Arrival: A LitRPG Series, page 16
She was too young to speak like Amira, but they were still able to share intentions. With that connection secured, he tried to form a similar line with Pride. He reached out with the Beast Communication skill, casting his line of thoughts like a fisherman sending out his hook, hoping Pride would bite the other end.
He felt his connection tense as another being picked it up. An overbearing presence slammed into him, knocking Leo from his feet with the force of simply connecting to the existence. His mind felt like it was being crushed from just being in contact with the other entity, and he found it hard to remember how to breathe. Was this a private party? Ah, it seems so. I’ll take my leave, then. Don’t mind me just yet. A mildly interested voice boomed across the connection before disappearing as quickly as it had come, leaving Leo and Sparky both gasping for breath.
“You all right there, boy?” Zeld asked, his features a mixture of concern and amusement.
“I’m fine,” Leo muttered before finding his feet once more. He took another breath before sending out another thread of thought to Pride, putting in extra concentration to maintain the thread’s form as it reached out to the feline. The connection was blocked as it neared the cat, for just a moment before it broke through an invisible wall and secured itself.
Where Sparky’s mind was a tornado of overlapping and everchanging feelings and intentions, Pride’s was more of a still lake, possessing an impossible depth with an easily distinguishable frame of mind floating clearly on the surface. Currently, she was pissed off at Zeld for dirtying her regal white fur and having the gall to throw her like a newborn cub, which in all fairness she still technically was. Leo sensed a portion of her irritation turn to him as the latter thought slipped away from him and he edged a few steps away from the dangerous beast.
“Are we going to stand here all day or are you three going to actually put in a bit of effort?” Zeld emphasized his point with a fake yawn. “You bore me any longer and I’ll be fighting you in my sleep.”
The last comment got all of their attention. Apparently, none of them enjoyed being taken lightly. Leo reined in Sparky from starting a blind charge once more and tried to impress the details of what he wanted them to do. As the plan wasn’t too complex, the creatures seemed to grasp it. He felt a grudging acknowledgment from Pride and anticipation from Sparky in response as they moved to fully surround Zeld, with Leo facing his front and the other two at the old man’s back.
Now! Leo thought as soon as they were in position. A brief surge of rage filtered through them from the Chari as all the grass in the yard suddenly exploded upwards in a massive cascade of fine brown powder and clumps of topsoil. “Not my lawn! Do you have any idea how long that’s going to take to repair?” Zeld cried out pitifully, as the cloud of dirt enveloped everyone present, his pleading giving the three of them a small amount of righteous satisfaction.
Sparky moved forward next, jumping up to the floating clods of dirt and using them as projectiles as she flung them at Zeld’s face with large flaps of her wings. Zeld let out a sad sigh as he squinted and waved his hand to deflect the onslaught of debris.
While the other two were in motion, Leo activated his new skill Camouflage. He felt a small drain of his mana as an oil-like substance burst out of him and quickly coated his gear and body. It took him a moment to adjust to the blending effect the substance had on his frame and weapons. He briefly imagined himself tripping on his own distorted feet and impaling himself on a transparent section of his blade before he shook off the fear and started moving.
Leo slipped around to Zeld’s back as quietly as he could, hoping the onslaught of dirt and falling debris would be enough to mask any sounds and movement he might make. As soon as he crept behind his target he struck, swinging his blade forward with all the strength he could muster.
Aveth flew in low, Leo hoping to cut his target across the back of his knee. Leo had a brief surge of panic when he visualized the impossibly sharp sword cleaving through Zeld and leaving the old man a cripple for the rest of his life. He was a hairsbreadth from making contact when the leg he was targeting lifted impossibly quickly, letting the sword pass harmlessly through open space before setting back down in the same spot. Leo spun with the swing, sending his sudden intentions to Pride as he quickly discarded their old, failed plan.
The length of the blade shot forth as he mentally called Aveth’s name. Instead of shooting into the distant shrubbery of the garden, a shimmer surrounded the elongated metal and it suddenly arced back around Zeld, wrapping him like a burial shroud.
Sparky added her own attack to the metal of the blade, conducting electricity into the metal prison. “Dodge this,” Leo muttered as he yanked on the leather-wrapped hilt, collapsing the metal in on itself with Pride’s guiding touch. The constriction of the blade halted as it met with a firm layer of resistance.
He could sense the Chari struggling to maintain Aveth’s entwined form as the pressure from within grew to an unbearable amount. An explosive force sent the sword flying out of Leo’s grip as a wave of water crashed outwards over the clearing, sweeping all three of them off their feet.
Pride lost her concentration, and the gravity field keeping the lawn floating collapsed into the dwindling pool of water seeping out of the yard, creating a slurry of mud as large chunks of grass rained down. Leo spat out the taste of dirt from his mouth as he slowly climbed to his feet with a feeling of déjà vu in his drenched clothes. Zeld stood in the same spot he had started on, now an island of untouched grass amidst a ruined landscape while the rest of them had been painted brown with mud.
“That was done much better than I expected,” Zeld called out, forcing the remaining water down into the ground with a whisk of his hand. He walked over to Leo and gently handed him back Aveth, which he had somehow grabbed with his other hand during the explosion. “Although if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to kill me near the end there.” He laughed merrily with the thought.
“We didn’t come close to winning, did we?” Leo asked sullenly.
“No, but that was never the real goal. Did you learn anything?” He flicked his hand once more, and all the dirt and grime covering Leo and the two beasts decided to fly thankfully away.
“In the face of absolute power, run like hell?”
Zeld laughed. “That’s one lesson, though it’s more accurate to say make their time spent killing you not worth it. Anything else?”
Leo mused over the question for a minute. “Pride and Sparky both seem to work best at a distance, so fighting on the frontlines would give them the best chance to make full use of their skills, however, that also greatly increases my risk by putting me directly in the way of potential harm. If we fight against too strong or too numerous foes like we did against the wolves, I’d get overrun in seconds, so I need a way to quickly disengage as well.”
“Hmm, I might have an exercise that can help with that,” Zeld murmured to himself thoughtfully. “After lunch that is.”
Leo was practically drooling as the words left the old man’s mouth. He was fairly confident he had received the malnourished debuff if he bothered to check his notifications. “Hey, Zeld, during the beginning of the fight, how’d you intercept my Beast Communication?” he asked as they made across the destroyed grounds to the front porch, followed closely by an equally eager Pride and Sparky.
“I never did,” the old man said simply.
18
“You going to lie there marveling at yourself all day, boy?” Leo was far too caught up in his own progression to pay the old man’s sardonic comment any mind. How could he not be? The last three weeks of hellish training and sleepless nights were finally starting to pay off. He was currently enjoying himself for his afternoon break, the one hour he was granted each day when Zeld had promised him he could relax in peace and recuperate.
He was lying on the newly minted grass, his head propped up against Sparky’s midsection of incredibly soft yellow feathers, the three weeks having run even her boundless reserves of energy dry. She was collapsed over in exhaustion without even a trace of the usual electricity dancing around her body. So naturally, Leo was taking full advantage of her current helpless state as he admired the growth to his character sheet. It seemed fitting retribution for her part in his misery and torment over the past weeks.
General
Name: Leo
Class: None
Level: 4 (785/2500)
Health: 40/40 (0.105/s)
Mana: 60/60 (0.033/s)
Attributes
Strength: (2 -> 3)
Dexterity: (3 -> 6)
Constitution: (2 -> 4)
Origin: (3 -> 6)
Luck: (1 -> 2)
Charisma: 1
Skills
● Arc Bolt (R): Level (3 -> 6) (3%)
○ Novice: Activation 19MP. Releases an electric shock dealing 24-29 damage.
● Swords (C): Level (4 -> 11) (23%)
○ Novice: Increases attack speed by 22% while wielding a sword.
● Beast Taming (R): Level (1 -> 3) (27%)
○ Novice: +6% chance to successfully increase disposition with beasts.
● Camouflage (UC): Level (1 -> 3) (42%)
○ Novice: Activation 5MP, Sustain 1MP/s. Renders user 15% harder to discern from their surroundings.
● Listening (C): Novice Level (2 -> 7) (13%)
○ Novice: Distinctly pick up any sound you focus on up to 35 feet away.
● Beast Communication (R): Novice Level (1 -> 4) (86%)
○ Novice: Mentally communicate with beasts up to 40 feet away.
Affinities
Poison: 8%
Electricity (0 -> 1%)
He had distributed his three free attributes into Origin, Dexterity and Luck. The first two were easy choices as they fit more with the combat style he was trying to build. It allowed him to use more of his active skills while giving him an easier time of safely disengaging from a fight when need be.
Luck didn’t have quite as obvious a payout as the other two, but it was an attribute as important to his build as the rest, if not more so. The system had verbally acknowledged that he had acquired some of his skills through being “lucky,” and his True Mimic trait seemed to partially rely on the attribute. He didn’t know how much it affected the world around him, but he’d take all the help he could get.
In addition to his absurd skill leveling, which made even Zeld blanch, he had also started to develop an affinity for electricity. He was told it was a side effect of spending time with a bonded beast, which Leo interpreted as if I get zapped enough, I’ll eventually build up a tolerance.
Just as he was starting to doze off, a boot found his midsection. “Oof!” Leo gasped at the impact, rubbing his sore stomach. His demonic instructor was standing over him with a toothy grin, one he most certainly didn’t like the looks of. The old man was only ever in a chipper mood when he had thoughts of a new way to make his life a living hell.
“The fruits of your labor have been quite substantial, haven’t they?” Zeld started with a nonchalant attitude.
Leo nodded slowly, still wary of the old man. He still had a few more minutes left of his break period to protect him, but his hand inched closer to Aveth nonetheless.
“I don’t suppose you recall what I mentioned during our first training session about the dangers of your growth, do ya, boy?” Zeld spoke merrily, his smile gleaming in the bright light.
Leo felt the blood slowly drain from his face as he remembered the apparent danger of spontaneous combustion. It had been so long ago he had chalked it up to Zeld needing a reason to get him to take part in the ritual. “B-but I feel fine!” he protested weakly.
“Well, if you insist, I suppose we can alter your schedule to focus solely on physical training for the next month or so,” Zeld mused, rubbing a hand along his beard. Leo’s face must’ve shown the horror he felt as the old devil released a chuckle. “Or you can go take care of the imp cache residing in the northern reaches of the gard-” The old man paused mid-sentence, head tilted to one side and eyes suddenly sharpening.
“You’re not having a stroke on me, are you?” Leo asked hesitantly after a few quiet moments.
Then Zeld’s features eased. “Amira’s flock has reported intruders in an airship approaching our island.” His tone didn’t at all suit the news; it sounded exasperated, as if this was something he had to deal with on a frequent basis.
“Should I be concerned?” he asked nervously, quickly standing.
Zeld barked a laugh. “Only if I actually have a stroke scaring them off. Rumors got out about the treasures we have tucked away in here a while back, and now it seems like every half-wit adventurer and would-be fortune-seeker wants to try their luck.”
“Do you…want me to come with you?” Leo asked hopefully. He was eager to see more of the world’s inhabitants, even if it was from a distance.
Zeld laughed again. “Maybe when you’ve grown a pair of wings, boy! You stay here. The main opening to the garden is protected by the Chari, and the other openings are small and obscure enough not to be easily noticed. This shouldn’t take long.” With that remark, Zeld disappeared in a ripple of movement, leaving only gouges in the earth where his feet had been.
Leo stood there staring at the foot-sized craters for several moments, feeling justifiably useless. Being a resident of Erreth meant it was as much his duty to protect their territory as it was Zeld’s, yet at his current strength he knew he would be more of a hindrance than a help.
His previous accomplishments suddenly seemed much less impressive than they had before. At the rate he was growing, it would be a long while before he was able to achieve any of his goals.
Whether the threat of spontaneous combustion was real or not, he needed to grow even faster. Limbering up his sore body, he decided to take Zeld’s advice, and turned to his companions with newfound determination. “Who wants to go slay some imps!”
Sparky lifted her head from off the ground. His energy was infectious and she let out an excited cry of her own before hopping to her taloned feet. Pride, who had been taking a cat nap on the porch, got up more laxly, stretching out her front paws with a wide yawn before ghosting through the air over to them. Leo reestablished their mental communication link once more before taking a path that would lead him to the northern reaches of the garden.
* * *
Pride, keep them off my flanks! Leo called out as he cleaved his sword in a horizontal strike, bisecting the small greenish body directly in front of him. The small naked humanoid let out an anguished scream as its purple organs and blood sprayed its numerous neighbors. The imp’s death seemed to work the others into a frenzy, and they surged forward like a tidal wave, screaming in an unintelligible tongue. Just before he was overcome, a strong force of gravity pressed down and immobilized the swath of bloodthirsty cretins threatening to wash over him.
You have killed Wood Imp (Level 2). You gain 54 Exp.
They had encountered their first group of imps swarming over what appeared to be a human-sized mantis in the forest of plants. The mantis’s scythes rapidly tore apart one imp after another like it was cutting through a field, but even its quick strikes were not enough to stem the tide of ugly foot-high creatures who simply stormed over the bodies of their fallen kin as they attempted to bury the mantis with their own flesh.
They climbed all over the insect, using pointy branches and small rocks to stab and bash every part of the mantis’s hardened body. When their weapons broke, they gnawed at their prey with pointed teeth sharp enough to rip apart the bug’s thick carapace. The creatures were not as agile or strong as the forest wolves, but their numbers and lack of self-preservation made them far more dangerous.
But did they have to be so hideous, Leo thought as he stepped past the angular head of his most recent victim. The creatures had a pot-bellied humanoid appearance with a pointed head too large for the rest of their hairless figure. Their entirely black eyes were sunken back into their skull and they had two slits where their nose should be, but the worst part was the gooey substance that dripped from their body as if the lot of them had just been dunked in a pit of purple slime.
Why is it I ruin my clothes everywhere I go? he thought bleakly as he shook off more of the goop that had splashed on his body from the numerous imps he had already slain. As far as he could tell, the slimy substance had no adverse effects. It just made the creatures more slippery to get a hold of, and a lot more disgusting to fight.
His boot cracked across the head of an imp as he lashed out toward the sea of creatures with a violent kick. There was an audible crack from its fragile bones breaking as it flew backward to collide with another behind it, sending them both crashing to the ground.
Leo snapped back his leg quickly, trying to avoid the numerous tiny grasping hands. The reaction was only partially successful as all but one of the creatures managed to grab hold. The imp clinging to his leg immediately began stabbing into his greaves with its crude spear. Leo let out a snort of disgust as the creature’s wet body covered the leg of his pants with a layer of slime. At least the spear attacks were ineffective; Zeld had given him another worn set of armor similar in quality and type to the first. This caused all of the creature’s efforts to barely put a scratch in the thick leather hide.
He struck out with a fist at the imp, not wanting to waste mana on an Arc Bolt if he didn’t have to. The punch collided with the fiend, but the creature’s slimy coating managed to deflect most of the blow. His grazing strike managed to knock the imp off-balance and it flailed in the air, releasing the stick in its hand as it desperately sought to retain its grip.
Two more imps tackled his legs while he was focused on trying to get the first one off of him. Their added weight made his movements cumbersome, and he knew it was only a matter of seconds before even more piled on. Okay, I could use some more help now! Leo sent out a slightly panicked call as he swept Aveth in a wide arc to keep more of the rushing tide at bay.
