Flux's Potential and Dark Street

Drew thought for a moment and thought of what he would actually do if he ran into anyone after heading down this mysterious ladder.

'I don't have any easy way to fight people off...' His thoughts trailed off as his gaze moved towards Flux.

'Perhaps my ticket to getting my weapons back is in my new friend,' He thought while smiling towards the strange glowing wolf that was sitting vigilantly by Drew's side.

'Though if I plan on using him as my main fighting force I should look at his status like the system asked...'

'If he is my only chance then I need to risk wasting some time I suppose,' Drew thought before gently closing the hatch and opening up the status of his newly summoned companion.

---

[Bound Companions]:

---

[Flux]:

[Description]: This spirit wolf was summoned using a [Wolf Totem] created by a powerful witch who is incredibly talented in the art of creating magical items. It is forever loyal to its master, Drew Pence, and has a determination not frequently found within summoned creatures. For some reason, it has taken on the time element which was not something that should have happened initially.

[General Stats]:

Physical Power: Level 4 / Practiced Level

Magical Power: Level 2 / Gale Level

[Unique Affinities]:

Feral Combat Affinity: Novice Level(Based on summoner's combat skills with a slight increase)

Time Affinity: Spark Level(Based on summoner's Affinity with a slight increase)

Unique Skills:

Temporal Lunge: Lv: 1

Pack Tactics: Lv: 1

Time Spirit: Lv: Unique

Flux: Lv: Unique

---

Drew scanned the page and felt satisfaction at spending the 5 gold coins on the uncommon item.

'If uncommon items are this strong... I wonder how powerful higher rarity items are!'

He looked at the combat strength and found that it was even stronger than his own by about a margin of one skill tier / Level.

'The items description said it would grow with my strength... just how powerful can Flux get?' Drew thought as he realized this beast of a wolf would probably become one of his strongest allies in the future.

'System, is there a reason why flux is so strong and this uncommon item seems so powerful?'

[...]

[The only answer the System can give at this time is that the item seemed to have been attached to time/fate magic and because of the host's affinity with time magic it increased the strength of the item by a large margin and created unique unintended effects. Typically this item summons a creature that is bound to the item more than the summoner, but in this case, it seems like it's bound more to you instead of the item which is unusual]

[Naming it also seemed to bind it more to you than it would have a typical summoned creature. Though it is unknown how the host named the creature or had knowledge of this matter]

'Oh yeah, Jazzy did say that the troll compass and wolf totem were attached to fate and time magic...'

'And it must have been sheer luck that I developed the time affinity while in the void,' He thought as he remembered that dark and desolate place.

'And I'm not even sure why I named it...' Drew thought as he remembered the urge that took over him when he placed his hand on Flux's head.

'It seems like maybe that man gave me more than just this system to help me,' He thought as he remembered that strange and crooked man who offered him passage to this world.

'Perhaps that is the reason my emotions get calmed down every time they get out of control,'

Drew felt another burst of this calming energy fill his mind at this very moment and he felt more clarity and stopped pondering over things that were beyond him.

He reviewed the skills and found that they seemed more wolf-related and interesting compared to his own skills.

'I haven't heard of any of these skills before... do animals and other creatures have different skills than humans?'

'System, could you give me information on the skills?' Drew asked politely.

[Confirmed]

---

[Skill Descriptions]:

-

[Temporal Lunge: Lv: 1]: Using the innate time element that has been imbued within Flux, they can move forward at a speed that is increased by a large factor. Their attack is also imbued with extra force due to increased speed and is more likely to break teleportation attempts due to the temporal nature of this skill. They can also go through matter and shields while using this skill, though most magical shields will negate this. This skill uses Flux's mana though if the summoner chooses, they may lend their mana to Flux.

-

[Pack Tactics: Lv: 1]: Flux has an innate understanding of fighting with allies and has increased morale when doing so. For each person in its pack, it gains a minor increase in combat prowess and mental resistance. Flux also understands basic group tactics and does them instinctually unless commanded elsewise.

-

[Time Spirit: Lv: Unique]: Flux is a spiritual creature summoned from mana and a catalyst-type magic item. Their existence is bound tethered to the magical item that was used to summon them as well as the lifeforce of the summoner. If the magical item, [Wolf Totem], is lost or unattuned from Drew Pence then the Time Spirit may not be summoned again and if it dies it will remain dead until the summoner reattunes to the item. If the summoner were to die then Flux will die permanently. Though this skill also has benefits. It grows in power with Drew Pence and can gain time-based skills as it grows. It also is immune to most time magic as well as being immune to most soul magic.

-

[Flux: Lv: Unique]: The energy within Flux has become more violent due to the nature of its name. Its strength and magical power greatly change during combat and when its emotions or its summoner's emotions are intense its energy gains a chaotic nature.

---

'I think I have a good idea of what he is capable of now,' Drew thought as he scanned the skills and thought of their possible capabilities.

After a few minutes of reviewing Flux's skills, he finally decided that he was ready to move down the ladder and begin his descent into unknown territory.

He turned and swung his body down with the ladder and found that it held strong despite its frail appearance. However, it did shake violently as he moved down it as it lacked anything to keep it stable.

He climbed down with minor difficulties and brushed off his hands and pants as he looked up and noticed that Flux had not followed him.

'Ugh, I'm such an idiot,' Drew thought as he realized that there was no possible way in hell that a wolf could climb down a ladder.

Though as Drew thought this, Flux gave a wolfish grin towards its master and turned into particles of streaming light as he used their Temporal Lunge skill to effectively teleport down the hole and appear next to their master.

'Hell yeah!' Drew thought to himself as he smiled and patted Flux with enthusiasm at the wolf's capabilities.

It lovingly lolled its tongue out from its mouth as it enjoyed the affection.

After a few moments of this peaceful situation, they began to move forward. It was a dimly lit tunnel that seemed to not have an end as they slowly progressed.

After a few hundred feet they noticed another tunnel connecting to theirs that seemed just as endless as this one.

'Is this a tunnel system?'

He moved forwards along his original path and tried to monitor any signs of changes to the tunnel or frequency of torches.

'It doesn't make sense for these torches to all be lit unless someone replaces them frequently,' Drew thought as he examined the torches only to find that they seemed to be completely normal.

More tunnels appeared and began to become more frequent and the torches also increased in quantity. After a few more minutes of walking, he finally saw a change in the tunnel.

It slowly switched from rough dug-out dirt into stone bricks that were neat and sturdy. It became colder and the torches were replaced with lanterns that looked more magical than the torches from earlier in the tunnel.

The tunnel only continued for a few hundred feet more and after coming to the end of the tunnel Drew felt overwhelmed by the scene that appeared before him.

A stone road stretched out before Drew and Flux that was filled with cloaked figures selling and bartering at various shops and stores that lined this strange street of sorts.

He looked at Flux and the street with confusion.

"I suppose staying in the tunnel would be best for now," Drew said as he didn't know if he should bring him along with into what seemed to be a marketplace.

So after telling Flux to settle down and avoid any humans, he headed his descent into the market and began to get a feel for it.

While walking through the shady street, people kept their eyes away from each other and tried to not look at others' faces, and the same was true for Drew. His entrance wasn't noticed due to his hood being drawn and his habitual use of the stealth skill.

But after walking down and looking at some of what was being sold he found an oddity.

The goods that were being traded did not match what he had seen in the market aboveground and there were clearly some sketchy items that lined stalls.

Another thing Drew noticed was that almost half of the stalls had glowing items similar to what he saw at Jazzy's stall. There were also plenty of strange bottles filled with liquids that were listed to have a variety of effects.

The most notable ones even caused Drew to have a small heart attack.

A dark red vial that was common among the stalls was listed as a mystical Healing potion that could heal all minor wounds when drunk and even calm fevers and help the sick recover from illness.

Another weird muddy bottle was labeled as an 'Ability Enhancement Potion' that the merchant swore granted the drinker an ability unique to them for a short period of time.

The one that stuck out to Drew the most, however, was a light red vial that was typically held in an ornate vial. The potion seemed to be old as it was lightly covered in dust from no one purchasing it. The name on it was the thing that made Drew shocked. It read 'Regeneration Potion' in eloquent handwriting that looked like liquid silver that was still drying.

He stared at all these strange potions with yearning but pain filled his heart by the one thing keeping him away from them.

The cheapest of any of the potions in the Market was 1 whole gold! And the 'Regeneration' Potion was more expensive than all the money had seen combined up to now at an astonishing 50 gold coins.

After realizing tht this was a place for the rich, he begrudgingly turned his attention to searching for the boy and began searching the long and ornate market hidden underneath the city.