Underworld - Sanctuary: A LitRPG Series Read online

  I kept an eye on my mana, only allowing a few seconds in the form. When I had less than 100k MP left I uncast the spell.

  It startled me as my enlarged form I started to shrink. Uncasting a Shapeshifting Form wasn’t as simple as severing the flow of mana from the spell. My body was in the process of funneling mana to the form and had to use mana to restore itself to its original form. It was logical for this type of spell to work this way, but every other spell in my arsenal was different. Normally, as soon as the flow of mana was cut, the spell faded until it was shut down entirely.

  I watched my mana diminish quickly as I returned to my natural form. When my body became my own, I gulped at what I saw. I had just under 20k MP left. It had taken close to 80k MP for me to revert to normal. Since it cost me approximately 20k MP each second that I was in Primordial Cat Form, that meant it had taken about 4 seconds just to change back to normal. If it took me that long to cast the spell as well… With my current 206k MP I could only stay in this form for a little over 2 seconds before I’d have to change back. It was practically useless in its current state.

  Seeing no popups about reaching the next level, I figured it was likely that it would take more experience to get to level 3 than it had to get to level 2. I’d have to cast it, let myself take form, and immediately uncast it a few times to try and level it again. If that worked, I’d continue the process. If not, I’d let myself run out of mana a few times while in the form to see if it increased the level.

  Despite not getting another level in the form, there were a couple of positives. I was able to cast it without turning the room I was in into a furnace. Also, I had been able to cast and uncast it without completely running out of mana. One negative. I was standing there contemplating all of this and I had forgotten to cast Skeletal Armor.

  Red faced, I turned to see Aeris standing there, two rooms away, holding her hand to her forehead like a visor to cover her eyes.

  “Sorry!” I called as bone armor started to move into place.

  I watched as Aeris just shook her head, then exploded from where she stood like a spring.

  Sitting down, I began to meditate once again.

  Chapter 2 – Shapeshifting Powering Up

  I refocused on what I needed to do during the next cast: contain the heat, uncast it right away, and confirm the timing between each cast. This time I’d also try to keep Mana Sight active so that time would slow, giving me more room to breathe.

  The real power leveling of my most powerful form, Primordial Cat, had begun. The four seconds to change to and from the form was correct. As I returned to my human form a third time, I remembered to cast Skeletal Armor, although I’d need some practice in order to get the timing just right. Mana Sight worked perfectly even if In The Buff was canceled out.

  Another pleasant surprise was that Primordial Cat Form reached level 3 on the third cast. That was enough for me to establish that I didn’t need to use all of my mana each time to level up the spell. I gave a big sigh of relief. I hadn’t been looking forward to having to go through mana sickness after each cast, and, thankfully, I didn’t have to.

  Reaching level 4 took 4 additional casts and level 5 took 8. After about an hour and a half, or 11 casts, I was finally 1 cast away from level 5.

  As I began to take Primordial Cat Form, I prepared myself to try something I hadn’t yet dared. Now that I had more practice, I’d try to Heal myself during my transformation. Even if I hadn’t taken any damage, I should be able to feel the effects that Heal had on my endurance. It always felt like a little boost of adrenaline.

  The moment I felt my Cat Form take shape, I cast Heal. I felt nothing at all.

  It was as I had started to suspect. Somehow, when I changed shape, the spell took the mana that normally flowed through my bloodstream and balled it up inside me much like the mana orbs inside of monster races. The reason I was able to heal all of my mage friends despite their talents in different school of magic was because, unlike monster races, our mana flowed through our blood. That meant the Light Core that gave us life flowed through us and was intermingled with any other mana we had a talent for. Simply, my Life Magic wasn’t able to reach my Life Core in this form. A Mana Core made the most sense. Everything was at the theory stage at this point, but things were starting to become clearer.

  Returning to normal with only a second to spare, I decided it was time to try my other forms.

  Werewolf and Hell Hound Forms interested me for different reasons, but I believed they could actually be useful to me right away without a lot of leveling. Despite the negative 50% to Wisdom and Intelligence, the HP Regeneration of the Werewolf Form could be a life saver. Hell Hound Form offered a 1,000 stat boost to Dexterity for only 2,000 Mana Per Minute with bonuses and had an interesting Fire Aura and Flame Breath ability. Both of them would allow me to keep them active indefinitely if I needed to. It would also be a huge benefit if I could use my Light Magic Heal and Buffs in those forms.

  Hell Hound Form was next on the list. I needed to know if it was as easy to keep my Flame Aura turned down, or off entirely, as it was to conceal my heat in Primordial Cat Form. It wouldn’t be good if I used it for the first time with my friends present and everyone ended up bald or something due to my flames. If things went well, not only could I stay in this form much longer, but I could cast it over and over again without having to use Meditation between each cast! That would make for an incredibly fast leveling rate for the first few levels if it leveled at the same rate as Primordial Cat.

  For some reason, I felt more apprehension becoming a Hell Hound than I had becoming a Primordial Cat. I think it was because the Cat form really wasn’t made of flesh, but magma, and when I became a Hell Hound I’d be covered in fur. Shaking my head at the ridiculousness of my own thoughts, I took a deep breath then cast it.

  Just as before, heat started well up deep inside of me. Now that I suspected that my blood would be transformed, and my mana condensed into a mana orb, I could almost feel it happen as I started to expand. Unlike the Primordial Cat, which was about five times larger than my normal size, the Hell Hound form was only about fifty percent bigger. Neither one of these forms compared to Xaphan’s size, or the Hell Hound that we had faced. Still, my body had to expand as it changed.

  I watched my mana as my body took shape. This form cost me 2,000 Mana Per Minute with buffs, or approximately 33 Mana Per Second. Since I regenerated over 100 Mana Per Second, I didn’t even notice a change. This made it more difficult to calculate the time it took for me to change forms, but it was just about half the time it had taken me to change into Primordial Cat, or 2 seconds. That was something I could manage.

  I changed at such a fast rate that my Fire Aura was already starting to suffocate the room before I could get a hold on it. Just as easily as I had turned off Primordial Cat’s heat, I turned the Fire Aura off entirely. The moment I did, it felt as if my body stiffened.

  Now that I had the time to experiment without having to worry about my spell running out of time, I brought up my Character Sheet.

  Level: 593

  Attributes

  Strength: 983

  Dexterity: 1,935

  Constitution: 815

  Intelligence: 1,163

  Wisdom: 3,013

  The first thing I noticed was that In The Buff was still actively giving me the 300 plus to every stat. That was incredibly convenient. That meant I wouldn’t have to put more points into Intelligence in order to continue to keep my 1,000 stat bonus. It had been out of the question to keep In The Buff going when using Primordial Cat Form because I needed all the mana I could get, but in this case, it was manageable and well worth it.

  There was also an issue. My Dexterity should have been 2,135 with the Hell Hound +1,000 stat increase, but for some reason it was 200 Dexterity lower. I had a feeling it was because I had turned off my Fire Aura.

  Knowing I should tell Aeris before I moved a few rooms over to experiment, I started to uncast the form, then sto
pped myself. Xaphan had been able to talk. Would I still be able to speak in this form?

  When I opened my mouth to call Aeris’s name, however, all that came out was a throaty moan like a dog’s whine.

  I snapped my jaw shut. This will not do. Although, maybe…

  The idea that started to form in my mind brought a big doggy smile to my face.

  ***

  One paw at a time, I spread my puppy toes wide, so I could set the padding of my paw against the floor. Invisibility had worked perfectly, but if my claws clicked with every step, then I wouldn’t be able to sneak up on anyone.

  I finally reached the doorway to the room Aeris was working out in. I heard her before I saw her. There was the tap of a foot on the wall to the left side of the room, followed by two quick steps that covered large spans of space. She blurred past the doorway, hit the opposing wall on the right side of the room and bounded back the way she had come. As she blurred past me again, maybe a second later, my invisible puppy jaw dropped open.

  Inching into the room, I got a better view as she bounded from the floor without breaking stride. At only ten feet from the wall, it looked like she was about to smack into it. As she flew through the air, she twisted her body to get her legs between her and the incoming impact. Like a compressed spring, she landed like a cat and sprang back. In three bounding strides she took air once again and sprang off of the opposing wall again in similar fashion. Like a human bouncy ball, I watched her as she went.

  When I realized my head was following her back and forth like a dog would a Frisbee, I stiffened. Nobody saw that. Right?

  Should I wait until she stopped for a break? Nah.

  Before letting Invisibility fade, I put my nose in the air and started to whine like a hungry pup.

  Her momentum didn’t stop. Instead, she turned toward the sound and took to the air. A compressed Wind Slash surged from her palm. It was wide enough that there was no way it would miss me if I stayed put.

  I hadn’t even fully emerged from Invisibility before I had to launch myself to the side to get out of the way of the attack.

  As I landed, I found her bracing herself high in the far corner of the room like Spiderman. Her hand was outstretched. All emotion had drained from her face as she coldly calculated how to destroy me. Perhaps, this hadn’t been the best idea.

  Now completely out of Invisibility’s shroud, I couldn’t back out now. Putting my nose in the air, I opened my mouth and begged for some love.

  Her arm dropped to her side as if it was dead weight. She exhaled a breath she had been bottling up.

  I cried again, trying to look as cute as possible.

  The moment I thought she was starting to fall for my ploy, her hand rose, palm up, and a massive gust billowed into me.

  I tried to lower my center of gravity, but was too late, the wind caught me and lifted me off my front paws, leaving only my back ones still making contact with the floor. A moment later, my doggy tush smacked hard against the stone wall behind me. The air continued, forcing me to sit back. There I stayed, a chastened puppy in my corner.

  When the air stopped and Aeris approached me, I was sure to twist my head to the side like every confused puppy video I had ever seen.

  “Elorion. Change back, now,” she demanded.

  Putting my head down, I whimpered before doing as she said. I made sure to cover up with my hands as Skeletal Armor grew into place.

  “Was that your idea of a joke?” she admonished me.

  “Well…” I said, with my eyes on the ground. “I also thought you might think I looked cute.”

  I dared to look up. She wasn’t buying it.

  Shaking her head, she paced from side to side, flabbergasted at my answer. “So, you thought I’d find the monster than nearly killed Audrey and took your arm for a chew toy… cute?”

  “I’m smaller than that one and I’m not on fire. Plus, I thought you might have been watching when I transformed…”

  She stopped walking and threw her head back while saying, “Why are all boys the same?”

  “Well, all the strong women have pets,” I challenged. “The Head Mistress has us. Mistress Nava had a Hell Hound and Lady Coressa had a dwarf and an elf, so I think it’s only fair that you have one too. Besides, I’m probably big enough that you could ride me,” I said, nodding my head up and down slowly to encourage her.

  “Stop. You’re trying too hard. Did you actually want something?”

  “Uh. Yeah, I was going to tell you I was going to move a few rooms away to test my Fire Aura.”

  “Okay. Next time, let me know before you try a different form. Or, better yet, what forms can you turn into?”

  “A Fire Imp, Blue Slime, Green Slime, Werewolf, Hell Hound and Primordial Cat.”

  She nodded as she made a mental list. “Fine.” She stopped and thought for a moment before continuing. “I’ll take that ride now.”

  I burst out laughing.

  ***

  Aeris ran her hands through the fur on my back one last time before hopping off and saying. “You are so warm. It’s probably too much to ask but try to be a good dog.”

  I swatted at her with my wiry tail.

  She leaned back for it to miss her cheek. I darted forward, leaving the room, and wound my way through a couple more rooms before I stopped. She was too far away to see my doggy smirk. There were already a couple of popups waiting for me, but I wanted to test the theory I had about my Fire Aura before I check them.

  The moment I released my aura, my limbs loosened up and I watched as my Dexterity jumped up an additional 200 all the way to 2,135. Better yet, my tail and ears were set ablaze and smoke started smoldering out of the sides of my mouth. Very nice! What if I give it more mana?

  I turned to its description.

  Turn Up the Heat: For every 100 Mana Per Minute, an additional +5 Fire Damage/Per Minute is given. Maximum damage, 500.

  If I maxed it out it would only cost me an additional 2,000 Mana Per Minute with buffs, so I might as well give it a try. Having second thoughts, I put two more rooms between me and Aeris just to be safe. 500 fire damage a minute wouldn’t kill her, but I had given her a hard enough time already.

  As naturally as turning my aura on and off, I started to funnel mana into my Fire Aura, which felt much like flexing a muscle. Instead of reaching its peak, this muscle continued to flex. Flames surged from my tail, ears and mouth as my senses opened up. As Fire Aura reached its max, I noticed my Dexterity remained the same, but I knew something had changed. All that I could do was test it.

  The room was piping hot, so I traveled further away from the others. Lunging toward the room’s exit, I exploded from where I had been standing and picked up speed at an alarming rate. Amping Fire Aura to its full capacity somehow lightened my form and exponentially increased my quickness and speed. No wonder the Hell Hound had been so fast. Only Mana Sight allowed me to keep from running into a wall.

  I had only gone a few rooms over when I came to a skidding stop. It was a thrilling speed, many times faster than what I was capable of in human form, but there would be time later to play around with it. Now I’d level this beauty up. If I had had this form when I faced The Belly alone, it would have been a breeze. Though tearing into monsters with my teeth wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time.

  There was one last thing I needed to try before I continued. Casting Advanced Heal, this time I felt it take effect, but to a much lesser extent than normal. I recalled fighting the Hell Hound and how my Heal spell had done a fifth of the damage it normally would have against any other creature that also had a Dark Alignment. There was something about the way this transformation had changed my internal mana system that made it difficult for my Healing Magic to reach my lifeforce. This form didn’t conduct magic as well as my human form did Which made sense because of its insane fire resistance. I was even more convinced that I probably had a Mana Orb when transformed.

  I returned to my human form, but instead of casting Skelet
al Armor, I immediately recast Hell Hound Form. As soon as I had retaken the form, I uncast it again. It was a bit discombobulating, but Mana Sight made the process bearable. From Hell Hound to human form, I changed back and forth as quickly as I could manage. All the while I watched as new popups informed me of my progress.

  As curious as I was, I kept it going. A few minutes later, I watched as I received one more popup. I changed back to human form and cast Skeletal Armor to cover myself. As I did I ran from the room. Even though it had cooled since I had first let my Fire Aura run wild, it was still uncomfortable. I moved back to the original room I had started training in as I checked my popups.

  It was then that I saw what I was hoping to see. Hell Hound Form had reached level 10!

  Level: 10

  Cost: 9,000 Mana Per Minute (1,800 with buffs)

  Dexterity: +1,360

  Special Abilities: Flame Breath, Fire Aura, Turn Up the Heat.

  Flame Breath: +1,000 Fire Damage/1,865 MP

  Fire Aura: Passive. +5 Fire Damage/Per Minute.

  Turn Up the Heat: For every 100 Mana Per Minute, an additional +5 Fire Damage/Per Minute is given. Maximum damage, 500.

  Next Level:

  Cost: 8,900 Mana Per Minute (1,780 with buffs)

  Flame Breath: +1,000 Fire Damage/1,850 MP

  +40 Dexterity

  It was a great start for something that would likely become one of my go-to forms. As excited as I was, there was something that was even more incredible. I had unlocked an additional skill!

  Shapeshifting Mastery

  Level 4

  Due to your use of multiple forms, you have begun to become more proficient.

  You will now change to a different form 3% faster.

  Next Level

  You will change form 3% faster.