Past Midnight, June 2
Alto Mare
High above the clouds over the bubbling city, a wraith blurred, flying left and right.
As it shot through the air, thin layers of cloud froze around him, the frozen crystals shining silver.
The wraith's tattered clothes billowed behind him as if they possessed some sinister sentience of their own. Its hand and face were scabbed, and rot patches were scattered across its body, reeking of death and despair. If there was life hidden somewhere in this vile creature, then it was in its eyes; hazel. They shimmered golden-white under the pouring moonlight.
Dementor-Kai!
After talking some details out with Meg, Kai had decided to leave the room as staying at one place accomplished nothing for him.
He had also ordered Morning Mist to meet him at the port after one week.
In this week, he had just too many things to take care of.
First, it was to work upon his Advance Emotions Manipulation, letting his body and mind get used to the onslaught of emotions. Otherwise, in the crucial moments of battle or during a mission, someone could use his own Ability against him.
Familiarizing with his strengths and weaknesses, and finding solutions for improvement, had always been a part of Kai, even before he became the Blood Demon in his previous life.
Second, it was to enhance his Proficiency in Snake Instinct as soon as possible.
The Blue-tailed Boa Constrictor's Blood Essence was non-magical. With him in the Pokemon World now, Kai couldn't put enough emphasis on be done with making all its Elementary Abilities into Advance Abilities as soon as possible.
Third, it was the newly gained Elite Ability.
Parseltongue!
Kai had tried many times speaking normally after leaving the Pokemon Center. It was all in vain, though. No matter what he said, only hisses came out, incomprehensible to normal people.
Also, Kai knew, unlike the Emotions Manipulation, it would take him months, if not years, to finally gain back his humane vocals. That too if he constantly worked upon it. Otherwise, there were chances he might not be able to speak standard language. Ever.
I must find some alternate ways to communicate soon, Kai reflected, disliking the thought of taking out Petyr to act as his voice.
Fourth, it was to test out the Skills and limits of his Dementor Blood Essence.
Despite not having the form of Abilities, there were some inherent properties that his new Growth-type Blood Essence possessed.
This cold seems to be an uncontrolled phenomenon about these magical creatures, Kai thought, noticing the frozen layers of cloud as they fell into the mist. For now it's affecting anything between 3-5 meters around me, but that easily change with further advancement.
Though a potent ability, as it could hamper the movements and intimidate the targets, Kai wasn't much sure about it. It was to the point that he disliked it.
It will give away my presence, Kai thought, frowning.
Then there was the flying.
That's why Kai had come so high in the sky, taking on his Dementor form.
From what he had figured out, flying didn't increase his speed. Instead, he could feel he was at least 10-15% slower while flying when compared to his on-ground speed.
My actual speed is a function of Strength, Agility, and Stamina, Kai analyzed, coming to a stop midair. However, with no ground to apply my strength to, the flying speed has become a function of Agility and Stamina only. Still, like the cold, its an inherent property of this Blood Essence. At least I can control it, so there's nothing to complain about, either. Sigh!
Not to mention, the combination of cold and flying was a great retreating tool, now freely accessible to him at a mere thought.
A pure, silver mist oozed out Dementor-Kai's filthy chest.
Under the moonlight, it shimmered like a fog of stars, slithering up and down.
However, in the very next moment, it began falling, losing its momentum. No matter how much it slithered or struggled, it couldn't remain at the height of the magical creature above the clouds. It was obvious that the Ghost Serpent neither possessed a flying Skill nor an inherent property related to it.
Selene canceled her Intangibility and slithered up to Kai's shoulder, kissing his chin.
Kai looked at her muddy-yellow and wormy-black, blinded eyes, and he shuddered, remembering his Prophecy. Then his gaze fell upon the crack in the middle of her forehead.
Hiss!
Selene hissed, asking for food.
Kai frowned. The magical flesh of Heavy Block is running low already, he thought, prodding through his MRB. I should hoard some more for Selene. It would be useless for me, but at least she can benefit from it.
Kai looked down as if he could see the city through the clouds.
A Pokemon hunt was awaiting for him down there. A hunt… full of fear, despair, and blood. But before that…
I need my fangs… Kai thought, contacting the System. -Chaos,- he hissed, his breath rattling. -Connect me to the Primordial Tower Trade Market.-
This was also the reason for him to come here, taking shelter in the clouds.
Kai didn't trust Meg, that was given.
He could go toe-to-toe with her and could ultimately kill her, but he didn't underestimate her, either. Moreover, there was something about her that just didn't feel right to him.
Since his mother's death, Kai had been developing and honing his Instincts to get his revenge; to survive. Never before had his Instincts had betrayed him. To doubt them now, and not take precaution when he could, wasn't in Blood Demon's nature.
Up here, though, his only companions were the occasional sights of Pokemon, which were just too fast for him to capture.
Suddenly, following Kai's words, a huge window appeared in front of his eyes.
…
[
Welcome to the Primordial Tower Trade Market, Contestant Kai Stormborn
As it's your first time visiting the market, would you like a tour of the features available to you?
]
…
-No,- Kai hissed. Meg had already informed him about the basics. -Show me the Items Menu.-
The System's question melted into the huge dull-gray window, and the title, ITEMS, flashed into existence at its top.
Under it, hundreds of sub-menus appeared, each corresponding to a Category. There were melee weapons, accessories, consumable, sentient, etc. Under these categories, as Kai scrolled down, there were even more categories, each corresponding to different, or a combination of, Requirements, Attributes, and desirable Effects.
Kai felt overwhelmed.
…
[
Contestant Kai Stormborn, you can use the Search function to input keywords and narrow down the options available.
For your reference, Items, within a Grade, can be classified into following sub-grades:
1. Low-level Item
2. Mid-level Item
3. High-level Item
4. Top-level Item
]
…
Meg had told him about the sub-grades, Kai remembered.
There was no way to tell the sub-grade of an Item from the Stats available to the Contestants.
There are just too many variables included in this classification, Meg had said. What are the Requirements? What are the Effects? Quality, Cooldown, Accuracies, and Diversity. Any or all factors can be the deciding variables. Since the ancient times, there's only one way to know the sub-grades.
Upload the Item to the Trade Market, Kai remembered, and the Systems will tell you its worth.
To confirm his doubts, Kai took off his Armor and uploaded it to the Primordial Tower Trade Market.
…
[
Analyzing the Item…
Analyzation complete.
…
Item: Steel-Bone Brigandine
Grade: Common
Sub-Grade: Low-level
Value: 50 Mission Credits
Specification: A studded leather vest made of Hippogriff's hide, lined with its crushed talons and bones
Requirement: Strength 11, Stamina 10
Attributes: Weight 3.5 kg
Skill: Not Applicable
Effect: Defense +7 Agility - 1
Quality: 15%
]
…
Kai's lips twitched.
He had bought the armor at a price of 300 Mission Credits. Well, Marine Roland had paid for it, but it didn't matter.
It's Quality had fallen to mere 15% from 73%. It reduced Agility, and demanded high Attributes Points in both Strength and Stamina for a Low-level Item.
It might have started as a Mid-level Common Item, Kai reflected, downloading the Item and storing it into his Inventory. Will never know now, I guess. Anyway…
It was time to get to the task at hands.
-Chaos,- Kai hissed, his breath rattling with anticipation. -Search for Dual Sabers-based Common and Uncommon Items, suited to my Snake Instinct, Slither Footsteps, and Twin-Saber Style Abilities.-
Words melted away as the System processed his request.
When the results got displayed on the screen, the very first option made Kai's heart skip a beat.
…
[
540 results:
1. Yabashiri (Mid-level Uncommon, 25000 Mission Credits)
…