by Taj McCoy El
“No more hand biteys,” she growled at the shadow covered mobs She gripped the skadurötten by their scruffs, frozettos hanging from her pointer fingers, and began her return crawl to the entrance smashing the rats into the piping without killing them. She could hear the chittering gain in volume and crawled faster.
Gotta get to the light!
She felt something drop onto her back and dig in with its claws, quickly followed by a savage bite. She thrust her chest forward trying to run from the pain and received another bite for her trouble. Scraping her back against the ceiling, the skadurötten was removed only to latch onto her ribcage. She slammed her arm to down to trap the skadurötten and quickly killed the skadurötten in her left hand with a frozetto and dropped the ratscicle to the floor. She quickly grabbed the skadurötten that was attached to her ribs and made it her new living mitten.
“Stop squirming and let me get this ratsicle in my bag you pestilent flarfing…!” It took her longer than she wanted to get it in her bag.
As she made it back through the pipe labyrinth the chittering was left behind her but her mittens began shrieking in pain and struggling wildly to pull themselves back into the darkness.
Guess this is far enough. Gotta remember that shadow vision lets me see in the dark—especially in a shadow-based dungeon. Which means it’s a good time to make some light and get some info.
She transferred both of the wriggling skadurötten to one hand suffering a few bites but nothing too extreme and turned her back to the entrance hiding the skadurötten from any ambient light, and they calmed down a little, but only a little. She pulled out her spool of Thread of Iron and bound the skadurötten together. Then with both hands she secured the string around each of their mouths to keep them from biting.
“Now that I have some materials, maybe I can upgrade some weaponry to use.”
She swiftly went to work. The first problem she ran into was that the skadurötten weren’t individually tied. It took her a moment to figure out her pinking shears wouldn’t cut the thread. She looked in her mechanics toolkit and pulled out a pair of diagonal cutters, and then cut the strings that tied them together and rebound them separately.
Now freed from each other she laid them down on the piping floor. She pulled out a few unenchanted stilettos and lay them out across the pipes. She pulled the ratscicle out of her bag and cast thaw on it to remove the freeze effect.
The first thing she noticed was this rötten had lost its shadowy aspect. She ID’d it for more clarity.
Rötten
Level 3
Rötten meat
Take?
Rötten claws
Take?
Rötten fangs
Take?
1 Copper
Take?
Take all
Y/N?
Mayah took the copper thinking, There’s no shame in picking up a penny—at least when they have pennies. And more importantly why is it not a skadurötten anymore?
She then hefted the rötten and the stiletto and enchanted them. The energy from the rötten felt like fur and claws fighting against the pull of the stiletto. Mayah forced the scrabbling energy to cover the stiletto and force it deeper into the metal of the knife and armed the enchantment. It clicked into place, and she ID’d the weapon.
Weapon Upgraded
Name:
Röt Fang
Type:
Throwing Stiletto
Grade:
C (uncommon)
Material:
Iron
Weight:
10.5 ounces
Damage:
10 stabbing/10% chance to cause a bleed status
Durability:
25/25
Ooooohh…. Muy interesante!!! She bit her lip, I was really hoping to get some of the shadow mixed into the enchantment, Guess not.
She browsed the runebook and quickly and found the rune she was looking for.
Repository (S)
Will absorb free floating Shadow mana into an orb to be released when focused into a spell form. When enchanted onto objects the mana will be collected inside of the object for later use.
Example: When enchanted onto a blade every strike that encounters shadow, shadow will be absorbed.
Repository (S)
Level:
1
Active DP:
0/1 to any creatures weak to shadow.
Passive DP:
Absorbs 1 Shadow Mana per 10 seconds when shadow mana is present.
Capacity:
15 Shadow Mana
Mana cost:
30MP
Cooldown:
3 minutes
Active and passive effects, Gonna find a way to make batteries!!! She was enticed by that prospect until she looked at the wriggling skadurötten and sniffed. This is gonna be gross isn’t it???
Having kept the skadurötten alive was a good choice since the shadows disappear when they die. But I’ve never attempted to enchant with living materials before. Even though I know this is a game it’s feeling a bit too mad scientist—even to me.
Rat vivisection isn’t for everyone, but I need every advantage I can get. So…
She pulled one of the wriggling skadurötten closer and sniffed. She tried not to look it in the eyes, but when she did there was only sheer hatred and animosity visible in its beady eyes.
“Well, that makes this easier. Mr. rat I’m about to try an experiment with you. Any pain I cause you is not my intention, but I need to know the rules of this world and your sacrifice will further that understanding. I honor you and your memory. I will always remember your part in this and that you are going to be my first. For that I name you prometheus.”
Now, I need a base line.
She picked up a knife and began the enchantment. That rat squealed in pain as its body spasmed and went rigid. the essence was pulling out of the creature like a mushroom growing cap first. Mayah mentally took hold of the essence and pushed it with all her might. About 30% of the essence was covering the knife when her mana reached 20%. She pushed with all she had dumping 90% of her stamina into mana. As she reached the bottom of her mana and knew she only had about 45% of the creature’s essence around the knife and tried to separate the flows. As she did the flow of essence pinched and thinned. She actively focused and thinned and stretched this area of mana as fast as possible, ignoring her mana because only a miracle would save her on this road to failure.
The essence suddenly snapped and Mayah quickly wrapped the trailer of essence around the knife. It clicked into place with only 3 mana left. On the edge of a stamina and mana headache she leaned back and closed her eyes for a second ignoring the dings she’d heard. When she opened her eyes, she read
Ding!!!
Enchantment Level 7
Infuse an object with your mana creating a new item by altering its base structures. Properties and qualities of enchanted objects will vary with amount of mana used and quality of object. At higher levels, you will be able to use mana from external sources. The amount of mana will be dependent on the enchanter’s level and the level of enchantment placed upon objects. Objects created with mana from external sources may retain some of the traits of the external source.
Cost 100 mana
- 94% Chance that failed enchantment will destroy any objects involved.
- 6% Chance that the enchanted object will retain two or more of the external object’s properties.
You have received 15 skill tree points. You have 70 unspent skill tree points
Ding!!!
New enchantment skill tree unlocked
Soul Drawing Skill Tree
Congratulations! No material is too alive for you to use. You have moved into a new territory. It’s a dark place bordering on the realm of evil so tread vigilantly. Nothing like a little experimentation on the living essences of small defenseless rodents
For unlocking the Soul Drawing enchantment skill tree without a trainer or unlocking its prerequisi
tes you have received 50 skill tree points.
You have 120 unspent skill tree points
She quickly pulled up her enchantment skill tree. There, next to Arm and Charge she found the new addition and tapped it to get its info.
Soul Drawing
Level 1 Enchantment skill tree
Allows the enchanter to draw out, and then substitute the living essence from any creature to use in an enchantment. If successful the living essence will bind to the enchanted object, giving the enchanted object a spiritual effect and/or damage alongside of the active essence of the creature. In higher levels the essence can be stored for later use and the consciousness may have a chance to be transferred to the enchanted object increasing output of any effect or damage. Soul drawing only works on creatures with souls. Traits of that creature. i.e. magical resistances or status effects may be transferred as well.
Example: Enchanting a dagger with soul drawing from a leech creates a weapon with the possibility to cause bleed effects to the target, but the weapon may also have a weakness to fire.
At level 1, Soul Drawing will transfer up to 1 point of living essence per 10 mana used in the enchantment.
Unlock: 10 skill tree points
She quickly unlocked the skill and saw the next rank up in the skill. Soul Drawing level 2, let’s me transfer soul essence at a ratio of 5-1. Unlock for 15 skill tree points? Yup buying it.
With 125 skill tree points left she looked at the changed menu and gasped. The soul capture tree had split. There were now two branches. One was Soul Drawing 3, the other Soul Snare. They both cost twenty points each. Soul snare was the skill she was hopefully searching for and quickly caught herself before she clicked the button for the skill.
Don’t push the shiny buttons and spend all your skill points before you have a chance to do some research. I need to wait just a bit before I get this one. I gotta upgrade Arm and Charge first. Can’t ignore the bread and butter, she thought with the poutiest of looks. At least I know what direction to go.
She turned her attention back to the skadurötten she had partially stolen a soul from laying quite still. Only its short gasping breaths let her know it was still alive. The shadows on it were lessened and it looked to be halfway between a rötten and a skadurötten. Neither of those were things were truly agreeable to her, so she got back into mad scientist mode.
Promotheus, you have done well. Take a rest and we’ll come back to you.
She took another of her stilettos and pulled out a graver. She opened up her engineering design studio, analyzed the stiletto and placed the Repository (W) rune into a component box. She picked one of her edge designs and overlaid it on the stiletto and engraved the boundary of effect around the edge of the blade, making the area as small as possible. She drew a circle around the rune, and then connected it to the area on the blade. She turned the stiletto over and copied the design there.
She overlaid the real stiletto with the design and carved the metal. A few minutes later she was finished and enchanted the knife and ID’d it.
Weapon Upgraded
Name:
Shadow Skeeter
Type:
Throwing Stiletto
Enchantment #1:
Repository(S)
Grade:
C (uncommon)
Material:
Iron
Weight:
10.5 ounces
Damage:
10 stabbing/1 Shadow mana absorption per 5 seconds
Shadow Mana:
0/30SMP
Durability:
25/25
She pulled the other skadurötten into her hand and stabbed the point into the skadurötten’s tiny paw and watched in amazement. The Knife pulsed with shadow that was then absorbed by shadow skeeter. Every second it pulsed, drinking in small amounts of dark miasma. The shadows and the shadowy aspect of the skadurötten faded. From its shadowy haze it turned into a muted brown its fur losing the oily black gloss. Its eyes went from red to black, the tiny pupils becoming visible. As the shadow fully dissipated the rötten seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and look around.
It spotted Mayah and instantly wigged out, struggling against its bonds, and squealing loudly. Without the shadow Mayah thought the rötten looked kind of cute and a blossom of compassion bloomed in her heart. She put the rötten down and pulled out a ration. She took some of the peanut butter and smeared it on a crust of bread, and then leaned in slowly with her cutters and cut the thread around Its mouth
The little guy snapped at her fingers and struggled to get away from Mayah, and then must’ve smelled the peanut butter. Its struggles lessening with every sniff. It let out a little squeak and Mayah placed a crumb in its reach. At first it pulled back warily, then sniffed the food, and took a nibble. Mayah watched as it licked its lips collecting all the crumbs and squeaked looking towards the bread in her hand.
“You want some more, huh?” She broke off a fair-sized chunk and placed the food by its face so it could take another bite. It hungrily gnawed on the bread, then squeaked for more. She put the rest of the bread and peanut butter down so it could eat its fill then checked the Shadow skeeter.
In the ring of the stiletto there was now an orb of shadowy energy that swirled and pulsed like a living thing. She checked it’s legend to get a better sense of what else had changed.
Name:
Shadow Skeeter
Type:
Throwing Stiletto
Enchantment #1:
Repository(S)
Grade:
C (uncommon)
Material:
Iron
Weight:
10.5 ounces
Damage:
10 stabbing/1 Shadow mana absorption per 5 seconds
Shadow Mana:
12/30SMP
Durability:
25/25
Now that I have 12 shadow mana points I need to find a way to use them.
She was disturbed from her rumination by a notification
Ding!!!
You have acquired a Beast Companion
Companion Name: ???
Species:
Rötten - Male
Level:
3
HP:
9/22
Disposition:
Ally
Abilities:
Bite and Claw
Ding!!!
You have unlocked the Beast Companion tab
Beast Companions or Pets are non-sentient creatures who have Ally/Trusted or higher disposition and wish to stay with you. The Beast Companion tab will show you the names and HP of a trusted companion and allow you to upgrade their skills when they level.
Mayah turned to see the rötten she had fed happily licking the last of the crumbs from its snout. Almost as quickly she opened the tab and explored the information there. It was only what she had seen in her notification. She tapped the name tag and a cursor appeared.
Since you’re companion number one, I’ll name you Riker.
She input the name and finalized decision.
The rötten squealed happily, and then looked at its bonds and pleaded with its beady little rötten eyes.
“Okay I get it! You want to be untied.” She pulled out her Diagonal cutters and set the little beasty free. It rubbed its wrist, licked its injured paw for a second, then ran at Mayah. Mayah almost jumped as It ran up onto her lap, sniffing and looking at her, while chattering and squeaking busily. Mayah pet the rötten, whose fur was softer than she would have thought now that it wasn’t an enemy.
“So, I named you Riker, I hope you like it,” Mayah said smiling down at the rötten. Riker squeaked happily looking around. Mayah pulled out a small strip of fabric and bandaged Riker’s tiny paw. When he finished examining the bandage, he spied Prometheus laying there. He scurried over to him, squeaked and stood up on him with his front paws looking at Mayah.