EPISODE 114: VITALITY 2
— Edryan Queendom, Year: 7291. Season: Color Fading.
“(Inspect),” I said, targeting the large hawk in the air.
The notification appeared, but before I could glance at it, a hand pulled on my arm and the voice of Madria spoke.
“We need to move to another branch before the creature unleashes another blast!”
She was right, and together, we made our way over to a new branch to secure ourselves too. By the time we returned to a height where we could view the battle, the situation changed.
[Raid Boss: Lord of Vitality — Vitraio – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ]
Base Atk: 790
Base Def: 405
HP: 10770/10770
SP: 4865/4365
MP: 5310/6540
HP Regen: 96/Hour
SP Regen: 39/Hour
MP Regen: 58/Hour
Power: 2635
Endurance: 1455
Vitality: 3590
Mind: 2180
Self: 1350
Description:
A guardian beast of the Hall of Attributes, the Lord of Vitality, reigns from the air. Its command over the attribute allows it to display various abilities that enhance its control of the sky.
Skills:
(Lord’s Cry) [+], (???), (???), (Wing Burst Blast) [+], (Talon’s of Vitraio) [+], (???)…
Theorize Weakness:
NOT ENOUGH DATA PROVIDED.
I used one eye to quickly read through the notifications. Noting the names of the skills we felt and heard. Later, I could click the plus sign next to them and read more about the skill.
The situation surrounding the three colossal creatures changed. Olvido was no longer pressed into the ground by the Lord of Vitality. Now, it cast a wary gaze at its two opponents as it recovered.
I could swear that Vitraio showed off a smirk as it gazed down at its fellow rising calamity. It was the same way Minerva would whenever I was with her.
“(Examine).”
Olvido was hurt, black blood leaked from different wounds. Unfortunately, to me, they all appeared surface-level. Vitraio was a rising calamity and clearly a step further than Olvido. I wondered if Alidra had anything to do with the current events.
Judging from the distance, Olvido was halfway near the tree when the confrontation occurred. I found myself surprised that it wasn’t further, considering it stormed off yesterday afternoon.
“The Lord of Vitality,” Madria said. Her rustic gold eyes lit up. “Perhaps this is the opportunity we need to understand the Trial of Vitality.”
“True, or we can make a break for it and head toward the Pillar. They’re supposed to be training centers to understand the attributes better,” I responded.
Before Madria could reply, the situation between the beast changed.
Olvido charged, not at the Lord of Vitality but the injured wolf creature instead. The giant wolf didn’t back down. It bared its fangs and charged to meet Olvido head-on. I set my sights on it before they met.
“(Inspect),” I said right before they hit.
Olvido’s long reptilian mouth opened, and it bit at the smaller head of the wolf beast. The creature ducked under its mouth as it bashed into Olvido using its shoulder and momentum. It’d been able to pick up speed a lot faster than Olvido, and its combined momentum made the remnant stumble back. Its attack wasn’t unchallenged, as sharp dark tri-toed claws tore at the fur of the beast, causing more damage to its once pristine white fur. Red blood spilled and Vitraio prepared itself to intervene. This time it gained height before lunging its sharp talons downward.
[Raid Boss: Lord of Power — Lily – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ]
Base Atk: 894
Base Def: 420
HP: 5143/7530
SP: 3290/5565
MP: 3140/4140
HP Regen: 65/Hour
SP Regen: 48/Hour
MP Regen: 35/Hour
Power: 2980
Endurance: 1855
Vitality: 2510
Mind: 1380
Self: 1400
Description:
A guardian beast of the Hall of Attributes, the Lord of Power strength rules above all. Its command over Power enhances its attacks so that its opponents never know what attacks shall deal devastating damage and what attacks won’t.
Skills:
(Wolf Jaw Bite) [+], (???), (???), (Mighty Paw) [+], (Howl of the Pup) [+], (???)…
Theorize Weakness:
NOT ENOUGH DATA PROVIDED.
Olvido, with two eyes on the Lord of Power, Lily, and two eyes on the Lord of Vitality, Vitraio, managed to move its body out of the way as the talons of Vitraio struck toward it. It used its greater mass to push off Lily before it jumped back.
The ground shook, and the canopy we were stationed in dropped leaves, coloring the forest floor in a cacophony of greens. We held on tight to prevent ourselves from falling. My eyes were wide in fascination and excitement.
Three colossal monsters fighting?
To me, they appeared like monstrous kaiju battling one another in a struggle for dominance. Frankly, it was awesome.
My golem hand continued to flex, I’d activated it the moment the first blast of air hit us, and we began to climb the tree. This could be an opportunity to kill [Olvido]. I glanced at my wrist where the spatial bracelet sat comfortably, within was the Star Suit and the gifts I prepared last night for the remnant.
Madria seemed to sense something from me as she quickly grabbed my arm.
“All its wounds are only at surface level. The Lords are powerful, but they are not winning,” Madria stated, concerned.
I glanced back at the battle and observed. She was right, both the Lords only managed to produce surface wounds on Olvido, where the latter managed to greatly damage one of the Lords. At least, from appearance.
As it created distance between its two opponents, Olvido’s two cheeks expanded like frogs. A blast of black, concentrated miasma emerged. The wolf, who was on guard, shot backward in an attempt to preemptively dodge the incoming attack. Its steps faltered as the attack, it believed aimed at it, twisted and shot upward at the hovering Vitraio. At the same moment, the miasma that constantly surrounded Olvido expanded, creating a cloud of coverage around the monster.
The covered area was large, expanding both upward and outward in an attempt to shield the large monster’s body from sight. Vitraio dodged out of the way, but the Lord of Vitality received a glancing blow to its wings. It tumbled midair but was able to right itself.
Lily cast a wary gaze at the dense miasma-filled area. The beast growled, a sound that reverberated through the air. A second later, it raised its head to the sky and howled.
Madria’s grip on me tightened and once Lily finished howling, a strange silence overtook the forest.
Seconds passed before the forest rustled, and the ground began to shake. The sound of feet hitting the floor entered our ears, and we glanced down in shock and surprise.
Thousands of beasts, [Power Pups] and their larger variants, began to emerge in force. All headed in a single direction.
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“That must be its (Howl of the Pup) skill,” I shared with Madria. She glanced through the notifications and nodded.
“Pay attention to the Lord of Vitality. It’s doing something,” Madria said. Her eyes were focused on the bird as it remained the main target of her attention.
Vitraio was angry, no it seemed livid as black miasma ate at its clipped wing. Two mighty flaps took it high into the sky and above the area in which Olvido hid. I wasn’t sure whether the monster wished to draw its opponents in or if it wanted to buy itself time. The Lord of Vitality began to visibly shrink as it hovered, its mass lessened by a degree. Its companion began to jump backward from the zone Olvido set itself in. Lily’s white fur became more metallic and spiky.
“(Examine),” Madria stated. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she spoke to me, still keeping her eyes on Vitraio. “Inspect it, quickly!”
“(Inspect),” I said, following her words.
[Raid Boss: Lord of Vitality — Vitraio – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ]
Base Atk: 940
Base Def: 405
HP: 8716/9270
SP: 4865/4365
MP: 5310/6540
HP Regen: 82/Hour
SP Regen: 39/Hour
MP Regen: 58/Hour
Power: 3135
Endurance: 1455
Vitality: 3090
Mind: 2180
Self: 1350
My golem fist clenched, my eyes wide in a mix of surprise and expectation. What Madria theorized was correct. The Lord of Vitality was able to move its Vitality points into Power, increasing its strengths.
“Is it permanent,” Madria questioned.
“I’m not sure, but shouldn’t we brace ourselves for what is to come?”
The Lord’s size hadn’t stopped decreasing, and it went from the size of a small mountain to that of an extremely large hill. Its wings began to take on a visible green glow which only grew brighter as the seconds passed.
The air was charged, and before I could think over it, I grabbed Madria and pulled her tightly into my embrace. My golem arm submerged itself into the bark just as the light from Vitraio exploded.
I looked away just in time to avoid the light from lighting my eyes, but in that second, before Vitraio unleashed its skill, the miasma shifted and sound stopped.
…
…
…
…
We felt the explosion more so than we heard it. The ancient oak, we anchored ourselves to, shifted backward under the force of the blast.
Madria’s arms held on tight and her body pressed into mine as I did the same. I felt the wood splinter and crack, and I dug in deeper, forcing my arm inward against the force of the blast. Skin scraped against wood, digging in a making it quite uncomfortable. It didn’t matter, I wouldn’t be letting go no matter what.
I could barely feel it, but my body shifted as something pressed into my back. There was no smell or anything I could use as recognition as the aftereffects of the blast made themselves known.
My eyes remained closed, and at that moment I did the only thing I could do. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Sound returned gradually, and I opened my eyes to see devastation. My eyes widened in surprise as I looked at what touched my back. The soft brown earth made itself known as the tree we once stood on bowed in defeat.
“Madria,” I called softly, heavily swallowing as I adjusted my body.
Madria opened her eyes to see what I saw. Slowly, her vice grip around my body lessoned until it was released as she stood next to the bowed oak. We were steps away from being crushed underneath it as I lay on the ground next to it.
Once Madria moved, I shifted until I pulled out my arm and could properly survey the devastation.
“By Her three faces…,” Madria whispered.
The forest, at least that in the surrounding zone, was flattened. The sky shone upon us as no tree in the affected zone withstood Vitraio’s blast.
“Let’s… let's climb up,” I said slowly, gesturing at the fallen tree.
Madria nodded, and together we climbed the remains of where we once stood. It was only once we reached the top of the tree, that we understood the true devastation of the Lord’s attack.
The immediate blast zone was just… gone. There were no trees, just blackened dirt and stone in an area of five kilometers or so. Lily was nowhere to be seen, and hovering within the air was a diminished Vitraio. Olvido was nowhere in sight.
After the direct impact zone, ashen trees appeared, their bark appeared sandblasted away until ignition. This continued even until the tree we found ourselves situated on and just slightly past.
“Is it… is Olvido dead?”
I didn’t respond to Madria’s question, still in partial shock at the events that just occurred. There was nothing but devastation in a large radius that nearly reached the Pillar of Vitality and Mind.
“I’d hope so…,” I responded eventually. What just occurred made me wonder at the power a true calamity could wield…
What could Nubia do?
I’d never receive the opportunity to truly test my new Hero Golem… but after what I’d just experienced…
“(Inspect),” I said, my eyes on the small Vitraio.
It’d lost around half its mass and continued to hover in midair, its hawk eyes searching the ground.
[Raid Boss: Lord of Vitality — Vitraio – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ]
Base Atk: 1240
Base Def: 405
HP: 5573/6270
SP: 1865/4365
MP: 2940/6540
HP Regen: 56/Hour
SP Regen: 39/Hour
MP Regen: 58/Hour
Power: 4135
Endurance: 1455
Vitality: 2090
Mind: 2180
Self: 1350
Out of the destruction emerged Lily. The wolf appeared dirtied, but otherwise fine. It slowly entered the blast radius before approaching where Olvido was last seen at. The Lord of Power’s appearance was still reinforced, the skill it used for protection was still activated.
I held my breath as it reached the region Olvido was last seen at, and the wolf began sniffing the ground.
Eventually, its sniffing turned into pawing and then digging. Out of the forest began to emerge [Power Pups] and other wolf-type beasts that joined their lord in uncovering the ground. Together, we watched from our vantage point as the Lord and its minions uncovered a massive hole in the ground.
It appeared… Olvido escaped.
----------------------------------------
The sun was low in the sky when we finally halted our journey. Before us stood the Pillar of Vitality and Mind. We’d have arrived faster, but the detour we took prevented us from traveling through the main area of destruction.
Olvido escaped, and we were unaware of its hiding place. It seems the beast was far smarter than how it appeared. The Lords both stayed within the vicinity for hours, and I didn’t know how friendly they would take to our approach. I’d rather not find out. However, I now wondered whether there were lords for each of the six attributes.
The Pillar of Vitality and Mind was much like its forebear. Tall, far taller than any human-made structure should physically be. Clouds surrounded its top, preventing the eye from seeing its connection to the sky. A single entrance led deeper within and together, Madria and I entered.
“ Fire is the Origin of Man—allow it to light this path in front by this (Mage Light).”
A soft white light emerged from my palm and into the air, hovering above us. Together, we began to survey the area we found ourselves in.
Multiple-sized puppets were scattered about in a haphazard mess. Some lay on the ground as if tossed there by skill or other various abilities. As we talked through the large room, we began to notice each of the puppets held a large indentation on their backs. Sensing no danger, we began to split and search each side of the large entrance hall.
“There are multiple rooms here,” Madria eventually called out. “I’ve found a staircase leading up.”
I converged on Madria’s position. In the back of the hall was a large opening that led to different areas. It was here that Madria found the staircase.
I frowned as I met with her. “Have you seen…”
My voice trailed off as Madria was already shaking her head.
“If Lady Alidra is here… then she has not shown herself to us.”
I nodded. The main reason I searched through the hall was to look for signs of my ancestor. I wanted to know the whereabouts of Olvido and if it truly escaped with no repercussions. Just as I was preparing to head upstairs, a noise emerged from my stomach and a notification made itself known.
Madria laughed, then blushed as her stomach did the same a moment later. “I think it’s best if we check the rest of the facility tomorrow. Why don't we rest here, and perhaps we can go over…”
Her voice trailed off, but I knew what she wanted to say. In our journey to the Pillar of Vitality and Mind, we hadn’t talked much about the events that occurred earlier. Instead, we focused on avoiding the [Power Pups] who began to search through the destroyed forest. We had no desire to alert the Lords and discover whether they would see us as enemies or worse.
“I make the fire, you do the cooking,” I asked with a smile.
“Of course, my prince,” Madria responded, a smile on her face as she gave me a faux bow.
***
Our bellies satiated, we sat together and reviewed the notifications of the Lord of Vitality.
“Vitraio was somehow able to shift its attributes from Vitality to Power, giving it a significant boost. Not even a four-starred monster should be able to unleash the type of devastation it did today… I’ve never seen a calamity outside my making, but… the damage it did was astonishing.”
Madria nodded, “Its damage wasn’t just astonishing, it was something I find hard to believe a beast not yet a calamity can achieve.”
Madria gazed around at the different size puppets on the ground before continuing. “Do you remember when we first tested your class? Amaya was so excited that day…”
Her eyes showed sadness, but before I could say something, they quickly firmed as she continued. “It was when we confirmed that your attack was different from most magi who hold magic classes. It’s a wonder we didn’t figure out you were a [Hero] then. Amaya believed it to be a unique class,” she chuckled.
“I remember,” I responded. How could I not? It’d only been a short time period since I unlocked the system and finally began to experience what everyone above the age of sixteen did on a daily basis. It was a fundamental change to my life that I was still getting used to.
“Perhaps these puppets are the same. Perhaps there are hidden multipliers to our attack when mastering Vitality.”
I looked thoughtfully at the various puppets scattered around. A finger tapped my chin as I thought over Madria’s words.