Liliana swung her bare feet in the water, watching with a detached sort of interest as ripples exploded on the still surface of the lake and flooded out. One hand stroked sun warmed scales as she considered the screens before her. It wasn’t the first time she’d looked at Nemesis’ stats and skills, but they never stopped being shocking. She’d thought Lelantos was strong, but he didn’t hold a candle to a creature fifty levels ahead and named to boot. She knew Lelantos would eventually have similarly daunting stats when he got his next Rank up. Bonded creatures got the same benefits as named wild beasts on their Rank ups. It was an additional benefit of bonding with a human.

Status Sheet

Name:

Nemesis

Age:

2

Level:

141

Species:

Dicentra Serpent

Genus:

Flowered Serpent

Rank:

5

Health:

2,000

H-Regen:

+20/1.1sec

Mana:

6,940

M-Regen:

+94.2/1.1sec

Stamina:

1,000

S-Regen:

+10/1.1sec

Magic Power:

7,421

Magic Control:

10,345

Experience: 986,754 /2,016,400

Vitality:

200

Endurance:

100

Strength:

105

Dexterity:

377

Wisdom:

694

Intelligence:

942

Speed:

701

Charisma:

60

Unallocated Stat Points: 0

Affinity

Earth

70%

Dark

57%

Poison

32%

Quintessential Skill

[Vengeance] Lvl 1

Skills

[Identify] Lvl 185

[Garden Song] lvl 175

[Consume] lvl 150

[Tracking] Lvl 145

[Stealth] Lvl 141

[Dodge] Lvl 136

[Poison Resistance] Lvl 134

[Enrage] Lvl 130

[Venom] Lvl 102

[Antidote] Lvl 23

Spells

[Minimize] Lvl 182

[Earth Manipulation] Lvl 173

[Earth Spike] Lvl 157

[Earth Scale] Lvl 156

[Earthquake] Lvl 145

[Shadow Cloak] Lvl 138

[Shadow Wave] lvl 122

[Poison Coat] Lvl 101

[Poison Brand] Lvl 92

[Poison Cloud] Lvl 54

Liliana had combed over Nemesis’ skills, especially interested by [Vengeance]. She brought it up again just to re-familiarize herself with the words.

Vengeance: Dark, Poison.

The hate in you floods your veins like the poison in your fangs. It coats your body and surrounds you in a deadly miasma within a thirty-foot radius. Your poison seeks out those who have hurt you, clinging to them like their sins. Any touched by your poison will take damage equal to 70% of your Magical Power every 5 seconds.

Mana: 5,500 Duration: 1 Minute

Cool Down: 28 Hours

As with many Poison skills and spells, it was a damage over time. Though Liliana couldn’t imagine many beings that could survive that level of damage for the minute, it took the skill to run its course. It was a strong, and expensive, ability. For good reason, it was a fight ending ability. Much as any ultimate skill was supposed to be.

Looking over it, Liliana found herself thinking how she would’ve handled such a skill in a boss in the game. She’d probably have a tank testing the boundaries of the skill. All skills had a radius they operated within. She’d have a healer focused on healing the tank while the tank tested out and found the boundaries, then they’d wait out the time limit to find its parameters. Then she’d restart the game and try the fight again.

A skill like this was deadly as a surprise attack, and in any kind of close range situation. But once you knew its radius and time limit, it became easy enough to use the tank and healer combo to hold attention while your ranged members sat at a safe distance and whittled the boss down.

Looking over the rest of Nemesis’ skills, Liliana got a feeling such a maneuver wouldn’t be entirely successful, though. Nemesis had two different reinforcement abilities. Which would make many ranged attackers ineffective against her, at least long enough for the aggro to swap. Then the focus would turn to the ranged members and with the serpent’s Speed, Liliana could see a full party wipe happening easily enough.

“You’re a mage killer,” Liliana murmured thoughtfully.

She doubted that had been the serpent’s intent, it was obvious that her intent was to give herself enough staying power to survive against the many high-level villagers while her poison drained their lives. But in a party situation, Nemesis would be a good fit for a ranged and mage killer. With a stat distribution that would imply a magical rogue, and skills and spells that would cover her if the ranged or mages turned on her. She also had the raw damage to end them before they could get through her defenses and do damage to her rather low Vitality.

“You’ll be weak to anyone faster than you, or who has more Endurance than you have Mana. But in a good party, you shouldn’t have to deal with either of those scenarios. Using your [Stealth] and [Minimize] you can sneak behind their front line and then wreak havoc on their back-line before the tank can switch his focus.” Liliana continued on. Nemesis raised her head, turning magenta eyes to her Bond. A forked tongue stuck out and tickled across Liliana’s palm.

“Lelantos is flashy, and strong enough to hold another tank’s focus for a while. And I have the Speed and Stamina to provide backup to either of you in most scenarios. I do best if I’m moving fast, striking and darting off to hit another target. With you two, it should make it far easier to accomplish it,” Liliana tapped her free hand against her lip. The three of them would be a good team. They still had some gaps that needed to be filled, but Liliana was becoming more optimistic. They needed a ranged fighter, and a healer for sure. Another adaptable fighter like her, a rogue or some such, would probably work well.

Liliana knew right now Emyr took the role of a fill in damage dealer, having crowd control and rogue like abilities. But she didn’t want to depend on him or Alistair all the time. Once they got to Academy if it followed the game there would be individual quests, or she supposed they’d call them assignments, they’d need to complete.

Anything from helping build a new village to clearing a mine of monsters. Later in the Academy, she’d even gotten quests for spying and infiltration in other countries. Some quests let you use a party, others had restrictions where you couldn’t bring anyone with you or you could only bring one or two others with you. It was only the later, and far more dangerous and story connected quests that let you bring a full party. Or dungeons.

However, Liliana felt being bonded would be a pretty loophole for her. Her Bonds were considered a part of her, as much as her weapons or equipment in the eyes of the queendom. They could as much restrict her Bonds as they could require her to leave her clothes behind. It excited it her, the competitive part of her. It would mean she could easily blitz her way through quests given as she’d always have at least two others with her.

Could mean they give me more difficult quests too, for balance, Liliana considered with a frown. She wouldn’t mind it, but she’d also like if something in her life was easy for once. Liliana shook her head. The Academy was over a year and a half away and she had more important problems to focus on right now. Liliana held out her wrist to Nemesis with a grimace. She really hated doing this, but she didn’t have many other choices.

“Let’s go again,” Liliana said.

Nemesis looked at her, concern clear in her reptilian eyes. Liliana sent a wave of assurance through their bond. Nemesis didn’t enjoy doing this, but she understood why. It was far easier to explain more abstract concepts to Nemesis than it was Lelantos, whether that was because of her higher level, extra evolution, or her higher Intelligence stat, Liliana wasn’t sure. But Nemesis could understand that Liliana was at risk of being poisoned at home, and needed to be able to protect herself from it. Nemesis opened her mouth, fangs descending. Quick as lightning, the serpent struck out, fangs sinking deep into Liliana’s wrists.

Fire burned up Liliana’s arm, and she hissed in pain. She could feel the poison racing through her system, and her body shook. Air became more difficult to take into her lungs and a poisoned indicator popped up next to her Health, which was ticking down slowly even with her regeneration. Liliana watched her health carefully, even as her body began to shake harder and she began to pant in short, gasping breaths. When she deemed her Health had dropped far enough, Liliana activated [Regeneration] and nodded at Nemesis. The snake bit her again, this time filling her with the antidote.

[Poison Resistance] has reached level 30!

[Pain Resistance] has reached level 55!

Liliana smiled at the notification. They’d been doing this for the past few days, typically only once a day or so. It had taken a bit to convince Nemesis to purposely hurt her, and in the beginning the gains had been slow because Nemesis would use such a weak poison it barely even registered. She’d gotten better about gauging how strong her poison needed to be to actually help Liliana. It was part of why Liliana wanted to do this with Nemesis as opposed to making her own poisons.

She wasn’t familiar with making poisons, and there was a chance she’d accidentally poison herself past the point of being able to heal. Nemesis also had an antidote to her own venom, which lowered the risk even more. She was told to use it when Liliana gave the signal, or if Liliana fell into a seizure, an occasional side effect of Nemesis’ poison.

Still, Liliana didn’t think she’d be able to overcome any truly dangerous venoms or poisons yet. But she’d get there. She just hoped she got there before the system slowed down levels for [Poison Resistance] from the continuous use of a single poison, or her stepmother tried her original trick again.

Liliana shook off the last few tremors in her fingers as her Health climbed back to full. She gave Nemesis a scratch under her chin, sending a wave of approval over their bond to reassure the serpent. A rustling behind them announced Lelantos’ arrival, and the pair turned to look. Lelantos was dragging a large, dead reptile in his jaw, tail raised proudly behind him. Liliana gave him a smile as he dropped the corpse at the bottom of the rock she was currently sitting on.

“Another Razortooth?” Liliana asked, though she didn’t need to. It was the third he’d brought to her today, the lake they were at was apparently a spawning ground for them.

She’d spotted a few, her [Identify] letting her know they ranged between level 90 and 110. They kept their distance, seeing or sensing Nemesis beside her. Liliana might be a tempting snack for them, but not when there was a guaranteed chance of pissing off something that could make a meal of them. However, they made for good training for Lelantos, who seemed to be more focused than ever on leveling. In the week since they’d left Timberborn, he set off almost as soon as Liliana released him from his summoning stone to hunt and level.

Liliana let him level, knowing he was measuring himself against Nemesis and saw himself as lacking. She made sure to show him she loved and was proud of him, no matter his level. But she approved of his leveling. The stronger he was, the stronger she was in turn. He was more comfortable leaving her side now too, with Nemesis always wrapped around her arm or neck, or tangled in her hair like a living ornament.

Liliana stretched, resembling her feline Bond a bit, as she relished the warm sunlight on her skin. She wasn’t sure how much being bonded changed the person, but she had noticed she had more energy towards the night, and enjoyed napping in the sunlight. It was something to keep in mind, but nothing that concerned her. Liliana removed her feet from the water and slid down the rock, coming to a crouch next to the body of the Razortooth. Summoning her skinning knife, she got to work. Soon enough the Razortooth was skinned, its important organs and skin in her storage bracelet. She held the core in her hand and turned it over, an idea forming in her mind.

“You two use [Consume] to eat the cores of other monsters, and you get some experience from that, right?” Liliana asked her Bonds, sending her question through their bond as well. She got mixed affirmatives from them, more a feeling of how the skill worked when the two of them used it.

Activating [Borrow] Liliana grabbed [Consume] from Nemesis, as the serpent had a higher level in the skill. Activating the skill, Liliana looked at the core and focused on absorbing it. When that didn’t work, she frowned.

“I’m going to have to try and eat this, aren’t I?” Liliana asked no one in particular. The core was the size of two of her fists together. She wasn’t sure if it would work, but she brought the core to her mouth with [Consume] still active. As the core touched her lips, it seemed to condense until she could get it into her mouth, where it felt like it melted. Her mouth filled with a taste of water and mud. She quickly swallowed the less than delectable liquid in her mouth. Gagging quietly, Liliana focused on the feeling that filled her. It was as if she’d just absorbed essence from a defeated creature, but it came from inside her.

You’ve gained 5,000 experience from consuming a level 100 Razortooth core!

+7,500 experience for consuming a core from a creature more than 30 levels above you!

+6,250 experience from Boon.

You’ve leveled up to level 70!

Liliana perked up at the notifications. The experience hadn’t been very much, but it had pushed her over the edge to level 70. Liliana felt excitement as she thought of the ways she could use this to further supplement her leveling. Her thoughts stopped as pain rammed into her, forcing her to double over as her stomach tied itself into knots. It felt like her stomach was dissolving, leaking caustic liquid into her body and slowly liquifying her from the inside out.

Warning! You’ve just consumed a Mana Core. Your body currently can not digest such an object. You’ve been poisoned.

Liliana hissed at the new notification flashing before her eyes. She dropped to her knees and hunched over her stomach. She’d had food poisoning before in her last life and she’d say this felt at least four times worse than that.

“Fuck you System, fuck you Vita. Fuck everything that is a part of this,” Liliana grit out between clenched teeth as her stomach rolled. She barely had time to uncurl and get her head pointed in another direction before the remains of the Mana core and her lunch came back up. Liliana coughed and retched until she was certain she had vomited up her stomach itself at some point.

Liliana fell onto her back as the last of the dry heaves stopped. The cool grass felt like heaven against her fevered skin. She could see her Health was dropping down, a poisoned indicator mocking her. She activated [Regeneration] for the second time that day.

A concerned whine from her side drew her tired eyes, and she saw Lelantos laying next to her, his tail lashing behind him. He nosed her and Liliana sent a small wave of comfort over their bond. A hiss in her ear told her that Nemesis had joined her at some point, but she wasn’t sure when. She noted her hair was out of her face, and had been for some time. The serpent must have used her body to pull the locks out of Liliana’s face as she suffered the consequences of her own actions.

Summoning a healing potion, a mid-tier one, Liliana raised it to her lips with shaking hands and managed to get it down. Her stomach almost rebelled against the potion, but she thankfully kept it down. Her Health began to regenerate faster than the poison ticked it down, but the poison still stayed active.

“Nemesis, bite,” Liliana croaked out past acid dried lips. Nemesis immediately complied, and it was evidence of how much pain she was still in that having two fangs buried in her neck didn’t even register to her. Liliana wasn’t sure if Nemesis’ antidote would do much to help her, but it couldn’t make things worse.

Liliana wasn’t sure how long they laid there, her groaning and curling up as waves of cramps passed through her. She knew she was fevered, and her mind was blurry from pain or poison, she wasn’t sure. It was all she could do to remember to drink a health potion every now and again when her Health dipped too low. Nemesis’ antidote either did nothing, or did so little it was negligible.

Eventually, when the sun was brushing the tops of the trees, the poisoned debuff faded and Liliana’s Health finally ticked up to full. Liliana groaned. Her body felt sore in ways she didn’t think were possible and she knew she was coated in a thick layer of sweat. Slowly sitting up, Liliana leaned heavily on Lelantos, letting the tiger pull her to her feet. Her Stamina was completely drained, and she pulled herself onto Lelantos’ back with the last bit of energy she had.

At least they were close to the camp, no further than a screams distance. Amelia had just removed her shadow bodyguard, but Liliana had a feeling after this the woman may very well chain her to the carriage to watch her.

At least I probably got more levels in [Poison Resistance]. Liliana thought wryly, though she didn’t have the energy to check as Lelantos began slowly padding to the camp.