We made good progress during the rest of the day. The central pillar which housed the guild had grown closer over the last three days. The surrounding jungle changed as well, new species of trees I had only seen in books so far started to appear more frequently. The monstrous flora changed as well, carnivorous plants gave way to nettles, which used their needle-covered leaves to inject deadly toxins and spores. I also spotted several families of large centipedes through Alan, some with large mandibles on their heads, others covered in poisonous spikes.
When we camped for the night. We made sure to defend the camp much more heavily than usual. Several layers of arcane mines, sharp thread, spike pits, and more mundane traps were put in place. None of us expected another ambush like the one we had just rebuked. Still, the only adventurers that survived to retirement were those that were careful.
While Elyssa prepared the meal, I took a look at my system messages.
Your group has defeated [Creeper Vines (Level 130-140, Rank 5)] x 5
Your group has defeated [Hunter Centipede (Level 125-135, Rank 5)] x 8
Your group has defeated [Blood Drinker (Level 125-140, Rank 5)] x 6
Your group has defeated [Constrictor Baron (Level 160-165, Rank 5)] x 3
Essence Absorption collected 330 ES (5x3x22)
Reached Level 172 (Rank 5, +1 level)
Gained: 3 ES
I had gathered a respectable amount of essence.
Raised Skill Runic Inscription to rank 5, level 1 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Crystal Growth to rank 5, level 1 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Language Mastery to rank 5, level 6 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Eye of the Farseer to rank 5, level 1 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Shroud of Secrecy to rank 5, level 1 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Major Arcana to rank 5, level 1 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Minor Arcana to rank 5, level 1 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Split Deck to rank 5, level 1 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Spell Duplication to rank 5, level 1 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Spell Synthesis to rank 5, level 1 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Cutting Thread to rank 5, level 20 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Thread Control to rank 5, level 1 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Thread Creation to rank 5, level 1 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Spider Climb to rank 5, level 20 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Poison Synthesis to rank 5, level 20 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Mental Library to rank 4, level 3 for 15 ES (+60 levels)
Raised Skill Mental Partition to rank 5, level 1 for 20 ES (+60 levels)
Once I was done with my housekeeping, I spent some quality time with Vel. We simply snuggled together for a while until the meal was ready. Elyssa was cooking a soup that smelled delicious.
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After a second quiet night, everyone looked better, even those who had been on guard. Without much fanfare, we packed our camp and continued. That day was much like the previous one. We encountered some monsters but they were easily dispatched.
Several rock formations made our lives difficult along the way and we had to take a detour more than once. On the map Vel and I had taken from Nis, the area was marked as difficult to navigate. From the cartographer's notes, the rock structures moved from time to time. The monsters that lived there seemed to be unhindered by that and defended their territory fiercely.
Stone and Moss Salamanders as well as several different sub-species of turtle. Among them were the Misty Snappers. As their names implied those turtles generated a blanket of magical fog around them as protection. By themselves they were not overly dangerous but they provided cover for the other denizens.
Alan, our aerial reconnaissance, was severely hampered. The only things he could see were vague shapes through the dense mist. Some of them were monsters, which I saw through my sphere, but others were simply tricks of the light.
I spotted a group of them approach and used Song of Storms to push the mist apart with a gust of wind. Once their cover was removed, three fled. The remaining two reared up on their legs and hissed. I watched as the earth stone under their feet rippled and spikes of stones sprang out. Darrel intercepted them with his shield.
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Gwynn dashed by him and sent one of the Stone Salamanders flying off. Elyssa finished it with two spears of flames. Vel and I quickly took care of the other one, her vines fixed it in place while I killed it with an orb of magma.
The dance repeated a few times.
When we reached the middle of the area. I froze in place. Alan had seen one of the rocks move. I sent sensors that way and he made a second pass closer. When he did, I finally understood. At the base of the rocks were four legs that moved agonizingly slowly.
[Guardian of the Mists (Level 268; Rank 7)]
"The rocks are alive," I said, incredulous.
"What?" Vel said.
"They are Rock Snapper turtles," I explained, "very large ones. Guardian of the Mists, rank seven."
Hamak frowned and looked around.
"This one is buried. Or maybe only some of them are guardians."
"We shouldn't linger either way," Darrel said.
The night had already fallen when we finally stopped. Darrel wanted to put some distance between us and the mists. He wasn't comfortable among the high rank guardians. From their behavior, I suspected that they weren't too dangerous but very hard to kill. The high level was likely due to an advanced age.
I quickly reviewed my system. We had fought around two dozen monsters in the mist, primarily Salamanders with a few angry Snappers.
Essence Absorption collected 315 ES (5x3x21)
Reached Level 173 (Rank 5, +1 level)
Gained: 3 ES
I had brought every class skill to rank five with the last batch. I thought of what was the right course of action. Either continue to raise those skills to their maximum level or go for general skills and physical attributes. If I assumed at least three more days of travel with the same density of encounters, it meant around nine hundred essence. I had fifty-seven class skills including specializations, five of which were already at maximum level. It left fifty-two to raise by one hundred levels or thirteen hundred essence. For only the core class skills, thirty of them, it would cost seven hundred and fifty.
Easily attainable.
Raised Skill Magic Combat to rank 5, level 100 for 25 ES (+99 levels)
Raised Skill Magic Strike to rank 5, level 100 for 25 ES (+99 levels)
Raised Skill Magic Enhancement to rank 5, level 100 for 25 ES (+98 levels)
Raised Skill Magic Aura to rank 5, level 100 for 25 ES (+100 levels)
Raised Skill Magic Perception to rank 5, level 100 for 20 ES (+80 levels)
Raised Skill Magic Body to rank 5, level 100 for 22 ES (+86 levels)
Raised Skill Multishot to rank 5, level 100 for 25 ES (+100 levels)
Raised Skill Spatial Movement to rank 5, level 100 for 23 ES (+92 levels)
Raised Skill Metamagic to rank 5, level 100 for 22 ES (+85 levels)
Raised Skill Multicast to rank 5, level 100 for 18 ES (+72 levels)
Raised Skill Swiftcast to rank 5, level 100 for 18 ES (+72 levels)
Raised Skill Mystic Mind to rank 5, level 100 for 21 ES (+82 levels)
Raised Skill Catalyst Creation to rank 5, level 100 for 24 ES (+96 levels)
Raised Skill Catalyst Assembly to rank 5, level 100 for 25 ES (+100 levels)
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The next day was thankfully free of strange terrain. The most remarkable was a crumbled ruin, beyond any identification, with a large shattered crystal at the center. The jungle was petrified for a hundred meters around the structure though I saw sights that the effect used to extend much further.
I could feel lingering traces of magic in the air. Faint echoes of a spell cast many centuries past but whose effects still remained. Kept from truly fading by the shattered crystal and its faulty enchantments.
It was too weak to affect us, the mana in our bodies brushed off the weakened magic. Someone below rank two would not fare well however, neither did the plants bar a few exceptions. Their internal mana was not dense enough to repel the petrification.
"Thas' creepy alright," Gwynn said.
"The map warns not to camp close to the petrified trees," Darrel informed her.
"Wouldn't want to end like the trees," Katherine shivered.
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The next obstacle was a river which cut through the jungle. It was shallow and slow enough we could cross on foot. What we didn't want was to fight in the middle of the water, especially our two armored tanks. Drowning in knee high water because they fell would be a stupid way to die.
The Rune Panther on the other side, hidden in the bushes was, therefore, an inconvenience. Alan had spotted it stalking us when we had approached the river bank. If it pounced on us while we crossed or just as we reached the shore, the fight would get messy.
Instead, it was Alan's time to shine.
Go! At my signal, he dove towards the panther and slashed at its back with his talons. Surprised by this, the feline jumped and scrambled to catch Alan but it was too late. My familiar had already flown back into the canopy. I used our bond and fired several air blades as he dove again. The panther managed to dodge them but the only way to do that was towards the river bank.
As soon as it tumbled on the muddy soil, Hamak, Vel, and I fired our bows.
Your group has defeated [Rune Panther (Level 176, Rank 5)]
The whole operation had been a bit excessive, I could have shot it through the trees and bushes with my enhanced bow and arrows but it had been a good exercise in teamwork. A good test of Alan's new form as well, his talons had done considerable damage.
"Let's move," I said, "before another shows up."