The church of time in Aurus was a smoldering ruin. Justice had been brought against Hourglass, if in the smallest form. With those they had lost to Lagori's schemes, the already small temple couldn't resist the sudden ambush from all sides.

Sirens were blaring, loud noise projected across a sending stone frequency restricted for government use. A silent shock was spreading across the city as people looked out to the source of the disturbance fearing a monster attack, found the true cause, and froze while they came to terms with reality.

War.

Everyone with levels and a second of combat training was mobilizing, but the attack had started in the lower reaches of Aurus where less defense was concentrated. As Zolyra had hoped there was an initial delay as the various flights and what part of the Hunter's Guild she didn't sway communicated. The defensive platforms and ballistae of the city remained still, struggling to determine friend from foe.

Then the top of the mountain stood. Zozar, the air gestalt that had clouded Aurus' peak for the past month, rose on legs wider than city squares as the two legs straddled the peak. Raising one hand to the vertical river feeding the Shattered Falls, the gestalt roared a word audible halfway across the region. "BETRAYERS!"

The flow of water above them cut off as the cloud form of Zozar began absorbing it, growing further in size until they were half the height of the mountain. Powers had been flying out before this point, but the influence of Zozar ripped out as they deployed their first ability. Part of them split off to form a dome around the peak where they had once settled, fully closing off the courts to those who would seek to reach them.

They'd been a Nature's Guardian, a Druid evolution that specialized in protection. Zozar had served as the bedrock on which one of the longest-lasting Sojourn's had been formed, though Zolyra knew that this had changed. She saw the design behind what had been done to Zozar, as she recognized what they had become.

A titan. A true titan, the species of monster that only appeared above level 6 and could threaten Kings. Or protect them. She looked down as the majority of her forces spilled forth from the Divine Quarter, racing to take their strategic objectives with the hope of eventually turning the city itself against Zozar. It was that, or the thin hope that Wingcraft represented which would win the day. She wasn't going to beat Zozar, but she'd buy as much time as she could.

Zolyra unfurled an iridium scroll, her best paper threaded with the level 6 magic-resistant metal. That was the drawback to how her magic had developed, her best tools limited by material resources, but the upside was that she could prepare spells that would've taken minutes or hours to cast otherwise.

It's been more than a decade since I've pulled this out, she thought as her mind accelerated to keep up with the pace of the battle to come. The spell was simple, but powerful, the runes burning in the air long after the scroll was reduced to cinders. Over less than a second they flowed over her, scribing themselves into her scales through her Scroll Armor until it appeared she had a whole body tattoo.

Free Scribe. So long as the spell lasted, Zolyra could generate any spell of level 5 or lower without paying mana or scroll costs. Preserving her lower level scrolls was still important, as she'd told anyone who would listen, because they acted outside of her own mana flow and allowed her to dual or twin cast.

The next iridium scroll she reached for was quickly replaced when it became necessary to demonstrate this. Zozar had just targeted the divine quarter with a jet of water that could clean an entire house at once and then reduce it to less than a scrap of wood in the next second. The army would be decimated in moments.

She used those moments to Freescribe a Runic Gate, manifesting two portals in mid-air that shone with indigo runes along the edges. Some of her tattoos faded, but the vast majority remained. While the water jet was redirected at Zozar, one hand making the entry portal track the attack, Zolyra unhooked a viridian scroll and sent a summoned spear of festering wood at Zozar. The potent necrotic damage would get their attention if nothing else.

Zozar's direct attention fell on her as a crashing wave of force, which would have at least broken a bone if Zolyra hadn't Freescribed a quick Teleport. She had to chain cast it to buy enough time at the expense of more tattoo runes, but managed to use her second iridium scroll in the process.

Spell Eater. With two pen strokes, she had freed up casting and made herself immune to most low level attacks and highly resistant to others. It let her stand against the far grip of Zozar, at least, and the cloud titan didn't react fast enough for the third iridium scroll to burn.

True Polymorph. Murdon finished the breath he'd begun inhaling when the water jet had fired just as a second massive combatant joined the skies of Aurus.

…

Daniel returned to his body once Hunter had dragged himself to the top floor, which was now only partially flooded by ooze remains. He quickly found his phone and brushed off some dust from where part of the track had actually broken from the impact, crumbling into a powder that still felt impossibly dense.

While the rest of the team was getting organized to try and push the car back on the track, he Jumped up to the upper deck to claim the rift and see to Hunter. The first was easily done, though he'd have to swap back to human form to see the resulting alerts.

Taking his hand off the rift, he walked over to Hunter who looked, well, half dead. The ringcat was still smoking in places as chunks of acidic ooze clinging to him neutralized at the expense of his flesh. If not for the armor covering him, there'd be a mosaic of open burns exposed for anyone to see.

A scarred eye shifted to him as he held out a potion. It's a waste, Hunter thought to him, probably because his throat was too damaged. I'll heal.

Yeah, no. You're taking the potion, Daniel thought back softly. He got no more complaints as he uncorked the bottle and angled it so the liquid inside would slowly drain down his throat. As it did, portions of the ringcat's body already beginning to rapidly heal, he brushed at the top of Hunter's head. Hunter… don't let anyone tell you you're not good enough. You just walked through more fire than anyone would expect you to.

Didn't do it alone. Feeling slightly better from the potion, Hunter picked up his head but remained on his side. Tak?

He's fine, Daniel answered, feeling that question had been directed to him alone. They gave him a potion too while we were in there. Sucks that you guys can't change the split of the damage you receive, but I'm not going to complain about the thing keeping you alive. He hesitated, and then added, I heard what you were thinking, at the end. You awakened something. It wasn't because of a bond, was it?

Mmm? Oh, no. New power. 'Intrinsic Focus Enhancement'. Feels very complicated, like there are… Hunter paused as he considered. Many things with it.

Nice, that's a huge power boost! Beast Mode has that too. I can identify all that stuff when I switch back, but… Daniel grimaced sharply as he looked over Hunter. Why don't we patch you up fully before changing things? We've got a good cache, I can spare another potion.

It's fine.

It's not fine, you still have a hole in your ear!

It's not that bad. Maybe I'll keep it and wear things from it. Daniel blinked, that being the last thing he'd expected to hear.

You're talking about earrings?

If that's what they're called. Hunter mentally shrugged at Daniel's look of sheer incredulity. Something Tak said about making me more 'attractive'. He can't wear them, but I can.

But, whu- In desperation, he leapt toward the most logical answer. Alex put you up to this, didn't she?

No? Hunter seemed confused, and a little bemused, by Daniel's consternation. He knows things about this. Goes on a lot of 'dates' by himself. Different people, I can tell, but it doesn't sound like anyone gets mad about it.

That's completely… Daniel thought back to literally the first thing Tak had ever asked him about, besides what his class was. …plausible. But earrings, really?

Are they bad?

I'm just, I can't imagine you wearing them. Also the hole would heal whenever you get Regeneration's effect.

So I make a new one after. Hunter shrugged his front shoulders and did an admirable job hiding the wince. I'm not afraid of pain.

I think you should do it, Daniel decided after finally getting his head around the prospect. Hey, maybe jewelry can become one of your things outside of hunting. I could even enchant you some that are super sparkly.

No. Hunter headbutted him and Daniel launched a retaliatory slap. Unfortunately this came right at the moment everyone else on the team pushed while under the effect of Ironhand Ballad, setting the tram back on the track and adding to the momentum of Daniel's blow. He tried to pull the blow at the last moment and felt his mana move. Ow. Wait, ow? Hunter rubbed at the side of his face with one paw, confused.

Daniel was too, he'd just lost a ton of mana, but it started to make more sense as he finally awakened a new power for Beast Mode.

Soothing Strike (Ability, Intelligence, Attack: Melee, Domain: Restoration, Cooldown, Level: 2):

You possess the Power to make a melee attack against an ally, converting any Damage directly dealt into Healing energy for a moderate Mana cost. This ability has a one minute cooldown. This Effect scales with damage dealt, your Intelligence, and significantly with the degree of Level Disparity between you and your target. This attack does not heal targets above your Level, but does not harm them either. This is a Magical Ability that does not function in an area of Magical Suppression.

"Oh my god," Daniel said aloud as the description of his power flashed through his mind.

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"What?" Alex asked through the sending stone, while at the same time Tak asked, "Which one?" The avianoid knew full well at this point what he'd meant and was messing with him, or at least, Daniel thought so.

Daniel looked once more between his hand and Hunter's fully healed cheek, mind exploding at the possibilities. "This… Hunter and I just… Might and Magic…"

"Talk about it on the way, we need to get moving," Evalyn said, swinging one leg over the side of the door Khiat was holding open.

"I just got a healing power," he said numbly, which made the Bard blink in surprise. "It's got drawbacks, but if we load this into our bond power-"

Evalyn held his muzzle closed with one hand, which also reminded him that he currently had one. "People dying?"

"Right," he mumbled, as much as he could without opening his mouth. Hunter, you good to swap?

It's fine. He lost his fur, though Hunter's remained patchy when the ringcat shifted. Alerts came through his phone, all from the Arcadian which had lost 0.1% of its corruption from the rift cleanse.

No advancement potential, but I'll give Hunter the credit for that kill so fair. Gotta identify his power, but I'll let him be for the ride. Should take care of this though. Worried that the ooze chunks would get blown away once he set the tram's course, Daniel quickly grabbed an Encyclopedia scan by poking his head into the mess that was the bottom level, then enjoyed the acceleration as it began moving. It was likely pointless as every elite so far had given the same error messages, and sure enough his phone began jumping in his hand-

System Alert! Sufficient analysis of System Anomalies has completed indexing of Domain: Monster contained with Entity: Corrupted Spoke. Transmission of Domain to update System Core blocked.

-

System Alert! Entity: Corrupted Spoke has attempted Self Destruction due to instructions received from the System Core. An interaction with Fundamental Law: Immutable Soul has prevented this from occurring.

-

System Alert: Pending results of prior Monster analysis are now available. Monster: Avianoid Monstrosity has not returned any applicable data. All other results to follow.

-

You have scanned multiple Creatures, listed below.

Scanned Targets:

Hexscuttle Stalker, Living

(Undamaged) - 1

Irontusk Grinder, Living

(Damaged) - 1

Cerulean Sunburst, Living

(Undamaged) - 1

Lodestone Ludegrund, Living

(Damaged) - 1

Toxic Quillion, Living

(Damaged) - 1

Prismaticore Ooze, Deceased

(Destroyed) - 1

You have met the requirements to unlock multiple Encyclopedia entries, listed below.

Encyclopedia Entries:

Monster: Hexscuttle Stalker, Detailed

Monster: Irontusk Grinder, Detailed

Monster: Cerulean Sunburst, Detailed

Formulae: Stunning Arrow, Ammunition

Monster: Lodestone Ludegrund, Detailed

Monster: Toxic Quillion, Detailed

Monster: Prismaticore Ooze, Detailed

-

Stunning Arrow (Formulae: Ammunition, Item, Domain: Enchantment, Quality: Standard, Level: 2)

Ammunition that uses concussive force on impact to subdue the target. This ammunition is typically Nonlethal against most Types: Creature though individual exceptions may apply. Combination of this formulae with any Affix: Damage or Material Bonus: Damage will negate this property.

Creation of this item requires no Special Materials.

"Holy Bullet Math." He'd honestly forgotten about the two true elites he'd scanned on instinct during the ambush since they hadn't been worth anything. Now, though? The ammunition was intriguing, and while the interaction with affixes like fire would seem discouraging, all that meant was Daniel wouldn't have to kill himself making copies of every type.

The info on the monster domain, as well as his Spoke trying to explode, was far more worrying. It evoked all of Daniel's fears about whether it would start handing out monster domain powers to the unsuspecting. The rules of power evolution gave him some comfort, but what if that attempt to get the domain into the system core had worked?

Belatedly, Daniel realized something and sat against the wall while closing his eyes. Everyone else was taking a similar moment to rest or watch the walls go by at impressive speed; even Shuni was giving him some space after what had happened to Hunter.

Hey, Spoke? There was no response, but neither had he expected one. I'm not sure if you've been helping extra or not. It definitely feels like that with Alex, but it's hard to know for sure. Either way, thanks for not dying on me. It probably wasn't your choice based on the alert, and it's self-serving I'll admit, but even if that would've taken you out without affecting me I wouldn't want it to happen. Sorry I didn't take the time to ask anything about you when I had the chance. If there is someone in there besides the numbers and rules, then I want you to know I haven't forgotten about you. I have no idea what your life is like. It could easily be a living hell depending on what's going on, but I can't think of one time you've worked against me or hurt me in any way. So, glad you're still there. I don't have anything I want out of this little speech, just, if you are there, give me a sign? It doesn't have to be big, or now. Tweak a message or drop a hint, if you can slip that past any censors you have going on. It'd be nice to know the feeling's mutual.

After what could technically be considered prayer, prayer directed at himself no less, Daniel opened his eyes and watched his Focus Shield for a long moment. Nothing happened, but that was ok. He'd extended the invitation, and the ball was in the Spoke's court now.

"Getting close?" Evalyn asked, while behind her Tak and Khiat were going around opening windows after figuring out how to, allowing a breeze to sweep through and help minimize the rancid stench left by the ooze.

Daniel tilted his wrist and brought up the Arcadian map again, tracing the line leading to the Main Power Core. "Another minute or two, which is decent but not crazy for three kilometers. It'll be touch and go after that, we'll have to find a path up that doesn't take us through other rifts and avoid projections and elites on the way. The walk should be easy so long as there's side passages like we found going to the lower power core, but the rest is a wild card."

"Hmm." Evalyn took a seat by him, drawing Shuni's attention. His girlfriend frowned for the briefest of moments before it evaporated and she tilted her head to the side. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Daniel said immediately, surprised to find Evalyn the least secure out of the three in that exchange. "Once you find your guy it'll stop being awkward. Just don't tell me you're thinking about taking Thomas up on that smile." Evalyn blushed, lightly, but enough to give herself away now that her guard was dropped. "You're kidding," Daniel whispered fiercely.

"He is getting more mature." Evalyn brushed some of her hair in front of her face self-consciously. "I don't know why but I keep thinking of that promise I made back in the Thormundz too. Would it be so bad to humor him?"

"Please do not tell me that me going out with Shuni pushed you to this."

"Thinking pretty highly of yourself there, huh?" She shook her head. "Time for potentially the worst mistake of my life later. I wanted to ask you about Alex, who better not be listening in on us right now." Evalyn waited for his sister to apologize or flee, and when that didn't work Daniel temporarily borrowed the hybrid form for Sense Astral.

"Nope, she's sticking her head out of the open window over there." Daniel pointed as the changes reverted, a claw becoming a finger. "Man, it is annoying to have to swap like that when I only want to use a power for a second."

"It must be so inconvenient to have two and a half whole classes. But seriously, are you alright with keeping her on the last stretch? Roping in Tlara for monster advice was a good move, even if we might have figured out the info ourselves. Still, if it's going to be a problem for you, I need to know. There are already two people you love in danger here, would adding a third be too much?"

Daniel gave the question the thought it was due, eating up a chunk of their remaining travel time in the process. "I keep thinking back to when she first got here, what was taken from her. She should have a choice. Especially if all she's risking is a temporary ghost. I'd stop her if she wanted to physically join us in combat, but I'm fine with her being here as is."

"Think you're right." Both jumped as Sigron spoke up from a meter or so away. The Knight wasn't in the heaviest of armor and could be said to have a lot of experience in being a silent presence. Almost as much as Shuni. Daniel looked at him quizzically, not offended as he really shouldn't have expected to have a private conversation in a room this small. "Family can be hard," he worked out. "Can't overprotect."

"Well, if anyone would know it would be you." Sigron smiled at that just as the tram began to slow. Daniel stretched as he stood up, thinking to Hunter, Want me to take a look at that power now?

Sure. Back in hybrid form, Hunter was looking better. Still some areas of damage, but Regeneration would see to it after the potion and healing slap. Got some of it, but other parts feel weird. Like it doesn't fit this body?

Huh. I guess that makes sense if the Focus is supposed to be your original form. Daniel quickly pulled the details from Hunter's identification aura and took a look as the doors to the tram opened. Instead of a long hallway, they'd come into an open space more reminiscent of an actual subway station. They wouldn't need to turn until a set of stairs between this line and another than ran down the long part of the ship, so Daniel read his focus.

Alright Hunter, you did get some good stuff. Half of these are what I have, you can buff your natural weapons to a baseline enchantment level which was probably why you had an easier time cutting through the ooze. Mana Conduit will make heightening things cheaper, so more mana to kill stuff with. There were two different ones, though, which Daniel took a closer look at.

Dread Stalker: All Attacks: Natural Melee Weapon you make have a slight chance to inflict Effect: Fear in Creatures you strike, scaling with the damage dealt.

Level 2 (Automatic): Your Attacks: Natural Melee Weapon increase the duration of active Effect: Fear on Creatures you strike, scaling with the damage dealt.

More fear powers? Hunter asked contemplatively.

Fearsome Roar was part of your initial kit as an adult ringcat, the Octyrrum could be building off of that, Daniel thought, tabbing over to the next subfunction of Hunter's Focus Enhancement. He got halfway down its description, and then stopped dead in his tracks. This is the most OP power I've ever seen.

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