About 6 AM. Lucian would be able to get up then, but he would be pretty groggy. Perhaps just a desire to wake up early let him do so, but he certainly wouldn't be able to be super active in the morning. Anyway, after getting into some comfy jogging clothes, Lucian would be able to go out for his morning jog. --- VIT: 12 - 20 VIT + 10 Not a Morning Person = 8 --- Fortunately, Lucian's jog went pretty well despite that he got up really early for it. With how well all of his other workouts had gone, this made a window appear before him after he got home from his jog. [hider=Stat Up!] Diligent work-outs have increased your overall stamina and bodily health. +1 VIT. [/hider] After that, Lucian opted to teach Sylph how to play games while just relaxing himself. --- Lucian the Teacher: 2 (Critical!) --- --- "Alright now Slyph, time for you to learn how to enjoy life to its fullest. Or at least how to beat levels one through five in Ultra bros." Lucian had summoned Slyph, and had a plan to kick back, possibly teach the wind element how to play games, and forever solve the dilemma of the gamer, having someone on call who could play coop. "So first of all, one of the most important things about gaming, is being comfortable. You will be doing this for hours, so you might as well be relaxed. Next thing is to make sure that your controller is fully charged so you don't die against the boss...errr...the last bad guy of the area." How much of this would an elemental understand? Lucian had no idea, but it was entertaining. --- Sylph the Student: 24 - 19 INT - 25 CRIT Bonus = -20 --- Lucian was a really good teacher, and Sylph appeared to be a bit intelligent, but it was thanks to Lucian's incredible teaching that Sylph was able to understand it all easily. "Wow, so this is what mortals do to enjoy life, how incredible~" Her free-spirited, yet also fun loving voice resounded gently in his mind as she talked through telepathy, never actually opening her mouth once. Probably due to having no vocal cords as a being made of wind essence, or so one could assume. She grabbed the controller in her small hands, taking a few moments to get used to it before she got herself relaxed, leaning against Lucian as she looked at the screen. "So how do I play this... Ultra Bros, now that I am comfortable?" She looked up to him now, awaiting more instruction, and she was seemingly eager to learn, her emerald eyes on her green face full of gentle, yet eager excitement as she awaited patiently for him to start teaching her again. "Alright, now that you are all set, we take the controller in hand," Lucian got up and handed her a sturdy black controller with bright coloured buttons, and a blinking blue light coming from it's top. "So you hold it like this," He showed her how he was holding it in his hands, then moved his thumbs to show how they would reach the buttons, and how his index fingers would pull triggers. "So, each button you press on here, will affect your character on the screen," pointing to his character, he pressed the 'A' button and the figuire jumped. "So, the A button makes you jump, and holding this trigger makes you run. Those are the basics, press 'A' twice to stomp, you use that to hurt the enemies, and you move using this joystick. Do you think you are ready to give this a shot?" Sylph watched as Lucian continued to explain the game to her and how to work the strange mortal contraption. It was all so surreal, having a girl made out of solid essence of the elemental force of wind sitting on one's couch, playing videogames. Despite that, it was happening. She watched him explain each thing of the game, it being a pretty simple one. After he was done she nodded. "Ill try my best Bonhert-sama" With that she stared at the screen, taking a few moments to get used to pressing the buttons, watching and seeming a bit surprised, but also awe inspired, as the character moved on screen. "What sort of magic is this? I can control the tiny person in the screen~" She watched the character move as she played the game, doing ok on it for a first timer of any videogame ever, probably due to Lucian's great teaching, Sylph looking like she was having a good time, because she was. Lucian was suprised at well she was doing for a beginner, and she seemed to be enjoying it a great deal as well. IT was just like teaching a child to play a game, and it was adding a whole new aspect of fun to the game. Normally he would have beaten the first level in no time, but it was more like he was playing for his friend now, helping her along, pointing out what to avoid in the battle as an enemy with spikes on its back approached them, and informing her about bottemless pits. "Well, we should be getting close to the first boss now. So just play like you have and you will be fine, it will try a few moves that the smaller guys couldn't do, but you can just jump over him if you time it right." Lucian bit his lower lip and got seriously into it for a moment, as he skipped over the boss many times, not hitting it, nor taking any damage, "Just like this," He then chose to go on the offense and hit it a few times, counting in his head how many hits it had taken, and having recorded in his mind how much health the first boss would have, "Alright, we are almost there, so you just need to stomp on him one more time, you can do it!" He gave a cheer, he would let her take the joy of the final hit on the boss. Sylph continued to play the game with Lucian, enjoying both playing and watching him play. As he got to the final boss he would feel a tiny breeze for a moment as she got on the edge of her seat, looking up at Lucian when he handed her the controller. Taking it she glowered at the screen, sort of imitating how his own intense gaming look became when he got into it. With that one more stomp she cheered, accidentally throwing the controller up, but caught it in her hands by creating a small wind cushion beneath it before she caught it from the air gently, handing it back to Lucian. "That was most enjoyable Bonhert-sama~ I am quite glad that I contracted with you. I will always play these games whenever you want me to~" She was quite happy, and Lucian could feel his bond strenghtening with her now, especially with his affinity to the elemental force of wind. It was almost literally like the power granted from a Social Link GO sort of experience. It was all quite incredible. --- After a bit of bonding time with Sylph and grinding that Summon Elemental Skill at the same time, Lucian decided to spend the afternoon at Saito's, the mage agreeing to let Lucian use the room. Of course, he also did want to try and get some XP as well, so with Mike still not in the party, since Ren had yet to reeinvite him, Lucian would be able to bring Saito into it, Saito rejoining the party. Of course, that was what normally would happen. Saito had never actually left the party in the first place, so to everyone else he was still displayed as a Party Member so Lucian wouldn't have to worry about trying to invite him in, Sait's Level was also higher today than it was the last time Lucian had met him. He was Level 19 now. A group of 12 Elementals would be what the party first stumbled upon. Saito let Lucian fight on his own at first, needing to take care of something first. Plus he figured that he woudn't get a whole lot of XP from these Elementals, so he figured something like XP share was in affect when other party members were near and let Lucian fight on his own while he read a book near the door to the room. Lucian did pretty well, considering that he had Sylph to tank the wind shots for him. While not much seemed to change in terms of Skill Level or even Level Ups, although a few skills did gain a couple of levels, one special thing did change. As Sylph absorbed Wind Damage for Lucian, a window would appear as her body shone a tiny bit when she absorbed some wind damage. [hider=Window] Through a strong and kind formation of a bond, your Elemental has gained a new power. [/hider] [hider=New Power] Elemental Absorption Transfer: Whenever Sylph would absorb Elemental Damage that she doesn't heal, a % of that Wind Damage equal to 50% of your Wind Affinity turns into Mana which is transferred to the caster. [/hider] Sylph seemed to be more than an elemental. She had intelligence, feelings, and everything else. It was sort of strange to be killing other elementals like her, although they all looked nothing alike, but Sylph seemed to enjoy being with her caster. Unfortunately, while Drops appeared, none could be attained as there was a bigger problem. Saito had come up a few moments after the last Air Elemental was slain, gesturing back to the door, or at least where it used to be, it being a good thing Lucian got that new power for Sylph because he had 200 out of 218 MP left to use for this next... situation. "Hey... the door disappeared... and I the space can now be broken... and I think I know why..." The air began to spin rapidly while electricity began to crackle around and in it, the air slowly turning into a slightly darker color, like storm clouds. Power began to visibly crackle with both might and fury as the swirling began to grow faster and faster, Saito quickly pushing Lucian to the ground and holding a hand on his back while he sat on one knee, focusing on his ring as a bracelet appeared on his wrist of the hand with the ring and, with a utterance of some arcane word, created a sort of mystical shield of arcane energy between them and the raging storm. As the storm got worse and worse where it was converging, it slowly settled, Saito still keeping low, but taking the hand off of Lucian's back as he watched in a bit of awe, muttering "I think that may be this... Mob Boss you mentioned... that thing is rediculous..." And rediculous it was. Not in the sense that it was funny, but in the sense that it was all kinds of tough. Level 24 Angered Storm Elemental. It did seem angry, the fury literally being able to be felt by Lucian who had a connection to the wind. Even Sylph seemed a bit nervous, but tried to remain standing strong as she to stood behind Lucian and Saito. [url=http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070602075004/wowwiki/images/c/cf/Huricanian.jpg]The elemental[/url] was at least 8 or so feet tall, and looked indeed like some kind of dungeon boss from a video game. Needless to say, at Level 24, dealing with it wouldn't be easy. "Damn, that thing is tough looking. That, and it seems to be carrying a large amount of power with it to. I guess I may have to get serious now..." A smirk appeared on Saito's face. "You're gonna need to back me up here, but also make sure to watch carefully..." He touched his ring, focusing as it shone brightly before beginning to change shape, turning into some sort of heavy looking, but not so since Saito was still able to move his hand freely, metal gauntlet, the bracelt that was on his wrist before now being apart of the gauntlet as well. A symbol on the back with five gems in each of the points of the magic circle on it was one notible feature, as were the glowing blune lines of arcane energy that ran from each of the gems, to the wrists, and then directly to each of the fingertips. A sixth gem was in the circle as well, but it appeared dull for now on this silver gauntlet. One other notable feature were the runic symbols on each of the knuckles, Saito stretching a bit as he dismissed the arcane shield. "Because its time I show you just how much experience matters in the Abyss. Since you came back, I was able to check my Status Window. I'm Level 19, that thing is Level 24..." He chuckled, getting a bit excited now. He wasn't much one for fights, but being able to use his magic like this, against something like this? It was pretty incredible. "Im going to show you why Level doesn't always mean defeat and that Experience is a true measure of strength in the abyss... so make sure to keep up..." Observe, if Lucian had quickly used said Skill when it appeared, showed the following. [hider=Observe Data] Angered Storm Elemental Species: Storm Elemental Level: 25 STR: 25 VIT: 22 DEX: 40 INT: 25 WIS: 35 LUK: 10 HP: 1000 MP: 500 Resilience: 40 Concentration: 50 This mighty elemental is angered by the actions of mortals to the elementals and thus appears to incite the wrath of the elemental forces. This Storm Elemental, a second level Elemental Force that combines Lightning and Air, has mostly pure destruction based attacks that can quickly wipe out anyone who doesn't know any better. With its pristine control over the Storm Elemental Force and 50% Resistance to both Physical and Earth Damage, a powerful and quick force that balanced speed and destruction, this creature is something to be feared. It is immune to Lightning and Air as well, but also has a weakness to Fire. [/hider] Saito moved forward, incanting as he did so before he aimed the gauntlet towards the creature. His incantation speed was faster as within just a couple of seconds, instead of four like before, he aimed his gauntlet towards the creature and let off four barrages of 5 of those Arcane Missiles, all of which seemed more powerful than before. --- Arcane Missile Storm: Hit! Damage Dealt: 102 --- All four barrages slammed right into it, dealing a massive chunk of damage that took out about a 10th of its HP. Lucian, fortunately, would also have a moment to act if he wanted to, although it was unclear that if sitting here doing nothing would give XP. "This is going to be one heck of a fight." He quickly pulled himself off from the ground, I doubt that my wind would be of any use to this thing, even with it being a hybrid elemental. I really need to invest in something offensive that isn't just wind! As his thoughts condemned him, he got ready to launch his first attack on the boss. He took a deep breath, "Ocean's Flow." The water would draw forth from the air and ground, flowing around him for a moment. It was a decent amount. Nothing too shabby for this purpose. With that, he would then launch it all like a concentrated blast right at the elemental, trying to destroy more of its Essence. --- Attack: 17 - 15 Projectile = 2 Full Hit! Damage Dealt: 22 --- The attack hit, dealing a bit of damage. It honestly wasn't that much though as Lucian didn't have as strong of a connection to Water as he did to Wind, which was unfortunately what they were fighting, this one being incredibly resilient. The creature acted now, turning its attention to Saito. --- Lightning Bolt: 31 Miss... --- Saito barely dodged that powerful bolt of lightning, a little wide eyed as he did so. "Damn that was close...its not necessarily the most powerful, but it never misses, which is why it works" He clenched his guantlet covered hand into a fist and began to chant once again, focusing and chanting rather quickly before he let off another barrage of arcane missiles at the elemental, all 20 missiles seeming to hit on target, some probably more than others, the sight of all of them quite amazing. --- Damage Dealt: 134 --- It hit once again, all of them dealing a large amount of collective damage. It was dealing damage, but also bruning through Saito's MP quite quickly. Lucian now though had a chance to act amongst all of this. Magic Missile? Lucian couldn't help but feel some nerdy excitement as he watched Saito's attack fly, he also knew that in DnD at least, there was a way to abuse the system and make it stronger, but he would have to put that thoguht behind for now, as this sort of was life or death if they screwed up. "Alright, So I don't do much damage, and as you know I can heal you, but lets hope you don't get hit." He chuckled lightly as he got into stance, "Chained Mana Surge!" He held his hand out. --- Projectile Attack: 4 (Critical!) Full Hit! Damage Dealt: 33 Damage --- It was more than last time, there being no visible weak points to strike on the thing except all over the body. Still, Lucian was able to deal a nice tiny chunk of damage. The elemental was starting to get a bir more furious, aiming another bolt towards Saito. --- Lightning Bolt: 43 --- The bolt was deadly accurate and lightning fast. The elemental was probably just a horrible shot, something that Saito was grateful for. Sticking with routine, he gave one more Arcane Missile Barrage for the road as he was still sticking to what was wokring. --- Damage Dealt: 140 --- Again, a very nice chunk of damage, and also another chance for Lucian to act, the creature looking not to well right now, its HP starting to get to the halfway point, which was both a good and a bad thing. "Alright." Lucian nodded as he watched another barrage connect with the elemental, and was quite thriled that neither of them had gotten hit yet...hopefully it would remain that way. Lucian jumped back a bit, and started focusing himself, "Slyph, please cover me if needed." He recalled how his skill, mana flow stated in it's info that it was not useful in combat, but that it strengthened mana based skills by a percentage when it was active, "Mana flow." As soon as he felt the his mana clearly, he let out another set of Chained Mana Surge. --- Lucian Projectile: 12 - 16 = -4 Full Hit! Damage Dealt: 61 --- This mana surge seemed to be a whole lot more effective, the elemental judging both Saito and Lucian as a threat now. Suddenly its eyes gleamed as it began to gather all of the essence in the nearby area, the winds starting to stir as the sky of the area grew a bit darker. The creature was gathering energy for something, but Saito wasn't going to sit by and let that happen. One of the knuckles on his fingers started to glow before mana began to flow all through and around the gauntlet. Another much more powerful barrage of mini comet like missiles launched from Saito's hand and towards the elemental now. --- Damage Dealt: 271 --- These missiles made the beast nearly stop its charging, but it kept going now, still gathering thag that energy, but its HP was starting to get a little more towards dead now, with Lucian's own chance to act coming up after Saito's one more action, just a single barrage of five arcane missiles getting launched this time around. --- Damage:54 --- "You know, I am pretty certain that if not for the Gamer skill, I would be panicing right about now," Lucian racked his mind, searching for answers to the question of what he should do next and what would be the most effective. He decided that it would be best to just keep shooting at it in the end though, as by the damage it had taken, if they could survive to one more attack each landing on it, they should be able to take it down. "Chained Mana Surge." --- Lucian Projectile: 56 - 16 Projectile = 40 Hit! Damage Dealt: 45 Damage --- The mana surge hit, but only because the elemental was standing still now, the creature still seeming to be charging the Essence as the sky grew even darker than before around the elemental, the wind essence starting to focus and pulse around it now. "Crap, we need to kill it, now!" Saito aimed his gauntlet. He grit his teeth, first getting close to Lucian. "Stay close... I have a plan..." After that he launched one more quick Arcane missile barrage. --- Damage Dealt: 174 --- It was all up to Lucian now, the beast only having 24 HP, which meant that after one more hit it would fall. "Seems like the same thing that we have been doing the whole time Saito." Lucian shook his head, with a smile, alright, I guess I get the finishing shot?" He held out his hand, and gathered the mana for another chained mana surge, if it hit, it would die, if he missed, odds are that neither him or Saito would be having a good time after. --- Lucian Final Strike: 26 - 16 Projectile Weaponry = 10 Hit! Dead --- That one final strike did it. The blast knocked away a huge bunch of its essence that it was struggling to hold together, the creature's glowing eyes starting to fade as more and more of its essence began to fade away. Saito, not knowing what was going to happen with all of that essence gathered in one spot, quickly ran to Lucian and held up his gauntlet, wrapping an arm around his shoulder to hold him close, but not for a weird reason. Another one of the symbols, ironically the one on the middle finger, disappeared as what looked like a solid wall of arcane energy, or like bluish glass, formed around them both as within that next instant all of the essence was burst forth. It slammed like a hurricane force against the barrier, which somehow didn't shatter upon the impact of all of that power, but Saito had to stand in place and keep it secured. Luckily for Sylph, it was wind essence, so it didn't harm her. It knocked her down, but she was fortunately unharmed. Once the storm had finally cleared, literally, a treasure chest was in the place of the beast, Saito dismissing the barrier sighed heavily, his gauntlet turning back into a ring. "Damn that was some fight..." Lucian would notice that Chained Mana Surge went up 2 Levels from that final hit against that powerful enemy and Mana Flow gained one. Summon Elemental also leveled up as did Lucian's actual level, Lucian now being Level 14 after he got 21 XP from defeating, with help, that creature. He probably would have gotten alot more if he soloed it, but soloing such a mighty beast was probably not possible for Lucian's current level. "You did more than you think you know..." Saito walked over to the treasure chest that appeared before walking back to Lucian and setting it down on the ground. "If it had just thought of me as a threat, it would have focused all of its wrath on me in those last moments rather than trying to take both of us out in one shot. I don't know why it opened itself up like that, but if you hadn't been there then that thing would have gotten its super powerful attack off, so thanks for the help buddy, you've gotten alot better." He gave Lucian a grin before looking back down to the chest. "So... I guess this thing is holding the Boss Mob loot then or whatever?" Saito was curious as to what was inside now. "Well even though I dealt the finishing blow, odds are it might only allow the one who did that most damage to open the treasure. So give it a try, go and try to touch it, either it will open instantly and the goods will then be on the ground, or it will send you a message and I will have to open it." Lucian pat Slyph on her head and walked over to the treasure as well, curious to see what suh a creature would drop. "If it drops a book, I recomend we share it, in that you read it first if it interests you, and then I will use it as a skill book, if it is money or other rare drop items, we can just split them as we see fit like normal." Saito just gave a nod, touching the chest. To his surprise it opened and in a gleam of light vanished. When visbility of the chest returned its contents were spread out along the ground. A large stack of yen bills was one thing that was there. Four bottles were also there. They were all ones he had seen before. Three Medium Mana Potions and one Medium Recovery Potion. The next was a crystal. It was definitely an elemental crystal, the Storm elemental force swirling in it and around it. However, it differed a bit from regular elemental crystals. It seemed a bit more concentrated and the crystal seemed to be alot more polished and pristine. Next to that appeared to be a sphere that looked like the Elemental Spirits that they had gotten before. It seemed a bit larger, and seemed to look as if it had a storm going off inside of it. The fury could be felt emenating from it, the fury and strength of a storm, but there was also something else. It was stable, and the will it gave off felt incredibly calm in its fury, something Lucian could somehow feel perhaps by pure chance thanks to his connection to the wind, the will of the elemental force of Storm capable of being felt from it, almost as if it was the elemental's will itself, or a piece of it anyway. The final thing was a book. A Skill Book most likely. They seemed to appear alot after a Boss Mob is killed. Saito picked it up and began to read through it. "Hmm... it appears to contain some sort of instruction on a Spell. Its a Spell Book. The Abyss Auction actually has people who sell books that depict single spells that they write up that people can learn if they know the right type of magic. Although for you guys, you may be able to learn it just from knowing any type of magic if it fits..." He leafed through a few more pages. "It teaches a spell called... Elemental Discharge... that may have been that power that elemental was going to use just then if the name says anything." He closed the book, setting it back on the ground with the rest of the items as he sat down. He looked at the money, quickly counting it before setting it down. "400,000 Yen, very nice. And what appear to be Mana Potions and Health Potions... heh, knowing your Gamer power they probably restore health instantly..." "So..." Now came the real question. "The money splitting is obvious, but what about the rest? I'm not all that interested in the book, that seems more up your alley with how you are using both Natural and Metaphysical elements, so you can have that..." Saito was a bit in thought, before turning his attention to another item he missed. It looked like [url=http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120512222717/elderscrolls/images/c/c3/Circlet8.png]some sort of circlet[/url], only upon closer look, etched across its surface were mystical symbols that may have been about storms, not that Lucian could tell. In the two smaller gems resided the powers of lightning and wind, but in the center one storm essence shone within, the crown itself looking quite strong as Saito stared at it wide eyed. "This is... a seriously powerful Item...maybe not super powerful, but this thing is still incredibly powerful. D Rank, maybe higher than that. It feels like it could be made stronger, but it contains some pretty powerful magic, especially in the three gems" The left smaller gem seemed to have an aura of lightning essence about it, the right one wind, and the center one storm element. "So..." He set the circlet on the ground very carefully. "Who shall get what?" "Well, you probably know what all the items or goods here are worth a bit more than I do, but like you said, it would make more sense for me to take the book, and based on what you mentioned on this circlet, i wouldn't mind taking that as well as it seem in line with it all." He looked at all the items and tried to price it all in his head. "Well as long as I get those, and say...120, 000 and some crystals for research." He knew this could be pushing it, but if some of the ideas wracking his brain worked out, he would easily be able to pay him back plus more. "I have an idea that would make a few more rare items. We could say I owe you, and i bring things past you first when I find things that dont fit into nature or the elements?" --- Lucian Negotiation: 3 (Critical!) --- Saito was a man of business. Lucian had made him some profit with all of the Crystals and other stuff they had found and helped Saito advance in his own research, plus the Level Up from that XP was also really nice. Even moreso, Lucian had a history of quick returns. He paid Saito back 60,000 Yen that he owed the next day. "Alright, you strike a really good business deal, and if more helps you out then so be it." He pushed the Circlet, Book, the Storm Spirit(?), Storm Crystal, and 200,000 Yen towards Saito. Not only that, but he let Lucian keep 2 of the Mana Potions as well. Among the drops of the other Elementals, which had to be searched for, they found 8 Air Crystals and 1 Air Elemental Spirit. Saito let Lucian keep four of the Crystals and the Spirit as well. "You've been good to me so far. If investing free stuff... well... not exactly free, but still 'free' in a sense is what'll take for some nice returns, then its an investment I'm willing to make." He stretched a little bit, feeling a bit tired while meanwhile a window appeared. [hider=Critical!] Talking a good business deal has made you a better negotiator. +1 Negotiation. [/hider] "Still, that battle was enough for me. Not really tired, but I just kinda want to relax for a while. Casting magic alot can take it out of you..." He walked Lucian to the door of the Pseudospace Room. "Ill set up a Construct to run the store, so you should probably get on home as I also have to leave for some other stuff. I'm sure you have alot of work to do yourself don't you?" He chuckled a bit, opening the door and walking Lucian out of the shop, bidding a farewell with a smile before walking back inside, leaving Lucian to his own devices. "Pleasure doing buisness with you, and lets hope these investments turn out in both of our favours." Lucian gave Saito the head nod before leaving the store. He had placed all the items and money he recieved in his inventory, and it was time for him to get to work. He realized just how weak he was during that fight, and had a few ideas and theories to get stronger. The only problem was time, he didnt have much time left, and there were many things to do. I guess I should head home first and then work it all out. He continued on his way as quickly as he could. While riding on the train he would oberve the items which he had recieved to get an idea of what he needed to do with his stat points to use them. [hider=Storm Circlet] Name: Storm Circlet Rank: Rare This special enchanted circlet gives one the power to connect with the very Elemental Force of Storms itself as storm essence and the magics to control said power were all imbued into it during its crafting. This crown grants +10 Storm Affinity, +5 Wind Affinity, +5 Lightning Affinity, +50 MP, and strengthens all Storm Element abilities by 30% and all Lightning and Wind Abilities by 10%. Furthermore, it has three powers. Three times per day the user can cast Storm Bolt, once per day it can cast Summon Storms, and Twice per day they can use Command Storms. Requires Storm Affinity 20 Storm Bolt: Launches a bolt of powerful Storm element, which not only shocks the enemy with lightning, but blows them away as if they were caught in a powerful storm. Deals 75 - 125 + Storm Affinity Damage. Furthermore, has a potential knockback affect. This also ignores metal armor. Summon Storm: You can either call forth a Storm Elemental to your aid, or you can conjure a small, yet still mighty twister to ensnare your foe(s) so that they are trapped and whipped by the winds of the storm, taking 25 - 50 + Storm Affinity Damage every few seconds or so until either they break free or 30 seconds has passed. Command Storms: You can either command whatever storm may be brewing, or you can command enemy Storm, Wind, or Lightning Elementals to aid you if you can turn them to aid you, the elementals getting a chance to resist (DL 75 - Storm Affinity for resistance). Wind and Lightning Elementals are at a -10 to Resist. [/hider] [hider=Elemental Discharge Book] Name: Elemental Discarge Spellbook Rank: Quite Uncommon This Spell Tome teaches the powerful Elemental Discharge spell, a spell that gathers alot of elemental essence from the area then lets it forth. Rank: Quite Uncommon [/hider] [hider=Medium Pure Storm Crystal] Name: Medium Pure Storm Crystal Rank: Pretty Uncommon A decent sized piece of crystallized Storm Essence. This crystal is alot more polished, pure, and concentrated though and thus holds more power than a regular Storm Crystal of its size. Rank: Pretty Common [/hider] [hider=Storm Elemental Will and Fury Piece] Name: Storm Elemental Will and Fury Piece Rank: A tiny bit rare Within this piece of Storm Elemental Spirit lies a bit of its calm fury and powerful will that seems to be awaiting to be tapped into, or even brought forth to be made into a different elemental, or even moreso used to empower an elemental with its strength.[/hider] After arriving home, Lucian set himself up at his compter. He was finally going to use his discount on the abyss auction. He had been saving it for a while, but now that he had a fair chunck of money, and a bit more intellegence than before, he felt this would be the time to open it up again, and make some purchases. Then he wouluse all the skill books that he had gained at the same time, or close to. He stared into the monitor, scrolling through the options in the abyss, he knew what he was going to buy. IF wind and lightning make storm, then it would probably help to learn lightning, and while i am here and have the funding I might as well toss either earth or water into the mix. He sat back in his chair, he had enough money ofr only one of the later two options, but now it was deciding which one would be more up his alley, and more importantly, which one would benifit him the most later on. Lucian decided to purchase the Lightning and Earth elemental books, now not only covering half of the elemental spectrum, but also having multiple elements that opposed one another as Air beat Earth and Earth beat Lightning. Still, in games Earth Elementals were always good tanks and Lightning Elementals were usually great single target DPS, so that may be the case here. After that, came a quick and brief search of the auction looking for anything similar to his Wind Crystals. --- Auction Search: 96 (Fumble) --- Nothing. Nothing was found. Luckily Lucian didn't spend too much time on it since all of the Essence on the auction was somehow all sold out for today and people weren't selling it tonight either by some mysterious, unlucky twist of fate. Of course, according to Saito essence harvested through the "normal" way was pretty unstable at times, so perhaps buying some to recharge natural powers wasn't all such a good idea. So the two books came down to 140,000 Yen. By entering Gin's name in the Coupon Code box it came down to 105,000 Yen. After the Cash Fee, ATM Account Fee to avoid paying the Cash Fee on future purchases, and the Quick Delivery Fee the total amount was 125,500 Yen, leaving Lucian with 92,400 Yen, a fair chunk of change. Naturally, just like the others, a UFO would be right outside his window after he clicked accept and looked towards it maybe accidentally. It was quite the silly sight, but also a bit creepy with how well... Quick... the delivery was. Upon opening the window the UFO would let out an animatronic voice telling Lucian to insert the cash into the hole in the top, which opened as it was saying this. After doing so, since pissing off the Auction probably was not a good idea, Lucian would be able to take the package. In the package was indeed the two books, an ATM Card with his choice of picture on it, and one more item. A small ring box, and attached to that was a note saying the following. [hider=Note] A little something from me to you, as I do want you all to succeed after all. From Gin, The Auction Dealer [/hider] According to Ren the dealer who he met with had the name of Gin, so perhaps it was safe to say that he was looking out for them somewhat with this. Upon opening the ring box was a ring, its Observe Data stating the following. [hider=Beginner Elementalist's Ring] Beginner Elementalists Ring Rank: Uncommon This weak magic ring is inlaid with base elemental essence that connects straight to a person's spirit, strengthening the connection with their respective elements slightly. +2 to all Base Elemental Affinities and your Elementals use 10% less MP when using their powers, it is perfect for the beginner Elementalist. Requirements: Possess multiple Base Elemental Affinities. [/hider] It wasn't really all that strong, but every bit counted concerning what was happening tomorrow at midnight if the Gamers really did decide to go through with the Quest. He was successfully able to learn from the Lightning and Earth Skill books, acquiring the following Skills in the process. [hider=Earth Magic Rituals] Earth Magic Rituals (Talent Skill): You know everything that is needed for using basic earth magic rituals, which involve the summoning of earth elementals and communing with the magical elemental forces of earth. Also grants an Affinity to the element of Earth once you contract with an Earth Elemental. [/hider] [hider=Lightning Magic Rituals] Lightning Magic Rituals (Talent Skill): You know everything that is needed for using basic lightning magic rituals, which involve the summoning of lightning elementals and communing with the magical elemental forces of lightning . Also grants an Affinity to the element of Lightning once you contract with a Lightning Elemental. [/hider] Unfortunately, the third Skill Book gave the following notification. [hider=Notification] You do not meet the following requirements to learn this Skill. --Any Elemental Spellcraft Rank 10 or any 2 Elemental Spellcrafts Rank 5. [/hider] First though he applied his Level Up, and the moment he gained Rank 20 in Focus the following windows appeared. [hider=Skill Get!] A Skill has been created through a Special Action. By acheving peak mental concentration and a mastery of focus, an ability to display the mastery of this talent, Focus Mastery, has been created. [/hider] [hider=Focus Mastery] Focus Mastery (Max Level) (Passive): +1 Wis, +5 MP Regeneration, +20 MP. You have mastered the natural skill of focusing your mind and thus your concentration can only naturally increase from now on. It may become much easier now to unlock Focus or willpower related related abilities. [/hider] [hider=Title Unlock] Becoming a master of focus is quite the accomplishment, and a new Title to display this, Master of Focus, has been unlocked. [/hider] [hider=Master of Focus] Master of Focus: You have mastered the Focus Talent, achieving the Max Rank in it and thus have a mind of steel. +2 MP Regeneration and +5% to your Focus. [/hider\ That was two titles in a single day. Queller of Storm's Fury, obtained after slaying that Angered Storm Elemental, and Master of Focus, both neat little acheviements to remember everything by. After that, Lucian went into his back yard to experiment using a combination of Mana Flow and Healing Roots to try and obtain Mana from the Earth instead of HP. Well for Lucian, since Spiritual Energy was Mana, Spirit Channel would be the main applicable one here as would Mana Flow, so both Skills would carry a benefit for this plan. --- Nature Invocation Creation: 40 - 34 Natural Force Rituals = 6 --- Normally this would have been incredibly difficult, but having Mana Flow and Spirit Channel both active during it made it easier. By tapping into the power of Healing Roots that Lucian had contracted, he was instead able to gather Spirit Energy from the earth and flow it into him, which then flowed through him with Mana Flow once it entered him as it Spirit Energy and Mana were one in the same for Lucian. He could feel his Mana being replenished now for just a short time until he had no choice but to break off the flow due to it being hard to sustain, but now that he got it, new Windows appeared. [hider=Skill Get!] A Skill has been created through a Special Action. Through practicing using the power of roots to tap into the spiritual energies of the earth and then flowing them into yourself to replenish your Mana, the ability to better do so, Spirit Roots, has been created. [/hider] [hider=Spirit Roots] Spirit Roots (Level 1: 0/100 XP) (Active: Special): By touching the earth, bare feet or bare hands the best for this, it is possible to absorb spiritual energy. While you use this Skill [i](GM Note: In Game Terms it will be Rounds, and it is activated as an Action so if you have more than one Action you can still use something else)[/i], you replenish an amount of Mana equal to 5 + 50% Nature Invoking Score. Better connections to the roots and earth may increase this, as weaker ones will decrease it. Note though while using this you are unable to move from where you are standing, meaning you will be a sitting duck for most attacks [i](no using Dodge).[/i] If you get on your knees and touch the earth with your hands, the amount of MP gathered will be increased by 20%. The longest you can sustain this Skill is 20 seconds. After that it has a 30 Second Cooldown. To Level Up: Use Spirit Roots. [/hider] The Skill seemed quite useful, but it had one large flaw. It left Lucian stationary, so perhaps acquiring multiple elementals would be a good thing. Which is exactly what he would do. First off he would prepare himself and contact the elemental of lighnting, and afterwards the elemental of earth. --- Earth Ritual Magic: 4 (Critical!) --- The contract for Earth was a success. Perhaps it was Lucian's deep connection to the earth through nature and elemental forces and natural elements being the same thing for him, but he would suddenly feel a very deep connection to the elemental plane of earth as if he was walking upon it before, in a flash of light, a figure formed from ethereal earth essence for a few moments before soon attaining a full shape. This elemental looked a bit more human than the others had in terms of [url=http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140625070534/the-gamer/images/1/12/Gnome.jpg]appearance.[/url] Like Sylph did, she spoke through a sort of telepathic connection. [i]"So you are the one who has summoned me. I shall make a contract with you then, so lets work well together".[/i] Like before, when he made a contract with Sylph, that same sort of surreal experience happened before soon enough he was back in reality, the contract completed and Gnome having vanished, but not before telling Lucian to call upon her whenever he needed. A window appeared after that, stating the following. [hider=Window] Through contracting a rare Waking Earth Elemental you feel much more adept at Ritual Earth Magic. +1 Ritual Earth Magic. [/hider] Next came an attempt to contract a Lightning Elemental to finish off the evening. --- Elemental Contract: 22 - 30 Ritual Lightning Magic = -8 --- The contract was once again a success, Lucian contracting with a [url=http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/244/e/a/elemental_titans___lightning_by_mindofgemini-d6kk870.png]basic Lightning Elemental[/url] named Rai (not as big as seen in pic). After that, Lucian would next go to bed. --- Sunday. Lucian had until midnight to prepare, but stopping first thing in the evening to allow for plenty of rest before midnight would be the best idea. First part of the morning was renewing his boons. Luckily with newly acquired Elementals, some of these would probably be stronger than usual since he now had an Earth Elemental Affinity thanks to having contracted Gnome. --- Protection of the Wind: 22 - 34 Nature Force Rituals = -12 Ocean's Resistance: 15 - 34 Natural Force Rituals = -19 Sustenence from Earth: 49 - 34 Natural Force Rituals = 19 --- All three boons were renewed without a hitch. After that came recharging all four of his Powers. --- Power 1: 38 - 34 Natural Force Rituals = 4 Power 2: 28 - 34 = -4 Power 3: 74 - 34 = 40 Power 4: 36 - 34 = 2 --- These all went without a hitch as well, although the Earth's Might Power was a bit harder to renew this time around and thus was effectively weaker. After that came grinding Mana Roots and getting his elementals to work together, which may have been a bit harder since Earth opposed Lightning and was weak against Air. --- Elemental Bonding: 4 (Critical!) --- Somehow or another, Lucian, who was a surprisingly good speaker, managed to get the three of them working together quite nicely, able to get them to work well together as he grinded spirit root for the rest of the afternoon, having to take plenty of breaks inbetween since Spirit Root drained the stamina his 11 VIT gave him like a battery. Still, it got to Level 5, which was nice. Also, upon nearing the end of the afternoon, Lucian recieved the following windows near the time he finished all of his grinding for the afternoon. [hider=Skill Get!] A Skill has been unlocked through a Special Action. Through excellent commanding and working together with multiple elemental summons, the ability to better utilize their powers as one, Elemental Synchronization, has been created. [/hider] [hider=Elemental Synchronization] Elemental Synchronization (Level 1: 0/100 XP) (Active: 75 MP): +1 to all Elemental Affinities. You are very gifted at commanding multiple elementals, even ones of opposing elements, a talent not many possess the knowledge and charisma for. By using this Skill you can unleash a powerful elemental ability that depends upon the elementals you use. Note though that this takes several seconds to set up (uses all actions) and your elementals must be close to either you or each other. All Elemental Sync abilities you perform are strengthened by 10%. As you practice more with this Skill you will gain more knowledge of powerful sync abilities that you will be able to call your elementals to perform at any given time. To Level Up: Perform new Sync Abilities, Use Known Sync Abilities. [/hider] After this though it would be best for Lucian to rest for a while and take it easy, since they had a big quest coming up at midnight, and once the deadline would get close, Lucian would head to Gekkoukan now.