Venomous Desire(Porne)

[porne]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

I mean, a pocket space with a specialized key that can only be triggered by a dragon seems like a damned good security system. Also, anything you're looking for?

Hm, burning down the grasslands to see the ground beneath it seems like a bad idea. "Ruby, can you detect anything?" I ask my daughter, curious if she can... I don't know, smell the magic? If not, I try to follow the center of the mana as best I can, hoping it'll be somewhere along it.

[Sallin_Kari]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Well you can detect magic, and it is using magic to power itself so that is something you could track.

"This area seems really... alive? If that makes sense," She tries to answer, clearly confused by it herself, but you think you understand. Mana is naturally flows in everything so is often conflated with life energy. Especially after walking through the lively and mana rich elven forest, she might have made that conflation.

[porne]

Since Ruby doesn't seem to have any other clues, I try to line up with the flow of mana and track it, looking for anything of interest.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

I mean, that's what I was trying to imply she was doing?

[Sallin_Kari]

Focusing you detect a small disturbance in the mana vein. An area where the flow is stagnant as if being obstructed by something. Unfortunately the spot is almost directly below you. Looking around you do find some caves and after a few hours exploring you finally find entrance to the vault, a massive stone door shaped to look like the cave it is in. It hasn't reacted to you yet, so you could try toying with it to get it to react or just bust through.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

I did not get that. Basically you are looking for anomalies in the flow of the river, rather then a bright magical structure since it would be shielded from such things

[porne]

Exploring, I eventually find some caves and explore them, trying to reach whatever is down below me, hoping it's what I'm after. Finding what I'm looking for, I look over the vault door, before I approach and attempt to pump in some raw dragon mana in an "I'm here, open up" statement. I do begin circulating my mana though, preparing for anything like a vault guardian. After this, I blink, realizing I probably should have looked into cultivating some mana here before I started this. Dammit, hindsind, you unholy bitch.

[Sallin_Kari]

Luck roll 18
The door opens as you pour your magic into it. You wait for the rumbling to end, listening for anything else that might have been awaken. Luckily it doesn't seem like anything is out to attack you. Entering in you find that it's a pretty simple vault with only basic provisions. There is some magical preserved rations in a jar that you hear can keep for a thousand years, though aren't exactly tasty. Next to them are a couple of water gems, that will release around fifty gallons of pure water when broken. And finally you find three incomplete scrolls with inscriptions on them. They require a core, but can be used to complete/modify existing rune-inscriptions. They should help you either complete or modify the rune-inscription you have.

[porne]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

So, are these incomplete scrolls usable as is, or does Suku need to go hunting for one more magic beasts to join her two preserved ones?

Excellent, raw materials to work with! I suck all of it up into my space, setting it aside for later breakdown as needed. The three scrolls... I can definitely fix the almost completed runes in my legs, giving me access to a proper air step spell. It's no functioning wings, but it should help considerably. But... what to do with the last one? Perhaps I could fix Ruby? Excitedly, I call back to Ruby as I mention that I found some supplies and head back up, sealing the chamber.

[Sallin_Kari]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Yes, it takes time to basically transfer the rune fragment to flesh, but it requires no other materials. It's basically the equivalent of laying it on the spot for an hour or so. As long as you don't have to do anything strenuous then it should transfer fine, but trying to do it while you're running away or fighting might lead to it falling off and failing, thus wasting the scroll. Also what 'preserved' ones are you talking about. Only Ruby's father has been captured.

Ruby happily comes up to you, her tail wagging. Looking her over, she doesn't have any rune-inscription that have been placed on her, so you don't think that the scroll can bind to anything. Her natural meridians aren't a result of a rune-inscription so are incompatible with the scroll.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Basically these are upgrades for Suku's spells only. There are ways to upgrade Ruby or Suku(or any other dragon-blooded creature) with things like improved mana pools or other basic statistic things.

[porne]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Suku has Ruby's father, still alive, and the entire corpse of the Basilisk, which presumably has a core in it somewhere.

I keep the rune inscriptions for myself for now. I'll definitely need to work on them. Also, to see if I could maybe use one for my twinned air-step spell in my legs. They're at the same general level, and about half formed, so... hopefully?

I give my big fuzzy girl a hug and some throat scritches before I try to orient on the next possible location of a resource cache, assuming there's still time in the day.

[Sallin_Kari]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Okay. I don't considered a dismember corpse(which had been snacked on a bit if I recall) to be a 'preserved monster.' It's not exactly the same as Ruby's papa.

Looking over the map, you notice that there aren't any that close that aren't in the elf territory, certainly not within a days travel. Still there are five in the elven forest, so you need to figure out some way to allow them to give you access to at least one. It's around nine PM and the sun has set while you were exploring the caves, so probably best to call it a day.

[porne]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Preserved, frozen in time so it can't decay, whatever. Point is that it's a magical monster she can further butcher for parts as needed.

Dammit, that's probably for the best. I let Ruby into my space along with me, entering within the cave system so we're properly covered from view. Setting the various items out to look over, I decide I'll probably sell some of the water gems to the elves, assuming they want to buy them. I mean, I suppose I could sell them the rations as well, but other than a curiosity, I doubt they'd be interested. The runescript is mine, and I'm not sharing.

Letting Ruby change back to her humanoid form, I make sure she's doing okay before I cover my plan to try and use the runescript to complete the spells on my legs first. If I can tie one runescript to both legs, since it's the same spell I'm looking to complete, I'll be in an even better shape. So far, I haven't gotten a good feel for what magics are worth upgrading.

[Sallin_Kari]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Okay, still not sure the connection between magical creatures and the runescript.

With your decisions made, you slip into safehouse, and Ruby turning into her human form for the first time in a while. As she begins stretching you begin the process of applying the scrolls. Unfortunately they seem to be two separate spells, so while completing one would allow you to 'stand' on air with one leg, in order to walk, both legs need to be completed. Looking at it you also can tell that the spell would only allow you about five minutes for every hour. Upgrading it would allow it to 'store' up more, allowing for an hour continuous with a twelve hour recharge time, each hour adding five minutes.

[porne]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Kind of like what we did in Sword Reborn, the cores can be consumed for upgrades or new spells, penalties for going against what's in the core though, but the basic ones can only unlock the spells, high level ones are required to actually upgrade properly. Or add individual features, depending on how you want it to go. Maybe a core and runescript is required to add new spells, but either can be used to upgrade them?

Dammit. Let's at least complete one for now, and I can think my way through how I want to do it. I'll definitely need to go gather more raw materials. Ah well, best get to work. I ask if Ruby wants to lay her head in my lap while I let the runescript do its thing, so she can get some ear scritches in, assuming she likes that in human form.

[Sallin_Kari]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

I mean the only way I could see that work is if she knew how to apply runescript and could use the monster parts as bases for new runescripts. Again I was told to keep the systems simple when making this so I was keeping it very straigth forward.

Also confirmation that you want to apply 2 scrolls to one leg and the last to your other?

She happily takes you up on your offer, letting you scratch her ears as the runes set. By the time the runes are done setting she is softly snoring in your lap.

[porne]

I set aside the one runescript I'm saving, applying the two other ones so they can set as I give my daughter some good scritches and pets, even in her humanoid form. Those ears, so itchy. The two rune scripts tingle as the reach into my leg meridians, finishing the runes through the strange magic that allows them to function. Finally, when they're finished, and I'm properly rested, I cycle a bit of mana through, just to feel it before I go to sleep with Ruby in my lap.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

So, kind of answered, but one script on each leg, and then one held in reserve.

[Sallin_Kari]

Unfortunately, Ruby napping is preventing you from getting to your bed, but it's that's a new addition. You've roughed it before.

You wake up to Ruby moving. She stretches and lets out a massive yawn, with some lip smacking noises.

[porne]

I give her shoulder a pat as she stretches, getting up off the floor and doing my own stretches before I break out a few of the preserved foods.

[Sallin_Kari]

You and Ruby consume some meat and get ready for the day.

[porne]

Having eaten well, I let myself and Ruby out before looking over my map to see what the best route might be to go looking for more resource caches. I also take the chance to experiment a bit with my new spells. Most of the spells implanted in my meridians are either simple attack or defensive spells, or they auto trigger. These are my first mobility spells and I'd like to get used to air stepping, at least a little bit. I'll use up a fifth of my mana on this process, partially moving closer toward the next cache. I notice my body is a lot stronger than it used to be, both a mixture of the extensive magical saturation of the surgery, muscle growth, and a bit of alchemical enhancement. It's still not as good as proper mana saturation, but still nice to be able to move like this.

[Sallin_Kari]

Trying the airstep, it feels like you're standing on planks of wood floating in a river. They twist and turn under your weight and you can feel the shifting air currents. Trying this out in a fight would be risky, and using weapons would be terrible. Luckily your spells shouldn't be too affected. Regardless it seems that Ruby is impressed by the display and is trying to figure out if she can do that too, which of course she can't.