As we were walking out of town I noticed Emira wasn't leaving back to her smithy.
"Um ... your store is that way."
I said pointing in the opposite direction.
"I'm coming with you."
"You know this will be dangerous, right?"
"That point is moot, as I won't be fighting. I just want you to place me back into your magical subspace."
"You mean my gem?"
"Yes, I want to go back in."
"Oh, you're doing what Flora does. Are you trying to make new spells like she does?"
"No, making spells are a lot harder than she makes it seem."
"Damn straight, I'm a genius."
At this point we passed through the gate and headed into the woods.
"I just want to learn more about your world's forging techniques."
"Okay."
Patty, show Emira's status please.
------------------
Name : Emira Smith
Level : 13 points available : N/A
Species : Dalian
Strength : 200
Increases the ease to lift and damage objects and opponents
Intelligence : 910
Makes resisting mind control, solving complex problems, reading people, learning magic and skills easier
Durability : 100
Resistance of disease, sleep deprivation, injury of body and soul, temperature, starvation
Energy : 100
Increases pool of energy and energy rate
Health : 100
Increases pool of health and healing rate
Stamina : 350
Increases pool of stamina and stamina rate
Luck : 150
Odds play out in your favor
Speed : 100
Increases reaction time, sensory perception, rate of travel, time perception
Agility : 150
Allows for complex movement's
Crafting : 1500
Allows one to craft objects well.
Special ability : Dalian Smithing Technique
Dalian Smithing Technique: can forge items with consciousness. Males must use a used conscience, females must create their own.
------------------
She's like Flora! Both her intelligence and crafting has increased.
This means only Jurea...
I was going to say, her stats stay unchanged.
Besides, Eric hasn't shown an interest in learning about my world, so I won't know how my subspace affects her.
I stopped walking as soon as we were far enough into the woods not to be spotted.
"This should be far enough."
"Are you planning on running all the way there?"
"No, even at my fastest, I would run out of stamina long before we got there. We're gonna work smarter not harder, after all as they say, 'As the crow flies' is the best way."
"Who says that?"
(Eric)
"People."
"Yeah, but who is the people?"
"Never mind that! I just meant I'm gonna fly there."
I changed into a dronga.
I summoned them back into my gem and took off into the sky. All to immediately land, change back, and resummon them.
"Did any of you perhaps catch where he said the Slagan nest was?"
They all stared at me like I was stupid, and pointed in the direction I had to go.
"Hehehe... thanks."
I took off flying again - in the right direction.
________________
The benefits of flight are immediately clear, a trip that would've taken two days of hard riding on horseback had been shortened to mere hours.
I was soaring above an area of ten square miles, looking for the nest.
Drongas have excellent eyesight, but even I still couldn't spot the nest.
The forest spread out below me, dotted with clearings, hills, and a river that fed into a large lake.
(Flora)
Gah!!!
Holy shit!
Flora's sudden outburst startled me, causing me not to notice the other bird diving towards me from above.
It crashed into me and held onto me with claw-like appendages on its wings, causing both of us to start to plummet towards the very hard ground.
<"Pull up! Right yourself!">
(Flora)
I'M TRYING!
I was falling faster and faster, tumbling through the air, I couldn't pull my wings apart!
Fuck this asshole!
I used my beak to bite the shit out of it, but instead of hearing the satisfying crunch of bones, my beak scraped across hard body armor.
Patty, what the hell is this thing?
Energy seeped out of me.
Wouldn't it die too?
The ground is getting closer and closer.
If I was just an ordinary dronga this would probably be my swan song, but I'm not a dronga.
{Shocking fingers}!!
My wings crackled with electricity, unfortunately that damn bird let go of me before it got completely fried.
The shock flung it off me.
I flared my wings, I could literally hear my bones creak as the wind pushed up against my wings slowing me down.
I was still coming in too fast, at the last second I tucked in my wings and hit the ground.
Every inch of my body hurts like hell, luckily the pain means I'm still alive.
I turned back to my scaly self.
What the fuck! Is everything on this damn planet trying to kill me?!
< Let me out.>
(Flora)
Okay.
I willed everyone - except for Emira - out.
Flora took out her staff and aimed it at the suicide drop bird.
"{Godly lightning strike}-{godly lightning strike}-{godly lightning strike}-..."
The crystal on her staff started glowing brighter and brighter.
After she was done repeating the chant at least fifteen times, she let loose a massive bolt of lightning.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!!
It sounded as if a thousand bombs went off at once!
The shock-wave from that singular attack uprooted trees and pushed us back a dozen yards.
The bird was vaporized before it could even feel anything, much less dodge.
What the hell was that!
"You stacked spells! But... but... but that's... that's..."
(Jurea)
"What? Impossible? As I've told all of you before, I'm a fucking genius."
"Some genius, you just alerted the fucking monsters that we're here! Ever heard of overkill?!"
"We're tracking monsters not humans, do you really think they'll know what happened? As for overkill, anything that tries to kill me is going to die - if they're lucky it will be fast."
"But you wasted all of that mana on a bird! You'll need that when we fight the slagans."
"One thing I'll congratulate Edith on is ....."
"Emira, her name is Emira."
"Whatever, ... is her crafting ability. I kept the mana hearts we didn't sell to load up my robe, I won't be running out of mana anytime soon."
"Hey, you said you sold all of the hearts!"
Jurea stepped between us.
"That isn't a pressing concern right now, we need to find the nest as soon as possible."
(Jurea)
She's right, the longer we waste time, the sooner we find corpses instead of hostages.
"We should spread out and cover more ground."
"There's no need to do that, as I was trying to tell you - before you almost idiotically got us killed - I know where the slagans most likely are."
(Flora)
I'll let that my fault remark go - for now.
"What do you mean?"
"Slagans are semi-aquatic, so they would most likely make their nest by the river or lake. And given most prey would be near the lake that's where I'd start looking."
We headed stealthily towards the lake, with Eric in the lead.
Eric's footfalls were barely making any sound as she walked over dead leaves and twigs.
How heck is she doing that?
"Hey, you know what I never got?"
Jurea spoke up, breaking the tension and apprehension we felt as we neared the lake.
"Anything that requires you to think?"
(Flora)
"No, it's why do female slangans have tits? It's not like they make milk, it makes no sense."
Huh, she's right. I mean back home I watched plenty of anime with lizard girls with big tits, but I never questioned it. After all, you don't go looking for a rain cloud on a sunny day.
"Actually it makes plenty of sense, their breasts ain't for milk production."
(Flora)
"But that's what tits are for."
Flora held up her hand, and held her fore finger and thumb around two inches apart.
"Actually the gland that makes milk is only about yay big, the rest is just fat. The only reason breasts get big is because..."
"Men like staring at tits, and the bigger the better."
I decided to share my insightful wisdom.
"That's an over simplification, but basically right. Somewhere in the primitive mind of men they think big breasts produce more milk for their young, which is why you were probably very popular in whatever sty you're from. As for slagans it's just extra fat reserves, that also acts as a lure for human prey."
Eric suddenly stopped and held up her hand, signaling us to stop.
Then, she pointed at a huge pile of boulders covered in heavy overgrowth.
"The nest is right there."
I was about to ask her how she knew that, when a slagan came slithering out of the forest holding a human and pushed through the overgrowth into a hidden tunnel.
I grab a hard rock from the ground and used my crafting skill to make a dagger.
"Let's go, I'll take the first ones down while Jurea provides cover for you and Flora to free the hostages."
I started forward when Flora grabbed my arm.
"That won't work, a slagan nest could have anywhere between ten to over fifty individuals. Someone will have to draw the bulk of them away from the nest, I nominate Jurea."
"I nominate you bitch."
"You're perfect for it, you're not too fast so you won't lose them, and you won't go down without a fight. Giving me... us ample time to escape."
"You have magic, and your robe makes you invisible."
"Only when I sit still, and they don't hunt by sight. They hunt via heat sensitive scales and scent, all the more reason someone as foul smelling as you
should go."
"I'm more useful in a fight, if you die it wouldn't be that much of a loss."
"You Stu..."
"Enough, both of you will lure them away."
"What! Both of us shouldn't die, just send her."
(Flora)
"Neither of you are going to die. Flora, climb that tree over there, as soon as Jurea lures most of them out, blow the entrance with a fire-ball."
"How would you get inside then?"
"I got that covered, just cover Jurea long enough for her ability to kick in."
"What about me?"
(Eric)
"You're with me. Jurea, Flora, get into position and in fifteen minutes let all hell loose."
Eric followed me to the opposite side of the entrance.
Once there I prayed to any gods that hates Anovotis as much as I do to let this work.
I jabbed my hand into the ground and used my crafting skill.
Dirt is really not like clay, it can't be shaped into a usable tool until your crafting stat is high enough to change it on the atomic level.
But I'm not trying to do anything fancy, I just need to compact it into a ball.
A cubic foot of dirt compacts into a ball of dirt in my hand, leaving an empty space in the ground.
Yes!!
Mini status.
------------------
Health:700/700
Energy:1020/1025
Stamina:530/530
Excess energy : 1500
------------------
Luckily for me crafting only takes a bit of mana to use.
I turned on 'Dash' and started digging while using crafting, chucking the balls of dirt behind me.
A third of the way done I heard a large explosion.
I guess it's been fifteen minutes.
I dug until it was less than a foot of dirt left between the nest and me, then I waited for the second explosion.
Boom!!
There! I punched through the last of the dirt separating me and my target.
The nest was bowl-shaped, with dozens of child sized eggs strewn about.
Each egg had a human or two on it, and each human was unconscious.
As I was told before they were being kept asleep by magic released by the eggs, up until the eggs hatched and the babies eat the groggy humans for their first meal.
Eric stepped out of the tunnel I just made and looked at me.
"Eric start freeing the humans, you'll have to break the eggs to break the spell binding them."
She didn't move an inch, instead she just stood there with her eyes as wide as saucers.
I know that look, that's the look you get when your plan didn't go according to plan.
That's the look you get when instead of all of the enemies leaving, the biggest and baddest motherfuckers stay to whoop some ass.
I turned around and yup there you have it, five of the meanest looking slangans you could imagine.
The biggest one even had its scales on its tail forming crude spikes.
Shit!!!!
The dozens of humans behind me need to be freed by Eric, leaving me to fight all of these fuckers.
"Eric start freeing those humans, and stop for nothing."
"On it."
Mini status.
------------------
Health:700/700
Energy:989/1025
Stamina:0/532
Excess energy : 1434
------------------
Good, I got enough energy to fight, excess energy will cover the stamina loss.
A thin beam of light pierced right through my thin mucous membrane protection I had activated and hit my skin, which turned into a rubbery crystal form, deflecting the beam into a wall.
What the fuck! That beam was water?!
I looked at the hole in the wall the beam made, it was at least five feet deep.
If that went through me instead...
Two of the slagans were slithering towards me.
I shot a stream of webs tying one of them up, the one that dodged my webs continued on towards me.
I shot a dozen darts straight into its torso, it roared in pain and smashed its tail at me.
I deftly dodged it and let out force bubble spell right in its face.
Not now Patty!
The one I had tied up had broken free of its binds, and joined up with two more to encircle me.
I was dodging all of their attacks, but I was losing ground.
Crack!!!
The satisfying sound of breaking eggs drew their attention from me for a split-second, a split-second too long.
I leapt onto the back of the nearest one.
"{Shocking fingers}!"
While I was tasering it, I bit down on its neck.
Hisss!!
Its comrades turned their attention back to me, but it was too late - another one bit the dust.
The others re-engaged me while the big boss looking motherfucker bum-rushed Eric.
"Eric watch out!"
I don't know why, but she didn't hear me.
She didn't move as the boss slithered right up behind her and swung its tail downwards at her.
At the last second she dodged, and the tail sailed right past her into an egg, smashing it.
HISSSSSSS!!!!
Yeah, that made it pissed.
I kept dodging most hits from the two I am fighting, but every hit that landed made me colder, move slower, and feel lethargic.
Mini status.
------------------
Health:498/700
Energy:600/1026
Stamina:0/532
Excess energy : 1000
------------------
Why is my health not healing Patty?
And every time they suck my heat I get slower, making it easier to hit me the next time.
Damn!
But how is their ability even working on me? Doesn't my durability stat prevent me from getting cold?
Patty, can't you just absorb their mana hearts? Like you did with the slime and drongas.
Damn, there goes the easy way.
I stopped dodging and got tail swiped into the wall.
As I got up one of them slithered up to me swiped me with its claws, coiled itself around me, and started squeezing the life outta me.
Thank God.
I was worried it would just bite me, but since it did that, I can do this!
I focused my energy on creating the largest darts I could, then shot them from every part of my body.
Dozens of darts impaled the beast, with it reeling back in pain I finished it of with a quick swipe of my claws against its exposed neck.
Patty, absorb its mana heart.
Do it now Patty.
Ability 'Thermal Absorption' acquired. > Without missing a beat as I charged towards the next in line I transformed into a slangan. Once I reached my target I activated 'Thermal Absorption', instantly my health stopped draining. The slagan tried to fight back and flee, but it was too late. I coiled myself around it and absorbed every iota of heat in its body, it made a thud as it hit the ground. The first thing I noticed about my slagan form, is the heat detection. I could already detect heat via my heat vision and 'Spatial Awareness', but nothing compared to this! Not only could I sense the slagan and its eggs, I could see the different heat signatures of the earth itself! Shut up Patty. Shit!! I looked over at Eric to see she is still evading that brute of a snake, she is deftly dodging it while using it to crack the eggs. She would incite its wrath, stay still long enough for it to strike at her with all of its strength, then jump out of the way dragging the human at the last possible millisecond. She had already got almost all of the eggs destroyed like this at this point, but it only needs to catch her once to end her. I started slithering towards both of them at a break neck pace. It sensed my incoming assault and spun around, just in time for me to crash into it head first. We coiled around each other biting, clawing, and squeezing each other hoping to gain an opening to end the other. "{Shocking fingers}!" Electricity surged through my opponent, and went straight back to me - shocking both of us. Hiiiisssssss!!!! Shut up Patty! I can heal, hopefully it can't. My hopes were dashed though, when a cooling blue water seeped out of its scales enveloping it. All cuts, scrapes, and burns on it healed. Fuck my scaly ass! Just die! I bite into its neck, in return it stabbed my stomach hoping to eviscerate me. Both of our respective healing powers were keeping us alive. Whoosh!!!! Thunk!!! An arrow brushed past my face and buried itself in the slagan's head, it didn't kill it but it made it lose focus. I grabbed the arrow and started pushing it deeper. It twisted its claw inside of me. "Arrrrh!!!!" Whoosh!!! Whoosh!!! Whoosh!!! Thunk!! Thunk!!! Thunk!!!! Eric loosed three more arrows in quick succession, and each found their mark on my opponent's flesh as we wrangled. The water flowed from its skin in droves as it sought to heal itself, but I wasn't going to let that happen. I gritted my teeth, and with all of my strength I pushed the arrow in its head the rest of the way into its brain. It fought back with all of its waning strength, but it was too late. I saw the light fade from her eyes. I extricated myself from her coils, and fished out her mana heart. It looked a little weird and glowed with a golden light. What's so special about it? Before I could do anything with it however, I was interrupted by a loud cracking sound. Crack!!!! Hi... Hi.... Hisssss!!!! Looks like one of the eggs managed to hatch before we got to it.