The day ended and under the moonlight, I set about preparing everything.
All of the normal DCT I had prepared was arranged to help cement the dungeon's defense, whilst I tweaked and refined the club and garrote for my sleepy pair of ranbli. After that, I set off into the fields.
With my new magic, you'd be surprised how easy it is to kill a sleeping ranbi. All I had to do was get within a few inches of them... and...
Thorn. Shot.
A magic-created thorn alone might not have done much but a further-ranged single thorn hitting at extremely close range? It was the first time I saw an attack cleanly penetrate. Compared to Thorntwist's crushing mass of force, this was a clean strike down through the ear.
[Notification] Ability detected...
Tracking progress...
Another new ability? It's probably related to either close-range magic or killing things in their sleep if I know my reincarnation jargon.
Tonight is the night of Favor-earning. This is my way of getting that favor I'm owed from that stupid tutorial. There are around thirty of the bastards I find easily but the night is still young. Number fifty-four is the mark where I'll stop but not the end of my plan's execution.
With each dead ranbi, I can use another thorn to open up their body and harvest bones. It's surprising how little this grotesque killing or rudimentary butchering affects me... but maybe that's because I no longer really mind killing these annoying pests. It's hard to be sympathetic to something when it keeps messing with you, after all.
So I harvest bones; most of the bones are sent back using my inventory but eventually, I find a set that should do the job I have in mind. While the Mana-DCT might be useful for using against live targets, it wasn't the replacement for a blade. So far I'd known no other things beyond the ranbi and Creeper Thorn to exist in these plains, so the only way to improve my situation is to ignore how shitty my luck is and forge onward.
Forge onward. Get it?
... No?
Right. I didn't say what these bones were for.
I'm going to make a scythe.
It's not going to be the large kind but a hand scythe. Having a set of bones that were the right weight and size was important for back-ups or additional attempts... but with the bigger end of the ranbi ribs, I finally had bones thick enough and long enough to properly make a reaper's tool.
The dead of night isn't very useful for crafting, though, so I went back home and settled in on my futon. My lovely, lovely futon. Although my plant form doesn't exactly feel in the same way, this steadily reminds me of just how separated from my old world I really am.
...
[Notification] You have created a Primitive Bone Handscythe.
I am tired.
I am really tired.
I might not feel physically tired but I am extremely mentally exhausted from trying to create this fucking thing but it's done. Five failures in and three different processes just to find the right one later, I've finally created the scythe with only a few bones to spare.
Without a proper tool to carve and shape the bone, I had to improvise. And by improvising, I mean I had to try different angles of smashing and grinding the bone against my stone dungeon.
That's right. I made this damn thing no differently than a caveman. I hit thick bone on a rock until it turned sharp.
Once I had finally got the blade along the rib, it took a few tries to get it secured to another bone for its handle. Some Creeper Thorn remains made ample binding but it took a lot to properly get it stationary enough to not fall apart while cutting grass. Most of my night had been wasted tackling this stupid dream but a true change had finally arrived: a cutting tool in my hands.
No longer did I have to rely on Ivy or Bomber to mow or uproot grass effectively. Although I didn't have proper hands, I could secure it similarly in my vines and use it without too many adjustments.
Fuck evolving, tools are the shit I needed; night time comes to an end shortly and today is the beginning of conquering Kave.
With scythe in shrub-grasp, I head to the surface and leave the comfort of my futon.
To summarize how effective the scythe is may not be easy, but I have some form of an idea. In a single swing without grasping the grass, the blade's momentum cuts through about three inches of grass. It's sharp enough to probably act as a weapon but my lower STR and DEX stats probably wouldn't let me use it very well on a ranbi. Comparing myself to both Bomber and Ivy at least seems to put me on the lower end as far as STR and average for DEX.
Plus, I don't want to risk damaging the scythe cutting into a ranbi for one kill when I can use it as a tool and accurately cut my way around the fields without needing to rely on my helpers. Not to mention getting to work at night is a huge advantage.
But now that daytime is coming, it's a good idea to layout the final plan.
I'm going to have Ivy escort me, cut my way out over to the pond, and try to feel my way around the system to complete this quest.
Although neither myself nor my summons have needed water so far, it might just be some form of basic starter protection. The Water Access level increasing can't be a bad thing... and even if it's filthy, this water is better than nothing. Worst-case scenario, I can use ranbi skulls to try and clean the water using the bonfire.
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... Urgh. That's a lot more morbid-sounding than it initially seemed when it initially crossed my mind.
Point is, we're going to make progress.
So I sit down and wait. Thankfully it isn't that much longer until the sun peeks out, stirring the ranbli duo from their forced-sleep and drawing both of their gazes right to me.
It looks like they're starting to expect my commands.
Bomber, you're on guard-duty again. Ivy, you and I are going to be making a path again.
Waving the scythe feels a bit dangerous so instead I just lift it for them to see. Then I carefully turn it to point at the club and garrote at their feet.
The club is for Bomber. You can carry it in both hands. If you don't have enough SP to attack, swing that at them. Ivy, you need to run your paws through those loops and clasp the ends of that one's length. Next time you're trying to constrict them, wrap this around them. It works best choking their neck but it could also help lock them down.
Both nod when addressed but the directions to take the weapons take them a curious few moments; Bomber grabs the club but fails to lift it a few times before lifting it, while Ivy gets briefly tangled up before dexterously sliding her more evolved paws properly through the straps.
[Notification] Summons Bomber and Ivy have equipped weapons...
Augmenting classes...
Class augments, huh? So I guess weapons help flavor your class... or at least, it so far flavors theirs. It might be that the handscythe doesn't count or my class requires something magical to be equipped to augment.
It's been a while since I looked at their stats, actually. Today's plan isn't in a big rush so I might as well check out how their growth has been going so far.
Bomber (Summoned Ranbi, #1) Level: 1 (3) MP: 5/5 HP: 50/50 SP: 20/20 Race: Ranbli Kid Class: Armed Striker Role: Striker Evolution Stage: 1/1
Ivy (Summoned Ranbi, #2) Level: 1 (3) MP: 5/5 HP: 85/85 SP: 19/19 Race: Ranbli Kid Class: Wire Grappler Role: Grappler Evolution Stage: 1/1
The bracketed levels aren't really there; it's just me trying to accumulate their combined levels. Neither Bomber nor Ivy has leveled-up since their evolution so their cumulative level is around three. Also... the totals of our stats are pretty different; I'm the strongest in stats by a small margin but Ivy has an overwhelmingly much higher total of HP and SP compared to Bomber and I. Whether or not that's due to destiny isn't obvious, yet Bomber is the weakest by both standards. Comparing our sheets further, there are a few oddities that are a bit weird: our levels and evolution stage.
Compared to my page, their level reset. My level didn't when I evolved.
Whilst their evolution stage is still the same, mine is now listed as 1/2.
For now, my theory on this is simple: while I leveled up, my experience works differently since I'm some weird dungeon master ghost that possesses my Manifested Form. That would at least give some explanation on why my level didn't reset on evolution.
As for the evolution stage, it's most likely to do with either the same thing or the species' line of evolution. Ranbi evolve into three things, yet only one was called a ranbli; the Creeper is distinctively an evolution of Creeper Thorn but, just maybe, evolving into a ranbli kid disconnected them from the prior ranbi species-line and kept them at 1/1.
Until either myself or they evolve again, there won't be any way to know. As busy as I've been, there hasn't been a ton of time to use Compost. Thanks to Bomber's effective guard-duty there's a lot of it to go around, though, so I guess I can spend time grinding once we get back from the pond.
...
Kaden... Kaden...
Ah. The one who had the funny look on his face! I forgot all about that soul! He actually picked me...
...
Why?
In the entire reincarnation experiment we three have been running, everyone either chose the pillar or that mask-wearing brute.
No one actually picked the entirely random option unless their soul was completely lost.
His soul seemed so regular... I wonder how harsh things have been.
... Ah, so he's actually completed a few quests? And he's in Kave! I see! So his luck isn't too bad!
Aside from all the ranbi that have been overpopulating and running wild for the last century or so. But that should be ample food for him if he-
... He's a plant?
Hm. No one else ever chose the plant who picked me.
Kaden, was it? I see. I might as well watch him for a while longer.
Maybe this one is worthy of being my first champion in...
... Would he be my first champion ever? That doesn't sound right but I always forget the mortals and their assertions of being my champions.
Hm. Hm hm hm. I need to think of a proper reward for him if he lives a few more days.
Or survives what's heading his way.