Beginner's Luck: Growth 2

On their way to the beach, they stopped and interacted with the non-sentients in the village. After a brief exchange between the Librarian, the four of them happily gathered some tools, a collapsible work bench, and some provisions before hurrying off to the clearing. Fluke looked up into the sky and noticed that despite him already having eaten lunch it wasn't quite mid-day. Even with more than half a day's worth of daylight he had no idea how they would be able to process the wood and finish a house. Perhaps it was another part of the magic of living in a rift world.

"Fluke, I want you to train every step of the way down to the beach. I want you to manifest your resonance and run down there with me, and I will do the same. We are running on stolen time with our prisoner- we may as well make every moment count." Taking a deep breath and putting themselves in a neutral stance, they both worked to manifest their resonance energy. Fluke was able to do it in seconds, while his mentor still took a few minutes to get his stable. They started to try and run but found after a few exerted steps their concentration was broken, and they were no longer surrounded in energy.

"Perhaps we will need to learn to walk before we can run." The Librarian said this trying to gather himself and his resonance again, the short burst had taken a toll on both of them. After resetting themselves, they began walking slowly down to the beach. Each step was like they were on a balance beam, trying to maintain an equilibrium required intense focus and a fair amount of physical exertion. Fluke felt as though he were constantly flexing all of his muscles, and his body began to sweat as he leisurely and delicately made his way forward. The Librarian was having an even harder time, breathing like he was giving birth with every few steps. What finally made them break their concentration was when Fluke began laughing at how ridiculous they must've looked to literally anyone else. No one could perceive their resonance, so to any outsider it would look like they were inebriated or struggling with vertigo. A small chuckle grew to roaring laughter and exasperated panting from both of them.

"Dammit boy! HaHAha We can't be laughing while we train, focus!" Their laughter calmed to wheezing and deep breathing. But despite their best efforts and a couple more failed starts, they couldn't regain their composure, and both decided it was best left for another time. They began walking down to the shore again, an awkward silence falling between them.

"I still think this is a mistake. We can take a couple days sparring... Get your resonance under better control. It doesn't have to be today..." The Librarian had his gaze fixed ahead, not meeting the eyes of Fluke which now looked up at him. But the boy didn't respond, so they continued on in silence.

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Migoene was a broken warrior. Laying in the sand under the mild sun he contemplated his existence. Taking stock of his wounds, he had even found the will to use his training to help heal his wounds, and with the food and water given to him by his captors he felt almost back to normal. The net around him had sapped him of most of his resonance, but not all of it. Through the night he had guided what little energy he could to heal his wounds. His leg was still broken, but the other soft tissue injuries were nearly healed. Without his mask he felt naked and vulnerable, and after losing his companion and failing the culling his emotional and mental wounds had many weeks before he would recover. Why did he still persist? They were going to kill him, or eat him, or torture him. He had heard tales of the savagery of humans all his life, and now here he was at their mercy.

"Human mercy". He scoffed at the contradiction in that statement. They hadn't shown mercy to the Derboul, ever. They hadn't even shown mercy to themselves, even by their own accounts and historians. He had watched recordings of their educated historians gleefully recounting massacres and tragedies as if the way they had comported themselves was normal. A savage race of beings that would've consumed the universe and themselves if his people hadn't acted. Their pride and "indominable spirit" with a promise from their gods to inherit the stars. Their capture and subjugation were only possible through their own technology and hubris. Miogene took comfort knowing their race was nothing more than a mob farm for their people to grow in strength and wealth.

Blinking his eyes a few times he forced his eyes to switch between the different spectrums and with some focus finally saw his ever-vigilant warden standing above him. The golem still loomed over him without any expression, and yet his presence felt menacing despite him doing and saying nothing. These golems had been a creation of the humans of the past. The fact there was a working one here and now meant something had changed in the magical wards of the rift. The humans must have set some parameters or conditions that would allow the introduction of technology. There was no doubt in Migoene's mind that there was another gate here, whether to a reward rift or challenge world he didn't know. The thought of the humans gaining access to either of these possibilities sent a chill down to his core. The horror stories shared by his ancestors facing a rapidly adapting and vicious human race raced through his mind. Those were tales from before the magic of masks had been introduced into the war.

Migoene heard voices approaching from a distance. He couldn't understand them, but he knew it must be the two sentients returning. Abruptly, Migoene found himself lifted by the back of his neck to face the sentient beasts who had captured him. The sight of them made his blood run cold, the boy had... grown. Yet another thing that should not be possible. Blinking through the different spectrums that he could perceive, he caught a glimpse of what it was. He was filled with more questions and confusion. There before him were two humans, and they were both manipulating resonance around their bodies. The shimmer of energy was undeniable and the sight of the progress they had made cemented his resolve to escape.

A goddess had manifested in the rift.

Ancient technology manifesting itself in the rift.

An additional unaccounted-for sentient being born.

The final boss had three emblems on his mask.

And now the final boss and sentient had gained access to resonance.

His duty was clear: He must warn his people.