Chapter 11: Did I Jinx It? (Patreon)

Status of Dominic Martin Cole / Leo

Species: Lion (body) / Human (mind), Two-Souled, Chimera

Level: Evolved Beast Level 20 Tier 2 (Path of Evolution) 

Progress to Evolution: 360/508 PP

Acquired Abilities:

Quick Strike (T0) level 3 (21% –> 95% to level 4) – 3 SP for +35% speed; 8 SP for +70% speed.

Second Wind (T1) level 1 (34%  –> 94% to level 2) – activatable when under 50% health or stamina. Gain 50% of your maximum health and/or stamina for the duration of the timer. Timer: 05:00. At the end of the timer, lose 50% of your max health and stamina.  

Crushing Bite (T0) level 1 –> 2 (45% to level 3) – Use stamina to enhance the crushing power of your jaws. +8% - 80% Crushing damage for 1-52 stamina per second. 

Group Attack (T0) level 1 (22% –> 37% to level 2) – +1% to offensive damage dealt per other being who is considered to be in the same group during an attack or defence. 

Pounce (T0) level 2 –> 3 (18% to level 4) – +100% damage to a hit which is delivered without the target being aware of you until the attack is too close to avoid. +65% damage to an attack which is made directly to a vulnerable area.

Powerful Swipe (T0) level 2 –> 3 (17% to level 4) – Use stamina to enhance the damage of your swipe. +8% - +80% damage increase for 4-70 stamina per second. 

Rapid Attack (T0) level 1 (27% –> 89% to level 2) – Spend 3 SP or MP to attack for a second time within 1 second. SP or MP costs double per additional attack within half a second of the previous. Maximum number of chained attacks at level 1: 5.

Sharp Nip (T0) level 1 (25% –> 78% to level 2) – When lunging to bite at something, consume stamina to offer a burst of speed. At level 1, consuming 1 SP will offer +10% speed. Consume 3 SP for +20% speed. If the bite is to a flesh and blood creature, a Bleeding effect may be applied.

Sure Feet (T0) level 1 (0%  –> 56% to level 2) – A passive improvement to your ability to your balance and traction. At level 1, this ability offers +10 to your steadiness when moving slowly and +5% to your steadiness when moving at speed (more than 25% of your maximum speed). The bonus this Ability offers may increase as Ability increases in level and other effects may be discovered.).

Acidic Bite (enhanced) (T2) level 1 (0%  –> 62% to level 2) – Use an acid gland below your tongue to shoot balls of acid. At level 1, the maximum range is 1 length, and the maximum diametre is 3 cm. Enhancement: your teeth have become resistant to acid damage and your top canines have become capable of absorbing the acid and transferring it in your bite.

Rage (30% –> 56% to level 1)

Charge (67% –> 91% to level 1)

Stunning Roar (19% to level 1)

Easy Landing (48% to level 1)

Rending Bite (17% –> 29% to level 1)

Fleet Foot (15% –> 32% to level 1)

Enduring Stamina (5% –> 42% to level 1)

Bloodied Stalwart (40% to level 1)

Enhanced Fertility (16% –> 22% to level 1)

Bleed (48% –> 86% to level 1)

Dominant Chirp (6% to level 1)

Pack Attack (52% –> 68% to level 1)

Rock Skin (10% to level 1)

Spike Attack (24% to level 1)

Keen Senses (35% to level 1)

Spells:

Lightning Discharge level 1 (20% –> 35% progress to level 2) - 1:1 mana / unit of static electricity to damage ratio. Coat your weapons with electricity and discharge it into your opponent on contact. Electrical resistance is effective against this attack. Magical resistance is partially effective against this attack. 

“It’s a shame I haven’t earned enough points to level up again,” Dominic murmured to himself, relishing being able to speak once more. “But my Abilities are definitely coming on well.” 

Still, even if he wasn’t able to level up yet, he was more than halfway through to doing so; hopefully by the time the lionesses of his original pride had got to Tier 2, he would have earned enough to get at least a couple of levels himself. 

“And if I haven’t, getting seven lionesses to Tier 2 should give us a good number of Pride Enhancement Points, so then I could potentially get that Lion’s Share enhancement.” While it might not be something he used the majority of the time, the fact that the share Prey Points enhancement could be toggled on or off gave him hope that its contrasting enhancement would be the same. 

That way, he’d be able to quickly enhance his Roar a few times, hopefully gaining a quality to it which would counter at least some of the sonic wolves’ abilities. 

As well as making progress on his acquired Abilities, he’d benefited from the Cores they had found. Two of their opponents had turned out to be his favourite targets: trodils. Though the lionesses would have struggled a bit with them on their own: the majority of the beasts they had encountered had been at least level 6; Dominic himself hadn’t had much difficulty. 

As a result, Rage had got closer to completion. His progress towards Charge had come from a group of unfamiliar creatures, ones which seemed almost like moving tanks. Fast moving tanks. At least, fast in a straight line – their difficulty in turning once having committed to a direction was their undoing. That had also been where Dominic had picked up a new Ability: Rock Skin. 

He wasn’t sure if he would actually take it: from its description and the way the creatures – aarva – had appeared, it didn’t seem like something which would particularly benefit his fighting style. If it had been something he could turn off and on at will, it might have been different, but the Ability was simply enhanced passive defence at the cost of flexibility.  

Spike Attack was another new Ability, coming from a group of creatures that looked like a cross between a porcupine and a hedgehog. They had also had Pack Attack, the ones who were above level 6, anyway. Once more, probably not something which particularly interested Dominic: he didn’t have spikes which could explode from his body in an area of effect attack. Then again, he hadn’t had acid glands either before he absorbed Acid Attack, and having an AOE attack might be pretty useful….

The third new Ability was one he had seen before in his Pride list, under Neith’s name. Now he knew what it did for sure, though it was much as he’d expected: offering a bonus to the acuity of his senses. What was a little surprising was that the bonus was both passive and active, and both range and acuity could be improved with increasing its level. That one was definitely added to his ‘must have’ list. 

Bleed and Rending Bite were two other Abilities which were rapidly approaching the point of him being able to acquire them – several of his opponents had had them, leaning to one of his excursions being almost a disaster. As it turned out, Rending Bite was pretty powerful when used against a creature of a similar level. Dominic had almost lost three lionesses to the group of vicious predators which had had those Cores. 

Pounce had levelled up again – between his use during his practice and the three lions he’d killed in a Challenge, that ability had more than doubled its bonus. From 50% to 100% if the target was unaware, and from 25% to 65% if the target was but he hit a vulnerable spot. Considering those two percentages could stack – and multiplied his other attacks – it was turning out to be a very powerful Ability indeed. He’d certainly have to watch out for enemies with it too. 

Finally, both Crushing Bite and Powerful Swipe had levelled up, increasing their damage while reducing the stamina cost for both of them, all of which was good news. He’d also discovered that he earned 1 MP per two days since he’d decided to work on levelling up Lightning Discharge: although it could be a good ace in the hole, it really needed to be a much higher level with as little MP as he had available even when full. 15 points of damage really didn’t do anything to his enemies now. Probably not even a shock to make them let go as he’d got the hyenas to do that once. 

“Not bad for three days’ worth of effort,” Dominic said to himself, pleased. Then he considered how much further ahead he could have been if he’d thought of this earlier and wilted a little. 

“It’s a pity the lionesses can’t gain anything from the Cores too,” he mused. Several of his Abilities had been increased by absorbing Cores for Abilities he already had. Though it did help them get closer to the next level, it would be more useful if he could get another lion with the same Ability as him. 

But if wishes were horses, even beggars would ride, as his father used to say. To which Dominic had always replied smartly that they were well past the era of relying on horses to ride and questioning whether his father missed riding a horse to work every day. His father had always jokingly threatened him about calling him ‘old’. A pang of homesickness went through Dominic and he abruptly pulled his mind away from the topic – there was nothing he could do about his dad. Not for now, anyway.

Closing his status screen, he paid attention to the TV, watching Leo pad carefully through the savannah. It seemed like his companion hadn’t yet found anything to hunt. Sometimes it was like that, though – nothing for hours and then suddenly everything all at once. The predators which had given him more progress towards Rending Bite had happened upon them while they were hunting something else, after all. Two sets of predators hunting the same prey turned out to be far bloodier post-System than it probably would have been before the world changed. 

For a while Dominic just chilled on the sofa, watching the TV idly and wondering if he should have a nap. Then Leo spotted something. 

Prey. 

Though not something lions would normally hunt, the figures which appeared in the ‘picture’ made Dominic sit up in interest.

Wild dogs. Instantly recognisable from the documentaries he’d seen before coming to Africa.

He slipped out of the mental space with a mental twist and back into taking the backseat role in their shared body. Immediately, his connection to the sounds and smells around him reinstated itself; more importantly, so did his connection to Leo. 

‘Are you going to go for them?’ Dominic asked in interest. Leo sent him a sense of tentative agreement. 

‘Would you disagree?’ Leo asked him warily, clearly ready to back away if Dominic indicated anything which might make it a poor idea. 

‘No. I think they should offer some good Prey Points. But be particularly aware about the two new lionesses. We don’t know what level the wild dogs are, but they will probably be able to identify the weakest members of our group.’

‘True,’ Leo agreed, sounding more sure about the attack now. 

Focussing, Dominic sensed Leo communicating with the lionesses. They all lowered themselves to the ground, hiding in the grass. The wild dogs didn’t seem aware that there were lions nearby, but the big felines slowly shifted so they were downwind of the group of canines. 

By this point, Isis, Sekhmet, Anuke, and Menhit knew the drill: they waited for Leo to give the signal of what to do next. The other two lionesses, as yet unnamed, followed the cues of the older females. 

Leo eyed the opponents carefully. There were ten as far as he could see, milling around a small area. They didn’t appear to have a carcass nearby, so both Leo and Dominic were a little perplexed as to why they were just hanging out there. It was the middle of the night; normally this time they should be resting or hunting. These didn’t appear to be doing much of either, and they didn’t have fresh meat nearby to explain why they were there. 

Still, considering there were only ten wild dogs, the seven lions in their group should be more than sufficient to take most down, if not all of them. 

Communicating with the lionesses as much with body language as telepathy, Leo sent them spreading out to encircle the wild dog group. Dominic read his intentions to stand up and roar to spring the trap, then charge in to make as many kills as possible while they were panicking. 

Once the lionesses were in position – Isis and Sekhmet on the other side as two of the most experienced huntresses – that’s exactly what Leo did. 

Standing tall, he roared loudly. The wild dogs flinched, some actually starting to run in fright. These were very quickly taken down by the two lionesses on the other side. Three notifications flashed up in front of Leo.

[A member of your party has killed African Wild Dog (Basic Beast level 5)]

[You have earned 4 PP]

[A member of your party has killed African Wild Dog (Basic Beast level 5)]

[You have earned 4 PP]

[A member of your party has killed African Wild Dog (Basic Beast level 5)]

[You have earned 4 PP]

So considering it’s being split seven ways, that means each is worth between 28 and 35 Prey Points since the System doesn’t seem to like decimals. Not bad, Dominic thought to himself. Pity there weren’t more: he’d only get 49 Prey Points at most from this little group. 

Apart from the three who had run, the rest of the wild dogs stood firm, flinching but not running. Wondering why they still looked confident when faced with a bunch of lions, Dominic got his answer a moment later. 

I thought wild dog packs tended to be relatively small! he wondered as wild dogs came to their feet from what seemed like every tussock and hillock in the whole area. Ten of the creatures multiplied, now at least forty in number. Damn, did I jinx it? 

*****

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Chapter 12: Versatile