Aya spots the two horned rabbits going about their business and takes a moment to figure out how to equip her two summon stones.
She fits the two stones into their respective slots and wastes no moment leaping into battle with the weaker enemies. Assuming her summon skill would be much the same as her attack skills.
The horned rabbits charge at her, doing a single damage point each. Aya acts, using her summon skill.
[Call Forth Rabbit Knight? (150 MP)]
[Call Forth Forest Sprite? (60 MP)]
Aya winces at the heavy cost it would take to summon her two allies into battle.
"It's totally worth it and besides I still have a couple of Mana potions I haven't used." she says.
Aya hits yes on both prompts and immediately a flash of light bathes her character as a Rabbit with red and silver armor adorning its tiny body leaps out of the fountain of light. It wastes no time attacking the Horned Rabbits.
An even smaller Forest Sprite follows, attacking with blasts of tiny flickering lights, Aya only stands back to watch as the Rabbit Knight swiftly dispatches the Horned rabbits within the vicinity, giving Aya the rewards and exp.
[Yvlena Acquired
EXP: 294/600
***
Rabbit Fur x2
Rabbit Meat x7
***
Moon Points: 20]
"Nice, I didn't even have to do anything there." Aya says, cheering.
[Dismiss Summons?]
[Yes/No]
Aya ponders a bit and decides not to dismiss them, the Summons seem smart enough and she didn't want to be caught unawares. Besides it would cost more Mana than she currently had to summon them again.
The Spirte suddenly flies up to her speaking.
"Pleased to meet your acquaintance." it says. The Rabbit Knight as well approaches, bowing its head towards her.
Aya takes the opportunity to take a look at her summons. A winged humanoid flutters in front of her vision although Aya could barely make out her figure due to the light emanating from the small being.
The Rabbit knight is next, the slightly anthropomorphized being sits cleaning its whiskers as she stares at him, his fur is a light wheat color that stands out against his red and silver armor.
Aya notes he's pretty strong despite her menu telling her he was currently only level one. He has a little sword strapped to his waist that mirrors the design of her carrot sword only longer and more rapier-like.
"It's nice to meet you two as well." Aya says to them. The sprite flies off and Aya is given the prompt to name her new companions.
She dismisses it, unable to think of cute names for now. Sprite and Rabbit Knight were enough currently.
[There Once Was a Kingdom 1.8% completion]
"Interesting, just summoning the knight was enough to give me more lore bits. I wonder what else will." Aya says, her attention switches from her new summons to conquering the Verdant woods. Risel
"With both of them, I can surely make it to the Verdant Woods." Aya says to herself. "Am I being too cocky here? Maybe I'm really not ready and there's a bunch more stuff to do within the town."
Brushing off the thought, she walks on, sighting the entrance to Bloom forest an area she'd struggled against previously on her journey. Aya shakes off any hesitation on her mind, proceeding farther and farther away from the area until she finds a different colored patch of grass.
Closely examining it, Aya can tell the grass is yellowed and dead from whatever was beyond the area at this point.
Her summons say nothing only waiting to follow her lead into the path. Aya continues forward finally reaching the entrance of the new area.
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A title card for the area flashes briefly across her vision letting her know this was the Verdant wood's path.
The area is thick with unease, even just sitting at her computer Aya feels the oppressive force of the dark, corrupted area. The trees framing the path are gnarled, and blackened by something Aya knows to be the miasma from the war of the gods.
No birds sing, instead a screaming breeze whistles past her ears, ruffling her hair and the rabbit knight's fur. The summon shivers and Sprite makes a perch of Yvlena's head.
Below her character, charred, dead grass sprouts from the ground in a sickly hue, it almost makes Aya hesitate.
The path to the woods is a dark winding road of dead grass Yvlena follows. Looking around, she feels eyes stare out from open tree holes, and behind her, ominous sounds resonate from among the trees.
No enemies lunge at her yet and the girl is almost relieved. Sprite and Rabbit Knight are quiet as they pass through, nearly jumping at every little sway of a branch or hoot of an owl. The path continues to darken, shutting out the light the further Aya goes.
One step more puts her face to face with a wolf.
"There's something strange about this wolf." Aya says to herself, gazing upon it she notices its fur is dark as night, ivory white claws glint in the pale sunlight of the shadowy forest and its teeth reveal themselves to be as sharp as tiny daggers.
There's a madness in its eyes as it snarls and prepares to attack, but most of all a strange black vapor seems to be emanating from the wolf's fur.
"That must be the miasma corruption Risel was talking about." Aya says to herself. The wolf takes a step forward first, sizing them up intelligently before leaping forward.
"Here it comes." Aya says bracing herself and her summons.
The wolf lunges, teeth and all ignoring the summon and heading straight for the summoner. It attacks, clamping down viciously on Aya. She yelps taking 12 damage as the wolf pulls back.
"Not as bad as the horned Rabbit Queen." Aya says. The Rabbit Knight attacks first attacking the wolf and hitting it with 7 damage. Sprite leaps forward.
[Sprite cast Sting (01 MP)]
Hitting the wolf with 3 damage. Aya joins the battle attacking with the carrot sword and landing 22 damage.
"Awesome, with the rabbit's foot I should land a critical hit if I just keep attacking." the wolf staggers a bit, retreating slightly as though making a move to run away. It shakes itself off unleashing a mighty howl.
[10 damage to all Party members]
"That nasty wolf!" Aya hears Sprite scream from beside her. The Rabbit Knight nods, lunging again.
[Rabbit Knight Cast Slash]
Rabbit Knight dives forward, avoiding every swipe of the corrupted wolf's claws and delivering an elegant strike with his carrot Rapier. The wolf whines as a status appears on its head.
[Corrupted Wolf is afflicted with bleed -1 HP Per turn]
"Way to go Rabbit Knight!" Aya cheers. She and Sprite attack hitting the Wolf with a stunning combo.
[Battle Skill Unlocked: Stunner Combo]
Together they do a combined damage of 35, making the wolf growl dangerously. The wolf leaps forward, clamping its teeth down on Rabbit Knight.
"Rabbit knight!" Aya calls, the rabbit only shakes its wounds off, facing Aya with a stoic expression as if to tell her it was okay. She sighs in relief, after only one battle the girl finds herself attached to the Rabbit standing proudly beside her.
What a weird turn of events.
It takes one more hit from Aya for the wolf to finally dissolve in a flash of light signifying its defeat.
"We did it." Aya says in relief, she didn't know the wolf's level but she could tell it was a higher-level enemy than anything she had encountered so far. If not for her summons the battle may have very well been lost.
She falls back to rest on her chair sighing in relief at the outcome of the battle, her eyes open at the sound of the screen beeping.
[Rabbit Knight gained a level +1]
[Sprite gained a level +1]
[Sprite learned skill: Cure Lv. 1]
She reads through nodding, it would seem the game had a leveling criteria of it's own for the summons.
[Yvlena Acquired
EXP: 376/600
***
Wolf Fang x1
Shadow Essence x1
***
Moon Points: 200]
"That wolf had a ton of exp, still hope I don't encounter another one though." Aya says continuing on her way down the dark winding path down to the Verdant wood.
From the corner of her vision, she notices a dark cloud over the area she and her summons walk towards. Soon a cloudy haze begins to form over her screen, the closer she gets the more she notices a thick heavy film over her vision.
It was a thin fog, growing thicker the farther Yvlena moves towards it until a solid barrier blocks her path to the Verdant Wood.
"The Miasma has spread?" Aya says. She recalls her conversation with Risel, where she learned of the Miasma blocking the path from the Verdant Woods to the next village.
On getting here the Miasma seems to have spread farther, meaning it could move to cover the town of Bloom Haven.
[-1 damage]
Her menu says, she pulls back from the fog immediately not wanting to put her character in any danger.
"It even hurts you." she says looking up at the thick wall, just beyond, Aya can make out thick branching trees and a path leading into the forest.
"I've got to tell Risel and Beatrice." Aya says. "I don't even know what will happen if it covers the town."
"Let's head back." Aya says to her summons who are only too happy to oblige. The group turns from the path, walking back down the way they came only to encounter a pair of horned rabbits.
Much like the wolf, the rabbits glow with the power of the dark haze. Aya wonders how much stronger it makes them.
The rabbits don't give her a chance to continue her musings and attack, charging straight for Aya and her summons.
With the Rabbit Slayer boost it's easy to despatch them, Aya wastes no time at all.
[Yvlena Acquired
EXP: 436/600
***
Shadow essence x2
Dark Rabbit fur x2
***
Moon Points: 150]
[Class Skill: Summon Leveled Up]
The menu informs her once they're closer to town. Aya shrugs, unable to understand how the skill leveled up by itself while she passively walks through the gates. She pulls up the menu and reads what the skill does now. She didn't gain an extra slot but her mana consumption when summoning was reduced by 10%
"Sweet now it won't cost as much to bring Sprite and Rabbit Knight into battle." she says.
With a heavy heart, Aya dismisses her summons who wave goodbye and bow to her as they dissolve into light.
"I chose the right class, I feel like I have a couple of party members with me." she says rushing towards the Artisan District to inform Risel of her findings.