What is the main difference between man and monster, for it surely isn’t the shape. Many races of man are more strange, more obscure, than some monsters will ever be. Is it intelligence, then, or perhaps the ability to cast skills. No, my dear sirs, that cannot be the answer, for how well documented are the strange beasts that come nigh unto man’s intelligence, as well as the various skills they employ. No, there’s only one difference, and that is a monster’s ability to evolve.

– Of Monsters and Men, 883

I need more silt. Also water. I need water. I had originally wanted to fill the other half of my garden-in-process with water and create sort of Feng Shui effect… I decided against it. It’d look funny. Let’s go with just more soil instead. Maximize planting space. I’ll create another room as a pond and resting spot for my fishies. Although they’re fine swimming in the air, I think it’d be better for them to be where they are naturally supposed to be. You know, underwater. Besides, plants also need water. I really need to figure out an irrigation system for my garden, but I have no idea how to get water that’s not salt water.

For my fishies, it’ll be fine, they live normally in salt water. Maybe I can send them to find some salt water plants under the ocean for their pond later, if there are any. But that won’t work for my lichen, I think. It’ll need fresh water, at least every once in a while since it’s already a hardy plant. But I’m still not sure where to get fresh water. Melting ice is an option, but I can’t really melt ice at the moment. Hmmm let me chew on this idea for a while.

I send some fish down the hole with the pots for more silt. I also create some more pots to send down for water, even though I can’t do anything with it at the moment. Maybe having some nearby will give me inspiration. While I’m waiting for them to come back, I start to think again.

I also need to find a more viable food source for my fish. It’s not really practical to keep sending them down the hole, not to mention dangerous. And I still haven’t figured out if they can eat plants. I don’t really think that lichen will cut it, though. If only there was a plant that grows meat. Ug! So many problems have begun to pile up recently. It’s making me wish for back when my life was simpler. It’s all the whale dog’s fault. Stupid whale dog.

Absentmindedly, I pulled up the the {beginner II} path. Maybe I can get something good again. Who knows. I could get a meat plant! I fantasize in that daydream for a bit as I complete the path. I wish I had enough points for {valiant}. I have a feeling that the rewards for that one would be amazing.

Here, take this training sword. Go beat that dummy. Try not to fall in the dirt. - Gullina Hemsworth, training instructor

Congratulations! {Beginner II (8/8)} Path: Complete. (+4 health; +4 mana; +5 health regeneration; + 5 mana regeneration; +1 random starter seed; {Beginner III (0/12)} path)

Bananas? What is this strange thing? You say they're called bananas? Are you trying to kill me? - Lycocien Lander, mercenary

Congratulations! You have received +1 banana palm sprout (tropical, must have soil, can photosynthesize through ambient heat source)

"Uh… That’s not exactly what I was expecting. Sure, it’s nice that I got another plant, but really bananas? What am I supposed to do with bananas? We’re as far as you can possibly get from the tropics!" I complain to my returning fish. They deposit the pots around me.

Ug, whatever. I plant the sprout in my makeshift garden anyway, making sure to put some |aura of warmth| ice surrounding it to keep the plant extra warm. Well, if it dies, I’ll be sad, but I wouldn’t expect otherwise. I mean, we’re surrounded in ice. It’s just not the right climate for such a plant. I would know. It think it’s my [green thumb] skill, either that or my [plant growth], that’s giving me so much information about what plants need. I would be completely lost without it. And well, if it does die, I can always try to resurrect it with [green thumb].

All of a sudden, I feel a commotion from the fish I placed as sentries for my first entrance, my front door. A sense of warning comes from them, and then I feel something enter my home. I waver for a second on whether to flee to my silk curtained room or go to the stairway. One way is safer, but I can’t really handle the situation. The other way is way more dangerous, but then, I could also confront the intruder.

It hit me. There’s an intruder in my house. There’s an intruder in my house. I’ve had too many intruders in the last couple of days. I will not stand for things coming in whenever they want like they own the place. They have no right to keep doing this to me! Whatever it is, it needs to get out right now!

I get four of my fish to lift up my carrying hammock rug thing and we dash towards the staircase room. I feel my connection to two of my fishies disappear. We swing around the corner and come into view of the entrance. At first, all I can see is a ball of ice floating in the air at the end of the stairway. I look closer and see that it’s actually a humanoid, not very big, maybe a foot in height.

It’s actually very pretty, like a little fairy made out of ice. It has a body completely made out of what looks like ice and a smooth face with eyes completely the color of black. They should look wrong, but somehow it looks charming. It’s hair looks like magical lace dust made out of snowflakes and sparkles floating in a non-existent breeze. It’s dress is made out of the same materials.

Several of my fish were still darting around it as I came in, trying to cut it up. They were having little success as the eira was surrounded by a light misty defensive barrier that frosted my fishes scales with a layer of ice, dulling their blades whenever they got too close.

Eira [Snow Spirit]: Level (18) – Being of ice and snow. Forms when there are strong natural currents of mana. As one of the only things living atop the Rhew, Eira are used to solidarity. They have strong senses of territory, defensive nature, and large amounts of hate towards anyone that intrudes or changes the landscape of the Rhew. Beware of their strong ice based skills.

I hesitate for a second, caught off guard by it’s delicate features as my fish escorts lower me to the floor. But then my sight is drawn to the ground below it. Two of my poor fish are laying frozen on the ground, the life drawn out of them.

“They’re gone?” My voice cracks in confusion. “Did they just die? Please tell me they’re not dead. Did that thing murder them?!” My rage flares up once more.

“Get out!” I scream. “GetoutGetoutGet Out!” I begin launching projectiles at the eira, which deflects them with ease, but then my fish, all 36 of them, start responding to my range and launching themselves at the intruder. The eira’s defense starts to crumble as it tries to deal with the swarming razor fish and my ice bullets. Cuts start to form on it’s body from the sharp scales and a small chunk here and there disappear as my projectiles glance off of it.

“Get out!” I scream again.

Something happened. It was like he was a completely different person. All I can say is he went crazy when they killed his family and began attacking everything in sight. – Borill the dwarf

Congratulations! Your wrath can only make you stronger. Take care it does not consume you.

[Ambient Aura VII]: Your aura has grown. You now have additonal options of which type of aura you wish to release. (|Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|, |Aura of Fury|; +2% chance of evolution under |Aura of Light|; +10% plant growth speed under |Aura of Warmth|; Frenzy and target stun effect under |Aura of Fury|)

|Aura of Fury|: An offensive aura of anger directed heavily at a target. If the target is within 10 level of the caster, target has a 50% chance of being stunned for 2 seconds. Aura causes Frenzy in the user ((+2 mana/ min) for 5 sec; +20% skill cast speed for 5 sec; -15% health for 15 sec)

I felt a craze-filled fog overcome me. I felt weak and strong at the same time as my rage seemed to grow. Mana came to me so much faster now. The eira froze under my fury and during that time, three of my projectiles hit, taking off an arm at the shoulder, a foot, a chunk of its side, and dispelling its defensive barrier. The freezing effect subsided, and the eira turned to me and screamed, its eyes pitch black holes of hate; its teeth pointed things surrounded by a bed of black gums. It scared the heck out of me.

The eira geared up to cast a skill in my direction, but one of my sliver fish flashed past it’s face, nearly taking out an eye one the way and disturbing it’s casting process. The resulting explosion nearly took off its other arm. It screamed once more in pain and frustration, then fled out the door.

The aggressors never stood a chance. Barsian’s walls are known for their thickness. How could they ever hope to break them? No, they merely died in the ditches. – Barsian’s Siege of 733

Congratulations! Your home is your castle. Defend it well.

Level [9]!: You have successfully defended an attack on your domain. (+2 health; +2 mana; +4 path points; full restore)

You have earned the achievement: |Safe Guard!| – Defend your domain through a different tactic than slaughter. (+5 health; +5 mana; +10 path points; {Defender I (0/10)} path)

Tolbeth’s champion was a unique one, one that never fought with sword or shield. A well-thrown pebble worked in most cases. – The Hero of Tolbeth

Congratulations! When it comes to weapons, projectiles are your bread and butter.

[Natural Projectile III]: Projectiles you launch have greater piercing power (3 cm projectile/ 8 mana; +5 piercing power)

Oh, my poor fish. You poor things. Don’t worry, you’ll be with me forever. I wish I could cry right now. They’re my only companions, my only friends, and two of them died to keep me safe. Reverently, I absorb their bodies and watch as they dissolve into shining dust. It’s the best funeral I could give them.

I have to get stronger so that this never happens again. I don’t want to loose anyone, least of all in our own home where I’m supposed to keep them safe. As I mourn, a sliver fish drifts towards me. It gives me a feeling of comfort as well as a questioning mental nudge.

“I’m alright,” I say as I reach out to touch its feelings. Then, I receive a prompt.

One of your monsters is seeking to evolve. Because of your skill, [Tamer I], you have some control over the direction of the process through addable attributes:

Addable attributes (18): |Ice Silk|; |Aura of Light|, |Aura of Warmth|, |Aura of Fury|; |Suction|, |Crushing Bite|, |Tenacious|, |Untiring|, |Rage|, |Thick Skin|, |Jet Stream|, |Focus|, |Blunt Force|, |Bludgeon|; |Razor Scales|, |Carrion Feeder|, |Air Swimming|, |Swarm|

Your [Sliver Fish] wishes to evolve. You have (1) evolution attribute slot available. Choose (1) of the addable attributes to add to your [Sliver Fish]’s evolution path:

|[Attribute Slot] + [Locked] + [Locked]|

(12% evolution chance per slot) x (50% evolution chance (First time))

(Chance affects: Chance of evolution; Success of evolution; Success of addable attribute addition)

“This, what is this? You want to evolve?” The fish’s emotions light up in affirmation. “Addable attributes… I-I don’t know which one to choose.” The fish sends me a mental picture of silk, so much silk, with the fish hiding in wait like a spider. Protect, it nudges.

“|Ice silk|, you want me to add |ice silk|? Are you sure?” It affirms, and I hesitantly drag the attribute to the slot. Light instantly covers the fish, and I’m bombarded with notifications.

Luck is a strange thing. It relies heavily on chance. So too, does evolution. – John Aldman’s Forces of the World

Congratulations! Life is lived through constantly evolving.

Level [10]!: You have evolved your first monster. (+2 health; +2 mana; +2 path points; full restore)

You have earned the achievement: |Breeder!| – Evolve one of your creatures into a unique species. (+1 health; +3 mana; +4 path points; +1 evolution attribute slot; +5% chance of evolution in the direction you desire)

We were already in over our heads. It was too strong for us to handle, this cursed basilisk. But then it had to go and evolve right in the middle of the fight. We’re doomed. – Private Folham of the Subjugation Army

Congratulations! Evolution makes a creature much stronger than it would have been otherwise.

[Tamer II]: You’ve experienced success with the difficult task of evolution which is key to the success of a tamer (+5 path points; +5% chance of evolution; +1 evolution attribute slot)

The light slowly disappear, and I take my first look at my newly evolved fish. It was a lot flatter than my sliver fish, grayer coloring with darker spots that sometimes shined with iridescence. Two huge fins spread out on either side like wings, and it seemed to glide as it swam.

Congratulations! Your [Sliver Fish] has evolved into a [Flying Silk Gurnard]!

[Flying Silk Gurnard]: An evolved form of a sliver fish with the ability to spin [ice silk] from glands within its mouth. It has similar characteristics to an arctic spider in its tendency to spin webs to catch prey drifting in the ocean currents.

Like sliver fish, silk gurnards have the ability to swim through the air with large, fan-like pectoral fins. They have sharp scales, though not as sharp as the common sliver fish, as well as having four small limbs to help weave webs and comb through the ocean floor.

It’s beautiful.

Status Menu Name: [Locked] Race: Dungeon Level: 10* Attribute: Green Health: 66/66* (15/hr)* Mana: 67/67* (15/hr)* State: Normal Rooms: 4 Floors: 1 Named Monsters: 0 Monsters: 36* Animals: 0 Plants: 2* [Ξ] Path Points: 46* Paths: {Beginner III (0/12)}* {Ingenuity I (0/50)} {Valiant I (1/100)} {Defender I (0/10)}* Skills: [Influence III] [Incorporation III] [Ambient Aura VII]* [Earth Manipulation II] [Plant Growth I] [Green Thumb I] [Tamer II]* [Karma I] [Ice Manipulation V] [Natural Projectile III]* [Core Teleportation] Achievements: |Ingenuity!| |Powerful!| |Dauntless!| |Against the Odds!| |Crack Shot!| |Breeder!|* |Safe Guard!|*