Name:

Dante Alan Skyisle

Age:

12 years old

Species & Subtype:

Human - male - adolescent

Affinity:

Astral Phantom

Spark of the Morningstar [+ 3 skill channels] [+ Soul-Song skill]

Dryad [+Chrysalis skill]

Level:

14

Experience:

6'142/11'250

Health:

14/14

Stamina:

14/14

Mana:

14/14

Mana regen:

14 m/hr

Strength:

16

Agility:

16

Dexterity:

16

Vitality:

18 [+3]

Charisma:

12

Magic:

65 [+3]

Foresight:

15

Intelligence:

297 [+89]

Wisdom:

15

Soul:

56 [-54]

Skills:

1

[Soul-Song LV 0] [ON]

[Raising Spell efficiency by 0.1%]

[Providing detailed Soul-Stats]

[Translating the Soul-Song's Language]

Known Song-Spells:

[Tamus-Anima] [Sectus-Anima] [Conjugo-Anima] [Identify]

2

1 [Infoscope LV 20]

3

2 [Infoscope LV 20]

4

3 [Infoscope LV 20]

5 1 [Info-Tether LV 20] 6 2 [Info-Tether LV 20] 7 3 [Info-Tether LV 20] 8 1 [Modify LV 20] 9 2 [Modify LV 20]

10 3 [Modify LV 20]

11 1 [Sectus-Tether LV 20] 12 2 [Sectus-Tether LV 20] 13 [NeuroVista LV 20] [ON] 14 [Chrysalis LV 14] [OFF] Phylactery - Battie [Barrier] [LV 14] [Crystal Battery]

[14 soul shards from Dante]

[20/20 mana] Phylactery - Leemy [Chrysalis] [LV 27] [Mystic-Willow-Oak]

[40 soul shards from Dante]

[40 soul shards from Delta]

[27/27 mana]

After a week of slowly cutting off 40 shards of my soul and 40 shards of Delta's soul and injecting them into a specific crystal formation deep within the Mystic tree, I was finally rewarded with a sight of [Phylactery - Leemy] in my Stats!

Since I could not reach out and simply touch Leemy with my fingers, I had to tether my soul to her with one of my Info-Tethers and Infoscope 3, thus leaving me with only two others to fly around with.

I scanned Infoscope 3 with Infoscope 2 as I relaunched 3 inside of the hollow space within the Mystic Tree

[Infoscope 3 LV 21]

"Yes!" I pumped my fist in the air as I finally succeeded at breaking the level cap with a spell.

I pushed Infoscope 3 through the tree and onto the outside. As it hung in the air it started to rapidly decay. In a minute, it became LV20 and then in another crashed completely as the magogenic zone devoured the spell.

I pursed my lips. I could now produce higher level spells… but only inside the tree. It was an extremely limiting improvement.

The simplest solution would be to cut a hole in the tree to get the crystal out, but…

a)The trunk was reinforced with layers upon layers of LV27 wood and would probably be impossible to cut through with LV 20 tools. The Mystic tree was the toughest thing in Skyisle.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

b)Cutting a hole in the tree and ripping out the crystals would likely screw up how well they defended against the fault.

"Eeeeeeeeeey," Delta slid into the tent. "I just saw Leemy in my Stats! I can feel her or perhaps a part of myself in that tree! You did it, right?"

"I did," I nodded. "She's our Phylactery now. It took nearly eighty soul shards to establish a permanent connection, but we did it."

"Does that mean if we die horribly we can reincarnate as a tree?" Delta asked, tilting her white mane.

"Uhhh," I rubbed the back of my head. "...maybe? If we can find our way from the Astral to where Lemmy is at, without getting eaten along the way. From my understanding… when someone or something dies, their soul rapidly sinks into the depths of the Astral."

"I could be an adorable tree," Delta mulled.

"If you make it back to Leemy alive," I said. "Space is very screwy beneath the physical world. The spot you die at might be too far from Leemy for example. Without having a permanent tether you might never find her… and my own threads decay here in two minutes."

"Bah," Delta crossed her arms, a playful pout on her face. "Well, I guess I'll have to settle for being an adorable human instead... for now."

"That's probably for the best. Being a tree might limit our adventures a bit, confine us to this spot within the tower, be completely unable to save Skyisle and eventually become devoured by the magogenic fault."

"So much pessimism," Delta made a long face. "Whyyyy?"

"Realism, not pessimism," I pointed out. "The glass is half full but the fluid inside is radioactive. Yes, we could be a tree... but that would massively limit our movement options."

"You can be a tree," Delta huffed. "I'm going to fly!"

"Oh? Did you happen to take over anything larger than a mite yet?" I asked.

"Yes. I got one bee!" Delta said triumphantly.

"A bee?"

"Yeppers," Delta nodded. She dug in her white-cloth pocket and presented her fist to me. When she opened her hand, there was a small, fuzzy bee inside it.

[LV 1 Worker Fire-Bee. Female drone. Infected with Astral Fungus.]

My Infoscope identified the yellow, orange and black striped, fuzzy bug.

"Cute," I commented.

"Look what I can do!" My twin declared.

The fat bumble flapped its wings weakly. Then it raised its stinger into the air. In a moment, the stinger flashed with a weak pulse of [fire] magic, producing a tiny, orange spark.

"Behold!" Delta said. "It's like a little dragon! It can make fire!"

I kept scanning the bee.

"It has about 1 day left to live," I commented after a minute. "Maybe less."

"What?" Delta's silver-blue eyes went wide.

"Worker bees don't live that long," I explained. "I've kept track of these fire-bees you've been chasing after for years. Female worker bees like this one play a vital role in the hive. They are the backbone of the colony, tirelessly working together to ensure the survival and prosperity of the entire hive, but they only live 30 days. This one is very injured, that's likely how you were able to infect it with your Astral spores."

"Nooo, not Ogonek!" Delta cried as the bee stopped flapping its wings. "Slavaaaaa... come on you gotta help me make this bee live longer, it took me ages to get one infected and I don't want to lose her tomorrow!"

I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

"Pleeeeeease," Delta begged, making her eyes as wide as that of a kitten.

I sighed, unable to resist my sister's big, pleading eyes. "Alright, alright. I can make this bee into a Phylactery. I can attach some of my soul and your soul shards to her along with a [Vitality-Rewind] fractal. Theoretically, as long as we both keep putting mana into it, the fractal should keep rewinding the bee's body backwards in time to a less injured state. It might even fly again."

"Yes! Reincarnated as a bee!" Delta grinned. "Now this, I approve of! You can be a boring-ass tree, while I'll be..." Delta paused, a sly grin on her face, "buzzing through the clouds and pollinating all the things for ex-bee-rience!"

"Sorry to be your buzz-kill," I shook my head, "But you will likely be captured and forced to serve the Queen Bee. Bees aren't known for their individualism. From my scan, the Fire-Bee Queen has LV 20 in [Charisma-Colony-Control]. Unlike the non-magical bees of Earth, Novazem bees are actually exceptionally coordinated when they defend the hive."

"What?" Delta gasped. "Are you telling me that little Miss. Ogonek is constantly being mind-controlled... like Kliss?!"

"In a way," I admitted. "But it's not as sinister as a Vow. It's more of a harmonious, collective consciousness. Each bee is part of a greater whole. They aren't born free like people."

Delta looked down at the tiny bee in her palm. "That's kind of sad, don't you think? She never really gets to be her own bee."

"Perhaps," I responded, "but that's the nature of a bee colony. As far as I know, bees are not as sapient as we are. They work together for the survival of the hive. It's what makes them so efficient and successful at what they do. On Earth, bees communicate through a series of movements called a 'waggle dance'. It's a way to share the location of food sources," I explained. "They also use pheromones for various signals."

"Uh-huh," Delta sat down, seeing that I went into lecture mode.

"But here in Novazem, it's a bit different. The Queen Bee uses magic to connect with the rest of the colony. It's a sort of telepathic network that allows for immediate communication and coordination. It's as if they are all one mind, with the Queen as the central hub."

Delta's eyes lit up with wonder. "That's amazing... if a little creepy. So... is it like a magical radio?"

"Sort of," I said. "I scanned the fire-bee hive in our parents' attic a few times with my Infoscopes to figure out how it works. "On Earth, bees use beeswax to build their hives, creating a series of hexagonal cells where they store honey, pollen, and their eggs. They use their antennae and legs to meticulously shape each cell," I explained.

"But Novazem bees? They take it to another level. As their colony grows, each worker helps assemble a massive crystalline broadcaster in the heart of their hive. They secrete a specific type of resin that interacts with their magic [Fire] skill when it ignites and crystallizes, to shape this unique structure. This broadcaster serves as a signal enhancer, allowing the Queen to extend her [LV 20 Charisma-Colony-Control] threads to every single bee in the hive about 70 meters away."

"Wow," Delta breathed. "They're like… little magical architects, huh?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "Lots of creatures on Novazem evolved to use magic in incredibly unique ways."

"Wait, so the bees can only pollinate flowers 70 meters away?" Delta asked.

"No," I said. "They use the 'waggle dance' outside of the 70 meters range and act less coordinated until they get closer to the hive. The control of the Queen mainly exists to defend the colony from external threats such as a high-level enemy attacking the hive or trying to make a nest of their own nearby."

Delta stared at the dying bee in her hand. "What happens when a bee's lifetime is up?" she asked. "I mean, does the colony just forget about them?"

I shook my head, "It's a little more complicated than that. Bees have a pretty strong sense of community. When a bee is injured or dying, it releases a specific chemical marker. The other bees pick up on this and know that their sister is in trouble. If the bee dies inside the hive, her sisters will carry her body out to keep the hive clean.”

"But what if the bee is still alive, just old or weak or injured like this one?" Delta asked.

"Then she is still driven out of the hive," I admitted. "It might seem harsh, but it's necessary for the survival of the colony. A weak or sick bee could bring disease into the hive or simply drain resources. It's a tough world out there, sis."

Delta's frown deepened.

"Just like on Earth, Novazem bees are also susceptible to mite infections," I added. "The tiny parasitic mites here are magical too. They feed off the information-tethers that the bees use to communicate with the Queen, weakening their hosts over time by draining their mana bit by bit."

"Is that why Oggy is so weak?"

"Partly, yes." I nodded. "She's very covered in mites. Mites are a persistent problem for bees in both worlds. Even though bees have defensive measures, the mites have [Charisma-concealment] skills."

"How do the bees fight against the mites?" Delta asked.

"Bees employ grooming behaviors to remove mites from their bodies and use propolis, a sticky substance made from tree resins, to seal off mite entry points in the hive. Additionally, the bees can detect and remove infested brood, reducing the spread of mites. The problem is that these mites are really good at redirecting attention away from themselves with tiny charisma standing waves, so the colony fails to remove them all. Unlike the bees, the mites are a parasitic species specializing almost entirely in concealment."

"What the hell? That's terrible!" Delta clenched her fists. "Let's save the bees, Slava. All of them!"

"I'll put it on my agenda," I commented dryly.

"You're not taking me seriously, are you?" She asked.

"Parasites like the mites contribute to the ecology by managing the host population, unless they become too effective," I pointed out. "We already have a lot on our plate right now, with the gods, Vows and saving Skyisle with Leemy!"

I waved my hand at the massive Mystic tree behind me.

Delta pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "I know that. But after we've done all that, promise we'll help the bees in our garden at least?"

"Aren't you riding the mites to get into the bee colony yourself?" I asked.

"I'm a terrible parasite and I feel bad," Delta sighed. "When I become a Queen Bee I will make the colony in our attic super nice for every hard working bee!"

I smiled, reaching out to ruffle her white hair. "Alright, alright. I promise to help clear the mites when you're the Queen Bee. For now, at the very least, I can try to save little Ogonek from expiring tomorrow."

Delta beamed at me.

"When I'm done, we'll have to meet Kliss at the pub," I said.

"Why?"

"She wants to make contingency plans for a future relocation or even a forced evacuation of Skyisle," I sighed. "She's not completely confident that we're competent enough to use Agromancy to modify this tree fast enough to save the village. She dug through the archives and figured out that the previous generation was limited to LV 24 and the one before that was limited to LV 32 and it's stressing her out immensely."