He’d won, but there were still lessons to learn. Mistakes to fix in his next battle.
The first thing he did was keep his [Identify] up perpetually. It moved around him like an expanding cloud, tied to him at the center. Anything that came within contact of it would be, at least in passing, scanned or acknowledged. If it was attempting to hide in any way, the Skill would really bring his attention to it.
Next, he had to look into how he’d started the battle, with the vibrational explosion. Despite it working out, that could have gone better. From experience with the vibrational attacks from the Lorpees, and now a loud explosion, Dei knew that his “Greater Weakness to Vibrations” applied to his entire body, not just the organ in his body that used Tremor Sense. When he used the explosion, he thought his [Homeostasis] Skill would give him an edge to work with, helping him recover faster. While it did do that, Dei noticed an issue: It didn’t work as well as it should have.
The re-balancing it gave him from vibrations was barely faster than when he was facing the Lorpee’s, which made him realize that the Skill didn’t just fix everything more quickly as it leveled up, but it needed time to build up a resistance to those things, kind of like an immune system needing to face a bacteria before it can properly protect against it.
When he worded it like an immune system, it made sense, as it was an HP affinity Skill. It functioned off of his body. There was no magical force of nature to tell it how to work or what to do, Homeostasis increased the rate and capacity of his adjustment to the environment and his weaknesses.
Functionally, this meant that he’d need to expose himself to more vibrations if he wanted to use his [Homeostasis] Skill to counteract this weakness. While on the topic, he’d need to do the same for light sources and Light mana.
The next few issues to raise would be with his plant sword. First, he had to name it. Second, he needed a way to protect it. From his experience, many creatures in this world had ways of controlling others, and his plant sword had a very low Spiritual stat. If an enemy gained control over it mid combat, making it retract as the enemy swung at him, he could be in some serious danger.
Both issues required him to talk to the weapon itself, so he did so. Opening a connection of [Identify] to it so it could communicate easier, he asked the weapon if it had a name.
“I need no name, vessel. I want no name. Call me what you will”
While its words were neutral, it gave off a feeling of snobbishness, so he wanted to mess with it. “How about Chewer? You’re called a Biting flesh trap, right?”
“Do not call me ‘Chewer’ vessel. I don't chew” it said, irritated.
“But I thought you didn’t care about your name?”
“No, I said ‘call me what you will,’ which is different. Call me something accurate. Bite, or something. Don't call me Bite.”
“Call you Bite or not?”
“Don’t.”
“But you just said to.”
“I don’t like it anymore. It’s not befitting of my glory.”
“Glory? What glory? I’m not saying that I’m a lot to look at, but I feel like we’re both average.”
“YOU are average for your kind. I am a queen among Flesh Traps, stronger than the rest. I am better.”
“How about ‘Prissy?’ also, that word translated as a girl ruler, not a guy ruler, are you a woman plant?”
“I sense that name is an insult. No. and yes, I am a female of my kind.”
Dei was having fun with this, but he did need to move the conversation to more productive things, so he legitimately thought about what a good name would be.
Firstly, it was the same color as a bone, and sharp, like a tooth. She didn’t like the name Bite, but it was a stupid name.
“What about Fang? It’s accurate, as you’re cutting into things and look like a tooth, but it also sounds cool in the language I’m using.”
She thought it over for a bit longer before responding “Very well, but if I learn that the name is not fitting of my glory, I will find a way to do something.”
Ominous and funny, but whatever. He wasn’t trying to trick her anyway. She would be called Fang.
“The other thing I wanted to talk to you about is your Spiritual stat. Your defenses against manipulation are far too weak, so we need to find a way to fix that. Its honestly absurd that it’s gotten out of hand to this degree. What is it now? Nine? Ten? If anything tries to control you, you wont be able to properly resist. At the same time, we can’t just level you up more and have you put all your points into Spiritual, that would take too long. We need an immediate defense for you.”
Again, he sensed irritation radiating off Fang, but she didn’t deny it. Her previous path, which required her to hide away before striking decisively, wouldn’t allow the enemies to attack back. Now, though, she was facing everything head on, and needed to withstand a few magical strikes.
Thinking about it for a bit longer, she presented an unusual idea.
“Would there be a way for me to benefit from your defenses? When I dug into your hand with my roots, I found that my body was physically strengthened as it combined with your stats slightly. Not enough to make a difference in larger confrontations, but enough to tell me that adding stats together is possible.”
He hadn’t realized that she benefited from being attached to him, but was it like when he used [Camouflage] to harden his skin into stone, which was further hardened by his Physical stat?
When she connected to him, becoming an extension of his self, she benefitted from doing so. Now that she brought it up, he also likely benefited from the arrangement, siphoning some of her, much higher, Physical stat into his own.
If connecting physically to her shared their Physical stats, would he have to connect spiritually to her to share their Spiritual stat?
He shivered at the thought. Letting another being into his soul? Especially a blood drinking one? No way.
Luckily, there was a conveniently expendable portion of himself that was considered part of his soul, but was made to be shared with others.
His Visible Presence.
He created his Presence when connecting to an outside perspective, something which shared a moment in his life with him. He knew it was a part of his soul though, as it could bear the brunt of running Skills when he over-strained them. Could he, potentially, Meditate on the connection between him and Fang, forming a link between them strong enough to share in Spiritual stats?
It was worth a shot, so he told Fang as much.
“I’m going to try and link an outer portion of my soul to you. I don’t know if you’ll have to be prompted for this, but I’m just giving you a heads up.”
He started up his cloaking presence again, with a slight change. Twenty percent to re-arrange his presence, ten percent to meditate on the current moment, ten percent to meditate on his link to Fang.
He was starting to notice that, as he meditated more in the caves, it was easier to disguise himself as he had more to work with in his Visible Presence. There were only so many variations of rock, so he didn’t always need an updated moment to work with.
There weren’t many ways to link souls together that weren't wildly personal, so Dei chose to drop the issue here, and see where it went.
After addressing his Homeostasis and Fang issues, there was exactly one more problem with the fight he needed to fix next time…
The grumbling korgonda on his shoulder.
Clever was irritated that he’d been left out, but he didn’t know how he could help in the battle. His attacking capabilities were limited to “Destroy everything and pass out” or “Do nothing,” so he felt useless, and was mad about it.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
He hadn’t said anything to Dei, but it wasn’t hard to figure out either based on the emotions coming through their connection, so Dei began brainstorming something Clever could actually do in the next fight. Not just something to keep him occupied, a real way to be useful.
It wasn’t hard to think up either, as Clever himself showed the ability once before when he thought Dei was about to be attacked by Fendrascora. Clever showed Dei a future version of himself.
If Clever could give Dei a heads up during a battle of unexpected attacks, Dei would literally be one step ahead of his opponents at all times, so he raised the issue with Clever.
“Hey, Clever, remember that time when you showed me a future where I would have been unexpectedly struck by Fendrascora? Next time we fight, do you think you could watch out for future timelines, and tell me of any unexpected or dangerous attacks coming my way?”
Clever perked up at the start of his sentence, but slumped near the end. He told Dei that seeing future timelines was already taxing on him, and including Dei in that timeline took a lot out of him. Normally, the ability was meant to see Clevers future alone, but in the moment, Clever had a sudden inspiration as his future self initiated the contact backwards, as well as his attempts to communicate forwards. He didn’t know how to repeat such an ability again.
“Its okay” Dei assured him “You wont get it on the first try, but if you ever want to do it at all, you need to practice. I’ve found that Skills level up faster during combat, and one of my most advanced skills (referring to his Identify) even came to me during a dangerous fight. It might be easier for you to master the ability, potentially turning it into a real Skill, if you push yourself while fighting an enemy.
“I know you’ll be distracted when you attempt to form the Skill, but trust me. Cling to the nape of my neck during combat, and I’ll protect you from harm while you focus. It’ll keep you out of the way when my arms move in unexpected directions, and you’ll directly be able to use my body as a shield.”
Clever, unlike Fang, didn’t need to think the decision over. He was immediately excited for the potential of being useful, and promised he would throw himself fully into the training, the moment another creature came by to hurt them.
* * *
Before long, they made it back to Checkpoint One, and Clever wanted to visit his sister while he was here.
Dei would not be going in this time though, because the heat would harm his current body a lot more. Not only that, but Fang was ultimately a plant, and she wouldn’t fare well in fire.
Clever understood, and made his way through alone. Dei kept an eye on his with [Tremor Sense], but he made it all the way to his sister's cave without being harassed, and they went about talking to one another. Something Dei noticed was that there were many smaller korgonda surrounding Clevers big sister. Counting them, seventeen in total made their homes around her den.
‘I’ve never seen them congregating like that before now. I wonder what that's about’
* * *
POV: The Clever
Meeting up with his sister, they caught up on their adventures together. The Clever told The Leader about the discoveries he’d made into their Racial abilities. His sister was shocked that he was able to hold in his heat so well, as The Clever quickly pulled in all the different kinds of manas around him, managing it well. After facing the colder climates, pulling in heat here? It was easier than ever! He outclassed his sister's natural talents in doing so by a lot.
Not only this, but he’d earned titles in the small amount of time he’d gone out into the world. None of them gave him an adjective, but they gave him many bonuses. He pridefully sent her his Interface to look over
[Nickname: The Clever
Race: Molten Korgonda (Level 80)
Titles: Molten Core, Explorer, Resistor of Water, Friend of Humans, Trustworthy
HP: 74/74
MP: 74/74
SP: 74/74
Stats:
Physical: 37
Mental:40
Spiritual: 22
Magical: 26
Affinities:
Heat: Low-Treasured: 85%
Time: High-Uncommon: 16%
Enhancement: Mid-Common: 62%
Inner Skills:
Heat: Channel Heat (78), Flesh to Rock (26), Blazing Breath (5)
Time: Past the Strike (32)
Enhancement: Whetstone of the Mind (19)
Outer Skills:
None]
On top of all the titles, he’d gained a new affinity and Skill. Clever knew that he wasn’t the most creative, but that's what he had Dei for. Instead, he had Dei guide him, and threw himself into Dei’s suggestions with a wild fervor.
The absolute determination to improve eventually brought out a connection to Enhancement, a natural affinity for korgonda’s. With that, he’d earned a Skill that allowed him to improve his Mental stat more than his levels would allow.
The revelation that you could earn more stats surprised his sister, and she immediately set about questioning him as to the conditions he’d undergone to unlock such a Skill.
When he and Dei were walking down the dark cave, Clever tested hundreds of different ways to use his Time affinity in a useful way. To Dei, it looked like Clever wasn’t doing anything, but to Clever, he was manipulating the timeline in small ways, observing the changes to the splinter timelines, and trying again.
His endless experimentation caused him to stumble upon a tether to the future, an uncertain future, that proved useful as it allowed Dei mostly dodge a grasp from Fendrascora. Once used to solidify, predict, and change a future scenario though, the tether became slippery, and he lost his grasp on it. He’d yet to find that tether again, but he continued to try.
What was important, though, was that the repetitive and mentally intensive task of experimenting gently with time and observing hundreds of different outcomes strained him enough to become a tipping point of training his mind, earning him both the Enhancement affinity, and the [Whetstone of the Mind] Skill.
His sister soaked in his words, coming up with her own training. She was more interested in earning more Physical stats with it, so she thought a more physical repetitive regime would be required to earn her own Skill.
After the Clever finished the tales of his story, it was his sisters turn to tell him of her success in recruiting other korgonda. Many had given up the position already, and were fully willing to bend to her will in exchange for protection. She found herself falling into the role naturally, and expected some sort of affinity to emerge soon that would help her in leading and protecting her pack.
They talked for a time of all the specifics of each of their adventures, and she said she was interested in visiting this “Cold, watery place” if it was able to give Clever not one, but two titles, on top of helping him learn to maintain his heat.
Clever told her to be more careful about her heat than he was, as he could produce his own, while she had only a reserve to rely on. She was not dissuaded though, telling him that the adversity would only push her harder, and make her stronger. She promised him that the next time they met, she would be better than him at holding in her heat, because she wouldn’t have the internal heat to rely on.
He let out squeaks of amusement at her declaration, saying that he would still be better than her next time, and that she wouldn’t be able to catch up to his lead in heat-holding.
They chased each other, playing and taunting, declaring their strength over the other.
After a while though, they agreed that it was time to part ways again, and Clever promised to try and visit again before she outgrew the habitat.
His sister said that he might not need to, because she would be so good at holding in heat, that she would visit him.
Chittering in delight, he said he looked forward to it, and made his way back to Dei.
* * *
Standing back up as he sensed Clevers approach, Dei was ready to go when he saw the korgonda slip through the rubble, walking with his chest puffed out in a silly display of pride.
“Whats got you all happy?” He asked
Clever sent that his meeting with his sister was funny, but he needed to show his sister how much better he was.
Dei asked a few more questions, eventually figuring out that Clever was now in a competition to see who could hold in their body heat better.
Shrugging, he let Clever climb up onto his shoulder, before continuing to the second checkpoint: the water caves.
* * *
‘I really should have found a way to bring something softer. Maybe that moss I hid in the wall would have worked as a pillow’ he thought as he prepared to lay down on the stone floor.
He felt so much more vulnerable as he prepared to sleep somewhere other than the Garden, but it couldn’t be helped. This would be his sleeping situation for the entire trip, and he would have to sleep in the caves quite a few times before reaching Fendrascora.
The sleep would delay his journey, which would lead to him sleeping even more before reaching the Embodiment of the Flow.
Putting it aside for a second, he widened the inside of the small crevice he’d found using his [Digging] Racial ability. It would still be a tight fit, but he could lean against the wall now and not immediately slide to the floor at least.
Clever had slept while Dei carried him, so he would take the watch. Fang also said that she would look out for any emotional signatures that would indicate living creatures.
Dei needed to learn to sift through [Tremor Sense] in his sleep later, but for now, he would rely on his companions.
Finally getting comfortable enough, he slowly fell asleep.
* * *
Dei was surprised to find that between Clevers home and the crossroad of aquatic and dry life, he wasn’t attacked, managing to make it all the way to the entrance of checkpoint two undisturbed.
Now that he was here, he had a choice to make. He could either continue on his way, ignoring this one entirely, or he could finally do something that he’d never done in this life.
See his own reflection.
It wasn’t required to continue his journey, and he thought he should keep the delays to a minimum now that he knew Fendrascora was in desperate need of help, but he had to face himself eventually. He needed to see his own face, and reconcile that look with what he expected to see.
He needed to know, who is Dei?
Question in mind, he began his walk between the misty waterfalls.