EPISODE 101: SIX — 2
— Edryan Queendom, Year: 7291. Season: Color Fading.
I shook the blood from my spear, a sneer on my face as the creature died. It was far too easy to tell that it wasn’t Madria.
I checked over my mana levels—hesitating on whether to deactivate my skill.
HP: 825/825
SP: 468/765
MP: 757/1050
(Imperius Synchronization) costs seventy-five mana and stamina points per five-minute period. It would quickly drain me if I didn’t deactivate it now. The only consoling factor that helped me keep the skill active for so long was the thirty-five percent mana refund I received from my bloodline skill, (Magic’s Embrace).
In the end, I deactivated the arm and secured it to my chest. I didn’t know what was out there, and keeping track of my resources was the first law I abided by in the wild.
I looked to the ground, spear in hand, and began to trace the steps of the [Echo]. My body moved quickly, senses alert for any more signs of danger. Madria would be ok. She was strong both physically and mentally. I’d just hope if an [Echo] was leading her, then she wouldn’t hesitate to strike it down if it took my appearance.
The tracks quickly let back up and toward the heights of the waterfall, I hesitated, unsure whether to follow it or not.
“What choice do I have? I’ve got no clue where Madria could be, and this is my only lead.”
It’d be nice to bounce ideas off another, but…
I shook my head and began to climb—spear returned to the storage as [Limitless Love] appeared as a bracelet on my wrist. The moment I pulled my face over the cliff's edge, a soft and furry face ran into it. The [Power Bunny] returned, and this time… it brought friends.
A small group of ten bunnies assaulted me as I made my way forward. It didn’t matter how many times I kicked, punched, or threw them. The cute little bastards always found their way back.
“Once I find out how to kill you… I’m turning you into a stew,” I said to the original perpetrator. The brown-grey bunny nearly seemed smug as it rammed its head into my foot. I began to frown, the [Power Bunny] numbers were steadily increasing, and they were making it difficult to follow the tracks.
“(Inspect),” I said several times, confirming my suspicion. Their attributes were all identical. Not a single change in points between them.
I pushed past them, increasing my pace to not allow them to get ahead of me. While the small horde continued to increase in size. I must have looked like a man leading an army of bunnies. An army of unkillable bunnies at least.
A frown crossed my face, I’d finally arrive at the source of the tracks.
A single hill with a small tree, barely large enough to provide shade, was where the tracks halted. Three sets of footprints let from the hill and into the grass. From here, I could see the general area in which I appeared. My eyes traced one of the directions the second pair of tracks led toward.
At least I knew how the [Echo] spotted me.
A howl sounded and my frown deepened. Something wasn’t right, but I didn’t have the time.
“Madria must have not appeared too far from here…”
We’d only been separated by a distance of a bit over 150 meters—if the second pair of tracks led to her. I gazed at the third, only to see a rapidly growing swarm of [Power Bunnies]. There were over a hundred of the little bastards, and it seemed their growing numbers held no sign of stopping.
I gazed between the second and third pair of tracks… my decision made, I quickly took off. This time I was at a full sprint—stamina points began to drain as I set off.
A horde of bunnies followed, and the sound of wolf howls increased in volume—the pack drew near.
“(Imperius Combat Arts: Flash Steps),” I activated. My body flashed through the waist-high grass—quickly creating distance between me and the swarm of [Power Bunnies].
Whatever was going on, I wanted no part of it. The howls got louder, closer, as the pack of creatures approached. My eyebrows raised in surprise, dashes of black, white, grey, and brown all passing me as the [Power Bunnies] no longer chased. As they spilt several of the howling creatures followed, the sound of dying animals entered my ears, but the grass still rustled as something headed for me.
“Shit, I can’t lose the tracks.”
I paused and turned, the pitter-patter of bunny steps quickly rushed past until none but after there was nothing but silence. The sounds of clashing grew distant. Not even insects chirped, only the sound of falling water accompanied me. I’d made my way back to the cliff’s edge above the Pool of Self-Reflection. Not at the same area I was previously at but several dozen meters away.
The spray of water lightly cooled my skin and quietly, [Limitless Love] lengthened to its dagger form—the tall grass rustled.
A wolf’s maw emerged from the grass—a sharp maw inches from my throat.
Fast!
The beast was fast—not a second passed since the grass shifted and its attack reached my throat. My dagger was faster, swifter, and it struck at the throat of the beast far quicker than its attack could finish.
The sound of metal clashing against metal rang as the beast was forced back—giving me the opportunity to inspect it.
[Power Pup]
Base Atk: 30
Base Def: 30
HP: 300/300
SP: 300/300
HP Regen: 36/Hour
SP Regen: 36/Hour
Power: 100
Endurance: 100
Vitality: 100
Self: 100
Description:
This cute pup is one of the most dangerous creatures in the Hall of Attributes. Don’t let its appearance fool you—the [Power Pup] is as dangerous as its cuteness.
…
Before me was a small pup that was a mix between a lab and a wolf pup. Large ears flopped around as the [Power Pup] growled at me—its body shaking.
…
“Can it… even hurt me?”
There was only one way to find out. The wolf pup dashed toward me, canines bared, as it snarled at me. Cute small yips escaped from its mouth as the beast dashed in for a bite. I prepared myself to strike, I was nearly certain I’d take no damage but…
The pup bit down—a sigh escaped from my lips. “What is this place…? My life is supposed to be in danger?”
Nothing here made sense, I shook my head—grabbing the pup by the scruff of its neck. The creature bit and clawed at me to no avail. Its yips grew tired as I held it up until the creature calmed.
Gently, I set the [Power Pup] down. My attention returned to the tracks. The fact that Madria passed within such a close distance and I never noticed angered me. A small piece of jerky was thrown and the [Power Pup] set off. By the time it recovered the piece, I was gone. Footsteps flashed as I chased down the second pair of tracks. They led down a steep slope that went quite a distance from where I was. I most likely would have seen it had I not climbed down the cliff face.
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The trail let deeper into the grassland, sparse trees appeared like those in the savannah of Africa. Fortunately, there was a clear path through the grassland, as hatchet marks clearly showed the path Madria and the [Echo] traveled. My eyes traveled to the mountainous pillar in the distance—steps slowing as I noticed the Kair-unian rune.
It was one of the simplest runes and part of the seventy-two base. It held several meanings and served as a bridge when casting spells.
Power.
Greatness.
Control.
What was it that I was lacking…? Was this related to the Goddess stopping me from taking the system tutorial? I clearly remember her stopping me from entering the augmented reality offered to me upon my sixteenth birthday.
The trail headed deeper into the savannah—its path nearly zeroed in on the pillar. Clouds surrounded the structure and I balked at the scale. The closer I approached, the larger I truly realized the scale of the massive pillar—its dense clouds made it appear like it held up the heavens itself.
I moved swiftly, nose wrinkling as a strong stench entered the air. “What is… that?”
I’d been traveling for over thirty minutes when the stench invaded my nostrils—my stomach turning from the smell. I managed to recover both mana and stamina by nearly an hour and a half worth of time. The trail led directly toward the stench, and it was the first time I’d seen the path diverge since entering the grassy plain.
“That… is not good.”
In front of me was a decaying field of dead beasts—laid over a thick black tar-like mud with cloud-like miasma within the air. The miasma grew denser the further in, and two clear sets of prints entered.
A dozen different types of animals, two I recognized as the [Power Bunny] and [Power Pup] were amongst the decaying creatures, long since dead. Within the graveyard were larger versions of the creatures these two beasts, alongside others I’d yet to encounter. Tri-horned rabbits nearly the same size as me—advanced versions of the creatures I first met. I looked down at the ground, frowning as the trail of footprints clearly led through the graveyard.
I took a deep breath—blanching at the stench, and carefully I stepped forward.
“No biggie, just a graveyard full of dead creatures… what’s the worst that could happen?”
Before my second step could finish, the legs of my pants were pulled. A soft whine came from below—the [Power Pup] returned.
“It followed me?”
The pup that attacked me was pulling at my pants. It did its best to pull me away from the graveyard—away from the footsteps of Madria and the imposter.
Two pairs of footsteps led deeper into the area. “Sorry boy, but my friends in there… I have to go.”
I removed the pup from my leg and pulled out another piece of jerky. The [Power Pup] grew excited, its tail wagging as I trailed the food in front of its nose. Assured that I held its attention, I sent it down before heavily tossing the piece of meat. The pup took off after it, and I was gone before it even hit the ground.
This time I slowed my pace—the graveyard didn’t seem big, but a heavy miasma blocked my vision deeper within as I entered. I paused right before I entered deeper—frowning as I stared at the set of footprints entering. I felt like something was off—the trail was too clear, too easy to spot.
I hesitated, then shook my head and entered. This was the only trail I could follow—there were no other leads besides the third set of footprints. The trail to follow those was over an hour’s travel back, and the more I hesitated, the further Madria and the [Echo] got away.
“Well, at least I don’t have to go into this alone,” I muttered.
My bracelet flashed and four small ball-like objects emerged, small clicks emerged from them as six spider-like legs emerged from the creatures. A smaller click sounded, and a blue gem emerged as the eye of the spider. Each was around the size of an adult's fist, and they only served one purpose.
“Go, scout out any high mana signatures or creatures of reputable strength—scan them, then report back to me.”
I checked my Life Points and frowned.
HP: 825/825
SP: 565/765
MP: 875/1050
I wouldn’t be quite at full, but if I meditated to actively recover faster, then I could boost my regeneration by two. That wasn’t an available option—I didn’t know what was within the innards of this graveyard, but I wasn’t stupid enough to let my guard down right outside of it.
Instead, I began to circle the area, doing my best to gauge exactly how big this blimp in the savannah was. Perhaps I could circle and find a second trace of footsteps exiting. Just as I neared a halfway point, a scream reverberated through the miasma.
“Madria.”
The hesitations I held vanished. Nothing stopped me as I entered the miasma. [Limitless Love] in one hand and a bronze shield in the other.
----------------------------------------
Madria’s eyes shone a pure, gentle light that brought calmness to her surroundings. Around her were hundreds of small and fuzzy creatures. Each meowed for her attention as they played with one another—while the one in her arms was the loudest.
“[Power Kittens]?”
She laughed as the small bundles of cuteness surrounded her, a clear, distinctive giggle that brought out more of the small and cute creatures. The growl of her stomach increased in volume—hunger was not something she’d truly experienced. These creatures, and others like them, began to appear several moments after she killed the [Echo]. She’d only just begun to retrace her steps in hopes of encountering Lawruthian, only to be halted in her tracks.
The kitten in her arms had white paws and glossy black fur—by far the loudest of the bunch. She continued to carry it in her arms as she attempted to carefully step through the gathering of animals. This was the first one she encountered that eventually began the flood. She’d been slowly retracing her steps and was closing upon the area from which the dense smell of death emerged. The only plan she held was to return to her entrance location and look for Lawruthian there.
“I should have worn the bracelet Law built me.”
Madria had to eat something eventually, and the only creatures surrounding her were the cute kittens. Kittens—and the savannah that seemed endless. She was hungry but not that hungry.
The pillar in the distance only grew when she approached with the [Echo] but the distance… the distance seemed to ever shorten.
If she didn’t eat soon, eventually her Stamina Points would be cut by half.
{Starvation} was not a pleasant thing, no matter your level. It was why the Church of Madris handed out bread daily to those in the less fortunate areas. It was those worshipers who became some of the most pious believers in their Goddess. The Gamals took to this tradition wholeheartedly, as the tradition was said to start with the first of them. Her ancestor, Judd Gamal, was stated to be one of those whom their Goddess originally helped.
Madria continued to push forward, each step careful as she attempted not to squash any of the [Power Kittens], of course, it was here that the kitten in her arms chose to attack.
A light and playful lick hit Madria’s face, causing her to misstep and her foot came down, hard, on one of the kitten’s tails.
You have slain a [Power Kitten] and have gained experience.
A burst of lights exploded from underneath Madria’s foot. She paused her steps as silence settled around her—more out of shock than anything else.
The silence was loud, deafening in the wake of what was once a loud and boisterous amount of [Power Kittens] all mewing for attention. The creature in her arms grew still, and Madria finally looked down.
[Power Kittens] all held distinctive colors, a range of oranges, blacks, whites, grays, and more. However, there was one distinctive trait they shared.
Hundreds of red eyes aligned on Madria—the first of many within the hold of her arms. Her body stiffened, and it was only now that Madria realized she was surrounded by the beast. They weren’t incredibly dangerous on their own, but at least a hundred surrounded her, in Madria’s quick estimation…
Slowly, she set the kitten in her arms down—its hair bristled like a porcupine’s spikes. Madria took a calming, deep breath and prepared herself. The Gamal House held several combat styles as their house spread throughout different aspects of the Church of Madris. Madria specifically used the [Gamal Priestess Arts], a defense-focused style that specialized in deflecting attacks or negating them outright with magic.
She began to actively fuel her (Mage Barrier), its golden glow creating a small domain of space as it forced the [Power Kittens] back. That small action seemed to be the catalyst that ignited the kittens into action—claws bared and teeth biting as they attacked.
A voice spoke into the surroundings, its cadence never faltered as its owner reacted, kicks and punches flying in a startling defense.
You have slain a [Power Kitten] and have gained experience.
You have slain a [Power Kitten]…
“ When man discovered fire—it was She who taught them. When man discovered War—it was She who led them. Rise now, protect me. Rise now, protect me. RISE NOW, PROTECT ME—oh (Spirits of Man).”
There was no hesitation in Madria’s voice as she chanted, her body calmly moving to deflect the [Power Kittens], others, the ones she missed were deflected by her shield. A drain on the shield’s mana and, ultimately, hers as it would need to be reactivated once broken. Death notifications became plenty but only for a moment.
When the last words left her lips, Madria’s strength increased, boosted by thirty percent. Apparitions—three of them, spirits of man, formed from her expelled mana—strengthen by the divinity within her, appeared like ghastly beings to reap the lives of the kittens.
She continued to strike out, simple kicks and punches that should have been devastating attacks to the kittens, seemed to bounce off their bodies, flinging the cats backwards but not slaying them as she accidentally—then actively did.
Madria frowned, “Why aren’t they dying now? What change? Was it the spell?”
The [Power Kittens] didn’t hold more than thirty attack and defense, Madria’s blows, enhanced by the [Gamal Priestess Arts] should have wrought devastation amongst the creatures. Now, it only forced them back.
“This is a trial, a trial of all six attributes. The creatures clearly have something to do with Power… control? Is it controlling Power?”
…
“But… how…? That’s never been done. Not truly.”