Unusual Enemies - A LitRPG Adventure (The Whispering Crystals, #2)

by Mills, H. C.

  Well, let’s see my new total. I saved up quite a few points in the previous Trials, so it should be a record total for me.

  “Status Window please!” I sing-song happily as I sit down carefully on the already dry bed. It’s weird, being able to speak again after spending so much time under-Hydrum.

  151 Trial Points! Now that’s what I’m talking about, gotta catch ’em all! And I should finally be able to take Decrease Inertia.

  Let’s see. Ooh, Vibration Tolerance has been added. Nice, though it isn’t very high. My Electric Tolerance has risen nicely thanks to those urudo though, from 1.3 to 2.9%. Meanwhile, it doesn’t seem like the amount of Toxic Energy in my system has changed at all, probably because the Hydrum rejects it.

  In the Skills section, Breath Control is now listed as Level 2, and, oh, it seems like Meditation now reduces my Lavi consumption by 2 Onkh! Sweet.

  Furthermore, my Lavi Pool has increased by 1, which is always nice, and my Qi Pool by 2. What a waste of a pearl, that could’ve been 4 or 5 easily if I’d eaten it with full Qi, 9 or 10 if I’d taken it with a Stardrop. Oh well, using it to kill Bubbles was still more than worth it.

  Strength is up by one of course, to 13, nice.

  And then there is Charm, which has been raised to 6.

  “Ehm, Suri?”

  [Would you like to start your five minutes?] Suri chimes knowingly.

  “Yes please. Why did my Charm rise during the last Trial?”

  [Because you actively used it.]

  My stomach sinks. Oh boy.

  [And so effectively too,] Suri chimes. [That boy didn’t know what hit him. I hadn’t expected you to grasp it so soon, to be honest. You’re a natural.]

  My head is spinning. I feel sick.

  “What exactly did I do, Suri?” Though I sort of already know the answer, I need to hear her say it.

  [Why, you Charmed Jacob into staying to help you, of course.]

  I close my eyes and groan, rubbing my temple in an attempt to stave off an encroaching headache.

  [Oh, don’t go acting all dramatic now. It worked, you slew the beast. Huzzah!]

  “I made him do something—expose himself to danger—against his will!” I burst out, jumping up from the bed and starting to pace the suddenly cramped-feeling room.

  [No, you made him want to do it for your sake,] Suri corrects. [There’s a difference.]

  “Well, that’s not much better! Point is, I warped his mind to suit myself.”

  [And it saved the day,] Suri argues. [This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about when I said you shouldn’t tell them. If he’d known, he’d have been on guard against your Charm, and his fear would’ve won out. Of course, in this particular case, you would’ve been fine, but you would’ve missed out on a lot of Trial Points. And I suppose Bubbles would probably have killed at least one of your friends.]

  “Just because it turned out right, that doesn’t make what I did ethically or morally okay,” I reply tersely. “Even if part of me feels he should’ve done what I apparently convinced him to do in the first place...”

  [Ethics and morals are luxuries you can’t afford if you wish to survive, Emma.]

  “That’s... a very bleak outlook,” I say with a sigh. Unfortunately, I can’t say I entirely disagree. “So, what, you still think I shouldn’t tell them about it?”

  [If this incident hasn’t instilled the value of keeping your Charm ability hidden in case of emergency, then I don’t know what will. Of course you shouldn’t tell them.]

  I groan, thoroughly conflicted.

  [Now, might I remind you that your five minutes are still active?] Suri chimes pleasantly.

  Shit. Fine. I guess now isn’t the time to decide. I flop back down on the bed, not caring about the Toughness of it this time. It hurts less than I deserve.

  “Ugh, okay. From your continued vehement protestations that I shouldn’t tell my friends about this, can I at least assume we still share a living room?”

  [You can. And there are 47 hours, 56 minutes, and 13 seconds left.]

  “Good.” I take a deep breath. “Can you tell me more about how I used my Charm?” I’d rather use it knowingly next time. Or at the very least, not use it unknowingly.

  [Certainly. Now that you’ve actively used your Charm, you’re entitled to hear about the third type of energy you possess.]

  Wait what?

  [It’s called Espir. In fact, let me add it to your Status Bar and Status Window.]

  I glance at my Status Bar and after a moment, a new section appears.

  “Woah. I’ve got 14 Onkh, is that a lot?”

  [It’s on the high side for someone just starting out using it, yes.]

  “So, what exactly is it?”

  [It’s a type of mental energy, used to power the active use of Charm and Radiance.]

  “I see. And how quickly does it restore after use?”

  [It only restores when you are asleep.]

  My brows rise. “What about when I’m in a deep trance?”

  [Nope,] Suri chimes. [It has to be sleep.]

  That’s a pretty harsh restriction, but that may be for the best. I shudder to think of the kind of havoc someone with limitless active uses of a powerful Charm stat could wreak.

  “How do I increase my Espir Pool?” I ask regardless.

  [Depleting it and getting a good night’s sleep often will help it grow slowly. No shortcuts possible, I’m afraid.]

  Hmm. I don’t know what else to ask about this right now, so time for some other questions I had prepared.

  “Then, what does the next level of Breath Control entail?”

  Heh. Tail.

  [The third level of Breath Control is about maintaining compression of Aether outside of your body, enabling you to form a kind of delayed decompression breath-bomb.]

  My jaw drops. “That is awesome.”

  [Quite.]

  “How does that work, do I need to, like, make the Aether spin in a kind of glowing ball?” I ask enthusiastically.

  [No, why would that work?] Suri chimes, confused. [You need to form a shell of Lavi around it, to keep the pressure contained, obviously.]

  “Riiight.” That does make more sense. “Can you give me a hint about suppressing my sense of touch for Meditation level 3?”

  [Nothing beyond what I’ve already told you, sorry. But you’re definitely on the right track.]

  Shoot. It was worth a try.

  I drum my fingers on the bed a little, considering questions.

  “What would you recommend I purchase with all this moolah I got?”

  [Assuming you’re referring to your Trial Points, I would still lay the focus on Skilldreams. I believe you were interested in Decrease Inertia?”

  I nod.

  [Well, perhaps you should take Increase Inertia as well, go for the set.]

  “Hmm. I could, but they’d both require Qi to practise, and I’d rather gain some experience with Decrease Inertia first and then take half a Skilldream for Increase Inertia.”

  [Fair enough. I still think Lightning would suit you as well, but continuing your Toxic Energy path is also not a bad idea. You know, in low doses, Dreamcloud makes beings more susceptible to suggestion, that could synergise very well with your Charm.]

  That’s... Oh damn.

  “I’ll consider it.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Confessions, Pt. I

  ONCE MY FIVE MINUTES are over, I decide it’s high time to check on my friends.

  I enter our hexagonal living room with a familiar layout, but a less familiar, grim mood.

  Upon spotting me, however, Kaitlynn immediately brightens. “You’re here!” she exclaims, jumping up from the couch and coming in for a hug. “Took you long enough.”

  I indulge her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. “Well, I was long overdue for a good soak.” Mmm, her hair smells good...

  Some of the tension leaves Dave’s shoulders as he meets my eye over her shoulder, but his smile is dim
. I catch Jacob’s eye, but he quickly looks away. What’s that all about?

  Alec—who appears to have been sparring with Jacob—lowers his trident with a snicker. “Yeah, a good soak in dirty Hydrum. Please direct your squid-breath away from us for the next hour at least.”

  The moment Kaitlynn releases me I unleash a jet of Aether straight at him.

  Alec shrieks and tries to jump aside, but I redirect it using the slightly glowing nucleus in the front of the jet. It hits him full in the chest and bowls him over.

  I can feel a smile pulling at my lips. Looks like the second level of Breath Control works pretty well in Aether too. Nice.

  The rest seems unaware of the slightly more advanced technique I used and just laugh at our antics.

  We all settle on the couch, and the grim expressions, briefly interrupted by levity, quickly return.

  “Okay, what’s with the gloominess?” I ask.

  Dave sighs and points at a wall with five doors, opposite where I entered the living room.

  I frown. Wait, five doors? Oh. Five exits.

  “Shit.”

  Dave nods.

  I suck in a breath and blindly grasp Kaitlynn’s hand.

  “Okay, so we’re being split up,” I say slowly, hoping against hope someone will correct me. No-one does. “What else do we know? Alec, you were going to ask about the Trial, right?”

  Alec jumps up and runs over to the left-most door. The others all stiffen or twitch a little when he does, only relaxing when he stops at a distance from the door to point at the marking on it.

  What’s going on here?

  “See these markings?” Alec asks, unaware.

  Only now do I notice that the doors are adorned with different markings. Three types, to be precise: the left-most door has a circle on it, the three middle doors feature a square, and the right-most has a triangle with one side facing up. Somehow, the meaning of the symbols is immediately obvious when I look at them.

  The circle is ‘easy,’ the squares are ‘challenging,’ and the triangle is ‘dangerous.’

  I blink. “Does that mean what I think it does?”

  Dave nods. “The Sixth Trial is a trial of single combat that comes in three difficulty levels. My theory is that our predecessors took into account some differentiation in combat roles.”

  “That, or they want to provide people with the opportunity to prove themselves against a harder foe,” Jacob rasps, speaking for the first time since I’ve entered the room.

  He still won’t meet my eyes, though. Damn, could he be aware of what I did to him? The thought sends a cold chill down my back.

  Also, nothing is preventing anyone from just picking a door and running through, is there? That must be why everyone got so tense when Alec suddenly ran towards the door with the circle.

  “Both of these reasons may play a role,” Dave admits. “Either way, we thought we’d hold off on deciding who takes what door until you came out.”

  “Well, that’s easy, isn’t it?” I say with a shrug. “You, as our non-combat-focused healer, should take the door with the circle, and I’ll take the door with the triangle.” An irrational part of me wants to push Kaitlynn through the door with the circle, teamwork be damned, but... no, she can handle herself. I have to trust that.

  Alec hops back onto the couch. “Told you she’d say that.”

  Jacob looks me in the eyes for the first time since I’ve entered the room. “Emma, you don’t have to, you know? I could take that door as well. I’m strong, and from what we’ve heard the combat is on land, so I’ll be able to use my Skills for real. I managed to reach level 2 in Increase Momentum at the end of the Trial when I threw your spear, and in here I bought a full Skilldream for Decrease Momentum and gained the first level in that as well.”

  I raise my brows. “Not bad, how many Trial Points do you have left?”

  “24.”

  So he had 99 Trial Points after the last trial, pretty sweet.

  “How much was the bonus for the speed clear?” I ask.

  “20 Trial points, like we’d hoped,” Kaitlynn pipes up happily.

  I see. So they’ve all received at least 65 Trial Points. Very nice.

  “Well, it’s good to hear you made such progress,” I say. “Those are useful, versatile Skills. The question then becomes, which of us is stronger?”

  The room goes silent for a beat.

  “Well?” I prompt. “Do you think you can take me, Jacob?”

  Jacob studies me, a slight flush to his cheeks. “I think I’d stand a fighting chance, at least.”

  I incline my head. “I think you would, yeah. Especially if we fought now.” I haven’t practised using Breath Control level 2 in Aether at all yet, after all. “However, that wouldn’t be a very fair test, since I just got here and still have all my Trial Points, while you’ve already spent them.”

  Tension hangs in the Aether. Jacob matches my gaze, unblinking.

  “So how about this,” I say with a slight smile. “We’ll have a match, shortly before the Trial has to start. Winner takes the door with the triangle. Deal?”

  One of the corners of Jacob’s mouth curves up as he holds out his hand. “Deal.”

  I grasp it and shake. As he tries to pull back, I hold on for a second longer. “Oh, but just so you know: I’ve got 151 Trial Points.”

  I release his hand, trying to suppress my smile as his eyes go wide.

  Alec burst out in laughter. “151 Trial Points? Christ, Nonya, that’s ridiculous!”

  “You laughed, that’s fifteen to one,” Dave intones.

  “Hey, that one didn’t count!” Alec protests, wildly flailing his arms. “She wasn’t even joking!”

  Dave shrugs. “That just makes it worse, dude.”

  And just like that, the mood is jolly again.

  I take some time to enjoy bantering with my friends and to interrogate the rest about their Trial Points and purchases.

  Kaitlynn finally took half a Skilldream for the second level of Astreum Manipulation—setting her back 30 Trial Points from a total of 76—and managed to gain it. Apparently, the second level allows for a little more flexibility and precision. Essentially, Kaitlynn’s learned how to maintain control of the Astreum for a little longer, so she can make curved shots with a narrower, longer stream of Astreum. She named the resulting attack from the second level the Astreum Lance.

  Dave first spent 3 Trial Points from a total of coincidentally also 76, to replace his arrows. Then he took a full 25 Trial Point Skilldream for Amplify, a low-grade Vibration Skill he took an interest in. Finally, he opted to take half a Skilldream for Astreum Manipulation for another 25 Trial Points, leaving him with a total of 23, and had Kaitlynn teach him until he gained it.

  I definitely approve of that last bit. Getting Astreum Manipulation was surely the fastest, cheapest way to improve his attack power in the short term, and trusting Kaitlynn to teach him so he could get the discounted version is just plain clever.

  Alec meanwhile took a full Skilldream for Meditation level 3, setting him back 40 Trial Points from a whopping 91, and after some struggling, managed to learn it. Apparently it’s a little difficult to practise dimming your sight by manipulating Lavi flows towards an eye you don’t have. The eye-crystal seems to work independent from our Lavi flows, but Sarge was able to configure it to work like a regular eye for a little while, or something.

  I’ll definitely drill him for info about the Skill soon.

  Also, Alec apparently gained the second level of Lightning Manipulation without any Skilldream! Turns out the second level covers the ability to transfer Electric Energy from the Focus Crystal to another container while maintaining control. This serves both as a means to electrify weapons and as a first step in learning to maintain control over the hard-to-tame energy outside of your body.

  I’m starting to sense a pattern with many of these Skills.

  Anyway, it turns out the trident passively attracts and stores Electric Energy, which mad
e training this level in the Skill way easier. He still had to practise a little and demonstrate his ability with Jacob’s shortsword afterwards to actually gain the level, though.

  Then the greedy idiot immediately took half a Skilldream for the third level of Lightning Manipulation for 35 Trial Points, bringing him down to 16. He didn’t manage to gain that one, obviously, but he claims he can now somewhat aim his Lightning through Aether as well, so it might not be a total loss. It’ll come in handy during the next Trial, probably.

  Man, that trident is sweet. But since Alec is the one who traded in an eye for it, I guess he should keep it. I’m sure he’ll lend it to me if I ever get around to learning Lightning Manipulation someday.

  The rest have already had breakfast, but I’m starving, so I take some time to eat.

  Of course, that doesn’t stop them from asking me questions in return, so I regale them a bit with my own tale, of how I raised my Strength by swimming, and the very useful, subtle pressure I noticed that indicated I was about to break through on a stat.

  I keep the fact that I gained level 2 in Breath Control a secret for now. It’s meant to be a surprise for Jacob, when we have our showdown.

  Once I’m done eating, I take out the Major Lavi Crystal I picked up earlier.

  “Would anyone object if I claimed this?” I ask. Kaitlynn shakes her head. Alec shrugs.

  “I think you more than earned it,” Dave says. “However, what do we do with the Energy Power-Up? I mean, I already received Emma’s Internal Power-Up, so I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking it even if it were offered, but someone should probably get it installed before the next Trial.”

  I nod. “Agreed, and since it protects against a Yin-type energy, it should go to someone who’s Yang. So that leaves Kaitlynn and Jacob.”

  “Well,” Kaitlynn says after a short pause, “since Jacob and Emma killed Bubbles together, and she’s getting the Lavi Crystal, I’d say he should get the Power-Up.”