A new Champion

Eve was panting heavily. She was hunched over, her battle stance out of balance. The small Vorsani's body was covered in scratches and bruises. Her eyes did not betray weakness or fear. They burned with determination. Opposite her, the Nihtu Chieftain sat comfortably atop his large, bat-monster mount. Although he was an accomplished fighter in his own right, he was more than willing to let his beast have this fierce little thorn in his side. Despite it's size and strength however, the mount hadn't come out of the scuffle scott free. The small invader had made it pay for every inch it took during their fight. Its pig-like snout was now covered in at least a dozen of bleeding slashes.

Adam ground his teeth nervously as he watched his sister take a defensive stance, ready for another round despite the odds stacked against her. He furiously compacted dirt into a sphere. The round projectile had become so heavy with all the earth that had been compressed into it, that without his Earth Manipulation magic he wouldn't have been able to lift it! And yet.. he couldn't interfere. He had made her a promise. The wolves howled at the combatants, Spinner clacked her pincers aggressively and Shu-Bongo... Snored aggressively as he remained knocked out..

With a "HAAA" the chieftain forced the giant bat to lunge at Eve and the small warrior responded with a charge of her own. She dodged the bat's giant maw by sliding under it, scoring a slash on its underbelly! The monster's size however made her strike nearly negligible. Once Eve had rolled to its back side it retorted with backhanded, wing-slap! The blow sent Eve flying into the ground a few meters away. She was disarmed, disoriented and battered to the point she could barely stand any more. "Hehehe! These are your champions Elder?!" the Nihtu scoffed speaking to the sky, sure that the Core was always watching them. "A cowardly mageling and warrior flee! Once I dispatch of these vermin, I will unite the Nihtu clans of Elgolar and storm your pathetic Dungeon! I will have my ven...!!!".

A arrow of fire came down from the sky like a missile! The projectile caused sand to go flying in all directions and the bat monster reared up on its hind legs while screeching in obvious pain! The Chieftain barely held on to his mount as he tried to calm it down. He noticed a searing hole on its back, realising that whatever had crashed into it had burned a hole through its body! The lone Nihtu cursed and looked up towards the cliffsides above him. Despite the blazing sun blinding him, he was able to quickly find his true enemy. "You!" he growled under his breath.

• • •

As the Chieftain turned his gaze to me, I smiled, happy to have distracted him. Evewas already recovering from the blow she had received and I just wanted to give her a fair chance at this. I was already wound up for another shot, taking the extra time to use Overchannel. Two times the Mana, twice the casting time but for three times the effectiveness of my magic. My target was huge, flightless and from this angle? I couldn't freaking miss.. My Flame Arrow exploded forward, rocketing towards its target with a menacing whistle as it superheated the air around it! It impacted the bat monster so hard on the back of its head, that it tumbled over despite the arrow piercing through it. The Nihtu was launched off, landing face first in the dirt while its mount collapsed. The beast tried to pick itself up one final time, before a sphere of dirt impacted the side of its head with enough force to crack its skull. Adam huffed in satisfaction and the bat remained unmoving, all save for a post mortem spasm or two. After that, I simply sat down.. I dangled my feet over the cliff's edge and waved at my allies below.

"Master!" Eve whispered with a smile, seeing that I had no intention of robbing her of her glory. I had used the one-use powerful teleportation item to get there and evened out the playing field. I trusted in Eva. My strength was hers after all and I wanted to see her grow into her own, just like I wanted for her brother as well. "Kick his ass!" I shouted like a cheery soccermom, earning me an even broader smile from the young Vorsani. With renewed vigor, Eve grasped her scimitar with both hands and attacked! The Chieftain had barely any time to orient himself as he stood with feet all wobbly. He parried a couple of strikes and even mamaged to push the Vorsani back at one point. A testament to his experience and Level. When both warriors had reached their breaking point however, it was Eve who proved she wanted the win more! After burning a Mana point to activate her Scrapper skill her speed increased slightly, throwing off her opponent! She stabbed the earth below her with her blade just as he was about to score a hit against her, causing the Nihtu's weapon to clang against it uselessly while sending reverberations up his arms! Eve then knelt and kneecapped the tribal chief with her fearsome Slasher enhanced claws! The skill causing her fingers to become needle-like, blades of luster black! The chief howled in pain as he fell to the ground before her.

Eve stood and placed the blade of her scimitar at the Nihtu's throat. "Curse you and your master, you freak!" he said defiantly as the Vorsani warrior looked down on him. Eve slashed verticaly with all the strength she had left, ending our foe's life. I smiled in relief more than satisfaction after seeing her win. Believing in her didn't mean I wasn't afraid of losing a dear follower, made of my own flesh and blood. Her brother ran to embrace her just as she collapsed from exhaustion and all my dungeon critters joined in the celebration. "She did it my Lady. Thanks to you.." Sumiré said sweetly as she walked closer to me.

"I didn't do anything.. This was your victory. All of you did great despite me leaving you on your own." I answered in a defeated tone. Her gentle touch on my shoulder was all the encouragement needed to drag me from my dark place however. "You're here now. Let's go see everyone.." she continued. We exchanged a warm smile and I stood.

We took the long way around and down into the canyon. We shared tender moments of reunion with everyone. The wolves nearly licked my face off. Spinner began swirling a strand of silk above her head victoriously, like a gymnast, while Shu-Bongo....kept snoring..

Adam embraced me before taking a squad of wolves and scouting the destroyed village for loot and anything the Dungeon could absorb. Eve wanted to join in but I managed to hold her down and persuade her to rest. "You did great.." I said and her entire face glowed.

[ Elgolar Skrill-beast Rank 4. Level 8 defeated. 230 Gold Earned. 115 Aether points earned.

Nihtu Warrior x12 defeated. Nihtu Villager x17 defeated. Nihtu Chieftain defeated. Experience earned and distributed to Vanguard Party. 64 Gold Earned. 105 Aether points earned.

By extension you have earned Experience points. A Follower of yours has gained Experience.

Elgolar Skrill-beast has dropped a Core (Poor Quality). Nihtu Chieftain has dropped Clan Necklace (Totem Piece). Nihtu Chieftain has dropped a "Pack of Juju Seeds". ]

I picked up the items, pocketing a mysterious "Juju seed" for myself while handing the pack to Adam for examination. We also took the chief's glaive which, despite being primitive in make, was still a simple yet sturdy weapon. It was a heavy, copper blade fixed at the edge of a bone staff with leather straps. Something that my dungeon would be able to easily reproduce, unlike more complex weaponry. The Totem Piece was of course a great prize that would further our home's development so I deposited it my own backpack for safekeeping. And lastly, to my small friend's surprise, I offered the bat monster's Core to Eve. "Wha.. Master, no! I couldn't! Just like our victory today, this was meant for you. Besides, I am unworthy of spoils of an enemy YOU felled.." Eve said.

"Then become worthy.." I answered and raised her chin before the small warrior could lower her head. "Once you reach your tenth level, you will be the first of your species to evolve beyond that which I had intended for you. I don't know what you'll become. It is up to you to determine how powerful you will be. If what you desire is the strength to stand beside me proudly, then take this power into yourself. Strengthen your own Core so that your evolution may be empowered!" I continued, trying to sound a regal as I could. She nodded, being as humble before me as always but I could see the barely contained excitement in her eyes!

According to Adam's recent discoveries and my study of the system. By absorbing Cores into your own, not only did you gain immediate power, you also expanded upon your potential for growth during evolution. With enough foreign Core absorptions, your Core begame Fortified. In that condition, one gained access to more possible evolutions and all those options became empowered versions of themselves. Since my next evolution was still a ways off, till level 25, I had decided that my minions should benefit first from this new knowledge. One Core from a stronger foe, should be more than enough for my still growing Vorsani.

Reluctantly, Eve took the crystalline, purple marble in her open palms and it sank in her skin as it dissolved into energy. Her small strong body glowed for a bit and with my understanding of the flow of Aether, I could see her still infant Core becoming Fortified. We all have her a small cheer and Eve basked in our appreciation, allowing herself a rare moment of pride. I only had one thing bothering me still, as my companions cleaned up the site and we prepared for the journey home. I looked at the post battle, System message once more. Who the hell was the "Follower" that had gained experience after our fight here?!