It was nearly noon by the time Tigra managed to get alone time to practice with her new spells.
Today, Tigra had returned to her yellow shirt and dark gray pants that went down to her ankles. Her hair is still up in a ponytail though.
She sat in her chair while taking a break in her office before holding her hands upward but to her sides, pushing Flake into her left hand and Spark into her right hand,
From her left hand, the air seemed to grow a tad bit on the cold side before small twinkles appeared to be hovering over her hand. Tigra did not doubt that if she could look more closely at the twinkles, they would be small ice crystals in the shape of snowflakes. While she hasn't seen actual snowflakes before now, she has read the reports from soldiers who were investigating if there were any differences between regular snow that other places experience and the snow found in the Kingdom of Snow. Each one of her fingers were creating their own snowflakes above them.
From her right hand, a small stream of sparks started coming out of her fingers, popping and jumping a few inches away from her hand. The air around her right hand seemed to have an energy in it, similar to how one can feel electricity in the air if there was a sudden charge. The magic in her hand however felt like it wanted to be released. Since there was very little magic being put into the hand, it was safe to escape but she could tell that if she had somehow gotten her hands on a higher tier spell with a normal body, it would likely have electrocuted her arm and left burn marks.
She did nothing but continue feeding magic into both of the spells for the next hour before she received the notifications she wanted.
Flake and Spark gained 2750 EXP
Flake maxed out!
[Flake LV MAX - The beginnings of cryomancy. This spell helps beginners get used to the coldness ice magic brings forth. Cost: 1 MP/m]
Spark maxed out!
[Spark LV MAX - The beginning of electromancy. This spell helps the user get used to electricity flowing through their magic and getting a feel of how volatile electromancy magic can become. Cost: 1 MP/m]
Due to Spark and Flake being maxed, WIS increased by 6 and 2 skill points received!
…
Spell Shop opened
…
[Freeze] and [Charge] purchased.
…
[Freeze LV 1 (0/100) - The next step in cryomancy. With this, the user emits an aura of coldness low enough that it can freeze water over time. Cost: 20 MP/m]
[Charge LV 1 (0/100) - The next step in electromancy. The user sends electricity into their hand and can transfer electricity or store an amount of electricity that could be used as an attack. Cost: 20 MP/m, Damage: INT*2+10/m of charging]
…
Tigra groaned lightly, flexing her hands as the magic going through them stopped and left strange effects in each of her hands.
Her left hand felt as if it had been pressed into something cold, like one of their freezers the Horde has to preserve specimens or other material that can expire due to heat. She sent a little bit of Heat through her hand and found that it was fixing the problem pretty quickly.
Her right hand felt twitchy. Not like when Weaver would send lightning through her twitchy, but more as if her muscles were just coming down from a form of adrenaline. Unlike her left hand, she didn't have a spell that would help fix that problem.
"While those spells were mastered quickly, it's going to get slower from here on out. Unlike with Fire, I'm back to working with a 2x multiplier instead of a 4x. Worse, these ones can't be learned the way I learned Flame. If I send too much of Charge to any one place, it could mess with my nerves and those are painful to deal with. Meanwhile, Freeze may make my body freeze up due to it being used to heat at this point. Noticeable with Flake, a beginning level spell." She spoke aloud.
Tigra relaxed for a few minutes before activating Freeze and Charge at the same time.
This time, the air seemed to drop even more from her left hand to the point that she could see a tiny amount of frost starting to form on her desk and metal canteen she drinks from whenever she's away from the Fright Zone.
In her right hand, a small ball of lightning started to form in her hand and seemed to slowly grow as time continued going on. As she reached the last minute before her MP would run out, she placed it against the ground.
Charge inflicted 494 damage!
…
The area where it touched the ground received a dark burn mark but otherwise, the rest of the floor seemed to be fine.
Freeze gained 3240 EXP
Freeze leveled up!
[Freeze LV 8 (440/800) - Cost: 12 MP/m]
Charge gained 3240 EXP
Charge leveled up!
[Charge LV 8 (440/800) - Cost: 12 MP/m]
…
That would likely be all of the time she would be able to work on them for the day as she needed to finish up the paperwork required for the people taking over so that she could return to the Fright Zone, figure out what happened to Harold and Susan, and continue her training plans.
'If they are all this easy, I should be able to start working on their Armors by the end of the week. Yet…this "Ice Armor" will take the longest to level up, seeing as I don't have any resistance except for the bonus from Iron Body.' She thought.
…
Writing gained 7831 EXP
Writing leveled up! LV 69 → 71
For reaching LV 70, DEX increases by 1
…
Tigra finished her paperwork about five minutes before the soldiers were to arrive. She did more than she needed to, but she had to make papers that strongly explained that Bolt only left the town under Horde control due to the citizens being treated as well as they were when Plumeria had control over Terra.
Tigra simply waited for the soldiers to arrive before Serena walked up to her.
"So you're heading back to the Fright Zone after this?"
"Correct. I'm going to ask for a few days off to train on a method I've thought of recently. I'll likely be sent out to the front lines or to more towns close to our borders in the future."
"Why's that?"
"This is my second town I've taken. The first, I fought against 2:1 odds and only lost 10 soldiers out of 50, excluding myself. Now, I took Terra in a night without a single casualty. It would kind of be a bad idea to keep me back.
"Besides, I will only get stronger through conflict like this. I could train back at the Fright Zone, but actual combat is worth much more than training safely to me. I get experience and reduce the total number of enemies in my future."
"I wanted to give my thanks before you left." Serena spoke. "We were only informed that a Force Captain would be arriving. All of us had assumed that we would be forced to simply charge Terra, losses be damned. Yet, you showed up. Instead of asking for our numbers, you asked for those that could sneak through the night. Instead of being angry at our soldiers for not meeting your expectations, you simply assigned them somewhere they could still be useful for.
"When you went out there alone, I'll admit that I thought that you may have bitten off more than you could chew like other Force Captains from the past. Yet you took down their guards alone in the dead of night and allowed us to take Terra. So, I'm thanking you for saving my men and women from dying in a fight that they did not need to."
"...They are part of my kingdom." Tigra said. "Whether or not I care for them, they are protecting my home in any way they can. My home contains those that I see as my family. By protecting the kingdom, they are also protecting my family. The least I can do for any squadron I'm sent to is to do the same."
Tigra spotted soldiers approaching on skiffs before standing.
"Or, that's how I view it."
Serena stared at her before smiling.
"I hope you continue to go far, Force Captain Tigra. You'd be good for the soldiers."
"I will. Keep leading your soldiers well, Force Commander."
Reputation with Serena increased! 57 → 81 [Friendly]
…
They stood in silence before the troops arrived and one skiff came closer before stopping. A person stepped off before Tigra's eyes widened.
"Lucy?"
Lucy stepped forward before a small smile appeared on her blue skin. She had a few new scars on her right arm and one that went along her cheek.
"Hello again, Tigra."
"You two know each other?" Serena asked.
"This is Senior Cadet Lucy. She was part of the soldiers I helped fight with to take Geotan a while back." Tigra explained.
"Force Commander now." Lucy corrected.
"Congratulations on the promotion." Tigra hesitated before continuing. "Have you heard from Harold or Susan? I haven't heard from them in a while."
Lucy's demeanor turned somber, already telling Tigra that her feelings about names being crossed out were likely correct.
"Senior Cadet Harold and Medical Apprentice Susan fell in a skirmish a week ago. Their bodies were able to be retrieved and given a soldier's burial."
Tigra did lower her head slightly.
"Incinerated with their names being put into the codex with their deeds?"
Lucy nodded.
"Alright." She let a heavy sigh out. "At least they won't be forgotten."
The three of them sat in silence as a form of respect for the fallen soldiers from this skirmish that Tigra had not heard about.
After a few seconds, Tigra continued.
"So, you're here to fortify Terra so that I can head back, correct?"
"Yes. I'll be stationed here for the next month to work with Force Commander Serena on allowing a smooth process for those that occupy this town."
"Well, we already have a hard rule in place for Terra." Serena informed before getting a look from Lucy. "The citizens of Terra are to be treated as well, if not better, than when Plumeria had control over it."
"Why is that? It is a smart choice, but something about how you worded that made it seem that it holds more importance than simply keeping the working people happy and working."
"Someone has already come to try and take it back." Tigra jumped in. "The famous Bolt of Lightning."
Lucy blinked before grinning and opening her mouth.
"I did not beat him back."
This time, her grin fell before her eyes narrowed lightly.
"Bolt only left after seeing that the citizens of Terra were not immediately revolting or even had the signs that they would. If he wanted to, he could have easily taken Terra back."
"Even with you? No offense, but I've seen how fast you are Tigra."
"I'm even faster now." She informed. "However, it might as well have been you guys fighting me, except the other way around for once."
"Is Bolt really that fast?" She muttered.
"At my full speed, I could only catch a glance of him and he could still have gone faster with help from his comrades." Tigra dropped the bomb. "Bolt's reputation is both well deserved and not stated well enough. Bolt is as dangerous, if not more, than most of the Princesses in terms of capability."
"...Then you best get back to the Fright Zone and surpass him." Lucy concluded.
"That's the plan. While Bolt spared me, he revealed something idiotic to reveal to me. It will only make me much more dangerous next time the two of us genuinely fight again."
"Then don't let me stop you." Lucy nodded her head backwards slightly. "Since most of us are going to be staying awhile, you're free to take the skiff I came on back. It has enough to make a trip and a half back to the Fright Zone. Just make sure to park it in the garage and set it to be charged."
Tigra gave a small smile before holding her hand out.
"Stay safe and keep your soldiers even safer, Force Commander."
Lucy grabbed it and shook.
"Keep pushing your soldiers and pushing yourself even harder, Force Captain."
Relationship with Lucy increased! 30 → 48 [Friendly]
…
Tigra made her way to it before looking at them.
"I don't need it."
With that, Haste covered her before she took off in a run, leaving several stunned people behind as she started moving about 55 mph.
…
*2 hours later*
…
Run gained 33,000 EXP
Run has leveled up! LV 63 → 68
Due to Run reaching LV 65, CON increases by 1
[Run LV 68 (4664/6800) - Increases DEX by 25% + 68 %]
Haste gained 5280 EXP
Haste leveled up! LV 28 → 29
…
Tigra sat on the ground as she started using Freeze and Charge once more in a similar method to last time.
"I'm going to do this until either I run out of Magic or I master them." She spoke to herself.
While working earlier in the day before they arrived to take her place, Tigra determined a good method of training her magic without getting that massive headache that prevents her from even using Fire without pain.
She would use all of her MP in the mornings and again at nights. This way, she gets to practice twice a day and her mental health or whatever should have enough of a break to not get hurt.
So, she spent the next 46 minutes practicing the two control spells before her magic gave out.
Freeze and Charge gained 5520 EXP.
Freeze leveled up! LV 8 → 13
Charge leveled up! LV 8 → 13
…
Tigra laid on the ground for a moment to let her magic regenerate so she could reapply Haste and get moving once again.
She chose to run for the first part of her journey due to wanting to increase these skills. They are part of her multipliers and help increase her stats. The higher they get, the faster her base speed and the higher her multiplier becomes.
While waiting for 3 minutes to pass, she began eating one of her rations.
'I have enough rations to last me three meals a day for 2 days. Doing the math, the Fright Zone had been about 1400 miles away from Terra. While running with Haste, I could move about 55 mph. I've run about 110 already in two hours. If I were to constantly run, it would take…24 hours to reach the kingdom. If I stop for 1 hour every 2 hours of running or 1 hour of dashing with 6 hours of rest a night, that increases the time to about 36-42 hours.' She deduced.
So, she stood up before reactivating Haste and started dashing.
…
*1 hour later*
…
Haste gained 2640 EXP
Dash gained 19,680 EXP.
Dash leveled up! LV 74 → 77
For reaching LV 75, CON increased by 2
…
Tigra looked at how dark it was getting but determined that she could get one more training in with Freeze and Charge for the night before she wouldn't be able to before a minor headache would appear.
She prepared for the headache to appear after she finished, yet let out a sigh of relief at seeing a pop up after only 23 minutes, halfway before she would have run out of Magic.
Freeze and Charge have gained 2700 EXP.
Freeze has been mastered!
[Freeze LV MAX - Allows you to lower the temperature around an area to freeze water. Cost: 5 MP/m]
Charge has been mastered!
[Charge LV MAX - Allows you to gather electricity into your hands and create a ball of electricity that can grow more powerful over time. Damage: INT*2 + 10/m. Cost: 5 MP/m]
Due to mastering Freeze and Charge, WIS has increased by 4 and 2 skill points were awarded.
…
Spell Shop [Cyromancy and Electromancy filtered]
…
[Ice Shot], [Chill], [Ice Walk], [Lightning Bolt], [Neuron], [Lightning Rod]
…
[Chill] and [Neuron] purchased.
…
[Chill LV 1 (0/150) - An intermediate spell of Cryomancy. Your control over Cryomancy has grown to such a point, you can use ice magic through your body to lower your temperature and the temperature around you. Cost: 25 MP/m]
[Neuron LV 1 (0/150) - An intermediate spell of Electromancy. Through practice, your body has grown tempered by the electricity magic flowing through it. With this, your body will move with your thoughts instantly. Cost: 25 MP/m]
…
Tigra looked at the two of them and came to a conclusion: She should focus on one of them now.
With Chill, she could just use Heat as well and practically cancel out the difference in temperature changes. It could push her though mentally at having Haste, Chill, and Heat activated at once for long periods of time.
"Hopefully Heat won't be too much trouble since I've mastered it. If they are combined, I'll be using 51 MP per minute, letting me use it for 21 minutes."
With Neuron, it would likely pair well with all of the ways she increases her DEX but also with Flame Charge to boost her anyway with an instant.
Tigra made her way over to a tree and parkoured her way up into its branches before tying her waist to the sturdy branch.
She closed her eyes before falling asleep.
***
Next day
***
After waking up with a slight yawn, she had untied herself before dropping to the floor and activating Haste and using Neuron.
The instant it activated, her body felt strange until she felt her claw already scratching an itch the second she registered that there even was an itch. Her left hand suddenly shot out before grasping something.
She opened her hand and it revealed a small bug that had been annoying her for the past minute.
She smirked before she started dashing once more, causing her surroundings to start to blur.
…
*3 hours later * 15 hours left of dashing
…
Dash gained 60,360 EXP
Dash leveled up! LV 77 → 84
For reaching LV 80, CON increased by 2 and DEX by 1
Haste gained 7920 EXP
Haste leveled up! LV 29 → 30
Neuron gained 21,600 EXP
Neuron leveled up!
[Neuron LV 17 (1350/2550) - Cost: 9 MP/m]
…
Tigra had decided to take a break for her lunch while she let her body and magic refill while she stopped to think about what she should do if Dash or Run reach max level.
"While it is good in the long run, it may be good to wait a little bit so that I don't get taken advantage of because of my lowered speed. H2H was alright because the damage would let me build it back after doing damage. And considering how often I'm sent out to deal with conflicts, it will build back up quickly as long as I keep DEX as high as I can." She thought aloud. "Then again, if I work on Lightning, I could potentially gain another multiplier to my speed if I work on it quick enough. Combine that with my current speed spell, it could make up for the lowered speed."
After taking a 20 minute break, she reapplied her two spells before dashing once more.
…
*1 hour later* 14 left
…
Dash gained 21000 EXP
Dash leveled up!
[Dash LV 87 (775/8700) - Increases DEX by 50 + 87 %]
For reaching level 85, CON increased by 2
Haste gained 2640 EXP
Neuron gained 7200 EXP
Neuron mastered!
[Neuron LV MAX - Your electrical signals are boosted by electrical magic, allowing them to move without any delay. Cost: 5 MP/m]
Due to mastering Neuron, WIS increased by 3 and 1 skill point gained.
…
Spell Shop opened [Electromancy]:
[Bolt], [Lightning Rod], [Lightning Redirection], [Lightning Armor]
…
[Lightning Armor purchased]
…
1000 EXP awarded due to [Elemental Armory] quest.
…
[Lightning Armor LV 1 (0/200) - Advanced Electromancy. Using what you have learned, you can now surround yourself in lightning to increase your speed while also increasing your reactions. Amount boost is DEX*(1+Amount_Used/750). Damage is Amount_Used/4. Can use HP with a ratio of 5:1]
…
Tigra smiled before waiting to let everything refill.
'While the amount used is larger than with Fire Armor, I can knock the cost down a lot thanks to my Electricity Resistance . Because of that, I can use HP and Heal to keep it going for a long while without running out of HP or MP.' She analyzed.
Her eyes drifted to her sheet and stared at Chill.
"I…should be fine using that as well…but if I also use Heat, I'll be using 4 spells at once. I don't even need to attempt it to know that I'll get a migraine strong enough to prevent me from using magic again for the rest of the day, maybe tomorrow as well."
She considered it before shaking her head.
"I can just practice Chill with Heat once I return to the Fright Zone. For now, let's have some fun."
She lowered her stance to prepare to start moving before activating Haste and Y.A.S. She then started Lightning Armor with the equivalent of 544 MP usage through HP and Heal.
Yellow lightning came to life around her, similarly to how yellow fire surrounded her with Fire Armor. The main difference is that the lightning seemed to spaz everywhere and a low hum echoed around her.
She pushed off before her surroundings vanished.
She zoomed past the trees, cleared a large plain in a few seconds, and zipped past a small village before they could get a chance to identify her.
She slowed down after about two minutes, but she kept running for the rest of the hour, her blood pumping as her smile only grew larger with this result.
***
1 hour later [13 left]
***
Dash gained 39,040 EXP
Dash leveled up! 87 → 91
Due to reaching LV 90, CON increased by 2 and DEX by 1
Haste gained 2640 EXP
Haste leveled up! 30 → 31
Electrical Resistance gained 156,000 EXP
Electrical Resistance leveled up! LV 83 → 99
[Electrical Resistance LV 99 (0/1) - Reduces damage taken from electrical attacks]
Lightning Armor gained 62,400 EXP
Lightning Armor leveled up!
[Lightning Armor LV 25 (2400/5000) - DEX*(1+Amount_Used/700)]
…
Tigra couldn't help the wave of relief she felt at seeing Electrical Resistance at level 99. While she wished it was level 100, she'll take the fact that, if Weaver attacked her once again, she would only be dealing 0.75% the damage it normally would, due to Iron Body reducing that 1% by 25%.
"To kill me, Weaver would have to deal…350,000 electrical damage in quick succession before I could get Heal going."
She let out a long laugh. So long in fact, that her eyes started to water. She ran her right hand through her hair as her laugh slowly stopped.
"Ha ha haaa." She slowly stopped before wiping away any tears that started to form. "She can't hurt me anymore."
She smiled before activating Haste, Lightning Armor, and Chill - letting it take the place of Heal - before taking off.
***
3 hours later [3 hours left due to Lightning Armor]
***
Haste gained 7920 EXP
Haste leveled up! 31 → 32
Chill gained 21,600 EXP
Chilled leveled up!
[Chill Level 17 (1200/2550) - Cost: 8 MP/m]
Lightning Armor gained 93,600 EXP
Lightning Armor leveled up!
[Lightning Armor LV 40 (0/8000) - DEX*(1+Amount_Used/670)]
Dash gained 39,300 EXP
Dash leveled up! LV 91 → 95
For reaching LV 95, CON increased by 2
…
Tigra came to a sudden stop and gripped her head at a sudden splitting headache. She leaned against some of the last trees before she would be running across barren land as she enters the border of the Fright Kingdom.
She pulled out her canteen and took a drink, releasing a sigh from the water going down her parched throat.
While the lightning barely hurt anymore, it still tensed a few muscles and her throat had gotten dry during the last fifteen minutes.
She looked at her pad and didn't see any new messages save one from Catra about an hour ago.
'When you get back, I think I have a good time to start our plan at completing my task. Message me when you get back or something.'
Tigra thought about what she should say back before shrugging to herself.
"I'll likely be back sometime in the morning - 9-11 A.M. - tomorrow. See you them."
"Then."
Tigra turned the pad off before climbing her way up into the tree. It would hopefully be the last time she would be sleeping in a tree for a while.
After tying herself down once more, she closed her eyes and went for an early sleep to get rid of her headache.
***
Next day
***
Tigra groaned as she woke from an interesting dream. While she couldn't remember much, she faintly remembers a red, wavy gem and an intense heat around it. Strong enough that it felt like she was going to boil alive if she touched it. It was also surrounded by ruins of an abandoned building.
She shook her head to focus on the real world and released herself from the tree and jumped down. Once her feet hit the ground, she stretched her arms and legs before activating her spells once more and moved.
***
3 hours later [0 hours remaining]
***
Haste gained 7920 EXP
[Haste LV 33 (2318/8250) - Increases your DEX by 25%*Magic_Control. [37.5%] Cost: 17 MP/m]
Chill gained 7200 EXP
Chill has been mastered!
[Chill LV MAX - You can lower your body temperature and the temperature around you. Cost: 5 MP/m]
For mastering Chill, WIS increased by 3 and 1 skill point earned.
Dash gained 39,300 EXP
[Dash LV 99 (7415/9900) - Increases DEX by 150%+ 99 %]
…
Spell Shop opened [Cryomancy filtered]
[Ice Walk], [Ice Shot], [Ice Shield], [Ice Armor]
…
[Ice Armor purchased]
…
[Ice Armor LV 1 (0/200) - Advanced Cryomancy. You can surround yourself in ice to reduce damage taken to protected areas by Amount_Used/100 % with a maximum of 75% after all other bonuses added. Damage is Amount_Used/4. HP can be used for a 5:1 difference.]
…
1000 EXP gained due to [Elemental Armory] quest.
Ice Resistance discovered!
[Ice Resistance LV 1 (0/200) - Reduces damage taken from Ice attacks by 1 %. 26% after Iron Body]
…
Tigra stopped just outside the Fright Zone and actually smiled at seeing all of the machinery.
"Can't believe I'll say it, but I missed the place after being gone."
With those words, she walked back into her kingdom.
Tigra Age: 17
Level: 35 (5430/6900)
HP: 2720 HPR: 272
MP: 1120 MPR: 380
SP: 1360 SPR: 272
STR: 32 DEX: 154
CON: 136 INT: 112
WIS: 95 CHA: 44
Magic Control: 70%
Attribute Points: 0
Skill Points: 3
[H2H LV (1)15], [Run LV 68], [Dash LV 99]
[Dodge LV 41], [Reading LV 75], [Writing LV 71]
[Sneak LV 47]
[Fire Res. LV 99], [Phys. Res. LV 35]
[Elec. Res. LV 99], [Ice Res. LV 1], [Magic Res. LV 2]
Spells:
Flame, Fire, Heat, Flame Armor, Fanning Flames, Fire Step, Flame Charge
Flake, Freeze, Chill, Ice Armor
Spark, Charge, Neuron, Lightning Armor
Haste, Heal