Fast and vicious, the ball of Mana dove out of the foliage toward Sage.
An emotional pain strangled my inner jelly. Every time my new-universe siblings were in danger, I remembered Mimi as I last saw her alive.
Silent, inert, lying in a hospital bed with tubes stuffed in every opening on her face. A situation where I both didn’t want to see her so diminished, yet couldn’t bear to look away. As my attention narrowed, my depth returned.
My eyes pierced through the falling threat.
Summoned Forest Protector Lvl 17
The machine in me released a heavy wheeze of tension. The resolve I had discovered, to live in the moment and match my capabilities to the options available to me, experienced a small and vicious mutation. A grim certainty seized me. If in this life… if either Sage or Nightshade ever- ever are no longer there-
Your Skill (Earned) Mutinous Grit has grown to Level 9.
But I had shouted a warning. Sage spun, faster than even my Detection could follow. Her tails blurred into a halo of flesh. As the Summoned Forest Protector swung its claws, those tails stretched out and wrapped around its limbs. The Forest Protector released a low growl and flexed its plant arms, but Sage spun again.
Her body twisted and stretched. The leafy koala struggled, but couldn’t resist her momentum.
She suplexed the Forest Protector into the ground and then bounced away. Yet the Protector scrambled to its feet, not any worse for wear from the impact. And one of Sage’s serpent tails lay on the ground, severed by those powerful claws.
The moment of acute stress passed. This time, I didn’t wait for Violala’s reminder before I charged forward to help engage this foe. Yet the Level up notification distracted me for a split second. Somehow… based on the timing of the Level up notifications for this Grit Skill… doesn’t it seem like almost a bad Skill to possess…?
Your Skill (Earned) Monster’s Wisdom has grown to Level 25(+12).
System, when you agree like this, it makes it so much worse.
As I crossed the distance to face the summoned plant/animal, Sage shouted. “That thing… it has no Anima!”
“Ah, this is their countermeasure,” Violala released a contemplative buzz from my back. “Depriving you Chimera Cores of your recuperative advantage is a crucial way of weakening you. Obviously, there must be a ritual site nearby, considering it is a summon-”
“You can’t see the Mana trail?” I asked. Behind me, I heard squirrels screaming as Nightshade ripped his way through anyone foolish enough to pursue us on the ground. Meanwhile, I eyed the Summoned Forest Protector. Raising my Bloodsoaked fang, I gestured. “From the Protector, heading straight in that direction. A tether of Mana. Based on what I can feel… They shouldn’t be far. Maybe five or six more trees that way?”
Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 25(+2).
“So it is maintained constantly.” Violala hummed, a bit more violently this time.
Meanwhile, I watched the Protector. Almost as though it had heard and understood my words, its eyes pivoted and fixed on me. It half again as tall as me, even with my fancy new armored spine. Pale branches were woven together to form thick arms. Leaves covered most of its chest and shoulders, but it was the still and almost doll-like face that filled me with dread.
Only the glowing green eyes moved in that face, weighing the threat we presented.
“Lady Sage! To me. We will disrupt the summoning. Sir Nightshade, please keep the minor foes off of Sir Tallum.” She tapped my side. “Did you foresee even this? You made sure to increase your defensive capabilities on the journey here, to compensate for the weakness of the grouping. Heh… the more I learn about you the more I want to…”
You better not be about to say kill me.
Wait no, are you leaving me to fight against this bastard on my own?!
Sage’s frenetic arrival put an end to both Violala’s strangely shy words and my wild imaginings. And the Summoned Forest Protector definitely understood what we were saying, because its eyes brightened considerably.
Your Skill (Earned) Detection has grown to Level 22.
Your Skill (Temp) Inferior Adrenaline Rush has grown to Level 20.
Energy surged through my exhausted body even as the Forest Protector launched itself forward. Violala fluttered off my back and landed on Sage. As the two bounced off the ground in the direction I had indicated, I forcefully slammed my body into the plant koala to keep it from reaching them.
The impact hurt, but then came the overwhelming force mobilized by the creature. The leafy veins of its arms flexed as it tried to crush me. Yet to my immense surprise/pleasure… my newly obtained Strength and Constitution provided me just enough physicality to withstand its assault, despite its superior size. Tentacles slapped out and held those arms at bay.
…for the first time, I found myself almost equal in Stats to a monster.
Ah, being so talented is a curse. I can see the Mana trail, I can fire projectiles, I can tank out this strange Anima-less monster…
Tallum, I know it is difficult to balance leisure and investment in life. ufufu, is it strange I’m feeling quite proud of my-
While I had been doing a mental victory lap, the plant koala shifted its stance. I felt a lurching sense of weightlessness as it tossed me over its hip and threw me toward the ground. At the last moment, my snake tail whipped out and wrapped around the protector’s waist. It staggered forward, pulled by my weight.
The face-first impact knocked off another dozen of my Health, putting me back at 24 Health remaining. Some of my calm attitude evaporated in the face of the damage realities. I scrambled to my feet, immediately releasing a weak healing secretion to try and push my Status up. That, combined with the couple of Mana Feeds that triggered in the dash forward, should help me recover quickly-
Your Skill (Temp) Weak Secretions has grown to Level 9.
Your Skill (Earned) Detection has grown to Level 22.
The Summoned Forest Protector’s claw flashed forward with a great deal more speed than I would have suspected, considering its size; its body might be light due to being woven from branches, but that made it fast.
A squirrel bodybuilder and a koala with a wicked left hook. I grimaced as I moved backward. Why is this forest populated only by meatheads?
A fae bolt slamming into the ground behind me made me jump. Nightshade released a righteous growl and the follow-up screams let me know that he made the offending Fae Squirrel pay. But my small break in stance gave the Protector the opening it needed.
It lowered itself onto its haunches and sprung at me. Just as fast as before, its clawed arms sliced toward my vulnerable flesh. Time slowed; my Health had only crept up to 27 in the few intervening moments. If this bastard really began to cut into me-
My awareness deepened even further. The summon filled up each one of my senses, the crisis demanding every ounce of my awareness. I didn’t hear the chitterings any longer, didn’t hear the screeches and scratches. Perhaps because the threat was physically closer than when I saw the attack coming on Sage, the focus began to change.
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I felt my pupils dilating. The summoned entity burned in my energy sonar. I couldn’t see the details of its form, but some instinctual part of me memorized the sharpness of its Mana.
I’ve trained to grow strong. To survive. Both for myself… and for my new family. The clockwork machine roused itself. The mana blur of the Protector’s arm cut toward me. I had been feeling guilt, invading the forest. Living under a Kami who commanded we invade, kill, and subjugate. But…
Without the capability to affect these dangerous situations, what can I do but struggle to survive? I need to be more than this.
I need-
Your Skill (Earned) Detection has grown to Level 23.
Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 25(+3).
When the squirrels had gathered an army, when their Kami had fully awakened, they would not have hesitated to assault us. Investing in this world… does not require me to completely forget my humanity. But it does require me to acknowledge how this world works.
The Mana of those claws buzzed with promised doom. They were gleaming blurs, aiming to reap away the last of my Health.
If I want to build the home I crave-
The attack slashed toward me. My entire awareness aligned with the strike. The clockwork machine turned once and then twice. The amalgamation of trauma and brass shuddered, releasing a blast of mental exhaust. Yet the arm moved too fast-
The cogs turned one more time. But this time, I felt the smallest tremor from the world in response. The machine’s cogs began to bite into existence.
Due to unique actions, you have unlocked the Skill (Earned) Short-Term Prediction Lvl 1.
A Mundane achievement: For acquiring you an (Earned) Skill, +3 Max Health, +3 Max Mana!
A Notable achievement: For acquiring your Seventh (Earned) Skill, you have unlocked System Information! (Earned) Skills currently at 7/10.
Your Skill (Earned) Short-Term Prediction has grown to Level 2.
Through the slew of notifications, a powerful hunch seized me; Although it existed in the nebulous limits of my awareness, I was suddenly sure I knew where on my body the Summoned Forest Protector was aiming.
I couldn’t manage to catch where that clawed hook was now, but I could see where it would soon be.
Your Skill (Temp) Inferior Adrenaline Rush has grown to Level 21.
Your Skill (Earned) Body Manipulation has grown to Level 25(+5).
I thrust my little squirrel hand. I felt the fingers subconsciously forming hand seals, but right now I didn’t care. So long as I made it in time-
My palm slammed against the Forest Protector’s branch wrist. I couldn’t quite block it in time and the monster scored a long gash down my arm. It followed up with a whirling blow with its other arm, but I had bought the time I needed with that one deflection. My snake tail flashed up to screen the second blow. As its claws skittered off my scales, I raised a tortoise leg and kicked it in the chest.
With my improved Strength, I felt the branches of its torso fracture. The murder koala staggered backward. Yet as I watched, Mana flowed through the tether and concentrated around the wound I had inflicted.
The branches released a creaking noise as they mended under the influence of that Mana wave. I felt a sinking sensation in my chest as the monster straightened and glared at me with its bright eyes; it had entirely healed.
…is this what it feels like to fight against us Chimera Cores? What an exhausting feeling…
Before either of us moved, the Mana shifted; the tether had been cut. The Summoned Forest Protector released a low groan and took a half step forward, but already its body was coming undone. A mass of harmless twigs and leaves collapsed in front of me. I sagged to the ground.
I didn’t look at my Health total. Actually knowing the details would just make it worse.
“Okay, that was a bit closer than expected- actually wait,” I paused and did some mental calculations. “We grappled… it threw me… it attacked me twice and I blocked… then I kicked it… maybe only a few seconds passed. And in that time Sage and Violala found, attacked, and eliminated the summoning…?”
If I’m an aircraft carrier, those two combined are an ICBM-
No need to compare yourself to others. We all have our strengths and weaknesses…
A sharp whistle brought me back to the present. Suddenly recalling my circumstances, I spun around to see how Nightshade fared. But the squirrels moved in a series of furry streams, flowing down the nearby tree trunks and rushing deeper into the forest. Nightshade crashed down from a nearby tree. “Tsk, even these fools can see the truth written in blood; none can withstand our charge. Yet their retreat is an opportunity to inflict deeper wounds.”
I pulled on my Mana; unlike with my dwindling Health, my Mana remained at Healthy levels. I called on my Second Blessing, but felt my Skill ping right before I loosed.
Your Skill (Earned) Short-Term Prediction has grown to Level 3.
I accepted the aim-assist gratefully.
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +4 Proficiency!
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +1 Proficiency!
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +3 Proficiency!
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +5 Proficiency!
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +2 Proficiency!
Due to your actions, your Blessing Spray Mud has earned +4 Proficiency!
Proficiency has reached the limit (50/50)! Your Second Blessing has evolved to (???) Launch Clay (0/150)
You have completed an Interesting Quest! Upgrade your Second Blessing
An Interesting Achievement: +15 Max Health.
You have gained a new Interesting Quest: Discover the Secret of your Second Blessing.
I felt the Blessing change after I had missed twice, clipped once, and landed three direct hits on the fleeing squirrels. On the one hand, I felt elation that this Blessing had proceeded in a more useful direction than the… seeping of the other Blessing. As I activated the evolved, now labeled Core, Blessing, I noticed two things; first, the strangeness of the Mana, which I couldn’t quite put my finger on, remained (and likely this was related to the new interesting quest). Second, the cost had risen to ten Mana per shot.
Yet after I shot off the Blessing, I understood; my projectiles had shifted from a messy distraction to genuine damage.
Due to your actions, your Blessing Launch Clay has earned +1 Proficiency!
I could see a squirrel's leg shatter and buckle after a dart of clay cracked into its knee.
Due to your actions, your Blessing Launch Clay has earned +2 Proficiency!
Due to your actions, your Blessing Launch Clay has earned +1 Proficiency!
As Nightshade rushed forward toward the slowed squirrels, I couldn’t help but feel slightly bitter. Aside from the increase in cost, the other new downside was earning Proficiency only when the attack landed. And even then, only 1 or 2.
Still, stay positive. Hasn’t this expedition turned into a day of growth? The Interesting Achievement provided a timely +15 Max Health. An empowered Blessing, my machine earned me a new Skill (officially proving my previous therapist to be a hack), I learned about Earned Skill limits… I strolled forward; Nightshade had bit a couple of the nearby ones but left Anima for me. I extended tentacles and drank their Anima. Haven’t I earned a bit of a break? What a lovely stroll through the forest~
…okay, small problem, why am I feeling so cheery while drinking the lifeblood of my victims…?
Mana Feed triggered three times while Nightshade and I finished off the stragglers. Combined with my high Recovery and the Interesting Achievement, my Health finally rose toward more acceptable totals (I made a mental note to mention my dangerously low, post-Integration Health to my companions in the future). Nightshade spent a minute or two (sloppily) replacing a damaged squirrel head on his one arm and then we moved through the trees in the direction of the Mana tether.
We arrived at a small clearing, where Violala stood in front of Sage. Scattered around them were the broken bodies of at least ten corpses. And within the confines of Sage’s bulging tails, she restrained a bleeding and blessedly un-buff squirrel.
Fae Squirrel Shaman of Retribution Lvl 12
Violala clicked her forelegs together. “Sir Tallum, my respect for you grows with every bit of information I learn about you. As you suspected, they conducted a ritual here to maintain the summoning of that strange creature. They had a guard detail of about twenty Squirrels-”
While Violala was speaking, I moved closer and could see the wounds on the corpses-- most had a slit throat and a face filled with malicious glee. My estimation of the ambush junkie rose by several points. Is it just me… or did the squirrels not even see the foe that killed them…?
“-but they were only a minor nuisance. Four of these Shamans maintained the summon. The rest managed to escape, but we managed to capture this one.”
“Release me!” To my surprise, the Fae Squirrel Shaman of Retribution spoke coherently. With surprising zeal, he thrashed in the grip of Sage’s tails. Yet from the fact the tails remained normal sized, and from the smugness radiating off Sage, I knew keeping the Shaman restrained wasn’t difficult for her. “If you repent now, the smallest amount of leniency will be granted to you when the savior awakens.”
Your Skill (Language) Bestial Comprehension has grown to Level 6.
“I hate zealots,” Nightshade growled next to me and turned away. “Their thoughts are a poison that drips out every time they waggle their tongue.
“Indeed,” Violala nodded in understanding before turning to me. “Torture often feels like a dead end with such individuals, but I will happily proceed with an attempt to extract information, if you believe it prudent, Sir Tallum.”
No… wait…
Sure, fine, treat me as the authority figure because I am the Kami’s chosen. But…
Did you really just use the word… happily… when talking about torture…?