Seeds of Discordia

The next few days went by in a blur. Liam had asked Eri to relay to the others what he and Omira had talked about the next morning when they were up. After a few minutes of her complaining on how she wasn't some messenger and Liam convincing her that she was the safest way to communicate it all to them without anyone hearing anything, she had agreed to it.

However, she did not agree without a condition being place. That condition would be for him to convince that Val girl to accept her blessing. After a discussion as to why she was so interested in having Val being a follower, Liam had discovered that having a Bard or rather a Minstrel type class as a follower supports the abilities given from the Field of Study based on the Deity they serve.

While the effects weren't as good for a single Bard or minstrel type class, they were better when you have a group of them together. Having Mercer as an Apostle was great since he was a Bard, now a Minstrel class, but he hasn't received anything related to his type of class that could help because he was alone. Adding in Val will set him on the path to gain what he needed.

The other thing that needed to be understood was that it also depended on what the Bard or Minstrel focused on. Mercer wanted to focus more on instruments. Instruments were well and good to create the sound and music, but with Val's more vocal and song focused class she could compliment Mercer's instrument focused.

Liam could see the appeal of what she was talking about, but what really made him on board with the whole condition was when she explained the types of effect and benefits he would gain for having basically a choir of followers. If he was around when they had their songs going his Discord abilities would increase as well as have better effects. For example, his Discordant Bells of Cacophony could hit a wider area, and the effects would also be stronger and last longer depending on the song. In fact there was a chance that the ability could be continuous while a song was going on or until it stopped.

The realization of this made Liam think about something all of a sudden. Why would he need something like that? It wasn't like there would be a lot of monsters all the time nor would there be dungeons that allowed a huge group inside. It was almost like those benefits were meant for large scale battles outside of dungeons.

When Liam voiced his concerns to Eri he had found out that his concerns were right. She had essentially told that as he gained more followers for her there would be times where, those who come to realize what was going on, he would need to fight and kill enemies who will come at him in droves. Especially overzealous followers of Deities who are entirely against her and him.

Liam didn't like that. He understood that he couldn't keep the secret of what he was for long, but he also didn't think he would have to one day fight droves of people just because he was Eri's Champion. If he was honest, he really hadn't thought more on the consequences of being her champion with all the leveling, trying to survive, and learning of this new world going on. He needed to talk to the others and see how they were handling this and if they had put any thought into their situation.

Eri's and his conversation that day came to a halt shortly after that when Uncle Naro came to him in the training room he had been using. He had arrived to talk to Liam about some things that morning. Some of those things included a new training regimen since he was able to get the Field of the Beast, Rune Crafting Training, and eventually Enchanting Training. He needed to learn and understand all the new Field of Study brought to the table. From the benefits to the negatives. The limitations the Field of Study had needed to be addressed especially so since he wasn't a full bred Beast-kin. Something Liam had gotten a small glimpse of when he didn't take the last pill.

During their discussion Liam could tell just from the tall and large man's body language that he knew Liam was hiding something. He wasn't able to tell if he believed it was just one thing or more, but thanks to Eri, he had something that could hopefully distract him from trying to dig them out of him.

As per Eri's suggestion, Liam had spun a story of him feeling like he needed to hide something, but as things were right now he needed to get a better understanding and knowledge of what he could do with it so he could incorporate it into his fighting style. When Uncle Naro heard this he looked both curious and surprised Liam brought this topic up.

His curiosity and shock grew even more when Liam informed him that he had the Field of the Lunar. Liam had seen plenty of shocked and surprised expressions before, but he wasn't prepared for the look to be on Uncle Naro's face. He was in complete and utter shock when he heard this. It had taken him a couple of minutes to snap out of it and look at Liam with a serious look.

Uncle Naro then apologized to him and informed the shorter man that he now understood why he was reluctant to tell him. The fact that this specific Field of Study was not only rare, but also highly sought after, was enough to throw him off the scent of his other secrets. The bear of a man then told Liam that he had suspected he was hiding something from him, but didn't want to pry it out of him due to wanting to respect his privacy. He then divulged that he had believed his secret to be something completely different, but after hearing he had this Field of Study then the chances for what he was thinking was extremely unlikely.

A grin grew on the man's face as he informed him that he was going to redo his plans a bit to start incorporating the Lunar abilities, but he needed to know what level he had it as well as the Focus Points and abilities so he could create a better training. The look on his face was like a kid who had gotten the best Christmas present ever after he had learned Liam had Lunar Hand as well as the Utility Focus Point for Lunar Magic. There were some things he was going to have to do to get him the abilities he believed would best suit him and could also pair well with Field of the Beast.

Liam was happy he was able to get the man as excited as he was, but at the same time he also felt guilty that he was keeping other things from him. The man was turning out to be more trustworthy the more he spent time with him. He felt it even more when he told Liam he wasn't allowed to reveal the information he told him to anyone else outside of who already knew until he was able to master some of the things he wanted him to learn.

After telling him he would get to him later after he revised his plans and leaving, everyone in his group except for Omira and the new friend of theirs Val had sought him. They had received Eri's message and didn't speak about it out loud. Instead they only said to him that they agreed. That single word was then explained better through a written message they had wrote out and handed to him.

Consensually, they all said that they had no problem becoming friends with Omira and agreed that they would look after her whenever they were around the teenager. Liam looked at them all and nodded showing he acknowledged their decision. After that he then brought up the new concern that he knew Eri hadn't told them about. Val.

Mercer and the others were completely surprised after reading what he had told them. Mercer was especially shocked after reading what Eri had to say. He agreed that he would like to have her join them but also agreed that they needed to be careful about their approach. It wouldn't be wise to approach her so soon and that they would need to get to a point she was both friendly to them and had officially became part of their team, just like Gimmel.

After that they all went their ways on the ship and worked on things they wanted to focus on. While everyone was doing what they were doing, Uncle Naro had Liam make a few Minor Body Rejuvenation Pills. As he worked on making them, Uncle Naro went on to teach him a lesson about the pills. While he had explained about the positives and the negatives he hadn't gone into full details about them.

For example, if he took too many they would have an adverse effect on not just his body but his mind, just like any drug would, there were ways for him to circumvent the bad effects and be able to use more of the pills. The only answer right now however was time. If he were to take five pills back to back then he would have to wait all day for the pills to pass through his system. However, if he spaced the timing he took the pills then he would be able to take more throughout the day. The only issue was the only time he ever felt he would need to use the pills was during his time when Bestial Take over was activated.

Uncle Naro, however, had informed him that as time went on and he increased certain stats then that wouldn't be an issue. It was because his sub-stats were still low that he was only able to take five of the Minor Body Rejuvenation Pills. Those sub-stats were Body Endurance, Reflex, and Stamina Recovery. The higher he got the levels in those sub-stats the more he would be able to take.

However, there was another problem that would come as time went by. That problem was the higher quality version of the pills. As it stood, if he was able to make a single higher quality version, Average, right now, instead of being able to take five he'd only be able to take three. The tradeoff for that was the timer on the effects would last longer, but he would need to wait longer to be able to take them. So for now he'd only focus on the Minor Quality version of the pills.

After he finished making a batch of the pills, Uncle Naro had him take one and activate Bestial Takeover so he could see how it looked on him. A group of the crewmembers that weren't doing anything, plus Key, Omira, Val, and the rest of his team all gathered to see it as well. While it wasn't as impressive as when Uncle Naro used it, they all agreed that it was still pretty good, especially for someone who was a half-breed.

Uncle Naro then had Liam move about to get a better feeling for the increase of stats and how they affected his body. After the first pill was about to wear off, Uncle Naro instructed him to take another and try to attack him. For this part of the training, Liam was to spar with him using nothing but his body and nails. Uncle Naro wouldn't attack but defend against each attack. The goal wasn't for him to win the spar, but to get an even better understanding of how his body moved when he tried to attack and alter trajectories when Uncle Naro moved about. He also wanted Liam to get used to multi-tasking keeping an eye on the timer of the pill so he wouldn't make a mistake in battle and miss when he would need to deactivate the ability or take another pill. Something Liam kept to himself about already knowing how much that was a bad idea.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Each day Uncle Naro had Liam take time to do this training while also having him do an obstacle course around the ship to try and dodge people while having the ability activated. If and when he did bump into someone, he was told that he would need to run because he was free game to receive a beating by those he had bump or run into. Several times he had people chasing him. He was almost caught eighty percent of those times.

While it was tough he had found the training to be fun. He could tell the ones that were chasing him were trying to push him. They could have easily caught him, but instead of doing that they would miraculously miss at the last seconds causing him to push harder. Even his teammates joined in on the fun. Roman, Avery, and Gimmel tried running after him while Artem and Blair tried to block or reroute his running. Mercer tried to make him slip by spreading water or ice in small areas to make him slip while Ariyana tried to root or trip him. Omira and Val watched on with amusement, not sure what they could do.

Something Liam had discovered while doing this training. None of his Dexterity Sub-stats had gained a level. This told him that it was now going to be a lot tougher level them unlike the previous times he when he did training almost similarly to this. That was alright to him though. He needed to slow down a bit on the leveling so he could get used to things.

After a few days of this Uncle Naro then switched up his training adding in some sparring with Avery, Blair, and Roman. This time he was allowed to use wooden Tool weapons along with two Mana Type Hands so he could get used to using them. While it helped Liam with getting used to adding this new ability with his fighting style, it had also helped the other three. Blair was taking in quick strikes and getting a better understanding of how and when to block while also getting better at knowing when she should strike and when not to with a fast opponent.

Liam had also gotten a taste of her abilities first hand, and he had to admit, when she was able to land them they were nasty. Especially that Arcane Battle Shout. He had no protections against it and would stagger before he could move again as the effects of the ability took hold. He was also feeling her mix in Gravity Magic enhanced by her Arcane magic and the more she was able to land the more he felt his body grow heavier and heavier. To Liams surprise her Enhanced Gravity Magic had helped him gain a couple of levels in the sub-stat Body Strength over the span of a couple of days.

As for Roman's and Avery they were tasked to attack him either separately or at the same time. This helped him understand how and when to attack or dodge multiple attackers while under the effects of his Bestial Takeover. When he didn't have that ability activated he was instructed to use his other two abilities. Inner Beast Aura and Cat Reflexes.

Liam had learned early on that while he had Bestial Takeover he wasn't able to use these other two abilities. It was too much for his body to handle. So when he wasn't using the Bestial Takeover he had Inner Beast Aura and Cat Reflexes activated. As he worked with them during his time off from his other ability he found that, while they were not as great as Bestial Takeover, they were still good in their own right. He could use them to warm his body up before he used Bestial Takeover.

The strategy for these was he would use these abilities to test out the capabilities of the enemies. If he was still slow or his senses weren't enough then after some time he would switch to Bestial Takeover. If the fight was good enough for his current abilities but they were on a timer then he would take some time to warm his body up and get it ready for when he switched to the ability. He just needed to learn when he should and could use it. Timing was key since it was going to be a trump card of sorts.

Avery and Roman gained some insights to their new abilities thanks to their sparring with Liam. From their own level gains and limit understanding, the two had gained new heights and insights to their abilities. Especially Roman who was a pugilist fighter. He was learning how and when to switch from Earth Magic to Lightning Magic. He was coming along with his understanding of Air Magic as well, which surprised both Liam and Avery when he was able to use a new ability that created a gust of air from his hand upon contact with Liam's chest and lightly pushed him back.

"What the hell was that?" Liam asked.

"A failed attempt to use my new ability," Roman replied as he looked annoyed.

"What was the new ability?" Blair and Avery inquired as they came up to them.

"It's called Current Palm," Roman started to explain. "I have to channel my new mana type, Gust Mana, and send it through my palm right as I strike to send a blast of air to push back my target. I'm trying to time everything just right, but I either miss the timing or don't have enough mana channeled in time."

"Sounds like a tricky ability," Avery stated as she tried to think of a solution.

"Wait so you have to channel mana while moving in the fight and try to time it just right so you can push it out through your palm?" Liam asked, making sure he had it just right.

Roman stared at Liam for a long moment without saying anything. As the others stared at him they realized why he had went silent. It was Blair who broke the silence as she stated, "You have been trying to channel mana and use the ability within that moment you aren't moving…haven't you?"

Roman frowned as he looked away from them and grumbled, "Well, how else am I supposed to do it? It's not like I have practice channeling mana while moving. The only method I have is pulsing an Earth Orb towards me, but I haven't even properly made a Gust Orb yet. Also it doesn't really state that I have to channel a certain amount of mana to get the ability to work."

Avery, Blair, and Liam had sighed at that comment. However, before any of them could say anything Uncle Naro chimed in after laughing, "He is right. Originally you should be able to channel enough mana without moving to use that ability, albeit, since you are still young and new to it all it might be a bit tough to channel enough mana to do it."

The others turned to look at him as he approached them. He looked at Liam and stated, "You wouldn't understand since you don't need to channel a lot of mana in order to make Mana Type Hands, but other abilities require a certain minimum amount of mana in order to activate. It's especially true for abilities that are Mana Channel types and don't require a chant." He then looked at Roman and instructed, "Your next bit of training will be to create a Gust Orb and learn how to channel through that until you can successfully activate the ability. After that you will train to the point you can activate the ability in certain amount of bursts and get used to knowing how much is required to use on different targets."

Uncle Naro looked like he was thinking some things over before announcing, "The next port city we stop at will have a Dungeon Tower. While we're there I'll have you practice on the monsters there. I believe there is an Open World type Dungeon so you can take Lil Val and Gimmel with you when you all go in." He then looked at Liam and added, "Besides the things we've been working on I also want you to start crafting inside the dungeon with your Mobile Crafter ability. I want you to get more accustomed in repairing and making potions while in there so when you come across dungeons that take a few days to complete you aren't out of your element."

Liam nodded. While he did have some practice already doing that, he agreed he needed to do more of it. He was about to say something, but stopped as Uncle Naro threw in, "We need to get you to evolve your class already. You're the last one who needs to right?"

Internally, Liam was frozen. That last for just a moment as he tried to look embarrassed and averted his gaze. Uncle Naro patted him on the back while trying to encourage him, "You have nothing to be ashamed of. The path you are trying to take will be tough and the requirements needed is high. While I do find it odd you haven't already been given a choice yet, it isn't unheard of. So just keep pressing forward and you'll get it."

Liam gave him a nod of appreciation and wished for the topic to switch. Thankfully, Blair hopped right in and asked a few questions of her own for her class. While she understood he needed it, she really did have some questions she wanted answered.

Like Uncle Naro had said, a couple days later they had arrived at a port city to restock. After finding an inn and getting their rooms, they were brought to the Adventurer's Association and grabbed a few requests. After that they went to the Dungeon Tower. To everyone's surprise, Omira had requested to join them inside the Open World Dungeon. While Sebastean had heavily argued against it, Uncle Naro and Key approved it.

The group spent a good portion of the day rotating through group combinations. Besides Omira who just wanted to be around them, they worked on team composition, small and whole group strategies, magical combinations, as well as training what Uncle Naro and Key had instructed them to do. During the times Liam wasn't in a group, he worked on his Blacksmithing, Alchemy, and even Tailoring. His Repair section had gained a level after either repairing or maintaining the weapons or armor.

His Tailoring improved as well as he was able to mend tears and rips here and there. He was able to gain a passive ability for his Tailoring Craft called Thread Strengthening. It only worked when he was using a Needle and thread, but the thread he uses gains more durability, so it doesn't snap as easily anymore. The quality of the material was also taken into consideration when the ability is in use, but it was still good to have that extra durability.

Another thing Liam had discovered when trying out his new Bestial Takeover was his synergy with his team. Especially with Roman and Avery. His reflexes, agility, and fine motor skills helped him move around easier and quicker and helped set up attacks Avery and Roman could land. When it came to Artem and Blair he was able to move around their strikes while also creating a distraction to allow them to land their slower but more powerful attacks.

At first, Liam had fumbled around trying to test this out. He had limited himself to one pill per battle so he could stretch out his chances to use the ability without the negative effects of the pill to take hold. It had taken several fights to get into a more comfortable rhythm with his team. He was starting to understand the role of a Wild Card Key had instructed him to be. His Mana Type Hands holding on to the Tool Weapons as well as the ones that were fused with Mana Blend. He was able to test the other Mana Type Hands instead of sticking to Arcane Hand, like Fire and Lightning. However, when it came to his Toxo Needle he kept the Arcane blended in it to keep the enhanced poison ongoing.

After they had finished their tasks inside the Open World Dungeon it was getting close to night. They decided to get some food and restock on supplies they needed. Liam especially needed to restock so he could make more poisons, Chemicalized Creations, Medicinal Creations and Potions.

After he was done he snuck out from the group and made his way to the Web branch of the Fiddler's Spider Web. When he arrived he found someone he had been meaning to talk to for a while now. Standing in front of the desk in the receptionist room was Toxic Songbird who, from the looks of her body language, was waiting for him to arrive.