Ascending the Labyrinth
Ignis slowly stirs awake, the dim purplish hue of the cave lighting up once again. Stella turns her head, smiling at him. "Good morning, Ignis." She says cheerfully, holding a fruit out to him.
Ignis sit's up, letting out a long yawn, "Good, yawn, Morning Stella." Seeing her holding a fruit out to him, he smile's rubbing his eyes. "Oh, breakfast huh? When did you go to get this?" He asks biting into the tangy mango shaped fruit.
Stella gestures to the side, where a small pile of fruit lies. "There were a few of those monkey like creature's that came, they approached one at a time through the night and left this food here." She smiles as her thoughts of it turn to the previous night.
Ignis pauses, a smile playing on his lips, "That's interesting, though you should've woken me up. It was dangerous if they would've decided to attack us."
Stella's eyes widen as she turns her head to him quickly, "I suppose you're right, I'm sorry. I didn't think of that..." She looks at the ground, a crestfallen look on her face.
"It's alright Stella, after all nothing happened. Just wake me up next time, Alright?" Ignis smile's nudging her with an elbow.
Stella nod's meekly as she munches on the fruit. Her expression slowly going back to normal, but her eyes still seem...lonely. She stares through the tunnel, at the exposed Cavern, "Are we... going to try and go to the next floor?"
"We should, Unless you want to grind for Experience on this level. Though I'd prefer not to kill unless they show hostility toward us, unless it's for food." Ignis sigh's lightly, his eyebrows scrunching together. 'If she wasn't here, I don't think I'd hesitate to kill as many things as possible each floor... but where would that leave me, what would that MAKE me...?'
As he ponders useless thing's, Stella notices his conflicted expression. Her warm hand touches to his shoulder gently, "Is everything okay?" She asks her eyes alight with concern.
Ignis blinks a few times, moving his hand to cover hers for a moment. "I'm okay, was just thinking about something dumb." He smile's, slowly retracting his hand from her own. They sit in silence eating for a bit, before Ignis stand's up, stretching his body out. "That bed's certainly better then the rocky ground, but not much better huh?" He laugh's slightly as he thinks about the comfortable beds back on earth. "Let's find out way out of here, I think the first thing I'll do when we make it back... Is sleep in the comfiest bed I can."
Stella smile's slightly, "Don't dream to big now, but a better bed would be amazing." She agrees standing up beside him. "We should make a bag, or something to carry this food with us." She eyes the fruits with star's in her eyes.
"Someone likes their sweet's, huh?" Ignis says teasingly, as he looks at their bed, "We should use the bed to make it, no use in just leaving it here. Plus it's too big to bring with us."
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Ignis and Stella stand at the exit to their small cavern, looking back at their little campsite. "It's time to go, huh?" A slight smile plays on Ignis's face as he looks at the remains of where they'd been staying. Maybe we'll find monster's with intelligence as we make our way up, The S rank hunter's have said they've found small villages with species that can speak after all."
Stella look's over at him in surprise for a bit, "How do you know all of these things?" She asks as Ignis turn's starting to walk along the outskirts of the cave.
Ignis smile's sheepishly, "I used to watch all of the press conferences and read through the exploration notes that the different hunter's association's produced." He pauses scratching the back of his head, "I learned a lot reading that stuff, but seeing all of this, experiencing it all for myself. The sound of that is exciting as anything, the odds are we have a lot of level's to climb before we see anything like that. I'll do my best to protect you, it's my fault you got drug here away from everyone anyways..."
Stella looks at his back, her gentle demeanor and gaze growing angry. She stop's walking, "Ignis! It's not your fault, it's that woman's fault. I came to look for you by choice, it's not your fault or mine, but hers!"
'ah, I said something unnecessary,' Ignis think's stopping to look at her over his shoulder. "You're right, I shouldn't have said that. I'm glad you're here to keep me company..." Ignis smile's at her, "I'm sorry, Stella."
"You should be!" Stella say's stomping up to him, her tiny figure next to his larger one in the forest as she scolds him.
Ignis stand's there in silence looking at her, 'She's so tiny, she does realize she's not scary...right?' he thinks to himself, before her hand grabbing his shoulder pulls him from his thoughts. "Y-You're not even listening to me are you?" She indignantly asks, trying to shake him for a second before growing even more frustrated. As she turn's away though, Ignis grabs her hand's looking into her eyes.
"I said I was sorry, Stella. I'd love to stay here and talk thing's out, but we need to at least locate the exit to this floor." Ignis stare's down into her eyes, as her angry one stares right back.
Stella's brows lower as she try's to squeeze his hand's, "As long as you understand!" She turns her head to the side, just for him to poke her cheek.
"No, As long as YOU understand that I'm sorry, then we can keep going." Ignis say's teasingly, before turning and pulling her along by the hand, "Come on, let's hurry through this dumb labyrinth so we can get home."
Stella's face flush's red, as Ignis continues to pull her along by the hand. As they make their way along the rocky wall, they eventually come across a large clearing that pierces into the forest. The two of them come to a stop, as they look at the clearing. The scent of the flower's fill their noses with their sweet scent. The uniquely curing bud's of the red flower's, decorated with antenna like seeds sprouting from the center. Among the red flower's there sit's white flower's that look much the same.
"It's... so beautiful..." Stella breathes in amazement, the image etching itself into her mind, as a beaming smiles covers her face.
Ignis smiles the same, before tugging her hand, pulling her towards the field of flower's. He slowly walk's up, brushing his finger against a flower. Not feeling any sort of stinging sensation, he smile's up at Stella. "There's a few path's through the flower's if you want to take a break here."
Stella's eyes brighten as she looks down at him, she nod's with a bright smile on her face. "Yes, Let's stay here for a while." She moves through the field of flower's, skipping and dancing around while Ignis sit's watching. Another fruit in his hand, which he slowly eats. "Do you want some food, Stella?" He calls out, beckoning her closer.
She turns to look at him, her cheeks flush from frolicking around the field. She run's over breathlessly, her hair slightly messy from the few day's they'd spent in the cave and the forest.
Ignis smile's slightly, "We should try to find a spring so we can at least clean the dirt off ourselves, but we can keep an eye out while we look for the exit. I think we'll head out again once we're done eating, if that's alright?"
Stella look's up at him, the fruit filling her cheek's making her look like a chipmunk. "Mhmm," She nod's her head with her stuffed cheek's.
As they sit eating their food, Ignis ponders about the leveling and evolution's, 'System' he wills.
Name: Ignis Empyrion
Age: 15
Level 6 325/400
Awakened: Evolutionary
Current Race: Human
Health status (Healthy)
Attribute's
Mid Grade (Fire, Earth)
Low grade (Shadow)
[Strength: 24 // Speed: 26// Stamina: 22 // Mana: 165]
Elven Heritage, Increase Mana by 20 points, and spell casting speed by 50%
Skills
- Molten Earth: Rank C (Allows the caster to encase themselves in an armor of molten Fire and Earth, or to create weapons based off the caster's imagery. To Evolve consume 75 Rank C Beast Stones, 0/75)
- Flare: Rank D (A status Ailment skill, causes blindness for 20 Seconds to affected enemies. Skill effectiveness reduces against higher ranked creature's by 5 Seconds per rank. Ex. against a Rank D monster the full 20 Second blindness status will be applied, against a Rank C monster the effect will only last 15 seconds. To Evolve consume 75 Rank B Beast Stones 0/75)
- Fiery Regeneration Rank C (The caster absorbs the light from the Sun, will be surrounded by a fiery aura. This Effect will heal light injuries, Effect will take longer the more severe or numerous the wounds. Evolve by absorbing Sunlight for 1 hour every day, for 75 Days 1/75)
- Martial Arts Rank D (The effectiveness of unarmed strikes increases by 15%, To evolve perform 200 unarmed strikes. 75/200)
'If I was level 5 when I evolved, when will the next evolution be...? The evolution Varies between person, but only by roughly 5-20 level's.' He shiver's as he remembers the agonizing heat that ran through his body, then he pauses as he looks at Stella. "Hey, Stella? What's your level right now?"
Stella look's up at him, "Uh, I'm level 3 right now...Why?"
Ignis smile's, "How much do you know, about awakening and the different types?" He lounges back on the grass, his hand's crossed behind his head.
"I know what an awakening is, but what's this about evolution?" Stella asks, looking down at him from her spot at his side.
"On your screen, what does it say by awakening?" Ignis asks smiling up at her, "I'll explain what it mean's after you tell me."
"Hmm, it say's Awakened: Evolutionary." Stella say's looking at him, patiently waiting for him to explain.
"Okay, that's the same as me," Ignis smiles slightly, "As an evolutionary Awakened, your body will go through Evolutions. These evolutions depend on the person and vary, for example I look differently, because when I was level 5 I went through an evolution. There's this... like cocoon that will form around you and within it, your body will be broke down and strengthened. I'm not sure what else it does, or how it effects the skills or affinities to different mana's though..." Ignis trail's off, "The first evolution will happen at level 10 or lower."
"Oh... is it painful?"
"It depends on the person." Ignis smile's slightly, "For me it felt like my blood was on fire before the cocoon formed, then I must've been forced into a sleep. I think it depends on your mana affinities, but I don't know." Ignis shrug's standing up, "If you're done eating, let's walk and talk. We need to find a place to clean off."
"It's fine, I can walk and eat," Stella smile's as she follows suit.