After honoring the brave ColoColo who stepped up for combat training, Don passed out the fruits he had collected. The tribe went crazy for the sweet treats and when they demanded more. Don asked them each what they brought back to the refuge, handing out the remaining fruits to those who contributed the most to the tribe. He had to use his newfound authority to stop them from charging out into the waking forest to collect more.
He was still uncomfortable ordering them around but he couldn't let them go and get themselves killed. Don convinced Cel to let him work through the day in light of his new Relentless trait and he set to concocting potions with gusto. He started by replacing his magical energizing potion and then bent to the task of making stink bombs. When he ran out of ingredients he was familiar with, he took down a length of Creeping Strangler. The ColoColo didn't have much use for it but Don had an idea for how it could help him against the apes.
You have crafted: Feeble Exhausting Potion (common) SP drained / second: 1.3 Duration: 1 minute Total Effect: -79.2 Stamina (if drunk) Alternate Effect: Can be applied to weapons at a cost of 75% potency
(3 uses per application, stackable) +0% Concoction EXP
Don worked through his entire store of 18 Creeping Strangler vines but his Dexterity remained stubbornly at 19. He patiently ground up his entire store of Myrtle's Wort, making 6 Revitalizing potions as a safeguard against disease. Next, he started turning his poppies into soothing potions that dulled pain, getting halfway through them before he got his real prize.
DEX: 19 --> 20
Congratulations!
You have trained your Dexterity to its limit!
Trait unlocked: Nimble Nimble
Dexterity can now be applied to activities outside of crafting.
Dexterity now affects the precision, speed, and flexibility of your limbs.
Woah! Don thought. He was expecting something related to crafting but the nimble trait completely changed the way Dexterity worked. He had noticed that he was able to move his hands around faster and make fewer mistakes while crafting but now when he went to rub his head, his hand shot up and smacked him in the face. The mass behind it was the same and Don rang his bell pretty good. Then he grinned. Now he was getting somewhere.
He took his time getting used to the new speed and experimenting with it. While he could move his hands, arms, legs and even his head faster, he wasn't any quicker with pushups, situps or anything that included his whole body. All in all, his limbs just felt... lighter, more responsive, like something was pulling them in the directions Don wanted them to go the very instant the thought crossed his mind. His hands snapped out in the blink of an eye to freeze at the exact points he wanted them to end up in. They even blurred to his Wisdom enhanced senses.
Don spent longer than he would like to admit just waving his hands around, reveling in the way they seemed to disappear from one point and appear in another. There were still several hours until nightfall judging by the light filtering down into the alchemy workshop so Don set to increasing his Strength.
He alternated between pushups, draining his stamina, and meditation, regenerating it. Before the rest of the tribe was awake Don had gained another level in his [Harmony] skill.
Harmony: Initiate 4 --> 5
+10% effect of meditation
+27% awareness of your surroundings while meditating
Meditation now restored his SP a full 220% faster than normal! That was almost 7 stamina every 10 seconds! He could now completely refill his Stamina pool of in under 5 and a half minutes! Better yet, his increased awareness let him keep track of his stamina level even when meditating. That meant he didn't need Cel to pull him out of his trances anymore. That wasn't the reward he was hoping for but it came soon enough.
WIS: 19 --> 20
Congratulations!
You have trained your Wisdom to its limit!
Trait unlocked: Enlightened Enlightened
You can now sense and control mana more easily.
MP regeneration increased from WIS/hour to WIS/minute outside combat
MP regeneration items and spells work 3x faster outside combat
While Don didn't have much use for the extra mana, he was immediately overwhelmed by information coming from a brand new sense. He could feel an... energy, swirling in a slow vortex near the pit of his stomach. It seemed to drain out the bottom before branching in a network not unlike his veins to spread that energy through his body. The majority of it emptied into his head, but he could tell the energy was somehow nourishing his entire being.
As he observed what he thought of as his mana pool, he half-saw, half-felt a single drop of the energy coalesce in his chest before dropping down into the pool. He looked around and could faintly make out a similar energy seeping from Sik's body like a thin layer of mist. He looked down at his hand and saw the energy wafting off of his skin as well. With a little will, he found he could move the energy ever so slightly.
Huh, neat. He thought but left it at that before going back to his strength training. It wasn't too long before he was rewarded again for his diligence.
STR: 19 --> 20
Congratulations!
You have trained your Strength to its limit!
Trait unlocked: Beastly Beastly
Feats of strength now have a chance to inflict the Fear effect.
Chance is determined by the difference between your STR and the STR of witnesses.
All Stamina costs are reduced by 5%
Don wasn't as happy with this particular trait. Given how outmatched he was in strength by the apes already, the fear effect wouldn't be of any use at all. The reduced stamina costs weren't too vital either given his ability to make magical stamina potions.
At least I didn't transform to look more beastly
As if prompted by the thought, he realized that the alchemy workshop suddenly felt a bit more cramped. With a little trepidation, Don looked down. It was disconcerting seeing a body that looked, wrong, attached to his neck. Don had grown without realizing it and well-defined muscles bulged out from places where Don could have sworn he shouldn't have any at all. He quickly checked his hands and face. A wave of relief washed over him when he confirmed that his jagged teeth and sharp claws hadn't returned. Cel chose that time to wake up.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
She whistled appreciatively.
"Hellooooo, captain beefcake!"
"Who?" Don asked looking around
"I'm talking to you stud-muffin. You get your hands on a cosmetics pack and decide to do some compensating? I think you might have overdone it."
"Muffins? Cosmetics? What are those?"
Cel sighed, she was disappointed about something but at least she started making sense again.
"What happened while I was asleep? Why do you look so different?"
Don grinned. While it was good to reach so many milestones in his training, it was even better when he had someone to share his accomplishments with.
"Oh, nothing much. I just got a few attributes up to 20." Don said nonchalantly as he examined his fingernails
"What! That's great news! Which ones? Well, strength obviously but what bonuses did you get?"
Don gave Cel the run-down of his new traits and she beamed at him. Don felt like he was the one glowing now.
"I knew you could do it!" She congratulated "That only leaves three to go and then we can start leveling up in earnest! We've been letting your Intelligence slide a bit but we can take care of that once we finish training your Agility and Constitution."
Don was so pleased he didn't even point out that Cel was saying 'we' again when she really meant 'you'. The ColoColo were also starting to stir because of their animated conversation and Don led them outside. He didn't have much to add to his speech the day before and just reiterated the need for potion ingredients and gourds. When he asked for volunteers for combat training, however, nearly half the tribe stepped forward eagerly. Don turned away anyone who was below level 3 ending up with a group of 17 monsters at his back.
He put the original 4 in command of their own squads of three new volunteers. They would be able to teach the newcomers and move in independent groups. Don couldn't give them orders while he was focused on the apes anyways.
Kat was given special authority over the entire war party. He could slip into any of the four-man cells and turn them into a 5 man squad working under his direction, but mostly, he would be a solo actor. His 'scout' variant really set him apart from the others and they couldn't keep up when he got serious.
They were following Kat to a fruit tree for breakfast when the scout froze. Don might not have noticed but a low squeak caused all the others to stop as well.
"Danger" Kat said quietly.
In a flurry of nearly silent movement, his army disappeared into the canopy. Don was bewildered for only a second before he decided to join them. He was much slower and louder getting into the trees but Don discovered an unexpected benefit of his beastly trait. The trees seemed a little smaller and it was that much easier to reach the next branch. When he was situated where the trunk forked, he did his best to calm his breathing and strain his ears.
The numerous unseen critters that normally filled the jungle with noise were conspicuously silent, but that could have been due to Don's presence just as easily as it could have been a sign of danger. He trusted Kat's instincts and experience though so he stayed quiet and hidden with his suddenly terrified recruits.
When he heard a familiar tromping sound Don relaxed fractionally, at least the apes weren't exploring the jungle at night now. It was troubling that centurions were so close to the refuge though. He thought they would stay in the parts of the jungle closer to the tower, and only go out during the day.
Then they came within earshot and Don didn't have to guess why they were out here anymore.
"-telling you -- getting a --- feeling. --- think we should --- back. There's no -- knowing -- dangerous it is this far out."
"What are you, some kind of idiot?" mocked one of the centurions "Don't you recognize this feeling? It's the same one that Demon gave off. It has to be nearby. Did you forget the whole reason we keep coming out here day after day is to catch that damned heretic?"
"No, I just have a bad feeling is all. I don't think we should be out here at night either. All the rabbits and foxes have disappeared, we can't get any more experience like this."
"It's a good thing what you think doesn't matter." Said a new voice "We've had people scouting the edge of the jungle for way too long already. I don't understand how one person can survive alone out here but he's clearly managing it and there's no reason for him to stay near our camp. We can't just wait for him to die anymore. We need to search deeper in the jungle, even if that means staying out all night. Now, we're finally close enough to feel that nasty aura and you want to call it quits? What could you possibly be worried about anyway? By the grace of the Master, we have been made nigh unkillable!"
"You just wanted to grind experience" One of the centurions grumbled. The last speaker laughed heartily.
"Am I that easy to see through? Well, if we can bring back Donovan or better yet, just kill him and let the respawn take care of that part, I'm sure the Arbiter will have some nice rewards in store. Just think of how impressed Margret will be if you can tell her that you, brought back the heretic. Joshua, Hero of the colony."
They were close now. Don could see a light between the trees but it was moving off to the side, they should miss his group entirely.
"It does have a nice ring to it," said another voice thoughtfully "How are we going to find him in this darkness though?"
"Well we know he's within a kilometer now, If we lose the aura we just have to split up until one of us finds it again. then we can run towards its center while doing this:" The centurion took a deep breath before continuing.
"Donovan Shepard! By the authority of the Arbiter, you are hereby ordered to come with us and present yourself for judgment."
The shout was loud and clear. Before Don could think, he had already dropped from the tree and was jogging towards the group. He quickly regained control of himself and slowed to a stop but the damage had already been done.
"It's him!" Shouted an excited silhouette, pointing in his direction.
Don smiled self-consciously and gave a little wave.
"Hello," He said awkwardly.
The grating demonic language wasn't received well.
"Silence" ordered the Centurion holding a spear with a glowing point over his shoulder. The shaft of the spear was festooned with the bodies rabbits and foxes, making for a collection of bloody pennants. They swung when he brought the weapon around to face Don. He cringed away from the bright and stinging light as much as the gruesome display.
The glowing point now illuminated the man's face. The beginnings of an anemic looking beard covered his jaw and upper lip while his head was hidden under one of those tan caps. Despite that badge of leadership, the man held no shield, just the glowing spear. The other faces registered surprise to have their quarry walk up to them, but the leader only looked eager.
"Come here and get on your knees heretic," The leader said. His tone held no room for doubt. He simply knew Don would obey.
Don nearly proved him right, taking an involuntary step forward before Cel stopped him.
Don no! Think! If you leave now, what will happen to the ColoColo?
Don froze, the thought chilling him to the core. The spear-wielding leader only betrayed his surprise for a moment before repeating his command. Don barely twitched in response. He was too occupied with his own thoughts.
If I go with these men, what will happen to the ColoColo? They might survive for a while, but the alchemy workshop can't hold out forever. More than that, without a leader, they would descend into anarchy. I would be letting them down, all of them, even Grey.
Don thought briefly about the way the ColoColo fought over the nuts he left in the entrance chamber. They needed his guidance. Without his leadership, they would never work up the courage to fight for themselves either.
Don clenched his fists and snapped out of his thoughts to realize that the centurions were moving forward carefully. They were beginning to encircle him. Don glanced at the animals hanging from the glowing spear. These people did not need his help. They had the Arbiter to guide them and warriors to protect them. Void, they couldn't even die, not really.
Don spoke again. They couldn't understand him and cringed at the sounds he produced. The words wouldn't have convinced them to leave him alone anyways. They weren't really even meant for the centurions. He said them because they felt right.
"Go and take a long stroll out a short airlock."
Then, finally embracing his past as a heretic, he turned, made a rude hand gesture they would understand, and ran back into the jungle.