There was so much pain. [Berserker's Bane] and [Warband Chant] were the only reason Trillia could even think. Standing on wobbly legs after monumental effort, she took her first step. That was a mistake apparently. The jolt of pain threatened to knock her out. Her mana had bottomed out, slowly trickling back up, not enough for another restorative chant. Her health slowly dwindled, probably the wounds that were still bleeding.

Still. She took another step, trying to steady herself as her mother had taught her, trying to fight through it. For the first time in all her short life, she didn't want to be an orc. Not if this pain is what it meant. Not if it meant being left to be torn to shreds. Trillia's breath caught in her throat as she watched the [Megapede] swing it's body to the side two of its dagger-like legs aimed at Amelia. Amelia was on the ground, barely breathing herself, tears streamed down her cheeks.

Amelia's snout opened in a scream, as the daggers found purchase in a raised arm. Trillia felt the mana dump from the six or so feet away she was. Amelia's scream grew louder and louder. It took on form and grew more focused. Amelia aimed the now cone-like scream at the creature. It wasn't just a scream, it was infused with Amelia's sonic mana. The creature was visibly pushed back, fighting to slowly push its weapons toward the now howling minotaur.

Trillia gripped her rapier in both hands, closing her eyes a moment to steel herself. Her mother had said she'd save them if they were going to die. Amelia hadn't given up yet, neither would Trillia. With a roar of her own, she charged forward. The first step was agony, the next...not so much. As she opened her eyes they had stopped shimmering with that beautiful blue. Instead, both glowed with a crimson hue that matched her skin. They looked much alike Amara's had when she was using her abilities.

Trillia ran forward. The pain was somehow gone. Notifications flashed in her mind, quickly dismissed. They weren't important right now. Right now, saving Amelia and killing her enemy were important.

As Trillia neared the creature, she felt an endless well of mana within her body. It called to her, begged her to unleash it on her enemy. Trillia's first thought was to borrow Amelia's [Restorative Chant] to try and heal the two. But the mana inside her refused to listen, refused to be used for such defensive means. Trillia surrendered to the call of the mana within.

Her vision blurred, her arms and legs moved as if possessed. Trillia knew not what she was doing, but she felt the rapier stab into something, felt her arm moving chaotically. But it was a controlled chaos. Her vision became sharp and clear, clearer than it ever had before. Looking towards the tip of her rapier she saw the rune for [Focus] carved into the creature's chitinous plating. The rune glowed the same red hue as her eyes.

Instincts took over - or the system. Trillia didn't know where one ended and the other began. She had no idea how she knew what to do, but she did. The system said she did, her brain said she did. Several more runes were carved into chitin.

[Weaken]

[Burn]

[Poison]

Trillia didn't understand this placement of runes. It was similar to what she had read on enchanting. But why had the rune for focus sharpened her senses, not the monster's? Why were these other runes very obviously hurting the creature? Still, Trillia felt the endless mana. She risked looking at the resources available to her on her status screen. Her resolve wavered.

Health: -337/280

Stamina: -110/140

Mana: -2771/260

Trillia knew she was on a timer. One of the skill notifications must have been more important than she thought. Trillia pushed the fear and doubt out of her mind. Instead, she leaned further into the flow of mana. Amelia managed to get out from under the [Megapede]. She was now using her mallet in concert with her howling.

In the next ten seconds, the creature was covered in another half dozen runes. It had stopped moving three seconds ago. Another notification had dinged in the minds of both girls, but neither seemed to notice. They continued to cut and hammer. Once the creature's head was a pile of mush separated from its body, did they both finally stop. Trillia fell to the ground, her body began to convulse. All of the pain caught up to her. In the midst of the skill she hadn't noticed the new wounds.

But her body hadn't healed, it hadn't forgotten.

Health: -781/280

Stamina: -309/140

Mana: -4301/260

Everything felt so heavy. Trillia lay there, unable to control her limbs. Her short - but mostly happy - life flashed through her mind. Vaguely, she was aware that someone was calling her name. But she no longer had vision. Her body felt warm and heavy, she knew not whether it was blood or some pitiful attempt to heal all the damage done.

The last thing Trillia felt, was a cold liquid falling onto her body. As if the clouds had split open and blessed her with a reprieve before death. Trillia didn't know why she was so aware of the seconds passing, but it had been twenty-four seconds since she had first felt that endless surge of mana within. Instinctively she knew she only had a few seconds left, before this awareness would fade. Before the world would crash into her. Trillia closed eyes which no longer gave vision. She reveled in the feel of the cool liquid, surrendering to the darkness that beckoned.

-=- Some Time Later -=-

Everything still felt so heavy. It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe. Pain was good. Was the thought that flowed unbeckoned through her mind. Pain reminded her that she could feel it and that she was alive. But how? Trillia remembered laying in a puddle of her own blood, remembered the feeling of her insides being torn and ripped out. How could she possibly be alive?

With great effort, Trillia forced her eyelids open. No vision came to her. She managed a light groan. A familiar hand squeezed her own. Trillia became aware of the death grip the [Minstrel] had on her hand. Trillia didn't mind. The pain reminded her that she was alive. She wanted to ask what was happening. Wanted to look at her status to see how she was possibly alive. But Trillia couldn't muster the fortitude to even do such a basic mental task.

Once more darkness beckoned.

Once more Trillia answered.

-=- Some More Time Later -=-

Trillia was aware she was no longer being moved. The first time she had woken up, she felt Amelia's hand swaying as if walking next to her. Now she felt the comfortable furs under her. A warm fire next to her. The smell of cooking lovax meat called to her. Tried to convince her to wake from her deep slumber and eat. It all felt so....needless. Trillia just wanted to go back to sleep, to embrace the darkness and the warmth of dreamless rest. So she did.

-=- And Finally -=-

This time she woke with a groan. Eyes fluttering open to darkness. The physical pain was mostly gone. But the exhaustion certainly wasn't. Trillia sat in a bed of furs. She was aware she didn't know what creatures the furs came from. Since the Lovax had no pelts to speak of. A question to ask someone later. Sniffing the air, she could tell someone was cooking something outside.

She rolled to her side to stand. Pain shot through every single centimeter of her being. She let out a little squeak and collapsed back the several inches she had managed to move.

Ok. The physical pain was still there as well apparently. As long as she didn't move, or breathe too heavily. Blinking was also sometimes a bad idea. Trillia surrendered and went back to laying very, very still. She tried to speak, to call out, but her body made no sound. Deciding to try and be productive, she brought the notifications in her mind forward. It was a notification she hadn't seen before. It hummed a deep green. Most notifications had been a soft warm blue.

[Infant Megapede] Level 27 defeated!

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Experienced greatly increased for defeating an impossible enemy!

This was the first encounter that you were not carried through. Would you like an explanation of how experience is awarded?

Trillia froze. Right. The fight. The blood. Amelia's shredded form, defiantly screaming as she swung her weapon. The pain all made sense again, her appetite vanished as she remembered the pain and all the blood. A few tears threatened to escape her eyes and as she let them, the waterworks began. Everything hit her all at once.

She had felt entirely hopeless and thought she was going to die. That Amelia was going to die. That somehow, her mother had decided she didn't want some useless [Runt]. Trillia could only sob. She wanted to curl up in a ball. But even attempting that was agony. She never wanted to experience that sort of helpless, hopeless feeling ever again.

Despite being only three and a half. Trillia swore that if she ever had children of her own, she wouldn't torture them like that. Wouldn't force them to fight and be torn apart. She still didn't understand why her mother had. If this was what orcs were, maybe Trillia wouldn't have children ever.

-=- A Few Hours Later -=-

The tears finally stopped. Trillia lay there in silence, stomach grumbling at her to eat something. Trillia argued with it that the pain of hunger was slightly less annoying than the sheer agony of moving anything more than a hair. Her vision had returned, at least something close to vision. It was a blurry mess but she could make out shapes.

Unspoken prayers were answered apparently as someone walked into the tent. Something smelled simply divine. Trillia heard someone move next to her. It was Amelia. Trillia imagined the [Minstrel] had a big, bright smile on her face. Trillia immediately felt more at ease. Her lips parted and she tried to speak, but words still refused to find their way out.

Amelia placed a hand on her shoulder. Raising her other to shake her hand. Both hands moved to hold a cup with liquid in it, and one moved to slowly help Trillia's head move up. It was a deep, dark red liquid. It felt ice cold, uncomfortably so. Still, Trillia took a long deep drink of it. The pain from moving seemed to lessen immediately. Her vision improved a little more. Amelia placed the cup back on the tray, pulling out a notepad, it had some writing on it.

'You cannot speak. You cannot hear. The wounds are healing slowly.'

Amelia then turned to a fresh page, setting it next to Trillia's right hand. Gently putting a stick of charcoal in the same hand. Closing the fingers slowly and softly. Trillia began to respond. The motion didn't hurt all that much. But it almost felt as if she couldn't remember how to use her hand. It took her a few minutes to scribble out three simple words.

'Are you ok?'

Amelia looked at the response, tears forming in both of their eyes. Amelia squeezed Trillia's hand gently. Letting go she wrote a response, trying in vain to blink the tears away. Once more it was held in front of Trillia's face.

'That wasn't my first time facing death. I didn't lose anyone this time. I will be ok. Now that you're awake. I will try to stay by your side.'

Trillia nodded weakly, slowly moving her hand up to grab onto Amelia's. The two sat there like that for a long time, before a loud growl from Trillia's stomach interrupted them. Trillia couldn't hear it, but the look on Amelia's face said the girl had laughed. Trillia managed a little smile.

Eating was proving a difficult task. It hurt to swallow, and chewing seemed beyond her capabilities. Thankfully the food Amelia brought, was some sort of thick broth. It smelled like slowly seared meat and tasted somewhat smoky. But could be drunk as if it were just thick water. Once Trillia had eaten her fill and drank the rest of whatever potion had been brought to her, Amelia wrote she'd drop off the dishes and return shortly. As she left, Trillia's smile faded.

Trillia wanted to put on a strong and brave face for her friend. The words she read rang through her little mind. Trillia reminded herself that Amelia had lost her home to those creatures. Or creatures like them. Had watched her mother be killed by them. Trillia admired her friend's bravery and wondered how she didn't just curl up into a ball and cry. Trillia wanted to be strong like that. Wanted to be strong for Amelia. She'd confront her mother at some point. But right now? Trillia didn't think she could see her mother without getting angry and sad.

Trillia knew, deep down, that her mother was the only reason both girls weren't dead. She had seen the alchemists and herbalists heal people before. The wounds Trillia had were well beyond what simple skills could do. Maybe a skill Mort had? No. No, from everything she remembered hearing about her mother, her mother had done something.

She wanted a distraction. She didn't want to think about the fight, the blood, or the pain. So she went through some of her many notifications. She had made the mistake before of ignoring some of her notifications. And hadn't realized she had gained levels when she had been training with her mother. She didn't want to repeat that mistake.

Species: [Mortal]; [Orc] Level 4 -> Level 8

Subspecies: [Orc-Adolescent:Runt] Level 3 -> Level 7

Trillia's eyes went a little wide at that. She was pretty sure she had been on the cusp of leveling with all of the assistance she had given during the fighting with the warband. As well as all the general skills she had leveled and acquired. Even so. That had been a lot of levels for a single creature. She kept reading.

Racial Skill: [Orc Tenacity] Level 0 obtained!

[Orc Tenacity] Level 0 -> Level 2

[Orc Tenacity]:

This skill can only be acquired by facing an impossible enemy. This skill activates when the creature is on the cusp of dying. Orc Tenacity allows an orc to continue fighting long past the ability of their flesh. Orc Tenacity activates when your Health reaches 0. You may continue fighting for a number of seconds equal to your [Brawn]. You continue to take damage normally. Instead of stopping at 0, your resources go into the negatives. At the end of Orc Tenacity, you are exhausted for a number of days equal to the number of seconds you fought using this skill -5% per level. You may end this skill early if you wish. If your Health is still below 0 when this skill ends, you immediately die. Healing is reduced by 75% (-3% per level.) while this skill is active. All skills take double the mana while this skill is active. All actions requiring Stamina, take double Stamina while this skill is active. Skills that do not normally require Stamina, require Stamina while this skill is active.

Trillia read through the rather lengthy skill description several times to make sure she understood it. Then she read through it a couple more times, trying to figure out how it was limited by [Runt]. A grin spread on her lips. An orc skill! One that wasn't limited or disabled by [Runt]! Well. She supposed it sort of was, since her [Brawn] would only be half that of another orc, one with equivalent stats. Still, she was happy.

That skill must have been the endless mana she felt available to her. The system knew defense was useless while the skill was active. Any healing would take so much mana it wouldn't be entirely worth it. Better to overwhelm your opponent with a terrifying offense and try to heal up with potions after the fact.

It still didn't explain why she wasn't dead. Trillia thought to herself to ask Amelia when she returned.

'Let's see, what else is there?' She thought to herself.

Conditions for a Specialized Class have been met!

{To unlock class options, raise Species or Subspecies to level 10}

Conditions for a Specialized Class have been met!

{To unlock class options, raise Species or Subspecies to level 10}

Conditions for a Specialized Class have been met!

{To unlock class options, raise Species or Subspecies to level 10}

Well, that was annoying. Not even a little peak? Just a tiny hint of what was available?

Trillia remembered the system asking her if she wanted an explanation of experience. She had some time before Amelia returned.

'A short explanation, please.' Trillia was still going to be polite to the system, it had done a lot of heavy lifting in that fight and basically saved her life and Amelia's life.

Experience and You! (The short and simple version.)

Experience is awarded to your Species and Subspecies whenever a class gains experience, whenever you defeat an enemy, whenever you learn a new skill, and whenever you level a skill.

For a formulaic outline, please ask for such. Experience is calculated based on a number of things. For defeating enemies, add your Species, Subspecies, and any Combat classes you have together. If you have two combat classes. Divide the result by 4, if you have one combat class, divide by 3, and if you have no combat classes, divide by 2. The result is the minimum level an enemy can be, and still grant you normal experience, this is known as your Derived Level.

For every factor above your level an enemy is, experience is muliplied by 1.5x. For every factor below your level an enemy is, experience is multiplied by 0.75x. A factor is equal to your level. For instance, if your Derived Level is 3 and an enemy is level 9, it is considered 2 factors ahead of you. So the experience for defeating it would be multiplied by 1.5x, then multiplied by 1.5x again.

You gain less or more experience based on your party composition and your place within it. More people means less experience. Fewer people means more experience. You will not gain experience if a member of your party is 5 or more factors above your Derived Level. In the previous example, this would mean if a member of your party was level 18, you would gain no experience for combat encounters, in which they participated.

There are some exceptions to this rule, would you like a more in-depth explanation?

'No...no thank you.'

That was the short and simple version?! Trillia could feel a headache swelling. She wondered just how much information the system would have dumped on her, had she asked for the normal version, or worse yet, a detailed version. Trillia wondered why her mother watching over them hadn't counted as a party member. Maybe because she didn't interfere in the fight at all? Maybe because during the fight Trillia thought she had abandoned her?

Trillia swept all of the thoughts jumbling in her little brain aside when Amelia finally walked back into the tent. She would try to remember to read the rest of the notifications later.