 | Max Level 10
Mana cost: 6 | slot cost: 2
Element: Ice | Affinity: Magic
Class: Basilisk | Type: Reptile
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+2/level)
Might: 5
Speed: 21 (+2/level)
Magic: 49 (+6/level)
Toughness: 21 (+2/level)
Resistance: 8 (+1/level)
-Abilities-
Icicle spear
-Ice body-
Passively, generates a thin layer of ice encasing its body, shielding the basilisk from the next attack. Max damage block: 20%(max mana). Once shattered, it takes 20 seconds before another layer of ice is regenerated.
Let’s pick up some levels from the troll’s lair before tackling the elite treant.