[Perception improvement +1] Thud! An arrow finally hits one of the outer red rings of the target, the best shot of my career in archery so far. But, instead of jumping for excitement or shouting for joy, the best I can muster up for now is a wry smile.
After several hours of constant target practice, now to the point where my fingers are aching, I’ve only managed to gain that single point in perception and it’s really starting to get on my nerves how poor my accuracy is.
“*Yawnnn*… you know, Sera. It’s rude to leave a dragon sleeping all alone like that.”
Even Lena has rejoined me in the land of the awake, rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she slowly makes her way past the handful of trees in the area. I’m amazed she didn’t sleep for longer considering she’s being flying nonstop the past few days.
“Heh, stamina is high enough so didn’t need it. Enjoy your nap, Lena?”
“Yup! Would’ve been better if I had someone to hug, but life can be really cruel sometimes. Hint, hint.”
Giving my smiling partner an eyeroll while trying my best not to grin at that comment, I return back to my training and ready another arrow. After using the same practice arrows a hundred times already, they all are pretty much blunt by now. It’s a good thing I bought a decent batch I’m only planning to use exclusively for combat.
I close one eye, hold my breath, draw the string, straighten my stance but make sure not to tense… and fire!
“Fuck! All I wanted is a sneak archer’s build, is that too much to ask?”
And of course, it misses again, story of my life. I’m really starting to think archery is percentage based like some old RPG from the early two-thousands, that the chances of my arrow hitting are exclusively based on stats. Huh, that makes sense.
It doesn’t help the second I plan on continuing on, someone decides to cover up my eyes with her soft hands. I guess I can humour her teasing for a moment.
“Hehe, maybe you’re a better learner in action rather than practice, Sera. Ah, I know of a place perfect for you to try!”
“Have we the time for it though?”
Since it’s our day off and all, I’d rather we be back in time for questing tomorrow. Funny how quickly my opinion on the whole guild thing has changed, guess I’m a fan of the freedom it offers and the lack of clichés presented thus far.
“No more than a few hours there and back, it’ll be a quick flight, I promise.”
“Heh, I’m starting to think you like me up on your back, Lena. It’s as if you want me riding you or something.”
Turning around to see Lena flustering ever so slightly and shying away, there might be something in that.
“Hehe, n-no idea what you’re talking about, Sera. Let’s get a move on if it’s a yes, you’ll be able to see something pretty spectacular too…”
__________
[Add mantis location to map as well as add a crack!!!]
“So… this is it then, the fabled Abyss. It… definitely stands out.”
“Yup! Although, it is right at the edge of one of the many cracks that makes it connect. Just imagine this but endless, splitting the entire continent in two.”
Gliding across the land with the wind in my hair and sun reflecting against Lena’s scales, what stands below us is quite the sight. Agora’s Abyss, as imposing and noticeable as foretold, blended into the world like a painting filled with a mysterious aura that overwhelms anything else nearby.
What she says about it being endless also seems to be true, considering the fact the bottom looks to go to the centre of the Earth… or whatever planet we’re currently on. The point is, it’s one deep hole… heh.
“That’s what you tumbled into? Must’ve been quite the fall.”
“It was, Sera. Who’d have thought mountains and alcohol don’t mix?”
I chuckle and am happy about the fact Lena can make such a light hearted joke about the incident. Both of us still don’t know the reason how she got out, just that she fell down there and woke up in that steampunk looking machine.
“You should’ve heard some of the things my parents said when growing up, Sera. Don’t stay out too late or the Abyss will get you! The Abyss will take you whole if you don’t eat your greens! Don’t be bringing back dragons of age or I promise I’ll toss that bastard down there! Those sorts of things really.”
Can’t help but giggle again when Lena mimics two different voices, presumably being her mother and father. Although… that last comment worries me a bit. She’s got a really overprotective father, hasn’t she? Not even going to ask if they still live or not, live in blissful ignorance and all.
“Heh, can’t be all that bad. Without the Abyss, I’d never have stumbled into you.”
“Aww… I’ll forget how to fly straight if you make my heart skip a beat like that, Sera.”
“I’ll shut it then.”
“No! Compliment me more!”
Continuing on for a few more minutes while Lena now pouts at the lack of compliments floating her way, the Abyss quickly becomes a distant memory when something just as imposing stands on a sandy patch of barren land.
“That’s it! The gigantic bug, I knew it was around here somewhere!”
“*Hiss…*”
‘Is that… a gigantic mantis? Heh, the species heavily associated with vore. Wouldn’t want to be a guy mantis, that much is certain.’
Despite being able to make a joke, this doesn’t look good. That mantis stands as tall as a building and looks like it could tear me in two with just a bite.
“Hehe, it’s time to see what you can do, Sera. Come on, jump down and fight it!”
…
“I… think I’ll sit this one, Lena.”
Now hovering a few feet off the ground, Lena tries to tempt me off by shaking a little but I stand, or sit firm. She honestly expects me to jump off and start firing off arrows into that thing, face to face?
“Come on Sera, this is the way my parents taught me how to fight… I had less of a choice though. I’ll be right here if anything happens… pretty please?”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense if I shoot it from up here though?”
“You’ll never hit anything with me flapping or gliding about. You’ll have to fire at it from a still position.”
This choice puts my mind in a twist, mainly because one part of my brain is logical and the other greedy. I’m a simple elf and when the chance to improve my status is staring me dead in the face, who am I to turn down the opportunity?
“Erm… fuck it. Let’s go and get eaten by a bug.”
Reluctantly climbing off my partner, I stand alone facing the mutated mantis of the sand pit while Lena darts off above the creature’s head.
Then, she begins to flap her wings like how a moth to a flame might do. It’s harder to see her as cute when I’m in this situation due to her! It’s at least noticed the gigantic moth shaped dragon trying to piss it off though.
“*Hiss!*”
“Hehe, relax and don’t tense up, Sera! That bug isn’t as strong as it seems, now shoot it!”
The gigantic mantis takes the bait and tries punching Lena out of the sky, all the while she tries her best not to giggle at the insect. It has given me the perfect chance to attack it from behind though.
I’ve got a shoddy bow, a dream and a dozen metallic tipped arrows ready to go. Let’s level this shit up!
‘Gods of RNG, please bless me in exchange for all the loot boxes I’ve foolishly bought over the years. Those shareholders and investors have to get their profit somehow, right?’
Arrow primed and ready, my stance is solid and the bow is drawn… but nothing will tempt the RNG Gods. The first shot misses by an inch.
Again, I ready another arrow with three fingers at the ready, the string is rapidly drawn and my will is set. I will hit this damned bug!
Whack! Second time lucky as this arrow flies like a beam and makes contact with its body. This hit however, has dire consequences…
‘Gotcha… oh shit! No no no…’
Just inflicting the slightest amount of damage against the monster switches its attention to me, no amount of obnoxious dragon distractions will turn it away.
“Oi! Get back here bug!”
“*Hiss!*”
[Perception improvement +1] Reloading an arrow, I manage to strike one of its approaching legs but this fight is like David vs Goliath! A puny couple of arrows isn’t close enough to even slow it down.
[If it makes any difference, the damage inflicted by Sera to the target is 54.]
‘Not the time, Guide!’
Having to literally jump and roll from its impending attack, one of its legs narrowly grazes my bottom and then other pounds down just as I’m desperately trying to dash away. This thing is relentless!
[Endurance improvement +1] “*Cough cough*… d-damn.”
[40 damage was just taken, Sera. Even this guide just felt that.]
Unfortunately, I just don’t have the speed nor flexibility to avoid the mantis so I’m sucker punched right in the torso. The hit is so strong in fact, I’m struggling for air as it feels like my chest has collapsed upon itself.
“Shit, Sera! That does it, time to fucking die, bug!”
And there Lena is, swooping up from above presumably planning to lift it away… but instead, crashing straight down and landing on the mantis. Now, it looks like a green spider, squashed underneath a purple lizard. Can’t even laugh about this considering the state I’m in.
“*Wheezing*… heh. Who needs lungs *cough*, anyway?”
“I’m really sorry, Sera! I thought it would only look at me, I’m so stupid!”
“Stop putting yourself *cough*, down, Lena. It’s fine.”
Still on top of the insect looking like she wants to cry, sometimes I feel like Lena just needs to chill a bit. Maybe it’s the lack of oxygen or stat gain, but this was a successful day off, no? We killed the insect and I’m still partially breathing.
“I’m so going to rip this fucker apart! Unless… you still need that X-P stuff you told me about, Sera?”
Literally sitting on the bug tilting her head like she’s a pup in need of approval, it takes all my might not to bop her on the nose. I really should be a little annoyed at her, even if it’s a bit forceful.
Ignoring my basic instinct for petting, I drive my sword into the mantis’s head… and it doesn’t die. Okay, number-based damage can officially do one now. Let’s have at it again.
Thankfully, just another whack or two to the skull later and it’s finally down, no longer squirming under the crushing weight of the purple dragon. I guess I can give Lena something seeing that she did save my life again, even if this was her idea to begin with.
“Mhmmm…”
Settling for giving her a stroke instead, both my hands brush against the rough scaley exterior of her face and Lena tries her best at not purring. That lasts for about a second before just gives in.
‘Injury report, Guide. Do I need to reinflate my lungs or need any spare ribs?’
[Fortunately not, Sera, you appear to be bruised. Since the encounter is over, this guide would like to inform you both perception and endurance have reached level 10. Opening status as per usual.]
[STATUS][Name: Sera][Species: Elf][Level: 5][EXP: 141/150][Age: 22][Gender: Female][Skill Points: 2][Health][95/135][Stamina][87/115][Magic][100/100] [STATS]
Spoiler
Extra bonuses from P.I.S.S.E.D.
PER:
5% Archery Damage
1% Critical Chance
SPE:
+5 Stamina
1% Bartering
END:
+5 Health
1% Resistance
DEX:
5% One-Handed Damage
1% Movement Speed
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[Perception: 10][Intelligence: 9][Speechcraft: 10][Strength: 8][Endurance: 10][Dexterity: 13]‘Good, more hidden bonuses. Let’s see what we can purchase next.’
[ABILITIES][OWNED] [LOCKED][Name] [Description] [Requirements][Cooldown][Animal Whisperer] [New]
Spoiler
Grants the ability to tame animals and use them for your bidding. However, the success chance is based on the target’s level compared to the user’s.
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Perception: 10[N/A][Six Sense] [New]
Spoiler
For exclusively humanoid targets (And/or targets that are intelligent enough), you can view a target’s status. This ability also provides some extra hidden benefits within the status itself, like providing health and damage indicators.
[collapse]
Perception: 10[N/A][Novice Bard]
Spoiler
Now following in the footsteps of many an aspiring bard, you can pick an instrument of choice and/or sing to provide ample distraction on a weaker target when needed.
[collapse]
Speechcraft: 10[N/A][Shield Novice] [New]
Spoiler
Shield bashing is now a legitimate form of attacking (24dmg), albeit a weak form. The attack bypasses armour though.
[collapse]
Endurance: 10[N/A][Fertility] [New]
Spoiler
Heavily increases chances of conceiving and “endurance” within the bedroom, perfect for building a budding family. Useful for you and your partner!
[collapse]
Endurance: 10[N/A][Land Down Under]
Spoiler
Sneaking is easier on your back and you move when in touching distance to the ground at a vastly superior rate. Bog standard technique for hunting down those pesky roos!
[collapse]
Dexterity: 10 [N/A]“Mhmm… you okay, Sera?”
Lena quickly notices my face turn to pure disappointment and can you really blame me? There’s only one ability I want and that should’ve come with the system to begin with.
What reason would I ever want to invest in something like Fertility as well? And shields are notoriously terrible for combat, especially game mechanic wise. That hero who got summoned with a shield is an exception!
‘Eh, looks like we’re going Six Sense then. No use in fertility whatsoever, shields are notoriously bad for fighting, excluding the shield hero guy, and the taming ability relies on level.’
[Processing purchase… error. System must reboot to apply upgrade, just give this guide a minute… rebooting sequence initialized. Startup sequence at 12%...]
‘Okay?’
Back to the dragon in my palm, I switch the rubbing to a rough scratch where her ears should be and she actually starts to kick her legs! Still purring as well, I’ve got a dragon who doesn’t know if she’s part cat or dog!
[Processing at 36%...]
[Processing at 69%...]
‘Heh.’
[Processing at 100%... complete. Sera will like this upgrade. Deeply focus towards the dragon ahead of us and you’ll understand this guide’s reasoning.]
Abruptly popping up above Lena’s scaly face, a tiny but partially transparent triangle appears floating above my partner. Having to switch my focus to that and only that triangle, a drop-down menu appears.
[STATUS][Name: Lenore][Species: Dragon][Level: 26][Age: 312][Gender: Female][Affection: 74/100][Health][320/320][Stamina][251/380][Magic][300/300]‘At least that explains why she doesn’t need much in the way of sleep. Shouldn’t she have stats though? Does affection do anything and why is her magic like that?’
[Levels for otherworlders are calculated differently, Sera. EXP and the P.I.S.S.E.D system are exclusive to otherworlders so individual stats are useless for those born in this world.]
[As for the other two questions, affection is just a reflection of how much the target likes you and this guide cannot answer the last. Target Lena for some reason hasn’t access to her magic.]
‘She can at least raise her level then, right? It’s just an overall reflection of her power rather than how mine is calculated?’
[Correct. Target Lenore will be able to improve her level including HP, SP and MP. It’s just that she has no control or say over it.]
Got to love a bit of otherworlder privilege, right? If you exclude the obvious fact people hate us, we’ve caused great harm to this world and will most likely be attacked on sight.
Anyways, since I’m looking into the finer details of this target known as Lenore, I feel I should at least say something considering I’m basically spying on her. Though… if Lena had wanted me to know her real name is Lenore, she’d have told me already. I should probably avoid that.
“Your level isn’t as high as I thought it would be… Lena. You are pretty damn strong though.”
Having another gander, it’s clear her base stats cannot be one-hundred as well… most likely starting at two hundred and fifty, I reckon.
“You can see things like that, Sera? Huh, maybe you’ve got a future in guild management! They use that level thing to judge power, I think. Our ID cards have it on.”
Finally getting off the now squished mantis, Lena disappears in a cloud of smoke, then returns to my side having enough of the head patting for today. Don’t get me wrong, her animal form is cute and all. It’s just sometimes it’s nice to be with a beautiful lady and all.
“Wait… does switching form make you weaker, Lena?’
[STATUS][Name: Lenore][Species: Dragon][Level: 26][Age: 312][Gender: Female][Affection: 74/100][Health][220/220][Stamina][184/280][Magic][200/200]Looking back at her open status, all three primary attributes have lowered by a hundred after switching to human.
“Yup! It’s a form we’re able to manifest so you have to sacrifice something… or in this case a lot. A dragon’s body and power are too strong for such a small body, we just simply can’t fit!”
“Heh, like a square peg into a round hole scenario?”
“Hehe, something like that, Sera. Care to give me a hand? These bugs taste really good unlike shitty wolves.”
“Heh, sure Lena.”
Since I’m back to normal and trying my best to ignore my bruised breasts, Lena pulls out her iron dagger and starts rapidly hacking away at the insect like a madwoman.
So, what do I do? I lend a hand and join her obviously, retrieving my now bloodied blade from the head and prepare to carve apart this monster as well. I really hope I gain some perception from this… bleurgh!
“You know, what do dragons actually do though? I mean, like job or hobby wise? Are there rules and ideas you live by?”
While we’re carving away, might as well make some small talk. Dragons seem so powerful yet by the one next to me, they’re loveable doofuses rather than all powerful beings that want to rule or destroy the world.
“All dragons live by simple rules really, Sera. You do what you want, live for yourself, procreate when needed. Oh, and the bigger you are, the stronger you are. We also live for thousands of years but no chance am I getting wrinkly and old!”
Can’t help but chuckle and nearly drop my sword in the insides of the mantis, best just squint and try and censor it for myself. Not really sure what part’s Lena’s trying to find but there has to be some good meat around here somewhere.
“Heh, good to know, guess we’ll have loads of time to torment each other. High elves are supposed to live quite a while as well, I think.”
I’m an elf in a fantasy world so that should be a given, think the character creator has something about it also. It suits my avatar as well, considering vampires are supposed to be practically immortal. Getting the urge to talk about blood suckers now, suppress it…
“Hehe, you’re a high elf, Sera? That’s great! I can’t pester you forever, I’ll definitely get a few thousand years to try!”
“High elves live that long? Yeah… think I’ll have to escape after a few months.”
“Hehe, don’t think you’ll get away from me that easily! I’ll track ya to the ends of Seraph if you think you can get away!”
Now chuckling together, it appears my fear of Lena being a yandere is all but confirmed. I’ll never be able to get away from this cute and sweet, albeit strange and silly dragon even if I try.
Putting the next thousand plus years aside considering I’ve only been in this world less than two weeks, we should probably get moving and head back to Bordertown.
Except, there’s still a huge question on my mind just as we finish off harvesting this critter. An important question that could help out in a fight.
“I’ve got to ask, Lena, can you breathe fire or at least use magic of some kind? It’s just that it seems restricted.”
[STATUS][Name: Lenore][Species: Dragon][Level: 26][Age: 312][Gender: Female][Affection: 74/100][Health][220/220][Stamina][183/280][Magic][200/200]“Oh that, was hoping you wouldn’t notice. Dragon tongue is loosely based off the ten schools of magic so I guess it’s the same thing. I used to be able to use poison.”
During Lena’s response, Lena’s face and tone sinks ending up with her aura growing dim from something I knew I shouldn’t ask.
“Used to?”
“Yeah… I’m a little broken, Sera. Ever since you pulled me from that cave, I can’t use my voice anymore, and I don’t freaking know why!”
Lena’s despair turns into frustration and I’m unsure how I can help on this. Did that machine take away her ability to use magic, or was it the Abyss itself? Either way, this sounds like a problem with some fix out there in this world. Like a potential quest.
“We can always set out and search for a way of fixing it if you’d like, Lena.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me, Sera, let’s just forget it for now. I never used my poison that much anyways. It’s just annoying that I can’t do it now, ya know?”
Knowing she’s putting on a brave face, I best leave her to it and leave this for another time. That being said, I still think a brief arm round her shoulder might help. Maybe this is a long-term quest or goal we can set our sights upon…
[QUESTLOG][Details][Risk][Reward][Continue your odyssey and someday a cure may present itself for Lena's affliction.][Unknown][Unknown]