I awaken to the now familiar feeling of my lizard family's weight on me. I stretch my neck out and watch as a few fish swim around the small room. The blinking notifications of two system messages pulling my attention away. Realizing that it's the attributes for the last two wolves I killed I open them both and distribute the first one to STR knowing that it will easily push me above ten.
STR +0.72 = 10(10.39)
Hoping that putting the last wolf into PER that will get it to eleven I allocate the last wolf.
PER +0.67 = 11(11.11)
The satisfaction of being right makes me smile slightly. Which is promptly cut short by my stomach growling. I start slowly rising from my spot on the ground, all five of the lizards dart off me as I begin to move. They all quickly resettle onto the ground at the back of the small room. I put my Space bag under the water and unfold it, sucking in only three of the fish that are swimming beneath me. I move up to the small room I had made to turn around in before opening the bag. I unfold the bag upright and start slowly tilting it to the left, the water running out and going down the slope behind me towards the water fall. Eventually the first fish flops out, I immediately snap it up with my jaws and eat it. I repeat this for the other two fish, the final fish require me to invert the bag slightly before it slides out. I allocate all three of the fish attributes to WIS.
Wis +(0.18+0.18+0.17) = 5(5.84)
My stomach is still growling and I know I'm only a fish or two from being six in WIS. Moving back down below more fish have filled the room but there are less since the commotion of my first catch. I still manage to snag another three fish and move back up top, repeating the same process. The six fish seem to be enough for my stomach to stop hurting from hunger but I will definitely need more to be full.
WIS +(0.17+0.16+0.16)=6(6.33)
System Message: Level 7 - 7 Trait points gained, 8 total available trait points.
*Well that is certainly a bonus. Scales seems like the obvious choice, but that would only leave me enough to do one other trait. I could do Mental, Breath, and Claws that would round me out as well as increasing my most potent weapons. I do wonder how Mental will continue to improve my telepathy as well as hopefully my magics. I'm assuming Breath will continue becoming closer to a liquid which could potentially allow me to use it as a defense by covering myself in it. I still haven't had the opportunity to use Claws in combat but the difference between one and two was huge for digging.*
Moving back dow the ramp and wanting to test the effects of mental further I pull a ribbon of Space mana and attach it to the sheet of space mana I have been using as a bag. The ribbon attaches and I begin pushing in on the sheet, the head aches as expected begin immediately. My focus rapidly dwindles as my head begins to pound, my vision beginning to shrink as the pain grows. I cut the flow of mana not wanting to risk losing control of the mana and finding out what that leads to. I then allocate three trait points to Mental.
System Message: Mental 3 -> 4
The strange feeling comes back again, it feels like my brain is expanding without actually growing in size. My thoughts coming slightly faster but more importantly the pounding head ache reduces massively in severity almost instantly. I pull another ribbon of space mana and attach it once again to the sheet. I begin pushing in again and notice that the head ache grows much slower even though I am expanding the space at the same rate. I can feel the massive different in focus the trait improvement has provided me. Not wanting to suffer more severe headaches for now I cut the flow of mana.
*So this Mental trait allows for me to have greater control and power with my mana. I will have to test my missile crafting speed in the future as well. I might even be able to pull a sixth thread...*
The thought is interrupted by feelings, but not my own. I notice I can sense the feelings of the lizards around me, giving me vague sensations of comfort and relaxation from all of them except for Karack. They have a feeling of anxiety or fear coming off them. I notice that the others are sleeping soundly but Karack seems to be twitching slightly in their sleep.
*Huh, are they having a nightmare?*
Carefully using my snout I nudge Karack awake. *Were you having a bad dream?*
*Giant chase, Karack run* The response comes after a small pause.
*Don't worry Karack, I'll do my best to keep you safe* I try to project a sense of security and comfort with the thought. It seems to work as Karack lays back down and quickly goes back to sleep.
*Scales or Breath and Claws. I guess I could do wings as well but I don't even have a good take off and landing spot at this point. If they grow even larger that would be even more work to make a new landing spot. So... Scales or Breath and Claws, damn. I'll have to do some grinding if the fish population keeps replenishing then at least I can just keep farming that. Breath will help me further that, and Claws will greatly increase my excavation speeds.*
Making up my mind I allocate two points to claws first.
System Message: Claws 2 -> 3
I watch my claws intently as they grow slightly in length but to my surprise my front claws shrink in width. This change in width causing them to have a more oval cross section instead of the circular crpss section that they had up to this point. I check my leg's claws and watch as they grow in thickness as a whole, keeping the circular cross section. The Aura density of both sets massively increases, but the physical appearance is much more profound. The purple becoming much darker, seeming to approach black in color. I expect this to come with the same nebulous appearance as my scales but they lack any other markings. Wanting to test this improvement I move over to the wall and dig my left index claw into the wall. It slides in easily with only a slight resistance letting me know it is even in the wall. It takes almost no strength to cut down, the weight of my arm enough to slice through the rock.
*Wow, that is a massive improvement. The change to the shape seems to allow it to cut much easier.*
System Message: Breath 3 -> 4
I focus on my breath organ, watching intently as the familiar compression happens, again not appearing to have as much of a compression effect as I expect. The major difference comes in how it feels, as I expected the previous gaseous feeling is almost entirely liquid feeling now. Not wanting to test in close proximity to the lizards I slide into the water and poke my head out under the waterfall. I flick my Aura sight up to check my surroundings before swimming out into the large pond. Swimming to the closer East shore I pull myself up into the shallows. Standing up onto my legs I dip the tip of my tail into the water and begin fishing. There are quickly a group of six fish interested in my bait.
I turn and blow, feeling closer to spitting than blowing at this point. I try to release the smallest amount of breath that I can onto the top of the water, the majority coming out as liquid now and only a small amount still being gaseous. It is less than five percent of the total organs capacity now but it is hard to tell exactly how much I just used. It travels a lot further than I expected and begins sinking into the water. The dark liquid forming small droplets as it sinks beneath the surface before forming bubbles that cause dark tendrils to make a lattice of my breath under the surface. As the smoke breaches the surface after bubbling up it forms a thin fog on the surface. All six fish are caught in the under water lattice quickly succumbing to the breath. I quickly snap the bodies up as they float to the surface. The six fish being enough to fill me up for now, but I know that won't last long.
I quickly allocate all six to WIS, still hoping to level that up in the hopes that it will help my survival
WIS +(0.15+0.15+0.15+0.14+0.14+0.14) = 7(7.20)
The affects of the change are not obvious to me. Unlike PER it doesn't change how I experience the world but I know it helps in decision making.
*I wish I could find a way to get more of those free attribute upgrades like on that first day. I still haven't had that happen since though. Getting attributes without having to kill would be nice.*
I look back to the waterfall and notice that without Aura sight I would never find the cave entrance. The thickness of the waterfall completely obscuring the entrance the only thing I can see is the five Auras sleeping within. I slip back into the water, submerging myself and swimming below the surface towards the entrance. I find that I can use my partially folded wings and tail to massively increase my swimming capability. Rather than swimming like a dog I end up swimming closer to an eel with large fins. My speed surprising me after my previous swimming experience.
I am able to make it all the way to the cave underwater without my lungs even beginning to burn, leading me to believe that I might become quite the capable swimmer. Opening up avenues for concealed access to the cave. I notice my Aura sight is also much more effective when I am under the water, the suns bright pink aura massively subdued just like when I am underground. As I enter the cave I realize that I have made quite a nice little grotto. I decide expanding on it further would be beneficial so I start excavating the lower section that is filled with water further.
My claws make the digging drastically faster than my previous excavations. I find I can make large crude blocks with dimensions roughly equal to my claws length. I quickly double the size of the pool, the makeshift blocks now filling a large section of the pool. I begin pushing them out and dropping them down into the depths of the pond, watching them sink before they disappear into the depths. After clearing the blocks out I try to measure the new size. I am able to stretch my body out east to west now and not touch the walls, the entrance to the pool still only being the width of my shoulders.
I notice that the lizards are all now awake and watching me work. While still in the water I begin expanding the ledge that we all slept on. Expanding it around the edge of the pool to the south so there is an 'L' shaped ledge ringing the pool. The ambiance of the waterfall mixing with the shifting sunlight on the wall makes for a relaxing atmosphere. I save some of the blocks from this expansion hoping they can be used to make a way to prevent the fish from escaping the pool later on if needed.
I continue expanding southward, away from the water fall. I make the roof higher allowing me to stand inside the area. I also make a shallow basin to dump fish into for the lizards to get easy attributes from. I dig a small channel from the basin back to the pool so the water will drain out of it, hopefully preventing flooding. This makes me think of the switchback ramp going up to the cave, moving up the ramp I can see that my drain in the ramp is working but the top of the ramp is still getting slick from the water splashing in.
*Would it be better to just make the area slope towards the waterfall and make a drain or will that just make it worse?*
Hoping the small problem doesn't become a larger one I move back down to the pool. I notice as I come back down that Grek and Limaea are on the far side of the expanded ledge close together. Clessh and Mektha are close to the edge both watching the fish swimming in the pool below. Karack seems to be on their own, closer to the ramp going up.
*Well that's interesting, is this just something that I have not noticed before? I'll have to keep an eye on it.*
The larger size of the pool makes me feel that using my tail as a lure in here might actually work. I begin my first attempt at fishing with in the grotto and find that within moments a group of fish are staring at my tail. Slipping the sheet of Space mana under them I unfold it, I only manage to capture two of them the others darting away as the sheet unfolds. I pull it back and upend it into the basin.
*Karack would you like to kill those and put it into INT? I would like to get one of you to ten.*
The lizard doesn't respond as they move over to the basin. They easily grab the first fish by the tail, the shallowness of the basin making it hard for the fish to get away. Karack doesn't even leave the water before cracking the fishes head against the edge. The fish goes limp and Karack's brain density goes up marginally. The second fish is dealt with just as quickly, the other four lizards moving over to the fish.
*You can all eat what you want. I plan to catch more.* I project to all of them.
The thought barely leaves me before the four begin to eat. Karack comes back over next to me and plops down on the ground, seeming to wait for me to catch more.
*Karack are you okay?* Worry seeping into me as they choose not to eat.
*Yess* The response comes back feeling almost curt. I can feel the sadness and maybe even fear on them though.
I go to dip my tail back into the water but find the pool has very few fish. The disturbance of the first catch seeming to make them skittish.
*Damn, I guess I can't just do this entirely safely.*
*I'll be right back* I project to Karack, as I slip into the water. Instead of trying to go to the shore I continue swimming under water, aiming for the large grouping of fish towards the middle of the pond. I slide my folded sheet of Space mana out into the middle before unfolding it. Managing to suck six of the fish into it before folding it back up and returning to the cave. Pulling myself out of the water I can see that the lizards have finished off the fish and are lounging around the pool. Karack is still laying where I left them.
I move to the basin and drop the six fish in. Karack without needing to be prompted moves over and begins dispatching the fish one by one. After the second fish Karack's brain density noticeably changes, now appearing to be the same density as Grek's. The remaining four fish not having causing another large density change, just the small changes I noted from before.
*Karack must only be one fish from six INT at this point.*
*Eat if you're hungry* I project to all of them and notice again as Karack does not join in.
*Are you not hungry Karack?*
Karack just shakes their head in response. Now very concerned that they are not doing okay I try to ask what is wrong. They only give vague answers though about the giants and being sad about what they did. Assuming it is about the two lizards that were killed I try and push further.
*First giant kill other, Second giant kill friend*
Confused by the term other I try and find out what they mean, quickly finding out that the first lizard the giants killed a few days prior was Karack's mate. Realizing this is probably why Karack had nightmares I start trying to think of ways to help, but I quickly find that I don't have any real options.
*I could vow to 'kill them all' but that isn't realistic at all. I can't bring them back from the dead either.*
*I'm sorry.* I project to Karack, my feelings of remorse growing deeper as I realize that I am the reason they are feeling this way. *I can try to make you stronger if that would help*
*Okay* The one word response giving me at least a little hope.
I slide back into the water, using the same technique to just try and suck as many fish into the bag as I can. This time I manage to get seven, concerned with the quantity of fish left in the pond I quickly survey it. Once again I am surprised by just how abundant the fish are. Even after multiple days of fishing the quantity does not seem to have dropped.
As I make my way back into the cave I see that all of the fish have been eaten and just some bones and scales are left. I dump my newest set of fish into the basin and watch as Karack gets to work. The first fish leads to the increase in density that I was expecting. The following six allow for Karack's brain to gain another level of density.
*So Karack is up to seven INT now? I wonder if that is enough for more advanced thoughts.*
*Karack, do you have a window that shows your stats?* I question.
*Yes.* The mental voice much more advanced than I am used to.
*Can you tell me what they are?*
Karack lists their stats: STR 3, CON 2, DEX 3, AGI 3, PER 2, WIS 1, INT 7, CHA 1.
*Well that is better than I expected I started at one in everything except INT. The fact that you're able to recognize them is huge.* I respond to the list. Realizing luck had a lot to do with those first days I understand how of the twelve siblings that have hatched half of them are dead. Remembering that first day and how the wolf's claw did almost half my health in a glancing blow. *I was closer to being a baby goblin than I realized*
*Karack, you should eat.* I project as I move over to the fish and eat three of them. They don't immediately move but after a moment they come and start eating one of the remaining fish.
*Do you want to become stronger, or would you rather me not continue bringing fish for you to progress with?* I ask as they eat.
*I want to be stronger.* The response comes quickly with a feeling of steeled resolve.
*If this continues I will have to get another twenty four fish to get them to ten INT. I could probably do that today but the fish population must not be infinite. After that I will have to figure out what stats will help them survive, as well as progress myself. I can easily use my breath to progress though, but that comes back to the potential of wiping out the fish as well. Which would end my progression and easy food.*
I pull a ribbon of Space mana and connect it to the sheet of Space mana while I debate the idea. I start stretching the sheet like I have done many times by this point. The head aches I expect don't immediately come, allowing me to make a lot of progress before the head aches start and then become too much. The original sheet was roughly half the width of my shoulders, the sheet of space mana unfolded is now easily as wide as my shoulders. The progress over the past few days making the internal space seem massive. This most recent stretching after increasing my Mental trait easily account for ten percent of the total size.
*If that continues it will be absolutely massive in no time. I also need to find out what the other direction does as well with Space mana. I can't imagine what pulling it out will look like in practice, it doesn't seem that useful.*
I once again find myself slipping into the water to go catch some fish. I slip my folded Space bag out into the group of fish in the middle of the pond, unfolding it underneath them. I watch in amazement as twelve fish get sucked in. I fold it back up quickly and make my way back to the grotto and lizards. As I crawl out of the water I can see that Karack has finished the three fish that were left. I upend the Space bag into the small basin. The water spills over the edge of the basin as the fish fill the basin to the top. Unable to swim around due to the quantity of them.
Karack immediately starts dispatching them, making quick work of all twelve. After killing all twelve Karack's brain density goes up by one large step, when this happens their entire Aura goes up in density as well.
*What was that Karack?*
*Level up?* The response comes with a feeling of uncertainty.
*Wait you leveled up from that increase as well, did you get trait points?*
*Yes, two of them* Their response seeming more confident.
*What traits do you have??* My interest piques at this development.
*Sticky Toes, and Mutate*
*Um what? You only have two traits and one of them is called Mutate?* I respond in disbelief.
*Yes, What should I do?* Karack responds.
*I don't know, Mutate seems interesting, but which one do you think is worth it?*
Karack doesn't respond as they collapse to the ground, their entire aura beginning to slowly swirl inside their body.
*Well that was unexpected, but if my experience was anything to go by they will be out for awhile*
I eat the rest of the fish, ending the feelings of hunger that had been growing in my stomach. With Karack asleep I decide to continue my excavations, the grotto seeming to be in a good spot I decide to start digging up. continuing the tunnel I had made previously, heading East. I dig at a steep angle, making multiple trips with my Space bag to remove debris as I dig. Not sure exactly how long I had been digging for I try to measure the distance I have dug. Using my body length as a measurement tool again I slowly make my way back up the slope, my crude measurements come out to roughly four times my own length. At the top of this steep slope I turn north and start digging up at the same angle towards the cliff face. It takes very little time before I have broken through the outer wall.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Sticking my head out of the hole I can see the waterfall to my left and the pond below it. I haven't made it that far horizontally but I find myself a fifth of the way up the water fall. Expanding the hole so I can fit my whole body I feel comfortable with being able to launch myself out of the hole and take flight if need be. Landing into the hole would be very painful but I don't intend to use this as an entrance, the pond giving me an excellent way to enter my home without giving away my position.
Moving back down to the grotto I see a sight I did not expect, the lizards are fishing. Limaea and Clessh have their tails in the water, flicking them about while Mektha and Grek lay next to them ready to try and grab the fish. I watch them for a bit before a fish nibbles on Limaea's tail. Limaea shoots from the edge pulling the fish a little bit out of the water as Grek tries to grab the fish with their mouth. Grek misses the fish and it shoots off, both of them immediately set back up and start again. I notice two fish behind them, partially eaten leading me to believe they have already been successful.
*Wow, I'm impressed that they picked it up that fast. At least I don't have to worry about them being fed now, assuming the fish population continues to be replenished. I really need to find out how there hasn't been a noticeable dent in their population. Is this a spawning ground of some sort or are they swimming up the river from somewhere else??*
I watch the fishing for a long while, enjoying the relaxing nature of the grotto's sounds as well as the self sufficiency of the lizards. It doesn't remove my remorse about the two that didn't make it but it makes me hopeful for their future. I fall asleep shortly after, I fight the feeling for a bit before allowing it to take me into a blissful sleep. I wake to one of my eyelids being pried open, it takes me a moment to realize that it is Karack.
Their skin has changed dramatically, the other four still have the light green color they started with but Karack now has streaks of dark purple. The streaks make multiple large swirling patterns across their whole body. The change making them look drastically different than the other lizards now.
*What happened after you fell unconscious?* I immediately project to them.
They tell me in detail about what followed them choosing to put a single point into mutation. Their mutation trait went up to two and they found themselves in a dark void, just like where I found myself. The lady in the red dress was there as well with her clicking high heels, but instead of being human sized like she is for me Karack says she was massive like one of the giants.
"Hello little lizard, I see our dragon friend has done the unexpected." Her smiling face dominating the space above Karack.
*Dragon?* Karack thinks in response.
"Yes, our purple friend with wings, they are a dragon. That is tangential to what we are doing here though. You chose mutation, which makes you one of only a few of your kind to ever even get to this point. Most of you die before you even get a level up, and the few that get to this point most choose to increase your Sticky Toes trait." She monologues.
Karack interrupts her, *What does Sticky Toes do?*
She laughs as she responds, "You are much better at this than our friend. They don't ask many questions and then get upset with me afterwards. Though I guess they did do a much better job of asking questions last time. Sticky Toes is what allows your kind to climb walls, the second level of the trait allows much better adhesion as well as control over the level of stickiness. That though is irrelevant right now, we are choosing a mutation."
She takes a deep breath before continuing, "Mutations are a massive list of things that can change you at a fundamental level. For your race a lot of them have to do with basic things for a lizard, you could get Scales, Amphibian, Frog Tongue, Chameleon, Venom, Poisonous, or one of many others that come with your basic race. Your interaction with our friend has opened up another set of traits as well these are more interesting; Breath, Wings, and Mana."
She stops talking and just stares at Karack as their mind tumbles from all of the options. The lizard traits alone seeming very interesting but the first two dragon traits immediately pop out at them.
*What does Breath, Wings, and Mana do?* Karack finally askes.
"Well the first two are pretty obvious, Breath allows you to utilize the same breath that our dragon can use as well as being immune to it, Wings would allow you to eventually fly, but Mana is different. In your current state Mana would do nothing, but eventually it would allow you to fashion spells. The nature of them would be different than what you have seen so far though."
*Breath*
She laughs hysterically at the instant response, "Just like our friend, you get your mind set on something and ignore everything else."
Karack's retelling ends there, they awoke shortly after and found me sleeping close by.
*Well it sounds like you made a good choice then! She is right about the wings thing, it took me multiple trait levels just to be able to fly and even that was pretty limited. Have you tried it yet?*
*No, I don't know how* Karack responds.
*Oh, for me I can feel it inside myself and if I focus on it while breathing out it just works. Be careful though it's incredibly deadly. I do want to test this though with you, She said it would make you immune to mine which is huge.*
Karack moves off to the far side of the grotto by the ramp, the other lizards are all laying in a jumble by the East wall. A small pile of fish bones lays close to them, showing that they were very successful in their first day of fishing. Karack takes a large inhale before blowing out hard, the familiar dark purple smoke billowing out of their mouth. The smoke is much lighter than mine and lacks the additional green and reds but otherwise looks the same as my initial breath. From my vantage I can see the tendrils of smoke going down into the water the same way mine did initially. A few fish are caught in this and quickly overcome by the dark veins in their Auras. I stretch my neck out and touch the breath with my snout, feeling nothing I breath in briefly. I can feel the breath enter my lungs but it doesn't seem to affect me anymore than my own. As the breath clears two fish bodies are floating on the surface.
*Nice job!! First try and everything!!* I enthusiastically send to Karack. I can feel the joy coming off them for the first time as their eyes twinkle. *Is your breath empty after that?*
*Yes* Comes back quickly
*Okay well controlling the amount released will help with that, also as you level the trait it will become more dense. Speaking of traits, you still have another point right?*
*No, the mutation took one point and I had to put a point into the breath trait as well. It started at zero.* Karack responds sadly.
*Well that's okay! We can get you more levels pretty easily now!!* I beam at Karack excited at this new development. *Now comes the potentially dangerous part, we need to see if you are immune to mine.*
I try and spit the smallest glob of breath as possible onto the ground in between us. The much denser and liquid nature of mine letting off a much darker cloud of purple with the reds and greens spread though out it. Karack tentatively moves their face forwards.
*Wait! Try your tail first just in case! It doesn't have to be inhaled to be effective.*
Karack takes to the directions well and spins around, gently extending their tale into the cloud of breath. No veins appear in their aura as I watch, excited about this I urge them to go further. Karack is fully immersed in my breath before it begins to dissipate with no veins ever appearing in their aura.
*That is amazing, I don't have to worry about using my breath around you now!!*
Karack seems less happy about this than I am but they also haven't seen the devastating effects of my... our breath first hand.
*We should work on getting you leveled up again as well! I would put those attributes from the fish into INT still, I think it is important to get that to ten, but we can start pumping up some of your lower stats as well. CON is very important for surviving, and WIS will allow you to make better choices.*
I use my wing to scoop the two fish bodies out of the water, depositing them in the small basin I had made. With this new development I debate taking Karack with me when I eventually leave to find the egg to the East.
*It will probably be worth it to get Karack at least one more level though for the upgrade to Sticky Toes for holding onto me as I fly.*
The thought making me realize I should make sure the other lizards are set up well here before worrying about that. I feel that they are in a good spot right now but I don't know if all of their needs are met. Thinking back to when I asked Grek initially about what they would need and the only response was water I feel that they are in a very good spot. I try to ask Karack but they can't seem to think of anything and are very intently staring at the water. I realize that they are waiting for their breath to refill so they can get some more fish. Appearing addicted to the ease of the process just like I was.
*I wonder if I could store breath in my Space Bag and release it underwater.*
I decide to test this and unfold the now large sheet of Space mana upright in front of myself. Pushing some of my breath into the space fills it partially with the dark smoke, the liquid portion seeming to be suspended in the void at the bottom. It continues to evaporate producing more smoke, as some billows out of the bag as I fold it up. I wait long enough that I think it would have all dissipated naturally before slowly opening it again. The smoke of my breath billows out at me, all of the liquid having evaporated into just the smoke.
*Well that is interesting, maybe this will allow me to use this more offensively then. Slip it into a wolves mouth and unfold it... or a giants. I need to test this further.* I fold the Space bag back up as the breath is continuing to billow out. I swim back into the center of the pond wanting to try out this new method as soon as possible. I find a large group of the fish and unfold the bag, the cloud of breath exploding outwards as water is sucked in. I have to check my notifications to get an accurate count and find that this has managed to kill twenty of the fish.
*Wow, That was effective. The fish genocide continues I guess...* I surface and unfold the sheet of Space mana, dumping the water back into the pond as I try to collect the fish. I manage to get most of them by dipping the sheet of space mana into the water next to them, but a few float away. Deciding it is not worth the time to collect them all I fold the sheet back up and swim back to the grotto.
I pull myself from the water and dump the fish into the basin. The four lizards are awoken by the sound of fish slapping off the stone. Karack is not present in the grotto. I snap up a mouthful of fish and move up the ramp to try and find Karack. I find them back in the original cave, standing at the entrance looking out at the forest.
*What are you doing back here?*
*I was going to try and test my breath. I didn't know the ramp had been destroyed though. I've just been looking out at the forest thinking since then.* They say sadly.
*Thinking about what?* I project as I lay down next to them.
*What to do next.* Their response quick and short.
*Oh, well I was thinking of going East. I had a vision of an egg for another of my kind. I was going to ask if you wanted to come with me. It will be a bit, I want to get your sticky toes to the next level so you can hold onto me as I fly. If that is something you're interested in at least.*
They turn and look at me for a moment before sending *Yes.*
We lay there in silence for a long time, the sun going down during the long silence. The sounds of the day are slowly replaced by the sounds of the night. Only interrupted by the growling of my stomach.
*Well, I guess that's my sign to go get some food. Do you want to hunt some more fish?*
*That sounds like a good idea.* They respond, lifting off the ground.
*Climb on.* I send as I lift myself up, Karack climbs up onto my shoulders and I move back to the grotto. We arrive back and see the lizards lounging around the grotto. They all shoot over and begin inspecting Karack, seemingly interested in the new patterns on their body. I can feel the confusion coming from them as Karack climbs down.
*Karack chose to Mutate, if you all keep hunting fish you will eventually be able to as well.*
*Grek change too?* Grek sends immediately.
*If you want to, you can.* I respond. All of the lizards seem to understand this and begin fishing.
I eat the remaining fish from my earlier trial and then remember my notifications.
*Twenty attributes to allocate, should be enough to get a few attributes up. WIS seems like a good choice to keep going with.*
WIS +(0.13+0.13+0.13+0.13+0.12+0.12) = 8(8.08)
WiS +(0.12+0.12+0.12+0.11+0.11+0.11+0.11+0.11+0.11) = 9(9.1)
Having gone through fifteen of the twenty fish I decide to put the rest in my lowest stat, CHA.
CHA +(0.19+0.18+0.18+0.17+0.16) = 6(6.05)
*Well that worked out well. Three attribute points for a small genocide. I'm really hoping the fish population doesn't stop replenishing.*
I flick my Aura sight to the maximum checking the fish population and seeing that it still does not seem to have diminished. I notice for the first time that the fish seem to form a massive column in the middle of the pond. I can't tell if it goes all the way to the bottom or not but the auras of the fish are mere pin pricks at the base. The water prevents me from seeing to the bottom with my Aura sight, I can only tell that it is much deeper than I can see. The realization that this pond from my perspective may not actually be a pond dawns on me.
Seeking more knowledge I dive into the water, surfacing towards the middle of the pond for a large breath before diving beneath. My wings and serpentine body allowing me to quickly dive deep. In moments I realize the truth, the mud and muck of the shore ends quickly becoming stone. The stone then drops away beneath me shear sides stretching into the black waters beneath me. I start swimming up to the surface after making this discovery. On my way to the surface I unfold the Space bag in the center of the column of fish aiming for a dense spot. A handful of fish get sucked in before I fold it back up and continue swimming. As I am approaching the base of the waterfall a notification pops up in my vision.
System message: Skill Swimming Rank 0 -> 1
*Huh, that didn't really take long. I wonder what the effects of that will be. If it follows the same line as other skills it will probably just be able to swim faster. I wonder if there is something that determines how long you can hold your breath for as well. Could I use the my Space bag as a source of extra air?*
The thought making my mind reel at the potential, realizing that Space affinity was majorly undersold to me when I was making my choice. I reach the grotto shortly after, my lungs beginning to burn as I reach the waterfall. The distance I can swim without needing a breath surprises me, proving even more that I have been under utilizing this capability.
As I pull myself up the ramp and out of the water I can feel the tension in the air. Karack is in back right corner near the basin and the other four are in the back left corner, surrounding Limaea. I can immediately tell that her Aura is significantly less dense than it should be.
*What happened?* I try to gently ask Karack.
Their remorse invades their thoughts as they respond. *I was using my breath to fish and Limaea came to inspect it. She touched it and immediately cried out in pain before she fell unconscious.*
*Yes, our breath is incredibly dangerous. Try to be more careful in the future, if Limaea had inhaled it would have killed them... Wait did you say she?*
*Yes.* Karack responds.
*I have been thinking of you all as androgynous this entire time. So that makes Grek male then?*
I can feel the mental chuckle as Karack informs me that they are a he, as well as Grek and Clessh. Mektha and Limaea are females as were the two lizards that died.
*Are you all the last of your kind? The giants made it seem like they had hunted you to extinction.*
*Yes, we used to have a large colony, they found us shortly after our tunnels flooded. They killed many of us as we fled.*
*Where was this colony?*
*Deep in the forest that way* He points with his left arm aiming roughly North West.
My curiosity satiated for the moment I remember why this conversation started. I move over to Limaea and check on her condition. Grek puts himself between me.
*I'm not going to hurt her Grek. I am sorry that she got hurt.*
He seems to understand me but doesn't move from his spot. I can fortunately see past him and can tell that her Aura has no veins left in it. Having not seen something survive the breath and ble close enough to see how the Aura reacts I pay close attention to her. She seems to be sleeping but it is hard to tell, I watch her for a long time and can see that her Aura is slowly regaining density. Feeling that she will be okay I turn back to Grek.
*When you get strong enough you may gain immunity if you choose Breath.*
His head tilts at my mental communications.
*Trait, Mutate, Breath* I send to all of them emphasizing each piece.
*Yess* The response seems much more confident.
Hoping that was enough for them to understand what I was saying I move back to Karack. I upend the space bag into the basin before allowing Karack to kill the fish. I see now that it was nine total fish that got sucked into the bag.
*Keep doing INT until its ten.* I remind him.
The first fish causes him to gain another level of density. Putting his INT at nine, the following eight fish unfortunately leaving him one away from ten by my estimations. Looking to the pool I see a few fish swimming around and use the Space bag to grab one of them before dumping it into the basin. Karack immediately kills it and his brain density grows massively. Much more than what I expected but my curiosity is more in how their thoughts have changed.
*Do you notice a difference?* I immediately ask.
*Yes, it is like my thoughts before this were cloudy. Now I am able to think so clearly.*
His words coming through much more clearly than before. The vocabulary doesn't seem to have increased by that much, but after the changes before in speech, I didn't expect that much of a change.
*Thank you* He projects to me.
*For what?*
*Helping me, helping us. We would have been dead without your intervention.*
*You helped me more than you know.* I respond sincerely. *Do you know who it was that nodded back to me on that first day?* The question randomly coming to my mind.
*Yes, It was my mate, I can't tell you what she would have been called though. At the time we did not think in that way.*
The response gut punches me. I recognize that I will probably regret this but I ask anyway. *If you don't want to answer this, don't. Was she the first or second one that died since you met me?*
*The first.*
My heart clenches as my blood seems to become hot in my veins. She died because of that impulsive flight. I curl up on the ground as my emotions take over my whole body. I lay there for a long time before I reach out to Karack again.
*It was my fault. I had just gained the ability to fly and lost myself in it. The giants spotted me flying over the pond and ended up finding the cave. I am sorry Karack. I wish I could undo it.* I can feel how shaky and unstable the words are.
*Without you we would all be dead.* He responds with no hesitation. *We had been losing more of us every day, I think it is why she was so willing to trust you. We had nothing else.*
His response shifts the weight on my soul. It doesn't remove it but it does lessen the burden slightly. It also strengthens my resolve to insure the others have a solid home before we go hunting for the egg.
*What will they need to be successful while we are gone?* I ask him.
*This is more than enough. They can use the upper tunnels if they need a safe spot for eggs. The fish swimming into the pool are more than enough for food. They may get bored but there is probably nothing you can do about that.*
*Thank you.*
The night now well under way I decide to go farm on some more fish, hoping that maybe I can get another level as well. I swim out into the pond and move to the Eastern shore, when I get there I unfold the Space bag and begin filling it with liquid breath. I fill it easily a quarter full before folding it back up, intending to unfold it underwater in the column of fish. As I re-enter the water I look up at the night sky, seeing the multihued band across the night sky once again I bask in the scene. During this I notice two large owls in the canopy, seeming to watch me as I continue swimming out into the pond. I dive beneath the surface, swimming down to where the drop off is. I send the folded Space bag out into the column before unfolding it.
My dark purple breath explodes outward from the bag, water rushing in to displace the liquid. Large bubbles of liquid breath escape the bag, quickly expanding as they turn into gas. The column of fish is covered in the dark tendrils as notifications begin streaming in. The bodies of fish begin floating to the surface as I swim up. I can see that the bodies begin moving away from the waterfall and towards the river to the north, eventually being taken away from the pond. The owls begin swooping down and taking bodies of fish before moving back up to the canopy. The owls take a large amount of fish but there is still a ton floating down the river.
I check my notifications and see a flashing forty-seven. I feel surprise at the number, thinking that it would have been more based on my previous experience but happy with this new tactic for leveling my attributes. The column of fish is now slowly swimming in a circle below where I unleashed my breath, seemingly content in staying at that depth. It takes nine of the forty-seven to bring WIS to ten. The breakpoint for the stat coming in as a massive influx of where I went wrong, but also pointing out what I did right. It also allows me to evaluate more the state of this pond and what could be happening. I immediately regret my decision to undergo such a massive hit on the fish population. I can still see there are many many fish left but they seem to be content staying lower in the pond. Fearing that I may have just made a massive mistake I decide to pay close attention to the fish over the course of the next day.
I spend eight to bring my INT to eleven, leaving me with thirty fish left. The single point not feeling like it has done that much, checking my character sheet I notice that my mana has gone from ten to eleven. Realizing that my mana quantity must be linked to the stat I make four simple missiles at once before trying to make a fifth. I find that my mana is still two wispy to make a fifth missile but after releasing the four missiles my mana regenerates a good deal faster. I then look to my lowest stats DEX sitting at just above six and CHA sitting at just above six as well. I spend fourteen of the fish bringing DEX to just over eight. Leaving me with sixteen fish left, this last increase causes another notification to pop up.
System Message: Level Level 8 - 8 Trait points gained
Surprised by two levels in one day I allocated the remaining sixteen fish to CHA. This brings CHA to just over eight as well. Looking at the final messages I see:
WIS 10 -> 11 INT 10.28 -> 11 DEX 6.13 -> 8.05 CHA 6.05 -> 8.23
I move back into the grotto as the fish bodies continue to filter into the river before being swept away to the North. I look to my trait points and for the first time make my decision on what to level very quickly. I decide to go with Wings and Breath, Wings because I intend to be flying for a long distance soon, and Breath because it has become my most potent weapon outside of magic. Putting the four points into wings causes them to expand again becoming thicker and also larger in width without grown that much larger in length. The Aura becomes much denser as well, as I have come to expect at this point. My wings now feeling like a solid suit of armor when I have them folded against my body. What I did not expect was the message that came with this.
System Message: Trait Wings 4 -> Max, Mutation available
I try to choose mutation and I get another system message telling me I need five trait points for the mutation.
*Well that is interesting.*
System Message: Trait Breath 4 -> 5
I can feel the breath still inside my breath organ compress again, this time it finishes the conversion and becomes completely liquid. Knowing that this will lead to a large increase in effective range, as well as the potency increase for attaching to targets I am satisfied with my choices.
Feeling a level of immense satisfaction at my progression for the day I look to the four lizards curled up at the far end of the grotto. I don't see Karack so I go looking for him and find him in the original cave. He is practicing controlling his breath, he lets out very small amounts over and over as I watch before eventually laying down. It looks from an external perspective like he is waiting for it to recharge.
*Practicing your control over the amount you release?* I question from behind him.
He startles for a moment before replying *Yes, I don't want another incident like earlier. I don't know what I would do if Limaea had been killed by that.*
Fully understanding his feelings I just plop down next to him. *I know. Practicing over here instead of near them is certainly a step in the right direction. Have you noticed any improvements?*
This seems to open him up a little as he starts describing how he has been able to get a much finer control over the exact amount that he releases at once. He found that he could fill his mouth with the breath and then open it to just release a mouth full at a time. His main hurdle right now being that he is having trouble controlling the direction and distance, it just seems to spill out of his mouth.
*Well if yours continues like mine it will condense until it eventually becomes a liquid. Then you will be able to control the direction of it more, but it also becomes a lot more potent. Let's go back to the grotto for the night though. We can practice more tomorrow.*
*Okay* He responds, slightly dejected.
*If we can get your Sticky Toes up to rank 2 we could try flying tomorrow if you want to do that.*
His demeanor changes greatly as he responds with a quick, *Yes.*
*Alright, lets get back to the grotto and sleep. The others are already asleep. Climb on.* I send to him.
He scampers up my right arm and onto my back, positioning himself between my wings. I make the short trip back to the grotto, positioning myself so I can see out through the waterfall and then laying down. I watch the fish intently with my Aura sight, the large grouping of fish still not close to the surface like they had been before I annihilated the top of their column. They do seem to have moved up close to the surface from what I can tell, giving me hope that I didn't mess it all up. I watch as the night sky reflects off the pond through the waterfall with the fish dancing beneath the surface. The rollercoaster of a day slowly giving way to the heaviness of sleep.