[Scientific Insight+]

[Petrified Cloud Guppies

A creature that shouldn’t exist in a hunger-induced coma]

What do you mean a creature that shouldn’t exist? How does [Scientific Insight+] figure that one out? Is it being influenced by the new [Lexicon]?

Should I feed it? What do they eat?

I rummage around my bag and pull out some leftover hawk meat from the fracture. I put the flesh in the burlap sack and shake it around. Nothing happens.

I ponder for a bit and try a little of my own blood.

I hold my still bloody left arm above the sack with my other arm and let the stripped flesh bleed into the bag.

*drip drip drip*

Where my blood splashed, the stone disappeared. revealing white-colored scales.

Suddenly a swarm of guppies reanimated and flew out of the bag, connecting themselves to my ruined arm. With the state of my arm, it cannot resist their gnawing of razor-sharp teeth. My blood floods the bag causing more of them to come alive.

“AAAAAAAA! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!”

Hundreds of them go for my injured arm. I have to make a decisive decision.

If the guppies finish their meal and decide that it’s not enough, the rest of my body is at risk to their voracious maws. I summon my tanto in mid-motion, cutting my arm off. It hurts way less than I expected. Without delay, I quickly chuck it in the sack and hold it closed with my other hand. I can always get another arm, but I can't get another life.

I use just enough healing to stop the bleeding. Duchess starts to wrap a bandage on my shoulder using her [Telekinesis].

[Sometimes I wonder if taking you as thisss one’s master was the correct decision.]

“You had no choice, regardless.”

[...]

The burlap sack starts to shake violently. Hundreds of fish cannibalize each other in hopes of filling themselves with meat. The shaking stops after a few seconds.

The bottom of the bad suddenly tears open as only a single inch-long [Cloud Guppie] is revealed and content with their meal. There is no sign of blood, brethren, or my arm left in the burlap sack. I discard the remains of the bag and hold the guppie with two fingers. It doesn't resist the motion.

“...”

I silently use [Servitude] on this strange creature.

[Servitude C lv1 (3/5) > Servitude C lv1 (4/5)]

[Succesfuly subjugated Cloud Guppie]

“...”

That was surprisingly easy. I will name it Khan.

~

Name: Khan

Nickname: Exiled

Species: Cloud Guppie F (Unique)

Level 1 0/100

Evolution Requirements Not Met

~

Health Points: 50/50

Mana Points: 25/25

Armor Points: 0

~

Might: 10

Agilty: 10

Vigor: 10

Mind: 5

Spirt: 5

Perception: 5

~

Trait:

Shouldn’t Exist:

This creature should not exist.

Wrath of the Skies A:

One of many, the scourge of the skies.

Unknown effects.

~

Skills

Rage D:

When triggered: +50% to Might

When fully enraged: +100% to Might

Float D:

The user does not need land or water, only the sky.

Cloud Affinity E

A small amount of affinity is added with clouds.

~

Why is it level one if it was killing inside of that bag? More importantly, why does it have two weird traits. It's only one creature right now, and the other trait is as foreboding as the new titles I got.

The stats and skills are decent for an F-rank creature. I need to get out of this forsaken fracture before something ludicrous happens… again.

“Duchess, can you fly me down to the exit.”

[You will be way too heavy for thisss one to fly]

“This little fish has the same Might as you. You need to hit the gym.”

[...]

[Thisss one was going to continue with, but thisss one can still glide.]

I pat her head.

“Let's get going then.”

I straddle Duchess after checking that I am not leaving anything behind but my arm. Not like I can get it back right now anyway. Duchess is slightly thicker than a human thigh, so it is an awkward ride. Although, Her beautiful feathers are very comfortable to sit on.

[...]

Her robust wings spread out, and we start gliding from the golden platform. When we get a couple of feet away, it vanishes into a spread of golden light. We try to avoid any clouds, but inevitably we will have to pass through the clouds above the exit.

I started to formulate answers that Nelson and his team members might have about where I was and what happened.

A [Lightning Elemental] tries to strike me down, but the lightning doesn’t damage me. I have Duchess glide past it, so I smack it with Flash Gordon until It dies.

We finally make it to the ground. Once my feet hit solid earth, Duchess curls around my body like an elaborate scarf. I spot the trio setting up permanent lightning rods around the exit before they spot me,

The scout girl is the first to notice me walking up to them casually. She points me out to the other two. When I walked up to the trio, Nelson started asking questions, as I figured.

“Yo.” (Me)

“Ellis, where the hell have you been?” (Nelson)

“Sightseeing, I got all the information available from this fracture.” (Me)

“Holy shit, what happened to your arm?” (Nelson)

I look at my bandaged shoulder and shrug. “I don’t know. I lost it somewhere.” (Me)

“We have to take you to the healer! Do you still have it with you? We can probably get it reattached.” (Nelson)

I think about all the guppies that ate my arm and the fact I got the guppie that was the last one standing.

“No, I lost it.” (Me)

“...” (Nelson)

“Ellis, you want to tell us what happened to the snake?” (Barry) said to change the conversation.

“Yeah, what about your skeleton friend?” (Cathay)

“Duchess evolved, and Rob is taking a nap right now. Can I go to the hospital now?” (Me)

At my question, they let me pass and leave the fracture. Nelson, Cathay, and Barry follow me out.

~

The doctors said that “There is nothing that can be done” about my arm in this state. I can either find a powerful healer willing to regrow my arm or purchase a metal one from an artificer. The shitty government insurance I got from joining Nelson’s team doesn’t cover rejuvenation and only the shitiest of prosthetics.

I get the free arm anyway since I won't say no to using the government-funded insurance to the fullest while I have it.

The arm doesn’t fit exactly, and I can’t move it subconsciously. I can use my mana to move it, but it can’t make delicate movements.

Nelson is the only one in the hospital room with me. Besides my arm, I managed to heal the rest of my injuries.

“I’m sorry that this happened to you. The team was attacked by a giant hawk and lost sight of you.”

“I’m not going to sue you, Nelson.”

“You couldn’t even if you wanted to. You signed some papers, after all. I appreciate you saying that regardless.”

“About that, how did I do?”

When I was waiting to be fitted with a prosthetic, I wrote down a report of what I saw in the fracture. This included a catalog of the natural resources and the various creatures I faced. I did not mention the [Lighning Maiden] or the goddess. I wrote that this fracture may have more powerful creatures and has lurking dangers.

“The report was very detailed and professional. You even added methods of defeating creatures and questions that we will have to think about. One critique, not everyone can ‘Smack them with Flash Gordon,’ so that method will probably be removed.

I nod in understanding. If everyone had a Flash Gordon, then there would be no need to fight in the first place.

“Did you call my parents?”

“No. You were very adamant the last time this happened.”

“Good. I’ll see you later.”

I get dressed out of my hospital garbs. Surprisingly my gui is still in decent condition. Before I leave, I turn back and say one more thing.

“Can I get paid in cash?”

~

I went to my local furniture shop, near my house, and bought some furnishings. I also paid to have it delivered to my place. When the clerk asked about my arm, I joked that I was a soldier and lost my arm in a fight.

When she offered a discount, I had to explain I was joking. If this wasn’t a shop near where I lived, I probably would have gone along with it for the veterans discount.

I buy some food and a bunch of stuff at a hardware store. I plan on changing my locks along with some other things. I got cheap enchanted locks that are better than steel. I have about two thousand dollars left over from my shopping spree.

When I got home and unlocked the door, I spotted my neighbor sitting in front of his apothecary, looking at me.

He notices that I see him. He waves from his wheelchair.

“Hey there, Ellis. I see that you joined the club.”

I look down at my prosthetic and reply to him, “It seems that I have, have a good night, neighbor.”

I walk inside and start working on my house. I replaced the locks and added new ones to the windows. I move furniture to where I want it to be and set up my new bedroom. I only got things for the master bedroom, the living room, and the bathroom.

Along the walls of my bedroom is a continuous shelf that goes all the way around. I added padding to it, and that is where Duchess will sleep. Flash Gordon has his own pedestal on my nightstand, and Rob has a coffin at the base of my bed. I got weird stares when I bought this.

I pull the shard of Rob out and examine it. It still is charred black with specks of metal. The bone has grown since the last time I checked on it.

I use almost all my mana for Rob to be whole again… This time, he looks different.

Rob used to be pure white with a shadowy cloak, but now he's a burnt skeleton covered with sporadic flecks of metal. As soon as Rob is complete again, his hazy cloak returns and drapes over him.

Rob stands there and looks at me. I can’t tell what he is thinking since he doesn't have a face I can read. It's almost like he is blinking innocently at me. It doesn’t seem like Rob’s new appearance has changed him at all, not even on his status.

“Rob, this is your bed. Sorry for throwing you like that.”

Rob started dancing and chattering his teeth. He instantly laid inside of it and stopped moving. Rob didn’t even register my apology.

What a good boy.