Chapter 171: Chasing Sunlight

The journey home was just as swift as the journey to the mountain. The roles, however, were inverted.

Where Mercury was the healthy one before, Zyl now instead looked much better off. And where Zyl was uncannily gorgeous, well, no, he was still the one looking uncannily gorgeous. Mercury looked as if someone had taken him, wrung him like a rag, then smashed him through a couple rocks just to make a point.

Because that’s kind of mostly what happened.

Regardless of Mercury’s rather miserable experience throughout it all, they made it back to the cottage safe. Irrithuriel opened the door, and set about cooking, while Mercury almost immediately collapsed onto the bed.

It had never felt so soft against his skin.

Parts of that were probably the fact that his skin was, by now, incredibly durable. As in, outstandingly so. He had added another huge chunk of points to vitality, which was already one of his higher stats, and now sat at the very top of his stat sheet. Well, probably, he’d gained levels whose points he hadn’t seen applied yet.

Still, with it and having worked continuously to make him more durable, the bed felt like a soft, warm embrace, and Mercury found his eyes closing almost immediately.

Somehow, relying on instincts buried deep within his current shape, he’d placed himself in the perfect middle of the single sunny spot on the mattress, where a square of yellow sunlight travelled in through the window.

Motes of dust danced in the air, and the heat was comfortable on his fur, despite making his dozens of wounds itch and ache. Well, maybe that was just the fact that they existed at all. Regardless, the surrounding air soon also began shifting to a slightly more comfortable temperature, as Irrithuriel began cooking something.

Zyl sat down on the bed next to his feline companion, softly laying a hand on one of Mercury’s paws.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” he asked in a soft voice.

Mercury met his gaze by lazily opening one eye. “Perfectly.” There was the taste of blood still in his mouth. “I’ll heal.”

The dragon ran a finger through his fur. “Just… look out for yourself.”

“Heh, soon as you start looking out for yourself, silly,” Mercury chided jokingly, flashing a small smile. His eyes were already closed again, and he simply enjoyed the warmth surrounding him.

He heard Zyl groan. “I don’t think that has anything to do with this.”

“I’m pretty sure it does.” Mercury dragged out the last word teasingly.

A long sigh left Zyl’s lips. “Alright. I suppose I hardly have a choice when there’s someone like you looking out for me.”

Mercury grinned. “You betcha. Gonna take such good care of you. Once, uh, once my bones are back in the right places.”

Zyl smiled. “Soon as that,” he said, then kissed Mercury on the forehead. “You rest well now, yeah?”

“Mhm,” Mercury murmured, already half asleep. “Will do.”

Then, the cat got his nap.

- - -

What would perhaps be considered a reasonable time later without being too long, a smell tickled his nose. The distinct aroma of comforting food

Not too long after, he found a plate placed in front of him, still on the bed.

“I can go to the table,” he complained grumpily, already knowing his legs might refuse.

“Try getting up and I’ll feed you,” Zyl threatened.

Mercury’s face fell in abject horror as he watched the benign smile on the dragon’s face. Such audacity! Such betrayal!

“I suppose I could eat in bed.”

“I suppose you could,” Zyl nodded along.

With , he didn’t waste a single drop of food, his mana already having recharged enough to reliably use the Skill. His entire meal was taken in under the watchful eye of Zyl, and afterwards, he shifted in the bed until he was in the centre of the sunny spot again. Once more, he drifted off to sleep.

- - -

The next time Mercury woke up, it was already late at night. Zyl and Irrithuriel hadn’t ever been loud enough during the day, both of them moving with grace beyond what humans were usually capable of.

Instead, what had him open his eyes, was a knock on the door.

The sky was dark outside, the sunny spot Mercury’d been laying on already disappeared. Instead, a small orb of warm flame had replaced it above his head, shedding barely enough light yet somehow almost perfectly replicating the heat of the sun. He loved it.

The knock on the door resounded again.

Mercury looked around the room, his settling in properly. Zyl was also on the bed, breathing calmly and quietly. The man was probably more than tired, having gone so far beyond what should be reasonable, then absorbing a part of himself back into himself. He truly did need the sleep.

Irrithuriel, too, was nowhere to be seen, the old witch probably in another room, sleeping off the fatigue of the day. It was a lot for her as well.

Deciding he was the best person for the job, Mercury let out a long sigh, then heaved himself up.

His bones complained at every step he made, and he felt a dozen hundred aches flare up all over his body. Every muscle, bone and bit of cartilage in his body ached.

At least, probably thanks to his vitality milestone, and , the pain wasn’t the kind of burning pain you got when you were wounded, but instead the kind of deep, dull pull that came with healing wounds.

There was a third, slightly more urgent knock by the time he reached the door. He stared at the handle for a few seconds.

“Who’s there?” he asked from the inside, not willing to compromise the warding enchantments in case there was danger.

“It’s me,” a voice came from outside, scratchy and gravelly.

“Who’s me?” Mercury asked right back, already recognizing Nir.

“Nir. Zyl’s sister.” She said the words somewhat awkwardly, as if not used to them, and with a pause in between.

“How do I know it’s you?” By now, the mopaaw was teasing, but there was still merit to that.

“Uhm. Well. I, hm. I promise it’s me, Mer!” She said the last bit with such conviction you’d think it was the most compelling piece of evidence ever.

“I see. Well, I suppose there is absolutely no flaw in this argument. What are you doing here so late at night?”

“Could you open the door? It’s kinda awkward to talk to a piece of wood. As mysterious as it makes you seem.” He could almost hear her scratching the back of her head.

“Alright, alright, I understand.”

With a small smile, Mercury pulled the door open. truly was one of the best Skills he’d ever picked.

In front of there was, in fact, the same wiry girl he’d gotten to know over the last few days. Her frame was thin, her limbs looking too long for her. She wore a simple shirt, already of small size, yet still it was far too wide and too short for her, showing some of her stomach. Her pants ended just below the knee.

“Aren’t you cold?” Mercury asked.

She blinked at him slowly. “What?”

“Aren’t you cold?” he asked again.

Once more, Nir looked at him, then tilted her head, a little further than most would think of as comfortable. “No. Why?”

“Your clothes. Aren’t exactly made for cold weather.”

She shrugged. “It’s not cold.” Her breath misted in the night air.

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“I’m pretty sure it is.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The two stared at each other for a moment, Nir seemingly content to wait for Mercury to pick up the conversation again.

“Alright, then. What brings you here, Nir.”

“Brother Ber is different,” she said, her tone entirely neutral.

“He is?”

“Mhm. Very. He didn’t say anything, but it’s his posture. He was standing straight, looking ahead. He never stands up straight.”

Mercury shrugged. “A lot happened today.” His shoulders ached as he made the motion.

Nir’s eyes narrowed. “You. You’re hurt.”

A small smile found its way to Mercury’s lips at the surprise in the girl’s voice. “I suppose I am.”

“Is it bad?”

“Not really.” It was.

“Does it hurt?”

“I’ve been through worse.” He had, though not much.

The girl squatted down, getting her eye level closer to him. She was looking at him without much of an expression, that simple, curious, blank look kids sometimes had about them. She poked his shoulder with her finger.

“Ouch,” Mercury said, his tone dry. It hadn’t hurt much. “I don’t think I enjoy being touched.”

Nir smiled victoriously. “That means you’re very hurt.”

The mopaaw shook his head. “I don’t much like being touched, even when not hurt.”

Again, Nir tilted her head. “Why’s that?”

“Don’t like it.”

She looked at him. A second passed, then another. “I see.” she then said. “What happened to brother Ber?”

“I kicked his butt verbally, then he kicked mine physically.”

Nir smiled. “Did he?”

“He did.”

“Doesn’t sound like him. I bet he beat you verbally, too.”

“No, no, I was much cooler than him,” Mercury retorted.

“Maybe. Brother Ber isn’t very awesome.” She said it so matter-of-factly it hurt

“You’re not wrong.”

“I’m not, no,” she agreed with a nod. “But he seems better, now. Thank you for that. How is Zyl?”

She quickly changed topic after thanking him, so Mercury didn’t pursue it. “Zyl’s okay. He got his spark back, he’s just very tired.”

Now, a smile found its way to Nir’s face. “That’s very good to hear!”

“Agreed. With a little luck, he’ll be healed up again not too long from now.”

“Mh. Brother Zyl always healed fast.”

“Exactly.”

Silence held between them again, pale moonlight barely illuminating the mountaintops. It wasn’t a very bright night.

“Can I see him now?” Nir asked.

“He’s asleep.”

“Oh.” Her smile faded.

“Yeah. Just needs rest. He and Berthorn fought and he’s tired.”

That almost made Nir laugh. “Brother Zyl? Tired from fighting brother Ber?” There was amusement in her voice, as if telling a joke.

“Yes, seriously. Ber cheated, using a powerful weapon on an already much weaker Zyl. He also aimed the weapon at me, forcing Zyl to take the damage, rather than dodging.”

“So you lost, not Zyl,” Nir said.

“No, I think Ber would have cheated his way to victory, even without me there,” Mercury added. “Really, I think I helped.”

“Maybe,” she shrugged. “Wasn’t there. Glad the sparring went well though.”

“We weren’t sparring,” Mercury said.

The girl’s head tilted to the side, almost a ninety degree angle this time. “But no one died?”

“Barely, yes.”

“So you were sparring!” she said, a huge smile on her face.

Mercury took a deep breath in, partially trying to push his annoyance away, then flashed her a smile. “You could call it that, I suppose.”

Nir shook her head. “Teasing you. I get it. Half-spar.”

“Sure,” Mercury said with an amused huff.

“Okay. I’ll be off then. Thanks Mer. See you soon.”

“Alright, see ya.”

With her short parting words said, the girl flew off. Well, granted, she didn’t really fly, but jumped, yet the jump was easily strong enough to seem like flight.

Mercury, for his part, closed the door, ran a paw through Zyl’s hair, calming his breathing, then cuddled up to his boyfriend again as he went to sleep.

More hours drifted by.

- - -

When Mercury woke up, it was still early in the day, but the sun was already out. Slowly, he stirred, and once more shifted to the sunny spot.

Overnight, his pains had truly had time to settle in, almost as if his body had only just now caught up with all of the things that’d injured it. Every bit of him ached, whether he was staying still or moving about.

It well and truly felt like he’d once again put himself through the wringer. Overused every bit of himself. Some of his Skills even felt like they were more difficult to activate, a small amount of resistance there that he needed to overcome.

The exhaustion sat so deep inside him, that when he called up his status, he didn’t even read it, simply let the instinctive knowledge of the system guide him. If he missed anything, Appy would let him know anyway. Status.

=

Status:

Mercury Rainfall Starlight

Level: 1 -> 6

Species: Srytfyel

Titles: , , , , , ,

Alias: Beast, Mittens, dum-dun, Yr'enzel

===

Hp: 342/850

Mp: 766/767

Sp: 333/547

===

Strength: 113 (+5)

Vitality: 170 -> 180

Dexterity: 115 (+15) -> 117

Agility: 147 (+15) -> 148

Intelligence: 123 -> 127

Wisdom: 118 (+2) -> 123

Willpower: 152 -> 178

Luck: 108 -> 111

===

Ability points: 31

World points: 1763

Skill points: 1 710

===

Gold: 14 853

Beast familiars: 1/2

=

He’d gained five full levels. The notifications had happened after the fight, despite his loss, because his desire to protect Zyl was fulfilled.

Of course he’d wanted to win, to kick Berthorn’s ass, to do all of that and more. But it was okay. They were safe. This was still a good outcome. And that desire was rewarded.

The reward, of course, mainly came in willpower. Vitality had gone from 170 to 180. He’d increased it to 170 in the middle of the fight, putting points into it when he needed to heal. The same went for agility, which he’d also put many points into.

Honestly, seeing his Hp being higher than his mana after all this time felt… strange. Wrong, almost. He’d need to remedy that, either with his points, or by absorbing more from the surroundings.

Also, despite his Hp being low, he knew he’d heal. The bar would probably reach its maximum in a few hours from now, and then it would help him heal even faster. Hp and body condition were strongly linked, but there could still be some disparity between them. Not permanently, really, it would fade as they influenced each other, but it could happen.

His world points had also gone up, but those didn’t matter as much, not to him, not right now. Maybe one day.

Much more interesting were his Skills. Specifically the new ability he’d acquired from this newest excursion.

Usually, having a description for an ability shown was a bit more difficult than getting one for a Skill. He had never really bothered looking up the descriptions of the abilities gained through ihn’ar, since he understood them properly, but this time, he wanted to see it spelled out.

[: The individual has taken their understanding of a concept, then pushed its boundaries until they snapped. When the framework of was no longer enough, it grew. Now, the ability encompasses . The individual holds command over the essence of storm and its manifestation. Gentle rain may refresh, heavy storms may destroy. It is part of the cycle that is and isn’t. As sudden as a storm manifests, the individual can create one from nothing.]

Mercury read the description and smiled, because he knew that wasn’t all there was to the ability. It was, intrinsically, a part of him.

If he tried, he knew he could use it to control his own body. Make mana rage through his veins like a storm, have his stamina flood his system like a hurricane. Breath fill is lungs on command.

It was as though he’d promised himself to live up to his namesake. To provide comfort to those he cared for, and to tear down the walls that stood in the way of his freedom. That was the essence of , to him.

Despite the fact that he didn’t need to, Mercury took a deep breath. The air still smelled like food and wood, and a little like Zyl. He enjoyed it.

Then, he browsed through the notifications telling him his Skills increased in level.

There were, quite literally, dozens.

[Your Skills have levelled up: 10>, 2>, 6>, 4>, 3>, 5>, 31>, 4>, 3>, 5>, 3>, 5>, 2>, 3>, 5>, 2>, 8>!]

Especially and made nice progress. He’d been put through a lot there, and both Skills were almost permanently running, so it was certainly warranted, but nevertheless nice to see.

In addition, and somewhat surprisingly, out of the whole bunch, was the Skill that was now ready to evolve.

[ has met the necessary qualifications for evolution. Evolve? (400 Skill points)]

Yes.

[Evolution confirmed. Engaging. Please pick an option to evolve the Skill into. The price will be the same (400 Skill points), no matter which you choose.]

[1.

2.

3.

4. ]

[: A more violent Skill, meant for use on living matter. When activated as an attack on anything that possesses Hp, the Skill will deal additional damage. It leaves jagged cuts that are hard to heal, and the wounds bleed more than usual.]

This one was, as the Skill itself said, violent. And very aggressive. Mercury had been using for combat, but it’s not as though the Skill was without usage outside. He could scratch and cute and so on just fine with them, too. This one seemed a bit too aggressive.

[: A simple Skill that imparts additional slicing power into your attacks. Cuts will be smoother, leaving sharp lines. With practice, they can be made with enough finesse for them to only be noticed upon inspection, then suddenly take greater effect. Attacks deal additional damage based on how long it takes for an opponent to discover them.]

The second option was a bit more… out there. Sure, he liked the sharpness, but the fact that he could leave cuts so fine that they would take forever to be noticed was strange. What if they were never noticed, then? Would they just not deal damage? Heal faster? Not at all? It seemed weirdly style-orientated, rather than practical.

[: Usually acquired as an evolution to the more basic Skill, this allows the user to further enhance their biological weaponry and toolset. The individual’s claws will remain sharp, be able to withdraw and extend further, giving a longer cutting edge. Additionally, attacks made using claws will deal more damage, especially upon activation of this Skill.]

With this option came a nice touch of quality of life. He wouldn’t need to put as much effort into constantly keeping his claws sharp if they simply took care of that themselves. It was rather solid, but also kind of… boring, overall. But it was a contender.

[: What the individual wills to cut, it will be cut. This Skill may be applied on top of any weaponry, biological or not, the individual wields, to greatly enhance cutting power. The Skill may also be used by itself to will things apart. Cuts can be made with only the mind, or the Skill can be used to lengthen existing weaponry. If applied on top of a magical item, item effects will still be delivered upon contact with the Skill.]

Now this sounded quite a bit better already. First of all, it improved his range quite substantially, which none of the others did. All of them enhanced his slashing, sure, but only this one said he could extend the Skill past his items and still have the effect working. And being able to cut with his mind was a very nice bonus.

Of course, he could probably still learn to do that with his rijn, but the Skill might even help him pick that up faster.

Honestly, it seemed like there was hardly any contest.

[Evolution selected.]

[The individual has acquired the Skill through Skill evolution!]

Once the Skill settled in, he tried it for a moment, willing the tips of a few hairs to from his front legs. They fell away, cleanly cut.

Mercury smiled, tried the Skill on a spoon on the kitchen table, leaving a small cut on it. He didn’t make it go all the way through, since that would have been kinda rude.

Satisfied with the Skill, Mercury followed the moving sunlight, then gently closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

There was more resting to be done!