Ding.

[Moonlight Mossth: Developed from parasitic moss, this monster overtakes a host, using its form to amplify its own. It uses moonlight to charge its magic, as well as amplify its strength. Its nature makes it largely immobile. Rating: Striker]

So another Striker huh… this is going to be tricky. Light trickled from the base of the antennae, flowing up until they resonated with a strange light. A beam fired at me, lightly grazing my cheek. I stood there, unable to move for a moment before the sound of Fanny’s voice broke through to me.

“Sel! It's getting ready to fire again. Find some cover!” My eyes glanced towards her as she flitted behind some trees.

My body moved before I knew what was happening, my eyes met the bright moonlight as I found myself on my back. A bolt of light whizzed through the air above me. Jerking my head forward I was once again in control of my body. Scrambling to my feet, I quickly propelled myself towards the nearest tree. 

Ding.

[New skill acquired: Moment’s Dodge lvl 1]

What is this? I swiped away one screen to only be met with another.

[Moment’s Dodge] - Lvl 1

When luck is on your side, you may find yourself dodging a lethal attack. 2% chance of increasing Luck by 500% when in danger.

Next Lvl - 3% chance, Luck +510%

Great, so my luck can be slightly less bad… in life or death situations. At least it worked out well for me today. Wiping away some sweat from my brow, I set my pack against the base of the tree. Taking in hand my staff, I glanced over to where Fanny was still hiding.

“Fanny! Do you have any magic that you can use?”

“Yes, but it's going to take a minute to cast,” she replied.

“Okay, I’ll buy some time, just get ready!”

“Be careful Sel, he’s almost hit you twice now!”

Tearing back out into the clearing, I ran head first towards the creature that had possessed Isen. As the Mossth prepared another attack, I was able to shorten the distance between us. Staring up at the hulking mass of white moon fluff, I held my staff parallel to him, focusing on the only spell in my cache I hadn’t tried out yet.

Aura… Burst! A ripple of energy washed over my mind, releasing a tingling sensation over my entire body that nearly made me want to vomit. As it surged through me the monster’s attack finished charging. The blast collided with my surge of magic, crashing me to the ground. The air shook in my lungs as my ears rang like a school bell. My eyes flitted open to find my staff in two. 

“Sel!” Fanny screamed, running over to me. Reaching me, bright light shot from her hands, wrapping itself around the monster. Binding magic? Wiping away some blood from my nose, I scrambled quickly back to my bag. Rifling through it, I came across my boxing wraps. Better than nothing. Wrapping the thick fabric around my hands I took a deep breath before heading back to Fanny. The monster was still secure, unable even to charge. 

“Sel… What are you doing? Don’t you have another weapon or something?”

“I was sorta hoping that my staff wouldn’t break after two days, so no, this is all I got.”

“Well just hurry up and do something, I’m starting to run out of mana here!”

“Hold’em steady!” I yelled as I ran towards the Mossth. It was almost second nature activating Fiery Aura.

Ding.

[Fiery Aura now lvl 2]

Perfect. I arched my arm back before piercing through the air. Concentrating, I pulled all of my mana into my fist. My wraps hummed with the light from within. Focusing on using Mana Blast, the energy beamed around my forearm. Concentrated magic struck the monster. Fluffs of moss flaked off of Isen, revealing his blackened body. The burst of raw magic delved further inside before the rest of the moss burnt up into flakey ash. All that remained was Isen. He fell to the ground, his body heaving to get air. Fanny gasped, panting as she let go of the binding. Despite her exhaustion she still crawled towards me and Isen.

“We have… to heal… him,” she lumbered.

“No… child,” Isen sighed. Fanny stopped dead in her tracks, her fists still grasping thick tufts of grass. “The moon reveals what the stars cannot”.

“Sir… what does that mean?” I asked.

Isen took my wrapped hands in his own. “Thank you for setting me free.”

His head drooped back, his body limp. 

“Sel,” Fanny cried out, fighting back tears in her eyes.

Helping her to her feet, we watched as Isen’s body faded away, ashes floating away like pixels in the wind. Rising, up into the air towards the moon.

Ding.

Quest [Isen’s Plea for Help] Completed. Rewards : [Iro’s Spell tome, Nimbus’ Guide to Curse Removal, 500 experience points]

Fanny was the one to pull the ribbon this time. Her face lit up for a moment as the box popped open before resuming the waterworks. "If it's alright with you, I’ll take the spellbook. I need a new focus after losing my staff. You can have the book on curse removal though since you’re more of a healer.”

“That’s alright,” she replied through sniffles. I could see the exhaustion painted over her face. She wasn’t just crying because she was sad about Isen, the mana had nearly been burned through her with that binding stunt. 

“Wait here a moment,” I said, setting Fanny back on the grass with her book.

As I walked back over to where my pack laid, I noticed a blue vial sticking out. Pulling it out, I remembered back to the mana potions I had been given after completing the tutorial quest. Popping one open I downed it. Immediately the fatigue of the battle fell right off of me as my mana returned. It doesn’t taste that bad either, kind of like blackberry. Grabbing another from the bag, I returned to Fanny, handing it to her. She sipped it cautiously before taking the rest all at once. In a few moments she felt much better as the mana drain was starting to lessen its wear on her. Once she was able to walk again on her own we took our leave of the forest.