Siren’s Cry [A LITRPG Adventure]-Ch. 20
A/N: And we're back! Enjoy :3
The toxin wraith is a dangerous creature, whether natural or summoned. It is one of the few creatures that can’t be truly called with nothing but mana, requiring a specific poison to manifest properly. The malleaf plant grows near marshes and lakes, and to call these beings you require two leaves to sacrifice to the ritual. Due to the highly dangerous nature of this poison, especially to any casters or mana wielders, I will include the antidote recipe on the following page.
—
Eagerly flipping the page, I conjure a mana bowl and begin prepping the antidote. Thankfully, I actually have all but one ingredient already in my bag, but the last one is simple to get.
Mana infused water is rapidly created, Basic Hydromancy proving its use once more as I fill the bowl about halfway.
The next ingredient is ‘mana-rich biological matter’, and both the Corrupted Blood and Blighted Marrow that I have are viable. A quick Purify clears the ‘bad’ portion of the name, shifting it into Infused Marrow.
Third is a low-grade healing potion, which I dump in without ceremony.
Finally, all it needs is a few drops of the poisoned blood from the victim. A small, hollow needle forms in my hand and with a small poke, a few drops well up into the tube. Tipping them carefully into the green concoction, it begins to swirl on its own while I feed more mana into the brew. After several long moments of carefully threading mana into it, the swirling stops and the liquid deepens to a purple.
Still holding Keira, I carefully feed the antidote to Mai. Seconds later, and the Malleaf Toxin vanishes from her diagnosis. Gently peeling Keira off of my back, where she has been watching me work with wide eyes, I push her towards the nude elf.
“Go on, check her over and wake her up.” I say softly, knowing just how much anxiety she has right now.
I would know just how bad it feels to see a friend dying in front of you.
Shaking the morbid memories away, I simply observe the heartwarming reunion as Mai slowly blinks awake, eyes taking a few seconds to focus on the sobbing beastkin hugging her tightly. The confused elf looks up at me, but I just shake my head and motion to her friend, silently telling her to wait a bit for answers. Mai nods and returns her focus to Keira, rubbing gentle circles on her back and whispering quiet assurances.
The next few hours blur together, as Keira eventually calms down and we explain the entire story to Mai. Then it's Mai's turn to break down, but before she can gather her wits a force of guards twenty strong storms the building. It takes several minutes of a tense standoff before they sheath their blades and actually talk. They take our statements, and after checking the orc’s identity confirm him to be Var'gish, a local mercenary-turned-crime lord. As we're escorted from the now ransacked warehouse, I stealthily steal the mechanical arm from his corpse after making sure he was dead. I don't really have a use for it yet, but I want to study how it actually works. I'm also fairly certain that at least one guard noticed, but none of them comment or seem to care. Weaving both Mai and Keira some temporary robes with my gloves, I escort the pair to the tavern we stayed at last night and retrieve the room keys.
Ushering the reunited pair to their room, I decide to hang out in the main room while I inspect the arm I claimed. At first I almost use Quill's blessing on it, but I remember how I got Basic Diagnosis and attempt to replicate it on the item. A few failed attempts later, and the window appears just like normal.
-
==×==-
Skill Learned:
Basic Identify: Allows the user to view basic information and abilities of items up to Rare rank.
—
Steelplate Driver (Uncommon, Augment): A heavy prosthetic forearm forged from steel and bronze in the Carhnish style. Can be linked to a user's mana signature, taking the place of the missing limb. Grants the ability to overclock the limb with mana, doubling the force of all punches thrown for a short time and increasing durability.
-==×==-
So that's how he was able to bat away my constructs without a scratch. Doesn't help much if you can't punch the problem.
The more intriguing parts were the ‘linked to a user's mana signature’ and ‘Carhnish style’. As the first implies that someone's mana signature can be used to bind new limbs to their body and allow them to be used as a normal limb. And the second implies that there is a place where prosthetics are so common there is a unique style to them.
Unwilling to cut off an arm to test the first, I focus on the style of the arm itself. It's a sleek, utilitarian construction, made of overlapping metal plates that toe the line of being bulky without crossing. Bronze joints and highlights act as conduits throughout the entire limb, channeling mana into blows and powering the internal mechanisms. Chunky gears and pistons interlock within the forearm, while the fingers only have hidden wires and small rods to articulate them. Overall, it looks like a large gauntlet rather than a prosthetic.
It's around now that I notice people at other tables giving me and the blood-splattered arm strange looks, and hastily put it away before anyone starts asking questions. I nurse a large mug of hard cider that the tavernkeep brews themself, the smooth flavor of apples and honey drowning my various concerns and curiosities, at least for now. At some point, Keira makes her way downstairs and over to my table, and we just sit there for a while. Not talking, not even looking at each other. Somehow, it's not awkward or anything, but rather a companionable silence where we simply enjoy the day's victory. I'm not convinced that Keira will be able to move on, but I do know that saving her friend helped alleviate the trauma, just the slightest bit. I decide to look at the notifications from the massacre in the warehouse, and I'm not disappointed.
-==×==-
[Various] Brigands Slain ×7
Var’gish, Orc Pugilist Slain
Bonus Experience Awarded [Commander Slain]
Level Up × 2
-==×==-
Nodding in satisfaction, I toss the two points into speed and check my full status.
-==×==-
Name: Siris
Race: Siren
Level: 20
Class: Witchlock
—
FP: 0
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 20
Speed: 15
Vitality: 25
Magic: 15
Will: 24
Intelligence: 30
Mana: 30
—
Active Skills:
Summon Aetherhawk
Summon Sand Wight
Conjuration
Witch's Tome
Basic Hydromancy
Siren's Cry
Basic Diagnosis
Basic Identify
-
Passive Skills:
Basic Ritual Knowledge
Lecherous Looter [Disabled]
Mana Powered Physique
Mana Condensation
Melee Weapons Mastery [Beginner]
Deviant Form
Summoner's Pact
—
Traits:
Blessing of Deras (Death)
Blessing of Friea (Life)
Blessing of Quilinarus (Magic)
Blessing of Artemer (War)
-==×==-
Keira's the one to finally break the silence, looking over before shyly ducking her head.
“S-So, I wanted to thank you for everything y-you’ve done for me and Mai. I… I wanted to ask, but why help us? You barely know either of us, but earlier you talked about being my benefactor?” She asks nervously, voice soft. I don't respond for a long moment, taking another draw from my tankard as I contemplate why I helped her, other than just ‘I felt like it’.
And why did I call myself her benefactor? Then again, I did just slaughter the gang that was blackmailing her and then healed her friend from a curse/poison. But why…?
Shaking myself to focus back on the now twitching cat girl, I decide to just be entirely honest despite how bad it may or may not sound.
“Because I like you. That hope you had for your friend, holding out to the very end until I arrived and helped you both. That adorable twitch your tail does when you're nervous or excited. Your beautiful fur, your cute little button of a nose, everything. I think you're cute, and I wanted to help you out a bit.”
Aaaand…. She broke.
I can pinpoint the moment her pupils snapped to paper-thin slits, tail freezing in a strange angle and ears twitching violently. Her fur ripples as it stands on end, puffing up in agitation as she processes what I just said.
“I’m…
cute
…?” Keira mumbles, eyes unfocused despite being locked onto my own violet gaze. She just sits there mumbling to herself for several minutes, during which I order more river stones and happily munch on the fried balls of heaven while she works her way through the mental breakdown. By the time I finish, she seems to snap back to reality and come to a decision, nodding to herself. Snatching the last stone for herself, she grabs my hand and tugs me along behind her as she walks to my room. I follow despite being easily able to break free, slightly miffed at the theft of my food but wondering where exactly she's going with this.
It doesn't take long before we're in my rented room, door locked behind us and her pushing me down to sit on the bed while Keira stands before me. My theories and thoughts come to a screeching halt when the plain white robe I made her drops to the floor, baring her pert, fuzzy tits right in my face.
A/N: Next chap is a smutty one with no real story elements, so you've been warned! Also, before I get comments asking about "Oh if this random book had info why doesn't any healers know what it is?"
It's because Malleaf is somewhere between a curse and a poison, needing BOTH types of healing skills to cure. Most healers only have either or. And Diagnosis normally doesn't work on it due to it eating mana, but blessing-backed does work lol.
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Ch. 20
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