NOVEL NEXT 1.52: Claws
Ethan's POV, 30 minutes earlier
As his companions closed their eyes and tried to trigger their tiering-up process with varying success, Ethan turned to the Ember. Not wanting to disturb the others, he focused on his connection to the cat elemental and pushed his through the link they shared. Just like Ember herself did.
He had never done this directly before, so it didn't work the couple of first time. But on the third, he felt something snap in place between them. Holding on to that link, he spoke in his own mind. "[Hey. Ember.]"
The cat flicked her ears and turned her head toward him. "[Yes?]"
"[You said before that to upgrade one spell, one needs understanding, familiarity, and a vision of what it might become. I've been trying that with a few spells, but aside from that first time with [Flaming Enhancement], it's taking me a minute to get another upgrade going though I feel like this last few hours had helped a bunch. Pretty sure I could evolve at least one of my spells here… but is there another trick to it? Something I should know?]"
Even though the tier-0 [Claws] had triggered somewhat spontaneously, and [Flaming Enhancement] had evolved pretty easily, the others were taking some time to crack. Especially the higher tier spells. He knew he was getting close, but he just wondered if there was a way to speed things out a bit.
The cat swished her tail for a couple of seconds while Ethan patiently waited. He was already considering potential bribes when she finally answered. "[There is no more trick to it, and it makes sense why you feel you're closer now. What I've been taught is that spells need a mix of these the: understanding, familiarity, and a vision of what a spell might become. Only then it can be evolved. That's why battle is effective. It forces you to re-adjust. To push the spell's limit or to lower them. To think on your feet until it's merely an extension of your own body than an independent spell. When you're that familiar with it, then it can be pushed forward and empowered. And of course, higher-tiered spells are capable of more, so they need more time to upgrade that tier-0s and tier-1s. Those take merely days, while I hear tier-3s can take weeks, if not months to upgrade.]"
Ethan nodded along. That made sense to him, and he was ready to turn his attention inward and give it another shot, but it wouldn't hurt to verify something else first. Eying his list of primagems, Ethan asked another question. "[That's where the primagems come in, right? When I'm familiar with something enough, its path forward can be nudged with their help, right?]"
The Ignisra seemed to think for a moment, and her tail-swaying slowed.
"[In a way. A primagem can let a spell evolution reach further than it would have been by itself. Your vision for a spell's future has limits, and those limits can be bent by primagems. In the example of [Claws], your vision still has to be within the concept of claws. Sharpness. Might. Durability. All of that is valid. But let's say you want your [Claws] to… sever magic. It's possible, but that'd be a high-tier spell. On the other hand, if you get your hand on a primagem that has a destabilizing effect on mana or magic, then you could theoretically access such an evolution of [Claws] much earlier than you would have without it.]"
Ethan hummed, nodding along as his mind began visualizing different [Claws] combinations with his current primagems. Ember's explanation made sense to him and so, after thanking her, he turned his attention back to interface. Specifically, his list of owned primagems and spells.
Primagems:
Low-grade: 3 Water, 1 Fire, 1 Lifeforce, 1 Sapping
Available spells:
General:
Tier-1: Whisper, Gout of Flames, Detect Life
Tier-2: Small Fireball, Arc of Force
Modifiers:
Tier-1: Extended Enhancement
Tier-2: Scorching Enhancement
Armament: None
Enhancer:
Tier-1: Claws
Tier-2: Breath Gland, Mana heart, Reptilian Scales
Which ones am I most comfortable with? Which is closest to be upgraded?
[Claws] was certainly the highest contender for an upgrade. It had been on tier-1 for a while, and he felt pretty familiar with. He'd done a lot of work with it and it was one of his main weapons ever this whole thing had started. [Scorching Enhancement] and [Extending Enhancement] should be close as well, but he didn't feel like he was really pushing them to their utmost just yet. Especially the former. He was still finding new users for the fire-emitting modifier, and well, it was tier-2, so that might be why he'd gotten no upgrade offered just yet.
It's worth a shot, he guessed with a shrug. He would start with [Claws] and try the other two next, though he'd be surprised if he could upgrade both. Aside from those, [Small Fireball] was a possibility too… but he felt he hadn't even started on pushing that spell, especially considering the fac the had a fire-manipulation ability with [Arcanum of the Fire Elemental]. He should experiment a bit more with it.
He was about to chide himself for not having done more, then he realized it hasn't even been three days since this all started and as he looked at the rest of the spells, he had to admit that most were just… too new.
I bet [Mana Heart] would have an amazing upgrade. It might take a while though…
How was he supposed to push a spell like that? It seemed pretty passive in its effect.
Shaking his head, Ethan brought his attention back to what he could actually accomplish and so, he summoned [Claws] and stared at the long, thick talons stretching out of his fingertips. At the tough, hide-like flesh surrounding his skin all the way up to his wrists. This spellform had torn through countless lizardlings and water monitors. It was familiar enough that Ethan didn't felt right when he fought without them. Whenever he chucked the Harvester's Dagger to the side and summoned the second set of [Claws], it was like coming home and putting your nice, comfortable slippers.
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Sharp, stabby slippers, he thought with a half-smile. He was familiar with the damage the sharp claws could cause and how much he could push them. If there was a spell that had earned an evolution, it was this one. But if he were to couple it with a primagem, which one would have the best effect?
Water? How could that affect the claws?
Ethan couldn't picture this one. Not really. Maybe an extended effect with water? Claws he could throw at his enemies?
He shook his head. It didn't feel like a great fit.
How about fire?
That instantly reminded him of one of the evolutions of [Flaming Enhancement]. One of them had been to fuse the latter with [Claws], and he hadn't been too excited with the option. He liked the fire theme, but he didn't want it to be his only thing. He had to have something else for the inevitable fire-resistant opponent. Which made him reluctant to use the fire primagem on the evolution of [Claws].
Then, how about the new ones?
Ethan turned his attention to the two new additions. Sapping and Lifeforce. Both could provide interesting evolutions. Could he use both at once? What if the injuries he inflicted with his [Claws] stole his opponents' strength and transferred it to him? Like some sort of lifesteal?
I feel like that might need a theft primagem. A theft and lifeforce combination.
Ethan liked that idea better. As for the primagem of Sapping, it would fit much better on the scales. Being his main defense, if the scales started to weaken the spells that reached it, that would count as some sort of defense against magic.
Ethan glanced down at his clawed hands, then closed his eyes. He didn't believe he had a primagem for this evolution. None that felt right. None that really matched what he wanted.
He looked down at the talons. He could use some more oomph. A higher cutting and piercing ability. A bit more flexibility and adaptability. Now that he had the lance, he didn't need the claws to just keep getting longer and larger. He was happy with them right now. Just more… durability. More compact strength. And as he picture that, he couldn't help but think of a certain theme he'd seen in one of the spell options he'd been offered.
That would be pretty cool, he thought to himself. One of the options that had been offered to him in his tier-2 spell selections had been the clawed [Draconic Arms]. They had been supposed to be good with elements. He hadn't chosen them then because he already had [Claws], and he figured he could evolve those instead and that time, he'd ended up getting [Mana Heart] instead.
He didn't regret that choice in the least. But now that he was looking for the perfect upgrade to [Claws], he couldn't think of anything else he wanted.
A tingle ran down his arms, and it was as if everything around him had gone still. There were no notifications, but it was as if something was waiting for him to justify his desire. To show what he envisioned. So Ethan did.
He visualized the claws he desired. The talons were shorter. Nastier. They looked like sharp, jagged obsidians that could carve seamlessly through flesh and bone. They could amplify his fire or anything else he could push into them. They could glow like white-hot iron. They could crackle with lightning and tear through steel. His hands and arms would be greatly empowered, but would also be protected by thick scales that made [Reptilian Scales] look like fish scales.
A set of clawed arms that he could punch and slash with. To cut through what was left of this tutorial and go find Luther. To give a hand to those who need help, so what Savannah had been forced through happened less.
A second pulse itched through his hands, and as if the universe had agreed with his train of thought, a message popped in his vision.
Congratulations. [Claws](Tier-1) can be upgraded. 100 fragments are required.
Huh. That was… easier than I expected.
Ethan paid the fragments, and held his breath.
Do you wish to alter the unlocked options with a primagem?
Ethan was about to accept, but he hesitated. He didn't have a large variety, and while he had an idea for a potenial lifestealing effect, he just had the Lifeforce part right now. And what if that pushed it away from the draconic theme he wanted?
It was just a tier-1 to tier-2 upgrade, and he still had plenty to evolve.
I'd rather save the primagems for the others evolutions. I want the draconic upgrade for [Claws], and none of my current primagems are in tune with that…
Ethan nodded to himself, and refused the offer to use primagems.
Select one of the following upgrades for [Claws]:
Crystal Claws (Tier-2) - Summon dark crystalline claws that can break into explosive and extremely painful shards within your opponent's flesh. Form Bonus: Spirit
Draconic Claws (Tier-2) - Summon dense, indestructible claws capable of great elemental affinity. Form Bonus: Might
Bear Arms (Tier-2) - Summon powerful clawed arms to rip, tear, and crush your enemies. Form Bonus: Might
Ethan let out a sigh of relief and grinned. It wasn't the exact spell he'd gotten before, and he was a bit confused on the difference, but he didn't mind this at all.
Those Crystal Claws though…
It was an interesting option. It didn't seem to extend to his arm, but in a way, it seemed more offensive than both other options. But as great as it was, it wasn't what he had asked for.
Turning his attention to the option he wanted, he noted the differences between [Draconic Arms] and [Draconic Claws]. This option, just like [Crystal Claws] was focused on the claws themselves and not the arms. Ethan also didn't miss the 'indestructible and dense' keywords, which he was pretty sure hadn't been mentioned in the [Draconic Arms] spell.
He felt good about this. It might mean he got the better, more specialized spell, which would allow for stronger evolutions in the future and finally, he was glad to see the trait he was most interested in. The elemental affinity.
Would be interesting to see these dragons. Someday.
For a moment, Ethan forgot about the tutorial and the suffering within it and thought of his future adventures. Of the crazy monsters and creatures he could find and fight.
Ethan smiled. Soon, he thought to himself as he glanced around. Just gotta get through this tutorial business and make sure everyone's back home and safe.
He turned his attention back to the list of choices. Even though he thought all of these options were great, he knew what he wanted. He wanted the magic, and even if the other two might be more powerful in the strength department, he wanted the elemental affinity. He wanted his fire to always be empowered.
Just need to find the next element. Lightning sounds fun.
Ethan hummed as he selected his new upgrade. He liked the idea of fire and electricity, though at this point, anything would be acceptable as long as it gave him variety.