"Congratulations on discovering Necromancy! You can now begin to study and research it."

"Congratulations on discovering Animancy! You can now begin to study and research it."

"Congratulations on discovering Dark Magic! You can now begin to study and research it."

"Congratulations on your first usage of Blood Magic. May your path be enlightened."

"Congratulations on your first usage of Necromancy. No bones about it, you are well on the way to terrifying even the most powerful of liches."

Congratulations on your first usage of Dark Magic. Though the path ahead is dark and twisted, your will is a beacon, drawing others to you."

"You have activated an Ancient Transportation Portal. These portals are relics of past civilizations and litter this world. If they are reactivated, they can be used to speed up travel greatly."

"You have discovered a Tree of Sacrifice. Trees of Sacrifice are one of the ways people commune with the gods, though are used only in the direst of circumstances."

"You have discovered The Loxley Forest. Please be aware that you can not commune with the gods in such places, as the locals would not tolerate the disrespect."

"You have discovered Duskwallow Village. Duskwallow has seen better days as the crops have been failing for the last two years, various plagues and diseases have struck them down, monsters and non-humans lurk and attack the village on the edge of Loxley, and far worse have decimated the population. The villagers were told by Balar to offer up the sickly and weak to him to reduce mouths to feed. As the situation deteriorated, all the animals in the village were consumed along with several children and the elderly. The call for situational cannibalism was not a decree by Balar though he was amused by this. In acknowledgment of the decision of the village, he cursed half of the survivors to become werecreatures so they could hunt and provide for the village. Any travelers who enter Duskwallow must leave before nightfall or face death at the hands of the local hunters. You may also find yourself being hunted if you do not leave before nightfall."

"You have discovered the Shrine of Balar! Made in honor of the Wild God, people make sacrifices, leave offerings, pray for aid and guidance and offer up their faith at such places. They can interact with Balar and receive notifications on their progress, and be blessed or cursed depending on their actions."

"You have managed to turn the Duskwallow Hunt against itself and come out as a Supreme Hunter. Whether it was from sheer luck or planned tactics, the eyes of the Wild God are firmly on you."

"The Wild God has allowed one of his chosen to join and possibly follow you. Consider it an apology for your artifact being destroyed by his folly. He is eager to see what you make of the young fanatic changeling by the name of Lucian."

"Please name the Risen Horse. As it is a personal mount, naming it would allow you to resummon it when you need it. You can even reconstruct it should it be too damaged if it has a name."

"Congratulations! Your efforts are noted and appreciated!"

Serena's eyes started to glaze over after all the notifications but she saw that there were some new things here as she focused on certain information.

─ Ancient Transportation Portal (Reactivated) - This master portal is located in Loxley Forest and connects to other worlds. Slightly smaller versions of this portal create a nexus that connects activated portals. It will currently not work outside of this region though. If reactivated, your travel time through the area drops significantly. While using these portals, keep in mind they do affect the local flora and fauna so please respect their existence.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The main benefit of such a place is being able to quickly move between multiple regions in a single day, instead of weeks or months which could take you away from important events. However, due to their nature, these places can also be used by creatures such as demons, monsters, undead, and others who wish to prey upon those traveling along with them."

There was no mention of how long they lasted but she assumed it would depend on what had been done and the power of the user as well as the amount of magic-infused within the portal itself.

"While some portals are created simply because of necessity, many of these sites have a specific purpose and were built specifically for certain things. Some may even have a history tied to them that will make it clear why they exist."

Serena looked up after finishing that part and then back down again when she saw two more notifications waiting for her. They seemed like the same thing though so she moved on to the next one without looking at this other notification.

The Duskwallow Hunt (Destroyed Faction and Village) - This is an elite group of changed members of the Duskwallow region. They consisted entirely of werecreatures, cursed lifeforms that could shift into humanoid and often mishappened animals at will. These hunters tracked down animals and humanoids for food and helped keep the village from starving. In addition to their hunting prowess, each member of this team has also proven themselves as worthy allies in a battle to join this select few who are willing to risk their lives for others. It is unknown if any of these individuals survived or not."

"It should be noted that while they are now gone, these creatures still live within Loxley Forest. If you encounter a creature similar to what was described here, please contact a representative immediately!"

"These monsters are dangerous due to their nature as well as how they can change form on a whim. While they are mostly harmless when alone, they have been known to attack villages and towns when hungry."

She shivered again then looked back up at her screen. The screen vanished with the last update and Serena focused her attention on the horse. Or Risen Horse, she supposed it was called.

"How about Skully?"

"Tell me you are joking," Ravana hissed, disgusted at the name.

The horse neighed and nodded happily. Much of the fear was gone from his eyes.

Serena reached out a hand, stopping at the slightly upturned lips that revealed the horse's now sharpened fangs. She then continued and laid a hand on his forehead before stroking it and heading to the ears.

"It's alright Skully. I know you are scared but I will do my best to protect you. I won't hurt you, sweetling." Serena smiled as he nuzzled against her fingers. He seemed to calm down some more so she moved onto his nose. "I'm sorry this happened to you."

Skully snorted softly as if in agreement with her words. Serena kept petting him for several minutes until she felt like she could move away without being attacked or feeling uncomfortable herself. Lucian had been watching this whole time with interest as well as a concern as he waited patiently while she worked her way over towards him. Once she got close enough she looked at him and realized that he seemed to be just staring at her.

Lucian's expression was strange. She couldn't tell if he was in awe of her power or what exactly. It was like he had witnessed a miracle. His eyes were bright with a zealousness that took her aback. He gave a small smile that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She hadn't seen such pure happiness from anyone before, not even Veles.

The notification said that Lucian was a fanatic so he would be devout in his beliefs. What if it wasn't just to his chosen deities but the mere concept of it could earn this depth of devotion?

Serena decided it might be best to ask before things went too far, but when she opened her mouth, no words came out.

"Do not be a fool and disillusion him. If some idiot sees you as divine in some way, make use of it. become it if you must," Ravana whispered, his voice soft and swift. "But do nothing rashly."

She nodded her head, more to herself than anything. "Lucian, I have much to ask you. But first, we need to see Mint."

Lucian's expression mellowed out slightly at the reminder of the hurt pixie and she discretely breathed a sigh of relief at that. "Of course, Lady Serena."

She tried not to flinch at the respect he now seemed to bestow upon her. It was odd for someone who had been working as an oracle to suddenly bow their heads to something that wasn't of divine origin. It was almost frightening how quickly he changed from being just another person to something else entirely.

She felt the urge to run away from the man but she knew that he would follow her.

So instead she turned around to Skully and comforted the Risen Horse. "I will be back shortly and when I do, we will leave this wretched place."

The horse looked between her and Lucian before nudging her with his massive head. She stroked the fine coat for another minute before leaving with her companion.