As the others slept, Diana sat by the flickering fire, keeping watch. The hideout was only a temporary respite from the dangers of this world and Diana wanted to use it
With her companions sleeping, Diana took the opportunity to check her progress. She raised her fist.
YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 2.
YOU HAVE 5 UNASSIGNED STAT POINTS.
YOUR SKILL NOW CAN REACH THE CAP OF 6.
YOU HAVE LEARNED A NEW SKILL, FROST RUNE - CONJURE AN ICE TRAP THAT ACTIVATES WHEN ENEMIES APPROACH OR WHEN YOU WILL IT.
YOU HAVE LEARNED A NEW SKILL, RUNE OF LASTING INFLUENCE - MODIFICATION RUNE, USE IT WITH OTHER RUNES TO SPREAD THEIR EFFECT OVER TIME.
The glowing numbers and symbols on the sheet seemed to dance in the dim firelight. Diana's eyes traced over the lines, her mind going through the possibilities.
Diana's need for power nudged her back to experimenting with runes. The allure of the arcane was too strong to resist as she forgot her sentry duties and focused on her magic.
Diana's attention turned to her newly acquired skill, Rune of Lasting Influence . She was extremely curious how that would affect her other runes.
First, she focused on the Rune of Healing. Back when Mia was concussed Diana checked that it normally cost ten mana without reserving any. As she started to draw The Rune of Lasting Influence, she noticed that the general shape was a circle that appeared around the Healing Rune. It was easy to combine them compared to researching the Dazzle rune. She cast her spells at the same time, creating a runic word.
The resulting spell immediately struck her as very useful. The healing energy became a persistent, subtle presence. Providing more of a recovery effect than straight up healing. It seemed the party would be more rested from now on. She noted the time on her phone to check how long the effect lasted. The Modification Rune added five mana to the cost of the spell, not so bad at all.
Next, she experimented with the Rune of Light. She waited for her mana to go to full then cast her spells. These runes, when joined, produced a light that was identical to the unmodified one. Maybe with the Modification Rune, it would last longer? It did cost ten mana instead of the usual five so she knew the runic word worked. Diana shrugged and noted the time.
She couldn't hold her excitement any more and started the test on the Frost Rune. Diana extended her hand, fingers trembling with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. She channeled her newfound skill. As she drew the rune, a delicate, frosty sigil materialized in the air before her. She felt the cold emanating from the rune. With a focused thought, she directed the frosty symbol toward the far wall. With a quick glance at her mana she saw It cost her the same as the Explosive Rune, so ten mana with five reserved.
With a surge of concentration, Diana triggered the Frost Rune. A sudden explosion of icy energy burst from the sigil, expanding rapidly and encasing everything in its path in a cloud of frost. As the magical mist dissipated, it left behind a striking ice crystal, growing from the floor where the rune had once been, it all happened without a sound. Diana stared at the half a meter ice statue she created, wonder in her eyes. Casting the spell sent a shiver down her back which had nothing to do with the cold. She felt … powerful. Discovering new runes and using them gave her a rush like nothing else in her life.
Diana continued her work with fervor. She summoned the Frost Rune once more, this time Modified. Her fingers danced through the air, sketching the Rune of Lasting Influence beside it. As she released her spell, the effect was a bit underwhelming. The resulting rune word was glowing slightly and releasing the same frost fog as before but in a much diminished manner. It looked like a mini smoke machine that, as an extra, emanated cold. She dispeled her runic word. Not all combinations would be useful.
She still had to test Explosive, Slowing and Dazzling runes but she decided to postpone it as she didn’t want to wake her friends and needed help with testing the Slowing Rune anyway.
What she would do instead was to spend her points on her attributes. Her mana reserves were holding her back but even knowing that she couldn’t stop herself from putting three points into intelligence, as she believed it would increase the power of her spells. The other two she grudgingly put into wisdom. She glimpsed at her mana
MP: 60/100 (30 RESERVED)
So wisdom did increase her mana, let's see how intelligence factored in. She cast another Frost Rune and felt like the nerves in her hands were set on fire.
YOU’VE ATTEMPTED TO CAST A SPELL THAT WAS TOO POWERFUL FOR YOU WITHOUT A FOCUS -5 HP!
She saw little arcs of electricity on her hands. The increased intelligence must have pushed the spell over some threshold. Diana went to the storage room and picked up the pipe she used as a staff before she decided to leave it behind since it was hard to cast runes with something in her hands. Could this work as a focus?
First she tried to draw the rune in the air with the end of the pipe. It actually was trailing light so she was doing something right but the effect was a damn doodle instead of a detailed rune. Frustration hit her then, she lacked the dexterity of her hands. Maybe she was approaching this wrong.
Next she closed her eyes and pictured the rune in her mind, then she channeled it through the pipe. When she opened her eyes the rune was hanging in the air a couple of inches above the end of the staff. It was glowing with a cold light and moved with the staff. When she willed it to the floor she could feel the mana leaving her, this worked! And was faster than drawing with her hands!
She felt the magic flowing through her and a triumphant grin crept across her face. "This is only the beginning," she murmured, her eyes glinting with the promise of power.
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The group stirred awake in their hidden refuge. The warm light of a firepit illuminated their surroundings, casting long, wavering shadows across the rough-hewn walls. Frank noticed the ice crystals Diana created. He looked at the rune mage, rubbed his forehead and said.
“I’m not even surprised. Not being surprised at ice sculptures growing in our base is … wrong. Just do something with them later,” he vaguely waved his hand at the ice. “I just want breakfast.”
With a sense of practiced routine, they began preparing the only food available to them: monster meat.
Mia took charge of cooking meat, while Diana, her staff in her hand, kept a watchful eye on the surroundings.
The scent of food filled the air, mingling with a feeling of hard-earned respite.
Hector stretched his arms with a contented sigh, the exhaustion from their recent battles still lingering. "You know," he began, his voice tinged with a rare sense of relaxation, "maybe we should take it easy today. Rest up, recover from yesterday's madness."
Frank, who had been checking his daggers, looked up and smirked. "I can get behind that. I think we've all earned a break."
Diana, nodded in agreement. "It wouldn't hurt. We've been pushing ourselves pretty hard."
Mia looked up from her work, "No, we can't just sit here and do nothing," she interjected, her voice feverish and urgent. "We have to keep moving. We have to find a way out of this nightmare, and the longer we wait, the more time those things have to find us again." Her fingers clenched into tight fists, her determination palpable in the tense air. "We can't afford to waste a single moment. We need to go now."
“Calm down Mia, if we go right now we will only be in more danger, we’re still tired from yesterday” Frank said, clearly surprised at her outburst. It made Mia confused, it was clear they needed to push themselves or they would never get home.
However she saw that the others were not on her side. We’re they scheming to keep them in one place forever? No, they wouldn’t do that. She shook her head. The right thing to do was to rest and prepare.
“Yeah you're right, sorry” Mia said trying to hide her inner turmoil and she saw Frank wasn’t buying it, at least not completely.
Mia sat after they finished their meal and wondered how much this place has changed them already. Ice sculptures popping up from nowhere, a breakfast of water and monster meat they had to hunt themselves the day before and they considered it a good and easy day. It stood out in stark contrast to the comforts of their former lives, and if she thought too hard about it, it would be overwhelming. That contrast just showcased the changes they’d undergone just to survive another day.
She felt she needed to get home before this place changed her even more.
Mia's thoughts drifted to the person she used to be, the life she had once known, and the hope of returning to it someday. But with every passing day the changes they experienced seemed more irreversible. She needed to channel her restless energy or she would go insane.
“Hey Frank, you wanna help me with some crafting?”
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Frank looked up from where he had been cleaning his daggers, their blades glistening in the dim light of their hideout. He nodded and replied, "Sure, Mia. What do you need help with?"
Mia gave him a small smile as she began to quickly gather materials for her crafting project. "I want to make a new shield for Hector. After that we will see if we have any other ideas"
Frank's eyes sparkled with worry. Mia thought he was observing her more than usual. "Sounds good. Let's get to work." Together, they started to focus on their crafting project.
"You think we'll ever find a way back?" Mia asked, her voice tinged with a hint of nostalgia. Raising her head from working on the new shield.
Frank sighed, adjusting the grip on his crafting tools. "I hope so. It's strange, you know. I used to complain about the mundane routine of everyday life back home, but now I'd give anything just to be back there."
Mia nodded in agreement, her fingers deftly working with the materials before her. "Yeah, I miss my family the most."
Frank chuckled softly. "Heh, that wasn’t high on my list."
Mia looked up again, her friend mentioned his family only very rarely. Maybe the extreme situation they were in would help her friend open up a bit.
“You never talk about them, Frank,” Mia said, trying to get him to say more.
Frank managed a small smile at Mia's attempt to draw him out. He sat there in silence for a couple of seconds.
"You know," he began, his voice tinged with both sadness and humor, "it's not that I don't want to talk about them. It's just that... well, that's mostly because my family tree is a cactus, it's full of pricks. It just felt easier to distance myself from it all."
Mia could sense the weight of unspoken stories in Frank's words. She nodded, showing that she understood there was more beneath the surface.
"Don’t laugh at me, but you guys were the closest people I had." Frank added, "and this place, as strange and dangerous as it is, has brought us closer than my family ever was. We're like a makeshift family now, and I wouldn't trade that for anything."
Mia smiled, touched by Frank's words. "You're right, Frank. We're in this together, and we’re going to get home. That's what matters."
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Diana watched as Hector disappeared into the training room he had constructed. She could hear the faint sounds of metal clashing against metal, the rhythmic thudding of blows, and the occasional grunt of effort. Hector was either building more equipment or honing his combat skills, a commitment she admired, especially given their situation.
Then her thoughts drifted to the enigmatic symbols etched onto the surface of the pyramid they had seen in the distance. She wondered what secrets it held and what mysteries it might reveal and if she could grab some of that power for herself. It was a puzzle that beckoned to her, a challenge she couldn't resist.
The first step, as always, was to learn more about her own runes.
Her focus was on a particular set of runes she hadn’t experimented with. She began casting the Explosive Rune with her staff, its fiery symbol hovering. Then, she brought forth the Rune of Lasting Influence, its delicate lines dancing gracefully around the explosive sigil.
As she willed her magic into the combined rune, something somewhat expected occurred. The rune emitted a growing heat, like the warming of a summer day. Diana watched in fascination as the air around the symbol seemed to shimmer with rising temperatures.
She moved to the next experiment She began by drawing the Rune of Lasting Influence, focusing on the intricate lines and patterns that would make the rune's effects endure. As she completed the first symbol, she conjured the Runic Word Dazzle, a set of two runes as she tried to combine three runes for the first time.
With a graceful flick of her wrist, Diana merged the runes in the air, their energies intertwining. The result was nothing short of spectacular. The rune she had created emitted a blinding burst of white light, akin to a flare, illuminating the hideout as if it were daylight.
Diana marveled at her accomplishment. This new rune had the potential to be a powerful tool, both for illumination and as a signal.
Frank and Mia looked up from their crafting but by this point got used to Diana creating light shows in the hideout.
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Mia's hands trembled as she clenched her fists, green eyes flashing with anger. The air in the base was heavy with tension, the once-cozy space now feeling stifling and suffocating. The four friends stood facing each other, their gazes locked in a silent battle of wills. The fight was going on for some time and it just got more and more heated.
"Look, Hector, Mia" Frank sighed, running a hand through his messy blonde hair. " I get it. You want to find a way home, and believe me, we all do. But it's a long trip to the edge of the city. We just got our feet under us, let's get stronger first!"
"Exactly!" Diane chimed in, her frustration clearly evident. "We need to focus on gathering resources and getting stronger. That'll give us a better chance at survival."
Hector shook his head, his dark hair falling into his brown eyes. "You're missing the point, Frank. We've been leveling up and gathering resources nonstop since we got here. We need to take a risk if we want to find a way out."
Mia couldn't help but agree with Hector, her heart racing with the determination to return home. She turned to face him, adding, "We can't just keep doing the same thing over and over again. We have to try something else. What if we can just leave this place?”
"Or what if there's nothing? That's what we saw from the rooftop!" Frank shot back, gray eyes narrowing. "What if you two go out there and end up dead? Then what? How does that help any of us?"
"We can't just sit around waiting for something to happen. We have to act." Mia snapped, her voice trembling with emotion.
As Mia's words echoed through the room, she could see the conflicting emotions playing across Frank's face. She knew he was scared, just like they all were, but she couldn't help feeling that his fear was holding them back.
"We don’t know what's out there!" Frank said, his voice strained with frustration. "It's reasonably safe for us right where we are! Running off to the edge of the city is just reckless!"
"Reckless?" Mia shot back, her chest heaving as she struggled to contain her emotions. "What's reckless is doing nothing and expecting things to magically improve! We can't just keep grinding away here, leveling up and gathering resources like this is some kind of game!"
"Enough!" Frank bellowed, his patience finally exhausted. "You two are so blinded by your own wants that you can't see how you could put us all in danger. What if we go out there and end up dead? Then what? How does that help any of us?"
Mia's heart clenched painfully as she realized the divide between them was only growing wider. The frustration, fear, and anger swirled within her like a storm, threatening to overcome any semblance of rational thought. It felt as if the whole world was pressing down on her, and she couldn't help but feel suffocated by the weight of their conflicting goals and desires.
"Fine," Mia spat. "If you won't help us, we'll go alone." Her voice shook with barely contained fury. "We have to find a way home, and we can't just ignore our only lead."
"Us? You mean you and Hector?" Diane's voice was ice cold, her disappointment etched across her face. "You're really going to leave us behind?"
"We’re not leaving you behind," Hector chimed in, his jaw set in a stubborn line. "If we find an escape route we will come back for you. We need to see this through, even if it means doing it without you." Hector looked like this situation was tearing him apart but he stood his ground.
Frank ran a hand through his messy brown hair, gray eyes stormy with conflict. He let out a humorless chuckle, his usual jovial demeanor nowhere to be found. "Look what this place has done to us, contemplating splitting up. Fuck! Fine! I will go with you. I refuse to let this place divide us” he sighed in defeat.
"Okay," Mia finally conceded, her voice softer now, drained of its fiery anger. "We'll go together. Thank you."
Hector's shoulders relaxed slightly, the weight of the decision lifting from him. "Good. That's settled then. Let's prepare ourselves for what's to come."
Diana still looked unconvinced but nodded, her expression unreadable "Can’t really stay behind on my own."
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As the group ventured towards the edge of the city, a sense of tension accompanied them. The journey was eerily uneventful, which instead of calming them down put them more on edge. Mia, using her Tracking, noticed that the further they traveled, the fewer signs of monsters they encountered.
The once-frequent tracks and signs of struggle gradually faded away. The ground beneath their feet had less claw marks but grew more disturbed overall. The amount of cracks and faults grew with time.
Hector, who had been leading the group, halted their progress and looked around. "This is strange," he remarked, his voice tinged with both curiosity and unease. "It's almost like they avoid this area entirely."
Mia crouched down, examining the ground intently. "I think you're wrong, Hector. There are hardly any fresh tracks here, but it feels like it's more that they gather in the middle than avoid the edge." Her brow furrowed in thought as she considered the implications.
Frank chimed in, his fear visible. "Maybe it's a trap?"
Mia pondered their theories, but shrugged internally. Soon it wouldn't matter, soon they would be out of this cursed city. They continued their journey.
And then, suddenly, they turned a corner, and their world shifted drastically.
Before them lay not more towering buildings or bizarre structures but an abrupt, yawning chasm. The city simply ended, as if it had been sliced off, and beyond that, there was nothing. Just a thick, swirling fog that began far below them and extended as far as the eye could see. The ground seemed to disappear into an abyss, and the city's edge became a precipice leading to nowhere.
Mia gasped, her eyes widening with disbelief and fear. She staggered back, her heart racing as she took in the surreal sight before her. "No," she whispered, her voice trembling. "This can't be... There's nothing beyond this? It's... it's just endless emptiness!"
Hector and the others crowded around, their expressions a mix of shock and confusion.
Frank, normally quick with a quip, was silenced by the sheer strangeness of it all.
Mia, her breaths coming in short, panicked gasps, clutched her spear tightly, her knuckles white. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the precipice, her mind struggling to comprehend the absolute nothingness that lay beyond. The edge of the city had become an unfathomable abyss, and it was as if the very rules of reality had been shattered.
Mia's hope had been a fragile ember in the depths of her being, a glimmer that had carried her through the darkest of days. Yet, now, as she stared into the abyss beyond the city's edge, that ember was extinguished. It was as if her dreams of escape, of returning home, had been torn away from her with ruthless cruelty. Her legs gave way beneath her, and she collapsed to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes as the weight of despair crushed her spirit. The world around her a nightmarish labyrinth, and reality pressed down on her like an unrelenting force, leaving her broken and lost.