A beautiful young woman, Lua, slowly opens her rose gold eyes, brushing the long golden locks of hair out her face, she rolls onto her side. The white robes of the memory she is wearing crumple up slightly. Slowly she opens her rose gold eyes, lazily sleeping around the small room. Her gaze eventually settled on the imposing Crimson Spire, its malevolent presence casting an ominous and oppressive shadow over the Forgotten Shore.
She slowly sits up, sliding off the makeshift bed. Her soft furred boots land on the ground as she stands, her long golden hair draping over her back down to her waist, trudging into the opposing room, her gaze landing on the gluttonises huntress gorging on a large slab of smoked meat.
"Would it kill you to wear something?" Lua asked irritably, her expression creased in mild disgust towards the huntress. sat at the table. Effie, seated at the table, looked entirely unbothered. Her towering, muscular frame still appeared imposing despite her casual posture—and the fact that she wore nothing but an apron. Her tempered bronze skin gleamed, unashamedly on display.
"I thought you liked my body?" Effie teased. Effie cackled between bites of meat. Turning to face Lua, she added, "Besides, we're going hunting later anyway." She tossed a bare bone out of the window, where it landed with a faint clatter atop an ever-growing pile.
"We are?" Lua cocked her head, the sleepiness slowly slipping away.
"Yup" Effie nods emphatically. Clasping her tightened fists together.
"Huh" Lua sighs deeply as she sits, calling on the spell to see her runes. Even though they were somewhat out of the outer settlement her flaw constantly gnawed at her mind, like an incessant migraine.
Name: Lua
True Name: RealmHeart
Rank: Dreamer
Class: Monster
Soul Core: [2/7]
Soul Fragments: [489/2000]
Memories: [Arc Coil], [Winter's Warmth], [Knight's Crest], [Sky's Gift]….
Echoes: [Gemstone Wolf]
Attributes: [Flame of Divinity], [Soul Bound], [True Heart], [Dragon Scale]
Aspect: [The Empress]
Aspect Rank: Divine
Innate Ability: [Rose gilded eyes]
Aspect Ability: [True Essence]
Flaw: [Resonance]
Flaw Description: [Other's emotions influence yours]
Lua briefly examines her runes, focusing on her aspect abilities. Then turning to her favourite memory.
Innate Ability: [Rose gilded eyes]
Ability Description: [You can see and influence that which is unseen and incorporeal.]
Aspect Ability: [True Essence]
Ability Description: [Your soul essence is divine. It can do wonderful things.]
[Winter's Warmth]
Memory Rank: Transcendent
Memory Tier: VII
Memory Type: Garment
Memory Description: [A Divine soul once sought warmth, they went to the -unknown-. Realmheart asked, and received a wonderful white cloak.]
Memory Enchantments: [Blessing of Form], [Blessing of Mind], [Blessing of Soul], [Blessing of Spirit], [Blessing of Flesh], [Blessing of Warmth], [Blessing of Silk], [Blessing of Flight].
Lua paused and focused on the Enchantments more.
[Blessing of Form]
Enchantment Description: [This Memory can change shape.]
[Blessing of Mind]
Enchantment Description: [This Memory enhances one's mental acuity.]
[Blessing of Soul]
Enchantment Description: [This Memory enhances one's rate of passive soul essence replenishment.]
[Blessing of Spirit]
Enchantment Description: [This Memory enhances one's ability to endure and recover from mental fatigue.]
[Blessing of Flesh]
Enchantment Description: [This Memory enhances one's ability to endure and recover from physical fatigue.]
[Blessing of Warmth]
Enchantment Description: [This Memory enhances one's temperature to that most comfortable.]
[Blessing of Silk]
Enchantment Description: [This Memory is woven out of sublime, mystical silk. It is impervious and possesses a beautiful splendour.]
[Blessing of Flight]
Enchantment Description: [This Memory can transform into 6 brilliant wings, The wearer gains the power of flight.]
The memory was puzzling. Its spell weave was unlike anything Lua had encountered. As the form of the memory was not just the usual golden threads of the nightmare spell, but also a mysterious shadowy essence.
And no matter how many times she read its description, it never made sense. Supposedly, she had contacted an -unknown- and acquired the cloak. Yet… she had no recollection of such an encounter. Surely, she would have remembered.
The cloak's nature as a transcendent memory was equally perplexing. Such memories either required the forge masters of Clan Valor or the defeat of a corrupted titan, which was a feat even saints struggled to accomplish. Lua had done neither. Eventually, she stopped questioning its origins, simply grateful to possess it.
Regardless, the garment was invaluable. Even as a garment type memory, it could confidently shrug off attacks from Fallen ranked nightmare creatures.
Lua continued idly reading before pausing on Sky's Gift.
[Sky's Gift]
Memory Rank: Ascended
Memory Tier: IV
Memory Type: Weapon
Memory Description: [One day a Vassal went to her King and requested a gift for her eldest. The King agreed. And spent many nights forging a beautiful crimson spear. When the forging was over the King scarified some of his blood into the crucible.]
Memory Enchantments: [Caged Lightning], [Brilliant Will], [Death Dealer], [War Spawn]
[Forged Lightning]
Enchantment Description: [This Spear strikes as fast as a bolt of lightning, and chains its devastating damage to several nearby creatures.]
[Brilliant Will]
Enchantments Description: [This Spear becomes stronger when wielded by those of divinity.]
[Blood Tip]
Enchantment Description: [This Spear is able to store a large amount of blood and consume a large amount of it to deliver an obliterating strike.]
[War Spawn]
Enchantment Description: [This Spear becomes stronger when wielded by those with killing intent.]
Lua paused for a movement before continuing to speak, "Where's the hunt?" Lua asks Effie, turning away from her runes.
"City walls, east side," Effie replied, summoning her bronze armour. The polished plates gleamed, perfectly fitted over the pristine white chiton beneath. "Let's get going." Lua sighs and stands, Winter's Warmth, the transcendent snow white fabric wrapped tightly around her body in the form of robes, not in its standard form of a cloak.
***
As the two finish sneaking towards the city wall, they finally spot their prey. The nightmare creature towers over the nearby buildings, the large Basilisk slithers between the buildings, its length in excess of 20 meters, and on its grotesque head sat four thick ivory horns, curving upward and back like a stag's.
"Lua?" Effie asks cautiously, her hazel eyes squinting as if to disseminate exactly what class and rank the creature was.
"An awakened beast" Lua responds seriously, peering at the single profane soul core beneath the basilisk's grotesque serpentine hide.
"Those beautiful golden eyes of yours really are useful" Effie grins, the usefulness of Lua's Innate Ability. Lua only sighed in response as they both got ready to pounce.
Lua circled the basilisk, purple sparks gathering in her hand as she summoned Arc Coil. The light teal rapier materialised, electricity coiling along its blade. Just as she prepared to strike, Effie launched herself forward, her bronze spear slamming into the basilisk's head with tremendous force, pinning its massive body to the ground.
Wasting no time, Lua thrust the rapier into the basilisk's eye. Lightning surged through the Awakened blade as one of her cores emptied its essence in an instant. Slamming into the basilisk's eye, the bolt burrowed deep into the creature's skull. It writhed in primal agony before falling still.
[You have slain Awakened Beast, Petrifying Basilisk]
[Your soul grows purer]
The spell's silky voice whispers gently into Lua's ear coinciding with the two new soul fragments and the warm trickle of reclaimed soul essence into her depleted monster core, confirming that the beast was dead. Lua glances up at Effie, she immediately shakes her head at noticing the expectant gaze on the huntress' face, indicating the spell bestowed no boon for this hunt.
"I'm still jealous that you can use essence despite being just a sleeper" Effie, comments whilst she begins to carve up the Basilisk's meat, drool seeping out the side of her mouth as she imagined the taste. Her bronze spear cleaves through the meat with practiced efficiency
"It hardly matters given that I can only use it once or twice" Lua responds with practice as she pulls the fur lined hood of Winter's Warmth up, this not being the first time for Effie to have complained like this. As Lua watches Effie finish carving up the meat, they both take their spoils to a small building near the wall.
A small amount of Effie's delight at her meal slips into Lua's mind, her flaw taking stronger effect as she watches the huntress wolf down more and more meat. Lua quickly chews at her own portion and leans against the wall as she watches Effie hunched figure comping on the meat.
"Tsk. You don't even have enough manners to leave the bones intact," she said disdainfully, noting the huntress gnawing chunks off even the bone. "someday.." Before she could continue, her attention snapped to the entrance. Lua stiffened, sensing three distinct presences—one pure, regular soul core, one utterly radiant core and one dark and deep core, yet no less pristine.
Lua frowns, having never once encountered such a phenomenon. Suddenly her eyes jump to a shadow in the corner of the room. A lone human shadow, belonging to neither her or Effie.
The shadow pauses briefly as if pretending to be normal but fails spectacularly. Lua stands there, completely bamboozled for almost half a minute.
She briefly signals to Effie before speaking "I know you're there," Lua said calmly, her voice coaxing yet firm. "All three of you.", but still being ready to summon Arc Coil or, if need be, Sky's Gift . Her eyes traced over the figures, examining the structure of their memories and their profiles.
Slowly 3 figures emerged from the shadows, A young woman with short silver hair and eyes, her face a mask of composure and blankness. She was wearing a pristine white plate armour over the black bodysuit. The armour looked light and elegant. It has greaves, vambraces, articulated pauldrons, rerebraces, cuisses, and sabatons. The breastplate was engraved with seven shining stars that appeared to protect the torso.
Standing behind her was a young woman, she was delicate and fragile, with blond hair and cerulean, aimless eyes. She was dressed in a simple tunic, with leather sandals on her feet and a cloak the colour of sea waves draped around her shoulders.
Lua frowned at the delicate blond 'is she… blind'. Lua thought to herself as she examined the sleeper's aimless eyes.
Next to the silver haired night was what looked like… a child. He was thin and pale, with dark circles under his eyes and other signs of extreme exhaustion. His black hair was long, falling over his eyes in a dirty mess. He was wearing armour made out of soft fabric. It was a dark-grey garment that covered his body and came with a pair of high, soft-soled leather boots. He was holding a dark Tachi in his hands, holding it up.
Lua pauses, Effie stood up, towing over all four of them and looked down at the 3 newcomers. "Ah, where are our manners?" the huntress spoke with a wide grin.