Moving boulders was far easier than Zaria had expected. Her talons could easily fit around stones that were as wide as a man was tall, and she had more than enough strength to lift them and throw them. Getting them into the exact right place to block up the river was trickier. The first few she just hurled directly into the rushing water, plugging up the bottom, but for those higher up she had to kick them carefully, balling up her toes into fists to kick them in the right direction. Particularly sticky ones she moved with mimics. Ten candlemen were just strong enough to shove it along the ground - so long as they were wearing armor to reinforce their waxy forms.

By the time Vysala started to stir, Zaria had completely dammed off the river, and already the fast-flowing water was collecting behind the barrier, filling up the valley. As the witch muttered curses under her breath over the indignity of being awoken, Zaria wandered the rest of the valley, plugging gaps between stones so the water would have to just sit in the improvised basin and collect.

“Couldn’t you move boulders more quietly?” Vysala grumbled, sitting down at the table.

“Do I need to explain the absurdity of that question?”

Additional swears were the only answer Zaria got until the Witch had finished prying her eyes open. “So, how long until it’s full?” she asked once her brain was fully engaged.

Zaria looked at how the water was already collecting. “Full? That would take a couple of days. But full enough for our purposes? I plan on giving it twenty-four hours to reset my abilities with time limits to make sure I have maximum flexibility.”

Vysala nodded. “So, how do you want to pass the time? Idle speculation over questions we don’t have answers to?”

Zaria laughed. “That can fill a chunk of the night, but I do want to see what new spells the Moon and Bird heart unlock.”

“And you’re not going to use the Bird heart on a mob,” Vysala said, although there was an implied question in the statement.

“I want to preserve all the Core Integrity for the fight ahead I can,” Zaria said by way of response. “If I knew it would give wings, that would be hugely beneficial. But it’s just as likely I get a crate with chicken legs, or a sword with a beak in place of a blade, or a crossbow that shoots a volley of razor sharp feathers. All of which would be good, but… we have a solid plan and a solid array of mobs. I want to stick with it.”

Vysala nodded. “Probably for the best. You planning on respawning mobs throughout the fight as they go down?”

“Absolutely,” Zaria said. “And at a couple percent each time… it adds up fast.”

“That tracks. And let me guess - you want to look at the upgrade options afterwards so you know what your spells can do before you spend a semi-permanent point?”

Zaria nodded. “Got it in one. Going to start with the Bird Heart and see what new spells I get.” It was simple to form the heart above the cauldron and let it fall in. The mana of the cauldron boiled and bubble, and visions of feathers danced in the liquid. Before her eyes, the spells changed. She filtered out the spells that weren’t modified, so she only had to see what was new.

Scry: Activating scry allows you to reveal an area of your expanded map, letting you pierce the fog surrounding your vision. Revealed area is visible for one minute. Once revealed, the same area cannot be targeted for two hours 10 Mana per use. Bird Modification: Scry can also be cast through the eyes of an avian creature, allowing you to see what they see, and direct where they look. You can command them twice per cast to move to a particular location, and you can see through their vision for up to 10 minutes. Panic Beasts: You can cause a group of up to (5 * Tier, Currently 10) non-cored animals without a rider you can see, either normally or thought Scry, to become panicked and flee the area, taking the shortest available route away from the nearest Sapient settlement. Any sapient trampled by panicked beasts who suffered lethal damage awards you experience. While the beasts' panic can cause other nearby animals to panic as well, experience is only awarded for those panicked by your spell. Wears off after the animal is one mile from any Sapient settlement. Panicked beasts gain the benefit of your cauldron’s current element. 10 Mana per use. Bird Modification: When used on avian creatures, Panic Beasts becomes Panic Flock. It is expanded to (25 * Tier, currently 50) birds, and instead of fleeing an area they will fly randomly through a designated area, creating distractions. When used in this way, all targets must be birds capable of flight with a wingspan less than (Tier * 1.5, currently 3) feet. Enrage Beasts: You can cause a group of up to (2 * Tier, Currently 4) non-cored animals without a rider you can see, either normally or thought Scry, to become enraged and violent, taking the shortest available route to the nearest Sapient settlement or Fissure and attacking the first Sapient or Demon it sees. It will not stop attacking until it or the Sapient are dead. Any Sapient or Demon trampled by enraged beasts who suffered lethal damage awards you experience. While the beast’s rage can cause other nearby animals to act erratically as well, experience is only awarded for those enraged by your spell. Spell lasts until the Enraged Beast has been slain or ten minutes have passed, whichever comes first. Enraged Beasts gain the benefit of your cauldron’s current element. 10 Mana per use. Bird Modification: When used on avian creatures, Enrage Beasts becomes Enrage Flock. It is expanded to (5 * Tier, Currently 10) birds. They behave in all other ways to Enrage Beasts. When used in this way, all targets must be birds capable of flight with a wingspan less than (Tier * 1.5, currently 3) feet. Bird mobs impacted by Enrage Flock gain 50% bonus damage. Accursed Cackle: Your Babamorph points at the target and cackles. The target is afflicted by an attack associated with your chosen element. Current Effect (Bird): Summons crows to attack the target. Those crows will vanish as soon as the cackle ends. Beings damaged by the crows take 50% increased damage from your mobs, any sentient beings bonded to you, and from any other hostile avian animals. If a creature dies while impacted by Accursed Cackle, it will spawn 10 hostile crows of the same tier as you to attack nearby foes. These crows despawn after one minute. Curse the Land: An area of vegetation (20 * Tier, Currently 20) square feet becomes cursed and hostile to any Sapient or Animal that enters it. It takes twice as long for any being to cross this cursed terrain as plants try to constrain their movement. Your Striga is not impacted by this curse, though other allied sapients may be. Lasts one minute. 10 Mana per use. Bird Modification: Any avian creature that enters the area impacted by Curse the Land - or the area (100 * Tier, Currently 200) feet above the cursed land, is afflicted with Enrage Beasts, even if they are too large to normally be within your limit. Any avian mobs controlled by yourself or a Symbiotic core gain an additional 25% damage. New: Darken the Skies: Crows and Ravens fill the air overhead, cawing endlessly. Those within a (1000 * Tier, currently 2000) foot radius of the focal point take light psychic damage. After 1 minute, sapients gain the Paranoid debuff, which may cause them to lash out at nearby allies when startled. Chance of lashing out depends on the individual sapients' willpower. Demons in the area of Darken the Skies will detect the heartbeats of the flock overhead, helping to hide any other hearts in the area. 25 Mana per use.

Special: All Bird elemental modifications apply only to creatures that are taxonomically classified as modern day birds. Primeval Avians or other members of Avemetatarsalia cannot be influenced by Bird Heart based spells unless Core Symbiosis is established with a dungeon core that has an appropriate theme.

Vysala let out a low whistle. “Those are some powerful options.”

“If I go in with the Bird element active, hitting them with Darken the Skies to soften them up will be a great opener,” Zaria said by way of agreement. “Although it’s hard to gauge when it doesn’t give me the exact chances - if nothing else, anyone who doesn’t have a Core will become a liability to their allies.” She read over the list again. “I see a lot of potential here. Although what’s a symbiotic core?”

“I think I remember hearing about it,” Vysala said. “But not any details. Just that there are bonds dungeons can form with each other, and it’s a rarely used option. Don’t ask me why.”

“I won’t. Now, let’s see what a moon heart does.”

Vysala furrowed her forehead. “Wait. I thought the Cauldron’s element can only be changed once a day.”

“You’d be correct, but I have a theory. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, but - when I added the Bird Heart, it was untyped. I technically didn’t change it - I gave it an element. Which would mean I should be able to do this.” Zaria formed a moon heart above the cauldron and let it fall in. The cauldron roiled again, and a moment later the bird heart shot out of the liquid. Zaria caught it midair, and the liquid cast a glow like moonlight.

Then the text changed. Zaria filtered out any text that she’d just seen, to avoid repetition.

Scry: [Filtered Text]. Moon Modification: When cast while one of the moons is out, Scry’s duration is doubled, and a new effect is added depending on which moon is dominant in the sky: Celon (Theia) - While Celon is dominant, you can also hear anything said within a 1 mile radius of your scry location, so long as it is near a reflective surface. Ysdrah (Luna) - While Ysdrah is dominant, your scry can also be used to see into the dreams of any sleeping being within your scry area. You gain a limited ability to interpret these dreams, but not to the level of understanding the target’s thoughts. Spiral (ERROR: BROKEN) - While Spiral is dominant, your scry can be split over multiple locations simultaneously with each cast, reducing the duration by 6 seconds cumulative per split. Panic Beasts: [Filtered Text]. Moon Modification: Any Sapient creature that sees the fleeing beasts will gain the Paranoid debuff which may cause them to lash out at nearby allies when startled. Chance of lashing out depends on the individual sapients' willpower. Enrage Beasts: [Filtered Text]. Moon Modification: Enraged Beasts gain a benefit depending on which moon is dominant, even if the moons are not currently visible. Celon (Theia) - While Celon is dominant, Enraged Beasts become semi corporeal, able to pass through Sapient structures that are not mana reinforced. Ysdrah (Luna) - While Ysdrah is dominant, Enraged Beasts will spawn tentacles from the sides of their mouth or back, varying on creature type. After the Enrage effect ends, the beasts will retain their tentacles and know how to use them, although this will not change their attitude. Spiral (ERROR: BROKEN) - While Spiral is dominant, Enraged Beasts will gain a Shatterwarp ability. In the event there is not a Sapient within 10 feet of them, the Enraged Beast will use Shatterwarp to teleport up to 100 feet per step towards the nearest Sapient. Shatterwarp has a 5 second cooldown. Accursed Cackle: [Filtered Text]. Current Effect (Moon): Accursed Cackle gains a benefit depending on which moon is dominant, even if the moons are not currently visible. Celon (Theia) - Celon’s cackle effect is the same as the base attacks, but instead of blunt damage, the damage now cuts the target with no visible source. These cuts will bypass armor based on tier. Tin (Bypasses mundane armor), Copper (Bypasses Uncommon or Magic armor), Bronze (Bypasses Rare Armor). Silver and above does not bypass additional armor types, but instead deals bonus damage. Ysdrah (Luna) - Ysdrah’s cackle changes the damage to bites that appear all over the target’s form. If the target takes lethal damage from Ysdrah’s cackle, it does not die, instead healing all injuries and becoming a Lesser Lycanthrope. (See Below.) Spiral (ERROR: BROKEN) - Spiral’s cackle teleports the target five feet in a random direction every five seconds, dealing additional damage with each teleport. Each time the teleport triggers, it also sends out a ripple of broken space, dealing damage to anyone near the target of the cackle. Your Babamorph’s finger will automatically move to track the teleported target. Unnerving Dreams: You cause a group of up to (5 * Tier, currently 10) sleeping Sapients to suffering debilitating nightmares. While under the effect of unnerving demons, the Sapient gains no benefit from sleeping, even if it is cast shortly before they wake up, and the memories of the nightmare do not fade upon waking. Upon afflicting Unnerving dreams on a subject, they are immune to the effects of Unnerving dreams for two nights. 5 Mana per use. Moon Modification: Unnerving dreams can be cast on a single waking sapient, giving them hallucinations that they are on the surface of whichever moon is dominant. They will suffer the effects of the Unnerving Dream every night for the next month whenever that moon is dominant, but become immune to all other instances of Unnerving dreams you cast. New: Dominate Lycanthrope: You can take control of a lycanthrope, commanding it as if it was one of your mobs, for 10 minutes. Command can be spent to create a copy of the dominated lycanthrope, allowing you to summon them like normal mobs. Lycanthropes summoned as mobs do not have any class abilities, but gain any abilities of the base Sapient race. Lycanthropes summoned as mobs are just copies of the base creature, not actual people. 25 Mana Per use.

Note: Lesser Lycanthrope:

A Lesser Lycanthrope retains the skills and abilities it had as a human, but - immediately upon transformation - becomes mindless and feral, with an overwhelming hunger for flesh. Lesser Lycanthropes will always target Demons first, then Sapients, then Beasts, then other Lycanthropes. If no prey is present, the Lesser Lycanthrope will attack random inanimate objects it can see until prey presents itself. Upon the next sunrise, the Lesser Lycanthrope will return to its base form and regain its mind. However, every time its associated moon is dominant, the Lesser Lycanthrope will transform again and go on a rampage.

Lesser Lycanthropes cannot spread lycanthropsy to other creatures.

If the Lycanthrope is associated with Celon, it is Stealthed (as the Rogue ability) if it is not within 10 feet of a Sapient. Celon associated Lycanthropes are covered in fur and scales, and gain elongated fangs.

If the Lycanthrope is associated with Ysdrah, it gains Echolocation and decreases light in a 100 foot radius by 75%. Ysdrah associated Lycanthropes are covered in fur and slimy skin, and gain tentacles from their mouth.

If the Lycanthrope is associated with Spiral, it gains Shatterstep, as above. Spiral associated Lycanthropes also gain the ability to howl, inflicting the Paranoid debuff, as above. Spiral associated lycanthropes are covered in fur and bone plates, and gain elongated claws.

Zaria practically shook with excitement. “I want a lycanthrope mob,” she said. “Well, actually, I want three, one of each.”

Vysala raised an eyebrow. “So I take it we’re going to have the moon heart active when we go in?”

“Probably,” Zaria said. “I need to make sure it’s not just initial excitement, but it feels like it’s the best option aside from my desire for a werewolf. Kind of a shame though - maybe I should try the bird heart on a mob, just once.”

“Hold off on that,” Vysala said. “You still have the upgrades to go through. Maybe there’s an option to get a Lycanthrope in there, or maybe there’s something that makes the Bird Heart better. Shall we delve into that?”

“In just a moment,” Zaria said, stretching her back. “First though, I did get a very useful new scry ability, and it is nightfall. What moon is dominant tonight?”

Vysala looked out the window. The dominant moon, on any given night, was the one that appeared to sit between the other two. “Celon,” she said after a moment.

“Then we need to cast it now, before it gets too late,” Zaria said. “While people are still up, and the Reclaimers are talking.”

Vysala nodded, her eyes brightening. “Talking. Of course. While wearing their shiny, shiny armor.”

Zaria cackled in agreement. “Let’s see what they have on their minds.”