Bunny Girl Evolution 2: A Monster Evolution LitRPG, page 26
“But you do now.”
“I do.” But since when?
“Then why not embrace it? It’s a trait that will serve you well no matter what you choose to do. As long as you can keep it under control, of course.”
“I guess…”
Hans definitely had a point, and what he said made sense, but Elise wasn’t sure how she felt about it. It was definitely something that would help her grow stronger if she didn’t get herself killed, and she needed to get stronger to be able to avenge the Grays. Even so, she found herself asking the same question she had been asking ever since she had time to sit and think: What about after?
Just keep going, said a voice in her head. Why stop?
If I just make my goal to get stronger and enjoy the process, how am I different from Emilia?
Just don’t manipulate cultures into war for the sake of leveling, and you will be different from Emilia.
That was too valid a point for her to mentally refute, so she decided to set the internal conflict aside as Hans started talking again. It wasn’t something she needed to worry about just yet. She had to save Nick and Bianca, find Sophie, and kill the warg.
“Looks like you need a bit of time,” said Hans.
“Huh? No, I’m ready.”
“I mean to finish healing and replenishing mana.”
“Oh. Yeah. Right.”
Elise meditated for a little while to re-absorb and re-purify her mana while also occasionally using {Fairy Dust} to top off her injuries. After half an hour or so, she was fully recovered, and Hans once again led her deeper into the Jungle. They soon came across a troop of monkeys with another screecher. This time, Elise tried to use {Suggest} to stop it from using its sonic attack. This did not work, and she was once again forced to take extra time to recover her ears after the battle.
Hans used his own {Fairy Dust} again to help her heal, but to Elise’s surprise, he only got a few seconds out before he ran out. It only took her a second to connect that back to her own seemingly limitless ability to use {Suggest}. Her {Fairy Dust} also ran on Charisma, and she had previously been able to bless nearly entire cities with it before running out. She wasn’t even close to running out at that moment either.
She checked the description of {Rune of Fate} and once again saw nothing beyond what it had shown before. However, by this time, it was finally off-cooldown. All three charges were available. She debated for a few seconds, then decided that she needed to test it. It was too powerful of a skill for her to know so little about it, and it seemed to be tied to the mystery of Charisma.
But was it safe to activate it with Hans around? He probably wouldn’t hurt her, but what if he started worshipping her or something? The skill seemed to be tied to Titania, goddess of the fey, and he was a fey. That would be annoying, and she definitely didn’t want him bringing word back to Ostra about it. Could she really hide it from him, though? Would he leave her alone long enough to test it?
It can’t hurt to ask.
“Hans?” she said.
“Is something wrong?” came his distorted voice through her still-ruptured eardrums. “You stopped meditating a little while ago.”
“Can I be alone for a bit? I need to test something, but it’s… private.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell you.”
He pondered for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure. You can take care of yourself now. Do you want to just finish the hunting for today on your own? I’ll head a bit deeper to get some practice of my own in.”
“That would be great!” said Elise, trying not to sound too excited.
“Do you know the way back?”
“I can figure it out.”
“Then I’ll see you at sunset.”
She watched him zip away into the Jungle, and not more than two seconds later, he was out of sight. She had no idea if he was actually going, or if he only pretended to leave, and was actually waiting behind a tree to see what she would do, so she got up and flew around a bit. She tried to appear like she was moving aimlessly, but was careful to keep an eye on the direction he had gone. Once she was reasonably certain that he was truly gone, she returned to where she had been meditating and closed her eyes.
Then, she opened them again, realizing that if she was going to test, she wanted to have all her options available. She couldn’t use {Suggest} without a target, so if she wanted to be thorough, she would need one. She went back up into the air, then started flying roughly straight back out of the Jungle. She didn’t want to run into another screecher and have to heal her ears for a third time that day.
About ten minutes later, she finally heard the slightly muffled sound of another group of monkeys in the distance. She stopped right where she was, knowing that with her damaged ears, the fact that she could hear them meant they were actually quite close. She found a relatively hidden-looking bundle of tree roots below and sat down and closed her eyes.
Titania? Are you there? I’d like to use the Rune of Fate right now, please.
A familiar warmth flowed through her body, and when she opened her eyes, her wings were bathing the ground below her in soft golden light. Immediately, she used {Fairy Dust} on herself, healing her ears in seconds and bringing the sounds of the monkeys into full focus. They were indeed quite close. She would be able to reach them in no more than a minute, which was perfect. Before that, though, she had some things she needed to test.
When not channeling the rune like she was now, it seemed to passively let her use her Charisma-based skills a lot more than she normally would have been able to, while doing nothing for her other skills. The last two times she had activated the skill, she had only used Charisma-based skills, so she had no idea how it affected other skills. She had refrained from using {Magic Missile} back then because she was worried about collateral damage from the super-charged attack, but after learning more about Charisma and the rune, she was starting to think she actually didn’t have much to worry about.
She was still cautious when she tested it, aiming the spell at a tree at the very edge of its range, but her hypothesis was proven… inconclusive. It was indeed stronger, but not so much so that it felt truly divine. It definitely didn’t get anywhere near as much of a boost as {Suggest} or {Fairy Dust} did. In fact, she couldn’t even tell if it was truly more powerful. It was more like it was just a bit more efficient, and she was able to channel a bit more mana than usual into it. Almost as though she was using a higher-level version of it…
Instinctually, she knew that she was onto something. It still didn’t make total sense, not did it explain why {Suggest} and {Fairy Dust} got so much more powerful. If {Magic Missile} was a higher-level version of itself, then {Suggest} and {Fairy Dust} were evolved versions of the skills. The effects were increased so drastically that they could no longer be called the same skill. {Suggest} became more of a command, and the {Fairy Dust} blessings were at the level of something truly divine.
She guessed that this was because those two skills were Charisma-based, while {Magic Missile} was mana-based. That meant that for some reason, “divine power” did more for Charisma-based skills than mana-based ones, but the fact that it did anything for mana-based skills at all sort of ruined her theories. She had been guessing that Charisma-based skills ran on this same “divine power,” but if it affected mana skills as well, that couldn’t be the case. Unless…
She gasped as an idea sprung to mind. Mana was an energy that existed in the world and could be sensed by anyone. Whatever the Charisma skills ran on was not. They functioned on some other unknown, mysterious kind of energy. What else functioned on an unknown, mysterious energy? The System! And the gods were the ones who commissioned the System, so it made sense that it would run on this “divine power.”
Except, if it was also used by Charisma skills, then was it truly “divine power”? If everyone could use it, what made it divine? Nothing. That meant that her skill description must have been lying to her. It had done it before when it called itself the {Mark of Fate} rather than {Rune of Fate}. Why couldn’t it be doing it again? She rechecked the description, and for some reason, it still hadn’t changed.
What am I missing?
She knew she was close to a breakthrough. She was confident that most of what she had guessed was true, and the last time she had learned something new like that, it had updated the description. She was missing an important piece. Was it just the true name of the fake divine power? How would she figure it out, though? It wasn’t like she could ask the System…
Wait! System, what is the true name of divine power?
She held her breath as she waited. It was a long shot, but if the System ran off divine power, then perhaps she would be able to get some real answers out of it now that she was overflowing with it.
“I’m sorry, you don’t have access to that information.”
She deflated for a moment, but then shook her head and steeled her resolve.
I command that you tell me what the true name of divine power is!
Elise tried to push the divine power flowing through her into the question. It didn’t work at all, but rather than denying her command, the System started doing something it had never done before. Its voice glitched and made rapid stuttering sounds for a few seconds that eventually turned into a high-pitched whine before shutting off entirely. Elise waited eagerly for half a minute longer before the voice came back.
“I apologize for the delay. The true name of divine power is aether.”
[ More information about {Rune of Fate} is now available. ]
25 - Aether Quests
Elise wasted no time in opening the skill and reading the new description.
[ {Rune of Fate}: A rune granted by !@#$%^&* that @#$%^&*. Allows the user to channel divinely given aether. Current charges: 2/3. Cooldown: 30 days. !@#$%^&* ]
She felt proud that she had managed to uncover that part of the mystery, but she was also annoyed that it was only part of it. The new description didn’t even cover that it passively gave her more aether as well.
No sooner did she think that than the description shimmered and changed again.
[ {Rune of Fate}: A rune spawned by the user’s natural traits that indicates their latent ability to channel and control aether. Allows the user to channel divinely-given aether. Current charges: 2/3. Cooldown: 30 days. Grants the following Skill Quests: {Aether Sense}, {Aether Manipulation}, {Aether Absorption}. !@#$%^&* ]
Now that’s more like it!
Elise did a backflip in midair for joy at having largely solved the mystery. There was still that bit of gibberish at the end, but since she had no idea what it could possibly be, she decided just to accept her victory for now and worry about it later. After a few seconds, she calmed down enough to take a closer look at the new description and think about its discrepancies with the previous ones.
The very first sentence had changed. And it didn’t just fill in the blanks like she had expected it to. It had completely changed. Was the rune not granted, then? Was it just something she had naturally? She felt incredibly lied to. Why did the System make it sound like someone else had given it to her before? Were her own thoughts corrupting the information? That didn’t make a ton of sense, but then again, the System ran on aether, and aether was used for mental skills. Maybe her thoughts had influenced the description. She wasn’t sure about that, but it made enough sense, and she didn’t have any better ideas, so she shrugged and moved on.
“Divine power” had changed to “divinely-given aether.” That made sense. Her extra power was definitely divine, but knowing that it was aether rather than some other nebulous power made sense. Not that aether wasn’t nebulous, but now that she knew what it was called and had at least an idea of what it did, it seemed a lot more approachable.
Lastly, there were the Skill Quests. She opened them up excitedly, but the excitement faded slightly when she saw what the requirements to unlock them were.
[ {Aether Sense} (Skill Quest): Discover the existence of Aether. Reach Tier 5 in your class or species ]
[ Progress: 1/2 ]
[ Reward: {Aether Sense} skill ]
[ {Aether Manipulation} (Skill Quest): Discover the existence of Aether. Reach Tier 6 in your class or species. Acquire {Aether Sense} skill ]
[ Progress: 1/3 ]
[ Reward: {Aether Manipulation} skill ]
[ {Aether Absorption} (Skill Quest): Discover the existence of Aether. Reach Tier 7 in your class or species. Acquire {Aether Sense} skill. Acquire {Aether Manipulation} skill ]
[ Progress: 1/4 ]
[ Reward: {Aether Absorption} skill ]
It put a bit of a damper on her mood, but she quickly pushed that dissatisfaction aside. Five minutes ago, she didn’t know about aether, nor did she have a way to unlock those skills. Now, she not only had answers, she had a simple, straightforward way to unlock what seemed to be rather versatile skills. All she had to do was level up.
She turned her attention back to the sound of the monkeys a few hundred feet away. She still had about five minutes left on her divine aether, and a few more things she wanted to experiment with. She felt a little conflicted about using the monkeys as test subjects like some kind of mad scientist, but she pushed those concerns aside. She was going to hunt them anyway. What was wrong with testing her skills a little bit along the way?
◆◆◆
Bianca wasn’t sure what happened. She went to sleep in a comfortable bed in her cabin on the ship. When she woke up, she was in a comfortable bed in a stone tower. Or at least, it felt like a tower. The suite was circular, and whenever it was mealtime, the food arrived through a hatch on the ground, but the windows were filled with more stone, so she couldn’t see outside, and she couldn’t hear anything outside of this room.
It was not an uncomfortable place. She had been terrified when she first woke up there, but after more than a week, she was now simply confused. She had no idea where she was or why she was there. She assumed she was kidnapped, but whoever had done it had yet to reveal themselves.
They were treating her somewhat well. Her main bedroom was almost the size of her bedroom at home, and there was a sizable bathroom where she could take care of her hygienic needs, as well as a closet full of fine clothes. The food she got was simple, but well-made, and despite her earliest suspicions, didn’t seem to be laced with anything.
The only real discomfort she had was the way the room was completely devoid of mana. Her own body had been drained as well, so she had no way to replenish. Without it, she had no way to escape or even gather information. Her physical stats were practically nonexistent, so she couldn’t even budge the trapdoor entrance, let alone try to break the stone.
It was only on the eighth day that she finally met another person. As with her own arrival in the room, Bianca had no idea how the other woman got there. One second, she was alone, lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, and the next, another woman was standing over her.
“Good evening,” she said.
Bianca scrambled back until she was pressed against the wall.
“Who are you?” she asked. “Where am I? Why am I here?”
The other woman was wearing an elegant dress, the same deep black as her hair, with a lower neckline than Bianca would ever dare to try, and her full red lips were pressed into a smile. Her eyes were as red as her lips, and Bianca couldn’t help but feel like they were peering right into her soul.
“I am the Lady,” said the other woman. “I apologize for the late introduction. I’m afraid I had to step away to take care of some business. Have my subordinates been treating you well?”
“I guess?” replied Bianca. “Where am I?”
“You will find out in due time. Now, stand up.”
“What does that mean?” asked Bianca.
“I said stand up,” said the Lady, her smile fading. “Do not make me tell you a third time.”
Bianca wanted to protest, but that last sentence made her blood run cold. Without another word, she crawled to the edge of the bed and stood up.
“Spin,” said the Lady.
Bianca spun. When she was facing forward again, the Lady was smiling.
“You would make a fine addition to my Garden.” From the way she said it, Bianca knew it had nothing to do with actual plants. “Unfortunately, that will have to wait. You have a very important role to play soon. You’ll be our princess!”
“What does that mean?”
“All in due time,” said the Lady, clearly enjoying Bianca’s confusion. “Now that I’ve had a good look at you, I can see why your fiancé was so adamant about protecting you. You are quite lovely.”
“Nick?” asked Bianca. “Is he here? Is he safe?”
“He is near,” said the Lady, nodding. “And he is safe so long as he does not do anything foolish. However, you may find him… changed.”
“Changed? What does that mean?”
The Lady’s smile widened into a grin, baring her teeth. Bianca noticed for the first time how long and thin her upper canines were.
“Well, that’s all the time I have for today. ‘Twas nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”
“Wait!” shouted Bianca, but the other woman was already gone.
◆◆◆
A week after Nick’s unplanned evolution, he had settled into a consistent routine of nothing. It was a more comfortable nothing than he had been doing in the cell, but it was really more of an upgraded prison than anything else. He hadn’t been booked for any fights and had only left his house’s property to visit the Lady once.
When he got there, he was pleased to find that {Fighter’s Instincts} worked on the Lady now. Unfortunately, that only reinforced the feeling of helplessness. Even with his added stats from his evolution, and even with {Vampire-Bane}, which increased them by another 50% when facing a Vampire, he would die in seconds.
He had been a bit worried that she would kill him when she found out what he had become, but she only seemed a bit amused, and not at all bothered.
“I thought I planted a flower, but you’ve grown into a cactus,” she said. “A cactus can still look nice in a garden, though.”
“I do.” But since when?
“Then why not embrace it? It’s a trait that will serve you well no matter what you choose to do. As long as you can keep it under control, of course.”
“I guess…”
Hans definitely had a point, and what he said made sense, but Elise wasn’t sure how she felt about it. It was definitely something that would help her grow stronger if she didn’t get herself killed, and she needed to get stronger to be able to avenge the Grays. Even so, she found herself asking the same question she had been asking ever since she had time to sit and think: What about after?
Just keep going, said a voice in her head. Why stop?
If I just make my goal to get stronger and enjoy the process, how am I different from Emilia?
Just don’t manipulate cultures into war for the sake of leveling, and you will be different from Emilia.
That was too valid a point for her to mentally refute, so she decided to set the internal conflict aside as Hans started talking again. It wasn’t something she needed to worry about just yet. She had to save Nick and Bianca, find Sophie, and kill the warg.
“Looks like you need a bit of time,” said Hans.
“Huh? No, I’m ready.”
“I mean to finish healing and replenishing mana.”
“Oh. Yeah. Right.”
Elise meditated for a little while to re-absorb and re-purify her mana while also occasionally using {Fairy Dust} to top off her injuries. After half an hour or so, she was fully recovered, and Hans once again led her deeper into the Jungle. They soon came across a troop of monkeys with another screecher. This time, Elise tried to use {Suggest} to stop it from using its sonic attack. This did not work, and she was once again forced to take extra time to recover her ears after the battle.
Hans used his own {Fairy Dust} again to help her heal, but to Elise’s surprise, he only got a few seconds out before he ran out. It only took her a second to connect that back to her own seemingly limitless ability to use {Suggest}. Her {Fairy Dust} also ran on Charisma, and she had previously been able to bless nearly entire cities with it before running out. She wasn’t even close to running out at that moment either.
She checked the description of {Rune of Fate} and once again saw nothing beyond what it had shown before. However, by this time, it was finally off-cooldown. All three charges were available. She debated for a few seconds, then decided that she needed to test it. It was too powerful of a skill for her to know so little about it, and it seemed to be tied to the mystery of Charisma.
But was it safe to activate it with Hans around? He probably wouldn’t hurt her, but what if he started worshipping her or something? The skill seemed to be tied to Titania, goddess of the fey, and he was a fey. That would be annoying, and she definitely didn’t want him bringing word back to Ostra about it. Could she really hide it from him, though? Would he leave her alone long enough to test it?
It can’t hurt to ask.
“Hans?” she said.
“Is something wrong?” came his distorted voice through her still-ruptured eardrums. “You stopped meditating a little while ago.”
“Can I be alone for a bit? I need to test something, but it’s… private.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell you.”
He pondered for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure. You can take care of yourself now. Do you want to just finish the hunting for today on your own? I’ll head a bit deeper to get some practice of my own in.”
“That would be great!” said Elise, trying not to sound too excited.
“Do you know the way back?”
“I can figure it out.”
“Then I’ll see you at sunset.”
She watched him zip away into the Jungle, and not more than two seconds later, he was out of sight. She had no idea if he was actually going, or if he only pretended to leave, and was actually waiting behind a tree to see what she would do, so she got up and flew around a bit. She tried to appear like she was moving aimlessly, but was careful to keep an eye on the direction he had gone. Once she was reasonably certain that he was truly gone, she returned to where she had been meditating and closed her eyes.
Then, she opened them again, realizing that if she was going to test, she wanted to have all her options available. She couldn’t use {Suggest} without a target, so if she wanted to be thorough, she would need one. She went back up into the air, then started flying roughly straight back out of the Jungle. She didn’t want to run into another screecher and have to heal her ears for a third time that day.
About ten minutes later, she finally heard the slightly muffled sound of another group of monkeys in the distance. She stopped right where she was, knowing that with her damaged ears, the fact that she could hear them meant they were actually quite close. She found a relatively hidden-looking bundle of tree roots below and sat down and closed her eyes.
Titania? Are you there? I’d like to use the Rune of Fate right now, please.
A familiar warmth flowed through her body, and when she opened her eyes, her wings were bathing the ground below her in soft golden light. Immediately, she used {Fairy Dust} on herself, healing her ears in seconds and bringing the sounds of the monkeys into full focus. They were indeed quite close. She would be able to reach them in no more than a minute, which was perfect. Before that, though, she had some things she needed to test.
When not channeling the rune like she was now, it seemed to passively let her use her Charisma-based skills a lot more than she normally would have been able to, while doing nothing for her other skills. The last two times she had activated the skill, she had only used Charisma-based skills, so she had no idea how it affected other skills. She had refrained from using {Magic Missile} back then because she was worried about collateral damage from the super-charged attack, but after learning more about Charisma and the rune, she was starting to think she actually didn’t have much to worry about.
She was still cautious when she tested it, aiming the spell at a tree at the very edge of its range, but her hypothesis was proven… inconclusive. It was indeed stronger, but not so much so that it felt truly divine. It definitely didn’t get anywhere near as much of a boost as {Suggest} or {Fairy Dust} did. In fact, she couldn’t even tell if it was truly more powerful. It was more like it was just a bit more efficient, and she was able to channel a bit more mana than usual into it. Almost as though she was using a higher-level version of it…
Instinctually, she knew that she was onto something. It still didn’t make total sense, not did it explain why {Suggest} and {Fairy Dust} got so much more powerful. If {Magic Missile} was a higher-level version of itself, then {Suggest} and {Fairy Dust} were evolved versions of the skills. The effects were increased so drastically that they could no longer be called the same skill. {Suggest} became more of a command, and the {Fairy Dust} blessings were at the level of something truly divine.
She guessed that this was because those two skills were Charisma-based, while {Magic Missile} was mana-based. That meant that for some reason, “divine power” did more for Charisma-based skills than mana-based ones, but the fact that it did anything for mana-based skills at all sort of ruined her theories. She had been guessing that Charisma-based skills ran on this same “divine power,” but if it affected mana skills as well, that couldn’t be the case. Unless…
She gasped as an idea sprung to mind. Mana was an energy that existed in the world and could be sensed by anyone. Whatever the Charisma skills ran on was not. They functioned on some other unknown, mysterious kind of energy. What else functioned on an unknown, mysterious energy? The System! And the gods were the ones who commissioned the System, so it made sense that it would run on this “divine power.”
Except, if it was also used by Charisma skills, then was it truly “divine power”? If everyone could use it, what made it divine? Nothing. That meant that her skill description must have been lying to her. It had done it before when it called itself the {Mark of Fate} rather than {Rune of Fate}. Why couldn’t it be doing it again? She rechecked the description, and for some reason, it still hadn’t changed.
What am I missing?
She knew she was close to a breakthrough. She was confident that most of what she had guessed was true, and the last time she had learned something new like that, it had updated the description. She was missing an important piece. Was it just the true name of the fake divine power? How would she figure it out, though? It wasn’t like she could ask the System…
Wait! System, what is the true name of divine power?
She held her breath as she waited. It was a long shot, but if the System ran off divine power, then perhaps she would be able to get some real answers out of it now that she was overflowing with it.
“I’m sorry, you don’t have access to that information.”
She deflated for a moment, but then shook her head and steeled her resolve.
I command that you tell me what the true name of divine power is!
Elise tried to push the divine power flowing through her into the question. It didn’t work at all, but rather than denying her command, the System started doing something it had never done before. Its voice glitched and made rapid stuttering sounds for a few seconds that eventually turned into a high-pitched whine before shutting off entirely. Elise waited eagerly for half a minute longer before the voice came back.
“I apologize for the delay. The true name of divine power is aether.”
[ More information about {Rune of Fate} is now available. ]
25 - Aether Quests
Elise wasted no time in opening the skill and reading the new description.
[ {Rune of Fate}: A rune granted by !@#$%^&* that @#$%^&*. Allows the user to channel divinely given aether. Current charges: 2/3. Cooldown: 30 days. !@#$%^&* ]
She felt proud that she had managed to uncover that part of the mystery, but she was also annoyed that it was only part of it. The new description didn’t even cover that it passively gave her more aether as well.
No sooner did she think that than the description shimmered and changed again.
[ {Rune of Fate}: A rune spawned by the user’s natural traits that indicates their latent ability to channel and control aether. Allows the user to channel divinely-given aether. Current charges: 2/3. Cooldown: 30 days. Grants the following Skill Quests: {Aether Sense}, {Aether Manipulation}, {Aether Absorption}. !@#$%^&* ]
Now that’s more like it!
Elise did a backflip in midair for joy at having largely solved the mystery. There was still that bit of gibberish at the end, but since she had no idea what it could possibly be, she decided just to accept her victory for now and worry about it later. After a few seconds, she calmed down enough to take a closer look at the new description and think about its discrepancies with the previous ones.
The very first sentence had changed. And it didn’t just fill in the blanks like she had expected it to. It had completely changed. Was the rune not granted, then? Was it just something she had naturally? She felt incredibly lied to. Why did the System make it sound like someone else had given it to her before? Were her own thoughts corrupting the information? That didn’t make a ton of sense, but then again, the System ran on aether, and aether was used for mental skills. Maybe her thoughts had influenced the description. She wasn’t sure about that, but it made enough sense, and she didn’t have any better ideas, so she shrugged and moved on.
“Divine power” had changed to “divinely-given aether.” That made sense. Her extra power was definitely divine, but knowing that it was aether rather than some other nebulous power made sense. Not that aether wasn’t nebulous, but now that she knew what it was called and had at least an idea of what it did, it seemed a lot more approachable.
Lastly, there were the Skill Quests. She opened them up excitedly, but the excitement faded slightly when she saw what the requirements to unlock them were.
[ {Aether Sense} (Skill Quest): Discover the existence of Aether. Reach Tier 5 in your class or species ]
[ Progress: 1/2 ]
[ Reward: {Aether Sense} skill ]
[ {Aether Manipulation} (Skill Quest): Discover the existence of Aether. Reach Tier 6 in your class or species. Acquire {Aether Sense} skill ]
[ Progress: 1/3 ]
[ Reward: {Aether Manipulation} skill ]
[ {Aether Absorption} (Skill Quest): Discover the existence of Aether. Reach Tier 7 in your class or species. Acquire {Aether Sense} skill. Acquire {Aether Manipulation} skill ]
[ Progress: 1/4 ]
[ Reward: {Aether Absorption} skill ]
It put a bit of a damper on her mood, but she quickly pushed that dissatisfaction aside. Five minutes ago, she didn’t know about aether, nor did she have a way to unlock those skills. Now, she not only had answers, she had a simple, straightforward way to unlock what seemed to be rather versatile skills. All she had to do was level up.
She turned her attention back to the sound of the monkeys a few hundred feet away. She still had about five minutes left on her divine aether, and a few more things she wanted to experiment with. She felt a little conflicted about using the monkeys as test subjects like some kind of mad scientist, but she pushed those concerns aside. She was going to hunt them anyway. What was wrong with testing her skills a little bit along the way?
◆◆◆
Bianca wasn’t sure what happened. She went to sleep in a comfortable bed in her cabin on the ship. When she woke up, she was in a comfortable bed in a stone tower. Or at least, it felt like a tower. The suite was circular, and whenever it was mealtime, the food arrived through a hatch on the ground, but the windows were filled with more stone, so she couldn’t see outside, and she couldn’t hear anything outside of this room.
It was not an uncomfortable place. She had been terrified when she first woke up there, but after more than a week, she was now simply confused. She had no idea where she was or why she was there. She assumed she was kidnapped, but whoever had done it had yet to reveal themselves.
They were treating her somewhat well. Her main bedroom was almost the size of her bedroom at home, and there was a sizable bathroom where she could take care of her hygienic needs, as well as a closet full of fine clothes. The food she got was simple, but well-made, and despite her earliest suspicions, didn’t seem to be laced with anything.
The only real discomfort she had was the way the room was completely devoid of mana. Her own body had been drained as well, so she had no way to replenish. Without it, she had no way to escape or even gather information. Her physical stats were practically nonexistent, so she couldn’t even budge the trapdoor entrance, let alone try to break the stone.
It was only on the eighth day that she finally met another person. As with her own arrival in the room, Bianca had no idea how the other woman got there. One second, she was alone, lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, and the next, another woman was standing over her.
“Good evening,” she said.
Bianca scrambled back until she was pressed against the wall.
“Who are you?” she asked. “Where am I? Why am I here?”
The other woman was wearing an elegant dress, the same deep black as her hair, with a lower neckline than Bianca would ever dare to try, and her full red lips were pressed into a smile. Her eyes were as red as her lips, and Bianca couldn’t help but feel like they were peering right into her soul.
“I am the Lady,” said the other woman. “I apologize for the late introduction. I’m afraid I had to step away to take care of some business. Have my subordinates been treating you well?”
“I guess?” replied Bianca. “Where am I?”
“You will find out in due time. Now, stand up.”
“What does that mean?” asked Bianca.
“I said stand up,” said the Lady, her smile fading. “Do not make me tell you a third time.”
Bianca wanted to protest, but that last sentence made her blood run cold. Without another word, she crawled to the edge of the bed and stood up.
“Spin,” said the Lady.
Bianca spun. When she was facing forward again, the Lady was smiling.
“You would make a fine addition to my Garden.” From the way she said it, Bianca knew it had nothing to do with actual plants. “Unfortunately, that will have to wait. You have a very important role to play soon. You’ll be our princess!”
“What does that mean?”
“All in due time,” said the Lady, clearly enjoying Bianca’s confusion. “Now that I’ve had a good look at you, I can see why your fiancé was so adamant about protecting you. You are quite lovely.”
“Nick?” asked Bianca. “Is he here? Is he safe?”
“He is near,” said the Lady, nodding. “And he is safe so long as he does not do anything foolish. However, you may find him… changed.”
“Changed? What does that mean?”
The Lady’s smile widened into a grin, baring her teeth. Bianca noticed for the first time how long and thin her upper canines were.
“Well, that’s all the time I have for today. ‘Twas nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”
“Wait!” shouted Bianca, but the other woman was already gone.
◆◆◆
A week after Nick’s unplanned evolution, he had settled into a consistent routine of nothing. It was a more comfortable nothing than he had been doing in the cell, but it was really more of an upgraded prison than anything else. He hadn’t been booked for any fights and had only left his house’s property to visit the Lady once.
When he got there, he was pleased to find that {Fighter’s Instincts} worked on the Lady now. Unfortunately, that only reinforced the feeling of helplessness. Even with his added stats from his evolution, and even with {Vampire-Bane}, which increased them by another 50% when facing a Vampire, he would die in seconds.
He had been a bit worried that she would kill him when she found out what he had become, but she only seemed a bit amused, and not at all bothered.
“I thought I planted a flower, but you’ve grown into a cactus,” she said. “A cactus can still look nice in a garden, though.”
