Tiddles moved into the forest treeline. The sounds of the insects and Wild Ones seemed amplified inside the foliage of the surrounding trees. He activated his stealth ability, and his already dark fur disappeared from general view. Most Wild Ones may see a shimmer in the air as he moved, but apart from that, in the dark of the forest at night, he was virtually invisible. The shadows cast by the surrounding forest went from moonlight streaks of silver to total darkness, and his vision adjusted to the low light levels as he moved forward. The smells in the forest attacked his nostrils, and he could pick up so many new and varied scents that he was unsure where to head.
Tiddles needed to eat as he had not eaten all day and did not fancy just eating plants, although he could easily survive off them if necessary. A faint cinnamon scent wafted towards him, and its spicy undertones drew him forward to see what it might be. Even though subtle, the smell stood out amongst many others with such a defined spice. His route drew him further into the forest, and as he continued, the bubbling and gurgling of the river, which had been a constant, began to fade. He watched his footing as he moved and was careful not to make any undue noise.
He continued on the same path for several minutes, taking his time and cautiously approaching. He did not know the land, so he could not just charge around like a lunatic as he did back home. A large form suddenly moved in the brush near his location, and he froze as a Wild One ran directly across his path. He had never seen anything like it, although it reminded him of a deer. It was larger than a Prangton and had three short-looking antlers on its head. His Codex did not trigger; the view was so fleeting. It did not smell of the cinnamon he had sensed, so he let it go and could always track it if he did not find what was drawing him, as the tracks in the soft earth were visible for anyone to see.
The forest floor started to dip, and the scent became more potent as it did. Tiddles continued and listened carefully for any new sounds. The issue was that there were so many that it took a lot of work for him to pick up an exact source. The forest floor started to level out again, and he moved through the thick foliage until he came out into an open dip. The area was large and circular, possibly formed by a meteor strike millions of years ago. Inside the clearing were two massive Wild Ones. They resembled Spylore's in part, long, sleek feline bodies covered in a mottled yellow and green fur. They stood at least twenty-five feet long from nose to tips of their tails and dwarfed Tiddles. His Codex triggered.
Jagualera
They are related to the Jaguars of old. These predators are some of the foremost apex predators in the forest areas of South America. They mainly hunt at night and are known to drag their prey into the canopy tops, where they spend most of their time. If they are found on the ground, it is either because they are young or are hunting.
Tiddles stood looking at the two beasts. He could not see a kill, so he had no idea what they were doing here. His stealth skill kept him hidden at the side of the clearing, and he took his time watching them. They circled each other, and one of them went to move towards the other, and a vast paw swept out towards it. It dropped its head in response and took the paw batting without retaliation. 'What is going on here?' Tiddles thought, watching the strange exchange. Again, the one that had been hit moved towards the other and got another swipe; this time, a bright red cut appeared across its nose. It did not respond; it just growled in a low tone.
This happened another two times before the one that had been hitting the other turned its back on the one that had been getting beaten. Tiddles watched in amazement as the first one mounted the other. 'Eww, ' Tiddles thought as he realised what was happening. They were mating, 'Gross', he thought. He could not turn away, though, having only ever seen Elbou mate before, and stood there watching the Wild Ones going at it, letting out deep growls and eventually a thunderous growl followed by a purring sound. As soon as the male had finished, he dropped from the female's back and left immediately, pouncing upwards onto the trunk of a large nearby tree before disappearing into the canopy above. The female lay on the ground and purred, not moving from her recent visitation.
Tiddles was not even going to chance fighting one of these. It was more significant than the Angelore, and although he thought that he would probably take it out with his Flaming Bite and Claws, he did not have Kyto nearby to boost his mana. He decided returning to the Wild One he had seen would be better. At least now he knew that the cinnamon scent related to the Jagualera.
Backtracking through the forest, it did not take him long, following his map, now that Kyto had reminded him of it, to pick up the path the Wild One had taken. The trail was so clear where it had charged through the underbrush, and he turned to follow it. The trail was wide and clear, and he moved easily along its tracks until he heard a low guttural grunt. He had not seen the Wild One. It was so well camouflaged that he nearly walked into its side in the virtual dark. He stopped and looked at the WIld One standing no more than fifteen feet from him. It was only short compared to most Wild Ones he had seen so far at about three feet at its shoulder, and the antlers were not more than twelve inches long. Its body was quite wide and stocky, and it turned towards him.
Its head was down and sifting through the debris-strewn forest floor, rummaging for food. Tiddles struck. He launched like a bullet, mouth wide and clamped straight through its thick neck. It let out a startled grunt, and that was all as it tried to kick and struggle in Tiddle's jaws. He crunched through bone and muscle, severing the Wild One's spinal column and causing it instant paralysation and death. He bit the chunk of meat from the now lifeless carcass and swallowed it whole. The fresh taste of the warm blood felt invigorating, and he loved the adrenaline-fueled blood of his prey. It tasted pretty similar to Elbou, and as he ate, his display triggered and his Codex updated.
Tocket
Tockets are one of the smallest herbivorous breeds that live in rainforest areas. They are tiny and nocturnal feeders. They have no actual defensive capability but a short gestation period, allowing for prolific breeding, which maintains their species.
Tiddles was happy to have found a non-combative food source he could feed from. Not that he had any issues fighting anything, necessarily. It was just more for ease. Especially as he knew he would also have to hunt to support Kyto. He finished devouring the carcass, leaving little for the forest scavengers to pick. He could probably have eaten another if there had been two, but he knew that was just being greedy. He had had his fill for now. He selected his map overlay and began his journey back towards the island.
Kyto's dot gradually got closer as he neared the pool, and he was watching the map when he was attacked. Knowing his senses' keenness, he had not heard or seen anything, which was more of a surprise than anything else. The creature hit him in his side, massive talons ripping into his back. The Wild One lifting Tiddles from the forest floor. The shock and surprise at being attacked alone were one thing for Tiddles to come to terms with, but the fact his legs now dangled freely in the air was something entirely new. The pain tore through his back as the creature began to power its vast wings, slowly lifting him. He howled in anger and pain. His thoughts came to him as a flood of panic. He turned his head and could only see the underside of the wings that beat above him and the dark black body of the creature that now held him in its grasp.
Kyto heard Tiddles howl and sprung up from where he had been resting, leaning against one of the trees by the small fire. "Tiddles," he screamed, seeing his friend's health drop substantially, losing at least 30%. Knowing he was close, he had seen his dot reappear on his map. Tiddles howled again; Kyto could not hear any words in his howl. It was just a pure howl. The sky was dark apart from the moon that shone, the light cast from his familiar, and the weak fire light. He then saw a creature appear, its enormous leathery wings visible against the moonlight and the body of Tiddles visibly grasped in its talons. The beast was massive. Kyto had never seen anything flying that could be so large. Its head looked almost like a snake, and its body was narrow. The creature appeared to be struggling to lift Tiddles well, although he was off the ground, and it continued to power its wings as it tried to get more height. Now, it was in the open air of the pool.
"Elemental Blast," Kyto screamed at his friend.
Tiddles was disorientated; he had seen his health bar dip, the notifications flooding his display and the damage he had received. His spine had been damaged, and he had lost the feeling in his rear legs and his hindquarters. The fucking creature had paralysed him. His fury was intense, and he could not think straight when he heard Kyto's voice screaming his name. As he was carried from the forest edge above the pool, he heard him scream Elemental Blast. Gritting his teeth and biting down as hard as he could, he tried to concentrate on the skill. The pain radiating from his back prevented him from focusing properly. He knew he needed to do it soon as the creature began to get more lift. He was probably fifty feet from the ground by now, slowly being carried out towards the main river as the creature turned.
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Kyto tried to hurl strands at him to heal him, but he was just out of range. "I cannot heal you; you are too far. Use your skill," Kyto screamed in a panicked voice. A few Manataeliak had breached the pool's surface and trumpeted skywards at the beast. The creature let out a hissing sound as it turned its head, looking down at the water and the Manataeliak below it. "USE YOUR SKILL," Kyto screamed again.
Tiddles tried to focus. He closed his eyes and attempted to look at his core, seeing its glow and searching for the means to trigger his skill. His mind was a maze, and although he knew what to do, he could not find the reason to trigger it. It was as though he had a mental block. The creature continued to beat its leathery wings, lifting him higher still. He was now nearly seventy feet above the water and moving further from the island. He had to do it, and he had to find a way. He had never before in his short life been threatened to such a degree or in such a situation. The Groblex and the Angelore were nothing compared to this monstrosity that had easily damaged him. His reinforced skin and bone structure gave him little defence against the creature. He heard the trumpets of the Manataeliak below him, and again, he tried to focus. He tried to relax his body, allowing his mind to settle. 'Pain and paralysis are only temporary.' he thought as he again looked at his core.
Kyto stared skywards as the creature lifted Tiddles higher. His display triggered.
Hoerniqu - Tier 2 - Dark Mana Aligned
Hoerniqu inhabit the jungles of Pretothia. They are predatory hunters of opportunity and will strike their prey silently from above.
The primary weapon of attack is its talons when they strike from the sky. They will carry prey back to their nests, where they will then bite them, injecting them with digestive acid. This acid will begin to break down their prey from the inside, eventually liquifying the body and making it easy for them to eat.
It was a Tier 2 monster. There was nothing he could do; he had no weapon he could use, only a knife and his multitool. "Fuck," he screamed in frustration. I have to do something, and he knew his mana was light-aligned. 'Mana, I have mana. It is everything,' he thought. He broke mana down for endurance; he pulled mana for his pool and pushed it to heal. He focused and began to control his breathing. He closed his eyes, looking at his core and strands, and he had an idea. He pushed his mana from one hand into the palm of his other. The yellow mana began to form in his palm, small at first, and as he pushed more, it grew to the size of an apple. He held it in his hand, watching it glow, and then looked skyward at the beast that was carrying his friend away. He pulled his arm back with all his strength and threw the ball of concentrated mana at the beast.
The energy released violently, causing the ball to explode from his hand like a rocket. It streaked across the night sky and struck the creature in a wing. The beast uttered a hellish cry as the mana ball blasted straight through its leathery wing structure, tearing a hole in it. Kyto's display triggered.
Hoerniqu hit for 4% damage.
Congratulations, you have discovered that mana can be formed as you wish when manipulated. Only through exceptional open minds can we fully start to appreciate the power of mana in its rawest form. Light mana will affect those of dark mana. This variation of mana can be refined further through the Combat Skills branch once unlocked. Your current level is that of zero.
He finished forming a second ball and again hurled it at the creature, this time hitting it on one of its taloned feet holding Tiddles.
Hoerniqu hit for 2% damage.
Its talons looked thick and covered in hardened skin, so he was not surprised that he had done less damage than the leathery wings' material. It screamed again at the impact, turning its head to look at Kyto. It began to turn on the air. Kyto began to push a third ball of mana. His pool emptied quickly, forming the mana balls, and he began to pull from his surroundings. The third ball finished forming as the monster turned fully towards him, letting out a deep hissing squawk. Tiddles body seemed to be sitting limply in the talons of the beast. "Tiddles," he screamed again as he released the mana ball at the monster. Seeing it coming, the monster swerved its form and dodged the incoming missile of light. "Shit," Kyto cursed.
He immediately began to form another ball.
Tiddles could not focus. He had felt the creature's movement as it began to turn after hearing it screech. He looked down and saw Kyto standing at the island's edge, looking skyward, and saw the yellow glow of his familiar and secondary light. He had no idea what he was doing, but whatever it was had drawn the attention of the beast that held him. He had to activate his skill. He had to concentrate. His mind was assaulted with pain messages due to his spinal injury above any he had felt before. The Anaconda attack had felt like nothing in comparison due to the triggers from his assailed nervous system. The monster squawked again, and he opened his eyes, seeing a yellow ball of light moving towards it. 'What the hell is he doing?' Tiddles thought, seeing the light ball miss as the monster swerved from its path. 'Skill. Skill, skill.' he thought.
He again closed his eyes, focusing on his core and its power. The back had become numb from the pressure of the talons that had pierced him and the tightness of the grip it had. This was the relief he needed, the numbness replacing the throbbing pain. His concentration held, and his skill triggered.
Hoerniqu hit for 23% damage.
The blast had torn from his body, erupting in the air around him as a backdraft would do in a burning building. The blast caused the monster to screech in shock and pain. Its talons released their grip with the sudden shock of the fire that burst out surrounding Tiddles's form. He smelt burnt flesh as he began to fall to the earth. His rear part of his body was unreactive to his will to try and gain any form as he fell. He crashed into the trees on the island, smashing through the canopies and his body being bounced down through the branches. His display triggered with every impact. He hit the ground hard, very hard, crumpling his rear legs first and howled in agony as pain tore through his body. His right foreleg broke on impact, and his head smashed downwards, thudding into the ground.
Total impact damage received 54%.
Concussive damage received.
His health bar had plummeted, and he was now sitting on less than 20% health with a broken back and broken foreleg, and he knew that he had also damaged his head with the impact. He lapsed into unconsciousness.
Kyto watched his friend fall; his body seemed to have no form and fell like a stone, howling as he crashed through the trees. Kyto heard him impact the ground with a loud thud against the island's unforgiving earth. Leaves and branches continued to fall through the trees from Tiddles's path as he ran towards his friend. The monster shrieked as he moved, but he did not care about that now; his friend's health had dropped so much, watching every percentage drop as he hurtled downwards through the canopy. As soon as Tiddles was in view, he threw his strands at him, pushing his healing into him as fast as he could, watching his health bar slowly improve and receiving multiple notifications as the wounds he was healing were detailed. Torn muscles, broken bones, fractured spine, spinal cord repair, brain damage. His mana dropped quickly due to the small pool he had left after forming the mana balls.
There was a crash from above, and Kyto could hear the monster and felt the downdraft from its beating wings. It was above them, and by the sound it was making to the canopy, trying to find a way to reach them. The trees on the island were much closer together and not as large as the ones in the treeline, and Kyto was grateful that it could not get to them. Tiddles's health continued to improve as he pulled from the surroundings. The cacophony of the Manataeliak trumpeting added to the chaos he had been caught in once again. The monster continued to shriek and squawk for another minute while Kyto finished bringing his bar back to 100%. He had heard his bones cracking as they realigned due to his healing.
Tiddles may have been at 100% again when his body healed, but his mind had not been. The brain damage he had received on impact was healed, but due to the concussive injury, Tiddles's form lay motionless on the ground. "Come on, Tiddles. I need you," he shouted at his friend. Kneeling and gently pushing his massive head. Tiddles did not stir. "Fuck," he screamed in annoyance. A large branch crashed down to his side, and he stared up, unable to see through the canopy where the creature was still trying to reach them. He drew to his pool and began to form another mana ball. His pool dropped as the ball grew. This time, he did not stop at the size of an apple and continued to push his mana, allowing it to grow. His mana tapped out, unable to keep up with what he was pushing, and he held a mass ball of light in his hand.
He could not see the monster and did not care. He threw it upwards into the air as hard as he could straight through the canopy. There was a loud shriek, and his display was triggered.
Hoerniqu hit for 8% damage.
At least he had hit the monster, the ball of light bursting from the top of the canopy and striking the monster in its underbelly. It had now taken 37% damage, showing on his newly detailed display where the bar of the monster was registered. He could feel the mana drain from the cyclic sudden exertion of forming the mana balls. It was not a normal feeling, and it had been unnatural. Kyto thought this was because it was a level zero skill, and he had no open combat ability. The downdraft through the canopy lessened, and he realised that the Hoerniqu was no longer above them. He dared himself to move to the side of the copse and glanced into the night sky, turning around and looking for its form. He could not see it and only hoped it had left. He could not believe the first monster they had encountered was a tier 2. He moved back to Tiddles's side, kneeling and stroking his head, encouraging him to wake up.