My fugue haze, post-realization about my precarious internal state, lasted for quite a while. I couldn’t decide who to blame for my current predicament: typical fantasy world shenanigans or my own flippant incorporation of foreign Mana into my body.
I even felt gunshy enough that I refrained from absorbing the Emerald Aspect for the moment. Considering all the implications… I wanted to confirm the situation before adjusting the Status Quo.
Just don’t investigate so vigorously that you earn 93 more Mana and break the 300 Max Mana barrier, causing your animating array to rip itself free from the anchoring and initiating a painful landslide toward death. You know, keep it leisurely. I told myself, half deadpan.
I moved through the reeds and headed South; luckily, when I arrived at Sage’s distant base, her three bird minions, including the newly recruited canary, stood at attention. They ruffled their feathers and hopped around as I moved toward the tent.
“Who seeks an audience with the Revered Sagacity-” The minion fluttered into my path, but I used to tentacle to shove it to the side. It squawked and fluttered its wings further, but didn’t try and stop me.
Within, Sage lounged on a cushion made of folded grasses. She beamed when I walked in. “Brother Tallum! I actually was just pondering your earlier request. Shall we take some time now to learn to dance? My minions give their best attempts, yet they have two left claws; mistakes are depressingly common amongst the rabble.”
For a brief moment, Sage’s request stopped me dead; I had completely forgotten about her offer of dance. Too many other events had shaken my precarious sense of stability. After a few seconds of thought, I nodded. “Yes, let’s dance today. But I cannot now. I’m currently… currently having a bit of an epiphany. Tonight? At sunset? Actually, I came to ask a favor: can I look at your animating array?”
Sage tilted her head to the side. Her jelly pulsed; she likely felt the tension in my core. She nodded simply. “Tonight then. When the setting sun dyes the world with its sorrowful departing. And obviously, Tallum, look as you please. No Skyrage is unaware that their very existence invites admiration. Plus… this is related to our inherent flaw, yes? We are counting on you.”
I activated my energy sonar and peered at Sage.
Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 25(+19).
Just like when I examined myself, I did not force my awareness directly into the array but closed the distance slowly. The whole of Sage’s energy revealed itself to me. A part of me was fascinated by both the difference in structure (Sage’s animating array felt much more stable, arranged around a strong central circle) and in the details (around the edge of the circle stretched nine smaller circular arrays).
But my focus went to the center. Just as with me, there sat a spherical hollow. But hers was filled with spitting darkness.
Even to my relatively new-to-fantasy awareness, only a look was enough to confirm the presence: Sage’s Stitchings were made of necrotic energy.
The bleak and corrupting energy bound her body to the energy array. Thin strips of energy ran through both, but the worrisome portion was that, where the threads of necrotic energy moved through flesh, the surrounding flesh showed hints of redness and inflammation. Almost instinctively, I activated my first Blessing. My squirrel fingers flickered through hand seals. Drops of Blessed Oils seeped out of my body.
While focusing on the array, I raised a squirrel hand and pressed it against Sage’s flesh. The oils seeped into her.
As I watched, I could see the redness and inflammation gradually vanishing.
Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 25(+20).
So, just like with those toad corpses, there is a dangerous interaction when flesh and necrotic energy touch. Luckily, this First Blessing seems to treat the symptoms. Partially I felt relief, but also a headache was forming. Obviously though… the method I use isn’t sustainable. So what could I use to anchor the array to the flesh, if I want to replace this Necrotic energy in Nightshade and Sage…?
I won’t be as stupid to just scoop the whole anchor out of them without having a plan in place…
…ehehe… Hahhhh.
I thanked Sage for her time, and then thoughtlessly repeated my promise to try dancing tonight. When I walked out of her tent, my mind whirled with all my thoughts, but I snapped back to the present when one of the canaries stepped up in front of me.
My time as a monster meant that my instincts sharpened. I raised my Bloodsoaked Left Fang.
What I wasn’t ready for was for the canary to look at me with a serious expression, extend a wing, and pat my shoulder. “...your bravery is commendable. Prepare your body and mind for the tumult.”
The other two birds walked forward and patted me as well, their expressions commiserating.
“That… was weird,” I muttered to myself as I walked away. “Am I missing something…?”
But honestly, I set the issue aside pretty quickly; bigger fish to fry. Compared to the fact that undead energy was constantly corrupting my siblings, the weirdness of Sage’s birds didn’t really phase me.
I trotted with purpose back to the stump. Now that I had ascertained the situation, it was time to follow through. I plucked up the crystalized emerald aspect and looked at the notification again.
Isolated Essence of Emerald Venom Mana: Mixed with Blessed Oils, the Mana has been crystalized into an isolated form. It seems possible to extract the Mana from within with the associated Skill. All potency will drain from the item within the next 2 days, 3 hours, 27 minutes.
Please Note: You have acquired enough Mana to support two colored aspects at once! Would you like to incorporate the Second Essence? Y/N
I crossed two tentacles to luck. I clicked yes.
Your Hybrid Monster Core with an Azure Aspect is reacting!
The emerald color within the crystal vanished, siphoned off into my Monster Core. I felt the energy slithering into me, radiating the aura of the serpent I had absorbed it from. Not just my Monster Core, but I also felt a humming sense of harmony emerging from my Bloodsoaked Left Fang-
Also from the Mysterious Sac, that weird combination organ?
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Your Skill (Earned) Detection has grown to Level 25(+14).
Gradually, those resonances began to adjust the organs.
Your Status is being adjusted based on resonances…
Mysterious Sac of the Bog Monster-> Mysterious Sac of the Pestilence Count.
Please Note: Your Stat Oppression is being transformed by the evolved Mysterious Sac. Due to [Redacted], this will cause a chain reaction.
Your Stat Oppression has transformed into Virulence. All previous sources of Oppression will become Virulence.
Your Skill (Temp) Weak Secretions is being affected. The potency of the released venoms has increased.
Your Skill (Temp) Weak Secretions has grown to Level 12.
Your Skill (Temp) Weak Secretions has grown to Level 13.
Your Skill (Temp) Weak Secretions has grown to Level 14.
Mysterious Sac of the Pestilence Count: +4 Recovery and +4 Wisdom -> +6 Recovery and +8 Virulence.
Virulence: A Rare Stat possessed by only the most insidious creatures. A Stat that includes a [Redacted]. Provides a small boost to natural Health, Mana, and Stamina regeneration. Increases the efficacy of all biological-related Status effects inflicted on self and others. Boosts the rate at which poisons, venoms, infections, curses, and other similar status inflict damage. Generates a small chance for the constant damage inflicted by these effects to be increased.
I blinked at the notification. My damage over time… can now crit?
Definitely, I need to remember to activate Weak Secretions more-
The notifications continued, giving me no time to rejoice in the increase in power.
A Notable Achievement: For discovering a Stat with a [Redacted] before the Second Growth Threshold, +10 to that Stat. Due to special circumstances, the (Temp) Designation has also been removed.
Chain reaction continues…
Blood-soaked Left Fang of the Unlucky Albino Python Baron- -> Stained Fang of the Pestilence Count
Attack +3 and Oppression +5 -> Attack +5, Poise +2, Insight +2, Virulence +8
Your Skill (Species) Contemplate Flesh has grown to Level 13.
Hybrid Monster Core with an Azure Aspect -> Azure and Emerald Dual Core
Mana +15 and Wisdom +2 -> Mana +30, Wisdom +5, Insight +5.
The left fang that had become such a reliable weapon began to shimmer as the emerald energy swept through me. The material of the fang pulsed and extended, sharpening and extending its length slightly.
I felt… full. The energy did one more lap through my body and then concentrated into my Mana Core. I released a pleased groan as it sifted through the exterior and mixed with the Azure energy waiting within. The two forces swirled around each other for several seconds, almost as if studying one another. Soon they settled along the edge of the Mana Core, each taking their own side.
“Ohoho? I can’t believe that happened so peacefully-”
I paled. A new certainty filled me. When the hell would I learn…?
Your Skill (Earned) Short-Term Prediction has grown to Level 18.
Your Skill (Earned) Short-Term Prediction has grown to Level 19.
“Ah, no, I didn’t mean to speak before the entire process was finished-” In my senses, my Mana core finished its condensation and began its first order of business. The Dual Core shaped emerald energy into an emerald spike.
Beads of sweat formed on my skin. “Just wait, surely a gradual-”
Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 25(+21).
My instincts, traitorous and duplicitous, informed me there was only method to solve the issue of instability in my animating array… and it would gladly handle the problem. As I scrabbled ineffectively to stop it, my Dual Core plucked up the spike of emerald energy and hammered it down through my animating away, anchoring energy to flesh.
Your Skill (Earned) Mutinous Grit has grown to Level 20.
Your Skill (Earned) Mutinous Grit has grown to Level 21.
I blacked out.
A while later I began to regain consciousness just enough to see a few more Skill Up Notifications-
Your Skill (Species) Interstitial Body Structure has grown to Level 24.
Your Skill (Earned) Mutinous Grit has grown to Level 22.
Your Skill (Species) Interstitial Body Structure has grown to Level 25.
-but the pain remained omnipresent, smashing away my dreg-like thoughts before I could muster up much resistance.
My second return to consciousness bought me a minute or two of awareness. Using my new Stained Fang, I leveraged myself up to my feet. But doing so only informed me that I had literally driven a spike of energy through my animating array and flesh, and I still bore burns that flared up and released crackling Mana static as I tried to move.
After feeling 22 Health vanish in a flash, I collapsed again. I barely had time to activate Weak Secretions, selecting Healing, before the darkness drowned me again.
Your Skill (Temp) Weak Secretions has grown to Level 15.
Your Skill (Earned) Mutinous Grit has grown to Level 23.
Your Skill (Temp) Weak Secretions has grown to Level 16.
My third brush with consciousness honestly made me suspicious. I cursed Chimera Cores, who dumbly absorbed more body parts that could now ache with agonizing pains. In my mind, slimes were cemented as the superior life-form.
I waited on the ground, collapsed in the mud, for a full minute before I began to inspect my situation more closely. I shifted my body parts; the physical wound had largely healed, although it released several twinges as I moved.
My eyes open. A heavy moon hung above me, dominating the night sky.
“Well, might as well see how close we cut it…” I grimaced and opened up my Status Screen. But I blinked. “I’m… full Health? Maybe the pain was more existential than actual… or I’ve been unconscious for longer than I thought.”
Before I could examine my Status further, I felt a tug from my Dual Core. First, the spiderlings sent their congratulations: they had felt my core transform. And second, they had news for me. From their message… both good and bad news.
“I’ll be there in a minute. Give me a bit of time… to revel.” With gleaming eyes, I opened my Status. Although the process had been brutal, I had survived. And this world favored nothing as much as a survivor.
Name: Tallum Frost (Awakened)
Species: Experimental Chimera Core
Level: 19
Health: 184/184
Anima: 161
Kami Allegiance: (III) To and Fro the River Wanders [(???) Seep Blessed Oils 75/150][(Core) Launch Clay 12/150]
Mana: 204/222
Integrated Body Parts(10/10):
[Azure and Emerald Dual Core- Mana +30, Wisdom +5, Insight +5]
[Redacted I]
-[Stained Fang of the Pestilence Count- Attack +5, Poise +2, Insight +2, Virulence +8]
-[Bitter Heart of the (*) Bog Heron- +2 Agility, +4 Constitution, +7 Poise, and +8 Virulence]
-[Mysterious Sac of the Pestilence Count- +6 Recovery and +8 Virulence]
[Armored Spine of the Insomniac Wetland Armadillo Bruiser- Constitution+3, Strength +5, and Defense +7]
[Fat Stomach of the Sleepy Swirlback Tortoise- Strength +2, Recovery +5, and Constitution +1]
[Holy Paw Set of the PIous Squirrel- Mana +10, Wisdom +2, Faith +2]
[Four Legs of the Sleepy Swirlback Tortoise- Strength +4, Defense +2, and Agility+1]
[Focused Eyes of the Unlucky Albino Python Baron- +7 Perception]
[Reliable Tail of the Unlucky Albino Python Baron- Constitution +3, Poise +4, and Agility +4]
Stats: (Temp) Perception: 7 (Temp) Poise: 13 (Temp) Recovery: 11
(Temp) Attack: 5 (Temp) Agility: 7 (Temp) Constitution: 11
(Temp) Strength: 11 (Temp) Defense: 9 (Temp) Faith: 2
Wisdom: 32 [Redacted] Virulence: 24 Insight: 19
Skills: (Species) Absorb Anima Lvl 39, (Species) Integrate Body Part Lvl 32, (Species) Interstitial Body Structure Lvl 25, (Species) Contemplate Flesh Lvl 13, (Species) Lesser Array Knowledge Lvl 20
[8/10] (Earned) Mana Sensitivity Lvl 25(+21), (Earned) Detection Lvl 25(+14), (Earned) Body Manipulation Lvl 25(+10), (Earned) Monster’s Wisdom Lvl 25(+24), (Earned) Mutinous Grit Lvl 23, (Earned) Field Butchery Lvl 11, (Earned) Short-Term Prediction Lvl 19, (Earned) Unnatural Adrenaline Rush Lvl 1
(Temp) Mana Feed Lvl 18, (Temp) Weak Secretions Lvl 16
(Language) Bestial Comprehension Lvl MAX(+1)