Lasair was, to put it as blankly and calmly as possible, FUCKING FURIOUS. She spends every single drop of energy, extra and natural, on that dagger. And it's all great! The dagger looks good, it seems fully physical, and it's a unique material too.

But not five seconds after she finished it, some random kid stumbles in and starts calling it a gift! If she wasn't too low on energy to command the birds, he would be considerably more charred. The [LIEUTENANTS] needed no such drain, and Lasair had already called for them to return.

Mirage was quite far off in the mountain ranges, so even with her speed rivaling that of a plane, it would be at least a minute until she got back.

Apollo was weaving through the forest as fast as his bobbing gate allowed, a symphony of roaring brass and furious strings following in his wake.

Midas told her to fuck off, as he was taking a nap.

Lasair wasn't afraid for her core. She still had the [FLAMETHROWERS], and the birds would likely naturally deem the kid a threat after they turned on. Two out of three of her children would be here soon, and the wisps couldn't be counted out either.

But still! The nerve of this kid. He had stood back up by now, and Lasair decided to [INSPECT] him.

[STATUS LOADING...]

[STATUS]: TOBIAS [LAST NAME NOT FOUND]

[CLASS]: [ELVEN]

[LEVEL]: 2

[AFFINITY(S]):

[BONDED]:

[ABILITIES]: FACT'S PERSISTENCE

Only level two? What the fuck was this kid doing here? And why was he raising the dagger towards a [FIRE-BIRD]?

"I am ready."

Bitch, you are not ready.

Unfortunately, the bird didn't take her opinion into its decision. It ruffled its feathers, raising out of its nest as haze grew around its wings. With one last warning screech, it stalked to the edge of the stone crevice that housed its nest.

The little thief showed no signs of backing down. He had somehow decided that facing a [DUNGEON] creature that was double his level was a great idea. It was not a great idea. It was not even a good idea. It was a horrible fucking idea that was likely to get him killed.

The bird threw itself into the air as it flung a blade of haze at the kid. He twisted his body to the side a moment too late, and a jagged red line carved its way across his left arm. The bird itself was now in the middle of the Aviary, preparing to dive towards him.

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It began its descent as he recovered from the burn, and rocketed towards his face in all its clawed and flaming glory. The little thief had no time to dodge or twist out of the way. He once again proved just how smart he was with another great idea.

Which was to completely disregard the only weapon he had and the fact that his opponents face was rather pointy, and sucker punch a flaming bird. His fist connected right above the beak, landing a glancing blow against the plumage on its head.

The bird was so shocked by this unique approach that it pulled out of the dive at the last second. It quickly resumed its previous position of flying lazy circles around the room. Haze gathered around its wings, and the barrage began.

Blades of haze flew across the room in sets of two. With the increased distance and an idea of what to expect, the little thief actually managed to dodge the first few attacks. But Lasair could feel what was coming next. The bird gathered all its remaining energy in a single devastating blade.

Good luck, little thief.

At first it looked no different from the others, so the kid looked confident. But when it flew across the room at triple the speed of the others, his eyes widened. With the realization that he had no chance of dodging the haze, the little thief did the one thing he could.

The dagger came up directly into the blade, in a last attempt to block as much of the damage as possible. But that was not what happened. As the blades met, both seemed to... pause. The haze didn't dissipate, it just hung in the air. The dagger seemed to be stuck in the haze as if glued, despite how hard the kid pulled.

And then, just like its wielder, the dagger pulled. The air and fire mana that made up the attack swirled as if lost at sea, slowly spiraling into the dagger. Once finished, the blade pulsed with flashes of red and white light, spreading to just above the handle of the weapon.

The kid stood still for a moment, before thrusting out his hand. The stab was a good distance away from the bird, but the mana was not. All that was stored within the dagger's crystalline form was blasted back at the bird in a single concentrated marble of pulsing light.

It hit the bird right where its left wing connected to its body. For a moment it seemed nothing would happen. The orb of mana impacted the birds feathers, and stilled there. But then, it shattered. A blast of fire and haze overtook the birds from, and it fell to the ground.

With rather good timing too. As the gales and flames began to spread through the room, Mirage broke into the room like a bolt of thunder from the clouds, stopping on a dime. She hovered in the air without so much as a single flap of her wings, showing mastery of her control.

All the air mana in the room slowly coalesced around her, and she cast it out through the hole in the ceiling. A spear of pure wind flew from the room, and Mirage's calculating glare landed on the kid.

"Four... Four! Four whole levels! Ha! Ha ha ha!"

The little thief once again collapsed on the ground, cackling like a madman.

[STATUS LOADING...]

[STATUS]: TOBIAS [LAST NAME NOT FOUND]

[CLASS]: [ELVEN SPY]

[LEVEL]: 6

[AFFINITY(S]):

[BONDED]:

[ABILITIES]: FACT'S PERSISTENCE

The kid had even gained a class, and Lasair watched with baited breath as the structured mana of his status crumbled and reformed. The new class evaded her probing, slinking through all the magic code with the utmost grace and stealth. Benefiting of a [SPY].

"This place... It's amazing. It would be an honor to be a part of it. For so long as my heart beats and my energy flows, you have my blade."

And just as fast as it appeared, the class shattered once more. But it didn't reform yet. What did appear was another system message, meant for Lasair this time.

[[TOBIAS [LAST NAME NOT FOUND]] HAS PLEDGED TO YOUR CAUSE. CHOOSE DEVOTEE CLASS]:

CORE'S PRIEST

CORE'S PALADIN

CORE'S CULTIST