10/9 14:12 (Autumn, Night, Mysterious Island)
Sider stepped forward, her twin axes being swung around her body, forcing the Fake-Kobolds to retreat, Lightning-Attribute Mana accumulating within her mouth before she howled, sending forth a wave of electricity towards a small group of her opponents.
None of the Kobolds hesitated, even those that weren't directly the Targets of her attack, each of them Chanting a different part of a Spell and creating a different part of the same Magical Circle in a stunning display of Concurrent Casting causing an half dome made out of compressed stone to rise up to block the attack.
Impressed, the Werewolf continued her assault, throwing one of her axe towards the head of a Kobold belonging to a different group that the one she previously attacked while stomping hard on the ground, a line of spikes violently erupting from her position and moving to skewer yet another group of Fake-Cultivators in a two-pronged assault act on testing out their reaction.
The Kobolds roared all together, their soundwaves joining together thanks to their Fake-Qi in an high pitched frequency that was somehow able to shatter the stone belonging to the cavern's floor, and consequently blocking both the earthen spikes and letting them dodge the thrown axe by falling down in the lower room.
Before the cracks could reach the pavement beneath her feet, she jumped, holding out her hastily made weapon in her right hand and throwing it once again, aiming to cut in half a Kobold's head while Lightning accumulated around her left forearm before most of it roared forward in a spear.
The Fake-Kobold she attacked nodded to itself, a resolute light in its gaze as it moved sideways, turning a bebilitating strike into merely a grave wounds, her thrown axe impaling it in its shoulder and leaving it free to join in on its comrade's Chanting while another Fake-Kobold shattered the axe, small fragments still imbedded in its body that were ignored by both of them in order to join their next combined Spell.
And again, the Fake-Kobolds behaved quite similarly to natural Kobolds with the exceptions of even higher Cooperation and stronger Druidry, as demonstrated by the falling piece of the floor joining together in a massive boulder to block the lightning bolt.
But this was far from Sider's first fight and she certainly didn't lack experience in a fight as demonstrated by her next, clenching her left hand still connected to the lightning and in response, her lightning spear erupted before it could impact the boulder on its way, dividing into a rain of very-thin Lightning knives and, sure, most of them were blocked by the rock and only a small number of them stabbed into the Kobolds, but she didn't mind this at all.
While she was still falling down, Sider rose her right hand and formed a spear of Thunder Gems that she threw towards the Kobolds' defense, shielding herself by curling up in a fetal position in mid-air, that upon impacting the Lightning-Knives detonated in a violent shockwave that sent her flying back into a wall, her feet cracking it as she bent her knees to help deal with the impact while she impaled her left hand in the ground.
Her eyes narrowed, quickly searching for her opponent, immediately finding six of the nine Kobolds but being unable to flush out the other three even with her incredibly enhanced senses as both a Werewolf and a Cultivator, Earth-Attribute ammassing around the hand currently imbedded in the wall, the whole room pulsing in a violent shockwave.
Before the shard of the previously destroyed boulder could finish landing on the ground, she launched herself towards one of the Kobolds with a dropkick that sent it flying back against the floor, her feet firmly keeping it stuck to the ground before she rose her left feet and stomping down violently, again and again, until she was forced to jump away with the purpose of dodging the claws of two other Kobolds covered in Fake-Qi, her right hand flashing out to grab the neck of a fourth Fake-Kobold that was trying to attack her.
"It's not going to be that simple!" She affirmed, her smile widending with a violent gleam before she stepped hard on the ground, spinning around on herself before smashing the Fake-Cultivator against another one of its comrades, her left hand covered in Lightning-Attribute Mana pulled back before she thrusted it backwards, impaling it upon the stomach of one of the Monsters that was trying to ambush her from behind.
The Lightning expanded forming a spear within her opponent's body before the black-haired one threw it up over her body by the shaft impaled in its stomach before she flipped around and smashed it in the ground, her right hand being coated by her Earth-Attribute Affinity to punch to her right, casually shattering a small boulder sent flying towards her before jumping upwards, dodging a pair of grasping hands rising from the ground around the fallen Fake-Kobold, belonging to a seventh one.
In mid-air, Sider stomped downwards with cratering force, cracks spreading beneath the Kobolds impaled with her Lightning Spear, her arms stretched out to her side and calling masses of the still falling rocks from the destroyed roof in her hands to create a pair of long, pointed staffs, electricity coursing through them, before she thrusted them downwards, impaling the two Fake-Qi users into place and landing hard on them.
"I don't appreciate being looked down on." She frostly declared, her eyes narrowed dangerously, her previous enthusiasm freezing down in a dangerous and murderous intent, her eyes shining slightly, her hairs and the fur on her ears and tails standing up straight, before she transformed her hands in their more bestial versions, her thick black fur highlighting the sharp shine of her claws.
She twisted around, dodging the two meters long spike sent flying at her from behind, before continuing with her spin to kick it, changing its trajectory of the projectile with a burst of Vital Energy so that it was sent flying towards a group of the Fake-Kobolds, her Mana flaring violently around her form in mid-air before she stomped down, trying to kill the two Fake-Kobolds but fortunately for them, the ground rose up to drag them beneath its surface, hiding and protecting them.
Her eyes narrowed, her body fluidly moving sideways to dodge the claws enveloped in Fake-Qi belonging to another Fake-Kobold, her hands grabbing into its wrists before she fluidly smashed it in the ground a couple of times, her feet rising briefly before smashing down on its neck. "This is not going to be enough." She affirmed frigidly, her claws piercing the arms of the Fake-Kobold, her body slowly starting to grow slightly.
-
10/10 3:59 (Autumn, Day, Midrar, Base)
Luna luxuried in the power she just gained, examining briefly the increased values of her Oaths before concentrating on the Expansion derived by her Skill increasing to D-Rank.
While she was moving around to quickly master her increase in power, she proceded to do the same with her newly gained possibilities, most of the Black Blood outside her body was flowing freely around her and eroding a weak Artifact gifted her with the purpose of accelerating her Mana Recovery, triggering her "Devouring Evolution" and slightly accelerating her natural Recovery but mostly with the purpose of memorizing how it was made and how it worked so that in the future she already had a model if necessary.
Her Vital Mana stretched around her, encircling the area in a False Domain that she used to attack the area around her by constantly imbuing it with her "Divine Power" Skill to compesate for its immateriality, the area around her darkening slightly as proof of this process, while the rest of her Black Blood was instead fusing with the air into various short-lived Weapons flying around her, the air's Quality, the lowest between the two Materials, thanks to her Oath being brought up to the Quality of the second lowest, in this case the only other Material involved in said Crafting, her Black Blood.
Finally, her most automatic Oath, the one reguarding her constant Meditation, had a very rare and likewise useful extra effect that she gleefully observed, the extension of her Resistances to the entirety of her own body, mind and Soul, negating even the small amount of influence she was currently under.
Amber decided to test her Mate's False Domain at once, launching a rain of fire balls upon the 6 meters wide Domain using her "Pyrokinesis" alone and in response Luna's Vital Mana flared and attacked the flames with bursts of force, almost on their own, the Lunarian's gaze meeting the blonde's own while small spheres of Vital Mana floating around her.
"Amber, this is a False Domain, be more careful." She half-scolded, causing the Demonic-blooded one to look away.
"Reguarding Domains, what's the difference between True and False Domains?" Asked Sabel, half in actual curiosity and half to distract them from Amber's action, not that it worked considering all four of them could check on each other's emotions at any time thanks to their Mate's Mark.
Luna smiled briefly at her, deciding to forgive the impulsiveness. "Domains are abilities that create a space around the user with different rules and are divided in three categories, from most to least rigid, being: False, True and Unique ones. False Domains are incredibly specific in their abilities, for example my own creates a space where Vital Mana is easier to control, like moving my own limbs. A True Domain is an Innate or Ability Skill that Channels one of the user's own Skills in the whole Domain. Finally a Unique Domain, as shown by its name, Channels in the affected Territory the user's own Unique Skill and they are automatically acquired once an Unique Skill fully reaches A-Rank." She calmly explained, knowledge she gained mostly because of the research left behind by Edgar.
Sabel nodded, satisfied at her new knowledge, while both Mafel and Amber started to wonder about their possible Unique Domains, daydreaming on all of their possibilities until Mafel returned to reality first to notice the amused gaze of her other two Mates.
"There is no need to look at me like that, rather you two should be curious too, shouldn't you!" She defended herself, feeling challenged and wanting her Mates to stop, her exclamation bringing Amber back down to reality too.
"I still do not have my Unique Skill Awakened, thinking about things that require A-Rank in that seems rather premature, doesn't it? But don't worry, it's very cute the way that you lose yourself in your thoughts." And in a twist that burned the grey-haired Elf greatly, the black-haired Human stretched out and in half-reassuring yet completely mocking, petted her head.
"And I can already guess what my Unique Domain will be like." Luna calmly commented, the reason behind her disinterest rendered clear. "It will be a Territory that turns everything within to Energy for me to devour. Boring on its own but it will help me out a lot to grow even faster and further." She contined with her experimentation, moving on to trying to fuse her Aura with her False Domain while briefly wondering if she could sustain a fifth Oath long-term.
----
Thanks for reading, comment if you have any thoughts about this chapter and story in general or any suggestion at all.
If you want to read chapters in advance of this and my other story, I have a Patreon.
( patr*eon.com/White_Chaos )