The Apprentice of Ouroboros [Monster Evo LitRPG Adventure]

The next day, Neska had her plan.

She was tired of sitting on her essence points and had down-selected on several abilities she wanted to work on. The first one she selected was one that she'd initially passed on, and one she'd wanted to try for a long, long time.

Juni stared at her. "You're serious. That's a power?"

"I went and dove into the list for a while. Many, many powers are listed but don't spell out the details, as if I need some prerequisite," Neska explained. "So, I've got two in mind."

"But, why those two?" Juni groaned.

"Because I'm a witch, that's why." Neska was eyeballing that new ability she'd observed but had not thought much of until she realized it solved many problems.

Witch Cackle (Sonic, Magical, Anchoring, Targeted): Let out a mana-infused cackle that disorients foes and inflicts small amounts of Sonic damage in a cone in front of you. Will not affect those targeted as Friendlies or Neutral-aligned. Range of Ability increased by Intelligence. The severity of disorientation increased with Soul and the proximity of targets. This Ability will temporarily disrupt all rapid movement and teleportation abilities for a few seconds.

Your allies may still think you're laughing like a maniac, however.

Neska let out a hissing laugh, as Juni canted one ear. "What is so funny?"

When she explained it to Juni, she, too, broke out in laughter. "Oh, that teleporting jackass won't be able to run! Nice! It sounds like a very useful utility ability. Okay, what about the second one?"

"Well, I'm full up on offensive abilities. What about something defensive or utility? Something I can use to empower others?" she proposed. "The [Good Luck] Blessing sounds like it's right up my alley."

"Luck Blessing?" Juni echoed. "You mentioned that ability a while ago. What about your evolutions?"

"I haven't picked many hexes. I have a strong offense with my arrows and [Venom Imbuement]. What I need are means of crowd control against difficult or numerous foes, or increasing the effectiveness of my teammates," she concluded.

In my experience, there's no such thing as luck. Just the things you make possible with your own talent. Though that one is an odd ability.

Can you bring it up for me again?

Sure thing.

Luck Blessing: Grant a target a small blessing of luck. The results of the Blessing effects are dependent on the actions taken. Examples include uncanny aim or less randomized results from chaotic events that favor you. Ability duration increased by Intelligence. Luck factor increased by Perception and recognition of opportunities.

I still wouldn't bet it all on black, however.

Yep. Vivi, confirm my selections. We're going to test them right away. She felt the familiar wash of power as her mana pathways expanded with the extra power, all the way down to her tail tip.

Juni tapped her snout for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, guess there's no going back now, and I do agree with your logic. Except on one count: if you brew up any more explosives, you're going to earn yourself a firebug Title or something."

Neska glanced at their alchemy bench, the vent hood, and the new filter system recently installed overnight to purge any fumes. Currently, she'd scoured more pyrovine from the gardens, and Brent had been able to get slime gel.

What surprised her more was that the alchemists got their supplies from a giant slime farm where the creatures were allowed to roam, and harvested for their gel, but not so much that they would die. In fact, the creatures likely enjoyed all the free food scraps and other organic matter available on the farm to multiply.

Said ingredients were being used to make upgraded arrows. "Would it be reasonable to say that I fully expect to run into bigger, more dangerous monsters sometime soon? And that I want overwhelming firepower?"

"I sometimes worry about you, Neska," Juni sighed, even as she prepared the boiled slime residue for preparing more pyropowder. "What's with the additives of lime and ground bizor hoof?"

Neska pointed to the arrow. "Pyropowder is dangerous, as we witnessed firsthand. If we give these to others less trained than Hadley and me, there's a risk. These are dampers that modify the powder so it can only be ignited by a heavy impact. Typically, this impact would be the impact of an arrow hitting a target at full draw."

Juni squinted at Risha's alchemy book. "Can anyone make this?"

Neska shook her head. "Some low level of mana manipulation is required to craft it. Otherwise, it becomes an amalgam substance and is useless. Mana binds it together, usually with a witch, alchemist, or other class. It's a transmutation effect."

"Shame. So I can't make this one," Juni said, looking annoyed.

"You can still help with the prerequisite materials. Maybe mana manipulation isn't exclusive to a class." She herself was convinced that if monsters had powers equivalent to what classes could do, she just needed the right ones for Juni. "This is for Corvin's group, right?"

"We'll be field testing these, per his request. In theory, these arrows should be safer. I'm not ready to test it yet, though." She was worried that the additives could also boost the explosive yield, owing to the material compression on impact, and the higher level of imbued mana. She'd rather test this once she was firmly convinced of its potency.

Her [Barrier Ward] from her hat would activate when she tested it out. She glanced at the general studies homework paper sitting at her desk, which she had yet to finish. In her mind, more history lessons of Arivol's tribal origins sounded quite trivial in the scheme of things. She'd wait till later to finish that, since it wasn't due for two days.

Neska stowed away her handling gloves and pointed to the clock on the wall. "We've got class. Let's go. I don't want to miss our squad training."

Brent looked at her funny during Corvin's lessons while they sparred in pairs. "Was that a cackle, or a hiss?"

"It was a cackle! Witches have to have a distinct cackle! My interface even gives me instructions on how it should sound!" It was supposed to be dramatic and loud, according to what Vivi told her.

Or, Vivi had exaggerated, which she started to suspect.

"I think your Interface may have, well, embellished on part of that," he said, scratching the back of his head uneasily. "I think you need to designate me as a foe."

She blinked. "How do I do that?"

"Okay, so you probably haven't had any abilities where you can specifically target a foe yet. Have you used the utilities of the Interface?"

"I have. You mentally have to designate targets and focus on them." For a brief second, Brent's outline was light green, and most of the others around her were a cool blue tone.

Even Kasfew, strangely. Though she wondered if that went both ways. "How come I never noticed this before?"

"Only a few abilities have specific targeting like that, so not everyone has that. Not every ability has the utility function to exclude targets. A fireball still burns everything in sight," he added with an eyeroll.

"Speaking from experience?"

"Yep. That was not fun regrowing my fur for a week."

"So if I focus on you with malicious intent, that should work? The 'thinking of you with malicious intent' part is rather difficult, given your floofy nature," she added slyly.

He scowled. "It's just the conditioner I use when I use the washroom. I see Syra's infected your viewpoint of me. Sir Floofs-a-lot gets thrown around a lot."

Neska folded her arms, amused by the title. "Were you nobility before?"

"No. Common as dirt," he shrugged. "Alright, let's try this again." Brent took several steps back while Neska prepared her ability.

She cackled again, a combination of laughter and a hissing undercurrent, except it sounded frighteningly loud. The area of effect was supposed to be a conical area directly in front of her, and Brent's outline turned briefly red as she focused her intent.

The stares and anxious glances aimed her way suggested that effect might be understated. Brent looked disoriented, rubbing at one ear and hitting it with a few good whacks. "Damn, all I can hear is an incessant ringing, and I feel like someone gave me a concussion. My head is spinning."

"Any permanent harm?" she asked.

"What?!" he shouted, surprisingly loud. "I can't hear you!"

"That would be the sonic damage component," Juni commented to her side. Even out of range, she was holding her ears. "Hearing you laugh like that is terrifying in its own right. Let's use that sparingly. Or when I'm nowhere nearby."

Neska grinned, playing into an idea. "My, what big ears you have, Brent!"

"Yeah, yeah, all the better to hear you, my dear. I can read lips a little. Or snouts," Brent grumbled before accepting a small recovery potion. He grimaced as the potion took effect, cradling one ear as if it pained him, then cricked his neck to one side before shaking his head vigorously. "I think I prefer the [Love Bites] formula. Less kickback, surprisingly, considering it's derived from your venom."

"You prefer my [Love Bites]?" she echoed. "Not sure how I should feel about that one in particular. Are you amenable to continued alchemical trials–”

Brent let out a deflated grumble as people started laughing. "No, just the healing, thanks. Not any other thing at all, whatsoever. You’d think I would learn by now.”

"It's okay, it's just an alchemical infusion. That my body can produce." Brent still looked like his face was having a nervous tic

"Psst. Cassia. I think we need to change the topic," Juni whispered, looking like she might burst into laughter at any second.

Judging by Brent's panicked expression, she probably should. "Okay. Successful test. Brent, I'm going to need to do that again, but I want you to try your fast-movement abilities," she instructed.

The wolfling narrowed his eyes. "I think you secretly enjoy this."

“I enjoy arcanist experimentation in furtherance of developing knowledge and the talents of my peers. Testing time, and give me a quick rundown of your ability.”

Brent explained that he used a telekinetic burst to fling himself in various directions, typically orthogonal to the ground, but could also use it to fling himself forward. He demonstrated this a few times, with a few other students looking on with interest as they practiced their one-on-one routines.

After Neska used her [Witch Cackle], he attempted to use his ability, but all she saw was a fizzle of mana from his body, and he wobbled uneasily on his feet. He grunted and took another potion. "My ears are going to ring for a week. I hope this was worth it."

It was certainly worth it to her, at least, based on the sassy message Vivi sent her.

Ability Proficiency Increased

Witch Cackle 1 > 2

You still sound like a maniac, for the record.

"Would it work on your sudden molt?" Juni asked candidly.

Neska shook her head. "Unknown. It says 'rapid movement and teleportation.' I assume so? It would be hard to test it on myself. Self-poisoning with my [Alchemical Imbuement] is already more than any sane student should attempt."

"Hold up, let's test it on me," Syra interjected. "Kinda hard to test it on yourself, but I have [Hydro Surge] that lets me move in a semifluid form very quickly."

Neska attempted her [Witch Cackle], but Syra was otherwise unaffected. "Was that supposed to disorient? That did nothing!"

"Try laughing like a maniac louder," Juni proposed, looking smug. Neska cast a baleful glare her way, with the mouse retaining her amused expression. "Just saying, how will I know the difference?"

"The difference will be whether my alchemy glassware shatters or not," she shot back. She attempted the ability again, but Syra shrugged it off. "Any feeling of disorientation, nausea, a strong desire to start a musical number?"

"No to all of those. Weird. Shouldn't that ability affect me? Oh wait, sonic resistance," Syra said, her eyes flickering as if she were looking at her Interface. "Well, that explains it."

"Does it block damage, or effects?"

"Hit me again with it, see what happens!"

"Please no, the hissing cackle is making my ears bleed," Kieran, the minotaur, grumbled, holding one ear. "No offense, Cassia. I think selective targeting doesn't mean immune to the effect."

"I will reserve my laughter for my foes, then." She tested it one more time on Syra, who surged forward like a liquid bullet, splashing Neska and booping her on the snout with a single finger.

"Yep, doesn't work. Might need more proficiency ranks, or I'm just that resistant to it," she replied confidently.

"So if I start laughing maniacally in your direction to hit a goblin or a warg or some other nightmare horror, I stand less risk of hurting you by mistake," Neska pointed out, nudging Syra's finger away. "Okay, need to test you out on my other one. [Luck Blessing] is the new one I have."

"Have you tried casting it on yourself?"

"I did," she admitted. "I don't think it works quite that way. I need to test on others. It seems specifically geared as a support ability, not a self-buff."

The casting time on this one required focusing on Syra and, based on her interface, tracing a thin circle of mana around her. The process took a few seconds, and the effect was visible to all. Syra shrugged her shoulders and looked at her friends. "I don't feel any different."

"Try aiming your hydro blast at that target downrange," Neska instructed. Syra responded by forming several of her cutting waves, flinging them in a scattershot approach.

Neska swore she saw the hydrofoil's track ever so slightly toward the target, cutting large gouges into the target. "I think it increases luck."

"But will it help me win at cards?" Brent asked, ears perked up.

"Friends don't help friends cheat for the gain of coin," Neska huffed. "The ability is...vague on what it can do. It can make chaotic outcomes more predictable."

Syra pointed to one of the rotating range targets, puffs of steam driving it along the track. "Crank up the speed on that, will you, Brent?"

One test of chaos later, with the targets spinning erratically, Neska noted that Syra's hit chance rose dramatically over the baseline. "Make chaos a constant. Interesting."

Ability Proficiency Increased

Good Luck Blessing 1 > 2

She fist-pumped gently in triumph: helping others did, indeed, level the blessing. Maybe she needed more ranks for it to affect her? Or maybe an ability upgrade? She wondered how broken the ability was, or if a [Bad Luck Hex] would cancel it out.

"So, what is driving all this, anyway?" Syra asked. " You didn't say much about what happened in Kalloways' office, other than the results were lacking. So what happened?"

"In short? Our foe is a bigger threat than we realized. Let's talk at dinner," Neska said.

She needed every chance she could get to close the gap to this mystery foe. No matter who they were, she'd stop them, securing the campus against further underground threats.