《to reach the pinnacle: Etheria》Chapter 34: Small arcana tests
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Name: Able Drake STR: 9 INT: 20 Race: Homeo-sapien AGI: 5 CHA: 9 Contracts: *Erebus* *Bob* VIT: 5 LCK: 21 Hp 350/350 5/s END: 7 Skill point(s) : 0 Mp 400/400 17/s WIS: 17 Essence: 1937
Skills: Inspect E lvl 4 79%/100%.
Begginer QCQ E lvl 4 29%/100%.
- Novice Golaith style C lvl 3 4%/100%.
Drake training B+ lvl 2 37%/100%.
Inspector's record E lvl 0%/100%.
Mana weaver A+ lvl 7 35%/100.
Arcane Throwing B lvl 4 84%/100.
Arcane swordmanship B lvl 9 17%/100%.
- Gliding arcana B lvl 5 79%/100%
- Arcane smite B lvl 1 61%/100%
Arcane skining C lvl 6 37%/100%
Talented blacksmithing C lvl 1 0%/100%
Talented carpentry C lvl 1 35%/100%
Crude Mana bolt B lvl 4 49%/100%
The group followed Erebus to the horde, and I kept examining the Erebus while the drake was tracking, trying to figure out what felt off about it. But to be honest, it didn't work. We arrived at the horde, well it isn't really a horde but a big group. it was also a gigantic essence and exp cache, it had even grown since last time. First I signaled to go back a bit for a plan, we made a basic plan of not splitting up. And I was getting a large dose of regret™, if I made an actual explosive this would be so easy.
The group got ready while I put some throwing knife bags on my belt, I chose to throw knives in the confrontation. Having everything set up, I asked the other guy "Ready?" He nodded calmly "Then let's go!"
I walked over to the turn to the horde, I leaned over, and spotted the chieftain. My plan was to kill it and bring panic into the ranks of the enemy, it was quite a simple plan. I threw the knife and missed, they were all very startled at first but became curious about what it was and the like. The chieftain was still cautious though, at least it didn't seem to know where it came from. I threw again, this time getting one of the back legs. The chieftain was panicking due to the pain, and I was getting irritated that the chieftain didn't die instantly. I signaled to attack, and told the two beasts to attack.
I again threw a knife, this one would've killed it but then the chieftain moven in its panic with no awareness of the knife heading its way, making the other back leg unuseable. I threw 2 more, both didn't kill. I threw a bunch more, constantly throwing without checking if it hit or not, I did that for an entire minute. I looked once more, it was still alive. How the hell was it still alive? How high must its luck stat be? To high for me to let it live at least, I looked around, most of the dintyles were killed. It wouldn't be a problem to be a little reckless, thus I aimed a mana bolt straight on the chieftains head. A dintyle ran in the way of it in its panic, and I was getting pissed.
I ran towards the immoble chieftain, I punched a dintyle that tried to attack me, after that they stopped attacking me. I approached the chieftain, I croached before it, I put my hands on either side of its head, and crushed its head with my bear hands. Just to make sure I started to kick its corpse, while putting a bunch of bolts in the red mush that it became. I called Erebus over {Kill it with fire.} He did it quick, and I opened the record, I made a smile when I saw that it died.
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I looked around, and threw a few knives with a new technique, I chose to look at it in a bit. After killing all those left over, I said "that went well I guess." I then streched a bit and yawned, I had things to do. I picked up all the sort of intact corpses, then I said "Hemdal, you can do your own thing now." I looked at the monster that was slowly walking away "And you, you're coming with me, or, ya know...." I slashed my thumb in front of my throat, the monster started nodding a lot. After that I picked up all my knives.
I went back to the base, it took some time. And there was a dintyle inside of it trying to collapse it, not letting that happen I quickly killed it with a mana bolt. I thought nothing of it and went into a room, and started to figure out what I gained from the new throwing lvl. Which was molding the arcana into a different form so it has less air resistance, I started wondering about what would happen if I used it on a sword.
I took out my sword, did the regular and then set up the pattern on the blade. When I slashed nothing happened, the two parts of arcana clashed and dispersed. This was a problem if it wasn't obvious, I had two ideas to fix it this problem; change the forms of the arcana so that it doesn't clash, or change the original form used on the blade to have the abilities of the new form.
Both seemed like a probable solution. I was leaning towards the first, 'cause if I focused on this instead of the latter I may in the later stages have tens of arcane masses used on one blade. But I chose the other after some thoughts about drawbacks, like me not wanting to use thousands of mana in one slash. I wouldn't have a problem with that if I could make the arcane masses, which I will now dub as 'Arcane structures', last longer than a slash.
to combine the two I need to find the things in the structure that causes the effect I want to bring to the other structure, this was the difficulty I was facing. I didn't really know how to find that 'thing', my first thought was to bring over stuff from one structure to another and see what thing has what effect. But if it wasn't obvious, that wasn't working in the slightest. It also had no effect or was detrimental to its power, But then I had an idea.
What differences are there between the old and new version of Arcane throwing? This great and ingenuis question posed by the greatest mind of this age, oh who am I fooling with this? But this was the best idea I came up with in the last two hours, so I'm going to use it.
I took out another knife and used the old and new version, I then inspected them to see the difference. There were few but they were essential differences, mostly on the outside. The new version had a weird pattern on the outside that pushed air out of the way, it wasn't stable at all and when I made a copy of it with nothing else it fractured into many pieces then dissolved.
At first I thought I was making some mistake in creating it, I did make a mistake in the process, but fixing that made no difference. So I added the layer beneath it, to it. It lasted quite a bit longer, but the outer layer was still crumbling. Then I did the layer beneath that, making no difference at all. then I put the last layer together with it, how long to original layer lasted didn't change at all, but when it was gone the second layer grew and enveloped the blade in its entirety.
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This was a game changer, it told me that the outer layer was never made to last, and that I was wasting my time be trying to bring it over. How hadn't I seen it earlier? I kept feeding the structures arcana to keep it stable for ease of inspection, an by doing that I wasted 3 hours of my life. Well... I wouldn't really say it was wasted, I had gained a lot of skill exp. Arcane throwing had leveled up once and arcane swordmanship was more than half way to evolving, and I had the feeling that if I kept looking at its structure I may be able to improve it beyond what the skill has supplied me with.
I was getting tired, I put the sleeping bag inside of the ring and brought it to the room I was doing my things. The spatial ring was so convenient, I really wanted a personal one. And soon I would get one, I worked a bit on my arcane skining skill, including my natural non framework based skills. I was happy that my father wasn't one of those dads that always got in the way of their child, and also that he was the head of the family that came with a lot of prestige for me.
But then I thought of something, if my father controls the family, and the family supplies the spatial rings, couldn't I just ask him for one? I was still not used to having powerful relatives that could give me things I couldn't get myself, luckily my parents don't communicate a lot with me so they don't ask many questions when I ask for something.
I got into the medival sleeping bag, and tried to sleep once more, while I thought of ways to get new- or how to enlarge my current sources of power.
Then I woke back up in my room, I seemed to have had a dream of something but I couldn't seem to remember much about it. I stood up and yawned, and moved to my laptop while inside of my cramped apartment. I started it up and looked at my emails, hoping to see an acceptance letter to one of my many job applications hidden in the pile of rejection letters. Over time this act had become a daily routine, I opened an email that looked to have the possibility of acceptance. But it was one that tried to be as nice as possible, making it seem like I got the job in an overview. I hated these types of rejections, giving me false hope.
I looked at the time with my laptop, I had around 30 minutes till I had to go to work. I chose to look at social media sites for any kind of drama, scandal or controversy that may have a way to make some cash. There wasn't if you're wondering, not that you would care anyways. I walked out into the hall way, walking past the many doors on my way to the elevator. I hear many high pitched voices which I recognised as japanese or english, this apartment complex was filled with neets that were thrown out of their parents basement. I'm one of the few that actually had a job, however low the profession.
I went to college and all that, never dropped out. I was lucky enough to have parents that could pay for it, man was I lucky to avoid those loans. I opened the elevator, and went down to the first floor. It wasn't a fancy magnetic elevator, it was a decade old with its buttons and cheap display. But what would you expect from a cheap apartment?
After some waiting the elevator door opened and I walked out, I went outside and walked on the streets. When I heard the sound of a 'peaceful protest', I chose to go through one of the many other routes towards the place I worked.
I walked past one of those sky rises that looks like it was mostly made of glass on the outside, I saw my own reflection. My youth had been drained over the last few years, I've been growing a beard for a few years, when it grew to much I used scissors to save money. I find that I had gotten quite good at it too, which is sad in its own degrading way.
I arrived at my job, your average fastfood joint. The pay was garbage, and the manager was a 'perfectly reasonable' woman. At least I don't have to deal with customers, I just cook in the back because, and I qoute: 'You're a smelly old man, we won't let you ruin the company brand. And I don't want to see you, unless its absolutely necessary.' The other employies don't complain to me about their lives that they should do with someone that actually cares and they stay out of my business, and it was also the best paying job I could get. But don't get me wrong, I was leaving this shit-hole the moment I can get a better job.
I walked silently so as not to alert the manager "Filth!" I failed, god damnit. I looked at the manager, she had an average body but had a bunch piercings and colored hair that felt like it changed color every time I met her "Y-yes boss?" I faked nervousness "Get out of my sight, if I see you again I'm cutting your pay." I would leave if that actually happened "Y-yes boss, I-I'll go right now." I then run away, making it look as fearfull as I could.
When she could no longer see me I stoped the act but made the sounds for a while so she would believe the act, I feel as though she's a sadist. Just kidding, she's definitely a sadist. But it isn't illegal to be sadistic, which I was sad about. I couldn't be the cause of her downfall, if she will ever even have one.
I to a screen on the wall in the kitchen, and pressed a few buttons in my hazy state of tiredness with muscle memory. I was stopping my self from yawning, if I yawned to much I could get a pay cut. How do I know this? easy, it happened to someone else, I have some pattern recognition. After I clocked in I started my shift with fake enthusiasm, made to fool the manager into not firing me or cutting my pay.
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