After we finish resting up and camping for the night we head out the next morning while the sun begins rising over our heads. We march for the next few hours without issue, many of us speaking excitedly with each other about what we may discover or what type of people might appear and before we realize it we finally begin approaching the start of a stuffier area. The air is humid and feels like a layer of heat crawling across the skin as the smell of rotted vegetation and fetid water fills my nose and I gag. I look around at the others and see looks of disgust or scrunched faces on everybody except Wake.
"Guys we're almost there! Can't you smell that brine in the air? That's how ya know that we're close!" Wake yells excitedly before turning around and noticing all of our expressions before realizing his overexcitement. Slowly the merling scratches the back of his head as he chuckles in embarrassment before turning back to the swampy area and continuing to lead us forward.
As we continue deeper into the area I can feel my toes sink further into the ground as mud works its ways between them. I see new tree's and plants start to slowly come into view as long spider webbed roots hold think trunks off the ground creating an almost beautiful design in the less than lovely region we're entering. Before long we finally reach the start of actual swamplands as we see large patches of water filled with algae and moss covered soil. A green haze seems to hang in the air as we listen to the sounds of buzzing insects and other nature sounds before Wake stops us and turns around looking serious.
"Ok everyone from here on be alert and on guard. I've heard about the swamps before so as your resident fish folk I feel the need to warn you. Although those that live here are intelligent they're very untrusting and pretty hostile to outside forces invading them so we could be attacked at any time. I know there are tribes of Bullywug and lizard folk living out here and rumors of hags and the siv as well so keep alert. Also watch your step through the waters, you never know what might be hiding in the puddles." He says seriously as everyone utters their replies or nods in acceptance, my hand resting on the hand of the dagger I have strapped to my waist as we begin moving forward.
After a handful of minutes our group is covered in sweat and are panting as we work our way through the mud and water of the swamps, the shrill cries of birds and bugs above us ever present in our ears before a cry of pain is heard from behind us. As I turn around to see what happened I feel a sharp pain behind my eyes before disappears and a chittering is heard above me, almost sounding like laughter. Looking up I notice a strange monkey like creature hanging upside down and glaring at me with a malicious smile on its face black sunken face. It's fur is filthy as its white eyes glow again and I feel another jolt of pain in my head before hearing various cries of pain from the rest of our group. Using inspect on the creature I grimace before taking out my cane and activating its ability.
(Su-Ape Level 12)
Ape like creatures that attack in groups. Malicious in nature these creatures wield weak psychic abilities that can disorient their prey. Although omnivorous the Su-Ape enjoys finding living creatures and slowly torturing them until their life fades, then they feast upon the creatures body gaining power from the fear fueled flesh.
Before I can even start yelling out a plan I see an arrow zoom out from behind me and imbed itself into an apes chest, the beast making a surprised screech before it falls to the ground and thrashes before Wake's spear pierces through its throat. After seeing how easily they are to deal with once grounded I take a deep breathe before shouting out my plan.
"Everybody who has ranged use it, pair up with a melee fighter and knock the damn things to the ground. Once they land melee finish them then we repeat until they retreat or we wipe them out!" I yell as everyone yells out their assent and I watch as arrows, orbs of magic, and an axe fly through the air and each knock an ape to the ground. Once I see that everything's working I turn to my side and see Sheer to my left, several bone needles leaving her fingers before a screech is heard from above me and a filthy, horrible stench lands on top of me and begins lashing out violently.
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"Master pay attention! You finish that thing off while I work on another one. Yell out when your done there's a ton of these things." Sheer yells out as she dashes towards another ape that's fallen to the ground, its arms turning it over as it stands upright and glowers at the wyrmling with malice.
I finally feel the ape roll off of me and I can breathe fresher air again as I roll to the side and just barely dodge a claw that was aimed at my head, the ape screeching in anger at my refusal to die quickly. As I roll to my knee's and stand up I see the ape standing several feet in front of me, its eyes watching my movements closely as it sizes me up before smiling again, a viscous pain stabbing into my mind as I watch the ape charge forwards in glee at my pain. Just as the ape is about to reach me its leg goes limp and it crashes to the ground, tumbling over itself before finally sliding through the mud and stopping in front of me. As the ape struggles to stand the pain in my head disappears and I smile before yanking the dagger out of its sheathe and imbedding it deep inside the apes skull, the point of the blade sliding out of its jaw and into the muddy earth below it as I finally heave a sigh before a prompt appears over the monsters corpse.
{Soul Reader has defeated enemy Su-Ape. Do you wish to absorb random skill from enemy?}
I smile before saying yes then grimace as the ape's corpse glows with a purple glow and I feel excruciating pain in my mind. Before long I force my eyes open and realize that I'm screaming as a purple orb hovers in front of my forehead, part of it embedding itself slowly into my head as the surrounding sounds are drown out. The orb moves another inch and I feel a pain unlike anything I've ever experienced before take hold in my mind, a lava filled firestorm razes through me as it burns away all logic. An acid fueled rockslide crashes through my emotions and melts all within its wake to nothingness as tears flow down my face. An frigid snowstorm of nothingness wipes through my body numbing everything before all of a sudden it all stops, the pain recedes and everything is back to normal. I look around and see the last of the apes being dealt with before I realize that I'm laying in the mud and my heads resting on something soft and warm.
"Fucking idiot I don't know what the hell you did but you had us worried sick. Never again do you understand me?" I hear before looking up and into the worried face of Sheer, her eyes blinking away tears as she swipes a clawed hand over her cheek and shudders a breathe out of her thin lips.
"Sorry I didn't know that would happen, its a new skill that I got when I received my class. I can't say I won't use it again but I promise to only use it when we aren't in danger, now that I know what it does." I say gently as she glares at me before nodding once and helping me to stand.
After I'm back up everyone comes over to make sure I'm okay before Harold approaches with a look of caution on his normally jovial face, Ogis walking in front of him before nodding at me in greeting before Harold pushes his way past.
"Sir Noortain glad to see your still with us! But what may I ask was that skill you just used? I heard you say it was part of your class but I've only ever heard of anything like that in old stories to scare the wee ones into behaving. Would you be willing to share what you know?" He asks calmly as he watches my face, his energetic eyes brimming with curiosity but a deep glint of caution also shining through before I nod my head.
"I just used the skill Absorb. I can't tell you the specifics but it allows me to make my enemies power my own. As for my class, I was given a mystery choice among my options when it was time to pick. It gave me a vague description but that description led me to believe even with the challenges I may face with this that it would help my settlement thrive as well as help me protect those I care about. I am a Soul Reader." I say seriously as I notice his eyes go wide in astonishment before Ogis steps back in alarm and I hear a grunt from Tugta.
"A Reader hasn't been seen in thousands of years Noortain, myths and legends even give very little information on them. But what they say is that whenever one appears, the world is about to change dramatically. Also I know of the Absorb skill and what it does but fear not my goddess is aware that no skill is inherently evil and that your use of it determines what it is. Your secret will be safe with our group I swear it upon Jux Goddess of Study." says Harold solemnly as Ogis also nods his head and gives me a thumbs up. As I look towards Tugta I see a savage smile on her face as she gives me a wink before Harold asks me if my skill actually worked.
After a few seconds I close my eyes before a prompt appears and a smile before nodding and everyone cheers.
{Absorb success! Skill Absorbed - Psychic Jolt}
The user focuses their mind on a specific target causes pain to bloom in their mind. Amount of damage dealt dependent on user's intelligence.
I finally have my first real skill! As I smile in joy and the hoots of happiness from everybody I remember my other Reader skill and glance at the ape's body in curiosity before approaching it and casting Harvest.