"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."
:: ::
:: ::
:: ::
"So…" Percy thought, trying his best to get through the awkwardness that he was about to bring up. "Why were you so upset when I said I could just rely on you to do all the killing?" Percy ducked underneath an overgrown tree branch, still keeping a tight grip on his [Aqua Blade].
Seraphine sighed hearing this being brought up again, "It felt as if I was nothing more than a tool for you." Seraphine started. Taking a pause, Seraphine tried to search for the right words to use, "I know I'm a [Skill] and all, but it would be nice to not be regarded as one… I mean it would be nice to be seen as your partner rather than just a thing; another tool to win your battles, or fight your battles for you." She seemingly trailed along.
"Oh…" Was the only thing that came out from Percy as he tried to process Seraphine's feelings, "I think I also want us to be on the same playing ground, so to speak."
"But I don't just see you as a skill, Seraphine. You've saved both mine and Nancy's behinds many times; you are my partner." Percy reassured, still deep in thought. Percy wasn't paying attention to where he was stepping, almost walking off a cliff, right into the nearby monster base camp. "Be careful." Seraphine warned half-heartedly.
Percy immediately stopped abruptly in his tracks, just mere inches from the cliff ledge causing loose pebbles to fall away. "Percy; you, okay?" Came a small whisper from Nancy, still in a crouched position with her ethereal like bow gripped in her hand. "Hmm?" Percy was pulled away from his conversation with Seraphine, "Yeah, sorry. Sorry." Percy whispered back, "Was just talking with Seraphine, and I might have not been paying attention." Percy admitted; sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.
Nancy couldn't help but roll her eyes at Percy, "We're above the Gnoll camp." Nancy informed, "Are you sure you can handle them all?" Nancy learned to never doubt Percy when it comes to his combat prowess, but the number of monsters occupying the camp was pushing her beliefs in her friend.
Percy sighed as he pulled up the information on the Gnolls, quickly glancing at their description; trying his best to formulate a plan that wouldn't kill both himself and Nancy.
[Gnolls are these biped hyena-like creatures that are capable of using tools and weapons. Whilst they're savages that have the strength of two men, they still rely on their numbers to overpower their prey.]
"You can always use [Uncommon Ability: World-Shaper, Sythaeryn] to wipe out the Gnolls in one shot. Makes it a lot easier than running in and attacking them one by one. Or you could [Transcended Ability: Gluttonous Lordess, Adephagia] to consume them." Seraphine suggested half-heartedly.
"Wait, didn't you say [Gluttonous Lordess, Adephagia] had four uses?" Percy was quite confused. "No, I said it has four slots. You can consume as many monsters as you like, but you can only keep four of their stats. And before you ask, no, you can't swap the stats out." Seraphine informed, crushing Percy's spirit in his new ability.
"I think I want to practice my swordsmanship." Percy muttered, drawing in Nancy's attention, "Fine. But you're going to get yourself killed. If you're this insistent, then I'll help you."
"You're going to take over?" Percy questioned, "No. But I'll assist you, like a partner."
"Percy!" Nancy whisper shouted, "What's the plan?"
"Uh… You're not going to like this, but I'm thinking I charge in with Seraphine assisting me, and you cover us with your new bow."
"You're right." Nancy started, "I really don't like that plan. But if Seraphine says it's okay, I'll trust the plan." Nancy's response received an undignified 'hey' from Percy as he clutched his chest with his hand. "Why did you agree when Seraphine suggest it, but question my plan?"
"Because it's you." Both Seraphine and Nancy responded simultaneously, receiving another undignified 'hey' from Percy. "But if Seraphine did suggest it, we can try the plan." With a dark cloud looming over Percy, Percy sighed as he wrapped his [Ice Armor] around himself and Nancy. "Alright, wish me luck." "Good luck!" Nancy cheerfully grin causing a few grumbles from Percy.
Slowly sneaking down the cliff's edge, Percy made his way to the closest Gnoll. Quickly, Percy stabbed his [Aqua Blade] through the creature's chest causing a blood curdling scream to erupt throughout the camp.
Almost immediately, the entire monster camp was alerted from the howl as they all whipped their head in the direction. "Okay. The fun starts now." Seraphine stated casually. In an instant, Percy was surrounded by a group of Gnolls; all carrying spears and longswords as drool dripped from their hungry mouths. Charging towards the nearest bestial creature, Percy threw his [Aqua Blade] like a javelin, aiming for its head. The creature instinctively ducked underneath the watery blade only to receive a heavy kick in the jaw by Percy causing the creature to fly back ten feet.
Breathing heavily, Percy realized he was more exhausted than he had believed himself to be. "Watch out, Gnoll coming behind you." Seraphine warned as Percy jumped high into the air, narrowly dodged a clawed slash aimed at the back of his neck as a silver arrow embedded itself in the creature's neck with a sickening 'thud'; dropping it instantly. Whilst in the air, Percy noticed a small puddle that had formed from his [Aqua Blade] and thought of a new plan.
Concentrating on the puddle, Percy manipulated the water to rocket itself towards him, throwing a few Gnolls of balance. As the stream made its way towards Percy, Percy forced the water to encircle him, forming a ring barrier of fast moving, sharp water. "Come at me, you damn, dirty dogs!" Percy screamed out, causing Seraphine and Nancy to facepalm themselves.
One of the Gnolls, however, took Percy's taunt as a cue to leap in. The moment the creature crossed the ring barrier encircling Percy, it was immediately ripped to shreds as the ring of water lashed out. Seeing this, the other Gnolls immediately backpedaled, not wanting to end up like their friend in such a horrific way.
"What? You scared?" Percy taunted again, only for the Gnolls to shake their heads in agreement; not expecting their reactions, Percy was caught off balance. Regaining his composure, with the Gnolls still surrounding him, Percy was about to charge in once again only to abruptly stop as he felt something strange in the air. A dense atmosphere seemingly descended onto the battlefield, nearly choking Percy.
Approaching through the hordes of medium-sized bestial Gnolls was a large, hyena-like man creature with a tunic that barely covered anything. The creature had much denser muscle compared to his smaller compatriots, with plenty of scars adorning his body. In his left hand, he carried a wooden shield, whilst in the other was a large scimitar.
Reacting immediately, Percy sent a torrent of water towards this newcomer, only for the creature to raise its shield, blocking Percy's attack altogether. "Pathetic." The creature growled aloud. "You. Weak." It grunted as it lowered its defenses and began charging towards Percy.
Again, jumping away from the danger, Percy spun on his heels to face his opponent, only to get the wind knocked out of him as he received a powerful kick from the monster, sending Percy flying towards the nearby tents. Shakily getting to his feet, Percy immediately resummoned his [Aqua Blade] in one hand as he reached into his inventory, pulling out Larsa's Dagger.
The two opponents rush each-other, meeting in the middle; Percy swinging Larsa's dagger in a downwards arc, hoping to cleave the roided-out Gnoll's head. Immediately, the Gnoll's scimitar swung upwards, deflecting Percy's attempt. But not allowing the situation to get much worse, Percy stomped onto the ground, [Uncommon Ability: World-Shaper, Sythaeryn],Percy screamed.
The earth shook beneath their feet, throwing everything around like they were rag-dolls. The Gnoll still managed to find its footing, as it headbutted Percy.
[Damage: 23 (4d6 + 5) Bludgeoning Damage]
Percy's vision began to change and blur. Nearly losing consciousness, Percy stomped onto the ground once more [Earthen Javelin]. Three javelins made from the very earth itself propelled itself from the ground, before striking its target true. The Gnoll howled in pain as it gripped onto one of the javelins that embedded itself in his chest before ripping it out.
[Damage: 13 (2d6 + 6) Piercing Damage]
"Percy, you might need my help." Seraphine stated, slightly concerned for her friend's wellbeing. "It's fine", Percy remarked as he jumped a couple times backwards, placing some distance between himself and the creature.
'Thud!' Another arrow found its mark on the nearby smaller hyena-men. "Nancy!" Percy yelled, "I need your help."
Now left alone, the Gnoll looked around the battlefield. Seeing that its allies had been marked off by the archer, the Gnoll growls out white smoke coming out of its mouth. [Silent Strike] the Gnoll whispered, as the steam condensed into a thick blanket of fog, encompassing himself and Percy.
"Shit, I don't lik—" Percy never got the chance to finish his sentence as he felt a sting erupt from his leg, as blood erupted out.
[Damage: 14 (2d6 + 5) Slashing Damage]
Percy tried to look around, spot where the creature was hiding, but he found himself unable to peer through the dense fog. "Percy, calm down. Breathe." Seraphine instructed, "What is fog primarily made of?" Seraphine had hoped Percy was smart enough to understand where she was leading him to.
"Water." Percy stated in between his deep breaths. Again, another sting erupted from his left arm.
[Damage: 16 (2d6 + 5) Slashing Damage]
"Good." Seraphine stated, "Now control it." Seraphine instructed, seeing how bruised and battered Percy was, she decided that a learning lesson would be for another time. Taking a breath in, Percy concentrated on the nearby fog, [World-Shaper, Sythaeryn] Percy muttered. The fog began to dissipated into thin water droplets, suspended in mid-air.
The Gnoll was shocked, his ability had been stripped away from him. [One Thousand Needles] Percy screamed as the droplets of water condensed itself into razor thin needles. As it shot towards the Gnoll, the creature barely had enough time to shield himself.
The Gnoll's hopes were immediately dashed as cuts began forming on his arms, his torso, his legs, and his thighs.
[Damage: 50]
Barrage after barrage of needles found themselves in the Gnoll. Not giving the creature time to rest, Percy charged up to it, and with a clean spinning slash, Percy sliced the creature's head clean off its shoulders.
Dropping to the ground, Percy found himself lying on his back, breathing heavily. Lying there next to the corpse for a few minutes, Percy saw Nancy's face appear in his line-of-sight. "We did it!" Nancy exclaimed cheerfully before plopping herself down next to Percy. The two staring at the blue skies above.
"These dungeons are fun as hell." Percy laughed a little to himself.
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 Bound Bow