BAB1 -Chapter 2 (WIP)

# Chapter 2: Instance Rift

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The portal snapped shut, leaving Xay in a damp cavern with only a sealed exit ahead.

Water dripped from jagged stalactites, the slow plops echoing as it splashed into shallow pools below.

Brightly glowing moss clung to the walls and crevices, casting an eerie green light that danced across the glistening surfaces of the scattered stalagmites around him.

**Blinker Frog Cavern**

**Evaluation Start in (4:59)**

The transparent text from GRID overlayed atop his vision.

Five minutes wasn’t very long to digest everything that had just occurred.

**Lexi**: ARE YOU OKAY? WHAT WAS THAT??

**Xay**: i’m fine, text you in a bit

**Lexi**: (╬ ಠ益ಠ)

Lexi was blowing up his chat, but he needed to focus. Xay took a deep breath and took stock of the situation.

“I’m an Awakened,” he grinned, tasting the words on his lips. “I have an unknown Bloodline that wants me to make bonds, *whatever that means*, and turn their essence into weapons.”

Xay blew out a sharp breath. *Yeah, I’ll worry about that later.*

What he understood from the descriptions in the Awakened Module, was that he only had two things that would help him right now in this Instance Rift—his Innate Talent and his Stats.

“Expand Innate Talent.”

***Adaptability (Bloodline Altered)** - Wield any weapon type, adopt any fighting style, and learn any technique.*

That last part was the most important. He needed techniques, and he needed them now.

Xay had trained in a couple of different fighting styles but he wasn’t sure if anything that wasn’t officially recognized by GRID would count towards his evaluation.

And if he was going to be fighting monsters in earnest, he wanted assistance from the Awakened System.

With an idea in mind, Xay slid a foot forward, lowering his center of gravity in an open stance.

With quick, explosive movements, he began an agile martial form.

Passing bridge three times; fierce tiger leaping over wall; rescue master from single side.

Xay had learned the form by working part-time at one of the city’s dojos. He was only a janitor, but he had absorbed as much as he could before getting caught.

Single sword and mount; press and hit from four sides; eagle claw; bridge smashing.

**Fighting Style Detected: Southern Dragon Style Kung-fu (Basic).**

“Yes!” Xay shouted, pumping his fist.

**Technique Acquired: Flutter.**

***Flutter (Striker Sphere)** - Launch a series of rapid, mana-enhanced strikes. +5% damage per successful hit, up to 5. +3-second cooldown per successful hit.*

“Let’s fucking go!” He immediately activated the technique.

His body glowed in a gray light, and he ran through the same form in a fifth of the time.

**Evaluation Start in (0:45)**

The countdown in the corner of his vision reminded him to hurry.

“Stats Card,” Xay called quickly.

- **Mana**: 100

- **Might**: 100

- **Poise**: 100

- **Acuity**: 100

- **Grit**: 100

One hundred across the board was fantastic for Level 1.

Most regulars had stats from (5) to (10), but Xay had trained every muscle evenly—adding equal amounts of meditation—just to give himself the best chance at acquiring a powerful skill.

Most skills gave percentage boosts to one or two stats, but Xay thought that his Bloodline giving him a hard (+90) was nearly broken.

Also, he couldn’t have been happier with the ability *Equilibrium*. Not only did it make his minor case of OCD jump for joy, but he would never have to worry about min-maxing.

Xay shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He had already told himself to worry about his Bloodline and those abilities later.

He crept forward to the sealed exit and mentally prepared. Simulated or not, this would be the first time he actually fought a monster.

Xay slid Dragon out of his hoodie pocket, and flipped it open with a single wrist rotation, seamlessly locking the black handles into place.

The well-practiced motion felt smoother than it ever had before. Intrigued, he reopened the latch, quickly fanning and twirling the butterfly knife a few times.

With its eight-inch white blade, Dragon was larger than most other balisongs, but that didn’t hinder its agility in the slightest.

**Technique Detected: Knife Tricks.**

**Technique Acquired: Knife Tricks.**

Xay snorted. Not bothering to look at the description, he latched the handles once more.

**Evaluation Start in (0:09)**

As the last few seconds counted down, Xay ran his finger across the image of a dragon etched onto the side of the blade.

“Well girl, it’s just me and you. Let’s take down some frogs.”

Bonds or not, he was going to be the strongest. Dragon had gotten him this far, she could take him the rest of the way too.

**New Mission Assigned: Clear 9 Rooms**

**New Mission Assigned: Slay King Blinker**

The darkness sealing the door vanished, and Xay charged boldly forward.

The first room was about twenty square feet, filled with rocks stalagmites, and a small pond on the side.

A single jet-black frog sat atop a flat rock, facing away from the entrance. Its skin looked scaly, and there was a small red horn atop its head.

**Blinker Frog (E-Rank) Lv. 1**: *Vicious amphibian with sharp teeth and the ability to teleport short distances.*

Xay crept up behind it slowly. He wanted to kill it before it noticed him. Xay didn’t know the exact criteria for the evaluation score, but he had heard that time played a major factor.

Once he was in range, Xay activated his new technique *Flutter*, lunging at the unaware frog.

Except Dragon passed right through where the frog had been. “Ow,” Xay shouted, swinging downward and slashing into the frog's face.

It had teleported at the last moment and immediately bit into his calf. Fortunately, his slash seemed to kill it instantly.

**Technique Identified: Blink.**

***Blink** - Instantly teleport.*

**Practice to acquire.**

“What? How do I practice teleporting?”

“Whatever,” Xay shook his head, reaching down to pull the front and its tiny teeth out of his leg. As soon as he touched its cold skin, it dissolved into a white mist.

**Blinker Frog Defeated**

“That wasn’t too bad.” The mist rushed into Xay’s chest, streaming into his core.

Level was determined by essence cultivation—the more dense the core, the higher the level. Xay hoped he would gain a few before leaving the instance.

**Room 1 Cleared**

Walking into the next room, Xay had to immediately duck down, rolling out of the way as a long tongue flew overhead.

Three Blinker Frogs were already chasing after him, but he noticed that they weren’t using *Blink* back to back. There was a delay of a few seconds.

He ran around the room, trying to focus on a single one. It was difficult because they seemed to be identical.

While he was distracted, one of the frogs wrapped its rough tongue around his wrist. Xay yanked it towards him and stabbed it in the eye before it had a chance to teleport away.

**Blinker Frog Defeated**

Xay rolled again, dodging another frog as the second one appeared directly in front of him.

*Flutter*, he activated his technique, catching the frog with three quick punches that sent it flying.

**Blinker Frog Defeated**

*One more.* Xay set his back to the wall closest to him, scanning the room.

The Blinker Frog had stopped moving. It was across the cavern, its weird bulbous eyes watching him carefully.

Xay took a step forward and the frog vanished, quickly appearing on a stalactite above. He began counting in his head.

The frog used *Blink* again, *10 seconds*. He estimated a 10-second cooldown for the technique as it appeared to his side, ready to bite his arm.

Xay dropped and stabbed upward with Dragon.

**Blinker Frog Defeated**

**Room 2 Cleared**

“Alright, now we’re getting somewhere.” Xay peeked inside the next room before entering.

He counted six Blinker Frogs this time, and one was Level 2. It was slightly larger but otherwise looked the same as the other frogs.

Throwing Dragon at the closest frog, he charged in after.

**Blinker Frog Defeated**

Xay rolled forward, grabbing Dragon in a reverse grip, and cut two errant tongues in half.

That seemed to daze the would-be assassin frogs and Xay made quick work of them.

**Blinker Frog Defeated (x2)**

The last two Level 1 frogs charged Xay at the same time, one taking to the ceiling while the other teleported left.

Xay threw Dragon once more, not at either of the frogs coming for him, but at the Level 2 just watching them from the side. It was creepy.

The frog let out a weird gurgling sound as his balisong dug deep into its gut. It didn’t die immediately like the others had before.

*Flutter*, Xay activated his skill to deal with the Level 1s, catching one with two rapid kicks and the other with two explosive punches.

The last one literally exploded on the fourth successful hit. It was (+20) damage.

**Blinker Frog Defeated (x2)**

He approached the Level 2 cautiously. Dragon was still embedded in its stomach, and it was failing to *Blink*.

It was only getting about a foot in either direction anytime it tried. Interestingly, Dragon vanished with it every time it made the attempt.

With agile movements, Xay grabbed hold of Dragon without pulling her free. He wanted to see if he could go along for the ride.

Nothing happened however, the frog wasn’t able to use *Blink* again so Xay just put it out of its misery.

**Blinker Frog Defeated**

**Room 3 Cleared**

He wiped the frog guts off Dragon with some moss and made his way to the next room. Peaking in, he counted ten Level 1s and two Level 2s.

*This one is going to be a bit more tricky.* His eyes flicked to a pile of pebbles near the doorway. *Actually, maybe not.*

With a mischievous grin, Xay silently picked up a dozen pebbles and activated his technique, *Flutter*.

He threw his first pebble and caught a frog right in its side. It yelped, and he threw a second, killing it mid-jump.

To Xay’s absolute delight, the throw counted towards the successful hit stack and increased the damage of the next.

Xay threw another two pebbles at two different frogs, one-shotting them with (+15) and (+20) damage.

He had fairly good aim thanks to Lexi bringing him to archery practice with her three times a week.

Running and archery were the only physical activities that Lexi found tolerable and Xay just wanted to train in any way he could.

It didn’t take long to finish off the rest of the frogs. He missed once and the damage reset, but he used the Level 1s to build stacks enough to one-shot the Level 2s.

**Blinker Frog Defeated (x12)**

**Room 4 Cleared**

Xay laughed. As long as there were pebbles and the rooms stayed small, he could cheese the rest of the evaluation.

The next room was only slightly larger than the last with the same amount of frogs, but this time six were Level 1, and six were Level 2.

He implemented the same pebble strategy but missed a couple more times, and was forced to finish off the last frog with Dragon.

The higher-level frogs were a bit faster, and throwing pebbles while *Flutter* was on cooldown was useless.

**Blinker Frog Defeated (x12)**

**Room 5 Cleared**

**Level (+1)**

**All Stats (+100)**

- **Level**: 2

- **All Stats**: 200

Xay felt a surge of energy unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The (+90) from his Bloodline hurt, but this felt almost orgasmic.

It was as if he could do anything. He wanted to do everything.

Xay nearly sprinted into the next room before skidding to a stop.

Something wasn’t right.

Forcing himself to slow down and think, he placed both of his hands against the slimy cavern wall.

He closed his eyes and counted to five, inhaling slowly, then exhaled while counting to ten. He did it again twice more before the feeling went away.

**Technique Detected: Meditation.**

**Technique Acquired: Meditation.**

***Meditation (Caster Sphere)** - Center heart, mind, and body to increase focus. Doubles Mana recovery rate every 10 uninterrupted minutes.*

“Huh,” Xay didn’t expect *Meditation* to be so useful.

With a clear mind, he prepared for the next room.

He had never heard of stat gains giving such a euphoric sensation before, but he would be ready for it the next time.

The next room had six Level 2 and three Level 3 Blinker Frogs.

Even with his increased stats, the Level 3s took two strikes or three pebbles to kill. Xay took a nasty bite on the arm just to discover that fact.

He got some distance and continued his pebble strategy, but he still had to slash two frogs that got too close.

**Blinker Frog Defeated (x9)**

**Room 6 Cleared**

Room 7 had four Level 3 and two Level 4 frogs. They were reducing in number but rising in level just as quickly.

Also to Xay’s annoyance, the amount of available pebbles decreased drastically. He only spotted three and fired them all at a single Level 4 frog.

The second Level 4 blinked to the ceiling and he threw Dragon at it. To his dismay, one of the Level 3 jumped in the way.

It exploded and Xay charged at the closest frog, ending it with his last stack.

Rolling forward to grab Dragon, another of the Level 3’s jumped in his path and caught a sweet uppercut as Xay stood, impaling it on a stalactite.

At the same time the Level 4’s tongue wrapped around Xay’s ankle, and yanked his foot out from underneath him.

Xay’s back slapped the cavern floor, and he instinctively thrust Dragon up, catching the last Level 3 in the butt as it attempted to bite his face.

Rolling over, Xay stood and caught the Level 4’s tongue. It had tried to pull him again, but this time Xay dug his heels in the ground and held on.

The frog tried to use *Blink*, its outline warbling black but it couldn’t complete the technique. Enraged, it jumped forward just to be skewered by Dragon.

*Flutter*, three quick stabs later and it was dead.

**Blinker Frog Defeated (x8)**

**Room 7 Cleared**

**Level (+1)**

**All Stats (+100)**

- **Level**: 3

- **All Stats**: 300

The feeling came again—an intoxicating euphoria. Xay quickly activated *Meditation* and breathed deeply.

He was able to come back to himself a bit faster this time, and he hoped it would continue to get easier.

Xay moved ahead to the next room. Half of it was flooded with water with large moss-covered rocks protruding from the surface.

He spotted two Level 4’s and one Level 5 Blinker Frog. The Level 5 was nearly five feet tall with a horn as large as the Level 1s.

Fortunately for Xay, that just meant it was a bigger target. After coaxing them away from the water, two well-timed *Flutter* activations took down the lot with the Level 5 bursting on a final kick.

“Ugh,” Xay grimaced looking at the slime caking up on his high-tops. “Is the gunk simulated too?”

**Blinker Frog Defeated (x3)**

**Room 8 Cleared**

**Level (+1)**

**All Stats (+100)**

- **Level**: 4

- **All Stats**: 400

Xay felt the rush and decided to try walking with *Meditation* active. He hated the idea of needing to stop after every time he leveled.

Not only was it inconvenient, it was embarrassing. He could picture Lexi laughing at him.

It took twice as long while moving, but the sensation went away and he was able to push forward again.

The next room was two-thirds water, with a large waterfall covering the back wall. There were only three Level 5 Blinker Frogs and they seemed to be ignoring the waterfall entirely.

Xay took two tongue darts to the chest and almost dropped Dragon in the water, but he managed to kill all three just like the last room.

He really wished there were some more pebbles though.

**Blinker Frog Defeated (x3)**

**Room 9 Cleared**

**Level (+1)**

**All Stats (+100)**

- **Level**: 5

- **All Stats**: 500

**Mission Accomplished: Clear 9 Rooms (Elapsed Time - 26:44)**

**Continue to Boss Room or Leave Instance Rift?**

“I have a choice?” Xay asked aloud, receiving no answer in response.

He thought to himself while running *Meditation*.

Should he leave? Had he done enough to get into Cosmos? The recruiter winked at him, did that mean anything?

Xay took a deep breath and choked up on Dragon. He wanted to be the best, and the best didn’t leave before the boss fight.

“Continue to Boss Room.”

**Warning: Recommended Level (10). Are you sure you want to continue?**

Xay let out a snort, *of course it’s 10.*

“Yes!”

The waterfall ahead parted, splitting perfectly down the middle as a stone pathway rose in the water.

Xay followed the path through the waterfall and it ended halfway into a domed cave, creating a mini peninsula.

The ceiling was polished to a mirror finish, reflecting the still waters below.

Xay waved at his reflection and noticed that his eyes had gained a light gray radiance. *An effect of being an Awakened,* he assumed.

He got serious when he also noticed ripples in the water to his right. A dark shadow slowly grew as something rose to the surface, quickly gaining speed.

It burst from the water, jumping over Xay and diving back in on the other side of the path, creating a huge splash.

**King Blinker (D-Rank) Lv. 10**: *King of the Blinker Frogs. Massive amphibian with sharp teeth and the ability to teleport short distances.*

King Blinker was twenty feet long and its three-foot horn was gnarled and serrated.

Xay was stunned for a second before he had to dive to the side. King Blinker’s giant tongue exploded out of the water, reaching the ceiling and sliding off.

Xay tracked its shadow trying to think of a plan. There were no pebbles he could throw and the possibility of losing Dragon underwater was unimaginable.

The shadow vanished and King Blinker reappeared five feet in front of Xay, forcefully flicking its tongue forward.

Xay was hit hard in the chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Now floating over the water, Xay refused to panic and stabbed Dragon’s blade as far as it could go into the side of King Blinker’s red tongue.

King Blinker made a pained whine and activated *Blink*.

The world seemed to move around Xay in scattered streams of light and he found himself deep underwater, still holding on to Dragon embedded in King Blinker’s tongue.

**Technique Acquired: Blink.**

***Blink (Prowler Sphere)** – Instantly teleport up to (Poise / 25) feet. Can carry up to (Mana / 5) pounds. 10-second cooldown.*

Xay nearly laughed out loud before realizing he needed to breathe.

Yanking Dragon free, he looked up and activated *Blink*. He reappeared above the water and immediately began flailing as he fell back down.

The technique had a 10-second cooldown and there was nothing he could do for another 8 seconds.

King Blinker aligned himself below, opening his mouth wide and revealing two rows of razor-sharp teeth. It seemed to be jostling rhythmically in the water.

“Are you laughing at me?!” Xay shouted, falling into its mouth.

Before King Blinker could chomp down, however, Xay activated *Flutter*, landing five quick slashes on its tongue and anything he could reach in its mouth.

King Blinker wailed, hurting Xay’s ears so he teleported away, actually landing on the path this time.

King Blinker sank back underwater and Xay waited, poised to strike at any moment.

King Blinker popped its head above the water, immediately darting its tongue out.

Xay teleported atop its bulbous right eye and activated *Flutter*, stabbing, slashing, and punching before it could use *Blink* itself.

On the fifth consecutive hit, King Blinker’s right eye popped and Xay jumped away as it teleported deep underwater with a scream.

After the cooldown, Xay teleported back to the pathway. His vitality was in decent shape, but his Mana was getting low.

*One more full damage stack will end this.* Xay crouched low, monitoring his surroundings for the big frog.

Xay suddenly felt a drop of water land on his box braids from above. Quickly looking up, he was greeted by King Blinker falling on him.

Xay was smashed into the ground and could hardly move, he activated *Blink*.

**Warning: Unable to carry weight.**

Well, that explained why the smaller frogs couldn’t blink with Xay, but it didn’t help him being smooshed to death.

This was the second time in this fight that he was being suffocated.

Xay activated *Flutter*, and kicked both of his feet like propellers, trying to push forward. It didn’t work, but it did annoy King Blinker enough for it to try and roll over.

Seeing his opportunity, Xay inhaled and rolled in the opposite direction as soon as Kink Blinker's foot lifted. He activated *Blink* once he was clear, dropping atop King Blinker’s left eye.

Clutching Dragon tightly, Xay activated *Flutter* once more, landing all five strikes and popping his other eyeball.

**King Blinker Defeated**

**Boss Room Cleared**

**Mission Accomplish: Slay King Blinker (Elapsed Time - 3:54)**

King Blinker burst into a haze of white mist that immediately rushed into Xay.

**Level (+3)**

**All Stats (+300)**

- **Level**: 8

- **All Stats**: 800

“Woah,” Xay fell to his knees, steadying himself. The rush of energy had his heart racing but it felt incredible.

A blue portal opened in front of him, but he ignored it. Xay remained on the ground using *Meditation*, waiting for the sensation to die down.

Eventually, he felt calm again and stood, surveying the room. It was completely serene like the battle had never happened and the full weight of what he had accomplished finally hit him.

“We fucking did it!” Xay kissed Dragon’s handles, then immediately regretted it. He laughed at himself while spitting out frog eyeball.

**Bond Acknowledged: Unbreakable.**

“What?”