The crew stood in a small cage, listening to all the commotion going on in the upper floors. Thomas got an idea to try and unlock the cage while the giants were distracted. Both of the giants stood behind the door with their weapons drawn, just waiting for someone to barge through the two doors in front of them.
George began to meditate to recover his stats, while Osia tried to pull the metal cage wrapped around the lower part of her head, which kept her silent. With no way to speak, she couldn't cast, and Thomas was in the same boat as Osia since he too had a cage wrapped around the lower part of his head and mouth.
Finally, the lock released and fell to the floor, and the cage door swung open. George jumped up and covered his body in flames, then jetted out of the cage towards the Ice Giants. His movement was swift and even quiet enough that the giants didn't hear him coming.
One good flaming palm-heel strike to the back of one giant's legs dropped it to its knees. The other turned to combat George, but he had already run around the downed giant and went for a knockout uppercut, much like the martial artist from that video game with the red belt and white robe. The giant fell backward with a boom, and the other giant swung its sword towards George. George rolled out of the way as the sword struck the ground and made the chamber echo with the clang of metal meeting stone.
George wasn't backing down; he rolled back towards the giant's hand and kicked it with his burning foot, nearly forcing the giant to drop its weapon. The sword swooshed back up at an angle, nearly hitting the falling monk once again as George leaned backward and watched the blade pass in front of his face, seeing his reflection in the steel before landing into a roll. While George was driven to his back foot, that didn't stop him in the least. He rolled forward once again dodging another swing onto his feet and began circling the giant with great speed while the blade followed close behind.
Thomas and Osia ran to the downed giant and searched its pockets for the keys while the second giant was distracted by George's attacks. Once they found a group of keys, they soon figured out which key was used for the magical mask that stopped their casting abilities and released the masks from their faces, hiding behind the unconscious giant and stuffed the keys and mask into their clothes for later use.
George kept one step ahead of the sword and kept the giant circling until he dove between its legs and used his burning feet to kick both legs, dropping that one to the floor as its knees buckled. He climbed up its back and repeatedly hit the giant while holding onto its long hair.
Thomas stood up, spun around, and cast a spell. Mystical green chains rose from the ground, caught the giant's soul, and ripped it from its body. The chains pulled as the soul tried to hang on but eventually gave up as the corporeal body got pulled below the ground. The first giant began to stir and get up, forcing both Osia and Thomas to back up.
A sword formed in Thomas's hand, and he charged in to meet the now awakened giant. The giant went for a backhand but was struck from behind as Thomas was only a distraction to let George move in for the final blow. George leaped up high and, with a flip in the air, dropped back down. Both of his flaming feet descended upon the giant's helmet, jamming the helmet down into the giant's shoulders, crushing the helmet and head in the process. The Ice Giant teetered back and forth and fell back to the ground, dead this time, as ice-cold blue blood began running out from its helmet.
Osia began creating a magic circle with runes, using the first Ice Giant's blood soaked into a small bit of cloth. Once done, she proceeded to walk over to the second giant's dead body to rip out both of its eyes. She then pulled an empty bottle from her magical bag and stuck one of the eyes inside, closed it up, and tossed it back onto her back. She returned to her circle and laid the other eye in the middle of the magic circle, activating it with her green fire. A green light flashed, and once the light faded, a hovering eye appeared in front of her. "Find our gear." She commanded. Another green magical eye appeared on Osia's forehead. At first, the eye closed its newly formed eyelid twice and what looked like a nod, the eye moved through the air showing it accepted the Witch's command. Osia moved to the door, and the crew followed as they all began to open the large door just far enough for the eye to float out through the crack.
"That's a new spell, isn't it?" Thomas asked.
"Yeah, I picked it up while we were sitting there waiting. I took the time to search the system and added some abilities while we waited since, like you said, we should keep improving as much as possible. Now, this spell in particular allows me to see through this eye up to 300 feet, allowing me to, what did you call it, scouting the area?" Osia asked.
"Ah, that's great! I should pay more attention to the system so I can improve my abilities as well," Thomas replied.
"Well, what were those green ghost-like chains that you summoned out of nowhere? Those were quite interesting." Osia said.
"Oh yeah, that was a new ability called [Spectral Chains]. I picked that up not too long ago and haven't had a chance to use it until now, since the spell takes a bit of mana and the target must have a soul." Thomas replied.
Thomas and George took the time to loot the bodies, searching for anything they could use against the Ice Giants, while Osia continued the search using her magic floating eyeball.
The eye entered the hallway and flew straight into the wall. "Dang it, the controls on this thing are not easy," Osia complained. The eye flew back again and stopped right before it hit the door this time.
"Okay, this is a bit like riding a bike, just more like a big squishy flying ball thingy instead," Osia gathered.
"You okay over there?" Thomas asked.
"Yeah, I think so," Osia replied.
"You can do it, just keep it steady and fly more like an airplane rather than a bike," Thomas continued.
The eye turned, and Osia focused on flying like an airplane, starting to fly the eye down the hall. Once she got to the end and turned the corner, she saw two Ice Giants watching the stairs, so she turned back around and flew the other way until she reached the end and saw another door. This one was also locked from the inside with a keyed lock. Looking up and all around it, she found a crack in the wall and squeezed her way through. Once on the other side, she could see a stash of loot and their gear, with a large Ice Drake sleeping and chained in the middle of the room.
"Uh, guys, I found our stuff, but there is a bit of a problem," Osia said with a frown.
"What's the problem...?" Thomas sighed.
"So there's a big drake thingy in there, and it's sleeping," Osia said with an easy tone.
"Okay, let's get going before the guards wise up and come looking," Thomas commanded.
All three of them opened the door and snuck down the long, dimly blue-lit, dark hallway until they found the door.
"Hey George, you mind giving me a lift?" Thomas whispered.
George nodded and positioned himself in front of the door, locking his hands together. Thomas climbed up onto George's shoulders and began picking the lock with a few bones he found. A few minutes later, the lock was open, and Thomas took it, putting it in his bag.
The door crept open, and the three of them could see the room piled with gear and treasures, among them a big, sleeping drake the size of a semi-truck just lying in the middle of the room.
Thomas gave a few hand signals to George, telling him to sneak up and attack while Osia kept the beast distracted with the floating eye. Once everyone was in position, Thomas snuck up behind the drake, George went to the right side, and Osia stood by the door. Thomas picked up a gold coin and tossed it in front of the sleeping drake, alerting the beast.
The drake's eyelids opened, revealing two deep, dark blue eyes. For a moment, the drake didn't move its body, but its eyes stared cautiously at the floating eye in front of it.
Once Osia moved the eye, the drake leaped up to bite. As soon as the drake lunged, Thomas and George were ready. Both of them attacked at the same time. Thomas went for the underbelly with his draconic sword, putting a good, clean gash across the scales. Meanwhile, George set himself ablaze and began striking from the backside, infuriating the drake. He landed a few more strikes to the underbelly just before the drake finally fell back onto its feet.
That's when the drake opened its mouth to release its ice breathe. But Thomas wasn't having any of that. He dove under the drake and shoved his sword up into its jaw, through the mouth, and into the skull. The drake jumped in pain, high enough that the chain yanked it back down, slamming its head into the castle stone. Thomas jumped out of the way, trying not to get hit by the flailing drake. While George ran to the door and closed it, and a few minutes later, the sword sank in deep enough to pierce the brain, finally killing the beast.
"Well, I expected more of a fight than that," Thomas said.
"More? I'm just glad that thing didn't kill you," Osia replied.
"I thought that was flawless teamwork," George added.
Holding out his hand, Thomas tried summoning his blade, and it shifted momentarily in and out of space, but ultimately, it didn't move from its position. "That's odd," Thomas said, holding his hand out once more and getting the same results as the blade remained inside the drake.
"What's wrong? Can't summon your blade, huh? Are you two on the outs or something?" Osia said with a snicker.
"I don't know," Thomas replied. "I guess I'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way."
Thomas walked up to the drake and took hold of the hilt of his sword. He could feel something was magically changing with the blade. The sword began to glow white and morph into a staff, lifting the drake's head up high as the drake's white body turned black while the weapon absorbed the creature's soul. Even though the drake wasn't a true dragon, they were still descendants of dragons, carrying tainted blood, and for whatever reason, the sword hungered for more. As soon as he examined the staff, he knew something had changed. The blade not only absorbed the soul but some of the drake's abilities. In fact, there were two in particular: Ice Drake's Breath, which allowed the user the ability to breathe like that of an Ice Drake once per day. The second one was more interesting than the last, which gave the user the chance to create Ice Drake Scales for a short period of time. But that was not all the staff could do. The Draconic Sword could now also transform into a dragon staff at the user's will once mana had been infused.
Willing the staff to transform back into the dagger, Thomas watched it shift while the weapon released its hold on the drake's lifeless body, lowering its head fast to the ground with a thump, pinching Thomas's arm to the floor. "Can I get a little help here?" Thomas said with a groan.
"Uh guys, we have two giants heading our way," Osia said with a worried tone while looking through the crack in the wall with her giant eye. "And they're moving faster toward us."
"Okay," George said as he rushed over to the drake and began to deadlift its head just high enough for Thomas to get his arm and blade out.
Thomas transformed his dagger back into the staff and activated his skill to transform his skin into white scales. He moved up to the door with George moving to the opposite side. Osia walked over and stood in the middle of the room, then readied her magic.
The door swung open fast, and two large Ice Giants entered the room. George instantly closed the door behind them after they walked through and said, "It's kind of rude to leave the door open, wouldn't you say?"
The giant in front of them spun around to attack, and George was already set aflame, but before the giant could strike with its massive hammer, four chains came out of the ground and attached to its soul. A fight began between the will of the giant and Thomas as he channeled the chains to life.
"Hello, big guy, can I offer you some heat?" Osia said with a grin while shooting green flames from her outstretched hands, covering the giant in fire. The giant began running straight for Osia with a great sword in hand, but before it could get to her, George ran in and kicked the back of its leg with a jumping roundhouse kick to the knee. The giant fell to the ground, stumbling forward onto all fours, allowing George to jump onto its back. He ran up its back to the base of the giant's neck and began striking. At this point, the giant was trying to get up but couldn't with the force of the flaming palm to the neck, making the giant scramble to get away. George dropped down onto the neck and wrapped his arms around it like a bear trying to climb a tree, and squeezed.
The giant stood up and ran for the nearest wall, spun around, and went to slam its back against it to get George off. At that point, Osia shot more flames into the giant's face, making the giant duck forward as it hit its rear against the wall rather than its back, allowing George to keep burning the giant and strangling it long enough that the giant lost its breath and passed out due to the lack of oxygen.
The giant hit the floor hard, and George jumped onto its face and began smashing its head in with his palms until the head no longer had a face, but a bloody blue mess was left behind.
Thomas stayed steadfast until the soul was finally ripped from its body and he fell to the ground in exhaustion.
"Well, that was better," Thomas said as he stood up and regained his composure.
"Let's loot the place and get out of here," Osia said with a sigh.
"Good idea," Thomas replied.
"Yes, let's do that," George agreed.
They spent the next thirty minutes grabbing all their gear and whatever loot they could store in their bags.
A few seconds passed, but nothing happened. Scott opened his eyes once more and saw the drake being held down by Atlar's massive jaws. Once the drake died, Atlar walked over and lifted his leg.
"Oh no, he didn't," Scott said.
Atlar began peeing on the ice until it melted enough for Scott to break out, but Atlar didn't stop. Urine ran all over Scott's body and even got into his mouth as he yelled, "Stop!"
"Must free my master," Atlar growled.
Just then, David ran past and attacked another giant coming in from behind, while Atlar began licking Scott all over. "Thank you, but this is not the time or place for this," Scott said to Atlar. "You even got some in my mouth."
Atlar stopped and ran past to attack another Ice Giant coming into view, now double-teaming David. "Just trying to help, master," Atlar growled as he ran past.
Scott got himself back together, now cold, shivering, and reeking of urine, feeling like a "pissicle" where his muscles ached with every movement. While drinking a health and mana potion, he decided to search for his short swords and found both under the drake that had frozen him. After that, he re-entered the fight. "Note to self: don't stand in front of an Ice Drake's breath, even if you have thick fur and fly around like good ole Peter Pan."
Moving in like always, Scott rushed in, but this time he used the exercise of movement to try and warm his body up rather than go all out, until he saw Atlar get launched overhead. A massive Ice Giant standing a whole head higher than the rest stepped in. So Scott raged—no one messes with his family and gets away with it, not even his now dire wolf ex-Pitbull pet. "He's still family, and you always stick up for family unless they're being a dumbass and start a fight for no reason. Then maybe you let them get their ass kicked."
While raging, Scott's muscles expanded, and he could feel the beast trying to take over once again. This time, he resisted and held control. He sheathed both blades, grew his fangs and claws, and jumped high into the air until he was just above the Ice Giant's chest height. He enhanced his weight to 230% gravity just before hitting the Ice Giant in the chest like a cannonball. This time, he was smart about the attack and used a mana shield to take the brunt of the impact rather than his own body.
When Scott made contact with the Ice Giant, it barely moved a foot. That's when he knew this was going to be a good fight. The Ice Giant slammed its hands together creating a shockwave like it was a tambourine player in a big band, nearly hitting Scott as he rose up slightly above the giant's head. He flew past the giant and spun around to attack the back of its head. However, when he turned and expected to see the back of its head, the giant also turned, and Scott was floating face to face with this Ice Giant. He couldn't say it wasn't awkward, but he didn't hesitate in the least as he lunged forward and clawed its eyes with both claws, like a house cat fighting an intruder, damaging its sight. Scott could see out of the corner of his eye a hand coming up to slap him. He air stepped to the side and watched the Ice Giant's hand smack its own face really hard. It wasn't one of those light smacks either. No, it was one of those "bitch slaps" that took your breath away because of how much pain you just endured.
Chuckling a little bit, Scott continued attacking the back of its neck with his claws. Finally, he bit down on the back of the neck and began feeding off its life energy while the Ice Giant stumbled around until Atlar charged in to attack its legs. Once Atlar got a good grip of the giant's leg, the Ice Giant fell backward, and Scott let go. Not long after, Atlar leaped up to the giant's face and ripped out its throat, ending this poor guy's life.
Finally, they had a break. No more came at them because they retreated down the hallway, nor did any even look down the hall for that matter since their leader died they were more cautious. They sat, caught their breath, and rested for a moment until they decided it was time to move again. After some time they continued down the hall and peered around the corner. Two Ice Giants were tending to the wounded, while one stood watch near a door with two drakes sitting at their feet. Scott motioned back to the two of them, holding up three fingers, then one down, and two more on four legs.
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They walked back a bit to converse on the upcoming battle. "Should we do a little distraction, and maybe lure the drakes and the giant in, or just rush in as we usually do?" Scott whispered.
"It may be a trap," David whispered. "Suppose the wounded are not actually wounded, and that hall is bigger than the stairwell, meaning three can stand side by side with the drakes moving about."
Atlar sat there, waiting for them to make their decision, wagging his massive tail. Until Scott said, "Sick them." Atlar stood up and ran around the corner, with Scott joining him. David flew around the corner as an owl and joined them. The drakes and giants stood up and charged; even the one faking injury stood up and took up arms.
Atlar got there first, attacking the two drakes as Scott leaped over their carnage with both blades out, slashing down on both drakes' backs, leaving two large gashes, while flipping towards the Ice Giant behind.
David flew past, going up over the Ice Giant's shoulders, and transformed into his owlbear form to start fighting the three behind.
The Ice Giant stopped Scott by kicking him in the chest out of mid-air, and he flew back towards the ice drakes. Once he landed facing the drakes, he could hear the giant running. But Scott noticed that Atlar was in trouble. One of the drakes had Atlar's paw stuck in its mouth while the other was dead. So Scott jumped up high and set his gravity high to drop down fast. Luckily, he did, because the giant swung his hammer like a baseball bat right through Scott's last location in mid-air.
He hit the wall so hard that part of it collapsed beside them, giving Scott enough time to deal with the drake below him. He landed on the drake's back so hard that he snapped its spine, paralyzing it from the backside. But yet, the stubborn beast didn't let go of Atlar's leg, so Scott pierced both blades into its shoulders, and finally, the drake released Atlar as it roared. Just then, Scott could hear another swing of the hammer, almost like a whistle sounding off, and he quickly rolled off to the side to see the hammer crush the drake beside him. "Man, another close one," Scott said out loud. "This Ice Giant is a bit more skilled than those others we have fought so far." He began raging to speed up his movement further.
If Scott was to take this one out, he'd need to wear it down. So he moved and watched for a foot to come. This time it wasn't a foot but rather a backhand. He jumped up over the hand and landed right on top of its forearm, beginning to stab his swords through the leather bracers, only to hear the hammer heading towards him once more.
Time to roll off, or rather, roll onto the side of its arm, sinking both of his swords into the side of its arm and biting down to regain some of his strength. Once he bit, he could feel the air flowing around him as the giant raised its arm high, presumably to slam him into the ceiling, but he couldn't let that happen. So he simply ripped his swords out and let go of his bite to roll off the side and hover, watching its arm slam into the ceiling.
That's when he noticed a big flaw in its armor. The armpit was wide open, and he knew a straight shot through the armpit usually hits some important organ or something. He was hoping for either the heart or a lung. Scott began moving in the air using the mana platforms before launching himself forward with both swords out like a spear, piercing the giant's skin hilts deep.
The giant began to teeter and fall forward as it reached for its chest. The armpit started to close, so Scott swung his feet back to try and stop its arm, only to find that its arm overpowered him. He let go of his blades and dropped to the floor, landing on his feet. After the giant fell he ran over to the giant's arm and began pulling it away far enough for him to grab his blades. Just as he was about to pull the blades out, two more drakes came running out of the room from the collapsed wall towards him. "Well, great, this just keeps getting better," Scott thought. He jumped back, leaving the blades, and watched as the Ice Drake opened its mouth to breathe its ice breath directly at him. "Well, I guess my old short sword will have to do," he mused. He pulled the blade from his storage and unsheathed it while running to the right. He wasn't going to get fooled into going through that again.
Atlar attacked them head on. With a side flip through the air, Scott used the mana step to push over towards Atlar's fight, clearing the drake on top of the giant. Once he made it over to the drake fighting Atlar, he landed behind the second drake and shoved his sword up under where the sun didn't shine, twisting his blade for optimal effect. As soon as he pulled the hilt back to release his blade, the sword broke, leaving him holding the hilt alone.
“Well, I guess I'm down to fangs and claws,” he thought. The drake spun around, surprisingly still holding itself up with the broken sword stuck in its rear, and went to bite him. “How in the hell is that dang thing still standing?” Scott thought to himself. He rolled to the left and watched Atlar bite into the rear leg and pull it back towards him, forcing the drake to drop to the ground as he watched the poor drake get torn to pieces.
Scott got back to his feet and headed for the drake that was still, fortunately, searching for him on the other side of the dead giant. Jumping up onto the giant's back and running across the dead giant until he got just above the drake, he then jumped onto its back to bite down. This time, his teeth didn't penetrate the drake, nor did his claws find purchase in its hard scales, so he simply held on with his arms wrapped around its sides as the drake began jumping around like a raging bull. A thought crossed his mind. “I still have the great axe.” he let go and jumped up in mid-air, summoned the axe he had in his storage.
Descending upon the drake with both hands clutching the axe with a good, firm grip, the drake turned and looked up at him and was about to breathe its ice breath at him again, but Scott met the drake with such force that the great axe split its head in two. Once he landed, he saw Atlar pass by and head over to assist David with two Ice Giants still standing.
This time, Scott went back to the Ice Giant and used the axe to sever the arm from the dead Ice Giant's body, giving him the space he needed to get the blades out. He set the axe down, pulled both of his blades out, and sheathed them. That's when two more Ice Giants stepped out through the broken wall. “Man, can this get any worse?” Just as he picked up the axe, something weird happened. Green chains came from the ground, latching onto one of the giants, and then green flames shot through the air and hit the second giant in the back. That could only mean one thing the crew was back together. Just then, George shot out of the darkness on fire and delivered a palm-heel strike to the chained giant's back.
Scott ran for the Ice Giant Osia was setting on fire and swung his axe into its ankle, severing it from the rest of the leg. The attack was so fast that the giant didn't realize it was no longer attached and stepped down onto its nub of a leg, falling forward towards Osia.
Scott used his speed and ran over, lunging in to grab Osia with a tackle, landing just out of reach as the giant hit the ground behind them. He stood up and ran towards the giant's head. He could plainly see the giant on all fours, trying to get up onto its one foot, and swung for its wrist, cutting through it and severing the hand from the arm this time. “Man, do I like this axe? It's cutting through these giants like butter, Thanks Chad!” Scott thought.
Next to him, the giant fell to the ground as Scott could see a soul being ripped from its body; the chain retracted and pulled this ghostly figure of a giant through the floor. Both George and Thomas went to assist David, not knowing that Atlar was an ally. Scott rushed in and swung his axe with all his might, cutting the head from the giant, then turned to stop them from attacking Atlar.
He could see George jumping through the air as chains rose from the ground, going for Atlar. Scott leaped through the air with all his power and knocked Thomas over to stop the spell, but he couldn't get to George, and it was too late. So he did the next best thing. "Stop!" he yelled so loud that he could hear the sound of his voice echoing through the hall. "Friend, not foe!" he yelled. George got the message in time and simply landed on Atlar's back, nearly knocking him over.
David moved in behind the last Ice Giant to flank with Atlar. Lunging Atlar grabbed hold of one the giant's legs while David slashed away at the other, bringing the giant down onto its knees. That's when George dismounted Atlar and joined in on the attack by performing a flaming jump kick to the giant's chin. A big crack sounded, knocking the giant back and forcing David to retreat. As soon as the giant landed on its back, George pummeled the giant's head into the ground, finally finishing it off.
"One hell of a fight, I must say," Scott said with a tired grin on his face. "Meet Atlar, or shall I say Diesel, my old Pitbull." Everyone did a half-hearted wave and said hi.
"Where is Rick and Anthony?" Osia asked.
"They were sent out in search of you," Scott said.
"We need to rest up and gather our resources before we venture off looking for them. Even if I wanted to search for them, the chances of us getting into another battle with my lack of resources could get us killed," Thomas said.
"Yeah, I'm in the same boat as Thomas. I'm just barely moving with all the wounds and bruises I've accumulated, let alone the lack of mana," David added, looking pretty sore.
"Well, it's settled then. We'll make camp here and rest until we can find the two of them," Thomas said.
The next hour David and Tomas took some time to make a makeshift wall out of vines and stone. After the crew rested in an empty room in the middle of the castle, each taking turns to stand watch like clockwork while the rest of them slept.
Rick and Anthony popped in out of the shadows.
“Hey there.” Rick said quietly, seeing the others asleep.
“I need sleep.” Anthony said before sitting in the corner and pulling out a pipe and shoving some green into it and lighting it up with a bit of magic.
“Welcome back.” Scott said quietly. “How far did you make it into the castle?”
“We checked the next level down and found a room full of paintings.” Rick whispered.
“Nice, Well get some sleep and maybe we can check it out in the morning.” Scott whispered.
Scott took the first watch with Atlar since he was the least damaged. They caught up on missed time while Scott skinned the drakes until it was their turn to sleep.
"Let me get a good look at you now," Scott said, scanning Atlar to get a good look at his title.
[Atlar the Alpha Dire wolf (Level 40)]
"How have you been?" Scott asked Atlar with a growl.
"Better now since I found you," Atlar said and began licking Scott's face uncontrollably, like old times.
"Ha, stop it! Now, have you seen your brother at all?" Scott asked while petting his head.
"Not since we got separated fighting some Jaguars in the forest. I've been looking for him ever since but only found scents that led to nothing. Though I do have my own pack now and a female Alpha companion named Dawn. You'd be proud of me; we even have a pup named Geist. I named him after you," Atlar said.
"Yes, about that," Scott said, scratching his head. "I've met your pack, and I kind of made a deal with Dawn to take Geist as my own. As a matter of fact, he is up on this very mountain not far from here."
Atlar stared at Scott with a serious wolf face and asked, "Is he safe?"
"As far as I know, yes," Scott said. "But the undead wolf is watching him. Bones, in fact. He's like a big brother."
"Undead?" Atlar asked. "Is undead good? Or do I need to be worried?"
"Even though undead is normally bad, this one is not. He is most definitely a friend and a creation of Tomas's. We could ask him later if you're worried. But let's talk more about you. You have a family now and your own pup. How have you been?" Scott asked.
"We have been here for many more moons than you have, and we have finally seen humans not long ago. Yes, I do have a pack, and we were all stray dogs that transformed into dire wolves. The pack chose me as their leader after I joined them shortly after I lost R2, and we have been hunted by humans ever since they have shown their faces. I don't understand," Atlar said.
"You said you have been here longer? How many moons have you seen before you have seen me today?" Scott continued.
"I suppose 200 moons. We have become more sapient as of late," Atlar replied.
"When you came here, did you ever meet anyone or anything like a big blue glowing floating ball that also speaks like I do?" Scott asked.
"No, though I do remember a spirit wolf that spoke to me. The wolf taught me a few things, and I was on my way. R2 and I started off together, and we did extremely well even though he took a claw to the right eye, so he was blind in one eye—we kept on going. The day I lost him, we were on our fourth battle for the day and had already taken on three jaguars. The fourth one would have been easy if I didn't have a wounded paw, but two more showed up, and of course, R2 led all three of them into the bush to save me. I never saw him after that," Atlar explained.
"That's okay, bub, we will find him again someday. Hopefully, he is still out there, overpowering a lot of them. I think it's time we switch watch and sleep," Scott whispered.
Scott wandered over to Thomas and George and woke them. Then he went off to bed and checked his progress. Atlar walked up next to him and leaned up into his bed.
**Slayed [Ice Giant(level 30)] x 42 extra experience Gained for defeating one above your level**
**Slayed [Ice Drake(level 30)] x 15 extra experience Gained for defeating one above your level**
**Slayed [Ice Drake Mother(level 35)] extra experience Gained for defeating one above your level**
**Slayed [Ice Giant Brute(level 35)] extra experience Gained for defeating one above your level**
**(Figure out what happened to Atlar Sharptooth)
Finished extra experience Gained for having Atlar join your party**
**Level Gained[Skinner] level 25-30**
**Level Gained[Slayer] level 26-35**
**Level Gained[Race] Level 21-26**
**level 30 Ability Unlocked**
**Choose One**
[Metallic Skin(Rare)]
Your skin has been molded and hardened by a lifetime of combat, turning it into a protective layer as dense and tough as a suit of plate armor. This isn't a magical shell, but a physical transformation born of immense pain and resilience. Despite its newfound density, your body remains as agile as ever, allowing you to move without the burden or noise of traditional armor. The surface of your skin has a faint metallic sheen and is resistant to most physical harm. Unburdened Movement: Despite the incredible density of your skin, you suffer no penalty to your movement speed, and you have no disadvantages. Adamantine Fortitude: You gain resistance to all non-magical bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage.
[Impervious Fur (Rare)]
Your fur has grown unnaturally thick and dense, a natural and effective filter against the world's dangers. It is a deep gray, almost obsidian in color, and feels remarkably soft and light despite its apparent thickness. A faint, ozone-like scent emanates from your body, and your fur seems to shimmer subtly in the light, as if constantly purifying the air around you. Toxin Filter: You have improved resistance against poisoned conditions and diseases. Airborne Protection: Your fur acts as a natural filter, allowing you to breathe normally in environments filled with smoke, dust, or other non-magical, airborne pollutants.
[Gravitational Flight (Unique)]
You have awakened a profound and unique connection to the forces of gravity. By manipulating the gravitational field around your body, you can achieve true, unencumbered flight. This is not a burst of magical energy, but a constant, subtle control that feels as natural as walking. Your movements through the air are silent and fluid, and you can hover motionless as if standing on an invisible platform. This ability allows you to fly freely, using far less mana than traditional flight spells. While you are floating or in motion, you are also unburdened by the weight of your gear, making your flight both agile and efficient. Mana-Fueled Speed: You can choose to increase your speed by expending additional mana. For every 10 mana you expend, your flying speed increases. Weightless Movement: When you are flying, the weight of your carried gear and any worn armor is effectively nullified for the purpose of movement.
[Mana Shield: Greater (Epic)]
You have achieved a profound mastery over your own magical energy, allowing you to manifest it as a tangible shield of pure, concentrated mana. This shield shimmers into existence as a translucent, protective barrier that glows with the color of your magical affinity. Unlike lesser mana shields, this one is not only more durable but also more efficient, allowing you to maintain it with ease even during the most intense conflicts.
[Meteor Strike (Rare)]
Meteor Strike is a powerful combat maneuver that transforms your body into a living weapon. By dropping from a high point, you can channel the kinetic energy of your fall into a devastating strike, either with your body or a bladed weapon. Your body becomes a meteor of concentrated force, allowing you to bypass a great deal of the strain and damage that a normal fall would cause.
Looking at all these possibilities with the new abilities made Scott wonder what to choose. Each one helps in some sort of way, but he believed the option to fly and move wherever he wanted was a must. To be able to position himself anywhere on the battlefield is one of the keys to coming out on top. Scott decided to go with Gravitational Flight.
**level 35 Ability Unlocked**
**Choose One**
[Impervious Fur (Rare)] Your fur is improved with this, almost becoming a filter to toxins and unwanted airborne attacks.
“Eh this again, I do like the idea of the fur but maybe as a higher rarity.” Scott mused.
Mana Shield: Greater (Epic)]
You have achieved a profound mastery over your own magical energy, allowing you to manifest it as a tangible shield of pure, concentrated mana. This shield shimmers into existence as a translucent, protective barrier that glows with the color of your magical affinity. Unlike lesser mana shields, this one is not only more durable but also more efficient, allowing you to maintain it with ease even during the most intense conflicts.
[Health Regeneration: Greater (Epic)]
As a Slayer, your body has been tempered by countless battles, allowing you to tap into an innate magical essence that can mend your wounds at a remarkable pace. This isn't a simple healing spell, but a constant, low-level rejuvenation that allows you to shrug off grievous injuries and remain in the fight. While your body is on the brink of death, your natural magic will kick in to mend your body slowly, but surely.
[Air Walker (Rare)]
You have gained the remarkable ability to manipulate your magical energy into temporary, invisible platforms beneath your feet. By expending a small amount of mana, you can create these platforms in mid-air, allowing you to walk, run, and even stand as if on solid ground. This ability gives the appearance that you are gracefully walking on thin air, leaving no trace behind. The platforms are transparent and dissipate a moment after you lift your foot, leaving no evidence of your path.
[Activate the Raging Beast (Rare)]
Within you lies a dormant, primal force a "beast" that can be unleashed to grant you incredible strength and resilience. This ability is a double-edged sword: you can willingly tap into this power, but in doing so, you surrender control to a raw, destructive fury. The transformation is quick and brutal; your muscles bulge, your voice deepens to a guttural roar, and your eyes burn with a feral intensity. When you unleash the beast, you lose all semblance of your normal personality and rationality. You are driven only by the primal urges of combat, and you will not stop until your inner beast is satisfied.
“Ha ha system, I am not going to just give the reins to the beast to take over my body. Good try but no thank you.” Scott mused. He looked over each one and ultimately decided that [Health Regeneration Greater (Epic)] was the best suited for him this time.
**Upgrade[Short bow Mastery(Common)]~
[Short bow Mastery(Uncommon)]**
[Name: Scott Armidais Wheaton]
[Race: Beastkin26 (Iota)]
Class: [Slayer level 35] [Hero]
Profession: Skinner 30/Leatherworker 20
Health Points (HP): 3070/3070
Mana Points (MP): 1380/1380
Stamina: 3720/3720
Stats-
Strength: 372
Agility: 517
Vitality: 307
Wisdom: 138
Intelligence: 138
Endurance: 409
Toughness: 167
Perception: 201
Willpower: 137
Skills-
[Bloodline:(Nature of the Beast(common)(12%)]]
[Craft[Leather Working level 20 (Primary)]
[Craft[ Skinning level 25-30 (Lesser)]
[Dagger Mastery(Common)]
[Medium armor proficient]
[Short bow Mastery(Uncommon)]
[Short Sword mastery(Uncommon)]
[Weapons proficient all]
Abilities-
[Beastmode(Rare)(10%)]
[Fangs of the Vital Beast(Legendary)]
[Ghost skin(Rare)]
[Gravitational flight(Unique)]
[Gravity Manipulation (Self)]
[Health Regeneration Greater (Epic)]
[Mark of Prey(Rare)]
[Mana Savant(Rare)10% Mana Pool]
[Surging speed(Rare)]
Titles-
[First kill in tutorial]
[Den Mother]
[Hero(5%)]
[Dungeon Squire(5%)]
[Dungeon Lord(5%)]
[Gravity Lord(Legendary)]
[The first Beastkin]
“Everything here is looking good now, time to hit the hay and do some work in the morning.” Scott yawned, rolling over and falling asleep hard.
……………..**System mission finished**……………...
……..**New mission update pending**..........
