Tara already has half a sketchbook of designs for different ones and if she was successful then their Stores would possibly have another exclusive item to sell! So, while she wasn't a Scribe nor good enough to make a book of inscriptions, jewelry was a subset of skills as a Forger.
While it would be her first time to make something unique and original as a bookmark compared to even a ring or bracelet, Tara has to admit she is nervous. The only comfort is that jewelry took more precision than any player in the main continent has. Other than Forgers, only Jeweler or Enchanter NPCs can make them and as such would be unattainable for some time even to rich players.
As night fell, the workshop rooms were transformed into comfortable bedrooms. They could not carry through till dawn! Before sleeping for the night, Tara focuses on her psychic port. The usually quiet and calm Wolyung--in comparison to how rowdy Oorun could be--sent waves of impatience as she growls within the pink mind space. Feelings of almost being close kept coming from the tiger. Tara pets her while promising to finish the Water trial soon.
As sleep comes to her, Tara finds herself within the ancient ruin once again, but this time instead of a white space, the ceiling took the form of a deep blue sky with a familiar set of stars twinkling in the distance.
"To think you discovered your Soul Realm! I was going to pass mine to you once you were ready but having your own will be much more beneficial," A woman's voice carries as she rests on a chaise sofa that wasn't there previously.
Before Tara can open her mouth, the woman flicks her hand and the scenery shifts--a library, a forger's workshop, an alchemist's laboratory--before settling on a garden. Tara's sitting in a patio chair with a gorgeous tea table before her. Wild violet, blue, and white flowers surrounded them looking beautiful but dangerous.
"Now, ask your true question, though I'm certain you know the answer." The woman asks, sipping from a cup of tea.
"Why doesn't Wolyung have an animus form yet?" Tara's own guess is because her spiritual port hasn't grown as much as her psychic port.
Oorun grew at the same rate as Wolyung but she could achieve a physical form before her sister. The woman merely smiles as a tied up roll of parchments appear in front of Tara instead.
"These simple inscriptions are good for Forging and have the added bonus of drawing the Twin Sphere energy that meshes well with whichever element you choose to embed. I must say that bejeweled bookmarks were a clever idea! Can't say I've made any myself when I had a body. Jewelry, you see, takes a more intimate touch which in turns means more Spiritual energy than weapons or armor. It's why the Light and Dark are favorable for trinkets and such--they're elements that can alter the soul, the emotions, of a being instead of the physical world around them."
Tara jolts awake, her mind racing as several Inscription patterns are imprinted on her brain. Somehow, she feels like Wolyung's Animus form would be revealed soon.
***
"Raaaggghhh!!!" The anguished cry of the Icy Claw Cave's Hard Mode Boss, Frost Werewolf, echoes through the cavern as it falls to its knees. A burst of tri-colored lights happens as several items appear in its place. Gladiolus Rain sighs, slinging her shield onto her back and sheathing her broadsword, before hitting Decline on the request for Area Notifications. The Record Board outside would show their time anyway.
Even now a level 13 Boss monster wasn't enough of a challenge for her ten person party of level 9 players. Level 10 is the first major milestone for players and monsters, making player's have almost double their current attributes but also increasing the monsters' ferocity. Level 9 players can handle enemies of the same level but low ranked Guild and Workshop leaders can't contend with the quality difference of one level. Adding three more levels to that gap is just seeking death.
So many are still stuck at Iron, or Normal, Mode before the first Boss, that clearing Silver Mode at level 12 is just a distant dream. Dungeon Mobs are no stronger than Field Mobs but the number faced and with how Dungeons inflict environmental challenges, normal players are meant to struggle and get left behind. They are the exception, however.
"What's wrong now?" Flame Ribbon's voice pulls Gladiolus from her thoughts. How funny that not too long ago they might have been at each other's throats.
Instead, Gladiolus relies on her if things get tough or outside her scope. The Nature Ore they got from Asuka had revealed that Flame Ribbon's was called Dependable.
It grants her a Skill that keeps those within 10 yards around her standing even after they reach zero as long as they don't go beyond her full HP. So, despite her haughty and argumentative surface, all the members of Lapis Tome and Dawn Blossom can trust Flame Ribbon.
Gladiolus's own Cold-Blooded keeps her from panicking and her mind thinking. She is also granted resistance against the Stun, Fear, and Charm statuses. Each Nature presently us passive and either personal or group oriented. They even stack, and though it alone wasn't enough to jump levels, which certainly helped.
"Nothing, just still getting used to the gifts we were given," She answers honestly, approaching the loot dropped.
There are several level 13 Equipment pieces, including the fourth and final piece of the Frostwolf Set--what would later become known as the best level 13-20 Forefend's Equipment on the Western Continent--and their actual goal. Gladiolus places the ten pieces of White Wolf's Paw, totalling their haul to fifty.
"Do you think we have enough for Wood and the others?" Gladiolus jokes. The only reason they came to this level 10 dungeon instead of a higher level was at request and had gotten 5 times what was asked for. Now they can make multiple attempts at this new armor Blueprint they had purchased instead of two. The group laughs as the greatsword Infantry called Purple Bull, a tall light skinned African American teenager Bestia with pitbull ears, quips about overkill.
They exit the dungeon to find a crowd of Guild, Workshop, and independent players resting. What gives the group pause is two things: first is at how quiet it was. Usually there'd be discussion among those waiting about to proceed but now there is silence. The second is the hundred players blocking the path back towards town.
These folks all wore the same gold cracked skull emblem on their chest. It was the symbol of the second-rate Guild Broken Skull.
With first-rate and superpowers focusing on their own dealings and growth, Broken Skull is free to bully and harass players in several neighboring towns. As long as they didn't cross certain lines and interfere with the wrong people, they acted as if they were royalty. At the very front of the hundred person team stands a handsome, bulky level 9 Warrior in dark gray armor with a red greatsword on his back.
Ghost Tyranny's blue eyes flicker to the Record Board. How could a team of newbies who were wet behind the ears clear Hard Mode in 23 minutes? If they had joined Broken Skull when he offered a few days ago that could have been him!
"Gladiolus Rain, how fortunate to meet again! You rejected my kindness and even formed your own Workshop! However, my offer still stands as long as you hand over your loot and give me whatever treasure you used to clear the Dungeon!" He licks his lips at the thought of moving up ranks as he pushes his gorgeous blonde hair back seductively. The bystanders all began to record from different angles the moment he had spoken.
Gladiolus starts crossing the distance between them with a slow gait. She actually has the nerve to yawn instead of being frightful or angered.
"And if I refuse?" She declares, quietly though somehow everyone could hear her.
"Then I'm afraid I can't let you lea--" Just as he is about to signal his members to attack, he blinks and she's already behind him with her blade drawn. Ghost Tyranny spins around only to notice a sharp pain across his neck. Suddenly, blood gushes out of his neck and he falls to his knees before turning into orbs of tri-color light.
Essence is usually invisible to the naked eye, yet it pools around Gladiolus like a coiling whirlpool with the cyan color of Water affinity. A faint pressure that was like a bottomless lake bears down on the members of Broken Skull. Demetrius and Flame Ribbon sigh as the others watch their usually calm leader barrel towards the hundred foes.
"She doesn't like bullies," Flame Ribbon explains. She winces, glad to be on good terms with Gladiolus who threw her sword like a javelin into someone's ribs, killing them instantly. And this was her only using the purified Essence from Soul Realm.
This was why Lapis Tome and Ruby Blade could fight above their level and conquer Dungeon and Field Bosses easily! The Soul Realm and Twin Sphere techniques!
Passively, the Soul Realm can store Essence like a secondary Spirit bar. This Essence would then undergo a purification process as it circulates in a predetermined path.
When this Essence is used actively, melee types will find their weapons coated with their elemental affinity while Arts of the same type are bolstered. Mage types in turn will find their spell ranges increased and casting times reduced!
If the Soul Realm is a second Spirit bar then the Twin Sphere barrier on their bodies can be called a secondary Vitality bar. When idle the Twin Sphere energy acts as a buffer between hostile weapons and spells while also recharging Spirit and recovering Health Points lost. When used actively along Skills and basic attacks, the damage would soar by 25%!
Solar energy allowed classes like Gladiolus to increase their physical strength, movement speed, and reaction time when actively used. Lunar energy for types like Flame Ribbon let them mentally process faster, heighten their senses, improve their balance. Coupled together, neither Lapis Tome nor Ruby Blade had found something to go all out on.
Now that Gladiolus is facing ninety plus foes instead of the twenty in the dungeon, she can afford to let loose a little and see what could be done.
Along with the other five that had their stats permanently boosted from the System's encounter the day before, they had all kept their power restrained. Gladiolus is thankful because it was hard to find a reason to go at 70% rather than 50% like she had been doing. Those that are recording had expected a one-sided beating of the small team, not a complete massacre.
"It's like she's dancing almost," Someone in the crowd mutters, watching blood rain from those who were frozen in fear. The other onlookers can only nod as that assessment. Despite her heavy armor, she weaves along the battlefield gracefully. Those that tried to run didn't succeed, instead she would simply appear before them and take them out.
The Forfends she faces try to use their Defensive Arts but her strength makes them stumble several steps back. Arts and Crafts that would normally be in the double digits, only reach 8 or 9 damage on a critical when they strike her. Gladiolus's recovery rate made this barely worth mentioning.