Let Go of Your Defenses

I approached a person laying at the root of a leafless buloke a few feet away from the now completely dead kapre.

<This is horrible...>

Dominion was once again speaking in my head with a voice still reeking with arrogance; this time, a twinge of sympathy bathes his tone. I don't even know when he left my body earlier and how he got in again, but I guess now's not the right time to ask about that. We have more pressing matters at hand.

A pale-skinned person with winged limbs, tall bird legs, and leathery flesh laid on the lifeless soil, twitching with a net wrapped around their body. Burnt marks touched their skin, and a few strands of their long dark hair had been scorched. It doesn't seem like the person was dead, but he was definitely unconscious. Still, the way their body moved as if they were having a seizure worries me.

<Well, what are you dilly-dallying for, Aleph? Go help the poor thing out!>

Dominion is right. I rushed beside the unconscious winged person and immediately grabbed the net around them with both hands. That was most definitely something I immediately regretted. Sharp and robust voltage suddenly coursed through my body a second after being in contact with the darn net. My flight instinct clicked through my head, making me jerk away from it with a pained hiss.

<What happened, Aleph?>

I looked at my now reddened palms with a nasty scowl. My arms are still twitching after that, and I could still feel a twinge of electricity grounding my veins.

'The net is charged with electricity!'

<Then that person is being electrocuted?>

'Yeah, by that net.'

<Shit. Use your HARVEST command. NOW!>

I didn't waste time. I pointed my hands on the net and immediately uttered, "HARVEST!"

Sure enough, the item disappeared around the winged person, and their twitching had subsided as well; hopefully, that would ease their suffering, but I'm not really sure how long he's been electrified and if we can still save them.

After a short delay, a text appeared on the lower left side of my vision.

"+1 Electric Net"

"+50 mana"

'Electric Net? That's a very uncreative name.'

<I named it myself. What? You have a problem with my naming sense?>

'Err... No, not really. But is that something you usually do? Do you just name things around here in Dead Gardens?'

<Fuck, no! Why would I do that if the locals already have better names for everything? This is just a temporary name I came up with impromptu so that we wouldn't confuse this for a regular net; the truth is that this is the first time I've seen this... thing. It might be a newer invention by the folks around here, and from the looks of it, they're using it as a weapon.>

'Is there a way for us to know more about it, Dominion?'

<Yeah. Use your CREATE command, and the Electric Net should be there. No need to actually create it; just find the damn thing in the list and use your ANALYZE command on it.>

'Gotcha.'

"CREATE." The CREATE list certainly did pop at the top of my vision, and when I looked at it, lo and behold, the Electric Net really is there beneath the Blood Serum.

|Electric Net: Need 20 strings, 50 mana (stats vary on Raw Material used)

I wasted no time after locating it and immediately uttered, "ANALYZE."

The ANALYZE textbox then popped before me.

|Name: Electric Net (?)

|Classification: (1) Metal, (2) Non-Living [M], (3) Weapon(?), (4) Uncommon, (5) ??? (Suspected New Kapric God), (6) Electric, (7) Incomplete

|Status:

|VIT: 2

|DEX: 2

<Since we're still not yet sure if this thing really is a weapon, I placed a funny-looking question mark beside that sub-classification. Other than that, the System's reading should be accurate.>

'So, it's a metal net probably owned by that kapre we just killed earlier, and... I'm guessing the (6) mark talks about the element infused in the object.'

<That's not really what's worrying me, though. The kapres are creatures who live and value their connection with the trees. This thing is made out of metal with an Uncommon rarity to boot. That means the kapres left their forest lair just so they could make this net with Uncommon metals from god knows where.>

'So what about the (7) mark? Incomplete? Does that mean it's not made properly?'

<Nah. It just means this object needs something else before we could attain the desired effect. If it doesn't need anything else to be used, it won't show the (7) mark anymore, just like the Wooden Sword. If we have the other things this net needs, the System will show a different creatable object with a "Complete" status on its (7) mark. I reckon without this missing object, we can't use this net at its full potential. Create the net for me, won't you, Aleph?>

I just shrugged and did as Dominion requested. "Electric Net." The Electric Net then popped in front of me, floating midair. I pointed my hand at it and used my ANALYZE command.

|Name: Electric Net (?)

|Classification: (1) Metal, (2) Non-Living [VS], (3) Weapon(?), (4) Uncommon, (5) ??? (Suspected New Kapric God), (6) Electric, (7) Incomplete

|Status:

|VIT: 10

|DEX: 10

As I expected, Dominion's System increases a harvested object's durability. But that means this net's electricity is probably stronger than ever. The only way for me to use this was to grab it, but there's no way I'd burn my hands for something stupid like that. Dominion has a different thing in mind, though.

<Touch it.>

'What?'

<Go on, touch it.>

'Why?'

<Just do it, will you? Stop being such a pussy!>

'We were just talking about how this shit grounded my hands, and now you want me to touch it?'

<Yeah.>

'Haa...'

"Wooden Sword." When I said that, the sword popped in front of me, just a few inches above the Electric Net.

<What are you doing, Aleph?>

I then pointed the wooden sword at my throat and placed my hand near the Electric Net.

'If this thing burns my hand, I will kill myself.'

<What the fuck are you...>

'I don't give a fuck, Dominion! If you're going to just use my body to test the shit out, I'd rather kill myself! If this thing hurts, I quit!'

<ALEPH, STOP! YOU'RE...>

I didn't even let him end his sentence again. I yanked the Electric Net out of the air, expecting it to sting my skin. I was sure that shit would hurt again, so I was already pushing the tip of the sword in my now slightly bleeding neck, eyes wide open so that I could at least see the moment I finally got out of this shit hole contract I was forced to sign into.

But the net did nothing. It's just... a net. I dunno. Bummer.

<...I am absolutely fucking disgusted, Aleph. What is this performance supposed to be, huh? Should I be clapping at you, HUH!?>

'Oh well. At least I know something that can scare your guts out.'

<What the fuck!? You overreact at the tiniest things! I can't believe you would trivialize killing yourself like it's something you do on a Tuesday brunch! Is this the kind of bullshit culture the other gods have created in Firmament? How fucking disgusting, Aleph! Being edgy is different! This is just outright fucking cringe!>

'Yeah, yeah. You proved your point. The net does nothing. I don't know how that happened, but there you have it. So, what now?'

<...I fucking hate you, Aleph.>

'I share your sentiment. But we can scream at each other again some other time; I'm tired. What do you think this net needs to be of use to us?'

<Gosh... Right... Objects with a (7) mark are usually mechanisms or ammo. There's a high chance this net is a type of ammo for some a mechanism that gives electric properties.>

'Should we look around for this mechanism?'

<We can do it some other day. For now, help the Vyur.>

I was about to ask what Dominion meant when I heard a pained grunt nearby. That's right! We completely ignored the poor guy underneath the buloke! I'm guessing the winged stranger is a part of a race called Vyur; I wanted to ask Dominion more about them, but I'm pretty sure he would nag at me.

Well, it looks like this Vyur is alive, at least. But it would be troublesome if they saw me holding the net that had just nearly killed them. I used the HARVEST command on the uncharged Electric Net again to hide it in the System before doing the same for my armor.

<Why'd you do that for?>

'What do you mean?'

<Your armor. Why did you harvest it too?>

'It's useless; broken, torn, and almost destroyed, that thing won't protect me even if I have it on. I actually feel more comfortable without it. It's too heavy; plus, our fight earlier bent some parts of it, and I hate how it pokes at my skin. It kinda hurts a bit too.'

<So not only do you ask a lot, but you also whine a lot.>

'And I hate pain.'

<That too.>

'You better get used to it.'

<I won't.>

'Oh, and I also remembered you mentioning how the locals hated seeing people wearing Firmamentian armor. We can at least move around with a little bit more ease knowing that monsters wouldn't treat me like a sore thumb or some kinda punching bag.'

<Makes sense.>

'And it looks like this Vyur will wake up soon; it would be awkward if they suddenly attacked us just because I'm wearing that shitty armor. So, what's our plan now, Dominion?'

<Analyze the Vyur.>

I did as Dominion had very rudely commanded, and the analysis textbox popped in front of me immediately.

|Name: Gertrude

|Classification: (1) Entity, (2) Alive [W], (3) Meat, (4) Vyurborne, (5) Principality

|Status:

|STR: 6

|VIT: 8

|INT: 12

|DEX: 24

|WIS: 20

'Ahh... I see! The race is actually Vyurborne!'

<Yeah. Don't you know this? I heard they're pretty well-known in Firmament.>

'Affairs in Dead Gardens never really interest me.'

<Fair. But enough about that. This one is awfully weak; they would die without immediate medical care. Go carry the Vyur back with you to Skystead Keep. They need some rest.>

'We're keeping the Vyurborne at your house?'

<Of course, we would.>

Dominion then scoffed as if I had just asked something stupid.

<That's their home too.>