The Steading.

I sat down at the table, idly feeding bugs to Grubs.

'Still not sure if familiars need to eat or not. they don't poop...'

The others discussed my abilities, speculating on what totems I could now make.

“With Earth… I can make…” I began explaining the possible combinations.

“No don’t tell us!” Elina shouted, “It will spoil the fun!”

it would be better if we could plan around each other in combat, it was better if they knew what I could make. But for tonight I could let them guess, a much needed light moment.

We finished eating and Abu stood.

“I will level three times, the spells I want are still too far out of reach.” He wanted pure attributes. It was a decent plan he already showed he had powerful spells, if he could make them go further it would benefit everyone.

Everyone seemed happy, and he opened his Codex. It was a hard cover book the cover was faded and cracked with age and wear, some kind of thick papyrus. The pages were filled with beautiful Arabic calligraphy. He looked it over quickly and closed it, he jolted in exhilaration and after a moment slumped back into his seat.

It seemed like we were beginning a new ritual, as Elina stood next.

Her Codex was a scroll, it looked like new, there were relief's of athletes on the back… Discus, Wrestling, Shot-put and of course Javelin…

“I will take the tier 0 skills [Wrestling] and [Boxing], then the tier 1 combination skill [Pankration]. I have ranged combat well supported for now, but I need my skills back for close quarters.”

She was covering her weaknesses, I had never heard of Pankration, but I knew human martial arts would appear if the Delegati had previous knowledge of them.

“I will level once as well, it will boost my vitality strength and dexterity each by three.”

“Trait?” I as always cut to the point.

“[Olympian Physique] it gives three points to each attribute per level.” She beamed proudly.

It was technically better than [Ethereal Heart], giving six total attributes on level. How had she afforded it? Had she spent as long as me in the Eligere?

“Expensive… How?” It was clearly an above the norm legendary trait. She must have suffered greatly to afford it.

“I was an Olympic athlete before the Eligere, I was put in a Trial near the end. I won the trait as the gold prize.” That was amazing. She hadn't spent any Cassa, and earned her trait in a Trial. it was also clearly tailored to her.

“Wow.” Oleksiy said. “That is very impressive Elina. You were an Olympian?”

“Yes. I represented Greece in the javelin.” she spoke plainly.

“Ah! This is why I recognise your face! You won silver!” Oleksiy had clearly been a fan of sports, I wished I could remember her myself. I had lost those memories to time.

“Yes that bitch from Russia was doping…” Her cheerful face turned dark, clearly she still wasn't over the loss.

“Yes. Many in your batch from Russia were, it was a terrible time for the sport… Shameful.” Keisuke was outraged.

As the sports fans commiserated, Elina finalised her purchase. The same look of pure power flowed across her and she slumped into her seat.

“I will take levels, my skill set is strong for now.” Indaya stood, I gave him a nod. He didn’t speak about anything related to his traits, but he looked tired.

It had been a long day.

“I wanted to ask all of your opinions actually.” Delia stood next.

“I can level or buy a skill. Should I buy a damaging spell or should I buy [Enchant]?“ She looked around, “I feel like [Enchant] will go further if I buy it early on, I will be able to make our crafted tools stronger.”

It was obvious that she had the prerequisite skills for enchant already. [Crafting] a general skill that improved your ability to make things holistically, and her [Imbue Rune] skill would do it.

“[Enchant]… if you can buy it this early in your build you should.” Paula was decisive, not willing to brook an argument.

“Alright dear.” Delia pulled her Codex out and bought the skill, it would cost her most of her Cassa I guessed. She would only have around 800.

I would have to find some materials to make a weapon.

“My [Spiritualism] can find… strong materials…” Over time some things could gather enough experiences and energy from the Ethereal Sea to gain spirituality, some things could even develop personalities. They made the best enchanted tools, your weapons would be guided to your target by the spirit inside. I had already found a lot of spiritual wood, the jungle teeming with the stuff.

“OK sweetie, we will look in the morning.” Delia said, I was glad to have her in our Secta. Her crafting abilities would increase our survival by leaps and bounds.

Keisuke stood next, and gave a small bow. It was interesting how he seemed to portray the image of a samurai of old.

‘A quirk of his own personality or something else?’

“I have a trait called [Spirit of the Sword] it will increase my Spirit by four, and alternate between one Strength then one Dexterity per level. I also have a trait that gives me one Vitality per two Spirit called [Spiritual Self].”

“I will take two levels, and the tier one skill [Metallurgy], my family in Japan were renowned as sword-smiths.” He also had a legendary trait, giving less raw spirit as mine but swapping equally between strength and dexterity.

‘He also had the same [Spiritual Self] trait as me!’

[Metallurgy] was a blacksmithing skill, it would guide your senses when working with metal showing imperfections. You would need [Crafting] and [Blacksmithing] as prerequisites. If we could find some metal Keisuke could make some real weapons. Delia could enchant them.

“Take it, you can start building real tools and weapons.” Paula once again spoke up, and no one contradicted her.

Keisuke nodded and closed his rice-paper scroll.

“I will level up, it will give more charges with my bag. I will take [Shadowed Strike] as a skill. Tak?” Oleksiy had a plan it seemed, if Keisuke could make him a good knife he would be in a decent position.

“I will just level for now, I need a bigger mana pool.” Jack spoke, not elaborating further.

She needed more time, she was becoming withdrawn as the day grew longer.

Paula looked at Tobias, she was still mad at him. I could tell by the way her eyes looked like they would shoot fire at his head if she had the skill.

‘I bet Jack could buy [Flame Gaze] by level 15…’

Tobias stood and simply said “I will take a level and save the rest.”

No one spoke to give any advice. ‘Or snide remarks…’

“I will take a tier 1 skill, [Regeneration].” Paula said. It was a powerful early defensive skill, you would slowly regenerate overtime the effect stacked with other regeneration spells also... A prerequisite for more powerful skills.

She took her Codex out, it was a carved wooden board. The edges were flowing with decorative curls and waves, a fierce animal dominated the rear side. It looked like a slim shark mixed with a serpentine dragon.

“So that's everyone then, I think it is important to have these talks.” Paula said before she sat down. “We need to know each others abilities if we are going to survive.”

There was a round of muttered agreements, and every one scattered into conversations. Keisuke, Oleksiy and Elina were animatedly talking about the Olympics.

Delia Paula and Abu were muttering about defences and preparations.

I headed out to the entrance and asked Grubs to keep watch for me, his triangular head nodded his intelligent eyes glimmering. I left him by the [Sentry Ward Totem] refreshing its duration and considered what kind of totems I could now deploy.

The elements meshed well with totemic effects, almost like they were meant to be used together.

I considered making an [Air Manipulation] and [Survival] it would push back enemies, but if I wanted it to last all night it wouldn't be very effective. It was strongest with a short duration and high power.

I went inside, we arranged a night watch and went to our pods to sleep.

----------------------------------------

It was a peaceful night, no monsters snatched us up in the dark.

I had made a thin earth wall to cover the door to my pod and I slept well. Waking for my watch and preparing for the day ahead, we ate breakfast... Leftover catfish and fruit... Discussing who would do what.

Me, Delia and Keisuke were the crafting team. I covered wood, Delia magic and textiles and Keisuke metals. We needed to secure materials to work with and create tools.

I could now dig large holes fast, and Keisuke wanted to find some metal. The Lizardmen clearly had a local source.

Tobias had offered to make us a workspace. The stinking catfish leather was curling our collective nostrils, and he was ready to kick it out of the main area.

Paula, Jack and Abu would join the scouting teams as support. Elina, Indaya and Oleksiy were our scouts they would range out and search the area for dangers, mapping it out in their Codex’s as they went. Strangely Paula had a navigation skill, she would collect the maps and we would carve it into the wall of our cave with [Earth Manipulation] that night making a 3D map.

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Indaya and Elina would come topside with my group scouting further around the waterfall, Oleksiy would take Jack and g downstream. Setting traps along the ravine and looking for traces of Lizardmen.

We set off, Keisuke and I quickly scaling the waterfall with our boosted attributes. Delia floated up a rope to Keisuke, and I anchored it into the granite with [Earth Manipulation] making sure it was securely fastened. Delia climbed up the rope and we set off, Indaya and Elina would flank us as we travelled up the river.

“It will be easier to find metal if we stick to the river's edge, the water will expose far more than we could.” Keisuke explained, we would let the river do the work for us.

We carefully travelled upriver, I was [Carving] a piece of fallen hardwood into a rectangular handle as we walked. We had looted an Obsidian knife off the very first Lizardman archer, Delia had used [Enchanting] on it and made it highly durable.

Making sure to keep Grubs looking out for danger.

He perched on my messy hair like the figurehead of a ship, eyes gazing around vigilantly.

After an hour or so we slowed to a halt. Keisuke had seen a river-stone that had a line of dark metal running through it, it was speckled with silver flecks. It was quite heavy, the stone pulling my hand down sharply as Keisuke passed it around.

“It looks like the metal the Lizardmen make their arrow heads from…” Keisuke remarked, his eyes

cataloguing the metal carefully.

“I do not know the name for it in this place, but it looks like tungsten.” His [Metallurgy] skill had finally identified the mystery metal for us.

"I can make weapons with this, can you move the earth in the area here?” He pointed to a spot that was slightly upriver of the stone.

I cast an [Earth Manipulation] and [Spiritualism] totem, it looked like a simple log carved with rings. The front of the log was shaped into a peaceful face. Dirt trickled out of the top making it look like the face’s hair streaming down.

[Earth Spirit Totem]

The earth guides your feet.

Increase Affinity for Earth magic in area.

Radius: 20m

Duration: 1 hour

Durability: Medium

The [Spiritualism] and manipulation totems were all the same, boosting the local affinity for their element. They would let me move way more earth per mana, easing the process greatly.

Matching elemental attacks would also do more damage inside the radius as well, but the boost didn’t differentiate ally and enemy spells. I would have to be careful using [Flame Spirit Totems] around fire breathing dragons.

‘Or Jack...’

I tunnelled into the muddy river bank and started looking for tungsten, I trusted Grubs and the others to warn me of danger. I was also looking in the Ethereal Sea with [Spiritualism] trying to see if there were any metallic spirits in the hidden vein.

I was interrupted by Delia, I had been crawling through the mud so long my totem had expired. She passed me some water and I took a long swig.

I had found something, my Spiritualism was pulling me uphill away from the river, as I followed my senses I found a small line of tungsten in the clay like mud. Keisuke had started hauling the dense metal out and packing the chunks into sacks, courtesy of Delia.

“We have enough to make some knives and arrow heads, tungsten is very hard but brittle. Not good for swords." Keisuke said.

“Feel… something…” Definitely picking up a spiritual presence underneath us near the tree-line.

“I see, we shall look for other resources while you dig then.” Delia offered.

“Not too far… eyes open…” I reminded them to look for danger.

Keisuke reached out and the ghostly hands of his sword spirit offered him his blade.

I popped another totem and kept digging, I was close to something it felt like flaky scales were slowly curling off a large central presence. So slow you could mistake them for stationary.

I stopped right on top of it, I had had to put down a [Spirit Searching Totem]. At some point my mana, although greatly boosted by my level ups was still running low.

The clay had turned red at some point, I was pretty deep now. Maybe 10 meters down from the tungsten, when I had recovered I made a final push.

Grubs sent a warning across our bond, at the same time as I felt a stabbing pain in the back of my left leg.

Like fire running up the back of my thigh.

I dropped to the ground, and scrambled desperately for my wooden handle. Looking frantically I saw a long worm like creature.

It had the ringed mouth of a lamprey, with grey rubbery flesh coated in slime. It was around two meters long and as thick as my forearm. The hideous thing made a sucking noise and leapt for me again, having been knocked off my leg when I fell.

I batted it out of the air with my wooden handle, not doing much damage. I started channelling a [Fire Manipulation] and [Carve], I made the radius small to boost the power. Simultaneously dropping a [Knotted Wounds Totem] behind me to try fixing whatever damage had been done to my leg. I could no longer feel my foot, hopefully it wasn't a toxin.

I shouted out, calling for help. The worm coiled up knotting itself in loops and launched itself at me again, I swung my wooden handle. I missed... It slammed mouth first into my forearm, knocking me down again and making me drop the wooden handle. A burst of [Air Manipulation] and a shove of my arm flung it up the tunnel. And finally my totem appeared.

[Carved Ember's Totem]

Burn the blood, carve your mark.

Any open wound within range, will burst into flames dealing added

damage over time.

Allies are exempted

Radius 2 meters

duration 1 minute

durability medium

I grabbed the wooden handle and stuck the tip into the clay, my hand was slick with blood. I willed a stone to shape around the head of the handle, making a crude wedge shaped club.

The wound in my arm twinged in agony, and I started losing feeling in my fingers my arm swelling up. I moved the club to my other hand and ran for the worm.

With a cry I stuck down on its tail, the knotting... Wriggling movements making me miss its ugly head. A shallow gash appeared in its rubbery skin and the open wound burst into flames, the creature made a sucking sound as its writhing intensified.

I heard shouts coming from the tunnel entrance as I struck the injured worm again, crunching into its back with my club.

It burst into more flames, the skin blackening around the scraped wound and starting to flake off. I clubbed it again this time in the head and it jerked spastically, falling still. The flames died immediately.

I caught my breath channelling a [Water Manipulation] and [Cure Wounds]

After a few seconds a totem that looked like a wave came out of the ground. A genderless figure was hidden in the wave its eyes streaming water, like two trails of tears.

[Rivers Lament Totem]

The river spirit weeps, all are cleansed.

Cleanse toxins gently from Allies within range over time

Grants mild resistance to toxins while active.

Radius 20 metres

Duration 5 minutes

Durability low

I felt better immediately, clearly the worm had poisoned me with its bite. I inspected my leg and arm... I had two circular chunks of flesh messily scraped out, they had been bleeding heavily. My [Knotted Wounds Totem] had repaired some of the damage. I however wanted to get back to base and sit under the Infused lizard totem for a few hours, just to be sure there were no sequela.

We couldn’t afford lingering damage to form lasting wounds.

I limped speedily up the tunnel using my rock club as a walking stick, I looked out of the tunnel mouth to find Keisuke lying on the ground a cloth bandage wrapped around his hand. Delia was kneeling next to him keeping pressure on the wound. And Indaya and Paula were scanning for more dangers. They were surrounded by twitching corpses of worms, around ten or so.

“Totems!” I yelled and grabbed Keisuke and dragging him under the armpits into the tunnel, Delia grabbed his legs and we shuffled him inside. Paula and Indaya joining us shortly.

Paula gasped and flopped to her face boneless, she started seizing and I now noticed her legs were covered in bites. She must have taken the brunt of the swarm. They were in range of my Lament totem so I left them, Keisuke was taking short gasping breaths his face a pale white. I popped a quick charmed [Lizards Retreat Totem] off my necklace and removed the bandage on his hand.

The wounds were glowing with a rainbow of healing and cleansing magic, but I could see he had at least three bites on his hand and forearm. There was a clear liquid flowing out of them, it was thick and syrupy. He had taken a full load of the toxin.

I wrapped his arm again and gabbed the head of the worm I had killed. Carefully I spread its suction-cup like mouth open with my fingers. It had rings of grasping teeth in a series of concentric circles, the teeth grew bigger and bigger finally terminating in its gullet. There was a toothed tongue used for scraping the flesh from its target. The tongue had a coating of the thick clear liquid, its venomous delivery method.

I dabbed the liquid with my finger and rubbed my fingers together. Indaya came up beside me, looking inside the fearsome mouth.

“Like a lamprey... this venom is dangerous.” He said, “A tangle of them came from the river, and attacked suddenly.”

That's why Grubs had missed them, he wasn't watching the river but the Jungle.

“I saw a plant that my [Survival] is urging me to use, it will help.” He dashed off, I followed behind.

At the entrance to the tunnel I dropped another healing totem, trying to stack as many regeneration effects as I could.

[Fire manipulation] and [Cure Wounds] made a flaming hearth. Cheerily warming all who sat by it.

[Healing Hearth Totem]

Home is where the hearth is.

All allies within range gain boosted regeneration from all sources

Increases regeneration effects slightly

Radius: 10 meters

Duration: 5 minutes

Durability: low

I ran after Indaya, stopping inside the brush of the jungle, he started picking leaves from a plant that looked like a succulent.

We grabbed a handful each and ran back to the tunnel, as we neared it we saw Elina and Abu an the far side of the river.

“Venom!” Indaya shouted. Pointing to the tunnel mouth.

Abu dived into the river and crossed quickly, clearly his physical attributes were much higher today after his level up.

Indaya and I tore into the tunnel and Indaya started chewing the leaves into a paste with his mouth, packing it under Paula's bandages.

The woman was barely breathing, even under the effects of my totems. Her wounds were healing too slowly, she had been filled with a heavier dose of venom than me.

'At least she's not seizing any more...'

Abu arrived skidding to his knees next to Paula, the tunnel mouth was crowded, I hadn't made it very wide. I started pushing it wider to make space for everyone.

“Came from the river…” I said to Elina, gesturing with my head to the bloody riverbank.

She nodded, a serious look on her face. Grabbing a javelin out of her case, and moving to scout along the riverbank.

I looked into the tunnel and saw Keisuke sitting up, looking sick. The plants from Indaya, and my totems had managed to fight off the venom.

I ran to the bottom of the tunnel, certain that Abu’s healing would bring Paula back. I cast out my magic into the dirt roughly. We needed to get Paula back to base right now...

I exposed a rusty looking chunk of rock, around as big as my chest. I told Delia to make a strap and tie it into a harness with two shoulder straps, I grabbed Indaya and we lifted the large hunk of metal together. It was only possible with my enhanced attributes.

We carried it up the tunnel side by side, struggling with the weight. Gathering Keisuke and Delia.

Keisuke was walking now mostly recovered, and when we reached the top of the tunnel Paula was barely conscious as well.

Calling for Elina we gathered up and carried our haul of materials back to the waterfall, we gathered a few lamprey worms as well. Paula had to be carried over Elina’s shoulder, still too weak to walk by herself.

It was tense, Indaya swapping out with Keisuke to scout ahead for dangers. Keisuke and I dragging the big lump of rusty looking metal. We had nearly died for.

We made it to the pools at the top of the waterfall and lowered our haul down to Tobias with a rope.

He caught it all on a platform of moving earth and brought it inside.

Before we jumped into the pool I took my club and shaped the stone attached to its head into a sharper wedge. I chopped a tree down quickly my anger at being surprised was taken out on the poor wood.

'Should have used a sentry...Careless...'

It was a spiritual hardwood tree, almost like a eucalyptus. It had pleasant smelling sap.

It had been standing near the edge of the rock pools feeding the waterfall, now that I had a tool I could chop it down.

I would turn it into my weapon.

I tossed it off the waterfall angrily and jumped in beside it. Dragging it into the cave.

‘Damn it, we almost died again…’