"I want to." Sarah peaked her head out from behind Liz.
Liz turned to Sarah. "I don't want to yet and I have no idea what will happen."
"But it'll work." Sarah pouted.
Temarick snapped his finger to get attention. "Your first and second worry is unwarranted. you can't fail to use a skill once you activate it and skills are consistent under almost all circumstances."
Liz realized Temarick still wanted to try it and looked over to Sam who was looking at her hands. "Are sure you want my first use of a skill that I'm unsure of, to be on your daughter?
Sam squeezed her hands. "Could elaborate on the rest first?"
'She's desperate.' Liz felt her anxiety rising and pulled up the skill. "Fine... Currently, the skill is weakened by a curse making them in its own words "will lose next to all of its strength." and luckily it says they can keep skills and regain that but if someone who is already weak is rebirthed they might die to a strong breeze."
"Wouldn't they not be able to die?" Sam looked at Liz with confusion.
Liz shook her head. "No, my phoenixes are like bonfires that grow. if the flame goes out they won't die BUT if the embers are stomped out they will and Sarah is an injured child already but if you remove even more, she'll be like a single match that's supposed to be a log."
Temarick was lost in thought hearing Liz's words.
Sam glanced at Temarick and back at Liz. "And the last one?"
"Even if we didn't need to worry about her health. I can see three things that can happen. 1 she'll be reborn as a phoenix bird that needs to learn how to turn into a human. 2 She will be like me and just take on my traits. And 3 she'll turn into an egg that hatches into either one." Liz shrugged pulling info from her surprisingly large lore archive.
"A bird..." Sam zoned out imagining her daughter as a bird.
"Couldn't we feed Sarah flames to offset the weakness?" Temarick chimed.
Sam looked at Temarick. "It won't hurt her right?"
"It won't hurt and that is the best chance for it working but we have no idea how much fire we need. We need an example for me to be willing to risk Sarah's life..." Liz glanced at Sarah to see her upset.
"We could use that soul crystal to get that example if that's your requirement." Temarick picked up a potato and bit into it.
"Oh, this?" Liz pulled the jagged grey crystal out of her pocket.
Temarick nodded as he swallowed potato. "It should work on that and we could what they'll turn into."
"The goblin will turn into a bird because they're not human, Temarick." Liz grabbed a fork and tried some potato. 'Tasteless and hard.'
"I don't know how to cook potatoes." Sam mentioned as she swallowed some herself.
"Dad was the cook." Sarah grabbed a potato and started eating it like an apple.
"Should I show you how to cook later?" Liz half joked as she got up.
"Do you mean that!?" Sarah said with expectation dripping from her voice.
Liz glanced at Sam who looked hopeful. "Yeeeup, I'll show you two after we figure my skill out."
Temarick got up and opened the door to the shop. "Do you know how to cook?"
Liz followed and noticed Sam and Sarah were also following. "Yeah, I went to culinary school and finished it before a lost the use of my legs."
"You and James would've got along if he was alive." Sam chimed in with a somber tone.
Temarick walked over to the shop section and grabbed fire starters. "They probably would but why are you coming with us?"
"To see how it works." Sam clasped hands with Sarah.
Liz looked outside for goblins and walked out. 'Nothing I can see.'
"Are we heading to my Brother's?" Sam pulled a revolver and a messenger's bag from under the counter. slinging the bag over her shoulder and
"Yeah, Ben's unless we want to use a house as kindling." Temarick followed Liz outside.
"So where are going?" Liz wanted to ask who Ben is but decided not to and put the crystal back in her pocket.
"A friend's house that some spare wood." Temarick led the way.
Liz shook her head and checked her daggers. "Can I try fighting any goblins we come across?"
Temarick glanced back at Liz who locked eyes with him. "Alright, I'll step in if you get overwhelmed."
"By the way how do use a skill?" Liz stretched her arms as she walked.
Sam looked at Temarick annoyed. "I'll explain since the drunk didn't. using skills is mostly instinct, passive skills respond to either thoughts or will and active skills require words like a chant. for a example if I have a active skill that uses lighting I would say I call Call upon lightning to strike my enemy."
A single goblin stumbled out into the street in front of them and made eye contact with Sarah. *Sreee!*
"Well speak of the devil. Go for it I'll keep Sarah safe" Temarick backed up to cover Sarah.
"Alright, lets if you taught me well." Liz took a breath and charged while drawing her daggers.
The goblin switched to Liz and tried to latch on to her.
'Dodge and counter.' Liz immediately ducked and took a swing at its neck, resulting in decapitation. "Huh?"
Temarick saw Liz's confused expression and couldn't help but laugh. "Pfft- Seems all you needed was confidence."
Sarah peeked out from behind Temarick and yelled. "Miss Phoenix, there's 3 more to your left!"
Liz snapped left and saw just that. 3 goblins approach from behind a building. 'She shouldn't be able to see them from there? Not the time to think that.'
'Disable or kill them, great advice Temarick. At least the rest is useful.' Liz flipped her right dagger into a reverse grip.
The 3 rushed at Liz when she noticed them.
Liz waited and kicked the front goblin into the other. 'use their numbers against them.'
The unimpeded one jumped at her and was met with two daggers in its chest. 'They're very soft besides their hands and head.'
'Not yet!' Liz saw it wasn't dead and tossed it aside ripping the daggers out to prepare for the 2 goblins that just recovered.
Liz took a step back to avoid the claw reaching for her, flipping her left dagger and stepping back towards them as her blades reached for their necks. Her blades didn't miss as their heads flew and turned to ash. "1 more."
Liz whipped to where she tossed the goblin but saw nothing. She panicked and looked around "Where is it?!"
"It's dead honey." Sam called out to Liz Sarah and Temarick walked towards her.
"Would you believe me if I told you that was the second time she's fought something." Temarick mentioned to Sam with pride in his voice as he took the lead again.
"Really? You're awesome Miss Phoenix!" Sarah praised.
Liz sheathed her daggers and followed next to Sarah. "Thanks, your pretty awesome yourself. So how did you see those goblins?"
"I can see curse's and blessings! You have a very strong curse and blessing Miss Phoenix!" Sarah giddily explained.
"Are the goblins cursed?" Liz didn't understand.
"They are curse's." Sam cut in.
"What do you mean?" Liz occasionally looked around.
"What ever fell 3 months ago has been releasing curse's that take the shape of monsters." Sam zoned out thinking about something.
"Is that what happened?" Temarick mumbled.
"Anyways here we are at my brother's" Sam gestured towards the only building made entirely out of logs.
Liz felt her uneasiness grow seeing something. "Is he... alive?"
"Oh honey yeah he-" Sam watched as Liz run towards the cabin as she unsheathed her dagger at the same time and hop through a broken down door. "Brother!"
Liz searched the cabin everything was wrecked broken family portraits and splintered furniture. She saw a burley man sitting in a chair facing a lit fireplace with a hammer laying next to him. "Um, Ben?"
"Who are you?" A gruff voice came from him.
"I'm Liz, a friend of your sister Sam. I saw the door and got worried." Liz felt something was off.
"Brother!" Sam and Sarah ran inside the cabin. Sam saw Ben and passed Sarah to Liz as she rushed to him.
Sam went around to Ben's front and covered her mouth as Ben spoke. "I'm sorry Sammy, there were too many."
Liz went around and realized his entire abdomen has been torn open. 'Oh god...'
Temarick ran inside to see Sam crying and hugging Ben. He grabbed 4 potions and rushed over.
Ben rejected the potions Temarick offered to him. "It's too late Ricky."
Liz looked down at Sarah who was crying and mumbling. "Not again."
"Do you want to live?" Everyone turned to Liz.
Ben laughed and coughed up blood. "Of course."
[Phoenix rebirth has been used for the first time... information is lacking and inaccurate regarding effects and usage... requesting notice for additional and updated information...]
Temarick watched as a spark of fire exited Liz's chest and entered Ben. "Did you just use it?!"
Liz stared at the words "Yeah? it said I used it but..."
"If it activated why is nothing happening?" Sam looked at Liz for answers.
"It said the Description was lacking and wrong it's requesting for a rewrite of it?"
[Notice for skill [Phoenix rebirth] granted!
Subjects of the skill retain their intelligence or improve it to the point of sentence. (Ego/Memories will remain!)
Subjects of the skill will absorb any fire touching it to grow. (Amount will depend on the subject)
Special subjects will need exponentially more than average subjects or even a specific object! (You will be told of the object necessary And a special surprise to go with it!)
Subjects will be graded and you will be given a confirmation of use from now on.
If the subject does not absorb enough fire it will then attempt to consume the remaining amount from the user in the form of Mental energy.
Mental energy cost refers to ATP, blood, protein, calories and [Classified]. (Mental energy will renamed to Life force due to it being a more appropriate description.)
The skill will freeze if you cannot pay the price (Part will be paid.) and can be continued later by touching the subject of the skill.
Depending on the condition of the subject their level will go down accordingly to reduce the cost.
Due to a curse, they will be reduced to level 1 no matter what condition the subject is in and the cost of life force will be increased and the pain multiplied by 25.
Additional note:The cost can be reduced or increased depending on subject's condition.]
Liz felt her heart drop as she read through the text. "Wait, it will take my life force?!"
*WOOSH* Fire erupted from Ben causing everyone to back. It absorbed any flames it touched until nothing was left but a empty fire place.
"We need more fi-AAH!" Liz felt a horrible pain in her stomach it was far worse then she woke up after the crash. She convulsed as she saw a trail of red leaving her. "AHHHHHGG!"
Her vision blurred as she saw Temarick yell something and shot a blast of fire at her and Ben.