Death Cap - Eighteen - Growth Isn't Measured Only in Personal Power. Strength Comes in Numbers.

Death Cap - Eighteen - Growth Isn't Measured Only in Personal Power. Strength Comes in Numbers.

Death Cap - Eighteen - Growth Isn't Measured Only in Personal Power. Strength Comes in Numbers.

Dregs and I split off from each other a couple of blocks down. Thanks, I said.

For what? the hobgoblin asked.Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

I shrugged and gestured in the vague direction of Dogbeaters place. The help. That would have been impossible without you.

He looked at me, eyes narrowing. No. It wouldnt have, he said. Invite me along next time too. This was fun.

I watched him trundle off without a care in the world, then I turned on a heel and continued on my way home. It was still early afternoon. The sun was hidden by the buildings rising around me, but the light was still strong.

It felt as if it should have been later. Assassinations were things of the dark. Midnight events. They werent supposed to happen while the sun was still up.

What do you think about all of this? I asked my new companion as I raised its cage.

The creature within looked at me with dark, beady eyes that still felt intelligent. The badger was probably young. I didnt have a frame of reference for badger ages, but this one had out-sized paws, like a puppy or kitten might have, and its head was big enough that... yeah, I just assumed it was relatively young.

It was still rather large. The cage was as long as my forearm and the badger, from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail was longer than that. It had to curl itself around to fit. Black fur with white streaks, and a yellow tuft of hair atop its head, ears, and right over its sternum.

It was kind of cute. Or would have been if it wasnt so mangey.

[Druid Sight] was a skill that Id mostly used on mushrooms and fungi so far, but it wasnt made just for that. It worked perfectly fine on animals too.

[Panbadger] - Uncommon

A magical species of plain-dwelling badger known for its ferocity and aggression. Frequently seen hunting down predators much larger than itself. Omnivorous, the panbadger will eat meats as well as nuts, truffles, mushrooms and insects, some of which it will hunt and bring back to its bond-partners. A panbadger can form a bond with anyone it cares for, including members of other species. Bonds are for life, and for that reason they are often trained as exotic guard animals for the scions of nobles and magnates.

Did I grab the badger because I wanted to try bonding with it?

Yes.

Did I also take it because it was kind of cute and I didnt want it to die in that house?

A problem for another time. I settled my scarf over the cage, turning it into a bit more of a darkened cave for the badger. Did badgers live in caves? I wasnt sure I wanted to spend some of my limited money on a book about their habitats, but it was an option, if that kind of book even existed.

I could ask around for an animal handling specialist, but I had the impression the locals would point me to Dogbeater or someone like him.

Right, right, I muttered as I checked my farm. It was still cool enough that little was growing. At a guess, it was only barely above freezing at night. I couldnt prepare much then.

Going to the dungeon again was stupid. I wasnt ready for it. Not yet. Once I had a few better mushrooms Id maybe try a second time. The last time had netted me a couple of handy shrooms and a harsh lesson.

Next time would go better, now that I knew what to expect.

Which left me with... not much to do but practice. [Blight] had gone up a level today. I think using it on the door was a creative enough use of the skill that it gave me more experience than normal practice, which was neat.

I placed a few old logs onto the ground in a tin box and then stood at the far end of the room. I raised a hand towards it, then paused. I had an audience today.

So, the idea here is that I can turn my mana into... I guess its [Blight] mana? Im not sure. It might be that the mana is necrotic mana and that its being used to cast [Blight]. Theres a lot more I dont know than I do, I told the badger who was still looking. Now, I cant push my mana out that far. Its... sticky? I dont know how to describe it, but I cant control it that way. [Aura of Growth] on the other hand, does let me push my mana out much further, though I think just sustaining that part of the skill does use up some mana. So if I combine the two...

I focused, then used my aura to send my mana across the room as a long tendril. I couldnt see it, but I... more or less felt where it was. It was like a very poor proprioperception. Id thought of using it as a sort of radar, but that would take a much larger manapool and a lot of focus to achieve even minimal results with.

Once the aura reached the log, I shifted my mana to cast [Blight].

It wasnt just [Blight] though. The normal aura stayed on too.

The wood rotted on one side, parts of it blackening and turning soggy. At the same time, the mould already clinging to the wood started to grow much faster.

Soon, a chunk of the woods side peeled off while a thick coat of mossy tendrils grew outwards to cover almost the entire log.

I stopped, panting hard and ignoring the start of a headache. My mana was getting low. How long do you think that was? I asked the badger?

It just stared at me.

Yeah, youre right, I said with a swipe at my brow. Way too slow to kill anything.

***