Lisa P.O.V.

Lisa watched the blood coat her arm. It felt odd as if she had dunked her hand into a vat of honey or something. She felt it doing more than just sitting on her skin though. The blood was seeping into her body, somehow passing her normally reinforced skin. Not to mention eating away at her clothes like a million little insects. She didn’t really care about revealing some skin but was still relieved when it stopped a little past her shoulder. It was more than a little terrifying seeing something just bypass her defenses like that. And it was somebody else’s blood too. More than that, she was interested beyond belief.

She was fascinated by classes and skills and had gotten a skill that even let her somewhat understand what other people’s skills might do. It gave her a kind of forewarning about a person’s abilities. She loved the skill when she had first received it but had come to hate it from her time as a slave. A skill like that was valuable to any person. However, it was even more valuable to the slavers. She managed to push back the sobs and moved her attention back to the blood.

The blood that was being pulled off of her by Red. The blood was leaving a far larger and more elaborate tattoo than she had expected. She had expected some kind of physical representations, as skills like these tended to leave them but this was even more than she could have imagined. The tattoo made it seem like she had been bitten. Many, many times. They crisscrossed one another spreading over her arm, hand, and even palm. Each bite mark was a different random color. The largest marking appeared around her shoulder. That one seemed like a dragon’s bite, and it enclosed the tattoo around her arm. That bite mark was semicircular and black and wrapped around her shoulder blade, even extending a little bit onto her chest.

She was momentarily stunned by the sheer audacity of a tattoo like that. It wasn’t something her parents would’ve approved of. Her old master would’ve definitely hated it. She remembered how disturbingly obsessed he had been with making sure her skin had no marks on it of any kind. That time she couldn’t stop herself from shivering at the very thought of it. She forced her attention back on the multicolored tattoo. The mark of her savior. The mark of her freedom. Then she shifted her focus inward.

Name: Lisa Class: Bonded Mana Dancer

Level: 138

Health: 1980 / 1980

Stamina: 2010 / 2010

Energy: 5110 / 5110

Fortitude: 198

Endurance: 201

Strength: 101

Agility: 302

Intelligence: 501 + 10 → 511

Wisdom: 200

Charisma: 302 + 10 → 312

Free Stats: 0

Skills: Charismana, Mana Armor, Haste, Master’s Message, Lead’s Supporter, Mana Signature, Temporary Mana Battery, Dancer’s Pull, Partner of Mana, Mask of the Slave, Bound Dancer’s Chain, The Devourer’s First Marked

Charismana: Your charm is magical influencing the very mana itself. Changes to your charisma also affect your intelligence.

Mana Armor: A thin layer of mana shields your body, partially blocking damage from all sources. Your mana is your first line of defense. Does not work with standard armor.

Damage Reduction: 75%

Haste: Use your mana to drastically improve your dexterity. Burns mana at a constant rate for the improvement.

Rate: +50% Dexterity: 10 mana/ second

Master’s Message: Send short mental messages to anyone you have met. Limits on size and distance vary based on closeness. No limits when sending or receiving messages from your master.

Current Master: None

Lead’s Supporter: Expend mana to improve your eyes and mind, allowing you to glimpse into the flow of another’s movements. Understand the shifts in their muscles and gaze. Follow in their footsteps without missing a beat.

Mana Signature: Imprint your mana upon other objects or spells. Treat the object as if it was one created by your own magic.

Temporary Mana Battery: Your incredible understanding of mana and skills opens an avenue for its containment. Store a magical spell or effect. Convert the mana to use for your own purposes. The contained mana will slowly decay if not used.

Dancer’s Pull: Tug on the emotions of those around you. Your very presence draws the eye. Know how to tug and pull at others’ emotions.

Partner of Mana: The chosen partner of mana itself, you attempt to dance with its grand form. Manipulate the mana with your movements. Your partner flows to your rhythm, improving the rate at which your mana recovers.

Mask of the Slave: In order to best serve your master, you can instinctively understand his intentions. Maintain your master’s desired physical or mental state.

Current Master: None

Bound Dancer’s Chain (Unique): As a bound dancer, your master has access to your mana. A dancer is never alone. Gain access to the magic of those that hold your leash. As they pull on your mana, you pull on their magic.

Current Master: None

The Devourer’s First Marked (Unique): The first to be marked by the devourer, your growth is chastened by their influence. Struggle to avoid becoming the creature’s next meal. The monster’s interest is not without benefit. Gain levels more rapidly. Grow quickly for your time will be limited by its patience.

The mark was something else entirely. It did even more than she could’ve expected, and her lips tugged upward in a smile. She didn’t know that there were skills that could improve the rate at which someone leveled. The ominous words of the skill didn’t bother her at all. The benefit was incredible, to the point where she would have traded far more than some skin for it. She had wanted out of a desperate belief that it might help her get rid of her class, and this would do that and then some.

When her focus shifted back to the world around her, she looked around for Mash. She couldn’t ever really repay him for what he had done, but she could at least thank him for this. Her gaze darted back and forth until she realized he wasn’t there. Red, Jill, and Luke stared at the dungeon’s entrance. She could connect the pieces, but not the reasoning.

“Did he leave?”

She was able to hide her hesitation easily, her skills let her control her own emotions too. That didn’t stop her from feeling a little abandoned. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate or like the others. All four of them were her heroes, and she would be eternally grateful to all of them. Despite that, she felt most free and comfortable around Mash. It was probably due to his skills, not that she minded. It just felt harder to be open now that he was gone.

“Can you believe him? After doing something like that to your arm he left, just like that. Without even apologizing properly.”

Jill’s response actually surprised Lisa. She didn’t blurt out her response. Her surprise barely showed, her eyes only widening a little at the idea. Why would he apologize? She had received a gift far beyond anything she could’ve imagined. She didn’t say this out loud though. The fact that she was angry on her behalf was nice but unneeded. And more importantly, it was unfair to Mash.

On a basic level, she had asked for the mark. Even had it covered her entire body, she wouldn’t blame him. He had even tried to dissuade her since it had been untested. As a result, she had stolen the opportunity from him to grant such a skill to his family or friends. The guilt wiggled into her thoughts, and she found the courage to dispute Jill’s words.

“No, I want to thank him. I got a unique skill for getting the first mark. It lets me gain levels faster. I know you're just trying to be concerned for me, but I don’t need it. And it’s not fair to Mash.”

Lisa said what was on her mind, trying her best to word it carefully. Even still her heart thrummed loudly with each word. Her skill stopped her emotions from appearing on her face, but her stomach felt twisted. The fact that nobody had said anything in response, made it worse. The silence hung in the air. A window that made her feel small before the others.

“You’re right of course. But you also don’t understand the frequency of these kinds of things. Our patience isn’t endless, or rather, we are the only ones who can restrain him. You don’t know half the crazy things he has done.”

Red was especially cautious with her tone. She was clearly trying her best to not disagree with Lisa. This was the other reason she felt more comfortable around Mash. For all he worried about her, it didn’t come out in this overly protective way. She was over level 100, yet these three couldn’t even talk to her properly. It felt too much like pity, and she was tired of that reaction.

Lisa thought about what Red said though. Giving her words the proper consideration, they deserved. She had only known Mash for a little while. Still, there was one fact that pushed her to disagree.

“It works though, right? I mean, you are all really high-level and are growing faster than anyone else ever, I think. With this skill, I will be leveling even faster than that. If you didn’t trust him or want the benefits of being around, you would’ve left.”

Her first sentence had been her pure unfiltered thoughts. She nearly panicked after saying the somewhat rude words and tried to explain the meaning behind them. It came out a little rushed, but they weren’t going to interrupt her either way.

“It’s not that we don’t trust him. If anything, he is probably the most trustworthy person you’ll ever meet. He is annoyingly straightforward. Because of that, he tends to cause problems. He’s not alone though. Jill and I cause problems too. Our classes would cause big issues if they came out. Through it all, we have stuck together. Now we are all holding up the same mountain. None of us can back out without crushing everyone. So, we... I bark at him when he does something stupid or careless. I’m not really all that angry right now. I would’ve just had him apologize or something. We’re kind of like a family, and he is literally the youngest and craziest of the group. Considering what you said though, maybe we all need to get one of those marks. That’s not the point though. Just because he saved your life, doesn’t mean you can’t get angry at him or anything. He’s just a person.”

Red’s long response caught more than Lisa off guard. Luke and Jill, stared at her as if she were going to explode. A tiny bit of color touched Red’s normally stern and pale face, and she seemed just as shocked by her own words. Her open response was practically forced out of her. Lisa’s skills had subconsciously pulled on Red’s emotions causing her to respond more freely. Such an honest response left Lisa with nothing to say. The awkward silence had returned.