Name
H.P
A.P
W.P
Aspect
Lesser Aspect
Boomwingers
[Simpleton]
⥈
10
0.05
Morphogenesis
Photomorphism
Description
Boomwingers [Simpleton] are spawns born with only a short life span of one lunar cycle-period during which the creature lives with only one goal in mind: protecting their [Queen] the being that spawned them. Boomwingers are enlightened beasts that, through a Lesser Aspect of Morphogenesis, Photomorphism, a lesser aspect that allows their wielder to convert solid matter into pure energy, evolved from their initial mundane and original species: termites.
Measuring approximately two feet in length, the [Simpleton]'s segmented bodies taper into a horn-like stinger, which exists solely to serve as shrapnel along its exoskeleton when the Boomwinger [Simpleton] lays down its life to take down a target, whether it is for a hunt or to defend its queen.
Much like their mundane ancestors, Boomwingers are creatures that live underground in tunnels. Boomwingers have a generally very large designated hunting ground where they scour for threats and sustenance. Their nest, hidden underground, serves as the central hub for the Boomwinger [Queen] to spawn and control her loyal Boomwinger [Simpleton] minions.
The Boomwinger [Simpleton] is spawned almost instantly by their Boomwinger [Queen], as long as she possesses enough Arcanic Points to spawn one. As such, there is no defeating individual Boomwingers without also defeating the swarm's [Queen,] as defeating [Simpleton] would merely allow them to fulfill their raison d'être: to die for their queen - a queen that would replace them as soon as she gets the opportunity to.
[Photomorphism] allows its wielder to transmute solid elements into light or energy. This spell can turn objects into beams of light or convert solid matter into pure energy.
"Boomwinger [Simpleton]," Dream mumbled as he read the information provided by the system. It was the same creaturess as the one that just an instant before exploded themselves, stunning the mawcrawler. There were at least three dozen of them, flapping their wings with a buzzing sound as they surrounded the Mawcrawler.
Dream observed the scene unfolding before him with fascination. The Boomwinger [Simpletons] were living up to their name, sacrificing themselves in a synchronized attack on the Mawcrawler. Their strategy seemed coordinated, and they displayed a level of intelligence he hadn't expected from insect-like creatures.
As half a dozen [Simpletons] rushed towards the Mawcrawler, Dream could see the Mawcrawler preparing to launch another ice block attack. But just as it was about to hurl the ice, the [Simpletons] reached their target. Explosions erupted in a chain reaction, causing the Mawcrawler to stagger back and let out a guttural roar.
From his concealed position behind the boulder, Dream watched intently, waiting for the opportune moment. He knew that once the battle was over, he could reap the rewards. If the Boomwinger [Simpletons] were defeated, they might leave behind something of value. However, his primary interest lay in the Mawcrawler itself.
He planned to activate his "Blessing of the Guardian Dragon," a skill that would allow him to absorb the defeated beast's stats. Dream hoped that by defeating the Mawcrawler, he could gain an additional lesser aspect from the creature.
While the gains from the Boomwinger [Simpletons] were uncertain, as he suspected that his blessing might not work on them, the potential rewards from defeating the Mawcrawler were enticing. He could sense that the tide of the battle was starting to favor him, and he was prepared to seize the moment when the time was right.
Name
H.P
A.P
W.P
Aspect
Lesser Aspect
Mawcrawler
5▼/23
77▼/375
0.4
Morphogenesis
Aquamorphism
Cryomorphism
As the Mawcrawler's H.P and A.P reached critical levels, Dream sensed victory within his grasp. He readied himself to activate his skill. However, just as he was about to unleash it, the Mawcrawler unleashed a thunderous roar that echoed through the gray landscape.
Before the Simpletons and certainly not Dream, the Mawcrawler started to convulse, and with astonishing speed, it burrowed its way into the mud, disappearing from sight.
Dream gritted his teeth in frustration as the Mawcrawler disappeared into the mud, its thread fluctuating into the distance, leaving the Boomwinger and, by extension, him one-fourth away from victory. “It ran away!” he exclaimed, his heart pounding with irritation. He couldn't believe the creature had managed to escape at the last moment. "I should've attacked when its HP reached one fourth," he muttered to himself, berating his missed opportunity.
Despite his annoyance, Dream kept his reaction to himself, letting none of it seep out. He decided to take a moment to catch his breath and assess the situation.
With a cautious peek up ahead, he noticed that the Boomwinger [Simpletons] were still hovering in the air, their buzzing wings a constant reminder of their presence. As tempting as it was to chase after the Mawcrawler, he knew that doing so would put him under the [Simpletons'] radar. Engaging against the Boomwingers was a very bad idea, as they had just proved their formidable combat capabilities against the Mawcrawler. Fighting them would be futile, and he felt there was nothing he could harvest from the Boomwinger [Simpletons].
Blessing of the Guardian Dragon: Synergy Initiated…
Blessing of the Guardian Dragon: Synergy Completed.
Blessing of the Guardian Dragon: Absorption Initiated…
Blessing of the Guardian Dragon: Absorption failed…
“Just as I thought,” Dream sighed.
Dream weighed his options carefully. His priority was to get out of this place and find a better target to defeat, one that could provide him with the necessary gains to become stronger. He decided to wait patiently for the Boomwingers to fly away, as engaging with them would undoubtedly make him a target. Dream observed them, hoping they would leave the area, but to his dismay, their attention seemed to have shifted to the boulder he was hiding behind. "Don't tell me that..."
His fears were confirmed as the Boomwingers flapped their wings and dove straight at him. "Oh, crap."
Surprised, but quickly reminding himself that acting recklessly wouldn't solve anything, he sprang into action. Seizing the opportunity he saw in them closing in en masse, he conjured his electro-elementalis and unleashed it at the charging Boomwingers. Dream's lightning struck several Boomwingers, causing them to explode. But the Boomwingers were not all so easily deterred. Some evaded Dream's lightning and their fellows' explosive deaths, changing their trajectory and spreading into smaller formations. Some even flew off individually, making them much more difficult targets.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Tsk," Dream winced. Surrounding him like they had surrounded the Mawcrawler were twenty or so Boomwingers.
As the two Boomwingers closed in on him, staying firm with his feet planted on the ground, Dream conjured his electro-elementalis.
[ Aero ]
Acolyte
Wind Shield
46
Dream smiled at the result of his Mantra as it stopped the Boomwingers in their dive towards him. However, his smile disappeared when the diving Boomwingers detonated themselves, not only killing themselves but also breaking through his barrier.
He quickly realized the danger and reacted swiftly, jumping several meters back to evade being engulfed by the explosion. The force of the detonation sent shockwaves through the air, and Dream felt the heat from the blast brush against his skin. He knew he had to keep his distance from the Boomwingers if he wanted to avoid their suicidal attacks.
Realizing the danger he was in, Dream quickly assessed the situation. More Boomwingers were taking advantage of the opening created by the explosions, diving in for another attack.
[ Aero ]
Apprentice
Unrelenting Wave Lvl.2
38
Without hesitation, Dream unleashed a powerful shockwave that managed to knock back some of the Boomwingers flying his way. But his efforts were swiftly negated by a couple of them detonating themselves in mid-air, negating the impact of his attack.
Dream's ears were buzzing from the close detonation. Slapping the side of his face, he tried to calm his senses down while keeping a close watch on the Boomwingers. Even after the sacrifice of several of them, there still remained at least fifteen, each ready to die to take him down.
Realizing that he needed a more strategic approach, Dream quickly scanned his surroundings for any advantage he could use. However, before he could come up with a plan, his thoughts were interrupted by the Boomwingers diving in on him. This time, not just two or three, but almost a dozen of them dove onto Dream all at once.
[ Aero ]
Acolyte
Wind Shield Lvl.2
116
Reacting swiftly, Dream conjured his aero-elementalis to form a shield around him. The Boomwingers collided with the shield, their explosive attacks bursting upon impact. The shield held, but Dream could feel it weakening with each explosion.
Realizing that he needed a more strategic approach, Dream quickly scanned his surroundings for any advantage he could use. However, before he could come up with a plan, his thoughts were interrupted by the Boomwingers diving in on him. This time, not just two or three, but almost a dozen of them dove onto Dream all at once.
Reacting swiftly, Dream conjured his aero-elementalis to form a shield around him. The Boomwingers collided with the shield, their explosive attacks bursting upon impact. The shield held, but Dream could feel it weakening with each explosion.
He planned on adding a second layer to it when the shield suddenly gave in much faster than Dream expected, unable to support the increasing might of the explosions that grew more powerful with each detonation.
Dream jumped back, avoiding being engulfed by a hair's breadth, but he wasn't spared by the loud detonation. It was in that moment, amidst the still kindling smoke, that something shot out straight at Dream. With quick reflexes, he caught one of the Boomwingers. The moment it started twitching and squirming, Dream understood what was about to happen next.
Summoning a sphere of Odo, Dream encapsulated the Boomwingers within it, then with a swift throw, he hurled the ball into the distance. The explosion dispersed them, but to his surprise, the remaining Boomwingers quickly regrouped and charged straight at him with renewed determination.
[ Aero ]
Apprentice
Unrelenting Wave Lvl.2
38
"Stay back!" Dream's voice echoed with determination as he commanded his aero-elementalis to halt the Boomwingers in their tracks. With precision and power, he unleashed a relentless barrage of lightning bolts upon them using his electro-elementalis. The Boomwingers erupted in a dazzling display of explosions upon the impact of the electrifying onslaught.
The smoke cleared, revealing the aftermath of the intense, partly suicidal, and partly pointless battle. Scorch marks marred the ground, and the acrid smell of burnt ozone filled the air. Dream took a cautious look around, surveying his surroundings in case any remaining Boomwingers were lurking nearby. With relief, he saw nothing, allowing him to finally heave a sigh of relief.
Mantra Created
Name
Type
Rank
Tier
Lightning Torrent
Electro
Initiate - Apprentice - Acolyte
[1-14]
Dream smiled, satisfied with his new electro-elemental stunt. He quickly registered it as a mantra, making it easier to cast in the future, should he need to—and he had a feeling that he would.
There was one rule Suraxai imparted on Dream when it came to wielding his elementalis, and thus, by extension, his mantra. It was that his strongest and mightiest mantras had to be at least half of his overall prana potential. This rule served a purpose, as in case the mantra were to miss its target and fail to deliver a killing blow, which would be the only justifiable reason to use one’s mightiest trump card, the option of running away would still be available to him. This premise formed the foundation of Dream’s tiering and leveling system for his Mantras.
Elementalis, whichever of the fifth elements it was, represented the aspect prana takes upon being conjured by the wielder. Mantras were, for Dream, the saved shape, a memory, and thus information of the summoning of either his electro-elementalis or aero-elementalis. This meant that he could make anything he conjured into a mantra, as long as he had clear memories of what it felt like to summon the said elementalis, including its form and the toll it posed on his prana reserves. It was through this logic that Dream came up with [Lightning Torrent] as a mantra.
Dream had two kinds of Mantras. The first type was those that simply became exponentially stronger with a better input of prana. The second type, however, had to be left behind due to variations in their practicality upon reaching a new mantra-rank. This caused some of his mantras to be broken into five tiers for each new rank, continuously growing along with his Prana Potential. [Lightning Torrent], Dream's new mantra, belonged to the latter category.
Dream once again tried his skill [Blessing of the Guardian] on them only to be met with the same disappointment.
“As deadly as the Boomwingers were, I suppose that in the eyes of the [Blessing of the Guardian], they are on the same level as the low-level hatchlings of the central continent. If that’s so…”
Name
H.P
P.P
O.P
O.M.P
A.P
Level
Dream
76/82▲
678▼/997
438/438▲
41.7▲
126▲
14
"... As I thought, this battle was utterly futile," Dream sulked, feeling disappointed. Despite that, he knew that sulking over it would be just as futile, especially since he couldn't afford to rest for long. His explosive confrontation would undoubtedly attract more attention from other creatures in the area. "Shame for my prana points and that lesser aspect, but I guess I can still find another monster to hunt."
Dream was about to leave the area when he suddenly came to a halt, noticing the ground rumbling beneath him. "Huh?" The rumbling seemed to be coming from somewhere in the distance, but it was also closing in. Squinting his eyes in the direction of the shockwaves, Dream tried to make sense of what was happening. "Another swarm of Boomwingers? No, that thread," he noted with a smile upon recognizing a not so unfamiliar thread fluctuating, "that's the Mawcrawler. Oh, it's back to finish its business with-" Dream's smile faded as he felt the ground tremble again, and something was shot out from the ground, splattering gory bodily fluid before landing heavily onto the ground.
Despite the unrecognizable appearance, Dream knew it was the Mawcrawler—or rather, half of it. The lower half of its body was missing, most likely eaten away by the detonation that had shot it up from the ground in the first place.
"Oi, oi, what was that? An offering for battle?"
In that very moment, explosions shot up high into the sky, creating several large columns of fire that shook the earth. As the fire began to dwindle, threads emerged from the holes left by the erupting columns, and just like before, Boomwingers emerged. This time, not only were their numbers almost twice that of the previous batch, but amidst the thin, almost unnoticeable fluctuating threads attached to the Boomwingers [Simpletons], one stood out in particular.
Name
H.P
A.P
W.P
Aspect
Lesser Aspect
Boomwingers
[Queen]
17/17
47/400
1
Morphogenesis
Photomorphism
"Well, if that's the case, I gladly accept it," Dream smiled, his excitement rising.