My skin got hot as my body started to get bigger. Beside the uncomfortable heat sizing up wasn't so bad. I turned my head to look at Luke. Since Luke was now behind me I could see my own back glowing as I got bigger. My vision got blurry, and I shook my head in confusion.
Luke came after me quickly, but he was thrown to the side suddenly. Slamming into a tree hard enough to make me wince even when I could only see the blurry outline of what happened. I turned my head to the blurry Ethan shaped blob, and got back up on all fours. I blinked my eyes quickly as I tried to clear my vision. My vision cleared suddenly as the burning went away, and my body stopped glowing.
If anything I could see better now than I could before. I looked at Ethan, and rushed further into the park. Conrad was still awake so I didn't want him connecting the two of us. I climbed up a tree quickly, and settled into the crook of one of the bigger branches. Then I clicked away at my watch, and sent Ethan a message letting him know to swing around out of the park.
That way he could meet up with me without being seen.
"Stats," I whispered to myself.
Hp 10/20
Strength 23
Agility 22
Stamina 23
Instinct 11
Damage resistance 12
Mana 10/40
Time slowed for a second, and then I knew which direction Ethan was coming from. That he was alone. I jumped down out of the tree. Landing with the loud clack of my talons on the path through the park. I saw Ethan before he saw me.
I strode up to him slowly my talons clicking away as I did. Once I got closer to Ethan the size difference was obvious. My chest was knee height now. My head had been knee height before.
"This might be a problem," I looked up at Ethan.
My voice had less of a squeak to it now.
"Wow," Ethan's hand shot to my back completely oblivious to what I'd just said, and grabbed something on my back.
Something that was part of me. I stumbled back out of his grip turning my head to look at what had him so enamored. My little nubs on my shoulders had grown. They now had one clear joint right up against my body then there was some sort of growth that followed my spine back, and at the end of that another partially formed joint with a little forward facing growth. I bumped the little growth with my nose, and it twitched, but I couldn't actually move it myself.
"What are these supposed to be?" I cocked my head as if looking at the weird things different would help me understand them any better.
"Some kind of half developed limb," Ethan reached to touch them again.
"Don't," I growled, "Not now."
I looked at my watch, and checked the time.
"We've got two hours until curfew," I stretched slowly, "I'm going to try getting some running around done. You do whatever you need to do, and meet back here in an hour like we planned originally." I clicked my talon on the path a few times, "Leave my clothes. Put them up on that branch." I pointed to the branch where I'd perched to wait for Ethan, "If something happens I can camouflage myself, and run back to our room."
"Why can't I stay here?" Ethan frowned.
"You can't be seen with me while I'm like this," I snorted, "Archaic's are still illegal. Especially the non human kinds. You can't help me if you get locked up for consorting with the enemy."
Ethan nodded, and turned to leave. I started running through the trees. Spring boarding off trees to switch direction. Climbing, and just in general trying to learn exactly what my body could do. I had stopped for a breather when I saw a small animal scamper past.
New quest. Hunt. Reward 5xp.
Bonus reward 50xp first hunt.
Fifty-five experience just to go hunting. I was a bit worn out from all the extra running around I'd been doing, but I couldn't see anyone around, and the reward would be well worth the work. Maybe my stamina would go up if I kept pushing. I looked around quickly to see if I could spot it again. I didn't see anything.
I climbed up in a tree to see if I could spot it. Still nothing. I swiveled my head around trying to move around to the other side of the trunk quietly.
New skill. Stealth level 1.
Basic understanding of silent movement. Noise reduced by 5% when moving stealthily.
Mana absorption level up. Mana absorption level 2.
You are now able to absorb 2 mana per hour in low mana environment. Mana absorption varies based on environment.
"Neat," I reread the notifications.
With the system saving each skill as I learned it I could improve at a crazy fast rate. I spotted my prey out of the corner of my eye, and focused on it. My whole body tensed as the want to pursue kicked in. I watched it's every twitch for a few seconds before moving down the branch carefully so I was above it. My prey stilled.
Time seemed to slow for a brief moment, and in that moment I knew that the squirrel had seen me. I jumped trying to catch it in that leap at the same time the squirrel ran to the side. I missed by inches, and scrambled to pursue him. I ran after him at full speed as he whipped around, and up trees. The longer I chased after him the further he got from me until I realized there was no way I'd be able to catch up.
I slowed to a stop. Breathing heavily.
Stamina +1, agility +1.
Well it wasn't a total loss. I checked the time. I was a bit late for meeting back up. I walked back to the meeting point carefully. The park was empty, but that didn't mean that someone couldn't come along. It wasn't very likely for someone to come along this late at night, but luck wasn't usually on my side.
Ethan smiled when he spotted me. I waved him over into the trees. He opened his backpack up for me to climb in, and I slid into the bag quickly. I felt the difference immediately. Before I had enough room for me, and my clothes to fit easily.
Now the bag barely fit me. It was a cramped fit.
"Let me just grab your stuff," Ethan moved around a bit.
I would have dozed off with how exhausted I was, but I was just too squished in the bag. The ride back to the dorm was uncomfortable. This wouldn't work if I sized up again. Once back in the dorm I climbed out of the bag, and went straight to my room. It was kind of nice to not need to jump on the door to open it.
I didn't need to jump to get on my bed now either. Another size up, and I wouldn't need to climb to get on the bed either. I curled up on the bed, and my body went slack as my eyes closed slowly. I breathed in deep, and let it out slowly as I basically passed out on the bed.