FWOOSH
Deciding not to question me any further, with a wave of a wing, a literal wall of flame manifests before Screech. This is the first time I’ve actually seen her make any sort of motion to conjure something, so, maybe that’s got something to do with this?
Because as far as I’m aware, this is a massive display of power in comparison to anything she’s done before? It’s not a stock still display of magic either, the entire thing advances down the cavern, nearly blocking the entire path with its bulk.
“Is that good?”
“I mean it’s certainly a light! Kind of, y’know, blocking our line of sight though?”
“Is that a bad thing? Didn’t you want whatever that was dead?”
“Yes, but,” I wave at the conjured flames to demonstrate a point, “do you think whatever it is, can’t outrun that?”
“...Maybe?”
“I think it can.”
“Well I think it won’t!”
“And you think that why?”
“Mhm.”
“Shush up Jasper!”
“No no, she has a point.”
“Does not!”
“M-”
“Are we forgetting there’s still an enemy around? Can we please pick up the bantering later?”
It’s a weird feeling to have to deliberate on somebody else getting squirreled by something. It’s usually myself that I have to get back on track… it’s not necessarily a bad thing? I’d rather have NPCs be entertaining rather than mute… but we do need to get things done.
“Banter?”
“...Mhm.”
Not gracing either of them with a response, I intrepidly step forward after the searing wave of flames, taking a quick look over our current stats… and more specifically Screech’s stats. That looked like a big usage of MP, so I don’t doubt her stamina probably took a hit from that.
56/120
…Yup.
“Alright you two, listen up. Here’s our general battle plan, alright? Jasper, I know you like to go in and deal with enemies yourself, but there’s no reason for you to really be leaving my side. Loathe as I am to admit it, I am vulnerable without you as my vanguard. At least to enemies with high speed anyways. You can deal good damage, but on that note, so can Screech.”
“Mm…”
“Nothing to be upset about, we won’t be able to make full use of your phantoms this way, but that’s alright. You can still send out your [Phantom Assailant] to farm MP and phantoms, right?
“Mhm.”
“What about me?” Screech pops in, asking a question that, to be honest, I’m frankly astonished she didn’t ask immediately after I started speaking.
“You’ll also stay close to me, but you’ll be our main damage dealer for anything that doesn’t run straight up to us to get shredded by Jasper. Every time you want to cast a spell, you run it by me first alright? You have a tendency to either use way too much or way too little MP on a spell, so just tell me when you want to cast and I’ll let you know how much MP to use on it, okay?”
“Alright that sounds fine! But do I really need to talk to you for every spell?”
“Yes.”
“...Okay!”
Wait, wait, wait, one very important thing to make note of-
“Except for keeping a light present, you don’t need to tell me every time you do that.”
“Oh okay!”
The previous hesitation in her voice dissipates almost immediately, so I feel I hit that one on the head right there. On that note…
“...And don’t be afraid to ask me about something if you find it questionable. I’d rather you clear something up while nothing’s happening than have it explode in the middle of a fight.”
“Anything?”
“Screech, I know you’re a little…”
How to say this without being an ass?
“Eccentric, but just use your common sense alright? You’ve been speaking to me for a few days now, you know how not to get on my nerves to at least some degree, yeah?”
“Yeeeeeeeeah…”
“Alrighty!”
I clap once, signaling the end of my little impromptu conference as the last flames of Screech’s most recent spell flicker away.
“Jasper, like I said, stick to me. Don’t break away from me for any reason unless you get the okay from me first. Always make sure you’re within… five meters of me, so you can teleport to me at any moment. Screech, stay on my shoulder so you can activate [Featherguard] at any moment and so you’re also protected by Jasper, identify possible targets and then get the okay from me to cast spells at them. Are we all clear?”
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“Yup!”
“Mm.”
…And I guess we have one last member to address.
“Jerry, you caught all of that?”
“W-what?”
He really doesn’t speak up, at ALL unless addressed. It’s rather annoying really.
“We shouldn’t need to summon you in any case, but just so you’re aware, I might need to throw you in the way of an attack if worse comes to worst, body block something so as to not die. So just be prepared, alright?”
“W-wait, don’t do that please?”
“...Alright, then what can you do besides that?”
“...?”
“As long as you’re here, taking up one of my summon slots, you need to at least be somewhat helpful. Your abilities aren’t anything of note, and at our current point you’re very, very underleveled. As far as I’m aware, your only use is to be eating up hits that could be potentially fatal to Me Jasper or Screech when we’re low on health. So, if you don’t want to fill that role, then what else can you do?”
“I…”
“Think on that, would you? I’m all for letting you do whatever you think is helpful, but it’ll at least have to be something. You can’t just sit everything out.”
“Mhm.” Jasper nods to nothing in particular as she strides to my side, tail flicking in some semblance of agitation.
“...”
“Right, that should be everything, let’s keep moving everybody. Screech, I know you find the mana around here just fascinating, but we can talk about it later when we’re not in immediate peril alright? This is still a dungeon at the end of the day. And I’m sure Jasper would be happy to share some of her knowledge on it after we’re done.”
Slowly, Screech’s head tilts at Jasper, who merely sags in response.
“Alright! Now, let’s start with finding the interloper. Screech?”
“Yeeeees?”
Huzzah, [Fable Bearer]!
“Your stamina is back to full.”
“I noticed!~” She all but literally chirps.
“So, if you would, a light?”
“Right sorry about that!”
Phasing back into existence, a gentle flame manifests before my eyes, illuminating the cavern once again!
…As well as another five different shadow creatures.
At least they’re in the light this time, right? Meaning I can actually properly make them out! Four of them are rats of some kind, whilst one is a lynx! That’s moderately interesting, and given everything I’ve seen regarding this place so far… I’d hazard a guess and say they’re probably Phantoms? Similar to the one Jasper’s [Call Of The Wild Hunt] makes at the least? It’d match up with them being rats and a cat, cause… Scourge, and a Stalker? Or maybe just a normal Lynx?
Well either way I don’t have too much time to mull it over, cause they come swarming towards us real fast.
—
The rats aren’t too fast, in fact, I’d say they’re even slower than the actual rats that swarmed the Karst, which matches up with Phantoms yet again, because they’re weaker than their living counterparts.
Meanwhile, the lynx remains stock still, merely observing from a distance as its four allies charge us.
“I’m going to manipulate the water all around us and cut them apart.” Screech notifies me just as I’d asked moments prior, but…
Huh, she can do that? I mean, I guess it is called “[Elemental Magic]”, not just fire magic.
“Use 30 MP on that.” I shoot right back, not even bothering to move as the rats approach. I’m pretty sure they’ll just get ripped apart by the incoming spell, so… no need, right?
Without a single movement on her part, the water around us practically roars to life, tendrils of the stuff forming from the walls and floor within moments. Puddles coalesce, droplets stop midair, moisture condenses in an instant at her command, and within the next, it all lashes out at her targets.
Each and every dollop empowered by her spell comes crashing towards the phantom rats, some taking the form of bladed tendrils, others rocketing towards them like bullets, one gets sliced in half 64! Another gets pierced through by a drop no bigger than a fingernail 55! Each and every one of them get ravaged by the incoming tide, dozens of damage notifications ringing out in quick succession as the rats are utterly obliterated.
And in their place… all that remains is a now much bigger puddle. Not like they had any blood to tinge it red, I suppose.
“...That was only thirty MP?”
“It takes less MP to conjure something if it already exists in the environment,” Screech nods to herself. “Meaning I can put more of it into the force of the spell!”
“...Good to know. Now, we just have one more to deal with!”
The lynx almost seems intimidated, taking a step back… and then another four rats appear right in front of it.
Pardon?