The party was relieved to find that they got a free day on the sixth. With this they all spent time together and taking care of their gear. By the time the day was up each of them felt better about what happened the day before.
On the morning of the seventh Helo came back from his morning spar and got ready to head to his crafting instructor. In the BrightMoon clan he was leaning under Elder Shelby, she is arguably one of the best, if not the best enchanter on earth.
With the Kashiwagi clan he is learning something similar, but very different. He is learning array making under a young array specialist. She is a dryad that focuses on large scale magical workings. It is her ancestors that hollowed out the volcano and keeps it dormant. She is a part of the Yamamoto family line and her name is Yoeko.
Entering her residence with a knock, Helo steps through the house and finds his teacher in her usual place. She is in her back yard going over whatever array she is working on at the time.
Stepping into the back yard with another knock, Helo bows, “Yamamoto-Sensei, it is good to see you this morning.”
Yoeko looks up from her work and then back to her array. “Yeah yeah yeah, Good morning Vital-San, blah blah blah. Now that the honorifics are over, Helo come look at this.”
With a laugh Helo steps up to the array. He isn’t sure the true age of his sensei, with her being a dryad with levels and all that longevity stuff. She looks and acts young, but she is brilliant at her craft. She has record almost all of the wide scale enchantments and arrays that have been placed over the Mount Fuji area.
She has arrays from terraforming the landscape, calming a volcano, setting up barriers, multi person siege spells, and she maintains the array the helps produce and contain the mystical mana.
In the center of her backyard, she has a stone slab that is used to create her test. On the slab are many runes, lines, and catalysts. Helo can only pick out a few of them. “Well, you have the rune for fire… and charcoal as a catalyst in this section. So obviously the array has something to do with fire.”
Looking over the array there are only a few things that he can pick out. Most of his knowledge is rune based but array making is a completely different craft from enchanting. Both are more types of art, but one is painting and the other sculpting. Sure, both are beautiful and both might be of a man. But how you got there, totally different.
Helo could have chose to continue learning enchanting, and he finds that between the two he prefers to enchant. But he was born without mana. Arrays are another way to influence the world around you, even mana. Many mages or high leveled individuals will get manipulation-based skills. Fire, water, earth, metal, and so on. Almost anyone who tried can get the ‘Mana Manipulation’ skill. Then they use the mana in the atmosphere to manipulate the world.
Helo can’t do that. Using his bloodline, he has an affinity for Vitality and Darkness. But his way to manipulate the two is his to make his own, or use high levels of his physical or mental energy to grasp the smallest amount around him. He doesn’t have the same simplicity that mana provides.
Because of this Elder Shelby recommended to him that he should learn to make arrays. Thanks to her recommendation he is now here. Giving her his thoughts Yoeko just nods along. One he is done she finally speaks, “Three months, your alright. Nothing like me, be alright.”
Like that his his time goes by quickly. She is having him assist in making the array she was working on. Before making any decisions, she asks him what he thinks they should use. Things like runes and catalysts. Sometimes she agrees, but most of the time she tells him how wrong he is.
Eventually the both of them are distracted by Helo’s tablet making a lot of noise. Grabbing the tablet, he can see that there is another break. Staring at the tablet Helo takes a deep breath. For a moment he had the image of the man getting split in two flashes though his mind. Or the images of all the bodies near the gate.
“Sorry Yoeko-Sensei I have to go.” He says as he takes off into the house.
“Goodluck Helo-San, Kick some ass!” She yells to his leaving form.
Thankfully Yoeko’s house isn’t far from the central courtyard. From what he knows she is the last of her family. When he asked her all that she said was that her family were some of the first targets during a war between the clans some time ago. There skill in large scale arrays makes them a target.
Running into the courtyard Helo looks up at the massive tree overlooking the entire compound. He rounds the main house that is built near the tree and arrives in front of his own place.
To his left and right he can see other individuals in his party appearing, they were off on their own tasks as well. Stepping out of the house Hinata is wearing a new set of light armor. This armor looks like it was woven from leaves and bark. It is a mix of green and brown and hugs her figure.
“Final gift from my father. Inside everyone has their own set.” She says this and everyone runs inside to see their new gear. Everyone but Helo, “Sorry Helo, Elder Shelby called and asked my dad to give you materials to enchant instead.
Staring at Hinata with a slack jaw, Helo metnalls curses the elder. That hag, old evil crone!
Looking at what he missed out, he uses ‘Appraisal’, at first it doesn’t work because Hinata is wearing it, her bodies natural defenses stop the skill from similar strength individuals.
Hinata feeling Helo’s appraisal manipulates her natural energies to let his skill though. ‘Appraisal’.
Dryad’s Forest Armor. (Uncommon)
Materials are freely given from the bark and leaves of a bonded tree. Woven by skilled crafters, this armor is made to be used within Kashiwagi territory.
- Increases End and Vit by 10
- Draws on mystic mana in the atmosphere to increase skill use and lower cooldowns.
- While in territory your imprint is weakened on surroundings, increases stealth.
- Self-Repair
Scoffing in annoyance, Helo turns and stops to the underground garage. That armor seems perfect for him. But there isn’t anything he can do about it, at least not in this moment. Taking his seat Helo checks over the tablet. To his surprise there are two rift breaks, they both are near one another.
Warning: Dual Rift Break
Mana Level: Mid-Tier 1
Rift Type: Beast / Insect
Nearby POI: N/A
Helo points out his finding to Hinata and she responds, “Well, this is training for us. They want us to learn how to deal with two rifts that break together. Plus, it’s not like every time we have to travel to deal with monsters, we won’t know what they are.”
Her answers make a lot of sense and Hinata takes charge to separate the groups into two. One team is going to each rift. Yesterday during their day off Helo talked to Alli and Hinata about their placement in the golf carts. Splitting was the correct decision during the goblin raid, but they should have been in the correct teams before they even left.
During the goblin fight both shield wielding fighters went with the two teammates who can create shields. This time they are splitting up Carl and Rurgrim, along with splitting Arisah and Aiko.
The split ended with Helo, Lelai, Hinata, Arisah, Rurgrim, and Cody going in one cart. Alli, Rocco, Aiko, Gabi, Bibbin, Carl, and Luna were in the other. This lets each group have a tank, frontline, range and support, but that didn’t mean everyone was happy.
Alli wasn’t happy that Hinata got Helo. Both Alli and Hinata knew that when they made a team together that there would be moments they have to split up. So, a while ago they made a deal, Helo would be passed between them. This isn’t a deal Helo knew about, it also is something that if he did, well he would feel a little uncomfortable. But, Alli is upset Hinata got first dibs.
At the same time Rocco is also upset. He sees himself as Hinata’s sworn sword. But they are about to head off into battle and she is sending him with another. He wants to be more upset about it but he has self-control and refuses to lose face. So, with the teams decided they go to the rifts.
This time the rifts are on the eastern side of the mountain and they are tasked with keeping the fighting below the tree line. Tokyo and other large cities are that direction. Many cameras take photos of Mount Fuji each day and they want to limit how many phones they need to hack.
The drive there is a little longer than last time and, on the way, Alli calls Hinata. Over their phones and with their earbuds in the two girls argue. Each group can only hear the conversation from their respective leaders. The only person with strong enough sense to hear both is Helo. “NO! You have Helo, so you take the bugs.” Alli says.
Helo listening to the argument thinks that he misheard. What does me being here have to do with bugs. Does she think that I like bugs or something?
“No, you have an extra member. So, you get the bugs.” The argument continues like this for a few minutes, before a much more outgoing and much less reserved Alli shoots past Hinata’s golf cart in her own hot pink one. They can hear here laughing as she passes them. “Hahhahahhaha.”
Coming up to a cross road that leads down a switchback she takes the one to the left that goes to the beast rift. “Oops. Sorry Hina-Chan, looks like you have to go to the insect rift.” With that she hangs up and Hinata just stops and stares at the cross roads for a moment.
Dropping her head she turns to the right. “Alright team, we are going to be fighting some kind of insects.” To the right is a dense forest with a thin trail leading down the mountain.
Driving much slower now the team eventually gets within a mile or so of the insect rift. To the left and about two miles away, Helo can hear what he assumes is Alli casting her ‘Runic Construct’ skill. The sounds from her skill are bouncing off the mountain behind them and echoing around the area. Loking that way he can see flashes of orange light from some kind of fire spell.
Stopping the cart Hinata sets up the same barrier that Aiko did during the goblin raid and the team sets off. Rurgrim steps up front and Hinata has Arisah step in behind him. After her is Cody, then Hinata and Lelai. Ariash speaks up in a soft voice as they are about to set out. “You know. The light from their fight might draw the insects from our rift.”
“Hopefully they do, and something lands in her hair. Helo go scout the enemies and kill any that are trying to escape or are higher tier variants.” With a swirl of darkness Helo vanishes into the dense trees.
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“Rurgrim defense, Arisah keep them grounded, Cody shoot any trying to flee or that Arisah catches, Lelai and I will kill the ones coming from up front or behind.” With the orders given the team quickly sets forth.
Most of the bugs are about three feet tall and there is an assortment of types. Any bug that they see either attacks them right away and tries to fly through the trees.
As the bugs come from the front, Rurgrim swats them with his shield and hits them with his axe and his ‘Heavy Smash’ skill. The bugs are level 20-30 and their strength comes from their numbers. He also sends out ‘Earth Spikes’ as he stops forth. Any bug that tries to get around him is speared in the abdomen.
Hinata is moving quickly to kill and bugs that attack them from the ground. Her illusion and sword flash all around the party. From the left, then front, then back, then right, she is all over defending the group as the rest do their jobs. The effort that she has put into ‘Illusion Strike’ is proving worthwhile. Her illusions can now deal almost as much damage are her own sword can, and she is able to use her illusion separate from her own attacks.
Arisah and Cody are working together well. Cody can’t use his ‘Cold Empowerment’ while moving so much but his ‘Ice Arrow Barrage’ is putting in the work, he is taking out any enemy that tries to fly. His job is made easier by Arisah who is using a mixture of ‘Overgrowth’ and ‘Plant Commune’ to turn the forest around them into an army of its own.
Lelai is also helping as well. She refuses to touch the bugs, due to them being gross. But she is using her ‘Mist Orb’ skill well, any groups larger that three that come forward receive an orb to the center. Lelai is even getting some good practice in with her ‘Mist Control’.
Every time one of her orbs explode it sends out a wave of dirt, plant matter, and bug goo. She is using her mist to create walls in front of her little body to keep herself clean. This is all happening to the dismay of the rest of the group. Lelai is helping them not get over run, but she is showering them in gore.
As a large wave of bugs charge forward from the front two members of the group are ready to deal with it. Slamming his shield down Rurgrim shouts “Earthen Wall!” A moment later a wall rises from the ground in front of the group. At the same moment Arisah throws a handful of seeds at the wall itself.
When the seeds embed themselves into the wall she shouts. “Overgrowth.” Holding her hands out toward the wall the seeds sprout small vines and then like a wave of green they burst forth from the other side of the wall.
This is a trick that Arisah and Rurgrim have used before in their training. It was actually something that Alli came up with and when it worked well, she bragged for a week about it.
On the other side from the party, the bugs that started climbing the wall are now wrapped in a tangle of vines. Some of the bugs are coming from the left or right of the wall but they are quickly killed by Hinata or Rurgrim. Cody is still picking off any of the flying enemies.
It only takes a few moments before the rush of bugs are stopped and the team slowly makes their way to view the other side of the wall. Wrapped in a massive number of vines over twenty bugs are trapped and squirming.
Most of the party flinch or feel phantom little feet on their body at the view. Quickly Rurgrim casts his ‘Stone Spikes’ from the wall and spears some of the bugs, everyone else attack as well.
Deeper in the forest Helo is making his own way toward the rift itself. As his team is clearing the area he is searching for any strong variants. Those tend to stick closer to the rift, at least right away.
Running through the trees and in some cases in the tree branches Helo is making quick time. He passes by many small groups of about five to seven bugs. Some groups are beetles and his ‘Detect Weakness’ shows their lack of speed. Others are dragonflies and his skill shows their lack of endurance. But each time he passes a group Helo can see that they are on their way toward the noise of Hinata’s fighting.
Another quarter mile and Helo has found his first target. He can hear the humming through the trees. It is zipping too and froe in front of him. Feeling the bug with his aura Helo can tell that this one is stronger than the rest.
Getting his first good look at it, it’s a massive mosquito. It’s proboscis, the organ it uses to suck blood, shines like metal through the tree tops. The organ looks like it could pierce through Rurgrim’s shield. With Helo’s enhanced eyes, he can’t see the speed at which the bugs wings are flapping. Its massive body is moving around the trees with speed that Helo can’t match.
Deciding to lay a trap, Helo enters the trees. When he finds a good spot, he cuts his own hand. Helo found a tree that has a single branch jutting out below, with two branches about six feet above. Now Helo drops his blood onto the branch below.
He can hear as the “bzzzzz” of the mosquito changes in pitch. With the sound of wind parting and an almost deafening “BZZZZZZ” the mosquito dashes toward the branch below. As the bug zeros in on Helo’s blood, he angles himself above and activates ‘Bloodline Awakening’.
One of the mosquito’s abilities must have to do with finding more powerful blood, because as soon as Helo’s awakening skill is active the bug turns on a dime and races to spear him on its sharp proboscis. The mosquito even smelled him through his concealment.
Only just able to react in time and only thanks to his ‘Bloodline Awakening’s’ increased agility, Helo manages to divert the spear point with his hand. Instead of getting speared through the throat, the point tears a hole in Helo’s collar bone. Drawing his blade and sliding it along the bugs body as it passes, Helo kills it quickly.
If he was any slower it would have gotten free and he would be dead. Looking at the dead body of the mosquito Helo growls in pain. He is just now realizing that none of these bugs have any blood. For some reason his vitality absorption works best when it is through blood.
“Dammit, I should have gone to the beast rift.” He says through his pain as he shakes out his bloody hand. The spear point of the mosquito tore a gash along the hand that he blocked with.
Moving slower than before Helo lets his own vitality to its job and looks for the next enemy, dripping blood along the way.
Finding his next opponent, this time the dragonfly is slower than his last. It is like a flying tank. Its exoskeleton is a potent defense, unfortunately for it, Helo’s bloodline is great at piercing through defenses. Quickly dismantling the bug Helo is on his way in no time.
The next few opponents are all the same. To resist or even stop Helo’s bloodline you need to have powerful defenses and vitality. Having strong regeneration and your own bloodline or aura would help as well. None of these opponents have that and he quickly makes his way through the rest of the bugs.
Finding the rift tearing through space all alone in a clearing, Helo sits down in a tree near it and waits for his group. As he is waiting, he can hear a faint ‘bzzzz’ coming form the way he came. As the tilts his head and focuses his hearing it is similar to the mosquito, but it is also different.
The noise isn’t as strong, but it is more numerous. A second later Helo realizes what is happening. Looking down at his arm he can see as his blood slowly drips down into the ground below him. His would is closing fast, but obviously not fast enough.
A few seconds later the swarm breaks through the trees and into the clearing. There are about seventy-five mosquitos flying directly for him. They are about the size of his head. They feel much weaker than the first, and their auras put them at not only a lower level, but a lower tier. Even so, there are seventy-five times more of them.
Activating his ‘Bloodline Awakening’ the bugs all increase their pace and fly straight for him. Pushing off the branch, Helo can hear it snap behind him. Hitting the ground with a roll Helo puts the rift at his back.
Opening his necklace, he vanishes his daggers and pulls out his naginata. Instantly he starts spinning it around his body until he has enough speed to use the ‘Moon-Staff’ techniques. He creates a projection in front of him as the first bug reaches him. His naginata blade cuts the bug in half and its two-side spray into the clearing. The second is smashed into paste by his projection.
Using the control he has gained over the last months, the projection doesn’t break but keeps following behind his naginata. Now he has two staffs flowing from his left to his right, they are constantly covering him. With his back to the rift, he is protected. That is until a mosquito dives at him from above.
All his energy control is focused on using and maintain his projection. Activating his skill ‘Dark Blade Projection’ Helo makes a blade from the shadow at his feet. Straining his channels Helo is causing himself immense pain as he pushes through. The bug spears into his body, down from his neck and into his chest.
Coughing blood, it is quickly drained from him. Pushing through and straining his will power, Helo doesn’t react to the massive bug crawling on his body. He keeps his blade spinning. By now over twenty mosquitos have tried to dive bomb him and killed themselves on his weapons.
With his ‘Dark Blade’ finally formed Helo casts ‘Mental Grasp’. Grabbing the blade, he launches it into the sky, but it goes through the mosquito on his shoulder first. Thankfully the hole in his chest is small and his vitality is able to slowly fix it. But he can’t push himself like this for long.
‘Bloodline Awakening’ puts a lot of strain on his body. It gives him more control, so it should help him use more skills at once, but right now it only increases the damage to himself. Using that with a draining technique like ‘AfterBlock’ is pushing his control. Adding ‘Dark Blade’ then ‘Mental Grasp’ seriously hurt his channels; both mental and physical ones.
Feeling the blackness of unconsciousness closing in Helo fights to stay awake. After a minute he is forced to stop using his ‘Dark Blade’. By this time almost all the mosquitos are dead, but he is barely standing. There are about seven remaining when Helo hears his party from the pounding in his ears, they are drawing closer. Before they reach him the final bugs dash toward him.
It is in that moment as the last bugs are dying on his pole-arm and the projection, a force strikes him from behind. Killing a few of the final bugs, and getting speared by the others, Helo is tossed into the air.
Flipping through the air, Helo lands in a heap. His rolling on the ground kills the last of the mosquitos as they were speared into his body. But he is struggling to rise, looking up a massive horned beetle came out of the rift behind him.
Hinata and the party break into the clearing and she sees him on the ground. As she is running up to him, she is surprised by the mass of body parts all around the clearing.
“HELO! Are you okay?” She asks as she checks his wounds. “Arisah. Healing!” She shouts back at the group. Arisah starts running over while Rurgrim gives a powerful shout and draws the beetles attention. As it lowers its massive horn and charges for him, he raises an earth wall.
Arisah lays her hands on Helo’s body and chants “Nature’s Heal” casting her spell her hands start to glow green and Helo can feel as energy floods into his body. He is surprised by how well it is healing him. Aiko’s light magic doesn’t have much of an effect on his body.
Hearing a loud booming noise the three of them turn to see the horn crashing through the rock wall and Rurgrim’s body sailing through the air. He crashes into a tree and Lelai sends an extremely dark ‘Mist Orb’ at the beetle. The orb makes contact and a second later a “BOOM” rocks the clearing.
Her extremely concentrated orb used almost all of her remaining mana. But it was able to deal a large amount of damage to the beetle. It struck it on the shoulder and now all of the armor on that side is blasted away.
With the beetle no longer able to charge everyone starts heaping attacks onto its body. Helo who is still feeling the strain in his body does his best to push himself up. He doesn’t think he can move right now, but he can still help. Using his ‘Dark Blade’ and ‘Mental Grasp’, Helo sends blade after blade at the monster. Eventually his vision starts to blacken again and the pain in his body is getting to much.
Pushing himself to use one final attack. His bloodline responds to his call, as his bloodline energy seeps into his channels it helps him stay awake, if only for a moment. A ‘Dark Blade’ starts forming, but when Helo uses his ‘Mental Grasp’ to grab the blade it looks different.
Normally when Helo sees his own mental energy it is a light purple, but this time there is a black glow seeping in at the edges. This black glow is even visible to the others. It is like the blade that was already made from darkness, is now ringed with a dark halo and that halo is draining light, turning the world around it monochrome. Pushing one final time Helo’s blade shoots forth harder than ever before and breaks into the monsters shell.
Looking around the clearing filled with bodies and the dying beetle Helo mutters, “I need an AOE skill.” Then drops to the ground unconscious.
At the other rift Alli and her team are finishing things up. The fighting was messy, but easy. All the opponents were in the lower 20’s for level. Skipping along she is cleaning up the battle field using her construct hammer head. Right now, she has it built with an array that freezes her enemies when struck.
Slamming her hammer on the head of a chimpanzee Alli looks around and is happy to see everything is taken care of. Rocco, Gabi and Bibbin already entered into the rift, they just need to find the boss and kill it. With the level of the rift it should be easy for them.
Not three minutes later she gets a system message.
Your party as defeated the ‘Flooded Forest’ rift.
You have gained exp and rewards.
You have gone from level 39 to level 40.
You have the option to choose one new class skill.
Due to your bloodline and class, you have gained…
Happy with her progress, Alli chooses to pick her skill later. Now she just wonders how Helo is doing and if Hinata got her new level as well.
Meeting back up with the full party Alli is surprised to see Helo unconscious. Worried for him she stops her golf cart and runs up to him. “What happened?” She asks looking at Hinata.
“He got surrounded by a swarm of bugs. But they lacked the vitality that he needed. Arisah healed him. He should be okay.” Hinata responds in a more mechanical manner than usual. Alli realizes that her friend wants to get home.
Quickly they all arrive home and Alli and Hinata take Helo into his room. Telling their team that they will take care of him they both set him on his bed.
“So… Should be clean him?” Alli says with a feint blush.
Hinata wasn’t even thinking about that, but now she is. With a blush of her own she shakes her head. “No, he just needs to be healed.”
The girls make eye contact and Alli says. “Together then?”
“MHM” Hinata nods. Both girls pull pocket knives from their bags and cut their hands. Holding their hands over Helo’s mouth, both girls squeeze their fists at the same time.
Hinata winces and Alli makes a hissing noise from the slight pain but their blood flows down their hands and drips off their bottom knuckles into Helo’s mouth. Both girls watch feeling a little entranced as they see how his pale features slowly return to a healthy color, and how his closed eyes start to glow a golden amber color through his eyelids.
“MHmmmmraaaaaahhh” Helo moans as his eyelids flutter open. The amber glow captivates the girls for a moment before they both flinch back. Helo is looking at their bloody hands that are hanging over his mouth. “Ah. Hi.”