* System Notice
* You have re-entered a coverage zone. Your Labyrinth Interface has been restored to full functionality.
Jade dismissed the notice, taking in her surroundings. As promised, the portal had deposited them in a lush valley filled with bushes, tall grass, and scattered trees. A bright sun hung overhead, bathing the land in pleasant warmth. Before she could do more than ascertain that there were no immediate threats nearby, another message popped up.
* Level Up!
* You have reached Level 16.
* Reward: New racial ability.
* Reward: +2 stat points.
"Hey! I levelled." Naomi said, perking up.
"Me too." Jade said. "Guess that dinosaur fight paid off."
Naomi, as it turned out, had levelled up twice, bringing her to level 14. She had also gained the same title Jade possessed, 'Limit Breaker', awarded for casting spells that had been boosted two full ranks above their baseline. That granted her a coveted upgrade point along with the four stat points and additional class feature the levels provided.
Luis, like Jade, levelled up once, bringing him to 14 as well. This left all of them with some choices to make as they started hiking towards the closest node, following the directions included in maps L-ReF had made of the local area. With some trepidation, Jade pulled up the window containing her new feature options.
What ridiculous powers will the system try and force on me this time?
* Succubus 16th level feature
* The level you've been waiting for! Many things are said about succubi, but no one can deny that they know how to enjoy themselves.
Jade ignored the Voice of the Labyrinth's color commentary and skimmed over the old options she'd skipped over in the past, which were mostly 'climax' related powers that she had no intention of picking. A new one was available to choose from now, as was typical of her racial options. This was the first one that read like it might be legitimately useful, although the other was intriguing as well.
* Ability: Enduring Temptation
* Solidify the links between yourself and creatures you have charmed. While a creature is under the effect of one of your enchantments you may touch them to transform the duration of the condition to 'until dispelled'. Doing so requires you to commit a portion of your maximum mana to maintaining the enchantment proportional to the creature's power. This mana will be unavailable to you while you maintain this bond.
Using this power will not change the nature or strength of the charm effect.
Jade was immediately enamored by the ability. The short duration of her charm spells was one of their major downsides. A dramatic increase to that value would open up new options on how to use those capabilities, both in and out of a battle. That wasn't the only important part, though. It wasn't explicitly written in the ability text, but Jade had an innate sense that altering the bond she held with a charmed creature in this manner would allow her to recast her charm spells without ending the previous effects.
That would truly be a game changer. Or it would be, so long as the hit to her maximum mana wasn't too severe. Without choosing the option she had no way to know how much of her magic would be required to maintain the effect on a creature of similar power level to herself. Those were the types of beings her charm powers were most useful on, after all, as she encountered them regularly and her magic could reliably take hold on them.
Jade thought it over while she read through the second option.
* Ability: Euphoric Might
* Having an orgasm increases all your stats by 15%. These bonuses decay back to their base scores over the course of the next two hours. This effect does not stack.
Jade was so distracted by the absurdity of the ability that she nearly walked into a tree. Naomi pulled her aside just in time, scolding her.
"Hey, watch where you're going."
"Sorry." Jade muttered, flushing a little. "Thanks."
"Everything okay?" Naomi asked, looking at her curiously.
"I think the Labyrinth is screwing with me."
Naomi appeared confused for a moment, and then understanding dawned on her face.
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"Sixteen is a racial feature level." she said, hiding her smirk with a hand. "Right."
Blessedly, she didn't inquire further.
Jade resumed following Luis up the hill, embarassed, returning her attention to her interface. It really did feel like the Labyrinth was messing with her, continually improving the offerings of its more ridiculous abilities until she was forced to take one of them. If the 15% stat boost compounded with the increase her demon form provided, which Jade sensed that it did, then it would be a potent increase indeed. Especially considering that the effect would grow more pronounced as she grew in strength.
The ability had major shortcomings, however. That the stat boosts decayed so quickly made it less desirable. Also, setting aside the embarassing nature of the power, it shared the flaw the other 'climax' powers did: Namely, it was just too impractical to make effective use of. What was she supposed to do? Back away every time they ran across a monster to find a private place and take care of business?
Ridiculous. Jade thought, covering her face with her hands.
The enhancement to her charm powers was the obvious choice. She'd just have to hope that the mana cost was manageable. Jade glanced over the abilities one more time. If the stat boost's duration were something like twelve hours, it might've been worth it. As it was, her decision wasn't difficult.
She confirmed her pick, selecting 'Enduring Temptation'.
If the orgasm powers keep getting better at this rate, I might have to pick one eventually… Jade thought with a mental groan. Naomi teased her enough as it was. She didn't need more ammunition.
"Get anything good?" Luis asked, reaching down to help Jade up a steep embankment. "I just picked up a new tank talent. It was an easy choice."
"Maybe." Jade said, grabbing his hand and pulling herself up to join him. They'd finally reached the top of the hill, revealing a sprawling landscape of lush highlands surrounding them on all sides. Something glinted in the distance, reflecting the sun's light. The node was right where they'd been told to expect it. "I'll have to test it first. Hey, Naomi?"
"Yeah?"
"Ready for another round of charm resistance training? I have something I need to try."
"It's not anything weird, is it?" she asked suspiciously.
"Not that you know of." Now it was Jade's turn to hide a grin.
Naomi gave her a flat look.
"No." Jade relented. "But it could be a big help to us."
----------------------------------------
A short time later Jade, Luis and Naomi entered the outskirts of Lysara, approaching the town from the top of the ridge the forest village was built along. The vantage afforded them a beautiful view of the treetop homes, all linked together by sculpted walkways of vines and branches. The seamless manner in which the wood elves integrated their homes into nature stood out all the more after visiting Earth, and Jade found herself wishing that her people had taken better care of their own natural world.
Luis led the way into town while Jade reflected on the results of her experimentation. Naomi's training was starting to bear fruit. Even in her succubus form, it had taken Jade two tries to get her 'Allure' spell to take hold on her. Once it had, she had been pleased to discover that her new ability only consumed about 35% of her maximum mana pool when used on a level 14 wayfarer. That was less than she'd feared, but more than she'd hoped for.
Jade didn't know if that would hold true for monsters of a similar level, but it was a promising start. The prospect of being able to charm multiple enemy combatants at once opened new tactical options in battle, and they were already discussing how to best implement her new capability. With Luis picking up a tank-related talent and Naomi learning a debuff-removing spell, their team was stronger than ever. Especially now that Fenrin would be joining them for the foreseeable future.
They found Siora and Fenrin in the elf's alchemy shop in the upper levels of the village. Siora's shop was a cozy, one room affair that was surprisingly spacious considering it was grown into the side of a tree dozens of yards above the ground.
"You could be charging more for these recovery potions." Fenrin was saying as they entered the dimly lit store. The half-elf was pointing at an array of crimson vials lining one of the many shelves. "Wyrmvine is a rare ingredient."
"I know." Siora shrugged. "But I can't bring myself to charge sick people more than I absolutely need to. It just… doesn't feel right."
"You're too good for the world of commerce." Fenrin gave her a wry smile. Then, catching sight of their arrival, he turned to greet them. "You made it back! That didn't take too long."
"We didn't run into much trouble." Luis said, clapping him on the shoulder.
"For once." Jade muttered.
"Not much trouble?" Naomi gave them a skeptical look. "We fought a herd of dinosaurs in downtown Washington!"
Jade and Luis exchanged a glance.
"Yeah, but we actually had help." She pointed out. "That was an improvement."
"Is your world okay?" Siora asked, stepping out from behind the counter to join them. Jade could feel the genuine concern behind the elf's words. "What did you find?"
The three of them brought their new friends up to speed on the situation on Earth, taking turns relating their experiences. It didn't take long to catch them up.
"Overall, it's not great." Jade finished with a shrug. "But it could be worse. All we can do is keep going, reach the third floor, and get started."
"Still interested in joining us?" Luis asked.
"I am." Fenrin nodded. "As long as that's okay."
"We could definitely use your help." Naomi said gratefully. "But be warned, trouble follows this one like a magnet." She nodded to Jade.
"Hey." Jade protested. "I don't cause problems. I solve them."
"Uh-huh."
"It's alright." Fenrin smiled. "I have my own reasons to get to the higher floors."
Jade recalled the story Fenrin had told her about his father, who had gone missing on a merchant expedition to the fourth floor. Their journey would take them there, once they were done with the third-floor cores.
"If you're still going to Estelhelm, I'd like to come along too." Siora piped up. "I still need to get my node access back. There are some supplies in the city I can't get anywhere else."
"That's the plan." Jade nodded. "When will you be ready to leave? And where's Aylin?"
"We've been ready for a couple of days." Fenrin said, patting the back he carried slung over one shoulder. "Aylin's down at the stronghold. She said something about putting a seal around that divine artifact to make it safe for transport."
"She's been spending almost all her time there." Siora added. "It must be pretty important."
"Well, let's find out if she's done." Jade said, nodding at her friends.
Before they left, she took one last look around Siora's store. The elf specialized in healing and cleansing potions, and Jade had experienced the quality of her work firsthand. But nothing here was powerful enough to cure a disease as complicated as the one her brother battled. Even magic, it turned out, was not all powerful.
"I did some research while you were gone." Siora said softly, pausing by the door as the others filed out. "I know what ingredients to look for, now."
"Will you be able to find them?" Jade asked, swallowing around the newly formed lump in her throat.
"If not in Estelhelm, then in Illysport." she nodded. "They may… be expensive, though. I don't know."
"Thanks, Siora." Jade squeezed her arm gratefully. "I appreciate it."
One way or another, I'll find something for you. Jade thought, following the others outside. Hang on, Alan.
Their break was over. Now, it was time for the next step of their Labyrinth journey. In Estelhelm Jade had a possibly friendly demon to meet, ingredients to find, and a decidedly unfriendly demon to investigate. With any luck, they'd find other Earth wayfarers to coordinate with, and maybe even a new party member to round out their number. Once that was done, the real work would begin.
Unfortunately, Jade had forgotten one simple thing. In the Labyrinth, nothing was ever that easy.