Posts from ☀️ Arselia and Akonia

- Black, please, and with lemon, if it's not too much trouble... Well, I think it would all depend on my emotional state at that moment. For example, if there was a serious threat to my life, I would have no choice but to trust such a person. But in general, anything can happen in life, so it's all a matter of luck.

—Well, well, my dear. You're lucky, I can even provide for you in the afterlife! Probably not a very good joke, huh, ahem.

Having finished with the preparations, Klin automatically places the second drinking vessel on the table, clicks his tongue in disappointment, and puts it back in the buffet.

—Well, that's it. A serious threat, you say? It's great that you don't lose faith in people. It's a pity, though, that it's so hard to distinguish well-wishers from scoundrels who are just waiting to take advantage of your situation.

During the journey, like an indefatigable commander, the former inquisitor spent her free time filling out her diary.

Belated diary entries.

Title

"Retreat
Rereading my diary from time to time, remembering past events and my state of mind at the moment of writing, I catch myself thinking about how much I have changed. Sometimes thoughts made long ago seem alien, though familiar. It is hard not to feel like a different person after everything I've been through. Perhaps I should write about it now, but I am not sure if there will be enough strength and time for such an activity. Better to maintain some semblance of order in my records.

New Beginning, Part Three
Although I have mentioned it several times in other entries, I usually didn't go into detail. The emphasis was usually either on people or on events. But now the time has come to write more detailedly about the place that became my new home. I even had my own little apartment there. Small, but cozy. Sometimes we gathered there with friends, specifically Elrina. Perhaps the furnishings weren't the richest, especially by the standards of my aristocratic friend, but I was always happy to please him or any other guest with warm home-cooked food. It's somewhat strange to compare it with my current dwelling. It is much more spacious than I am used to, which makes it feel somewhat empty. Apparently, I grew too accustomed to huddling in tight spaces. I haven't really invited guests there yet, although someday in the future I will need to gather together with my new comrades. Although, in a way, they and I are already discussing this and that over my cooking. I probably need to describe the comrades in more detail as well, but I've gotten distracted.

Before proceeding to the city districts, it's worth noting the city sewers, which I cleared out twice. A certain important and businesslike lover of sweets, Coleus Bright, once said that the monsters constantly appearing in the city sewers are a symptom of some larger problem, however, he did not go into details then. At the time, I didn't think much about it, but I wouldn't be surprised if either Alfarid or Reisen with his mad experiments were involved. Given the chosen phrasing, it seemed that the city's sewer problems had existed for a long time. Considering that some of the creatures breeding there were capable of taking control of another's mind, while others could kill even an experienced warrior in one blow or destroy your weapon with a single touch, it was sometimes hard not to wonder "how many people in total have these sewer dwellers perished?". It's a bit of a pity that during neither visit was there a monsterologist with me who could document these curious creatures. The main thing is not to catch some ailment from the local rats.

Emerald Street
Not exactly an alley, yes, but it's hard to deny certain similarities. It was also known as "Craftsmen's Street," as most private establishments were located right here. Well, let me tell you a bit about the establishments.

Limos Steel
The owner of this establishment can be called, in a way, a victim of industrialization. Once his goods were in high demand and the assortment was oriented toward various strata of the population, but no single person is capable of competing with mass factory production in this field. Therefore, over time, he shifted his course of activity, switching to creating masterpieces aimed at the wealthy. He even named one of them, an axe, after himself!
Despite a certain grumpiness, clearly caused by forced repurposing, he seemed to me a sufficiently friendly and kind person. And the ability to adapt to new realities at his advanced age also commands respect. To his own surprise, there was a secret passage leading to dungeons located under his house. But now he has surely taken measures regarding this, so that no dishonest person steals one of his masterworks.

Dignity
A tragic establishment whose owner met a tragic fate. I wrote about this once before.

Frankincense
A plate armor shop that didn't have a particularly interesting assortment. People went there mostly just to see the owner's granddaughter, one of the beauty contest participants.

Impeccability
Another sad place. Once, services for improving equipment were offered there, something the owner had done all his life. However, clients became fewer and fewer with each year, and therefore he was forced to sell the business of his life and retire. The new owner kept the old name but repurposed the establishment into a pawnshop.

Tree of Life
At first glance, a fairly innocent name for a shop. But only until the owner of this place opens his mouth — then it immediately becomes clear that it is nothing but a bad joke. Bows and spears were sold here, which is slightly outside my profile. It's somehow a bit strange to write about this in the current situation, considering how a prudently purchased bow recently bailed me out. Either way, I had no reason to come here extra times.

Grace
A jewelry store. The owner was a man of very imposing appearance and manners. I remember a robbery happened here once, after which the owner did not skimp on security. In general, that's correct. It was here that Elrina bought the "Night Sky" given to me. Pity that such an expensive reminder of our friendship now rests at the bottom of the sea.

Emeralda
A fashionable clothing store, for which I initially lacked the money. On the other hand, Halmeldir, I recall, once proved to be quite the fashionista. As soon as he decided to compete in the tournament — he immediately dressed up more colorfully. And all this was before winning the beauty contest! But the stockings there were worse than Alice's, although the owner herself was clearly no less of a fashionista. The succubus costume alone was worth something. It's a bit of a pity that my favorite set of business clothes from there isn't nearby now. It looked very decent and helped make the proper impression.

Meltiston
If the fashionistas shopped at "Emeralda," then people of a more practical mind shopped here. The owner himself was clearly one of those. Maybe not the richest selection, but to my taste, it looked decent. I even bought a watch there once. In my opinion, they were no worse than analogues from Chronos, with all due respect to Mr. Quantum. I remember when I decided to gift them to Kenshiro, he also appreciated the item accordingly.

Laity Souvenirs
Despite the name, the lazy and greedy saleswoman traded not in souvenirs at all, but essentially in lottery tickets. I even bought a couple of "Pandora's Boxes" out of curiosity. Not an establishment I would recommend visiting.

Street of Endless Swords
It was here that bloody tournaments were once held, until such practices were put to an end.

Amphitheater
I've already made so many entries about it that adding anything further would be redundant.

Ultimate Luck
Officially, they dealt with betting on events in the amphitheater. But there were many rumors that they also engaged in usury and had an underground casino. Apparently, the rumors turned out to be true, as the owner of the establishment, Kawakami Ryunosuke, lost his life in a knife fight with one of his thug buddies.

Guild of Mastery
Once a gathering of talented warriors and mages where one could acquire useful life skills. Mentors included people such as Larian Twice, Masanori Naoe, Beryl S. Tessen, Alice Lit, Lunarina Gias, Lionel Heartcraft, and Dahlia. It's strange to realize now that I just blew a good opportunity to learn the style of the Shining Sword! Apparently, my priorities were set differently back then. Later, the Guild changed its profile somewhat, becoming a place where a gawker like me could register their own style in order to make their name famous or get rich. I think Margela would also benefit from such a society of skilled warrior-mentors. And at least one such skilled warrior, Erefir, would surely agree with me in this regard.

Tehan Quarter
A quarter founded by overseas settlers, which I consider a must-visit. A good way to touch upon a foreign culture. Through the efforts of Han Young-ji, it became one of the city's main attractions.

House of Swords and Flowers
A place where nimble and graceful warriors can master the "Flying Petals" style under the guidance of Song Da-hyun. When I first heard of this style, without knowing the details, I thought about trying to learn it myself, but quickly realized it suited me poorly.

School of Serenity
It didn't spark much interest back then, but sometimes I think that I should have learned this fighting style. My recent experience has already shown that it's far too easy to accidentally lose one's weapon. On the other hand, if I remember my recent opponent, attempting to hit him with hands and feet would have ended very badly. I heard that something similar is taught in Yanxi now.

Lotus School
Here, Lee Tae-hyung taught those willing the Lotus style, provided that the acquired skills would be used only for self-defense. The longer I live, the more I understand the wisdom of such an approach. However, I didn't start learning the style for the same reason as before — it was designed for the use of a short sword.

Idol Academy
The local fighting style was aimed at conquering human hearts and was not intended for use offstage, ha-ha. Jokes aside, the path of an idol required no less time and physical preparation than the ability to swing a piece of iron. At least based on what I knew. I remember once thinking about trying my hand in this field, but being occupied with more important matters took precedence. Now the time has passed and priorities have shifted.
Among other things, general physical training courses and a number of cosmetic procedures were also conducted here, in case one wanted to fix their face. Okay, I'm stopping my jokes.

Music Academy
And here one could learn to play musical instruments. I imagine there was no shortage of young men dreaming that someday beauties from the academy would dance to music written by them.

Imperial Street
A wealthy district for wealthy people and promising youth. This is where the school of magic and the military academy were located. Sometimes I dreamed of a future in which I would join the staff of the latter, but whatever now. Horse races were also held here at the hippodrome, through which the owner of the local stable made quite a profit back then. Also, residences of representatives from different countries were located here.

Aquilon
For wealthy guests of the city who do not have wealthy friends here ready to receive them. I heard the service is first-class, but it's a bit beyond my finances.

Prince's Estate
The sanctuary of a maniac who lures people into his lair just to subject them to cruel games. A place that should be avoided, although I have heard that only those who have business with the owner can find it. In fact, it's not so much a mansion as a separate plane of existence, changing according to the whim of the owner.

House of Celeno
A quiet and cozy place, though not lacking in luxury. For someone known for the heaviness of his temperament, in everyday life Castor is a very quiet and calm person living in harmony with his beautiful wife.

Gardens
People from here usually either don't return, or return completely different. If sanity is dear, it's best to avoid this place.

Order of Darkiria Knights
A very beautiful building in appearance, although I never happened to be inside.

City Center
The heart of the city, where the central offices of Raymford and Morion are located.

Palace
The center of the city center, most of which is closed to ordinary gawkers. Probably, if the city administration weren't located here, no one would be allowed anywhere near the palace.

Magnolia Shop
A small shop of overseas rarities brought by an elf from her homeland. It was there that Elrina and I purchased the fruits I mentioned in one of my early entries.

Harmony
A musical instrument store. Not a place I could call myself a frequent visitor of.

Akeso
A place that empties the wallet and fills the stomach, and orders are brought by a very pretty waitress. Alas, it was temporarily closed after a gang of thugs staged a massacre inside.

Grocery Store
Now here I visited often, mastering the path of the culinary warrior. Goods were dispensed by a friendly and sweet girl named Azuria Fox, who surely had no shortage of admirers.

Guard Building
I happened to be here in the line of duty. During the time of my visit, everything was managed by Rechtir Aimasor, a very friendly and charismatic man. Unfortunately, protecting public peace is a risky business and after a few weeks he was killed by some bandit.

Hestia
Another hotel, but cheaper. By that time I already had my own housing, so I didn't need its services.

Morpheus
A place where I worked for some time. Clearing the sewers, a task personally from the mayor, Elrina Marjory, was precisely my first assignment as part of this organization. Actually, this organization was founded by another mayor, this time a former one and from another city. I mentioned him briefly in one of the previous entries. What fate eventually befell the organization I don't remember, as I left after one very unpleasant assignment. After that, I decided to live a simple and peaceful life.

Business District
As the name suggests, a place where people come to conduct business or buy a new issue of the chronicles.

Lycoris
A consortium of merchants, far from all of whom are honest. As often happens, many of them are concerned not so much with the prosperity of their native city as with the prosperity of their own wallet.

Raymport
Probably one of the largest industrial enterprises in the city. I rarely saw the fruits of their work, but the results were truly impressive.

Citrus
A place selling curious inventions, most of which were beyond my means. In another situation, I would have used their services.

Vindemiatrix
An armory with a very silent saleswoman. Not quite my profile, but for someone like Elrina it was just right.

Vespertelino Workshop
A family business managed by a young man, Vesper. According to his own words, he could fix absolutely anything. As to how truthful these promises were, I venture not to judge.

Outskirts
Will appeal to nature lovers, who have a choice between a walk in the forest, admiring Hegon Lake, or a visit to the local park.

Total 119 entries, meaning 3105.9 units of experience.

Some creatures of the Dark Lands didn't quite fit into the general idea regarding biological changes, appearing as if they were something entirely different. Of course, I could be radically wrong about them, because even representatives of the T people, although considered superstitious phenomena of unclean forces, are in reality established to be merely a very specific artificial hybrid, bred by all known evil mages. But is the boundary between worlds truly so thick when speaking with regard to the Lands? I have no answer. Be that as it may, below I list the representatives I know of something not just distorted, but clearly possessing an ominous aura.

Shadows. One of the most dangerous spawns of the Dark Lands, clusters of some incomprehensible energy, and moreover, seemingly sentient. During my first encounter with a shadow, it tried to speak to me, or so it seemed, as the shadow's "speech" only vaguely resembled language, a certain combination of grinding metal and the sound of a broken brass instrument. Also, these sounds were very sharp and short, and the shadow itself was, apparently, an impulse-type anomaly: it was impossible to track its movement, at each moment it was in one place and motionless, and then it would be somewhere else. This is the only such anomaly that showed signs of sentience. And yes, after the attempt at dialogue, the shadow attacked me; it was a strong enemy, seemingly trying to tear the body apart from the inside. At that time, I had the sword "Guide," which I forged specifically for the Dark Lands; its bright light proved highly effective in battle, otherwise I might not be writing these lines. Afterwards, I encountered shadows again, but they seemed to start avoiding me, teleporting away. Well, the better for them. Kill count: 1.

Hellhounds/wolves. Black, the size of a large Great Dane, a maddened gaze, fiery breath, they run much faster than any horse. Often two-headed or three-headed. Strangely enough, they do not hunt in packs; at most, I've seen groups of two individuals. Usually, different types of monsters in the Lands are not averse to devouring each other, but I swear, the dogs deliberately ignore any local fauna except humans. Their favorite method is to suddenly attack travelers, and, grabbing one by the neck with their jaws, drag them off somewhere into the desert. When I myself encountered this situation and decided to pursue the kidnapper of my friend, I found the abducted person dead, his head burned out, but the hellhound was nowhere nearby: it seemed to have no interest in food, killing only for the sake of killing itself. Henceforth, we managed to prevent the worst outcome; a dog attack can be predicted if you know what sounds to listen for. Kill count: 7.

Oglers. Huge eyes with wings, their victims die from a cerebral hemorrhage. Moreover, just like with the dogs, oglers do not feed on the killed, instantly losing interest in them after their "victory," which suggests their unclean nature. Fighting them with closed eyes or using reflective surfaces (polished my bracers to a shine) is a time-consuming but effective method with almost guaranteed success; without their psychic attack, oglers can only bite, and their ability to bite through armor is frankly mediocre. Kill count: ~50.

Demons. The most obvious unclean creatures, their surrounding aura cannot be mistaken for anything else. Solitary. Sometimes accompanied by one or two hellhounds. Large horns, red skin, black armor, glowing eyes. They possess fire magic and combat techniques at an excellent level, often able to teleport. They hunt in the Lands, and yes, not monsters... They are encountered rarely, but these are very memorable encounters. I have also formed many hypotheses regarding their distant similarity to the cultists of the ES. Moreover, the blood and heart of these beings allow the creation of weapons and armor of an unprecedented level, but with the same aura of terror as their donors: in the Dark Lands, where everything already presses heavily on the mind, this was a serious drawback. Fortunately, not outside them, which I once took advantage of by going beyond the border and exchanging them for goods more necessary to me. Kill count: ~3.

Thus ends the section on unclean creatures, and we can return to other topics. Medusae. No, not women with snakes on their heads, rather a certain formless creature, almost entirely composed of tentacles. Size from several centimeters to three meters. Predator. Upon touching a victim, which can be an animal or a human, it causes a severe burn, similar to petrification, and then absorbs and dissolves it. Growing to maximum size, the medusa attaches itself to the ground and hardens, after a few days producing offspring in the form of small medusae (the parent medusa does not survive this process). Kill count: ~100.

Will-o'-the-wisps. Relatively harmless by themselves, although it's better not to catch them; it hurts. But what you definitely should not do is follow them: for some reason, some inhabitants have come up with the idea that eventually the lights will lead you to treasure, which is far from the truth. Nothing of the sort; after a while of pursuit, the wisp goes underground and almost immediately a fairly powerful explosion occurs, which not everyone will survive. Apparently, this is not a living creature itself, but some kind of anomaly in magical flows, a sign that it is best to stay away from this place.

Mimics. Oh, this is my favorite; I don't know what creatures they are and how they decided to imitate various useful things in the Dark Lands, and their diversity commands respect. Mimics can imitate almost any useful resource in the Lands; they disguise themselves as edible fruits (and would be happy to bite off your fingers, traveler), as harmless non-mutated animals (so, you see a cow grazing in a field, want to catch it, and it turns around and comes at you, with a toothy maw gaping on its side)... I don't know why, but mimics really do love to feed on humans, so they often disguise themselves as things useful to humans and attractive to our kind. Chests. Vessels. Wells with water. Doors. Even an entire hut can be a mimic: to spend the night somewhere not under the open sky, I had to first land a couple of blows with the Bonebreaker on the walls. Oh, and what about mimics in the form of armor on human corpses! A convenient hunting method: an adventurer approaches, searches, and is immediately eaten, and the mimic falls into a slumber awaiting a new victim. Kill count: ~200

Fire Salamanders. Very large, glossy-black animals with smooth skin, tails, and gills. Yes, yes, the skin is exactly smooth, not scaly; salamanders are clearly not lizards. They profusely sweat a highly flammable liquid, which they spray around in case of danger, and then ignite with a spark from friction (there are special growths on the fingers of their hind legs, striking like a flint). They themselves are not harmed by their own fire, but their enemies are. Salamanders are often present in and near certain bodies of water; excellent swimmers, and their flame is not extinguished by water. Predators, of course. Why do they need a defense mechanism in the form of fiery sweat if they don't always use it in hunting? See the next point. Meanwhile, kill count: ~50

Water Guardian. The large Lake K gives the impression of a calm and clear water surface from the outside, but this is a mirage and a deception. An indescribable creature dwelling beneath its surface, larger and stronger than anything else in the Dark Lands. The Water Guardian seems like a kraken with many tentacles, but their size is terrifying; no myths about giant squids and octopuses compare to it. Let's say a kraken is usually the size of a ship? A bit bigger, a bit smaller? Unlike krakens, the tentacles of the Water Guardian can appear simultaneously in two opposite parts of Lake K, i.e., at a distance of two kilometers from each other. The tentacles themselves are also unusual; there are far fewer than eight, at least forty, and at the ends they split into smaller tentacles, resembling fingers. The feeling is that the Water Guardian is a mutation of various duckweed, algae, and plankton fused into one huge organism, but I cannot confirm this. Usually the guardian is motionless, but it is very sensitive. As soon as a living creature touches the water to drink, it is grabbed in an instant. Salamanders live, among other places, in the mouth of the river flowing into Lake K, and must often encounter the Water Guardian... But it seems to me that their defense mechanism works well in this case, so the amphibians feel relatively comfortable. In terms of combat, I successfully fought the tentacles, using my speed, but I never figured out how to defeat the Water Guardian itself. Perhaps gather the sweat of several thousand salamanders? Sounded fun at the time, but not realistic. Thus, it is the only opponent in the Lands I have encountered that did not crack. Kill count: 0.

Giant Monitor Lizards. Adults up to ten meters in length from nose to tail tip; hunting them was extremely fun. Not just very strong, they are much faster than they first appear... But their reaction speed allows them to be trickily caught, and using rope traps to tangle their legs is also quite effective (but the rope must be very strong). Too bad they were encountered relatively rarely... Overgrown with lichen, these animals camouflage themselves as small hills in suitable places, periodically waking up to eat. Kill count: 4.

And also... Fungal monsters, fish monsters, multi-eyed cave monsters and so on, and so forth; they are countless, but in my opinion the list is already decent enough. In any case, as was said, it is the representatives of the species above that seemed to me the most well-understood and predictable. Based on the number of tortured critters, one can probably draw an obvious conclusion that I had quite a blast in the Lands, but here, firstly, what else is there to do, and secondly, it was often necessary, as the monsters multiplied no slower than I eliminated them. That is, on one hand, I had the hope of making the Lands safer in principle (well, not really successful), on the other, I feared that they would multiply and launch a raid on my village or other villages I knew. And yes, the practice of exploration showed that the population density of living humans drops sharply the further I move away from the patrolled, controlled surroundings, meaning my efforts are not in vain. On this very optimistic note, I will end today's excerpt for now; starting next time, I will move from a descriptive to a historical method of narration.

20 entries, if possible.

Alright, Aconia with him.

No, Aconia with Ayano.

I suddenly realized that Guion has virtually no chance of surviving even one attack from Despair. That monster deals 10k damage, and for some reason, I thought it was 1k... So, either Kalina comes back, or we need a different tank.

Friday morning.

– What shall we do today, Guion?
– The same as always, Beata. Let's go read.
– Makes sense. I've read more books in the last couple of weeks than in my entire life before that. My head is about to explode from all this knowledge.
– That's a good thing. I've always said!
– Oh, don't start with that again...
– Okay, okay. Let's go have breakfast first, and then we'll read.
– Okay...

III - Lanigiros es Diesra Arual

– Yeah... And I've always said that family is evil!
– Ahem...
– Guion, you're different. I chose you. I wanted to be with you. But all those aunts and uncles...
– I agree with you there... I think if my family had a choice, they wouldn't have chosen me.
– One day, you'll tell me what kind of family you had. It can't possibly be worse than your adventures in Lower Lunaria.
– Not worse... They hurt in a different way.
– Forget about it... But you're like this Lanigiros – you broke away from everyone and brought order to your life!
– I wouldn't call what's happening now order.
– Never mind. We'll clip this scaly creature's wings, and then there will be order!

Beata: +5 to Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Perception, or Luck (determined randomly)
Guion: +5 to Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Perception, or Luck (determined randomly)

IV - Delsahid es Diesra Arual

– Now that's what I call a leader! Personally leading the army and personally kicking the enemies of the state! Doing everything himself, not hiding behind others!
– Such people are needed, yes. But I'm not sure... He spent his whole life in wars. How would he rule in peacetime?
– Hmm... I have no idea. Would there even be peacetime with such an emperor?
– That's the point.
– You're probably right... But he was still cool!
– I agree.

Beata: Scout
Guion: Combat Training

V - Hatea es Diesra Arual

– I would be just like that empress. A fearsome and unapproachable warrior, surrounded by a whole harem of beauties... And handsome men.
– Yes, a worthy daughter of her father. But the harem...
– Don't worry, Guion, you would definitely be my favorite husband.
– That's reassuring.

Beata: Beauty or Charisma (randomly, +5).
Guion: Dexterity or Perception (randomly, +5).

- Seriously. Words and actions are still different things. Resentment breeds suffering, and the more this cycle grows, the harder it will be to break. So... - she takes her little finger and looks at the manager. - You'll have to eat a thousand needles if you don't do it, even if you're not offended. That's exactly how it works.

—Well, look at you, my dear. You're lucky to have me, even in death! I can provide for you, you know. I guess it wasn't a very good joke, was it? Ahem.

Having finished with the preparations, Klin absentmindedly places the second drinking vessel on the table, clicks his tongue in disappointment, and puts it back in the sideboard.

—So, that's it. A serious threat, you say? It's good that you haven't lost faith in people. It's just a shame that it's so hard to tell the well-wishers from the scoundrels who are just waiting to take advantage of your position.

—Well... In some situations, there's really no other choice, so it's not so much faith in people as it is faith in the hopelessness of the situation, haha... —She took a few sips of the carefully prepared tea. —This taste really does remind me of autumn.

Added 13 minutes later

Beata: beauty or charisma (randomly, +5).
Gion: dexterity or perception (randomly, +5).

Charisma
Perception

Beata: +5 to strength, endurance, dexterity, perception, or luck (determined randomly)
Gion: +5 to strength, endurance, dexterity, perception, or luck (determined randomly)

Strength
Perception

Guyosh is so receptive...

- Well... In some situations, there's really no other choice, so it's less about faith in people and more about faith in hopelessness, haha... - She took a couple of sips of the carefully prepared tea. - This taste really does remind me of autumn.

—Faith in hopelessness... Or maybe it's better to think of it the other way around, as hope? It's not for nothing that it's remembered when everything seems lost. It might give a more foolish impression, but it doesn't sound as bleak.

- Seriously. Words and actions are two different things, after all. Resentment breeds suffering, and the more this cycle grows, the harder it will be to break. So... - she takes her little finger and looks at the manager. - You'll have to eat a thousand needles if you don't do it, even if you're not offended. That's how it works.

- I, on the other hand, don't have to eat anything...
Edgelord-kun follows the example of both women and joins his little finger to theirs. 
- Well, you've made up! - Sonata, who everyone seemed to have forgotten about, clapped her hands happily. - Congratulations! Friendship is wonderful.

First, she exchanged a simple sword for a two-handed nodachi, and now she was practicing how to better blend with the shadows... During training, Alaria often felt as if Kenshiro's example had left its mark on her, and her style was becoming somewhat similar to his, even if in the case of the samurai, this was due to his ethereal nature. Whether this was true or not, even the Tanarrian herself wasn't sure, but... why not? It was a good way to honor a fallen comrade. In this way, a part of him would live on with her, in her fighting style.

However, she also had her own distinct qualities – she didn't follow Kenshiro's path of flame. The combination of discipline, tireless training, and meditations aimed at bringing her closer to the element of fire continued to bear fruit. Her flame burned brighter and stronger, in anticipation of the inevitable confrontation with Despair. Even if she perishes, the former inquisitor decided, she will inflict such wounds on the monster that it will not recover.

Gradually, she began to realize that she could be compared not only to Kenshiro. The path she had chosen resembled stories about the Legates – Tanarrian lone agents sent on the most dangerous missions. Although even they were not capable of splitting their opponents into atoms. Apparently, even after so many years and Melasara's spells, it was not easy to get rid of the influence of her homeland. It was strange to realize that as a result of her training, she was becoming something of an "ideal assassin." Especially since she hadn't even strived for that. However, Alaria also perfectly understood that even such a set of skills could be used for a good cause.

Learning Camouflage (1000) + Camouflage II (1000) + Nuclear Fusion (2750). Total -4750 experience points spent on skills. Should have 391 experience points remaining.

Mimics.
Kill count: ~200

Forum game "Expedition"

.

No, it's simple: it's just very good, indestructible armor... Like in Half-Life 2, if a Barnacle tries to chew on you while you're wearing armor, or another illustration below:

In some games, mimics first steal your armor and swallow it, and then attack.

Beata teaches Disguise 1 (1000) + Saboteur (1000), totaling 2000 experience points.

Guyon teaches Sprint (320), Dexterity A (240), and Dodge (640), totaling 1200 experience points.

[spoiler=Guyon after learning Dodge:]
HYDRA DOMINATUS

[/spoiler]

It’s funny, but I once thought about making a joke that Beata and Guyon are Alpha and Omega.