It’s morning again, Colt and I wake up, groaning about getting up and training again. Muscle pains may not be a thing because of HP regen, but we both feel tight and mentally tired. We decide to take a morning off from fighting each other at least. After a breakfast of clustersprings and stale crackers, we leave the house to hunt for better food options.

With my Porcine Nose and Colt’s Gourmet's Instinct, we should be able to find safe, edible foodstuff. Heading into the forest, Colt edges closer to me, his fear of goblins apparent. With my anchor in hand, I try to radiate confidence to make him feel better.

On our search for edible plant life, my nose guides us along. I’m following the trail of something strangely… Electric. We arrive at a grove of trees with twisting, yellow vines wrapped around the trunks. On each vine, we see lightning bolt shaped pods growing.

There’s a strange humming in the air, seemingly coming from the plants. Electricity arcs down one of the vines. “How are we supposed to harvest these?” Looking to Colt for ideas.

“I have an idea… Nature’s Barb!” Two spikes of wood stab out from the tree and sever some of the vines off the tree. They discharge as they hit the ground. Gingerly picking them up, I inspect them.

Zingpods

Quality: Low

Traits: Unknown

Description: These pods constantly set up charge differentials fueled by mana along their vines, creating strong electrical charges that act as a defense mechanism.

Glancing up farther, we note the tree itself looks like a pine tree, except all the pine needles are made of what seems to be crystallized light. ‘Inspect’

Evergleam Fir

Quality: Low

Traits: Photogenesis

Description: The needles of this tree refine mana pulled up through the soil to produce crystallized light for its own photosynthesis. Due to lack of innate defenses, the Evergleam Fir has a symbiotic relationship with Zingpod plants.

We harvest the Zingpods we cut down, but leave the rest, Colt doesn’t want the tree to die. “I can already tell these are gonna be so tasty once I cook them! You could say the flavor will be… Shocking.” Colt’s shit-eating grin destroys me internally from how bad his pun was. -1

“I literally lost HP from how bad that pun was.” Somewhat shocked myself, I guess the mental pain translated physically.

In the distance, a twig snaps, our heads swivel to the location of the noise, spotting a Volley Stag staring at us. Even from about 100 feet away, I can tell this one is far bigger than the one I fought off in my house.

“Think we can run?” Colt looks to me.

The volley stag brays and charges, it’s antlers easily knock a tree out of its way, barely even slowing it. “I think we take that as a ‘no’. We’ll just need to kite it. I’ll keep it busy with my earth spells while you go in for the heavy hits.”

Unamused, I realize this is probably the best strategy we have. The volley stag abruptly stops as we prepare, lowers its head to the ground, and prepares a projectile. “Fuck. Right. Ranged attacks. Change of plan hit it with everything we’ve got!”

Plotting my Course, I dash around the volley stag at high speed, it attempts to turn and follow but I’m too quick for it this way. My anchor meets its back leg in the knee joint with a Heavy Blow, the force reverberates up my arms but the buck staggers as I hear a pop.

While I land my hit, Colt sends several spikes of grass to stab at the stag. It tries to swing its antlers at me, but I Ballast my weight and bend at an odd angle to dodge, rising back up after quickly re-adjusting my weight once more.

The stag is waiting for me when I come up, I take a hoof to the sternum and am sent airborne into a tree. My side smashes on the tree as I pivot in the air to avoid having the potions in my backpack smash from the impact. Struggling to get up, my head starts to swim, a system message prompts me as I wonder what’s wrong.

Condition acquired: Broken ribs

Condition acquired: Punctured Lung

Already feeling the lack of oxygen, I pull a healing potion out of my bag quickly and down it. Shocked when I realize the other 3 I brought broke during the impact, I realize we need to end this fight quickly. Feeling a bit ridiculous for it, I nod to Colt from the distance.

“NOW” We both pull a clusterspring paste that Colt made from our bags and eat it quickly. Full of motion, I spring to action. Literally. The stag seems shocked at our sudden, rapid increase in mobility. It lowers its head to the ground and several projectiles form out of the dirt. It fires them at me in a scattershot formation.

Raising up a quick Mana Shield, it barely manages to slow a single shot before shattering. Taking several hits at once, my HP drops again. I’m too far from Colt to use any of his healing potions. He’s taken some hits from the volley stag as well, there’s a trail of blood running down his forehead, around his eyes, and down his chin.

From the distance, Colt’s eyes glow green as his hand meets the ground. “GAIA’S GRASP” Colt calls out, his voice echoing. The zingpod vines shoot off of the tree, wrapping around the volley stag.

It rears and brays loudly as the vines shock it. Taking what will be our final chance, I Plot a Course, setting several beacons, my limit is 5. They take me around to the front of the stag once more. My final beacon is in the air just before the stag.

Jumping, I rocket off the ground as I move towards my Course. Coming down, I Ballast all of my weight into my arms to increase the strength of what I hope will be my finisher. A quiet whisper inside me tells me something has changed, the words that come out of my mouth are unexpected.

“DEVASTATING IMPACT!” The world seems to slow for a moment as it sounds like a cannon is firing off. BOOM The volley stag’s head implodes from the force of my blow, antler’s shattering.

Crying out, a sickening CRACK resounds from my arms, I feel both break. I had loaded as much mana as I could into that hit. Falling to the ground I land face first, unable to catch myself.

The only thing I can call fortunate in this situation is that my Skill seems to protect my anchor from most damage, however, laying on the ground I can see a hairline fracture in the metal of my weapon.

“LUCAS!” Colt runs over to me, bringing a healing potion to my lips immediately. The bitter liquid has never tasted better. My wounds slowly stitch together, a disturbing amount of clicks, pops, and snaps sound out from my arm as the bones move back into place.

The breaks may have been compound fractures from all the movement I feel inside my arm. The entire process is agony, I can taste copper in my mouth as I realize I’ve bitten into my lip.

The process is incomplete, we didn’t bring enough healing potions to return my arms back to functioning order. Telling Colt to just grab the volley stag’s loot and store it in my bag, he does so and carries both on one arm while holding me over the other in a fireman’s carry.

He won’t stop talking on the way back, freaking out about my arms. The one good side effect of his chattering is that it’s distracting me somewhat from the torture in my arms that is every step he takes. Still, my eyes are tearing up as I hold back sobbing from the pain, that will only serve to open the floodgates to the whole experience.

We arrive back at the house and need to use three more healing potions to get my arms back to normal. Colt told me this, I lost consciousness after the second, he had to force me to swallow the third.

“Guess it was me carrying you this time, it’s how it is in games after all.” Colt is smiling over me, returning my previous jibe when I first found him. The concern is still in his eyes, despite him trying to make light of the situation.

Cautiously, I move and flex my arms, not noticing any pains or oddities in the motion. When I sit up, however, a wave of exhaustion rolls over me. Fixing that many breaks with healing potions was hard on my body.

They seem to be a mix of magical healing as well as speeding up the natural healing processes of the body. Too much healing really drains one’s stamina.

Pulled from my train of thought, I keep seeing Colt look over to the bag excitedly, we must have received something good in the loot. The Construct lets me know personally.

Level up! For developing new skills with your anchor and finding new pathways to fight, your Talent: Fledgling Anchorist has reached (10/50)!

For reaching your second Talent milestone in Fledgling Anchorist, you have been awarded applicable stat points to Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Willpower and + 60 XP. In addition, you have been granted the Perk: Seafaring Body

Congratulations Lucas Creo! By advancement of the Heavy Blow skill, you have caused a Skill Upgrade to occur. Your Heavy Blow skill has become Devastating Impact!

Skill: Plot Course has leveled up 3 times, reaching level 4!

Conditions Acquired: Compound Fracture Radius, Compound Fracture Ulna, Compound Fracture Humerus, Anterior to Posterior Labral Tear, Ruptured Biceps Brachii Tendon...

Conditions Cured: Compound Fracture Radius, Compound Fracture Ulna, Compound Fracture Humerus, Anterior to Posterior Labral Tear, Ruptured Biceps Brachii Tendon...

My breath catches as I read these messages, ignoring the rest of the list of messages stating my arms were rightly fucked.

Royal Guard Volley Stag defeated! 546 XP awarded.

Royal Guard Volley Stag dropped items: 27 Sparks, 2 Glints, Volley Stag steak x12, Royal Guard Stag Gauntlets.

Skill: Devastating Impact has leveled up 3 times, reaching level 8!

Level up! You have achieved level 5, you are awarded 5 unallocated stat points, +10 MP, +1 Strength, +1 Endurance, and +1 Insight. 151/657 remaining to level 6.

‘Seafaring Body gives +1 Endurance, nice! Status’

Status:

Lucas Creo

Age: 22

Race: Human

Status: None

Level: 5

Exp: 151/657

HP: 197/240 (0.8 HP/min regeneration)

MP: 57/295 (0.85 MP/min regeneration)

Strength: 19

Endurance: 16

Dexterity: 15

Intelligence: 14

Attunement: 17

Willpower: 12

Charisma: 11

Insight: 17

Stat points: 15

Bringing up my perks menu, I directly view Seafaring Body

Perks:

Seafaring Body

Description: Your body operates like a well-maintained ship, you may add Knots to your movements or hits to increase the speed and power at a cost of 5 MP per Knot. Endurance increased by +1, +1 Endurance per level up.

Satisfied with my new perk, I push it out of my head for now, I’ll test it later. Turning back to Colt, I give him the phrase he’s been waiting for. “Show me the treasure.”

Eyes glittering with exciting, Colt grabs the backpack off the table and takes out each piece of loot individually. There’s a large stack of volley stag meat in the same wax paper with the glyph as before.

Great, we get to eat more volley stag meat. Next, there’s a pile of coins, mostly copper but I see two silver in the mix. Those must be the Sparks and Glints.

Lastly, hands shaking, Colt pulls out a set of gauntlets. They’re leather with stag fur covering them, and there are small versions of the volley stag antlers protruding from each side. Immediately, I can tell Colt wants them. “I already have my anchor Colt, you need something, take them.”

Eyes wide as saucers, Colt shakes his head. “No! You finished off the volley stag you should have them!” Having none of it, I stand my ground.

“No, I never would have had that opportunity unless you used that spell, where did THAT come from anyway?”

Realizing just now that I hadn’t even questioned Colt’s use of the skill in the moment. “It came to me in the fight, I just suddenly knew I could do it and the words came to me.” Colt looks proud of himself.

“Take them Colt, they’ll just get in the way of my anchor anyway with those antlers.” Looking happy but slightly guilty, Colt runs his hands over the fur on the gauntlets.

“Really?”

“Really.”

He jumps up and down in joy and immediately slips them on. His face drops the second he puts the first one on. “It’s too big…” The gauntlets are truly massive pieces, and they’re just slightly too big to fit Colt.

“Wait… Don’t we have an equip menu, Colt?” His eyes widen once more.

“You don’t think…” He seems to bring up his equip menu. Touching the gauntlets to the air in front of him, they suddenly disappear and reappear on his wrists, looking like they were tailor-fit to him. We both Inspect the gauntlets now that he’s wearing them.

Royal Guard Stag Gauntlets

Quality: Low

Traits: Geokinesis

Description: These gauntlets are formed from the hide and antlers of a member of the volley stag royal guard. They enable the wielder to shape the earth like a volley stag. The wearer may also punch formed projectiles to be fired at a mana cost scaled by size and force.

“These gauntlets are incredible! Colt let’s go outside and test them! I have something I wanted to test myself as well.” We walk out the door into the backyard, elated by our newfound power.

Pointing his fist to the ground, a patch of dirt compacts into a ball and levitates in front of Colt’s fist. He punches the dirt and it fires out like a bullet, smashing into a tree in the distance, shattering on impact.

Stepping into his line of fire, I yell to him. “Fire at me! I have something I want to try!” Colt looks confused but resigns to my plan. He punches another projectile at me, my body blurs as I add ten Knots to my legs as I move. Pop.

Pain erupts in my ankle as I feel the ligaments snap from the increase in speed. Falling to the ground, Colt rushes over to me. “Lucas! What happened!?” Handing me a healing potion, I down a dose, feeling sweet relief as my connective tissue knits back together.

“Well, I won’t use that much speed again so soon. I gained a Perk called Seafaring Body, it lets me add Knots to my movements. I guess I went a little overboard.”

Sheepishly, I take another dose of the healing potion. “How about we don’t try going overboard with Perks the second we get them next time, okay?” Colt tries to sound chastising, but his concern is apparent and makes me feel guilty for making him worry.

After practicing for a bit longer, I find I can only safely use about 5 Knots before my connective tissue starts straining. My arms seem to be able to handle about the same amount. The effect is still helpful, my speed has increased immensely, power too.

We head inside, it’s afternoon now and we’re both starving. Colt prepares another meal for the both of us, making volley stag steak with a side of fried zingpods. The steak is once again deliciously prepared, and the weird, lightning-shaped peapods literally spark in my mouth with a tangy flavor. All in all, it’s a good meal, albeit quite strange.

When we get up, Colt accidentally knocks his cup of water off the table. Before it can do more than tilt to fall, our hands both catch it at the same time. We look at each other in shock. “What happened to our reaction speed? Is that what zingpods do?!”

“This will be so useful! With this reaction speed, I’ll be able to maintain myself using Knots better!” We start a small fistfight spar in the kitchen, both reacting quickly, catching each other’s hits before they can land.

Having spent about 5 minutes sparring, Colt’s fist meets my face. In an instant, the reaction speed boost came to an end, I could no longer react fast enough to stop his punch and took the hit right in my nose.

Blood gushing now, I take the final dose of the healing potion I used to fix my ankle earlier. Our supply is running low again. We decide to spend the rest of the morning making more potions. We ran out of red slime long ago, so now we’ll just supplement with more vitaleaf.

Colt has an idea, however. “What if we try using the sweetkiss chimes with these?” Thinking for a moment, I agree it’s a good idea to experiment. He runs outside and comes back with a handful of the delightful flowers.

We add them to the potion we’re currently brewing, the red color brightens and the liquid becomes clearer. Instantly, we both gain a level in Fledgling Alchemist. Colt has actually balanced out with me now, we’re both level 7 Fledgling Alchemists. Him coming up with the idea must have given him more of a boost. We Inspect the potion.

Healing Potion

Quality: Low

Traits: Healing item

Description: A healing potion made of vitaleaf and sweetkiss chimes. The natural resonation of the flower has increased the amount of life energies pulled out of the vitaleaf, improving the potency of this brew. Restores 37 HP. Doses: 4.

We’re both on cloud nine with the discovery of how to make an improved healing potion. We spend the rest of the day brewing. The sweetkiss chimes work for mana potions as well, upping their efficacy.

When night comes around, we both go to bed, I’m still sleeping on the floor in Colt’s room. We tried one night without doing so and both had nightmares again. In the morning, we start up our preparations to reap our revenge on the goblins.