[Heavenly Jade Mirror - Level ???]
Emma stared at the pulsating chrome sphere suspiciously, ready to take defensive action at a moment's notice. It didn't respond to her presence, at least not in any way she could see.
[WARNING: This Dungeon is unstable, and will collapse if unbeaten in 13 hours, 15 minutes.]
As always, with the timer involved, the onus for action lay on her. Wary of her opponent's unknown level, Emma decided to open with her strongest ability: given how time had behaved thus far, she figured it might come back a lot sooner than the 12 hours it said on the description.
[Null Zone (Toggle: ON)]
From the safety of her magic immunity, Emma summoned the Angel of Extinction, positioning it right in front of the sphere to start its twelve second countdown. She wasn't sure exactly what counted as line of sight for something like that, but she was ready to cry foul if the boss couldn't even see something half an inch away. Of course, that was when it finally decided to react.
A thin, blue barrier now shrouded it, barely visible if Emma squinted. It didn't look like anything she could do, but unfortunately, Emma had a good guess what it did, between the timing and the fact that she could no longer see its name tag at all.
[Null Zone (Toggle: OFF])
The barrier faded alongside Emma's own defence, leaving them both exposed to the incoming hit. Still a good trade, in her opinion, as she was guaranteed to survive.
[One With Everything activates!
Anima: 1/500
Combat initiated!
Field Effect: All For One applied. Combatant numbers must be equal!]
Most of the sphere's mass turned black, blowing away in wisps of acrid smoke. Where once it towered over Emma herself, now there remained only a silver pebble, small enough to fit in the palm of her hand.
"I think I understand why it's called the Heavenly Jade Mirror," Emma groaned, turning to her inventory as she searched for a way to kill something that would copy her every action, and possessed the same abilities, both active and passive.
[I hate enchanted mirrors. Once, I had a suitor present me one as a gift, claiming the mirror would show me the fairest maiden in all the land. When I got close to take a look, my reflection reached out and twisted my nose. It laughed at me too, the bitch; modelled off of my own personality with a pinch of added mischief. Admittedly, it was funny: I still turned the man into a frog and fed him to the ducks on my estate, though. Appearances had to be kept, and a blatant insult at court couldn't be borne. Only later did I learn that he'd already offended Overmind's niece, and was given the delivery job as his execution. She always did love to foist her work off on me; I got her back in the end though, a few years later...]
Emma frowned, turning the anecdote around in her head. Edith's rambling was amusing, but bore little relevance to the situation at hand: at least, so it appeared. Her ancestor only spoke when the mood struck her, and while the subject matter veered wildly at times, none of it was ever truly idle chatter. She was missing something here, and she knew it. In the time Emma spent considering her options, the sphere had regenerated to the size of her head, in tandem with Emma's own passive regeneration. Walking up to it, Emma gave the ball a strong, open handed slap.
[-50 Anima
Anima 150/500]
It shrank again, now the size of an orange.
[Null Zone (Toggle: ON)
-50 Anima
Anima 100/500]
Trying again while under protection from magic rendered the same result, shrinking it still further to perhaps the size of a plum.
[Ephemera (Toggle: ON)]
Now, it was a ghostly plum, a pale blue verging on white.
[-50 Anima
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Anima 50/500]
"Goddamnit."
Home Is Where the Hearth Is - EXP gains doubled for 1 hour after eating a home-cooked meal.
Inventory - Eden's Echo A ring containing fifty cubic metres of storage space, capable of instant transfer. Living beings are held in stasis and slowly heal. All sapient creatures are less likely to attack the wearer. This item is invisible except to the wearer, who cannot wear other jewellery. Currently contains:
50 Thrones
Victorian Gown (3-piece)
Quests
It's the Green You Need
Objective: Raise the Potted Hydra until it blooms.
Objective: Convince the Hydra to give Saint a vial of its blood.
Bonus Objective: Form a summoning contract with the Hydra
Reward: A powerful ally from the Age of Myth, Saint's Divine Item
Bonus Reward: ???
Vae Victis
Objective: Deactivate the gateway beneath Blenheim Palace before it explodes.
Rewards: 25,000 Thrones, Commendation (Order of the Empire, First Class), Season Ticket (The Ghost Train), Residence Permit (Avalon)
Penalty for Failure: Death
Half-Demon Homunculus: Level 5 Chandler
HP: 100
MP: 100
EXP: 810/850
Appearance
Red hair, green eyes, plain complexion.
Traits
I'm a Candle: A modern understanding of non-magical candles.
Noncombustible: High resistance to heat and fire from all sources.
Blood of the Enemy: Blood taken from those you slay may substitute for one reagent when making Candles. Candles made using this trait are Demonic.
Breath Control: You can hold your breath for (Level)*2 minutes without losing focus.
Candle Attributes
Black: Consumes nearby light, leaving impenetrable darkness.
Hallowed: Repels beings of evil alignment or intent.
Soothing: Emits a potent soporific that can put an elephant to sleep.