Across the stone arena floor I could see a small creature, about five feet in height, wearing some basic leather armour and carrying a small short sword in its left hand. Clearly scaled, with a short tail I can see coming down between its legs, and claws easily a few centimetres long. It had a long snout, and eyes that made it had some level of intelligence in how it was also weighing me up in return.
It also had no boots on, but I could see three large front toes with claws and it looked like a fourth toe went out the back of the foot assumingly with another sharp claw. The Zarkling was next to it, and I can only describe it as confusing. With two huge bulging eyes, a round body about the size of a large dog, it almost looked like a frog except it stood on two large powerful looking legs and had no upper limbs. I would have to be careful of such an unknown, it could be incredibly difficult or easy to fight and I had no real way to tell yet.
Deciding I needed to actually make myself stick to my plan I decided to focus on the unknown first, if I can take it down it is going to prevent future surprises. Activating my body enhancement, I dash towards the Zarkling, as I close the gap I cast ignition onto my right leg and kick straight into the side of the frog like creature.
As soon as my foot makes contact I realise something is wrong, the skin almost melts away from the flames covering my boot and lower leg, and as it enters the body I suddenly find myself staring up at the roof of the arena. Damn, there is a really cool abstract looking pattern of flames and feathers across the roof I didn’t notice until now, which shows what you can miss I guess. Sitting up I try to work out why I am suddenly three metres away and on the ground, quickly I spot the Kobold warrior also on the ground in much worse shape. Struggling to sit up with clear burn marks over its front it looks like this species doesn’t have a high natural vitality as I do.
Vitality was one of those funny stats that only higher tier classes got actual bonuses to, and as such the ability to see, but I remembered from lessons humans have a higher vitality then what would be considered the normal for this world thanks to the wild blood influence in creating our species to be able to handle the mixed blood lines that created us. Something I didn’t think about often, who appreciates the lack of small bruises if no one else around you really gets them either, but in this case I was definitely aware and thankful.
Quickly, while I have an advantage I reactivate both my enhancement along with ignition on my right leg and kick the kobold in the chest as it rises. As my kick lands I watch my boot go through its leather armour and into its chest cavity, breaking the ribs with a sickening sound.
Before I can enjoy the fast, if mildly painful and not as planned, victory over two of the three combatants I suddenly feel a burning pain go in my chest as my muscles all lock up. As I collapse with my muscles spasming I see the Kobold mage holding a ball of what looks like lightning.
It seemed that this one was far enough back that whatever happened with the Zarkling didn’t impact it, and I was distracted with the easy kill on the warrior so I didn’t even think to pay attention to what the mage was up to.
Activating Phoenix immolation I feel tingles and sparks inside as my nerves are repaired from the damage, and I feel like the flames of my skill are consuming the lightning still racing through my body. As I stand the same pain hits, this time I am still running Phoenix immolation but it isn’t fast enough to stop me falling over again as my muscles give out, and it does little for the pain.
I reach out to try to exit the dungeon instance, ready to give up if I need to to escape this.
Crucible can only be exited after completing a series. Early exit not permitted.
Walking forward I fall, this time screaming as the new nerves are fresh to the pain.
Three steps this time, I think the Kobolds mana is running low, I don’t want to see my own.
Screaming again as I stand this time, my nerves are raw from being burned out and restored, the channels they path through coated in healing flames as they die and are reborn.
Almost in reach and I fall screaming again, three strikes to make me fall this time, even while screaming and ignoring system prompts I feel pride at this strength.
Grabbing the kobold I am close enough to stop this, as I start punching wildly I feel my mana running on dregs, eventually I realise the kobold is no more and I am holding a mostly headless body up while I swing at air.
Breathing deeply I let myself fall to the ground, deep breaths in and slow breaths out, eventually I can feel my smoke starting to repair my body saving me mana I likely don’t have to spend to make sure I can walk into the rest area.
Calling up my mana section of my status I feel tears starting to come.
Mana: 3/80
I hope this is the last fight, the sheer amount of pain will no doubt later be seen as a fair price to deliver death and be rewarded for it, but right now I was feeling my lack of years and getting a glimpse of why the guards kept trying to nudge me onto a healing only path. A pure combat classer would have had a skill to ignore the pain, or dull their response, but a healer who shuts down their body can’t use their skills forcing me to endure.
Small Kobold war party: 1000 exp gained
As I calmed down I realised my maximum mana had grown without a level up, I felt this was due to the hatchery mark but sometimes a few things can combine to create effects that the system doesn’t see as notification worthy or related. This was meant to happen more often around rarer wild blood lines because it was considered like gaining health pool by growing older, just as a natural part of the creature's biology rather than a system related change.
I don’t know if there is a penalty for staying in the arena longer than needed, but I also didn’t need to tempt fate with my condition, so I climbed up and started limping my way to the resting area already preparing to forgo my reward for more time. Even an hour might not be enough, but if it got close and I didn’t feel ready or emotionally stable I would try to exit again. Hopefully the series reference meant round or I had completed enough rounds to count as a series.
Stepping into the room I immediately sit down on my bench and before I can even try to see if I can exit I get a prompt that I feel almost ready to weep again glad I have a chance to properly rest, but also to come back and prove I can do better.
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Prompt
Congratulations young one, you have completed the first series. You may now choose to challenge the series boss, or exit. If you challenge the series boss you will be forced to exit and rest for ten days before you can challenge the next series. If you exit you must wait seven days before you can return. If you exit and return you will have to start this series from the start again, and can then challenge the series boss. Please decide, you will receive your series rewards after this before exiting or starting your timer before the series boss round.
Exit Challenge series boss
Pressing exit I feel a sense of relief, just knowing I was done and would rest, then decide if I wanted to try again, took a lot of the mental pressure that last fight had put on me off. I knew I was going to have some dark dreams for a few days, but pain is part of the path I have chosen and I would need to learn to adapt from this rather than letting it break me.
On the left wall a door appeared, this time clearing, showing me the exit, but I didn’t feel a push to immediately exit so I stayed seated. Next to me appeared a small box with my rewards alongside the prompt.
Reward for series completion: Mana gem crystallizer, 1x Copy of ‘Raising Zarklings, explosive farmings finest cattle’ (Common language simplified version)
Looking in the box I could see the two rewards, the Crystallizer was a strange box about fifteen centimetres to all sides, with an empty space inside and a handprint on the top. Focusing on it the system prompt clarified what it was specifically and how useful it was about to be for me.
Mana gem crystallizer: A device used to grow mana gem seedlings into full mana gems. Device requires a seedling inside, and source mana to be provided each time a new seedling is introduced. It will then convert ambient mana into this type and grow the gem. Time to grow depends on mana type complexity, local area mana density, and quality of seedling.
This was definitely about to become my prized possession, and the existence of this type of item should have been obvious as soon as I think about it. With how time consuming making each one has been for me, how was it so cheap to buy single simple mana type gems for appliances. I guess I was assuming high level crafters had skills to help them create them in bulk or something similar.
Looking over my other reward I am much less impressed, but maybe Bren with his small book collection would like it. Flicking through the pages I quickly realise looking at an anatomy book why it exploded though, the majority of their body was filled with gas sacks that are toxic. They release them as a defence mechanism, but when my flame was introduced I got a practical example of why the book also calls them ‘the cutest explosion on legs known to farmers everywhere’. Putting them both back in the small wooden box I started getting ready to leave.
Wandering over to the table I ate a few of the grapes there, the red ones were definitely my favourite but the green ones reminded me of when we could get them back home. Drinking a small amount of the wine, it was well watered down, but had a really refreshing taste like sweet berries and some kind of spring flower, but I still didn’t want to drink too much. I remembered from my limited reading about dungeons that you couldn’t take anything that wasn’t a reward out unless specified otherwise. This was a vision dungeon, so it gave you an instance best suited for you, but a resource dungeon that allowed us to farm resources would have been great economically even if it would have been worse for each person's personal growth.
Shaking myself slightly I got ready to answer questions and write up my report on my instance, and opened the door stepping out. Suddenly I found myself stepping out of a small cave and looking at the guards plus a couple of hunters watching for my return.
“The fuck girl, you okay?” James had a lovely way with words, but at his voice something in me just cracked and I started bawling. I must have looked quite the site, covered in blood and burned bits, a new tattoo covering my arm, a box in my hands and bawling my eyes out the moment someone spoke.
“It's fine, like, not hurt, just. It was a lot and I completed the bit I could, got some nice rewards, but I need to just sit and write my report please. We can talk after, I just really need to write this down and have a nap” As I spoke I slowly walked over to the bedroll and sat down while grabbing the book and pencils we had for writing reports on what we had experienced.
“No problem, we are heading back when you're done but if you want to write it up before we go that's fine. It is late enough that by the time we walk back no one will likely want to bother with dealing with everyone to grab dinner, so I will get something going on the fire for us while you work on that” While talking Sula started setting up a pot from the guard teams packed and started sending the various hunters and James off on tasks to fetch water, once they were all off on tasks she turned back to me. “I know the guard captain and guards you trained with had the best intentions, but looking at you right now I see someone with the soul and class of a warrior, who was pushed and trained to be a safe healer in some city. I get they likely saw your powerful healing skill at first and promoted it, its procedure so I don’t fault them, but with how determined you seem to be to fight when they decided to guide your levelling by doing the dirty work they cripled you. These feelings your having aren’t your fault, you aren’t weak or unsuited for this or whatever your feeling. Normally you get this out over your first few fights, instead you got one good combat experience after being coddled then a brutal dungeon experience if your look is anything to tell by it. I just don’t want you developing a fracture in your foundation by doubting yourself, your doing great and if you need anything tell me”
Once she finished speaking I put down the pencil and walked over the few steps to where she was standing, before almost falling on her hugging her and crying once again.
After a few minutes that felt like hours I felt wrung out, but a lot better than I had before. “I know they wanted me to not go fight like they did, and everyone has heard a the stories of how most combat healers become insane mythic class holders who almost all lose their humanity and become members of the wild blood only, but it feels like they must have doubted me so much to try to push me off that path without even telling me”
“Its okay, that one ain’t on you Styx, I will be writing some complaint letters to the guard leaders in the city lords residence because they could have hurt our settlement's chance by their actions. But they didn’t, you are strong and if we need to talk about this again you just come find me alright? Now time for me to cook, the others to pretend they are taking longer then they need on those bullshit tasks I sent them on and get back to actually help, and you to go finish that report”
“Thanks Sula, I appreciate it a lot. Mind if I get your advice on my rewards later”
“Only if you tell me about that fancy new tattoo, everyone was looking at it but no one is rude enough to ask yet. Those kind of markings tend to be personal but I will admit I am curious and it not doubt is related to the rewards”
“Of course, it's not really a reward but it would be good to get some advice on that to” Settling down back on the bedroll and getting back into trying to condense the last few hours of my time of events.
Not long after everyone returned Sula finished up a basic stew that was tasty if homely, but definitely something filling to help me recover from my event. We ended up staying well after I finished my report, with everyone sharing stories of their first hunt or dungeon run, or in the case of James the first time he had to kill a sentient being who was attacking others in a city. It was a deeply emotional evening, with stories that I didn’t expect to ever hear, but eventually we came back to the settlement and after getting a promise to talk about my rewards over breakfast tomorrow with Sula I found myself back in bed staring at the ceiling wondering how I will decide if I want to go back through that dungeon or not.