Felix felt something inside him loosen as he watched them. A knot in his chest he hadn't noticed, something that had been growing tighter with every passing hour in this strange and deadly land.
"Mom would have loved this," he sighed. His mother had loved fireflies, back when she had dragged him and his siblings out camping each summer. She would spend hours on the KOA picnic benches, watching the light fail as lightning bugs floated between the wildflowers. He closed his eyes. He could almost hear the clicking of the cicadas as he breathed in the warm night air.
When Felix opened his eyes, a couple of the glowing creatures had floated closer to him. Now in range, he tossed out a quick Analyze.
Name: Wisp
Type: Elemental
Level: 9
HP: 10/10
MP: 345/345
Lore: Bewitching travelers with their alluring light, wisps are commonly mistaken for light elementals. They are in fact bundles of raw kinetic energy.
Strength: Unknown
Weakness: Unknown
"Huh, weak."
It was the lowest level creature he had seen so far. It's HP was extremely low too. If he tried he could really mop these things up and probably get a decent amount of experience--
Felix shook his head. Easy experience? That was a fucked up way to look at a world, no matter how tempting. What would that turn him into, down the road? Felix preferred not to find out.
He held out his arm as one of the Wisps drifted closer, appearing curious. The light they emitted was almost too bright to look at directly, but it was gorgeous. Felix watched, enthralled as another and another Wisp alighted on his arm.
Ha, alighted. Felix smiled, happier than he had felt in a long while. In fact, it reminded him of something--
Another three Wisps landed on his shoulders, their small bodies giving off a faint pressure. He could almost see something in the light, something twisting and twirling, casting a shadow within its bright center.
You Take 2 Damage From A Wisp's Pierce!
"Ow!" Felix recoiled, feeling a sting on his forearm. Quickly, he felt a half dozen more sharp pains on his arms and shoulders.
You Take 12 Damage from A Wisp's Pierce (x6)!
Frantic, he brushed off his arms and shoulders, spinning away and across the small cave. The Wisps drifted after him, their blue-white light pulsing slightly as they drew close. An invisible wave of force suddenly swept him off his feet, tossing him easily to his right, directly into the rough cavern wall.
"UFF!" Felix slid to the ground, winded. The Wisps pulsed and flowed toward him, and he counted seven in total. Bracing himself against the wall, he got to his feet and awkwardly drew the hooked sword from his pack.
"Why couldn't you just be pretty lights?" Then he stepped forward and swung. Again and again; but the Wisps floated away from the blade with preternatural ease. Like trying to catch a dandelion puff in your hand. A Wisp darted forward and bit at his shoulder before flitting out of reach. "Ah!"
Frustrated, Felix swung wide then brought his empty left hand up to point his palm at the nearest Wisp. Quickly, a ball of acid formed and launched itself in a steady stream at the creature.
You Have Hit A Wisp for 8 HP!
Acid Stream is level 2!
The glowing bug now disoriented, Felix followed up with a quick slash of his hook sword.
You Have Hit A Wisp for 4 HP!
You Have Killed A Wisp!
Experience Gained!
You Have Learned A New Skill!
Long Blade Mastery (Common), level 1!
Wield the blade to defeat your enemies and protect what is yours!
"Now that's more like it," Felix smiled as he turned toward the other Wisps. "Who wants some?"
The Wisps were floating in place now, obviously hesitant to face him. Or...Felix's eyes widened as he saw a river of lights begin to flow toward his cave.
"Oh no," Felix raised his left hand and let loose a gout of acid, spraying it in an arc over the cavern. The Wisps wilted and flickered, some dying, but the rest dodging the unfocused stream. But then it was too late. A torrent of blue-white lights flooded the cavern, and Felix felt a vast force rip him from his feet and throw him toward the back of the cave.