Shielded by Seals [Chapter 13] (Patreon)

ToC: https://www.patreon.com/posts/132353583

Spring stretched and matured into summer while I continued to refine my broadened suite of Traits and Skills.

With access to the outside world (albeit only around the manor) my options multiplied. I innovated my methods to generate more proficiency. In the short term, my focus was on Accurate, Silk Shot, and Clean. With my focused efforts, and haphazard artistic ability, I improved.

Your Trait Accurate has reached a new Proficiency! Beginner I -> Beginner II. Accuracy can now affect an even wider range of activities. Range of Accurate increases. Your Mana Pool has deepened.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +10%.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Genius, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +4%.

…

Your Skill Silk Shot has reached a new Proficiency! Beginner III -> Apprentice. The durability of Silk Shot increases. The Skill resists minor interference. Your Mana Pool has deepened. 

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +10%.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Genius, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +4%.

…

Your Trait Accurate has reached a new Proficiency! Beginner II -> Beginner III. The likelihood of activating Accurate has increased.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Child…

…

Your Skill Clean has reached a new Proficiency! Usable-> Proficient I. Your Cleans now affect a larger area. Your Cleans can leave persistent damage against advanced dirtiness. A lingering cleanliness remains after the Skill usage. Your Mana Pool has deepened.

…

Your Skill Silk Shot has reached a new Proficiency! Apprentice -> Usable. Silk Shot can be used more frequently. The mana cost for Silk Shot has decreased. Your Mana Pool has deepened.

…

Your Trait Accurate has reached a new Proficiency! Beginner III -> Apprentice. All effects of Accurate have increased. Your ability to react in tense situations marginally increases. Your Mana Pool has deepened.

…

Your Trait Mana Hungry has reached a new Proficiency! Beginner III-> Apprentice. The first time emptying your Mana Pool, experience a moderately increased surge in Mana. Your Mana Pool has deepened. The quality of your Mana begins to change.

…

The warm sunlight illuminated my frown of focus. I stood across the meadow from the targets and released a breath. As I raised my wrists, I released an impulse of will. My Mana Pool, which had surged to the point it practically sloshed around in my chest, boiled with my intent.

The tingling energy flowed through me as the Skill activated.

A bolt of concentrated silk smashed into my chosen target. I smiled; After months of training, my accuracy has greatly increased, both with practice and the steady grinding of the Trait. During this period, I also had to drag out different pieces of furniture, as the power of Silk Shot increased to the point that it would crack and shatter flimsy wood.

After releasing a breath, I raised a hand to shade my face. The weather had begun to cool the last few weeks, but the feeling of sun on my skin was still pleasant-

“Huunhk!”

The foolish Mud-Guzzling Hog trotted across the meadow toward me, dragging with it a branch covered in stinking mud. Its eyes sparkled as it dropped the branch and opened its mouth for its reward for bringing me such a treasure.

I had a headache, but I still raised a hand and used Emit Mana. The bolt of pure energy shot toward the Mud-Guzzling Hog’s mouth; because of the growth of the Accurate Trait, the energy slammed into the monster’s throat without it even moving. It released a pleased rumble and flipped onto its back. It flailed back and forth, crushing the branch and spreading mud everywhere.

Even if I was annoyed, I glanced at the Status display.

Tamed Beast: Mud-Guzzling Hog Lvl 14

Relationship: Very Close

Potential: Mundane

Fighting Ability: Lvl 16

Not only had its Level increased again via being fed Emit Mana, but all of the other details shifted. The Relationship became Very Close, its potential grew to Mundane, and Fighting Ability rose to Level 16.

The information shifts at a glacial pace… but it’s increasing. I shook my head. Besides, it is very convenient as a mount for my current body. Truly, being two and a half…

I looked at the sky and rubbed my cheeks. Now that I had started, I intended to finish this bout of training. Both hands floated up at once. I couldn’t manage to unleash the Skill twice at the same time, at least not effectively, but I alternated bursts of silk from my wrists. Bolts shot forward, one after the other. Most crashed against the targets and broke them in half. Others clipped the edges and set them to spinning before they fell over. A portion also missed, but compared to my first efforts.

I lowered my hands, surveying the field with a smile. My stomach rumbled and my empty Mana pool meant I already felt sleepy. Part of me was inclined to ignore the urge to nap, but I had a new, growing problem: my aging body no longer fell asleep as easily. I didn’t want to admit it, but it seemed inevitable that the speed of my grinding would soon decrease. 

I recently realized the process of ‘Full Rest’ was important. A Full Rest would completely restore my Mana and reset the trigger for the Trait Mana Hungry. Meanwhile, a Partial Rest would restore only some Mana and not affect Mana Hungry at all. As a baby, my naps were Full Rests; I was completely insensible to the world, focused on my own development. But as I aged…

“Parasite! Where are you?”

I lifted my head in surprise. The hog also twisted around to look toward the source of the noise. 

Argyle, bleary-eyed and frowning, wandered out from the manor. I felt a hint of alarm in my chest; spring and summer had passed without him stirring from his study at all. He still prepared various foods, but largely just ranted and muttered to himself while working on his new type of experiments.

He swaggered over and squinted at the Mud-Guzzling Hog. “What’s this? You… you have a tamed creature?”

“Yes,” I said in a quiet voice. The Mud-Guzzling Hog didn’t understand words (believe me, I had tried to teach the stupid bastard) but it understood the dismissiveness in father’s voice. It hopped to its feet and released an aggressive grunt.

The world rippled around Argyle. In one moment, he was just a hunched man with grey dreadlocks and a scar across his face. In the next, his eyes were pitch black, the air twisted and ripped around them, and the fabric of reality trembled.

My skin burned like I had lain in the sun all day and I stumbled back in surprise. Meanwhile, the hog collapsed directly, trembling in fear.

Father shook his head and looked at me. “It is not very brave. It’s enough to play with when you are young, but you’ll need to cull it later, to make room for a better beast, if you really desire a tamed creature.”

The hog looked at me with watering eyes. I shook my head very slightly. Don’t let his murder fixation worry you.

He wants to kill me too, after all…

A notification popped up, but I ignored it. In front of me, Argyle spoke quickly, his hands twitching back and forth. “Anyway, after all this time...! Dawn breaks over the horizon. The horrible burden of fate shifted, just slightly. Your idea was a good one… simply, if my current Prime won’t assist, I-”

Argyle paused. Muscles in his jaw flexed, but he could not go on; he had to close his mouth with a snap before he could continue. “Bah, your age. These taboos…! The experimental stage will soon commence. Perhaps by your next birthday… your mother…” His eyes glowed with intensity as he looked at me. “Well, I think it’s time you gave back a little, for the good of the family, eh, parasite?”

As he departed, my legs folded beneath me and I ended up on the ground. It felt like I couldn’t breathe. By my next birthday…?

That was too soon! And I still didn’t understand the dangers of the outside world. How could I-

The Mud-Guzzling Hog nudged me with its nose. And, because of its bulk and the fact I had been taken by surprise, I collapsed sideways. It blinked its watery eyes at me, wondering why I was so clumsy.

My irritation did at least push away the anxiety. And with that, I recalled the notification.

Your Relationship with your Tamed Beast has grown from Very Close to Intimate! Due to your connection, you may name the Mud-Guzzling Hog Lvl 14.

“A name…” I looked at the muddy creature. It looked at me with bright eyes and I could only wrinkle my nose at the smell. Shaking my head, I said. “You’ll be… Toad. Because you have such a mud fixation.”

Its eyes brightened and it shook its butt.

Your Tamed Beast has been named Toad! Relationship has become closer.

“Somehow…” I sighed. “We will figure this thing out.”

******

For the next two days, I was wracked with worry. I became even worse at sleep.

When I did manage to slip into slumber, what waited for me there were the chilling memories of my self draining away, after I had died.

Not only did my training suffer, but I was constantly flinching when I heard noises, distracting me further. Which, considering Toad’s constant grunting, flopping, and gas, happened very frequently. With the threat of new experiments around my next birthday, I couldn’t concentrate. And my opportunities for improvement-

Both Clean and Silk Shot required a large number of attempts for even a single percentage of proficiency. Emit Mana even more so. And the Traits took time to grow, especially now that Accurate required even more elaborate targets in order to trigger Feat-Proficiency.

After a particularly in-Accurate session, I staggered back to the manor, an emotional mess. So much so that I simply collapsed in my bedding nest in the great hall, not even spending all of my Mana. More than anything else, sleep was a reset. A chance to put space between what happened today-

It’s about time you gave back a little, eh Parasite?

I woke in a cold sweat.

“Hmm?” As I dragged my body out of the front door to try and start the day’s grinding, I saw a bald man in a cloak walking up the dirt path to the manor. Both of our eyes widened as we looked at one another. If anything, he seemed just as surprised at my presence as I was at his.

“Ahem,” The bald man coughed. He had curling tattoos stretching up his neck and whorls along his jaw. “Is this… does Argyle Scowl still live here?”