"As you are all aware, during the period now known today as antiquity, the people had once worshipped the Greek Gods; told stories of these divine entities descending from the heavens to mingle in mortal affairs, how Aphrodite charmed the beautiful lady Helen of Sparta to fall for the prince of the Trojans, Paris. This act was believed to have sparked the Trojan war, leading to countless deaths." Mr. Brunner stopped for a moment to regain his breath, "Whilst that was an extreme example of divinity mingling with mortals leading to a catastrophic war, there are many stories where the opposite happens. Where man has mingled with Divinity in cruel and evil ways. Take the story of King Tantalus of Sipylus as an example. A wicked monar—"
Mr. Brunner was interrupted by a series of giggling and laughing echoing near one of the statues. Sighing, Mr. Brunner looked to Mrs. Dodds. "Maybe this would be a great time to break and have lunch." Cheers erupted from the crowd as the children began coalescing into various groups before heading away from the museum exhibits, making their way back to the entrance of the museum. All but Nancy and Percy. "Nancy, aren't you coming with?" A girl with blonde curly hair questioned, "Go without me, Stace." Nancy replied, "I'm gonna stay bit."
"Okie!" Came the response, "But don't spend too much time with that dork or you'll become one!" Stacey's comment was directed towards Percy. Percy immediately glared at the girl; but it went unnoticed. "Mr. Brunner, do you mind if we walk around the exhibit for a bit?" Surprising, Nancy was the one who asked the question. "Of course, Ms. Bobofit; I do ask that you two don't cause trouble."
"Of course, Mr. Brunner." Nancy replied, showing an uncharacteristically polite side of her. The two watched as their advisor and chaperone maneuvered his wheelchair away. Waiting until Mr. Brunner was out of sight, Nancy turned to Percy, "You went into the dungeon again, didn't you." Nancy stated, accusatorily. "I did not!" Percy lied, trying to defend himself.
[Deception: 6]
"Really? Then why are you limping?" The question came out more as a statement rather than a question. "I sprained my ankle."
[Deception: 14]
"Uh huh." Nancy responded, not believing her friend's lie, "Whatever." Nancy rolled her eyes. "I was going to ask if you wanted to go back into the dungeon again, but you already had gone without me." Her voice gave hints of betrayal. "I'm sorry," Percy admitted, "I wanted to train, and I thought if we went together, you'd be in danger." Percy admitted.
"I… I" Nancy was left at a loss for words, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I do enjoy adventuring with you." Nancy comforted. "And I do have something to tell you too." Taking a breath in, Nancy tried to muster up her courage, "I picked up a strange rock and it did a weird thing."
Percy was confused; "Nancy might have found a skill stone." Seraphine interjected herself. "What did the rock look like?" Percy questioned. "It—" Nancy was abruptly interrupted as a voice growled aloud from the exhibit entrance, "Jackson. We know you stole the Master Bolt."
"Mrs. Dodds?" Nancy questioned. Confused. "What… what are you talking about?" Percy instinctively took a few steps past Nancy, placing a protective arm in front of her. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mrs. Dodds."
"Do not play dumb with me, Jackson." Mrs. Dodds growled; her eyes narrowed, her eyes now slitted and glowing a deep seated red as it shifted into a more feral appearance. "Alright, Alecto." Percy snarled back, "I don't know what you're talking about stealing the Master Bolt. But I can promise you that I will kill you a hundred times over if you lay a hand on Nancy."
In an instant, Percy's backpack exploded as a geyser of water shot outwards. Drenching Percy, the water immediately began to crystalize, forming a protective coating around him.
[Ice Armor]
"So, it's true then. A child of the big three." Mrs. Dodds growled, a sinister smirk growing on face. "I will enjoy ripping you two to shreds." The visage of an elderly lady with leathery, wrinkled skin began to melt away. Where Mrs. Dodds once stood, now a bat-like creature with sharp, blackened talons. Standing well over six feet, the creature towered over the two teens.
"If you think that's going to scare me, you're dead wrong, Alecto." Percy growled as he glanced to the puddle by his feet. Focusing inwardly, Percy manipulated puddle to condense into his [Aqua Blade].
"Neat trick." Alecto admitted, "But that's not going to save you." In a blur, Alecto shot forward, her wings gliding seamlessly through the air. In one swift motion, Alecto aimed to swipe her sharpened claw at Percy's neck.
[Dodge Chance: 88/100]
Instinctively, Percy backstepped to avoid the deadly claws before maneuvering back towards Alecto, slipping pass her defenses. Stomping on the ground, Percy sent a [Earthen Javelin] into Alecto's wing. Creating a large hole.
Alecto had let out a deafening scream of pain and rage, but still not retreating. Trying again, Alecto attempted to swipe at the young boy.
[Dodge Chance: 73/100]
The boy barely had enough time to react, managing to sidestep Alecto's attack one again; however, she managed to graze his cheek. Pain erupted through Percy as the veins on the left side of his face visibly blackened. Percy immediately dropped to the ground, clutching at his wound.
Alecto couldn't help but smile at her success. "What was that, Jackson? You were planning on killing me a hundred times over? You couldn't even—" Alecto was cut short as in an instant, an arrow found and embedded itself in her chest.
"Get away from him!" Nancy screamed from behind a pillar; her hands gripping tightly onto an ethereal-like bow. "You!" Alecto hissed, "How did—" Again, Alecto never got a chance to finish her sentence as the [Aqua Blade] was stabbed into her back.
Alecto turned her head, looking to Percy who had stabbed her in the back, "You will die for that." Alecto muttered weakly as she began dissolving into a shower of golden dust. Without hesitation, Percy reached into his backpack, pulling out another water bottle before downing the entire content.
[Special Condition: Watery Regeneration]
[Health Healed: 45]
"Percy! Are you okay?" Nancy rushed towards Percy, dropping her ethereal bow onto the ground as it began dissipating away, like star dust. "I'm alright, I'm alright." Percy reassured Nancy, "How did you do that?" It was Percy's turn to question Nancy.
"I don't know; that was one of the things I wanted to tell you. It just happened." Nancy stammered. Helping her friend up, Percy shakily leaned his body weight onto Nancy for support. "I guess that doesn't matter now. We have to get back to the group before Mr. Brunner gets suspicious."
"You did great." Seraphine cheered, "And you didn't need my help either!" Percy couldn't help but grumble a bit, but he couldn't help feeling a bit of pride. "Wait, before you two leave. There's a dungeon in the next exhibit." Seraphine notified Percy.
"Wait, Nancy." Percy stopped. Still leaning on Nancy for support, "How about I make it up to you? There's a dungeon nearby; you interested in clearing it real quick?" Percy questioned. "Are you serious?" Nancy questioned, perplexed. "You almost died to Mrs. Dodds, and you want to go into a dungeon?"
"Yeah." Percy answered cheekily. Giving her a gentle smile. "Fine, where is it?" Nancy resigned. "Over there." Percy stated, pointing to a nearby wall with a strange insignia inscribed upon it. "Wait, doesn't that look like the same symbol as the one at Yancy Academy?" Nancy questioned.
"Looks like it." Percy muttered. Moving away from Nancy, Percy limped forward, placing his hand on the symbol.
[The labyrinth dungeon is suggested for levels 5+. Would you like to enter the labyrinth?]
Tapping on the 'Yes' option, another prompt appeared in front of Percy.
[Warning, once you've entered the dungeon, there is no exiting until you have completed said dungeon.]
The wall began to descend into the floor, revealing a dimly lit tunnel. "After you." Percy gestured in a gentleman-like manner. "You're the demigod here, you first." Nancy rebutted, rolling her eyes. "Fair enough." Percy stated.
Walking through the entrance, the smell of rot and decay immediately assaulted the two's senses. Stopping herself from gagging, Nancy pulled her shirt to cover her nose. "That's foul." Percy mumbled as he preemptively encompassed himself and Nancy in both his [Ice Armor] and [Mist Ward].
The two stealthily navigated the tunnels, quickly clearing out any and all monsters that they came across. Skeletons, zombies, and even small duck-like creatures with knives for feet. As they ran into trouble, Nancy would often cover Percy a fair distance away with her new bow, whilst Percy would charge up close to be within melee range.
Venturing deeper and deeper through the labyrinth, Percy found that he had relied less on Seraphine to assist him. But yet, he found it strange that Seraphine was uncharacteristically quiet. "Seraphine. You alright? You haven't said much since we were on the field trip?"
"Huh? Oh. Right." Seraphine seemed preoccupied, not necessarily acknowledging Percy's question. "Sorry. I'm just trying something… wait… Holy shit!" Seraphine cheered, throwing Percy off his concentration for a brief moment. "What? What happened?" Percy questioned, unsure why the crazy lady in his head was celebrating.
"I just created a new skill for you!" Seraphine cheered, "And I can assure you, you're going to love this."
"Wait. You can create skills?"
"Of course, I can; what do you take me for? Some kind of plebeian?"
"I… I…" Percy was at a loss for words, "Okay, what does the new skill do?"
"It's a new skill that'll allow you to consume anything." Seraphine stated bluntly. "That's… that's it?" Percy deadpanned.
"Trust me, it's so much cooler than it sounds." Seraphine reassured. "But there are limitations to the ability, there's currently only four available slots, so choose what you want to consume carefully."
Percy's Stats
[Strength—16 (+3)]
[Dexterity—16 (+1)]
[Constitution—15 (+2)]
[Intelligence—12 (+1)]
[Wisdom—12 (+1)]
[Charisma—12 (+1)]
[Points Available: 0]
Percy's Skills
Transcended Ability: Fortunate Queen of Knowledge, Seraphine
Transcended Ability: Gluttonous Lordess, Adephagia
Uncommon Ability: World-Shaper, Sythaeryn
Uncommon Subskill: Wrath of Sythaeryn
Common Subskill: Aqua Blade
Common Subskill: Ice Armor
Common Subskill: Water Shield
Common Subskill: Earthen Grasp
Common Subskill: Earthen Javelin
Common Subskill: Eternal Chasm
Common Subskill: Mist Ward
Percy's Equipment:
Larsa's Dagger:
A dark red dagger with a blackened hilt. This beautifully crafted dagger is also coated in a strange and caustic solution. The dagger does 1d4 piercing damage, along with an additional 3d8 poison damage on a hit.
Nancy's Stats
[Strength—8 (-1)]
[Dexterity—18 (+4)]
[Constitution—12 (+1)]
[Intelligence—13 (+1)]
[Wisdom—10 (+0)]
[Charisma—10 (+0)]
[Points Available: 0]
Nancy's Skills
Common Ability: Soul Bow