Cal's hand closed around the luminescent orb, its inner light flickering. "Elena," he began, his voice betraying a hint of perplexity, "what sets a stage-one beast core apart from a stage-two?"
Elena paused, her violet eyes reflecting the dim glow as she turned to face him. "Stage-one cores are basic," she said crisply, her fingers deftly notching an arrow onto her bowstring. "They're raw potential, easily aligned with your body."
"And stage-two?" Cal pressed, rolling the smooth surface of the core between his thumb and forefinger, feeling the pulse of its dormant power.
"More refined, potent." Elena's gaze didn't waver. "You can only harness a core one stage above your current stage… usually." She stepped closer, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Absorb too high a stage, and it'll damage your foundations. You can’t even get anything out of it. Which is why what you did is impossible."
Understanding dawned in Cal's blue eyes, sharp and cold. His grip tightened on the core, the risk now clear as the substance within seemed to swirl, responding to his touch. He nodded once, a silent acknowledgment of the danger and the limitation that didn’t bind him.
Cal absorbed the core. It was vigor / wisdom. Not the most useful to him.
“Do any of you have strength / dexterity?” Elena continued. She herself pulled out another two second stage cores.
Jaxon pulled one out and Jabor another. Jaxon replied, “yeah, here.”
The absorption caught Jabor’s attention, the cervidian's eyes widening as he stumbled back a step. "You're... a ghost?" he stammered, disbelief lacing his words.
"Ghost?" Joe echoed, his typically slow thought process jolting into overdrive. The color drained from his face. He blinked hard, once, twice, as if that could dispel the new information.
"Uhhh, yeah. I suppose so. Jaxon didn’t tell you? " Cal confirmed flatly, the fact laid bare like a weapon unsheathed.
“It was not my secret to tell, bro.”
The group started back into the cave to gather their belongings.
"Shut it," Elena hissed, her violet gaze scanning the shadows that clung to the edges of the clearing. "Both of you." She stepped forward, her stature small but her presence commanding. "Someone hears about Temp's condition, or worse, the stage-two core..." She let the threat hang, unspoken yet understood.
"Got it," Jabor muttered, scratching his head, muscles tensed as if ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.
"Zip," Joe added, fingers drawing an invisible line across his lips, though his wide-eyed stare still fixed on Cal.
"Remember, secrets keep us safe," Elena reminded them, her voice a whisper that carried weight.
"It feels darker in here now," Jabor commented, his voice bouncing off unseen stalactites.
"Better than being out there where everything wants a piece of you," Joe replied, chuckling, but the sound was hollow, tinged with an edge of hesitation.
Elena struck a spark of electricity, a small orb of light blooming in her palm shedding cackling illumination on their path. "Makes you wonder if we're the bait or the hunters," she mused, the light dancing in her violet eyes.
"Bit of both, I reckon," Cal said, his spectral form casting no shadow under Elena's magic.
"Are all ghosts as strong as you?" Jabor muttered, eyeing Cal with a mix of awe and discomfort.
"Many things about me defy expectation, but there are always strong warriors around." Cal quipped, the corners of his mouth twitching upward as he looked at Elena.
They moved around their dinner table, the light from Elena's hand a beacon in the gloom. The air grew colder, the stone beneath their feet harder; every step resonated in the cavernous space.
"Hey, if we find another vase, can we get flowers for it?" Joe asked, his voice echoing strangely against the cave walls.
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Cal’s fingers brushed the vase, its surface cool and slippery like the scales of a nocturnal river serpent. He glanced at his companions, their backs turned as they shuffled into the cave's yawning mouth. With practiced ease, he slid the artifact into the spatial treasure. The vase vanished, safeguarded from the world's prying eyes and clammy threats.
"Only if they’re the kind that thrive in such an explosive environment," Elena returned dryly.
"Charming," Cal said, a wry smile briefly crossing his features.
The group fell silent, the previous banter fading like mist in sunlight. They gathered their belongings, each lost in their own thoughts, the only sounds were their footsteps.
"Maybe we should just set up camp here," Joe suggested, his voice a whisper in the darkness. "Hide out until it's all over."
"Sure, and play cards until everything goes away?" Elena's chuckle was tinged with irony.
"Could build a little fort," Jaxon added, throwing an amused glance at Cal. "Keep all the nasties out."
"Great plan, except for the part where anything we make could be broken by a second-stage," Cal retorted, meeting Tobin's grin with a smirk of his own.
Jabor grinned, "I'd prefer a library to hide in. At least there would be books to pass the time."
"Books won't sharpen your mace, bro" Joe drawled, running a hand along the pommel of his mace.
“Maces don’t need to be sharpened, bro.” Jabor retorted.
"Enough chatter," Elena cut in, her violet eyes scanning the encroaching shadows. "We need to rest now while we can."
One by one, they settled down, each claiming a piece of the cold ground. Cal watched as Joe and Jaxon positioned themselves back-to-back, their broad shoulders silhouetted against the dim light.
Silence enveloped them, every breath a mist in the frigid air. Around him, the others settled, drifting into their own thoughts.
Rest was fleeting, a luxury none could afford for long. But for now, it was necessary—a brief respite before the storm.
"I'll take the first watch," Cal whispered.
The group shifted, their forms stirring in the dimness. No one protested.
"Good idea," Elena murmured, her form receding into the shadows.
Jabor stretched, his cervidian limbs elongating with a series of pops. "Mind if I join you?" His voice was casual, but his wide-set eyes held an edge of unease.
"Sure," Cal answered, a nod hidden in the darkness. He appreciated the company.
The others settled, breaths evening out as sleep would soon claim them.
Jabor stationed himself near the entrance, his outline a bulky contrast against the night. The faint hum of his energy field mingled with the whispers of the wind.
"Quiet night," Jabor said, breaking the hush that had fallen over the cave.
"Best kind," Cal replied, his gaze not leaving the dimly lit expanse beyond their temporary sanctuary.
"Ghost, huh?" Jabor’s head twitched, a sign of curiosity or perhaps anxiety.
"Yeah, I told Jaxon earlier, but honestly I have no idea what it means," Cal stated, turning his attention to Temp. Time to delve deeper into the enigma of his status.
"A path unknown, sounds like fun. I don't know much, but I agree with Elena - you should keep it a secret," Jabor agreed, looking out into the night. "I think I'll stretch my legs a bit. You good here?"
"Go ahead," Cal nodded, his blue eyes sharp in the gloom.
"Back soon," Joe said and stepped into the darkness, leaving Cal to his silent watch.
Cal turned to Temp, his voice a low murmur. "We need to figure out what is happening. Too many unknowns are piling up. What can you tell me?"
Temp's screen flickered, the AI's form shimmering with a spectral light. "You are Cal... and my friend." Temp said, its voice devoid of inflection. “But I will show you your current status.”
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Name Cal Run Class no information Bloodline no information Attributes - STR VIT VIG DEX INT WIS LUK Total Effective level Base attributes 113
(+13) 42 44
(+5) 79
(+14) 15 67
(+5) - 360 51.43 Total attributes 146 58 60 100 28 86 - 479 68.43
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"Each stage-two beast core seems to give you +5/+5, so we can definitely push to 100 attributes in dexterity, depending on where the true limit is."
"Hmmm, that would work. I do feel that my strength is out of proportion now, but hopefully another challenger title will even it out."
"When you find a replacement to keep watch, I suggest you take a moment to eat the manafruit. It should be as quick as it was for me, for you to form an Aethercore."
"Yeah, I'll do that. Jaxon mentioned it was meditative, so I'll see if that works. Do you have any suggestions based on the process?"
"I used the bloodline to form the link with the aethercore, so I am unsure how it will work for you. Yours might form, but you may similarly be unable to access it like the Primal."
"Hmmm, okay."
"What was that bro?" Jabor intoned as he appeared by the lip of the cave. Cal could see it from his face that he had been grieving. It was not easy to lose his brother, much less two of them at once.
"Oh nothing - could you take watch actually, I'll try out the manafruit."
"Sure, no worries. Should be quick anyways."
Cal fished out his ring and passed it to Jabor, "If you have a chance, figure out what it does - I have a feeling it might be helpful."
[Escalation, stage 2: Survive the entrapment of hungry predators. Time limit: 199 hours]