I yell and shoot up from the ground. That gets me to headbut Olutha. I groan and sink back to the ground. Everything hurts. She yelps and falls on her rear end. Pavol is heading over to me. He is holding my staff and my wand. I remember dropping them right after I teleported. He gracefully offers Olutha a hand to help her up.
I am back in my usual form. Pavol hunches down next to me.
PN: You better stay down. Your robot kept firing until this ghost thing was destroyed. That was after the glow around you had already ended.
P: No problem. I couldn’t get up even if I wanted.
PN: Usually you’d have the healers caring for you, but Zora and Dean need them more. Do you want me to get you a potion? I have been standing watch in case we overlooked one of them.
P: How long was I out?
PN: About three quarters of an hour.
P: Careful about loot. It needs to be now.
I loot the grasshoper monsters I killed. He and Rupert shelter Dean and Zora from smashing wealth.
PN: Lidija already looted those on this side.
P: The children?
PN: All safe
He reluctantly hands me the weapons back.
Olutha comes to bring me water and puts the cushion back under my head
P: Thank you.
OL: Limuk.
I would like to use my aura to project thankfulness, but I am beyond that. She gets it anyway. I pick up understanding and respect from her.
Natalija comes running to me.
N: Mommy is hurt.
P: She will be better soon. We have spells to heal her.
She snuggles to my side. That hurts. But it is also warming my heart.
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RP: Thar was a precursor sign. So many elementals and a mixed group.
OL: I agree. Does it matter, though? Even if the surge finally begins, we are ready.
RP: This lady was wild.
OL: Indeed. What was that weapon? The other guy seems to have some kind of Transfiguration.
RP: This guy has Immortality. Does that come from Transfiguration? And a case of too much boldness.
OL: In contrast to me. It was embarrassing. I really need something to generate disruptive force.
RP: It will come. How many of your abilities have you awakened? Half of them?
OL: Twelve now, with my aura ability. Yes, I know.
RP: I have a theory on those people.
OL: I am listening.
RP: Do you rember Bahadir’s contest and the winner?
OL: I am young, but not that young. Sure I remember.
RP: Chodhen told me a story about how he took on the other Rik Geller’s team in the mirage chamber and won. He mentioned that he was from another world.
OL: Another world? What do you mean by that?
RP: Like an astral space. Only much larger and not connected to our world.
OL: Very clear.
She hesitates.
OL: Some of them are very different. In fact did you notice that the boy can operate magical tools? He is clearly to young for essences and I detect none. It must be an alien racial gift.
RP: Yes.
They remain silent
RP: Though it has very little practical impact.
OL: Does it have any?
RP: Well, not unless you want to deliver the message together with a little boy whom you make drive a vehicle you would have to steal.
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This needs to be investigated. I press my probe against myself.
Ability: [Joy of sustained Fire] (Gun)
Special Attack (missile, drain, boon, bane, unholy)
Cost: variable - low with conjured weapons and ammunition, moderate with conjured weapons and other munitions, high with other weapons
Effect: After a threshold of consecutive missile attacks inflict [Victim of a sadistic killer] on the target and [Sadistic killer] on the user. Only works on targets with blood or sap.
[Victim of a sadistic killer] (affliction, unholy): Once for each bleeding wound caused by user or an ally of the user with a missile weapon or periodically while suffering [Bleeding] drain mana and stamina. This effect must be cleansed before [Bleeding] can be cleansed.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
[Serial killer] (boon, bane, unholy): Gather drains from sufferers of [Victim of a sadistic killer]. For each of them dieing gain a small healing effect. Attacks by sufferers of [Victim of a sadistic killer] do not trigger retaliatory effects. Damage incured by karmic effects triggered by attacks on sufferers of [Victim of a sadistic killer] is increased.
Indeed it should not have worked. What happened? My tricorder reacts to that.
Racial Ability: Master of the Unholy Aura
Unholy effects are stronger. Unholy boons and afflictions within your aura last longer. Drains of stamina or mana by unholy means also trigger a drain of health.
I should have looked right away. What is the third new power? It takes very little fiddling to get the answer. Once more the tricorder is adapting itself.
Racial Ability: Fighter in the Clouds
Increased strength. Flight abilities need significantly less mana and stamina. Gain the ability to treat clouds as solids and store them to form ritual circles out of them.
I really should have looked. I am a procrastinating fool.
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Dean opens his eyes to look at the face of the celestine healer. He would like to thank her. Then he remembers that she is iron rank now. He projects thankfulness and, inadvertedly, weariness. She smiles and points at tents behind him. His team must have errected them.
His team mates even come over to support him. His major injuries are healed, but bruises remain. He decides to meditate in the morning.
DT: Planning session tomorrow. Don’t forget to meditate. And don’t forget to post watches tonight.
They just nod.
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I smell Karolína and Pavol cooking, now that I have transferred food and equipment to him. I don’t mind. Sooner or later the gas will run out anyway. I know that they wouldn’t start cooking unless everybody is safe and well. Though this battle could have gone wrong, too. We need training, proper training, and equipment.
Stjepan is running towards me.
S: We saw nothing. We drove away and hid in a depression in the ground.
P: Well done. How did you lnow when to return?
S: The doctor made spy eyes grom the water you gave her for the unconcious man.
P: Clever. By the way, he has a name. It is Jan.
S: Is he our friend?
P: That is a good question. I don’t know. He is not an enemy. But he may just want to walk away when he wakes up.
S: OK
I cannot share my doubts with a boy.
P: By the way, why are you not with your mother?
S: Aunty Lidija has had me make the car make a soft bed for mom and said that she will remain with her to see whether she needs special attention from a healer.
P: I see. Well, everything seems to be provided for. I should get my old sleeping bag out. It feels a bit like evening to me.
S: That is so boring. I am not tired at all.
P: You didn’t fight a big rock monster-
S: That is true.
P: But that does not help you. You know what, are you ready to do rituals?
S: Of course, but I have no room. Your car is not out.
P: Yes, that is a part of the problem. My car is damaged. It needs a repair ritual.
S: I don’t know any of these.
P: Not a problem. The car knows them and has taught me them. I will conjure a smooth plate for a ritual. You can equalize the ambient mana.
S: Cool, but until then?
P: Well, my conscience isn’t clean. And I want you to help me.
S: How?
P: Pavol and Karolína risked their lives for us. And they feel helpless.
S: I know, but you already gave them essences.
P: Yes, but you know that at first we came out in a cave under the lake?
S: Yes.
P: There was a small treasure chest. I first thought that I should keep it, because I explored that cave. But now I think that was bad.
S: It was.
P: Right, so here are two awakening stones of the Knife. Could you do the rituals for them, while I have a nap and meditate?
Gun: [Tools of the Magister] Special Ability Iron 2 (77%) [Joy of Sustained Fire] Blood Special Attack Iron 2 (60%) [This is my Gun] Myriad Special Attack/Conjuration
Iron 2 (91%)
[Chemical Warfare] Defiance Special Attack/Conjuration
Iron 1 (55%)
[Hyperkinetic Cannon] Gun Special Attack/Conjuration Iron 1 (72%) Vast: [Giant Form of the Ancestors] Special Ability Iron 2 (10%) [Immortality] Tree Special Ability Iron 2 (88%) [Nebelwerfer 42] Focus Special Attack/Conjuration Iron 1 (25%) [Arsenal of the Mad Scientist] Magotech Special Ability Iron 2 (43%) [Eldritch Eyes] Water Special Ability & Attack Iron 1 (39%) Dimension: [Teleport] Special Ability Bronze 0 (0%) [Dance by my Will] Dance Aura Ability Iron 3 (32%) [Eternal Moment] Reach Special Ability Iron 2 (0%) [Path in Time] Hunt Perception Ability Iron 2 (78%) [Wrath of the Magister] Corruption Special Attack/Spell Iron 2 (0%) Battlefield: [Equip the Army] Special Ability Iron 3 (45%) [Robotic Servant of War] Magotech Special Attack/Conjuration
Iron 2 (62%)
[Pipes of War] Unity Special Ability Iron 1 (73%) [Cornucopia] Feast Special Ability Iron 1 (27%) [Feast of Decontamination] Light Special Ability Iron 1 (7%)
That is not an altogether pleasant experience with bruised ribs.