《Eldritch Night》 Chapter One: Day Breaks, and Night Falls I was driving home on what the rest of the world would come to call Eldritch Night - the Night of Terrors. It began peaceful enough, the heat of day gradually lessening into a cool spring night. The backroad and the empty fields around me were illuminated by a full moon in an empty sky. I loved these long drives at night. I didn¡¯t have to worry about studying, or what the newest gossip was. My phone was turned off and placed in the seat behind me. No distractions, it was just me and the road. That peace didn¡¯t last long. I looked up at what appeared to be a shooting star that was gradually getting bigger and brighter as it descended, shading my eyes with my hand as the light became more intense. The sky shattered like a kaleidoscope on fire, lighting up the dark road ahead of me with intermittent flashes of golds, purples, and reds. The strobing light gave brief flashes of a mass of churning darkness that consumed most of the night sky. It was both beautiful and terrifying. Tendrils spun out from the center of the darkness, each one dancing and writhing independently of each other, with no apparent pattern. The dance of shadows was mesmerizing, and it burned itself into my mind in a way I can never cleanse. The darkness spun, as it still does in my dreams, a wreath of death upon the sky. I stared up, transfixed, and the darkness gazed back. Folds of shadow twisted and retreated to reveal an eye - massive and red, large and bright as the burning sun. The world froze, and I believe I had lost my mind for a moment. To describe what I saw as I gazed into that eye would be to put a name to the unnamable. My mind retreated in defense as I tried to comprehend the horror and the images that swam before me. I came to as the sky lit up once more, this time in brilliant white and gold as bright as day. The sudden change in light was blinding, which is why I didn¡¯t immediately notice the world literally coming apart around me. Asphalt and gravel swirled around my truck as the road crumbled beneath me, and yet I kept moving forward, suspended by some invisible force. In the distance I could see trees and rocks floating upwards, it was as if gravity itself had joined the madness and rebelled. I never really heard the crash, I felt it like a wave of force moving through me, pulverizing everything as it went. My bones vibrated and were pushed out of place making room for my organs and limbs as they repositioned themselves. It should have been painful, but it felt as if it was happening to someone else. Like a dream, or a memory played back in slow motion. I could hear screams, probably my own, but they were muffled and sounded far away as if I was underwater and the voice was coming from the surface. I tried to reach out to grab onto something, anything, but all I could find was smoke, acrid, and bitter, as it forced its way into my lungs and eyes. I remember the heat and the quiet beauty of the flames as they danced around me. Inch by inch, in a painful, agonizingly slow march they crawled ever closer. *** Congratulations!! ¡°¡­The fuck,¡± I summarized. I awoke to a voice in my head and a translucent screen that was visible even with my eyes closed. His hunger knows no bounds, and you have awoken him, but fear not! The Old One, Crimson Hunter of the Void, has been delayed! Your world has been selected by the Hegemony of Worlds and has been accepted as a provisional Tier 4 Planet. Your world, and you with it, will be given the opportunity to grow and develop to meet the coming challenges. For more information, please think ¡°menu¡± and then select ¡°guide.¡± Good luck. System loading¡­. Basic stats package prepared! ¡°Stats¡± can be viewed by thinking "stats" or ¡°status¡± at any time. Augustus Finn Class: N/A Level: 1 Health: 18 Stamina: 16 Mana: 19 Vitality: 10 Endurance: 6 Strength: 8If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Agility: 6 Reaction: 6 Intelligence: 11 Will: 8 Perception: 10 Focus: 5 P. Resist: 1 M. Resist: 1 Congratulations! You met your new life on the brink of life and death, and yet you persevered through sheer determination and adaptability. New feat(s) unlocked ¨C Reactive Adaptability ?! All resistances +1! Congratulations! You have unlocked your first feat! Random common skill(s) unlocked ¨C Arcane bolt ? 0/10! Congratulations! You have entered your first dungeon!! Every adventure begins with a single step, and this is yours. As a Dungeon Delver ? you have earned the right to choose a class. +1 unallocated stat(s) per level!! You currently have three (3) unallocated stats. I stared blankly at the floating screen in front of me, before looking down to find that I was lying in a puddle of my own blood. My body, however, was surprisingly intact. I even felt good. Really good, like I could deadlift a truck or deflect bullets with my chest. My own truck, however, was gone, or at least mostly gone. The bed and the driver''s side of the cab were missing, leaving only the passenger seat and a few pieces of twisted steel that must have once been part of the frame. There was no trace of the rest of the wreckage, or the flames and smoke I remembered from before passing out. I stared mournfully for a moment at what remained of the sky-blue pickup, before noticing that folded neatly and placed perfectly in the center of the remaining chair was the only other thing that my father had left me, an old and beat-up bombers jacket. The image of a Valkyrie holding a spear above a burning biplane and a golden roman numeral ¡°XIII¡± adorned the back of the otherwise faded brown of the leather jacket. I picked it in ash stained hands and for a moment the memories distracted me from my reality, but I was quickly brought back as panic set in. ¡°..Shit, where am I,¡± I said. ¡°Hello, is anyone there?¡± The echoes drew my attention to the fact that I was no longer outside, but in in a cavern with a domed ceiling that was almost impossible high. I could barely make out curved, smooth walls to my left, but nothing but darkness met me as I turned to look in all other directions. In the distance, I could hear flowing water, as well as the smell of earth and something faint and musky. Above me was a canopy awash in faint green and blues reminiscent of bioluminescence, providing faint illumination for the cavern. ¡°Hello,¡± I shouted again. I tried to listen for a reply, or for any signs of life around me, but all I could hear was the rhythmic pumping of my blood in a steady drumming that drowned out all else. I continued to scream louder even as my throat grew tight and my voice hoarse. I went on like that for at least the next thirty seconds, but no one answered. I stopped and tried to address my situation. I took stock of my surroundings and options to try to quiet my frenzied mind. I was alone, underground and surrounded by darkness following what I hoped were hallucinations brought on by a lifetime of bad choices, and too little sleep. Those messages couldn''t be real, and that thing I saw in the sky... I had to treat it as real, no matter how dreamlike it felt. I had to find someone, hopefully someone friendly, who knew what was going on. The first thing I needed, however, was to find food, water, and shelter, so I moved towards the sound of flowing water. The faint green light only allowed me to see a few feet, no more than a meter, in front of myself, so I moved slowly and carefully. After nearly an hour I couldn¡¯t see anything around me, the wall of the cavern had long since disappeared into the darkness, and the sounds of water seemed no closer than before. I stopped and looked around, finding nothing but the cold smooth stone beneath my feet. At that moment a crazy idea took me, and for the first time I thought that everything that happened to me might be real. I might not be crazy. The idea was too stupid, but I tried it anyway. For science. ¡°Arcane Bolt,¡± I cried out with anticipation as I pointed forward with my left hand. I didn¡¯t expect it to work, but I had to test it at some point. A small sphere, a barely visible wisp of blue light, shot out from my outstretched hand and traveled into the darkness leaving behind a faint glowing trail that quickly dissipated into the smell of ozone. It did nothing to alleviate the gloom, but I hardly noticed as my mouth literally fell open in shock. ¡°Magic, I did fucking magic.¡± My grin was almost painful as I yelled out three more times. The next two arcane bolts went off perfectly, but the third fizzled into sparks on my fingers tips. ¡°Arcane bolt!¡± I cried out a fourth time, but nothing happened. I didn¡¯t even get sparks that time, just nothing. ¡°Damn. Arcane bolt!¡± I shouted four more times. Still no reaction. ¡°Dammit,¡± I yelled. I began focusing on the word ¡°menu¡± to try to get a look at this ¡°guide¡±, but I was distracted by the clicking sound of carapace on hard stone. Something was there. The air around me seemed a little bit cooler, and the skin on my arm prickled as my hairs rose. I couldn¡¯t see them, but I could feel something watching me. The shadows around me felt darker and less empty. I could sense movement out of the corner of my eyes, but when I swung around nothing was there. ¡°Hello,¡± I called once more. ¡°Is anybody...,¡± but the air was knocked out of me before I could finish. A crushing weight forced me to the ground. Hairy limbs, many, many limbs, wrapped around me. The embrace pulled me closer to a pair of extremely large fangs on a face that seemed to be made entirely of eyes. Large orbs of reflective black showed me my own distorted face as the fangs sank deep into my shoulder. The pain was intense, but I was unable to scream as my body stiffened and contorted. I could taste copper in my mouth as the metallic smell of blood mixed with burning flesh flooded my senses. My limbs went numb as I quickly began to lose consciousness. Chapter Two: At Night Crept ¡°Gus,¡± Liv cried out as she threw her arms around me. ¡°How the hell have you been man?¡± She pushed away from me while leaving both hands on my shoulders, looking up at me. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen you in ages.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good...¡± I stammered out. ¡°Just, doing stuff. Busy.¡± My eloquent speech is what really endears me to people. Liv never really cared, though. With a squeeze she dropped her hands from my shoulders, hesitating only for a moment. I made eye contact, unable to ask the question I really wanted to and hoping that she would. She looked down and then brushed an auburn strand of hair away from her eye, revealing a long scar above her eyebrow. ¡°You should come in,¡± she said. I shuffled in awkwardly, unable to make eye contact for too long. I dreaded what I was here to say, and I couldn¡¯t stand the thought of letting them down again. Not after everything they had done, especially what Liv had done. And lost. The house was spotless, except for the cardboard boxes littered haphazardly around the small apartment. The walls were bare,with fading wallpaper, stained yellow with age and still bearing a child¡¯s faded crayon drawings along the border. Small squares of slightly less yellow wallpaper showed where photos, now relegated to one of the many boxes littering the room, had once hung. I could smell the scent of lemons, bleach, and freshly baked cookies ¨C common smells in any area inhabited by the cleaning obsessed baking master that was Liv Swanson. The sound of college football was coming from a TV in the other room, a sound mixed in with an unusual amount of profanity. Smiling I asked, ¡°Is Troy around?¡± Smirking, Liv just pointed towards the room with the TV as she walked away. ¡°Do you want some tea, Gus? We¡¯re out of coffee,¡± she called out as she entered the kitchen. ¡°None for me, thanks,¡± I yelled back. ¡°I¡¯m only stopping by.¡± I walked in to the other room to see Troy decked out in full black and garnet regalia screaming at the TV, still oblivious to anything else around him. ¡°Go Tigers,¡± I shouted, knowing it would get his attention. ¡°Fuck you, asshole,¡± Troy mumbled without any real anger. ¡°We¡¯re getting our asses handed to us and you come in here with that fucking mojo.¡± Troy looked up at me, and despite his words still put his arms out to give me a quick side-hug. ¡°You doing okay? You look terrible. Like Chewbacca fucked the Slender Man. Then abandoned the devil-spawn for being too fucking mopey.¡± Before I could manage what would have undoubtedly been a witty retort, I heard Liv¡¯s voice from behind me. She was holding something, a piece of paper.As she clasped it to her chest I gently reached out and took it from her. ¡°Is this what I think it is?¡± I asked. *** Gasping I woke up, the vague memory of a dream I desperately wanted to be real dissipating into nothingness. Around me was darkness, a constant motif in this god forsaken place. I could smell smoke, and a bitter whiff of body odor and something else, something worse. Congratulations! Venom coursed through your veins paralyzing your muscles and setting nerves afire, your body was racked in pain but you were unable to scream as your lungs were slowly paralyzed and your flesh dissolved. You have survived, not even this can overcome your Reactive Adaptability ?!! Your body has adapted, and you have gained a new skill! Poison resistance ? 2/10! Poison Resistance ? -¡­ C¡­ I was able to push away the following pop-ups by sheer force of will, a power brought on by copious amounts of annoyance and the total lack of shits I had to give about anything that wasn¡¯t immediately relevant to my survival. A quick inventory of my limbs showed that they were all attached, but that I was bound by something wound tightly around every part of my body save for my face. My bindings were sticky and smelled like a new silk shirt, pleasant and earthy. I remembered the eyes and limbs of the creature that attacked me, and I guessed that this was silk webbing of some kind. A cocoon meant that I was probably kept alive on purpose, likely to be eaten later. Though it was equally likely that the monster meant for me to be liquefied so that it could drink me up like a Soylent Green milkshake. I was facing the ground, so my view was limited to the dark stone of the cavern floor, but it was enough for me to tell that I was being moved somewhere. I was slowly swaying back and forth in time with the clicking sounds of hard feet on stone. I vaguely remembered learning that the best time to escape capture was during transportation. If I was going to act, it needed to be now. Likely the creature would believe me still paralyzed by the venom, which gave me a single chance. After that I would lose the element of surprise. Unable to move other than to blink, I had no choice but to put my faith into this new system of skills and feats that seemed to have replaced sanity and common sense. Every time I closed my eyes I still saw the burning red eye glaring down at me as tendrils of darkness devoured the world. Perhaps, as it had claimed, this ''Hegemony of Worlds'' was able to stop that destruction, or perhaps had been behind it all along. Either way, I would use everything that had been offered to me and find a way to escape and survive in this new hell. Hopefully some of my old world, and my old life, would remain. I quickly thought ¡°stats¡± and a screen, hopefully invisible to others, appeared about twelve inches in front of my eyes. My physical and mental stats ran from six to eleven, with intelligence being my highest. Eleven hardly seemed impressive, however, as my perception was ten ¨C this was likelya representation of my average eyesight of 20/20. From this I decided that 10 was likely the average stat, and that my degraded physical stats were a biproduct of the relative ease of surviving in the modern world. Looking at ¡°Strength¡± a message explaining it was presented, the system was intuitive and capable of responding to my intentions, it seemed. A useful invasion of privacy, as far as mind reading goes.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Strength is a measure of your physical capabilities. Strong individuals can punch harder, jump higher, and run faster. As your strength improves your muscles will become denser and more responsive, increasing the amount you can carry, your melee damage, and your speed in and out of combat. Each point increases Health by one. It looked promising, but I wasn¡¯t sure the three points of unallocated stats I had would be enough to break the silk webbing that had bound my body. I quickly scrolled through my other stats and skills, but nothing seemed likely to aid my escape. Looking again, a thought struck me. If I¡¯m not smart enough to think of a solution, maybe I should make myself smarter? It was crazy, and I was wary of letting this new system mess with my mind. I could let it increase the density of my muscles or the flexibility of my joints and tendons and remain me, but if it made me smarter would my mind still be my own? How does the system even measure intelligence, maybe it would just turn me into an automaton unable to think creatively or imagine any solution outside of a set of pre-decided parameters? I would have my memories but lose my humanity. Concentrating on the stat brought up its description once more. Intelligence is a measure of the speed and adaptability of your mind, as well as your ability to notice and interpret patterns. Intelligent individuals can solve problems faster, learn more quickly, and remember things longer and with more clarity. Each point of intelligence increases Mana by 5. It wouldn¡¯t break my bonds, but it could possible help me to find a solution I wasn¡¯t seeing. Having decided, I stopped hesitating and mentally clicked on the (+) next to intelligence three times. Congratulations! You have put three points into a single stat before completing the tutorial!! You have unlocked the feat(s) ¨C Able Learner ? Able Learner ? - Having focused on Intelligence during the earliest part of your training you find that you are more easily able to pick up new ideas and concepts. Where others struggle to learn new skills, you are adept at it. Decreases the difficulty of learning new skills and increases the rate at which you improve Intelligence based skills! My mind did feel clearer, more focused, but the change was minimal. No genius solution presented itself, and no cool psionic powers developed. I let out a sigh of disappointment. I was better at learning, which might help me out the next time I needed to survive a classroom. Maybe the next demon would be a succubus posing as a sexy teacher? Being carried by a giant spider-demon and, no doubt, its unseen army? Not so much. ¡°Don¡¯t panic,¡± I remembered the voice of my father. ¡°Take stock of your surroundings, inventory your assets, and formulate a plan. The enemy will make a mistake, wait for it and capitalize on it.¡± The memory seemed to come unbidden, almost like a flashback. Was this the system¡¯s way of helping me to solve problems, by conjuring up old memories? Or was this my own subconscious? Yet, what were my assets? A weak arcane bolt, and the ability to learn. I also was a little more resistant to poisons and venom. With some experimentation I found that I could blink out Morse code, something I realized I wouldn¡¯t have been able to remember how to do without the new clarity brought on by my increase to Intelligence. With nothing to do, I watched. I focused on the world around me. The swinging of my cocoon caused by the creature walking would change my perspective just enough that I could see each of its legs. All twelve of them, hairy and segmented. The front most legs were not used for walking and were instead covered in barbs, each limb with a long stinger at the tip. Behind the monster trailed a long flat tail that was curved downward and tapered as it got closer to the body, much like the tail of a lobster. Upon analyzing my bindings, I found that they had some give, and I could stretch my arms and legs out somewhat. Despite this give, the bindings were completely unbreakable. I imagined that the flexibility made them much more difficult to break. My new power of memory, however, was enough for me to realize that the bindings were becoming stickier and had more stretch to them than when I had first woken up. Perhaps they degraded with time? Congratulations! You have learned a new skill(s)! Analyze ?- While others fight, you watch and listen. You learn mysteries and secrets unknown to others, secrets obvious to those with the ability to see them. Passive; reveals Name, Class, and Level. Activated: 1 Mana per second, reveals the background, strengths, and weaknesses of objects and creatures. My new skill immediately seemed useful, just not useful enough. What I really needed was firepower. Or lightning power, I really wanted to shoot lightning from my hands. What was the point of having magic without flashy powers or gizmos? The passive use of the ability immediately became apparent as I caught a glimpse of the monster¡¯s leg. Gwerlum, the Gloomweaver. Arachnid Matriarch. Lvl 24. The name was highlighted in purple, which probably had a significance I was unaware of. The level told me I stood no chance against this creature. It also gave me hope, it meant the system had the ability to feed me information. If I could find a way to access more of that information I had a chance of learning what was going on, and perhaps making sense of this situation. First, I had to survive the immediate situation. Fighting was out of the question, but if I could analyze the silk binding me perhaps I could find a way to break free. I immediately activated Analyze with a thought, and I could feel the pull on my mana that I hadn¡¯t noticed before. It didn¡¯t tire me, but a part of me deep in the back of my mind rebelled at the drain much like lungs cry out for oxygen when none is available. Though momentarily stunned, I quickly recovered and turned my attention to my bindings. Cocoon of the Gloomweaver. This cocoon was spun by Gwerlum to capture her prey. The silk has a tensile strength greater than steel, but it is the elasticity that truly makes it unbreakable. It is vulnerable to fire, slashing, and magic, but cannot be torn without truly prodigious strength. Gwerlum has sprayed this cocoon with her venom, this deteriorates the strength of the silk but helps to digest the prey more quickly and increases the adhesive properties of the silk. This process is unnecessary for common consumption and is only done in preparation to produce an egg sac. It is likely that the prey trapped in this cocoon is intended as food for the spider¡¯s spawn, thereby continuing the unholy lineage of Ungoliant, the Primordial Spider. I wasn¡¯t too thrilled with being food for spider tykes, but it meant there was hope. It would likely take some time before I was expected to be properly digested, and my venom resistance should help keep me alive. The key thing was that the silk was slowly being weakened. If I could wait till Big Mama sprayed the cocoon with more venom, it might weaken enough for me to escape. In the meantime, I needed to focus on speeding up the process. Over the next few hours I focused on using my arcane bolts to try to destroy some of the silk around my left hand. My current mana was enough for me to cast five arcane bolts, but it slowly regenerated enough for me to get off an additional bolt every few minutes. When the spider queen finally stopped I had created a pocket of free space around my left arm and had drilled a hole large enough for a single finger to poke through the cocoon. It was a start, I only had to hope that I had enough time. Additionally, I had gained 3 levels in Arcane Bolt and Analyze, and a single additional level in Poison Resistance. It seemed that the first three levels of each skill were relatively easy to learn, but I was unable to advance any of the skills to their fourth rank. There was not much to analyze during the trip, but there were the occasional rock, mushroom or fungus that caught my attention. What was curious, and potentially helpful, was that it seemed each increase in skill gave me something called FP, a counter was kept on top left corner of my stats screen calling out for my attention. I mentally selected FP, and I smiled at the results. Chapter Three: A Widow Fled After travelling for several hours Gloomweaver had finally stopped. I didn¡¯t pay it much mind, as she had stopped several times previously. Instead I was spending my time focusing on my stats, and trying to decide how to allocate my FP, or Feat Points. This time, however, almost immediately upon stopping I felt a sense of vertigo and my stomach clenched. I was falling for what seemed minutes but was in reality only several seconds. I bounced, but the elastic web my cocoon had become entangled in didn¡¯t let me rise too far. After several seconds the bouncing and vibrations had stopped, but my insides still felt like a shaken can of soup. Iwas dizzy, the world spinning as my senses tried to catch up. I retched into my mouth, but nothing was available as my stomach had long been empty. My lips were dry, and my head rung as if I was suffering from the after effects of a three-day bender. I could hear ringing in my ears and my own ragged breathing. I was obviously dehydrated, but I feared my injuries might be more severe. I waited alone in the dark. Below the web was a wide chasm. Roughly a hundred yards in front of me was a sheer cliff face that while difficult could probably be climbed. The stone appeared to be a deep blue and was unlike any rock formation I had ever seen. The identity of the rock was not an issue, after all I¡¯ve got a skill for that. The real problem was that I couldn¡¯t see the top or the bottom of the cliff, so I had no idea how long such a climb would be. I wasn¡¯t alone for long before Gwerlum, The Gloomweaver, also affectionately known as Big Momma Spider, was upon me soon. She grasped my cocoon between her front two legs and I began to spin. The spears on the tips of her two forelegs were for spinning web rather than the instrument of murder I had imagined them to be. It was like the world''s largest, and most deadly, crocheting needles. Perhaps Big Momma was a grandma as well? Silk wrapped around my cocoon, though not as tightly as before. She most likely just wanted to make sure I was secured to the web. As a final touch she left me with a blast of venom to the face that immediately began burning my eyes and inner nose. I needed to scream, but I forced the impulse down. Instead I dug my fingernails into my palms and clenched my jaw. I could hear the enamel on my teeth cracking as they ground together, but I was able to resist screaming. I had no idea if the spider believed me dead, but I knew that drawing extra attention to myself would be dangerous. Congratulations! New skill(s) gained. Pain Tolerance (1/10). Congratulations! Poison Resistance has improved (4/10). I passed out again and when I awoke there was no sign of Big Momma. Barely noticeable vibrations, however, told me that I was not alone in her web. When I was finally able to calm down and orient myself to the situation, I turned my attention back to my feats. If I didn¡¯t have an active goal to work towards I knew that I would panic and shut down. I could already feel the terror picking away at my sanity bit by bit. FP available (11) 6 Feat(s) available for purchase- Newbie (0/1) Prestidigitator (0/3) Scholar (0/3) Warrior (0/3) Acrobat (0/3) ¡­ The first five feats seemed useful if fairly basic. Much like most of the system, the true value of each skill was hidden behind a knowledge wall. Those with the advantage of system knowledge would know which feats to pick and how best to allocate their stats, while those of us figuring things out for the first time had to rely on blind luck. The lack of descriptions made each choice a gamble. Despite this, the final feat is the one that really caught my eye. Unlike the others it cost 10 FP, which was almost my entire reserve and for the same cost I could afford four different feats. Despite that, it was obviously a higher-level feat and likely held synergy with abilities I already had.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. I opened my stats again, and with a slight smile I put ten points into reactive learning. Congratulations! Your Intelligence has risen by 2. Congratulations! Your Intelligence has risen by 2. The notifications that happened after spending three and then seven points were welcome, but the final notification brought a grin to my face that might have unnerved even Big Mamma Spider, or the BMS as I decided to call her. Reactive Learning ?- Your ability to adapt to your environment was already legendary, by focusing on your mind over the power of the body your adaptability has shifted once again allowing you a limited ability to learn the skills used against you. This can only be used to replicate skills of up to Uncommon (U) level, attempting to learn skills above that level will either fail or result in an inferior version of the skill. You must have sufficient time to observe the skill. Having the skill used against you increases the likelihood of learning the skill, as does a higher level of Intelligence. It might not seem immediately useful, but the truth was that it was borderline OP and I already had a plan for using it to escape. The only thing that made me pause was the requirement that the skill be used against me. I wanted to grow stronger, I just didn¡¯t want to have to become a punching bag to do so. Over the next day I used my arcane bolts to loosen the web around my hands as much as possible and even managed to level the skill once more. Old BMS came by twice during that time, and each time greeted me with a spray of venom to the face. I could feel the beginnings of a skill based on her venom forming, like a name on the tip of your tongue that you just can¡¯t remember. My poison resist didn¡¯t level past 4, but the agony of feeling my flesh blister was sufficient to bring my pain tolerance up twice in quick succession. Eventually my arcane bolt leveled up once more as well, bringing my feat points up to four. I immediately purchased Newbie and Scholar. Congratulations! You have achieved a new feat(s). Scholar- While others trained their bodies you trained your mind. Long nights spent in the library have conditioned you to seek knowledge above all else. +1 to Intelligence. Increases your reading speed and comprehension by 50%. New feats become available to those who pursue the path of the scholar. Newbie - You are a beginning adventurer yet to embark on your first quest! This feat is given for free upon completion of the tutorial but is available for purchase to appease the fools and the stubborn. +1 Health, +1 unallocated stat and +1 unallocated stat point on every level. New feats will open as the Newbie advances. Nothing game changing, but still useful. I especially liked the stat gain, and the extra statper level might be useful down the road. My intelligence especially was starting to look decent, which might help increase the chances of my plan succeeding. I put my extra stat point into Intelligence to round it out at twenty. I now had the tools I needed to escape, I just needed the opportunity. It would need to be soon. I hadn¡¯t had any food or water for well over a day, probably longer as I couldn¡¯t account for the time I had spent unconscious. It might have even been two days, judging from the dryness of my throat. The analyze skill confirmed that my bonds were weakening, but I was still unable to make any headway in my attempts to break the cocoon. The silk was beginning to lose shape, it was now more goo like than the thousands of individual silk strands that it had been before. Just a little more, and I would have my chance. I didn¡¯t have to wait long before the good ol¡¯ BMS came to hose me down once more. This time something clicked, and I immediately grasped how I could use my mana to produce a similar spray of venom. I didn¡¯t even have to flinch from the pain this time, a combination of my increased pain tolerance and the endorphins of seeing a plan finally coming together. Congratulations! You have learned a new skill(s). Venom Spray ? (0/10) She left as quickly as she had come, but I still waited several more minutes before I began experimenting. During this time, I reflected on exactly how I had learned the new skill. Obviously, the system was using some trickery to put the knowledge into my head. Despite that, there was more to it. The mana that was a part of me now had its own system of rules and if I could learn to manipulate those rules - then my potential would be unlimited. Theoretically, I could develop my own skills, possibly even feats. I could feel the mana now, it was part of me. With a little concentration I could draw it out, manipulate it. I sensed the beginnings of skill forming, but I soon lost control of my tenuous grasp on my mana and my grasp on the skill slipped away as well. I would be better served by turning my attention back to the task at hand. I knew how dangerous it was to let your mind wander during moments of crisis. Another lesson drilled into me by my father. The skill worked by shooting a jet of venom from my hands. This would quickly fill up the gaps between the webbing. The spray would burn at my skin and clothes, and I could feel my feet blister as my shoes filled with acidic venom. The webbing, however, also began to show signs of dissolving. White globules of viscous liquid, tinged green by the faint illumination of the cavern, began dripping down from the cocoon like a melting candle. The venom spray skill had risen by two levels by the time I was finally able to free myself. I didn¡¯t so much break the silk webbing, it was more like it just sloughed off me. The skill had done its job, and I suspected it would be useful in combat as well. Now, I just had to climb down the web without falling into the yawning abyss and then climb up a cliff of indeterminate height. All without rest, food, or water. Hopefully life would be easier at the top of the cliff, time to get started. Chapter Four: From Looming Monarchs Dread I stood on a small ledge overlooking my previous prison. Behind me was a deep narrow cleft in the cliff wall that provided a bit of shelter and would protect me from being detected by anyone looking at my hiding spot from below. While climbing I had found a small trickle of water flowing down the cliff face. It was just enough that with patience I was able to gather a handfull of water and feed it to my drying throat and parched lips. I had found my current hiding spot by following this trickle of water up to its source. In the back of the cleft I found a small stream of water that would flow out of the rock and then flow down the cliff into the unknown below. To reach my current perch I had climbed for at least several hundred meters, or about one-thousand feet, but the massive web still stretched out endlessly beneath me, reaching into the murky horizon. Several smaller webs branched off from the main one, and I could faintly make out movement among them. No doubt they were crawling with oversized arachnids, but nothing as large as the BMS. The main web was completely empty, other than a few dozen cocoons in various stages of digestion. Had I been swarmed with the spider¡¯s spawn I most likely wouldn¡¯t have been able to make it as far as I had. Something, fear of being eaten probably, kept the smaller spiders from intruding into the territory of the larger spider. My experiences of the prior day showed me that the BMS spent most of her time away from the web, probably hunting. I had hoped to be away before she returned, but the climb proved more than I could handle, and I would need to rest soon. It had taken me roughly three hours to climb this far. The cliff was incredibly sheer, but numerous handholds and outcroppings made it climbable even by an amateur climber like myself. I still had to be careful, as the blue rock was surprisingly sleek and unnaturally cold to the touch. Small lizards, brown with red crested necks, would sometimes scamper past me as I climbed. I had been unsuccessful in my attempt to catch one, too fearful of falling to move fast enough. If I overextend while trying to grab one I would likely fall. I would need to eat soon, however, if I was going to attempt to continue my climb. The system would aid me somewhat, I had gained the climbing skill and leveled it to its second rank. I doubt I would have made it this far otherwise. Perhaps with some rest, water, and food I could make it to the top of this indomitable chasm. First, I decided to do some housekeeping with my status screen. The two levelups in the climb skillbrought me to a total of four FP, which was enough to buy another feat. Both athlete and acrobat seemed like they might help me with the climb, but they would be useless in a fight. What I really needed was something that might help me hunt the small lizards that lived on the cliff face. I looked at the list of feats available to me one more time. I was surprised to find that new options had become available. Novice (0/4) Prestidigitator (0/3) Warrior (0/3) Autodidact (0/4) Acrobat (0/3) Inspiration (0/25) Inspiration immediately caught my eye, but I would need to save up quite a few points before it was reasonable to invest in it. The two new feats were probably improved versions or evolutions of the feats I had bought earlier. That, plus the slight increase in cost, told me they were probably marginally better than the standard feats. Autodidact fit my theme so far, and as tempted as I was I didn¡¯t believe it would be immediately useful. What I really needed was something that would help me to find food. The analyze skill confirmed that the small brown lizards were edible, but they were too fast for me to hit with arcane bolt. They never came close enough for me to hit with my venom spray, or to grab with my hands. Nothing was guaranteed, yet only one feat looked like it might give me what I needed. Without thinking about it further I clicked on my choice. Congratulations! Your journey began in darkness, but you can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel! You have earned a new feat(s). Prestidigitator- You are a neophyte trained in the simplest of arcane magics. You learn the skills mage hand, arcane missile, and arcane shield. + 8 to mana. All common ? level spells cost one less mana to cast! New skills meant I could earn more feat points, so seeing that this feat had given me three immediately made me excited. The system seemed to hold little distinction between a skill and a spell, the only difference seeming to be modifiers that specifically targeted spells, like prestidigitator¡¯s decrease in mana cost.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The descriptions for mage hand and arcane shield held no surprises, but each skill would be incredible useful. Mage hand could telekinetically lift lightweight objects and move them short distances- useful in the right situation. I attempted to use mage hand to capture one of the small lizards, but the spell couldn¡¯t grip the creatures. They would squirm and twist before breaking free and disappearing into a crevice in the rock wall. It seemed the spell would be useless as anything but utility, though it may prove otherwise if I could advance its level. Arcane shield might just save my life, however. It created a shimmering shield of blue arcane energy around my body that would block any incoming attacks at a cost of trading health damage for mana on a one-to-one basis while also slowly draining mana for as long as it was activated. It would be best used by activating it only right before an attack, rather than leaving it up for a full fight. It wasn¡¯t the most efficient use of mana, but the efficiency improved as the skill level went up. It would also let me focus on improving my mental stats, without having to worry as much about survivability. Arcane missile at first glance didn¡¯t seem much different than arcane bolt, but upon reading the description I found that it was exactly what I needed. Arcane Missile ? - 8 mana. Arcane missile has been a staple of every wizard¡¯s offense going back nearly to the founding of the Hegemony of Worlds. Every young acolyte has been drilled in its use endlessly, and now you have been as well. Creates a sphere of arcane energy that unerringly strikes a single target at a range of up to fifty meters per skill level. As the skill level improves additional missiles are created. I would need to experiment, but if I was right the projectiles created by the skill had a tracking effect that would improve my aim. I was already salivating at the thought of roasted lizard. Of course, I still didn¡¯t have a way to make fire. The process took me longer than I expected. It turned out that ¡°unerringly¡± meant that the projectile would curve slightly to hit the target. Even with this assistance it was incredible hard to hit one of the frill-necked lizards. After about twenty minutes I managed to claim my first kill and earned my first rank in arcane missile as well. Calculating¡­ Experience Points awarded- 1. 899 XP until next level. While I was marveling at my hunting prowess, and momentarily distracted by the notification, my prey tumbled down the cliff face until it was no longer visible. Its fall left behind only faint echoes. It took me a few more tries, but I was eventually successful. This time the XP notification didn¡¯t take me by surprise, and I was able to use mage hand to catch the lizard before it fell out of range. This also earned me a skill level in mage hand. This brought me back up to three FP, but I decided to hold off before purchasing more feats. Eating a lizard raw does not sound like a pleasant experience, but my hunger was so intense at that moment that the tough gamey meat seemed like the best meal I had ever eaten. I washed it down with some fresh spring water courtesy of the small stream originating at the back of my shelter. I sat back against the cliff wall, satisfied and picking scales out of my teeth. I physically felt all of the tension leave my body in that moment. I hadn¡¯t stopped to think about it, but until that point I don¡¯t think I really believed I might survive. The flood of relief also brought with it an intense feeling of fatigue. I have no idea how long I slept for, I awoke to the same greenish blue glow that marked both day and night in this subterranean hell. My muscles ached and stiffened from the previous days exertions. I decided to stretch for a bit and then wait long enough catch another lizard before leaving. It only took me two tries to succeed, and soon I was climbing the cliff once more. This time with a full belly, a night¡¯s sleep, and at least one more meal waiting in the pocket of my jacket. I had also gained another level in arcane missile and mage hand. This quick leveling confirmed my theory that skills leveled easily until three, after which they seemed to slow down. My best option was to acquire as many skills as possible and level them all to three, thereby picking the low hanging fruit and gaining FP which I could use to improve my stats and even learn new skills. It was a potentially endless circlular path of power. I had yet to find a reliable way to level, and I suspected any monsters I ran into would be far above my level and probably above my ability to kill as well. At least for the moment. I had briefly considered using guerilla tactics to kill a few spiders, but it was too dangerous. They had the advantage in numbers, levels, and terrain. If I was going to go after a monster I didn¡¯t want it to be on its home turf. Leveling was not the only way to gain strength under this system. I would simply have to continue being careful until I had the power and resources with which to battle these monsters from a position of safety. Surviving was the first step, but I really needed a home-base: a place to shelter and a bolt hole to retreat to. I imagine I climbed for hours, though it was hard to say for sure. I had no watch, and my phone was lost back in the crash. I did level climbing again, bringing it to three and earning another FP. Eventually the top of the cliff was in sight, and I sped up my efforts to reach it. The climb grew easier towards the top. The cliff had become progressively less steep, and the outcroppings were larger and more frequent. The blue rock was also becoming more gray and had lost its unusual coldness. The lack of numbness in my fingers dramatically improved my climbing speed. By the time I was about fifty meters from the top I could hear an unholy shriek. My hearing was drowned out by overwhelming tinnitus that left me momentarily shaken. It was possibly a skill; I could not move, and my mind was paralyzed by dread and a feeling of devastating hopelessness. Below me I could see a large shape moving through the shadows. Big Momma had found me, and she was angry. The climb that had taken me the better part of a day, she was completing in seconds. I could do nothing but watch as she reached me, taloned arms reached for my throat as crushing limbs wrapped around my legs. Chapter Five: Debrief I pushed out with my legs launching myself away from the cliff face. The sudden movement caused the attack on my neck to miss, but a barbed talon tore into my shoulder. I felt the flesh sizzling around the wound in my shoulder as venom was driven into my veins. I immediately felt sluggish, but my poison resistance lessened the effects. Two limbs wrapped themselves around my chest and I felt myself being drawn towards the mass of black flesh, limbs, and eyes. I struggled, but the segmented limbs constricted. I could feel ribs fracture and my left shoulder exploded in pain, most likely dislocated. My right arm was still free, so I used it to do the only thing I could think of. I cast arcane missile thrice in quick succession aiming for the creature¡¯s eyes. She shrieked, slightly loosening her hold. I activated arcane shield, which worked to push away her already loosened grip. Free of her grip I found myself falling before crashing into the spider¡¯s face, gaining a close-up view of her thousands of segmented eyes. It would have filled my nightmares if there wasn¡¯t already another, much larger and fierier eye filling that spot on a nightly basis. I deactivatedarcane shield to conserve mana, my hope was that I might be able to survive the fall by activating the shield immediately before impact. That turned out to be a mistake, a thin tendril of silk shot out and wrapped itself around my left ankle crushing the bones and dislocating my leg. I cried out in pain as my fall was immediately stopped. The BMS was slowly drawing me closer to her waiting maw. I was being reeled in like a fish. The pain kept me from centering my thoughts or I might have tried to free myself. I already knew that my venom spray could dissolve her webbing. Had I not panicked perhaps I could have attempted to dissolve the silk that was slowly pulling me upwards. That ¡°freedom¡± likely would have only bought me a long fall to a quick death. Instead I found myself once more wrapped in webbing, but this time instead of dosing me with a spray of venom she speared me through the midsection with one of her barbed talons. As she ripped out her speared foreleg the barbs took with them chunks of my flesh. A warning screen appeared showing my health, highlighted red and in negative numbers and continuing to drop. I lost all control of my limbs, and I could feel the vitality slowly ebbing out of my body. Warning! Health is critical, if the citizen is not stabilized immediately death is imminent. My vision was limited and becoming blurry but just as I thought I was dead for good a powerful light cut through the darkness. It was a clean, white light that reminded me of a high-powered flood light, like the one I used to have on my truck. Even now, as I lay dying, I found myself reminiscing about my previous life. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but what had it been? A couple of days? Three at the most. It had not been an interesting life, a very normal one by most accounts. I had a good childhood, had just graduated, and I had been accepted into one of my safety schools. I would graduate college, work the corporate line, maybe get married and have a few kids. It all seemed so ordinary, and yet then, when I knew it would never happen, I mourned for it. I cried out for what I would never have, not in pain or shock from my injuries but in loss and grief. I didn¡¯t want to die. I cried out into the night and tried to reach out, but my limbs did not respond to my calls. I slipped into darkness. *** ¡°You¡¯re a man now,¡± my fathers voice spoke to me in his familiar baritone. I turned around and saw his face, clean-shaven and strong jawed in a way that I was always envious of. I had inherited my mother¡¯s fair skin, oval face and softer features. ¡°I¡¯m sixteen Dad,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been a man in many cultures for years now.¡± ¡°Well, not in this one kiddo. Talk to me when you can vote, or drink.¡± He smirked with his trademark half smile. ¡°Maybe, I¡¯ll even buy you one when the time comes.¡± ¡°Maybe? I doubt mom would forgive you for corrupting her only son.¡± He laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Some things, son, are best left between men.¡± ¡°Look,¡± he said. ¡°I wanted to give you this.¡± He held a shiny pair of keys on a leather thong stamped with the letter ¡°8.¡± I immediately grabbed them, looking towards his old ¡¯68 Chevy. ¡°It¡¯s mine?¡± I asked. I shook in anticipation. I could hardly contain my excitement. It took all I could to hold myself back from sprinting straight to the truck. ¡°I left something else for you in the back. Your grandfather¡¯s old jacket from the war. He gave it to me, and now I¡¯m giving it to you.¡± We walked over the truck together, and my father ran a hand along the bed of the truck. He was no doubt reliving memories. He had loved that truck for longer than I had been alive. ¡°Well,¡± my father said. ¡°Care to take the old man for a spin. See what this old beauty¡¯s got?¡± As I climbed into the driver¡¯s seat. I slid the key into the ignition and admired the soft rumble of the engine as it started up. I ran my left hand around the steering wheel and reached down with my right to put it into gear.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. I heard a soft gasp come from my father who was still standing outside the truck. Looking up I saw a small dribble of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. A mass of writhing black flesh erupted from his chest spraying blood through the open door into the cab of the truck. The world immediately exploded into movement as the truck, pavement and even houses began to be drawn into the sky. A red, burning sky that now held more than clouds and birds. Flying abominations, creatures made from lumpy, tumorous flesh, filled the sky. Some clutched people in their spindly arms, dropping them from great heights or devouring them with twisted jaws. Looking up I saw a massive, fiery eye staring back at me. It was watching me, waiting. I could feel a connection, like it was trying to tear away at my soul, it consumed my sanity leaving behind only madness. *** I gasped as I awoke from the nightmare, the twisted perversion of my memories. I tried to sit up, but I found that my arms had been restrained. I looked around and found that wherever I was, it definitely wasn¡¯t anywhere near giant arachnids. Despite my captivity it was an obvious improvement. The clinical setting made me slightly warry, however. I might have been out of the proverbial spider¡¯s nest and into the mad scientist¡¯s laboratory. The walls were clean white tile that appeared to be made of ceramic. They looked slightly textured, as if each square tile was made from thousands of tiny, interlocking hexagons. I was in a hospital bed, the IV drip and monitors around me looked normal enough, but the displays contained characters in some sort of hieroglyphic language that I had never seen before. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± a synthetic voice called out. It sounded fake and artificial, like the voice of a digital personal assistant. I looked to my right to see a man walking through a wooden door with a glass window reinforced with metal wire. He was roughly two meters in height and muscular. His uniform was obviously military, but not one I was familiar with. It was red and covered in black armored plates that seemed to be made from a similar material as the tiles on the wall. An insignia that looked much like an eagle was on his right shoulder with three gold chevrons under it. Probably a designation of rank. He carried what looked like a massive rifle on his back, and a short sword on his belt. An odd combination that immediately drew my eye. Combat knives were common with special forces, but this was a sword, with a blade longer than my forearm. The most striking feature, however, was his red skin. It was a deep crimson, and I noticed it matched the color of his uniform. Probably a coincidence, but he obviously wasn¡¯t human, so I didn¡¯t want to take anything for granted. His skin was not smooth, like a human, but neither was it scaled. Small raised bumps covered his skin giving it a thick and stony appearance. If these guys had invaded earth, then I didn¡¯t think we had a chance. At least not if he was an accurate representation of his race. ¡°Forgive the translator,¡± he said. ¡°I haven¡¯t yet had the time to assimilate to the native language. I understand that this planet has many diverse languages. It is fascinating, but I won¡¯t have the time until we finish with containment.¡± He reached out his hand and undid the white cloth straps that were restricting my arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the restraints, as well. Your doctors feared you might hurt yourself. I am told you were quite animated in your sleep until sedatives were given.¡± ¡°Who are you,¡± I asked. ¡°What is this place?¡± His answer was delayed for a moment, and I say his eyes look up and to the left before tracking right. He was obviously reading a translation on an invisible display. ¡°My full name is Sebbit¡¯Task Orvilio Xern, Vanguard of the Hegemonic Peacekeepers. I have been tasked with containment of eldritch lifeforms and the assimilation of the native population into the Hegemony and its related systems.¡± He stopped and gave me a stern look, eyebrows lowered and making direct eye contact. ¡°My soldiers call me Captain Xern, or Sir,¡± He continued. ¡°You may call Sebbit. May I know you as well?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I replied. ¡°My name is Augustus Finn, but please just call me Finn. And, uh, well I seem to be between galactic conquests at the moment.¡± He heard my reply and simply nodded, either ignoring my joke or not registering it at all. I''ve been told I tell jokes at inapropriate times, honestly it''s a bit of a defense mechanism. ¡°A pleasure, to be sure, Mr. Finn.¡± Even through the artificial voice he came across as overly proper and by the book. My Dad would have loved this guy, I thought. ¡°Now, if I could address my reason for speaking with you today,¡± He said. He paused and looked at me making sure he had my attention before continuing. ¡°Wait,¡± I said. ¡°Can you please just tell me what happened first? Where am I? I thought I was dead. Did you guys save me from that spider thing?¡± My questions ran together, but he answered them all in turn, unfazed. ¡°We saved you, Mr. Finn. My soldiers were tasked with containing creatures leaking from the recently created containment center, or dungeons as the adventurers like to call them. The reports I read indicate that one such creature, a high level one I might add, had captured you and that you were on the verge of bleeding out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I added. ¡°I was trying to escape, but she caught me. She impaled me. I thought I was dead, so please give my thanks to your men.¡± ¡°Women,¡± Sebbit said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You said ¡®men.¡¯ Over seventy percent of my command is women, Mr. Finn. Men do not serve in combat roles in my species. We tend to be smaller, and more suited to administrative tasks. Like interrogating natives, for instance.¡± ¡°Well, sure,¡± I said, momentarily nonplussed. ¡°Please give the ladies my thanks, then.¡± He stared at me. ¡°We will leave the subject of nobility open for now. It is best that we get back to the debriefing.¡± We spent the next hour going over everything that had happened over the last few days, or a week as it turned out I had been unconscious for four days. Sebbit would occasionally ask questions to clarify some point, but he mostly just let me speak. He never took any notes, but I imagine it would have been easy for him to record the entire conversation if he needed to. When the debriefing was done the Captain asked me one final question. ¡°Mr. Finn. I must know, did you make eye contact?¡± ¡°Wha..,¡± I said. ¡°You mean with the spider? I mean sure, she had enough of them.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean that. The Old One that attacked your world is known as Kyr¡¯Teleth, the Crimson Hunter of the Void. He roams the cosmos and devours planets. He especially enjoys eating sentient species. ¡°He takes on many forms, but the most common is an all-consuming eye burning in the sky. Most importantly, strange things tend to happen to those that come into contact with him and survive. He infects minds. Consumes them. Those whom make eye contact are especially in danger.¡± ¡°Is Cthulhu out there, too?¡± I asked in disbelief. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t joke about these things, Mr. Finn. There are many great evils and Old Ones roaming the universe. Universes. But please answer the question, Mr. Finn. Did you make eye contact?¡± I met Sebbit¡¯s eyes and lied to him. ¡°No,¡± I said. Chapter Six: Mind and Body I was knocked off my feet by a staff strike to the chest. The ¡°staff¡± could easily pass for a pillar, half again as tall as me and wide enough that I would not have been able to grasp it with both hands. Even with my mana shield I would have been bloody mush if the female officer hadn¡¯t been holding back. ¡°Again,¡± Talith said. Talith had been assigned to train me during my stay with the peacekeepers. I suspected it also gave them an excuse to keep an eye on me. The reasoning given by Sebbit was that since I was not given the opportunity of a tutorial, I deserved some minor compensation by the Hegemony. My lack of training up to this point was something that Sebbit had called an ¡°anomaly.¡± It was also what made him suspect me of having a connection to the flaming eye that had destroyed most of downtown Charleston, and my life along with it. Talith was the same race as Sebbit, and he wasn¡¯t kidding when he said that the females of his species were larger than the males. She stood at least ten feet tall, or just over three meters according to my analyze skill. The best word to describe her was spindly, she was tall and lithe. This gave her an incredible reach and flexibility and in no way impacted her strength, as I could tell by holding my aching chest. My analyze skill didn''t work against peacekeepers, so I was unable to get a feel for how strong Talith was - only that she vastly outclassed me. I suspected that the immunity was granted by the system, but it might have been racial or due to them having much higher levels the I did. Not used to waiting for her orders to be obeyed Talith reached down and dragged me to my feet by the collar of my loaner uniform. ¡°Again,¡± she said. I was fed up with her bullying, tired, and hungry. Not a good combination for my mood. I thrust out with my staff, expecting her parry. She reversed her swing turning her parry into a massive horizontal strike and I activated my mana shield. The single hit ate away half of my mana, but it also flung me back far enough to be out of Talith¡¯s striking range. ¡°Venom Spray,¡± I shouted. A thin spray of thick green liquid shot from my outstretched hand, but Talith was easily able to block most of the venom by holding her massive staff in front of her face. Small droplets and streams made it onto her uniform, but the material showed no signs of falling to the venom¡¯s corrosive effects. While her vision was blocked I cast arcane missile twice in rapid succession, using most of my remaining mana. I had leveled the skill to its third level, gaining four missiles per cast. Talith was able to deflect most of the missiles, apparently not as ¡®unerring¡¯ as they had been advertised. Two of the spheres, however, were able to strike the giantess in the midsection. I let out a satisfied grin as I heard a small grunt of pain. I immediately regretted feeling smug as I found a long prehensile wrap around my waist. I was immediately pulled into the dirt and found a large woman with sapphire skin holding a staff to my throat. ¡°Good,¡± Talith said ¡°You are beginning to understand.¡± ¡°Understand what? Getting my ass kicked is about all I seem to be getting better at.¡± ¡°Roles, Mr. Finn,¡± She said. ¡°You are beginning to understand roles. ¡°Do you know why most citizens of the Hegemony never receive a class, despite the fact that it gives a massive increase in power and is available to all?¡± ¡°Laziness?¡± I quipped. ¡°Long lines at the DMV?¡± ¡°It is not ¡®laziness¡¯ or lack of desire. No, most citizens never receive a class because it is binding, restricting. ¡°You are a mage, yes?¡± She asked without waiting for me to respond, ignoring my head beginning to shake no. ¡°A mage, spellcasters of all stripes are weak, Mr. Finn. The most powerful mage in the Hegemony could not survive a single minute in combat with me without resorting to spells. Do you know why that is?¡± ¡°Specialization,¡± I immediately said. ¡°If a mage spends the time to improve their magic to such a high level they must have neglected training in other areas. Someone who had trained exclusively in hand-to-hand combat, a blue skinned devil masquerading as a soldier for instance, would dominate the mage, but only if the mage was restricted to only using hand-to-hand combat.¡± ¡°Good,¡± my instructor said. ¡°But it is not just this, many disciplines exist, and many mages also practice martial paths. It is the class, and the system supported by the Hegemony. ¡°The class defines us, makes us more of what we are and a little less of everything else. Theoretically I can still learn magic or the sword, but my class focuses on the use of a staff, specifically to defend. Any skills related to the concept encapsulated by a class will level faster, the more specific the concept behind the class the more powerful this effect is. ¡°I even have trouble learning mundane tasks. I am not a cook, so my being cries out at any attempt to become one. I can only be one thing, and the better I am at being what I am the more powerful I will become.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Specialization will make you powerful, Mr. Finn. You must find one thing, and do it well, better than anyone else. A class will start you on that path, but you must hold the image inside you. You must become a mage, in your heart. Or a spearman, a vanguard, defender or any of a million classes.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there classes that specialize in being jacks of all trades, so to speak?¡± I asked. ¡°There are, yes Mr. Finn. Adventurers, Factotum, and a myriad of others. They are popular, but none could stand before the pureness of my staff-skills. "Even the monsters that ravage your world, the Old Ones and Elder Gods, great evils infecting our universe? They encapsulate a concept, they become it. That is what it means to be a god, Mr. Finn. A god is the very essence of a single concept, made incarnate. As long as the concept exists they cannot be truly killed.¡± ¡°And Kyr..,¡± I began. ¡°Er, Crimson Hunter of the Void? What is he?¡± ¡°Madness, Mr. Finn. Madness made incarnate, he doesn¡¯t only consume minds he twists them and takes great pleasure in manipulating others. In some ways he is one of the most dangerous of all the old ones. Many are more powerful, but none as insidious.¡± We waited in silence for several seconds, a staff still held to my throat, before she relented and let me up. ¡°Again,¡± Talith said. *** Hours later I was laying on a cot in the small Spartan room the Peacekeepers had given me. Next to the bed was a small desk and a stool with no back. I had a small recess in the wall that could be opened or closed by a sliding panel, this is where I kept the clothes and boots I had been given. Also tucked in the cubby was a short sword in a black leather sheath, a gift from Talith. These items and my brown leather jacket were currently my only worldly possessions. The peacekeepers had given me quite a bit more than just clothes and a sword, though. The training had proved invaluable. Despite her caution to focus on a single ¡®role,¡¯ Talith gave me a fairly well-rounded education and a crash course in martial weaponry. She insisted I learn all the basic weapons and then focus on the one that suited my style best, something she said would benefit even a ¡®mage¡¯ like myself. A title I still didn¡¯t accept. We had been training for roughly a week before she declared our training over. I wasn¡¯t ¡®fit to lick the boots of a proper Peacekeeper recruit¡¯ but at least I might not die immediately to a low-level monster. Apparently, that was her benchmark for success. Despite Talith¡¯s criticism, I had a feeling that I was learning skills much more quickly than I should have been. This was possible due to my high intelligence stat combined with the adaptive learning feat. I could improve my skills simply by watching others fight, especially when they were used on me. Generally, in a painful and violent manner. My gains during this time had been significant, and I had gained skill levels much more quickly than I would have without training. In addition, my Endurance stat had risen by two without having to allocate any stats to it. Talith told me this was normal but that getting any stat above the species average with just training was rare. Stats also differed by species and the species that Talith and Sebbit belonged to, called Kree¡¯marks, had an average adult strength of fifteen for males and eighteen for females before system enhancements. I had been trained in all the standard weaponry of the Peacekeepers, the rifle, sword, and staff, each to the third level. I had also gained the physical fitness skill and advanced it to level three, as well. My arcane shield skill increased to its third rank, and arcane missile, venom spray and analyze also each increased by a single rank. This gave me a solid twenty-one FP, but I held out on spending them for now. I had gained access to a few new feats, such as the swordsman feat. Each focusing on a particular style of combat. None of these drew my eye, however. I was holding out to purchase inspiration. The lack of a description continued to be an annoyance, but the incredibly inflated cost was likely to reflect the feats usefulness. So far, the feats seemed to exist on a tier list, with higher tier feats costing more to unlock. At least, I hoped. Nothing gambled, nothing gained. Or lost. While I was wondering how I might gain the remaining four FP, I decided to go all in. I¡¯d spend the points I had now and hope for the best. I didn¡¯t get a single notification until I¡¯d put twenty points into the feat, and I was beginning to get nervous when suddenly a notification appeared. Congratulations! The inspiration you seek still lies outside your grasp. Despite this failure the journey of discovery has not been in vain. The fleeting glimpses of inspiration you have grasped have opened your mind to the connection between mind and body. +4 Intelligence. New feat(s) learned ¨C Mind Over Body ?. Mind Over Body ?- You have ignored the advancement of the body, focusing on pursuits of the mind. Despite this you have not shied away from battle. During a rare moment of inspiration, you understood that the body is only as strong as the mind that controls is. Physical limits can be broken, if the mind is strong enough. +20% of Intelligence will be added to all physical stats. This¡­ this was exactly what I needed. I could follow Talith¡¯s advice to ¡®specialize¡¯ without leaving any glaring weaknesses in my build. I would never be a tank, but perhaps a glass cannon made from slightly less fragile glass? The number of ¡®free¡¯ stat points was also staggering. If I continued to focus on Intelligence I would quickly surpass a ¡®well-rounded¡¯ build. I mentally opened my ¡®stats¡¯ feeling a warm glow as I examined them. Augustus Finn Class: N/A Level: 1 Health: 50 Stamina: 41 Mana: 82 Vitality: 14 Endurance: 12 Strength: 12 Agility:10 Reaction: 10 Intelligence: 24 Will: 8 Perception: 10 Focus: 5 P. Resist: 2 M. Resist: 2 My list of skills and feats was also starting to look rather robust, but I ignored it for the moment. I wondered how I would fare against most level one citizens? Surely this bumped me up at least a level or two in the ratings. I wouldn¡¯t know, however, until I had experienced the benefits of a class for myself. I immediately cast away any feelings of superiority. This felt powerful, but how would it really compare to those individuals brought up in the Hegemony and given the benefit of generations of meta-knowledge? I drifted to sleep, properly abashed but still with a smile on my face. Chapter Seven: Daybreak ¡°Humans?¡± Sebbit said. ¡°For the most part human society has been untouched, I wouldn¡¯t worry.¡± I stood in Sebbit¡¯s office, a small room with a metal desk and backless chair. He sat facing me, occasionally looking down at a tablet-like device, or getting the far-away look I had learned meant he was reading something on an invisible display, probably similar to my own status screen. Despite these distractions the Captain never had a lull in conversation. He had displayed an extraordinary ability to multitask. I briefly reflected on the fact that I could never know if such a talent was innate, or the result of a skill. Was there even a distinction anymore? ¡°Untouched?¡± I said, raising my eyebrow. I wasn¡¯t sure if he could interpret my body language, but whatever hi-tech gadgets he had translating for him would probably convey my message. ¡°Well, relatively. Any transmission capable of leaving the planet has been jammed, how do you think you were discovered to begin with? Your species might as well have been broadcasting your location for every merc, pirate and eldritch abomination in the galaxy.¡± ¡°So, what¡­,¡± I said. ¡°No radio, no Wi-Fi?¡± I thought our species might be doomed. ¡°It won¡¯t be that bad, many frequencies can¡¯t penetrate the ionosphere and with some adjustments you¡¯ll barely notice the difference. Your satellite communication system will have to be scraped, I¡¯m afraid. ¡°There is also the mater of the quarantine zones, like this one for instance.¡± He spread his arms out, the black nails on the end of his crimson fingers almost brushing against the white tile walls. ¡°Including this one, there are fifty-seven quarantine zones spread throughout the globe. Each one contains an unusually high level of eldritch energy. That energy is then contained and harvested to strengthen the system. ¡°Everything within fifty kilometers of a containment zone will have to be quarantined until we can stop leaks of eldritch energy and creatures, as well as ascertain the effects of the exposure on the locals.¡± He hesitated for a moment, taking a moment to make eye contact. It was a thing I noticed his species rarely did, and yet he was making a point to communicate in a way he believed would be more comfortable to me. ¡°There may be.. mutations. Evolutions, degradation in some cases. These will be rare, however. In this case it is the mental and long term effects that we are concerned with. The very things that are hardest for us to identify, often until it is too late.¡± ¡°And outside these containment zones, everything is what?¡± I asked. ¡°All hunky-dory? No monsters, or planet eating abominations?¡± ¡°Well, no. The energy is too widespread to be completely contained. There will be mutations of local flora and fauna, as well as dimensional... breaches. These are harder to contain, and quite frankly it is a challenge best left to the natives ¡°It will help them, you, to grow. It is best if Earth can defend itself. The Peacekeepers will not be here permanently, Mr. Finn.¡¯ ¡°How many are dead?¡± I asked. ¡°Worldwide? I¡¯m not sure,¡± he said. ¡°Roughly ten percent of the population is likely to be deceased within forty-eight hours of the initial event. These numbers are likely greater near the quarantine zones. In some cases, the entire population of said zones could be wiped out in a manner of days. ¡°The numbers will stabilize in the coming weeks, we could possible see worldwide numbers rise as high as fifteen percent. Unfortunate, but that is the reality. Famine could claim even more. I hope you can change your mind about leaving.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about the lives of a billion people, billions maybe¡± I screamed. ¡°Dead. And you call that ¡®untouched.¡¯ ¡°Relatively, yes.¡± He sat there, staring at me. I wanted to hit him, throw things. I couldn¡¯t even imagine the amount of death. Death that Sebbit, or at least the Hegemony, could have prevented. I gritted my teeth and didn¡¯t allow my emotions to control me. I would grieve later, once I had found those I cared about. Once we were all safe. Once I knew the true destruction.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I still want to go,¡± I said. ¡°I have friends out there, family. This might be a quarantine zone to you, it might just be a casualty report for you to send up the chain ¨C but to me it¡¯s my home.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± he said. ¡°You will be granted a standard load-out and provisions for three days. I¡¯ll have a scout escort you outside our perimeter, but that is all I can do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you.¡± I hated saying it, but I knew this was the best deal I was likely to get. For the first time really, I realized I was looking at an alien. Sebbit stood and reached out a hand the size of an oven-mitt. ¡°Good luck, Mr. Finn. Augustus,¡± he said as we shook hands. *** ¡°You¡¯re my escort?¡± I asked. The Kree¡¯mark shook her head in the affirmative and turned away. She appeared to be scanning the horizon, but she may have just been ignoring me. She was sapphire colored, much like Talith, but a darker hue and quite a bit shorter. She barely stood a head taller than me. She was also scaled, in stark contrast to every other member of her species I had interacted with since being rescued. She was beautiful, but in an abstract way that completely failed to inspire any physical attraction from me. She wore the same armor-plated jumpsuit as the rest of the peacekeepers, but both the suit and plates were solid black. Her armor was also much more minimalist and lightweight than that worn by Sebbit or Talith. On her back the scout had slung a foldable rifle, and she carried a collapsible baton on her belt. I was dressed similarly but my suit was grey, and I had opted to keep my leather jacket on over my jumpsuit. Mostly for practical reasons, it was easier to wear than to carry. On my hip was sheathed a short-sword, and on my back, I was carrying a bag with provisions and camping supplies. Hopefully, I wouldn¡¯t have to resort to uncooked lizards anytime soon. I had asked for a rifle but was denied point blank. ¡®Natives are prohibited from possessing Hegemony technology of the third tier or above with¡­ blah, blah.¡¯ No gun for me. ¡°I¡¯m Finn,¡± I said. I extended my hand, but she ignored it. ¡°We¡¯ll move fast,¡± the scout said. ¡°We can reach the exit to the cave in less than¡­ about forty-three minutes in your time.¡± She spoke in perfect English, slightly stilted but the pauses between words were nearly imperceptible. She was the first of her species I¡¯d heard speak without the translator. Her voice was not what I expected. Less human, though why I expected different I¡¯ll never know. Too much science fiction growing up. Her words were deep and husky, each word with a slight echo that created a buzzing harmony. I suspected that her species have more than one set of vocal cords. ¡°After that I¡¯ll take you as far as the river, a bridge there can take you into the city. You won¡¯t like what you find.¡± ¡°Why, what will I find?¡± I asked. ¡°Disappointment, beyond that I do not care.¡± Ignoring her apathy, I asked, ¡°How far to the river?¡± ¡°After we have exited the cave we will proceed west for approximately two hours and thirteen minutes, at my pace.¡± ¡°Approximately?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes.¡± And she was moving. Fast. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep up without my recent, across the board, increase to physical stats. Technically we were still in the dungeon, or at least an outer vestibule of it. Sebbit and his group had been assigned to guard a large cave that led to a chasm that led into the dungeon proper. That chasm was the same hole I had climbed out of half dead and with a serious bug problem. Sebbit had set up his base of operations in the cavern overlooking the chasm, and while the base was much less gloomy than the other parts of the dungeon I had seen, it was still dark and lacked sunlight. This would be the first time in nearly two weeks I had seen the sun, and I was looking forward to it. I struggled to keep up with the scout at first, but once I got into the rhythm it wasn¡¯t too bad. Her speed was too fast to be called a jog, but it wasn¡¯t a full out sprint either. I suspected she could have gone faster, but she was constantly stopping to scan the surroundings. Occasionally she would slow down as we approached a turn or obstruction. She spent almost a full minute watching a pile of boulders before we continued. I knew there was a method behind her actions, but they seemed random to me. Sometimes we would stop to stare at a pile of rocks, and another time we would run right past a similar formation. I had no accurate way of keeping time, but her prediction of forty-three minutes seemed roughly accurate. As we approached the exit to the cavern I could see golden rays of light drilling into the darkness leaving behind waves of geometric shapes of interwoven shadow and light. In my excitement I began to run. For the first time I pulled ahead of the scout, but she threw out her arm blocking my path. ¡°Quiet,¡± she said. She crouched down and waved with her hand to motion me to do the same. With the other hand she covered her lips with a single finger. It seemed a very human gesture. Perhaps the need to tell someone else to shut up was a universal constant. I crouched down beside her and watched the cave entrance. I couldn¡¯t see anything, but after a few moments I began to hear a rhythmic thumping sound. It was low but getting louder. I could feel my heart racing and my hands began to shake from the adrenaline. When I was captured by the BMS I was fighting for my life at every moment, the fact that I didn¡¯t panic was a miracle. Waiting for the unknown, however, was somehow much more terrifying. I froze up and my hands became sweaty. All I could feel or hear was my heart pumping, its rhythmic staccato drowning out my hearing. When a cloud of mastiff sized bats came rushing into the cave I froze. I might have been carried away had the scout not pushed me out of the way. She sent me tumbling headfirst into the cave wall, but other than my pride I was unharmed. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said between gasps. She just stood and continued running. Chapter Eight: New Growth It didn¡¯t take me long to find that the area we were in was completely unrecognizable. Buildings that should have been new looked like they had aged decades, and overgrowth buried entire neighborhoods. Even the landscape had shifted. The previously flat landscape common to my home state was filled with hills and valleys. Trees far too large for theshort amount of time they''d had to growdominated the landscape alongside unfamiliar bushes with blue-green berries. Thick green vines wrapped around the trees and structures. I had even seen one five story building that looked like it had been crushed inward by the force of the vines and other vegetation that had overtaken its rubble. Birds, too large and with exotic brightly colored plumage, filled the air. Squirrels, which should have been everywhere, were scarce and could only occasionally be seen fleeing larger predators. Things moving too fast to be clearly observed, but clearly dangerous. It was a new world. Still, I recognized some of the landmarks. Earlier we had passed an old strip mall with a Sub Shop and an ice cream parlor I had taken a few dates to. The buildings were open to the elements; earth and plant life had grown up around them, nearly consuming the structures. Roofs had caved in and wood had begun to rot giving the air a musty smell. This was still Charleston, just changed. The home that I remembered was lost to time with only fleeting remnants remaining. Another thing to mourn. It was just one more reason I couldn¡¯t trust Sebbit. I didn¡¯t believe he had lied to me, not intentionally. We simply had different perspectives. To him this was acceptable. An unavoidable loss, one that perhaps could have been much worse. To me it was the literal end of the world, the loss of everything I had ever known. The remnants of that world, decayed as they were, soothed me in a strange way. The world was gone, it couldn¡¯t be saved, but parts remained. Any part of that world was something that I could cling to. There was still hope that I could still save a small piece of it. The scout slowly led us westward. Her approach was just as careful as it had been in the cave. She would frequently stop, motioning me down with a single hand held out at chest height. At first, I was not sure why we were stopping, as it seemed to have no pattern. Despite this, her intense pace ensured we made good time. After travelling for nearly an hour I guessed that she was searching for hiding spots. Places where enemies could lie in wait for an ambush. I began to try to look for the same, try to guess what would cause my guide to call a halt. We had passed many places that I believed good spots, empty gas stations, particularly dense clusters of trees, or rock formations big enough to hide behind. Scout passed them all by without a second look. Either she didn¡¯t identify these spots as dangers, or she was somehow able to rule them out so quickly we didn¡¯t need to slow down. In fact, she seemed most nervous when entering open spaces. Our longest pause by far wasupon entering an open field of blue grass. Themeadow was long and narrow, with a thick growth of trees on one side and the collapsed ruin of an overpass on the other. Red and yellow flowers dotted the ground atop small hills. A sweet honey-like smell was carried on a gentle, cooling breeze permeatingthe air. The scout grabbed me by the shoulder and pushed me down while signaling for me to be quiet by putting her entire hand over my mouth. I gasped, but she only held tighter. After making eye contact with me for a moment the blue scaled scout seemed satisfied I wouldn''t freak out, and let me go.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. She pulled her rifle from the holster on her back with a practiced grace. The maneuver probably would have been impossible with human arms, the long slender arms of the female Kree¡¯mark were an obvious advantage. She swung the rifle up and with a click it unfolded as she placed the butt against her shoulder. It was all one smooth motion, and I was drawn tothe precision and grace of her movements were. Rather than pointing the gun forward, as I expected, the scout instead aimed straight up and began firing in short four-round bursts. She fired three bursts and an equal number of birds fell from the sky. I flinched and grabbed my ears, ringing from being so close to the gunfire. Each bird was as big as a poodle and had feathered backs and scaled leathery wings. Wicked talons and long scimitar like beaks made it obvious that these were birds of prey. Large muscular legs made them look as dangerous on the ground as they no doubt were in the air. My analyze skill identified the avians as volcarians, an eldritch monster indigenous to dungeons and containment zones. I had expected them to be native Earth species mutated from exposure to eldritch energy. No sooner had I began wondering why the scout had decided to start bird hunting than a thick vine burst from the ground at the center of the open field. It was massive, at least twenty-five meters long and thicker than a tree trunk. The vine wrapped around one of the downed birds and with a sickening crunch of bone began drawing it inward. A mouth, a half-sphere of thorns rotating like a woodchipper, appeared from what had previously been disguised as a small hill. The bird was tossed into the maw and immediately turned to paste. I pushed down the feeling of nausea and fear, trying to stay upright and keep my eyes on the danger. Two more vines grabbed the remaining birds and the creature ¡®ate¡¯ them as well. Afterwards the vines began to flail about smashing into the ground causing the earth to shake with sounds that could be heard from miles away. It took about ten minutes before the flailing stopped and the creature retreated underground. Divots could be seen on the ground from the plant-monster¡¯s flailing, but the field once more looked tranquil and inviting. If I had not just witnessed the carnage of a few moments prior I would have believed the field was as safe and peaceful as anywhere on Earth. Though, perhaps nowhere on Earth was safe anymore. ¡°It¡¯s safe now,¡± the scout said. She began to walk into the field. I reached out for her, but due to my shock she was moving before I could react. ¡°Woah, stop,¡± I yelled. ¡°What are you doing, that thing could come back at any moment.¡± ¡°I told you,¡± she made eye contact as she spoke. Her eyes were purple with slit pupils, like those of a cat. ¡°It is safe.¡± Once she was halfway through the field, not even bothering to go around the mound that had only minutes before been a razor-filled maw with three-foot spinning teeth, I began to follow. I gave the hill a wide berth, however. We traveled quickly after that, and what had once been the Ravenel Bridge came into view about an hour later. Despite the distance I could vaguely make out the road, now cracked and overgrown, that led up to the bridge. Cars had been stacked three high to construct a makeshift barrier. Soon we arrived at the remains of a park overlooking the bridge. The scout motioned me to stop. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead,¡± she said. ¡°My superiors want a report.¡± ¡°All right,¡± I said shaking my head. I trusted her judgement, she had kept me alive this long. She began walking away but turned back and looked at me. ¡°Take this,¡± she said. She tossed a small grey disc with a circular depression in the middle. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked after catching and briefly examining the device. ¡°It¡¯s a Com Mod, a communication device,¡± she told me. ¡°Press the button in the middle, speak and I¡¯ll hear you. Only. Use. It. For. Emergencies.¡± ¡°Sure, but what should I call you? Do you have a callsign, or a codename? Or¡­?¡± ¡°Catalya. Call me Catalya. But only in an emergency, alright? If you put me in danger because you get chatty, I will skin you. Remember that.¡± ¡°Alright, Catalya. I¡¯ll wait here.¡± For some reason, I believed her threat. Catalya slowly made her way towards the bridge before disappearing into the trees that had overtaken the surrounding area. I found a bench that had been spared the devastation and that was miraculously still visible through the overgrowth. It was old and made of solid cast iron, not too comfortable but I had been on my feet for entirely too long. On a plaque welded to the frame of the bench was a single sentence. ¡°In loving memory of John, devoted father and husband.¡± Nothing more, no last name or biography. The only thing he had left behind was the memory that someone had loved him. It was a fate I could envy. Chapter Nine: Sticks and Stones ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± I asked. Behind me Troy had muted the TV, something he never did when college football was on. He stood behind me and put his hand on my shoulder leaning around me to get a better view of the paper Liv had just sent me. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Swanson,¡± I read aloud. I paused to swat a fly that was buzzing around my ear. Looking up I saw the couple staring at me. I could see the Liv¡¯s excited face, biting her lower lip and propped up on her tiptoes, practically bouncing up and down. Troy had a pleased look on his face as well, but his was a more subdued grin, trying to hide his excitement. Troy had a habit of pushing his lips together and narrowing his eyes when he was trying to hide his emotions. He thought that his poker face was better than it really was, which is why I tended to win. I didn¡¯t need to keep reading, the couple¡¯s body language was practically screaming. I continued anyway. ¡°We are pleased to announce that your application has been approved¡­¡± I looked up at the couple. ¡°Guys, congratulations. This is great.¡± Liv literally bounced before throwing her arms around me. Troy gave me a quick bump on the shoulder before turning the game back on. Apparently, the commercials were finished. ¡°So, California,¡± I said. ¡°How much time do you guys have left?¡± ¡°We have to be there by next Monday, and it¡¯s a six-day drive¡± Liv said. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°Four,¡± Troy interjected. ¡°Six,¡± Liv said in a stern voice, looking at Troy with furrowed eyebrows. ¡°Shit,¡± I said. ¡°Fuck, I saw the moving truck outside, but I just thought...Well, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Good luck?¡± I added. ¡°We leave in the morning,¡± Liv said. ¡°Thanks for coming, it would have killed us if we didn¡¯t get to say goodbye. ¡°I know it¡¯s sudden, just with everything that happened¡­¡± ¡°I get it,¡± I said. ¡°You needed a change. Just, to get away from everything.¡± ¡°Yeah, after Je..,¡± Liv tried to say the name, I could see her fighting back tears. She frowned and squeezed her eyes closed. ¡°It¡¯s your fault, you know,¡± Troy said, turning to look at me. It wasn¡¯t Troy any longer. A swarm of flies obscured his face. I could hear them buzzing in my ears and feel them biting at my exposed flesh. Beneath the cloud of insects, replacing the face of my friend, I could make out two fiery eyes and a Cheshire grin of long and yellowed fangs. ¡°She¡¯s dead,¡± Not-Troy yelled. ¡°She¡¯s dead because of you.¡± I turned to see Liv, but she was blue and bloated. Her black hair was matted and beginning to fall out in clumps. In her arms she held a child, rocking it back and forth. ¡°It¡¯s your fault, Gus. It¡¯s you..¡± *** I gasped awake from the dream and fell to the ground screaming while holding my hands over my ears. Had I been asleep? I was almost certain I hadn¡¯t. Was I having the nightmares while I was awake now? That was a weakness I couldn¡¯t afford. My head felt like it had been split open, but I finally grew aware of how much of a commotion I was making. I sat up and moved back until my shoulders rested against the seat of the bench while I remained seated on the ground. My headache began to fade quickly as I rubbed my temples and leaned my head back against the cool metal of the bench. The memory was a recent one, it had happened just hours before the Hegemony and eldritch monsters had destroyed life as I knew it. God, Earth had literally been invaded by aliens. If only Spielberg¡¯s predictions had been a closer to reality. Despite having happened less than two weeks ago, I found that the memory itself was hazy. I couldn¡¯t remember the details of the real memory. Only the dream remained. I could feel the wrongness of the memory, I knew it didn¡¯t happen that way. I just couldn¡¯t conjure the real memories, as if they had been supplanted. Replaced. Perhaps this is what Sebbit had warned me about?The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. I shook my head and stood. This couldn¡¯t distract me now. I didn¡¯t have a solution, and I had no idea what the Peacekeepers would do if they found out I had lied. Dissect me or throw me in a hole and forget me, no doubt. It was better for me to focus on what I could do. A line of trees obstructed my view of the bridge. I got down on my belly and I crept forward, pushing a few branches aside to get a better view. Catalya had long disappeared, but I could faintly make out silhouettes atop the barricade of cars and scrap. Survivors. If someone was defending the city, it probably meant that the survivors had some form of organization. My mother would have been downtown when everything happened. Perhaps she was still alive. I might also be able to track down information about Liv and Troy. I shuddered at the memory of Troy¡¯s face, the twisted grin and burning eyes now a permanent part of my memories of him. I was trying to move forward to get a better view of the bridge, when I heard a snap behind me. Reacting on instinct I rolled to the side. A watermelon sized stone landed where my head had been with a loud thump. I jumped to my feet, but I was still unused to my new strength, so I overcompensated, stumbling as I came down. My mistake caused me to catch a small spear, less than a meter long and crudely carved from wood, in the shoulder. Vines wrapped around the shaft hallway down the spear and attached a stone spearhead to the tip. The spear had punctured my leather jacket but had been stopped by the armored grey jumpsuit that Sebbit had given me. The movement in my left arm and shoulder was restricted, however. I could already feel swelling and the shoulder joint clicked when I tried to move my arm. I activated my mana shield just as a small furry creature slammed into my midsection bowling me over. It began to rake at my shield with small vicious looking claws. It was basically humanoid in shape but with a canine snout and entirely covered with a thick coat of brown fur. The passive effects of my analyze skill gave me some basic information about the creature Nothing I could use, but at least I knew I was getting my ass kicked by a creature that was a higher level than me. Gnoll (Lesser). Skirmisher. Level 6. I launched the creature off me with a kick. Before it had hit the ground, I followed up with an arcane bolt and two arcane missiles. I never saw them strike, however, as I was immediately hit by another spear, this time in my left thigh. I had learned in my spars with Talith that my arcane shield would be down for a fraction of a second whenever I cast another spell. My greed to finish off the creature had cost me. I needed to be more cautious, fight smart. The spear had once again failed to penetrate my armored jumpsuit, but I could feel an injury nonetheless. My left leg burned in pain and it gave out as I tried to stand from my prone position. Back on the ground, I tried to roll to the side but two more of the furry creatures launched themselves upon me. My vision was filled with nothing but claws, fangs, and fur. My arcane shield was blocking the damage, but I knew if I used an offensive spell those claws would make it to my exposed neck and eyes. With my left hand I grasped the hilt of the short-sword on my hip and I rolled, drawing the sword out of the sheath as I did so. The creatures were too close for me to get any leverage with my blade, but I was able to club one of the creatures with the pommel of the sword. While the bashed gnoll was stunned I pushed it off me with the blade of my sword. Without the strength of a full swing the blade was unable to pierce fur and thick skin, but it did push the creature back. Another gnoll still clung to my back, scratching and biting at my arcane shield. My mana was slowly draining and was already below forty percent. I used my right leg, the only good one at this point, to push myself up. Standing I made an awkward lunge at the gnoll I had flung off me while the other continued to cling to my back. My lunge missed, and the gnoll used the opening to jump on my sword arm, causing me to drop the weapon. I swung my arms around wildly, and the gnoll lost purchase and was sent flying, striking the trunk of a tree. I was lucky. I still had the advantage of size but had there been more of them I would have been swarmed and quickly taken out. The remaining gnoll still clung to my back, but I solved the problem by bearing through the pain of my injured arm and palming the gnoll¡¯s face with my right hand. ¡°Venom Spray,¡± I yelled. I felt a wetness on my hand and looked down to find the creature lying on the ground, his face completely vaporized. The first of the three creatures lay several feet away, its body twisted and broken. Looking around to find the gnoll I had thrown against the tree I was met with the translucent status screen of the system. Congratulations! 3,000 XP gained! ¡­Calculating Low Level Bonus. XP total...4,500. Congratulations! You have leveled up. Congratulations! You have leveled up. You have four (4) unallocated stats remaining. Checking my status, I confirmed that I was now level three, though I had no increases to my stats. Either the only advantage of leveling was the paltry number unallocated stats, or I was missing the benefits of a class. I should probably choose a class before I gained too many more levels, or I may be seriously gimping myself later. Talith had refused to give me any guidance on the matter, other than her speech on specialization. Apparently, it was a taboo for an instructor to dictate the class of a student. I briefly considered saving my stat gains for later, when I could give the matter more thought. I decided against this, however, I needed every tool I had to survive right now. Intelligence was still my most efficient stat, due to it also improving my physical stats. I increased my intelligence by four points, to a total of twenty-eight, which increased all my physical stats by a single additional point as well. In essence, I had doubled my stat points, gaining eight stat increases in total. After searching around the trees, I eventually found the body of the final gnoll. Its neck was snapped, but it had still managed to crawl for quite a distance before dying. I gathered the bodies together, and after a quick search I found nothing useful. Should I burn the bodies? Bury them? Burning would attract to much attention, and I didn¡¯t have the tools to dig graves. I did the best I could by dragging the bodies out of sight and covering them with dirt and rocks. I was still sitting with my legs crossed, staring at the hastily made cairns, when I heard a familiar voice behind me. ¡°If I was an enemy you¡¯d be dead,¡± I felt the side of a baton slide against my throat. I grunted and pushed her away, not in the mood to play her games. I knew she was stronger than me, but she let me go without a struggle. ¡°I see you were busy,¡± she said. Her scaled hand was pointing towards the cairns where I had buried the gnolls. Now she wants to talk. ¡°I took care of it,¡± I said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter Ten: Of Class and Men ¡°So, you¡¯re coming with me now?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been ordered to make contact with the natives,¡± Catalya said. ¡°My mission to escort you ends as soon as I deliver you to the bridge.¡± ¡°Sure, makes sense.¡± I stopped walking and looked at her. ¡°Humans are known for their trust of outsiders. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have no trouble fitting in.¡± She stood there for a moment, eyes half lidded. I wasn¡¯t sure if my attempt at sarcasm had gone over her head. ¡°That¡­ so what do you propose?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve helped me out, I doubt I¡¯d have made it this far on my own. Not alive anyway. I¡¯d probably be plant food if not for you.¡± ¡°So, an alliance? You help me in return for me helping you?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s just call it friends helping friends, shall we?¡± I said putting on my best smile and holding my hands out wide. ¡°What do you say?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say we¡¯re not friends.¡± She stared at me for a moment to let her words sink in. ¡°Your proposal, however, is not entirely without merit. I will continue to protect you, and in exchange you will put me in touch with the leaders of the human settlement.¡± She began walking once more, taking us behind the ruins of the college baseball stadium. The field had been overgrown with grass, vines, and flowers of all hues, and yet homeplate was still clearly visible. The stands had mostly collapsed, but an occasional glimpse of aluminum could still be seen through the earth and weeds. ¡°Charleston.¡± ¡°Wha...,¡± Catalya began. ¡°I mean the ¡®human settlement¡¯ is called Charleston. It¡¯s my home.¡± ¡°Your home is important to you,¡± she said. Catalya stopped walking and turned to look at me. ¡°My home, too, is important. I hope to see it once again before I die.¡± I wasn¡¯t an expert at alien facial clues, but she seemed lost in thought and perhaps melancholy. Her head was held slightly to the side, and she briefly closed her eyes. It was remarkable how human-like she could appear at times. Even with the blue scales and slit pupils. ¡°Die? You can¡¯t be that old¡­¡± ¡°Do not patronize me little monkey,¡± she snapped. ¡°I will not be made a mockery of because of my scales. I am a woman, and a warrior of my people. Not a... a child.¡± She smiled in a way that exposed two rows of pointed teeth. ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I stammered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to, well do whatever it is I did. Whatever your age, you¡¯re twice as capable as I am. I just meant it seems a little premature to be talking about death is all.¡± She sighed and waited a few moments before answering. ¡°I, too, apologize, Mr. Finn. The subject of my perceived age is a sore subject, one I hope you will forget we ever crossed.¡± The seven-foot warrior stared down at me for several seconds before I realized she was waiting for a response. ¡°Right, of course,¡± I said. ¡°We never talked about it. Also, it¡¯s just Finn, no Mr. Finn. Just Finn.¡± ¡°Alright, Finn. Shall we continue then? It¡¯s a long walk and we should try to arrive before the sun sets.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± I said smiling wide. I was trying my best to channel my inner used car salesman. ¡°So how about we talk about something else?¡± ¡°If you are going to ask about my home, then the answer is no. Mr. Finn. We should keep moving, silently.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not that,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯d love to hear stories of your home. I mean we''re talking about an alien planet. But no, what I wanted to ask you about was classes.¡± ¡°Classes? There isn¡¯t much I can tell you about classes that you don¡¯t already know.¡± ¡°I just need to know how I get one. I mean I¡¯ve tried selecting classes in the status screen, and I remember seeing a notification saying I qualified for a class, just not how to actually get one.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°When you entered the dungeon?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Acquiring a class at a dungeon is the most popular way. You choose from one of seven standard classes, each well researched with clearly outlined and explored progression trees. This knowledge makes these classes extremely powerful for those with the proper knowledge, but the weaknesses and abilities of these classes are also well known and documented. ¡°Entire fields of research are dedicated to the optimal progression of well-known classes. Some of the highest-level data is restricted and known only to a few of the most ancient and powerful families.¡± It¡¯s good to know elitism still existed, I thought. Maybe humans and aliens weren¡¯t so different. ¡°¡­ and I didn¡¯t get one because?¡± ¡°The dungeons are still under quarantine, until that is lifted all access is restricted to natives. You shouldn¡¯t have been able to enter at all, but the system restrictions still prevented you from obtaining a class. It is an anomaly, and a troubling one.¡± ¡°I see. You said, ¡®most popular way.¡¯ What are the other ways?¡± ¡°Well, you could join the Peacekeepers, or another one of the Hegemony controlled organizations or Orders. We get access to unique training, skills and even classes. The privilege of service.¡± She glanced at me. "Though, I hardly believe you''d qualify." ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll hold out on that one, for now,¡± I said. ¡°And the other ways?¡± ¡°Those are typically the only ways, Finn. Some achievements or high-level feats will grant classes, but such rewards are generally only obtained at extremely high levels and even then, only with luck.¡± ¡°How high level are we talking about?¡± I asked. ¡°Well I¡¯ve heard about legendary ranked feats giving classes, maybe rare feats could, as well. Classes sometimes merge creating new ones, but that¡¯s about it. Almost it, anyways.¡± ¡°Almost?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, yes,¡± She paused, even stopped walking. ¡°There is class crafting, but it is extremely unlikely to work. You¡¯re much more likely to be stuck with a sub-par class that will hinder you for your entire career, and at the expense of your best feats and skills.¡± ¡°Explain, please.¡± ¡°Well, by sacrificing four abilities, two feats and two skills, you can create a unique class based around those abilities. The trade almost never results in a class worth the sacrifice, however. Generally, the higher the level of the abilities, and the more closely the they are related, the better the class.¡± ¡°No one creates classes this way?¡± I asked. ¡°Oh, well yes. Again, the ancient families all do this. The skills and feats involved are all secret, as are the ways of acquiring them.¡± ¡°In theory, if I wanted to try, how would I go about it?¡± I continued walking, forcing her to keep up with me for a change. ¡°It¡¯s called Soul Forging, and you should have access to a manual through your status screen. Now, let¡¯s keep moving. Quietly.¡± We continued moving towards the bridge. It would have taken no more than an hour to arrive, even at a careful pace, but Catalya insisted on using a route that circled around and brought us through trees and behind cover. This snaking path kept us safe, but it was nearly dusk when we arrived. The current growth of trees we were traveling through ended in a line roughly one-hundred meters from the barricade blocking access to the bridge. Seven men and three women stood atop the encampment, all armed with rifles and an eclectic variety of melee weapons. I saw a woman holding a club almost as large as herself. One of the men, a man with a red mohawk and a bushy beard had two swords strapped to his back like a low rent Witcher. The rest carried a collection of spears, longswords, and axes. Most were probably looted from monsters, but the axe was clearly a fire axe from before the system. ¡°It¡¯s probably better if I go alone and introduce you later after they know we aren¡¯t a threat,¡± I said. ¡°Acceptable,¡± Catalya said. I put my hands up and slowly made my way out of the trees and towards the bridge. It didn¡¯t take long before I was spotted, and soon I had ten rifles, all trained on me. I stopped. ¡°Hello,¡± I yelled. ¡°Can we speak? May I approach?¡± The large man with the red mohawk and two swords held his hand up as a signal to the others. They all seemed to relax but didn¡¯t take their guns off me for a moment. ¡°Who are you?¡± The man yelled. ¡°My name is Gus Finn. I¡¯m from here. My family lives in there.¡± I pointed towards the peninsula on the other side of the bridge. ¡°And you¡¯ve survived out there for two weeks, alone?¡± His voice got higher in pitch as he completed his question. It was obvious that he didn¡¯t trust that anyone could survive the wilds. I wondered what had happened in that time. It must have been terrible and was obviously traumatic. I tried not to think about everything they must have had to do to survive. ¡°I haven¡¯t been entirely alone, no.¡± I said. ¡°Can I come closer, so we can talk about it?¡± He lowered his rifle slightly and turned to talk to one of the men next to him. I couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying but it was obvious that they didn¡¯t agree with each other. ¡°Alright,¡± Mohawk sad. He frowned and turned to look at the man next to him before continuing. ¡°Slowly. And keep your hands where we can see them.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m coming over now.¡± I considered taking my sword off, but they hadn¡¯t told me to and I didn¡¯t want to get shot for doing something unexpected. I suspected that my jumpsuit was bulletproof. It would still hurt to get shot, however, and my head definitely wasn¡¯t bulletproof. If I increase my physical stats enough, would I be able to shrug off bullets? I wasn¡¯t sure, but I wasn¡¯t ready to test it yet. As I got closer Mohawk climbed down and approached me alone. He had slung his rifle over his shoulder, but I still had nine more trained on me. If anything, it guaranteed I stayed polite. ¡°We¡¯re gonna need your weapon,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll get it back later, once you¡¯ve been cleared.¡± I unstrapped the belt holding my sheathed sword and I threw it towards him, belt, sheath, and all. He caught it easily with one hand. ¡°All right,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Welcome to New Chucktown.¡± Chapter Eleven: All Aboard The survivors had taken over the port. Shipping containers and cars had been stacked to reinforce the existing fence, giving it the feel of a fortress. It was already dark as we arrived, and spotlights quickly fixed on to our position. Seemed we were expected, or perhaps nightly attacks were common. Mohawk, who had introduced himself as Sam Worthington, had marched between Catayla and I to the outskirts of the makeshift fort. Three of his men marched close behind us, while the rest of the guards had stayed at the bridge. I noted that the three following us all carried their guns at the ready, barrels down but obviously pointed in Catayla¡¯s direction. All three sets of eyes never left her. Sam was the only one who seemed unfazed by the incredibly tall blue-scaled alien. Catayla had been reluctant to give up her rifle but had relented after using her communication disk to contact her superiors. It seemed a little odd to me. I didn¡¯t have any experience with the military, other than my dad¡¯s old stories. Still, I knew they never put one of their own at risk, unless it was critical to the mission. The Peacekeepers could have stormed through any barricade the survivors had put up. I would have at least expected them to send an envoy. Trained diplomats, maybe. Catayla had a different mission beyond just ¡®making contact with the natives.¡¯ I just wasn¡¯t sure what it was. What I did know was that the mission would come first, even if it went against what was good for what remained of Charleston. Looking over at her I didn¡¯t see any obvious signs of tension. Her shoulders were relaxed, and she held her arms loosely down at her side, barely moving them as she walked. She looked straight ahead, I had become so accustomed to her constant scanning that it caught me off guard to see her so relaxed. I had tried to use analyze on her during our journey, prior to reaching the bridge, but it had failed. I had the same experience with Sam and the rest of his guards. At first, I had thought just Peacekeepers were immune, but it seemed the protection extended to ¡®citizens,¡¯ as well. Or perhaps it only worked on monsters. Same thing in the end. The rest of downtown had been abandoned. Too many threats, not enough people to hold it, or so I¡¯d been told. Only a few outposts had been established outside the port, they acted as spotters and as a base of operations for scouting parties. We stood just outside a makeshift gate the survivors had made from an old chain link fence, with car doors added for reinforcement. Car tires had been attached to the bottom, no doubt so it could be rolled open. ¡°So, Sam,¡± I said. ¡°Call me Worthy,¡± Sam said. His voice was deep and clear. It projected through the empty space outside the gate, drawing everyone¡¯s eyes. A skill maybe? Or perhaps he had spent some time in the theater? ¡°All right, Worthy. Anything you can tell me about who¡¯s in charge?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon, Finn,¡± he said. ¡°Boss man¡¯s not the type to keep you waiting.¡± He turned to look at Catayla, ¡°specially not with such an interesting traveling companion.¡± Catayla turned her head slightly but gave no indication that she was worried. Myself, the grin Sam had as he described Catayla as ¡®interesting¡¯ unnerved me. It was the smile of a predator. Wide and with lots of teeth, without ever touching his eyes. ¡°All right,¡± I said. ¡°So how about telling me how much longer we have to stand out here.¡± ¡°Radios don¡¯t work,¡± Sam said. ¡°A runner will be down shortly. Just a little patience goes a long way.¡± He rolled the ¡®l¡¯ in ¡®long¡¯ drawing out the word. We waited for several minutes, and I began to hear orders being yelled from the top of the gate. I could see movement as well, but it was too dark to make out details.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. A thought I had been repressing suddenly hit me, and I could no longer ignore asking. ¡°How many?¡± I said. I looked towards Sam. ¡°How many people survived?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got a few thousand inside,¡± Sam said. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say how many survived outside of that. We hardly see any survivors, these days. We¡¯d get a trickle the first few days, but now..¡± Sam¡¯s words drifted off and he lowered his eyes. ¡°Heard the Navy base up in Goose Creek has survivors. Just rumors, though. No one has made it through this far.¡± ¡°What about the Air Force base?¡± I said. ¡°They¡¯re closer, and if I remember bigger than the weapons station in Goose Creek.¡± ¡°Gone,¡± Sam said. ¡°Completely wiped out, first day. We¡¯ve got some of them here, a couple of the top brass as well.¡± One of the men behind me spoke, ¡°Guns don¡¯t do shit to some of the things out here.¡± ¡°True,¡± Sam said. ¡°Skin¡¯s too thick, or they heal too fast. Some of the things out there don¡¯t even have bodies you can hurt, just shadow or even liquid. ¡°Hell, we fought of a pack last week. I shit you not, ooze monsters. Just slithering piles of goo. Bullets, blades, anything, just went right through. Ate through just about anything they touched, too.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you stop them,¡± I asked. ¡°Fire hurt ¡®em,¡± Sam said. ¡°That and we¡¯ve got a few mage types that had a few tricks.¡± ¡°Shit, that¡¯s¡­¡± I began but was cut off as the gate began to slide open. The gate stopped opening after making enough room for a single person to walk through. The woman who walked through was tall and wore a white blouse and a pair of blue jeans. Her hair was put-up in a bun, with loose trails of blonde hair flowing down her neck and shoulders. Her glasses gave her a bit of a librarian look, but it was offset by the pair of knives strapped to her waist and the bandolier that looped around her waist and shoulders. ¡°Worthy,¡± She called out. ¡°What have you got here?¡± ¡°Survivor m¡¯am,¡± Sam said. ¡°Had this one with him.¡± He pointed to Catayla with the thumb of his right hand. ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡± I began. ¡°Please,¡± the woman said. ¡°We¡¯ll get to you in a moment. Just let me confer with my associate for a moment.¡± The woman and Sam stepped back through the gate, leaving Catayla and I with our three guards. Two more stepped out to join them, keeping us surrounded. ¡°Well,¡± I said. ¡°Any of you see any good movies lately?¡± I didn¡¯t get any reaction at all. They just stood there watching Catayla and I. Probably more her than me. After several minutes the woman with the blonde bun returned, this time with another man. Sam must have still been inside. ¡°Alright, you can come with us,¡± She said. ¡°My name is Patricia Sterling. Folks around here call me Pat.¡± She turned to point to the man at her side. "This is Sergeant Tiller, he¡¯ll be accompanying us to see the boss. Try to be on your best behavior.¡± She smiled sweetly before turning on her heel and walking back through the open gap in the gate. Sergeant Tiller was a tall skinny black man. He looked more like a pencil pusher than a soldier. He didn¡¯t wear any identifying uniform, just a pair of khakis with and a blue button-up shirt. On his hip he wore a thick leather belt and holster, it rode low on his hip just like in the old cowboy movies. His gun was an old six-shooter with an ivory handle and nickel plating. Tiller gave us a look before putting his arm out at an angle, letting us know to go ahead. As we followed the blonde woman in, Tiller and the rest of the guards were close behind. It was dark inside, there were no windows with lights or streetlamps to illuminate the way. Someone, however, had strung white Christmas lights up between the buildings. It created a kind of path for us to follow. Existing structures had been built onto with bits of metal and plywood. Shipping containers, too, had been converted into homes. I could make out a few campfires and tents in the distance, and the smell of grilled meat mixed with smoke and excrement reached my nostrils. Eventually we came to a ramp leading up to a cruise liner. ¡°This way,¡± Pat said. ¡°The boss will meet us in the dining hall.¡± The interior was gaudy, decorated to appeal to those that had never seen real luxury. The floor was fake white marble tile, the chandeliers were massive structures made of glass, and everything was coated in a thin layer of cheap gold paint. The walls were decorated with tile murals depicting flowers, landscapes or swirling geometric shapes. Pat led us up the spiral staircase to the third level of the ship and led us through a set of double doors that had been left open. The interior of the dining room was slightly more subdued. The walls were wood paneled and contained prints of famous paintings in expensive frames. The floor was covered in a thin red carpet. As I walked in I noticed a bar to my left, made of a dark brown wood and staffed by a short bald man in a grey vest and black tie. Only a single table remained, small and round and placed at the center of the room. Around it were three chairs. Sitting in one was a man with grey hair and a weathered face. He was probably sixty, but he wore his age well. His shoulders were still firm, and he didn¡¯t have any flab around his belly. His forearms, exposed by his rolled-up shirt, were hairy and covered in corded muscle and deep scars. ¡°Hello,¡± the man beamed. ¡°I¡¯m Captain Smith. This here is the Gilded Lady. Welcome to my ship.¡± He stood and walked towards Catayla and I and offered his hand. ¡°Thanks for the welcome,¡± I said while shaking his hand. Soon he turned to Catayla, who also took his hand. Her own making even Captain Smith¡¯s hands look small. ¡°Well,¡± the large man said as he sunk back into his chair. ¡°Gus, Catayla, please take a seat. We¡¯ve got some business to discuss.¡± Chapter Twelve: Shore Leave ¡°Before we start,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m hoping you can help me find some people.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Captain Smith said. ¡°Give their names to Pat here once we¡¯re done, she¡¯ll be happy to check them against our records and put out the word. See if anyone has heard anything. Won¡¯t you Pat?¡± ¡°Of course, Sir,¡± She said. ¡°Not an issue.¡± ¡°First thing most folks want to know,¡± the captain continued. ¡°We even started up a bit of a census, tried to get a count and the names of everyone in the camp. Tiller here is working on a program, trying to catalogue skill and feats. It¡¯s very promising.¡± Sergeant Tiller nodded his head but didn¡¯t say anymore. ¡°Now, back to why you¡¯re here,¡± the captain said. The captain¡¯s chair groaned as he sat back. He looked over at Catayla and steepled his fingers in front of his mouth. ¡°You were sent here, yes?¡± Catayla stepped forward, clasping her hands in front of her before giving a small bow. ¡°My mission was to escort Finn as far the bridge. En route I was given additional orders to contact the residents of Charleston, and to assess the situation here.¡± ¡°Assess?¡± Pat raised an eyebrow. Sher raised her shoulders and placed a hand on one of her knives. ¡°Let¡¯s not jump to conclusions, now Pat,¡± said Captain Smith. ¡°To what end were you tasked with making contact?¡± ¡°I am part of a force of Peacekeepers assigned the duty of containing and destroying eldritch lifeforms, and to enforce the quarantine zone. The Peacekeepers wish to discuss the requirements of that quarantine, and to offer some assistance in return.¡± "Eldritch Lifeforms?" The captain asked. "You mean all these monsters running around?" Catayla nodded. "Yes, we can provide some assistance against them." ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Said the captain. ¡°What kind of assistance are we talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not qualified to negotiate or to make any promises. Material aid, mostly. Equipment, maybe even some training. My only role, however, is only to make initial contact, and to facilitate the invitation of a representative.¡± ¡°All right,¡± the captain said. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss the timing and size of such an envoy. Not right now though. I need to discuss this with my advisors. Pat?¡± ¡°If you¡¯ll come with me,¡± Pat said. ¡°Rooms have already been prepared for you.¡± After we left the dining room Pat gave me a pen and a sheet of paper and asked me to write down the names of the people I was looking for. I quickly jotted down a note and passed it back. She took the paper and glanced at it before handing it off to one of her men. Without another word to me the blonde woman looked over at Catayla and extended her arm, pointing forward. ¡°If you¡¯ll come with me,¡± she said. Catayla and I followed, but we were split up at the stairs. I considered insisting I stay with Catayla, but after hesitating for a moment I realized that I didn¡¯t have a good reason to object. Did I expect we would share a room? Since the scout went along with it I decided not to protest. Pat escorted Catayla to a room on a higher floor, while a guard led me down an access hatch and through a dark narrow hallway. After less than a minute of walking we reached a door and the guard grunted as he pushed it open. I walked in, closing the door behind me, and taking note of the fact that the guard was still outside. The room was small, no more than two meters wide and three long. It had low slanted ceilings that tilted downward toward the back of the room. The walls were smoke gray, and a small cot was unfolded against the far wall taking up half the space of the room. With the cot unfolded the door to the small cabin couldn¡¯t open all the way. A sliding door led to a bathroom with almost enough room for me to sit down without my knees touching the sink. Not the Ritz, but it would do I thought. For now. My mind was restless, so I decided to amuse myself by levitating objects with my mage hand skill. I feared what sleep might bring, so I resisted it. With my increased physical stats, I could probably pull an all-nighter ¨C I¡¯d done it plenty of times before the system. I found a towel and began practicing folding and unfolding it using only the mage hand spell. The difficulty gradually lessened and after an hour I had leveled the skill to its third level. The single FP I gained reminding me of the need to learn new skills. I was so close to completing inspiration, and I found myself anxious to see the results.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I had a gut feeling that inspiration could help me with whatever was corrupting my mind. It could just be wishful thinking, but I didn¡¯t have anything else to go on. What I needed was a place where I could witness others practicing skills ¨C even better if I could convince them to use those skills against me. The apocalypse may have been turning me into a masochist. I continued to practice mage hand, the rhythmic sound of cotton folding and unfolding was calming and the repetitive actions had a meditative quality to them. I let my mind drift off and the process became automatic. I soon lost track of how many times I folded the towel but sometime during the night I was rewarded with a status message. Congratulations! The skill Mage Hand ? has increased in level (4/10). The message startled me. Why was I doing this? I was blindly chasing inspiration, hoping for a deus ex machina, but while doing so I was allowing my mind to be corrupted. I had to continue to find ways not only to stop the damage but to identify the memories already corrupted. I was being stupid, it had to stop. It was possible that small changes had been made that I was completely unaware of. I sat down on my small cot, my legs resting on the floor and my back resting against the bulkhead. I focused on my memories and closed my eyes. Time to begin. *** A light rap on the door woke me. At some point I had fallen asleep, still sitting on the bed with my back against the wall. ¡°Who is it?¡± I protested. ¡°It¡¯s Tiller,¡± A voice said from outside my door. ¡°We met last night, may I come in?¡± I made him wait for me as I splashed some water on my face and struggled back into my jumpsuit. The floor was cold, and the water never got above room temperature. Not ideal, but it woke me up. I opened the door and walked out of the cramped room. I wasn¡¯t surprised to find a guard, dressed in camo pants, and reeking of body odor, standing outside my door. ¡°Maybe we could do this out somewhere else?¡± I said. ¡°Not a lot of room in there, or out here,¡± I looked toward the guard with a slight frown. He didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°Besides, my legs could use a stretch.¡± ¡°Actually, that¡¯s perfect¡± Tiller said. ¡°Would you mind going to my office? I was hoping we could speak about something.¡± ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind. Think you could answer a few questions as well?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°What did you want to know?¡± ¡°Last night, Smith said you¡¯ve been recording skills? Would it be possible to take a look?¡± ¡°It might be possible,¡± his smile was a shade of white generally only seen in Hollywood or toothpaste commercials. ¡°It¡¯s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Anything in particular you¡¯re looking for?¡± ¡°Lucid dreaming,¡± I said. ¡°Hypnotism, meditation or anything to do with attacking or defending the mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what, if you¡¯re willing to give me a breakdown of your skills and feats, how you got them, what they do, general thoughts based on your experience with them¡­ I could let you take a look at what I¡¯ve collected already.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± I said. ¡°Have you collected any info on classes?¡± ¡°Not a bit,¡± Tiller¡¯s shoulders sagged slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve got any ideas?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve learned a few things, but nothing useful in the short term.¡± Before we left I asked the guard to let Pat know that I would be with Tiller, in case she had any success tracking down any of the people on my list. He didn¡¯t seem pleased, but he accepted with a curt nod. Tiller led me through the passageways of the ship. We chatted as we walked. Mostly about skills and Tiller¡¯s theories on how they functioned. I found myself liking Tiller. His casual enthusiasm about everything seemed in stark contrast to reality, but I found it a welcome reprieve from all the doom and gloom. The constant seriousness of everyone around me had started to wear on me. Tiller¡¯s ¡®office¡¯ was located on shore at the old Port Authority building. I noticed that none of the guards gave me any trouble as we left the ship, something I was sure wouldn¡¯t have happened if I was alone. Tiller seemed to hold a high position with the survivors, I just wasn¡¯t sure what it was yet. The office itself had a single long table stacked with books and various materials. Tiller had collected a wide range of weapons and armor, all stacked neatly on the table. Bookshelves were built into the walls, but the shelves now mostly held vials of brightly colored liquids. One disturbing shelf seemed to hold pieces of monsters, or at least I hoped they were monsters. Eyes floated in a jar, teeth and scales were laid out neatly in a row next to a massive horn heavy enough that it would have snapped the neck of a bull. ¡°This is it,¡± Tiller said, pulling a large leather-bound book from one of the shelves. ¡°The result of my research since the system took over. It has every skill we¡¯ve learned about, and notes about how they work and interact with other skills. I¡¯ve also included observations about the new fauna and flora and some of the gear we¡¯ve collected.¡± ¡°You some kind of military scientist, Tiller?¡± I asked. ¡°What no, yeah, I was military,¡± Tiller said. ¡°I¡¯m an Air Force imaging tech. I take x-rays. Or at least I did, most of that equipment doesn¡¯t work anymore.¡± ¡°This,¡± Tiller waved his hand around indicating his collection. ¡°This is more like a hobby, just one the boss has taken an interest in, is all.¡± ¡°Mind if I take a look?¡± I asked while picking up the book. ¡°No, go ahead.¡± As I read through the book I told tiller what I knew about skills and classes. He was fascinated by Talith¡¯s theories on specialization and how they related to skills and classes. I briefly went over my own skills with him, as well. I held back on some of the details, my own paranoia creeping up on me again. Tiller spent the whole time rotating between asking me quesions and furiously writing in a spiral notebook. ¡°This,¡± I suddenly said, interrupting Tiller in the middle of one of his questions. ¡°Who has this?¡± Tiller took the book from me and looked at the description before frowning. ¡°That might be a little tricky,¡± he said. ¡°She values her privacy, and I doubt she¡¯d want visitors demanding she show off her skills.¡± ¡°This is important, Tiller. Life or death, literally.¡± ¡°Look,¡± he said. ¡°I can talk to her, but you¡¯re going to have to give me a day or two.¡± I reluctantly agreed, before starting to look through the book again. Tiller asked me a few more questions, but his inquiries seemed to be slowing down. ¡°How about this one?¡± I said. Tiller leaned in and read the description, smiling. ¡°That one I can do. Come on, I¡¯ll take you over to meet my uncle. We¡¯ve been at this for a while and he¡¯ll be looking for me around lunch time, anyway.¡± ¡°Sounds perfect,¡± I said with a grin. Chapter Thirteen: Words of Blessing In front of me sat a plate of steamed vegetables and rice on flat bread. A carafe of sweet tea, unfortunately with no ice, had been placed in the center of the table. Upside down paper cups were stacked neatly beside it. Frankly, it was the best thing I¡¯d seen in weeks. Even before everything had changed, my diet tended to come out of a microwave, or a fast-food drive through. ¡°This is great,¡± I said. ¡°Thank you so much for having me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite welcome,¡± Said Tiller¡¯s uncle. Tiller had introduced his uncle to me as Pastor Belk, a minister at St. Matthew¡¯s Lutheran Church, or at least he was before the events of Eldritch Night. It was the first time I¡¯d heard the term, but apparently it was commonly used among the survivors of Charleston, though the term was generally only spoken in hushed tones. No one used the ¡®A¡¯ word. Apocalypse or Rapture had become taboo. I guess the connotations were too final. If you admitted the world had ended, then what was left to do but wait? I wondered if it was the end Father Belk had imagined when he gave his sermons. Sitting next to me on my right was Tiller, and I was seated across from Pastor Belk. To my left was a young girl with a blue dress and two puffy, gravity defying ponytails. When I caught her staring she turned away, hiding her face. ¡°This is my sister,¡± Tiller said. ¡°Tish, say hello to our guest, Mr. Finn.¡± ¡°Hi,¡± she said with a small wave, still not meeting my eyes. ¡°Hello, Tish,¡± I said. ¡°I wondered who was keeping Tiller here in line. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± she said hesitantly. ¡°Is it true you¡¯re a monster hunter, and you travel with a blue demon? My friend Mike said¡­¡± The words were a torrent, flowing together until they were almost unintelligible. ¡°Calm down, sweetheart,¡± Pastor Belk said. ¡°Let¡¯s say grace first. We can talk over our meal, okay? You don¡¯t object, do you?¡± The pastor turned towards me awaiting an answer. ¡°Uh, no,¡± I said. ¡°It sounds nice.¡± Pastor Belk had us all briefly hold hands as he said grace over our meal. The simple prayer gave the meeting a sense of normalcy. I cherished that feeling, fleeting though it was. ¡°Please, eat,¡± Said Father Belk. ¡°Thank you, again,¡± I said. ¡°Really.¡± The food was delicious, the vegetables crisp and fresh and the bread flaky and warm. The tea was room temperature and overly sweet, and it was exactly what I needed. It made me think of home. ¡°Pastor Belk...¡± I said. ¡°James is fine,¡± he said. ¡°Alright, James,¡± I continued. ¡°You don¡¯t know a woman named Margaret Finn, by any chance? She goes by Maggie. She¡¯s not Lutheran, but my mother probably would have sought out a priest if she were here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know her,¡± The pastor said. ¡°I¡¯m not the only minister that survived, however. I wouldn¡¯t give up hope. Is that why Jonathan brought you to me?¡± ¡°Who is¡­¡± I started before realizing he meant Sergeant Tiller. ¡°Right, Tiller. No, but it is the thing that is on my mind the most. Thank you, anyway.¡± ¡°Uncle Jim,¡± Tiller said. ¡°I was hoping you could show Finn here the skill we talked about, the one from last week.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still not comfortable with all this,¡± Pastor Belk said while shaking his head. ¡°This skill¡­ business.¡± He spat the word ¡®skill¡¯ pausing after the word with a frown on his face. ¡°It still seems like sorcery, witchcraft, and the act of receiving power from any source outside of God doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡± ¡°Pastor Belk,¡± I said. ¡°James. There are real demons out there. I have seen them. I¡¯ve fought them. Whatever this system is, whatever its source of power, I do know one thing. It can help us fight those things that are truly evil. It may be the only way to stay alive. ¡°I¡¯m trying to fight one of those demons now, one that may literally be targeting my soul. Your skill might give me what I need to defeat it.¡± ¡°God will be our Shepperd,¡± Pastor Belk said. ¡°But he gives as much as he takes.¡± The pastor sat here for a minute, looking at his food before he looked up and spoke. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll show you, but just you. I won¡¯t have it affecting my family.¡± ¡°Good. Thank you,¡± I said. ¡°Where can we go?¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°We have a small room over at the Port Authority. It¡¯s used for prayer meetings and counselling. It should be empty right now. Let¡¯s finish our food first, though?¡± ¡°No complaints here,¡± I said. *** You have been blessed! This status effect will increase your resistance to all negative ailments and effects. If a citizen is already under the effects of an ailment, being blessed will reduce the effects and duration of said ailment. Additionally, a priest can use Bless ? to drive out evil spirits, curses, and corrupting forces. The blessing itself had been simple. Pastor Belk dabbed some water on my forehead and read from the bible. He quoted multiple verses, ending with the words, ¡°Do not become overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.¡± The Pastor stood in front of me not moving. ¡°Did it work? Can you feel it?¡± He asked. I could see the energy take form as it left the pastor¡¯s hand and flowed into my forehead. It spread through my head and then slowly seeped into my bones before spreading slowly out into the rest of my body. ¡°I can feel it,¡± I said. ¡°Can you do it again without all the scripture? Try just focusing on the skill and saying the name.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± he said placing his hand on my forehead. ¡°May God bless you and protect you from evil.¡± I felt it hit me again, stronger this time. I stumbled back as I felt a burning behind my eyes. My skin tightened as I felt a numbing tingle make its way up my limbs. I focused on the corrupted memory of Liv and Troy as the soothing energy washed through my mind, seeking out the corruption. I could feel the two energies opposing each other, one a gentle, warm light and the other icy black with the taste of rot. The energy from the blessing was passive, seeking to surround and protect my memories. To drive it out not by destroying, but by denying it access. It shielded me from the dark energy that was slowly awakening, consuming all around it. In a battle of attrition, it was clear what the results would be. I immediately knew how foolish this decision had been. I was playing with forces beyond my control. I hadn¡¯t expected such a violent reaction, in hindsight it was probably unavoidable. I had no choice but to continue. The Peacekeepers would kill me or imprison me if they discovered the corruption. Letting the degradation of my mind continue was an even worse outcome. My only choice was to find a solution on my own, and risking my life was an acceptable cost if it meant I could be free. I began to shake uncontrollable, my knees buckled, and my jaw clamped shut. I sank to my knees and looked up at the pastor. ¡°Again,¡± I said. Pastor Belk stepped backwards, ¡°I¡¯m sorry," he said. "I don¡¯t think this is working.¡± ¡°Please,¡± I said. I opened my eyes and tried to hide the pain by loosening the tension in my face. ¡°It¡¯s working, this isn¡¯t dangerous. Just a little unpleasant.¡± He must have trusted me because I soon felt a hand pressed against my forehead and the low murmuring of a prayer. A soothing power flowed into me. The two powers swirled around each other. I saw images of a bright white energy flowing around a pitch-black ooze, thick and viscous. Images of memories flashed briefly before my eyes, but I was unable to keep them in my mind for longer than a moment. It was as if I could see the competing energies fighting over my mind, metaphor made real. I was beginning to understand the shape of these two powers. I had discovered that my ability to learn skills relied on my own understanding. For instance, I didn¡¯t learn new skills from watching Catayla scouting and sneaking because I hadn¡¯t understood the principles behind what she was doing. If I was going to harness this energy I would need to understand the basics of how it functioned. How it was shaped. I could feel the flavor of Pastor Belk¡¯s faith upon the energy of the blessing, it was gentle and didn¡¯t confront its opposition head-on. Instead it shielded and renewed, giving strength, and defending instead of attacking. The power of corruption meanwhile sought only to consume and replace, trying to strengthen itself by gaining a foothold in my mind and by absorbing the power of the blessing. This confirmed a theory of mine. If the eldritch energy, the dark power that was corrupting my mind, could absorb and be reinforced by the power of the blessing ¨C then they must be connected. Perhaps different sides of the same coins, or alternate forms of the same energy. It was like the difference between alternating and direct current. The same thing really, just in a different shape and used in different ways. Tentatively, I reached out for the dark energy in the same way I had tried to manipulate my mana during my imprisonment by the BMS. I hadn¡¯t been successful then, but I was counting on my reactive adaptability recognizing the life or death nature of my current situation and lending me a hand. I was only alive because I had developed a resistance to venom. It was time for an encore. The energy fought me and whenever I thought I had a grip on it I would lose control, like water slipping through my fingers. It did slow the energy, however, just a fraction but it was enough. The power of the blessing started to surround the eldritch energy, the dark mana. Congratulations! You have learned a new skill(s). Mana Manipulation ? (0/10) Congratulations! You have learned a new skill(s). Eldritch Manipulation ? (0/10) This is what I was waiting for. I threw all my focus into containing the eldritch energy, forming it into the simplest form I could imagine ¨C a sphere. I compressed the ball of corruption as much as I could, allowing the golden light of the blessing to coat it. I almost immediately gained two levels in eldritch manipulation, and containing the globe of darkness became the smallest bit easier. I powered every ounce of my being into containing the dark energy. I imagined my mind as a vice holding the sphere tighlty and gradually tightening - making it smaller and denser. I tried to sever the darkness from my mind completely, but the energy had nowhere to go. Having no way to contain the dark energy, I tried to push it out of my mind, but it resisted. It fought, clawing itself further into my consciousness. I looked around, but I could no longer see my surroundings. Instead I was in a grey void, my memories swirling around me like constellations of dancing light, as a sphere of shadow and gold hung over my head. I could feel myself slowly losing control, gradually losing the battle to stay awake. In a moment of desperation, I grabbed the sphere of swirling light and cast it into a dark corner of my mind. In this state I could see the barriers and connections between my memories, and I used those connections to wall off the section of my mind before breaking it off and sending it into the grey void ¨C an island of darkness in a sea of emptiness. As the island drifted out my eyes closed, I slid into sleep. Chapter Fourteen: Homecoming ¡°Hello, Gus,¡± said a familiar baritone. I opened my eyes and took in the scenery around me. Blue sky stretched out above me, a canopy untouched by even the barest hint of clouds. The water that stretched out around me jumped and shimmered as it reflected the warm light of the sun. Small waves crested and splashed against the hull of a wooden rowboat. I sat at the stern of the boat, facing forward. Across from me sat a man wearing a pair of white, linen shorts and a worn orange t-shirt. He faced me as he rowed with a strong and steady pace. His face was beginning to show its age, his hair now more salt than pepper and crow¡¯s feet were deepening around his eyes. A tight, close-mouthed smile touched only half his face as he chewed on a blade of grass. A quick hiss and the clink of metal on glass woke me from my shock as the man handed me an opaque green bottle. ¡°Here you go, son.¡± He winked as I accepted the beer by reflex. ¡°Let¡¯s just not tell your mom about this one, all right?¡± ¡°Dad?¡± I said. ¡°How are you here?¡± I looked around me once more, ¡°Where are we?¡± The water seemed to stretch out infinitely in all directions, as if the small boat was adrift in the middle of the ocean. There were no gulls or the familiar sounds that would indicate nearby land. I recognized this boat, but we¡¯d only ever used it on the lake at my cousins¡¯ place. It wasn¡¯t built to go out this far. ¡°So many questions,¡± he said. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just fish?¡± He reached down and picked up an old bamboo rod with a cork handle, as he did my eye was drawn to an old tackle box. The box was grey and dented, still bearing the scars of two generations of father-son fishing trips. On the front, just below the clasp, was an old sticker, peeling and faded. I could barely tell what cartoon it depicted, but I remembered putting it there as a child. The memories hardly felt real, as if they had happened to someone else. I just couldn¡¯t reconcile that time with the way the world was now. ¡°This isn¡¯t real,¡± I said. I stood, steadying myself as the small boat rocked. I threw the bottle smashing it across the bow. It shattered, raining small pieces of glass onto the floor as the rest sank into the ocean. I found it hard to get angry. Despite trying to rile myself up enough to confront this imposter I remained calm. Unnaturally so. I could only act out what I felt I would do if I was truly angry. I yelled, kicking at the side of the boat causing it to tip further before steadying itself. ¡°Isn¡¯t it, though?¡± said the thing wearing the face of my father. He ignored my outburst, as if he saw through the act. ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°You can¡¯t be real. This is an illusion, a fantasy.¡± ¡°Oh, that.¡± He waved his hand in dismissal. His smile now crossed his face from one ear to the other. ¡°This place is as real as any other. The fact that it doesn¡¯t exist hardly matters. ¡°We can feel, interact with, and even change it.¡± He cast a line into the water and I could hear a small splash as a red and white bobber gently rolled on the surface of the water. ¡°And do not believe, even for a moment, that what happens here doesn¡¯t have consequences.¡± The boat rose up as a wave passed under us. A massive shadow now darkened the water beneath the row boat. I leaned over the edge of the boat to look, the shadow moved quickly but was massive enough that it still took almost a minute for it to pass. As it went I saw the bobber disappear with the twang of a broken line. ¡°Things exist here, churning beneath the water. Things best left alone,¡± said the voice of my father.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°And are you one of those things?¡± I asked. ¡°What do you want with me?¡± ¡°Gus, my boy.¡± His voice became deeper than my fathers, and his smile unnaturally wide. ¡°I thought I taught you better than that. Think it through.¡± ¡°Then who are you?¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m the shadow that hides in the corner of your eye, always watching, never seen.¡± He disappeared, oars sliding under the waves. I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck as I heard a faint whisper in my ear. ¡°The scratch just barely out of reach.¡± His voice took on a steady pace, increasing in tempo and pitch before devolving into a frantic prestissimo. ¡°I¡¯m the voice that picks apart and titter tats, that lays bare the sore deep upon your ceaseless soul. I don¡¯t hide beneath, I ride the wave above and cast my line betwixt the crest and reel. ¡°I am the Fisher Man. I have cast my net at the heart of that which binds you,¡± he said, materializing in front of me once again. His voice returned to the familiar baritone of my father and he spoke, slowly pausing before each word, ¡°And you, my son. Are bait.¡± I panicked and lurched backwards, falling into the water. Shadows wound around me and dragged me into the depths. *** ¡°Finn, my child, are you okay?¡± I looked up to find the face of Pastor Belk. I way lying on hard linoleum floor and the pastor had knelt beside me to place a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Thank God. Are you okay?¡± the pastor asked. ¡°I¡¯ve sent for Jonathan, but I didn¡¯t want to leave you alone.¡± I sat up while rubbing at my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine Father, thank you.¡± ¡°Call no man your father on Earth,¡± said Pastor Belk. ¡°What?¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s from scripture,¡± said the pastor. ¡°You can still just call me James, or Pastor Belk if that feels too informal.¡± ¡°Ah, okay. Sorry, Pastor Belk. So, what happened?¡± I asked. ¡°What happened? You tell me. One moment you¡¯re telling me it¡¯s working and that there was no danger, and the next you¡¯re passed out on the ground and not responding.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± I said. ¡°It ended up being more difficult than I believed.¡± ¡°Did it work?¡± He asked. I looked at him for a moment before answering honestly. ¡°I really don¡¯t know. Maybe? I think I may have just traded one problem for another. I did at least learn some of what I set out to.¡± ¡°That is always the way,¡± said the pastor with a sigh. ¡°A man without burdens can not strive to be better. Solve one problem and another is cast before you. Your burdens will make you strong enough to carry the burdens of others.¡± ¡°Or they¡¯ll break me,¡± I said. I began to stand, and the pastor helped me up and held me until I leaned against a wall and told him I was fine. ¡°You know,¡± he said. ¡°I have some training in secular counseling. I have a feeling you could use someone to share your burdens with. Anything you said to me would stay between us, of course.¡± ¡°Thank you, Pastor,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re probably right, but I¡¯m really not ready to talk about it.¡± ¡°Just think about it,¡± he said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be me, either. There must be someone you could confide in?¡± I nodded my head, avoiding giving any sort of real answer. I was saved from the awkward silence when Tiller and Catayla walked in. Tiller ran up to me asking if I was all right, but Catayla remained in the doorway eyeing me with an unreadable expression. I explained to everyone that I was fine, and that I had success in learning a new skill. This was the only part of the plan that I had confided in the others. Tiller and Belk probably guessed a little closer to the truth, however. I had to go over everything again only a few moments later when Pat showed up. In addition to Pat¡¯s normal retinue of surly guards she had someone else with her. She was a young woman, probably only a few years older than myself. Her dark brown hair reached down to the shoulders of her blue scrubs. She had a face that was cute but unremarkable and hidden behind bangs and a thick pair of glasses. ¡°This is Melody,¡± Pat said. ¡°She was a nurse before everything, and she has some healing skills. The ¡®enhanced¡¯ kind of healing skills, I mean.¡± Melody introduced herself and looked me over before declaring that nothing obvious was wrong with me. A glowing recommendation. She still recommended that I get some rest and told me to send someone to find her if I had any worsening of symptoms. I agreed but had no real intention of following through. After I was declared fit people started to file out of the room, so I took the opportunity to talk to Pat. I had the feeling she could be a difficult woman to get ahold of, at least unless there was an emergency. ¡°Did you find any information on any of the names I gave you?¡± I asked. She gave me a look as if deciding if she should tell me before shaking her head and saying, ¡°No one on that list is here.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°But,¡± she interjected. ¡°We do have information on two of the names. Liv and Troy Swanson. Friends of yours, yes?¡± ¡°Old friends, the oldest really.¡± ¡°One of my men remembers meeting them in North Charleston, apparently they were heading up north to the Naval Weapons Station. Supposedly some survivors are there, but we haven¡¯t had any contact.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said. ¡°Can I speak to him? The man who told you about them?¡± She dropped her chin down in a single nod. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll have him come find you later. You¡¯ll be in your room, correct?¡± The last bit didn¡¯t seem like a question. ¡°Of course,¡± I said. I meant it this time. That didn¡¯t mean I was planning on sleeping. Chapter Fifteen: Revelations I sat on the small cot in my room, my head resting against the cool grey wall. My eyes were closed but my face was tightened in concentration. Around me invisible weaves of energy flowed into spirals and helixes. When that got boring I switched over to drawing simple figures and writing out the alphabet. This was a crude and simplistic use of my newly gained ability to manipulated mana and eldritch energies, but it helped me to get a grasp on how to control and guide the energy. At high levels I believed I would be able to use the abilities to form constructs, or even craft my own spells or copy the spells of others. Theoretically I could already do this, but it was good to be able to take a more active role in my own development. Like with most skills, the first two levels of mana manipulation came fast matching the two levels I already had in Eldritch Manipulation. With the increase I noticed not only an increased dexterity in my control of mana, but also an increased ability to sense it around me. I could ¡®see¡¯ mana in finer detail. The skill increases brought my total FP to six, well above the four I required to finish the Inspiration feat. The additional two points had not been necessary, as I¡¯d had the four required as soon as I¡¯d woken up after Pastor Belk. I had been subconsciously putting off purchasing the feat. I knew it made no sense to put it off, and that I was only delaying out of fear of being disappointed. Truth is without life and death challenges I am a legendary procrastinator. Practicing my new skills had only been a way to put off the inevitable. Inwardly sighing, I brought up my status screen and found my list of available feats. I sat looking at the list carefully reading each feat, perhaps thinking one would jump out at me as being objectively better than inspiration. It was a feeble hope. I suspect that my indecision was caused by my own mental fatigue. A good night¡¯s rest would probably have cleared my mind. The thought of sleep immediately brought me back to my senses. I¡¯d had too many bad experiences lately. I instead turned my mind back towards the topic of the Inspiration feat. I had already invested so many FP it made no sense to hesitate now. My resolve steeled by my own sunk cost argument I poured four more FP in the skill. I was rewarded with a soft ding as a notification screen appeared. I ignored the usual congratulations focusing only on the meat of the feat itself. Inspiration ? - You have peered into the secrets of the universe seeking hidden, esoteric truths. In a moment of inspiration, you have taken hold of hidden knowledge of great power. Ancient knowledge contains secrets of power lost to modern ages, but so too does knowledge of self bring great returns. It is up to the seeker to decide what knowledge to pursue. Do you pursue knowledge long thought lost, or do your studies delve inward? Again, the system hit me with a knowledge wall. If I had examples to follow I could know the results of each choice. I suspected that the results would be different each time, but I had no way to be sure. Even if the results were random I could have searched for patterns, found the option that gave the greatest return on average or had the greatest number of highly ranked skills or feats. For the first time I regretted not staying with the Peacekeepers. Talith had been reluctant to give me specific build advice, but surely, I could have picked her brain if I had had more time. No, if I had stayed I wouldn¡¯t now have a lead on where to find Troy and Liv. I would probably still be dealing with the corruption eating away at my memories or be looking over my shoulder wondering what Sebbit would do if he discovered I had lied to him. I couldn¡¯t worry about past mistakes, I had to keep moving forward.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Often the worst choice is not making a choice at all. The choice before me seemed overwhelming, and yet my previous indecision was lost. Something about the wording of the feat caused me think that self-knowledge was the better choice. The ¡®lost knowledge¡¯ part also made me pause. If it was so powerful, wouldn¡¯t it have been recorded? The construction of an atomic bomb was controlled and highly secret information, sure, but once it was proliferated it was impossible for that knowledge to be lost. My guess was that any truly great knowledge would have been equally protected. I was unaware of the countless worlds, civilizations, and systems of magic that had died out long before I was born. Before the Earth was born. At the time it was impossible for me to wrap my mind around how vastly ancient the Hegemony of Worlds was, let alone the System that predated it. My choice made, I selected the option to pursue self-knowledge. Your inward journey has focused on the mysteries of the mind. You have plumbed its hidden depths and found the darkness that resides within. The origin of this darkness is external and obscure, and yet it has become a part of you. By gaining knowledge of this darkness you have obtained a semblance of control over it. Beware its influence over you lest the servant become the master. The warning seemed ominous, but I was also relieved to have any sort of control over the corruption I had been battling since the moment I awoke in that cave. Congratulations! You have gained a new feat(s). Dark Companion ?- The dark companion that has haunted your dreams can now take material form. You control this materialization, but not the actions of the companion once summoned. This companion is a source of both power and knowledge. Your connection to the dark eldritch energies that originate from beyond your world flow into you through this connection. The dark companion may also advise you or aid you in combat but beware that no power comes without cost. That¡­ was interesting. I dared not summon it, however. I feared the form it might take, and I didn¡¯t have the mental energy to engage in a battle, of wits or otherwise, with a creature that had been alive since the beginning of the universe. Possibly before. Even if that creature was just a fraction of the original. To distract myself I scanned through my stats and available feats. Among the notifications I ignored was a plus two to intelligence. I was also pleasantly surprised when I saw that Inspiration was once again available, this time listed as Inspiration II (0/50). In the future I would have to pursue it, but for now I would concentrate on cheaper feats rather than trying to make the Hail Marry pass. Both the upgraded form of scholar and prestidigitator, autodidact and hedge magician respectively, were only four points. I decided to put two points into hedge magician but received no immediate benefit. The additional two points would be simple to earn as I still had two skills below level three. I had observed that level three seemed to be a ¡®soft cap¡¯ for many skills, being easy to level up to that point and increasingly more time consuming after. At this point I only had a few skills at level four, and none higher. I believed it was a problem worth talking to Tiller about. The man seemed to have a much more in depth understanding of skills and their interactions than I had. Catayla, too, might have some training ideas. I decided to look for them in the morning. Just as I began training my manipulations skills I received a knock on my door. ¡°Come in,¡± I said. A man in camouflage pants and a tan sleeveless shirt opened the door. He walked in, having to squeeze himself against the wall in order to close the door. ¡°Hi,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m Markus, Pat sent me. Said you¡¯d be expecting me.¡± ¡°Right, she told you to check up on me too. Didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but that¡¯s not really why I¡¯m here.¡± Markus looked around, his hands went from crossed to down by his sides and then back to being crossed in front of his chest. He raised one hand to his hair, brushing it aside, before deciding on leaning against the wall with his arms crossed once more. ¡°Pat tells me you met my friends, Troy and Liv?¡± I asked. ¡°Yeah, sure did. Saved my ass too. I was running from some bug-thing and that girl comes out of nowhere and hit it with a moving truck. No shit. ¡°She had a bunch of folks in the back, too. Said they were heading up to the base in Goose Creek. Troy, I think that was him, Liv¡¯s guy, right?¡± Marcus waited for my nod before continuing. ¡°Yeah, he was running around blasting this hand cannon, must have killed six or seven of those bastards. They were both all right last I saw of them.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go with them?¡± I asked. ¡°Family here. Didn¡¯t make it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± We sat like that for a while, no more words needed to be spoken. ¡°Listen,¡± Markus said. ¡°A few boys I know have this killer hooch. Maybe a little smoke, some guitar. Care to join us?¡± I smiled. A distraction was just what I needed at the moment. Chapter Sixteen: Night Turns to Day Tiller and I stood on a raised concrete platform that was overlooking the river. I was covered in sweat, and my arms and head hung down loosely in exhaustion. Tiller looked little better, bent over with his hands on his knees and gasping for breath. ¡°You doing all right there, old man?¡± I yelled. ¡°I seem to remember landing more shots than you did.¡± He said, pausing between words to suck in breaths. ¡°And I¡¯m two years older than you, tops.¡± ¡°I just needed to hit you once, your puny¡­¡± ¡°Enough, both of you save your breath.¡± We both stopped and looked up. Catayla sat on a railing, one leg hanging loosely over the edge with the other pulled up to her chest. She looked like any casual movement could send her toppling over the rail and into the rocks and water below. Behind her the sun was beginning to set beneath clouds dyed crimson and orange. It was an image that made her seem both regal and bored. When Tiller and I had approached Catayla for tips on how to increase skills she surprised us by insisting on training us herself. That was three days ago. Three days of twelve-hour training sessions under a grueling tyrant. If we weren¡¯t sparring with each other, we spent every minute of that time engaging in calisthenics that I was sure had been developed as part of an advanced level torture program. At first, I wasn¡¯t sure why she had agreed to train us, but now I suspected that this was her idea of entertainment. After we had arrived the scout had spent the first two days in closed door negotiations with the leadership of New Charleston, but now she had little to do but to wait for a reply from her superiors. While waiting she would torture a couple of locals to keep the tedium at bay. ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°Tiller you¡¯ve already got a solid grasp on how to lead your shots but try aiming a little lower when your opponent is evading. The concussive effect of your shots can trip them up even on a miss.¡± With a twist she launched herself from her perch sending herself several meters forward until, with a flip and a perfect landing, she was standing between Tiller and myself. She turned to look at me before continuing. ¡°Finn, you still need to put in more effort. Never stop moving against an opponent like Tiller. His ranged attacks are quicker than yours and they interrupt your casting, but you refuse to close the gap. Try taking him up close and you neutralize one of his only advantages against you.¡± We both nodded and walked back to our places across from each other. ¡°Again.¡± We both reacted in an instant. Tiller rapidly began firing his revolver at me. I was charging towards him in a zig-zag pattern, but prior experience had taught me that he could hit a moving target almost as easily as a stationary one. I flung myself to the side and activated my mana shield. I was able to dodge the first bullet by anticipating when he would fire, but two more shots followed it hitting me square in the chest. Each shot exploded in a flash of blue energy, the concussive force of the two blasts causing me to stumble backwards. I dropped and hit the ground rolling, but Tiller was ready, already sending two more bullets into the ground right where my feet had been. The blast knocked me to the side, but I was quickly on my feet and rapidly closed half the distance between us. I knew Tiller only had one more shot. After that he could still fire bullets made of pure mana, but they didn¡¯t have the same stopping power as physical rounds. Perhaps two-thirds at the most. He also lacked the high level of mana to keep up such a barrage for long. I baited him by beginning to cast arcane missile, an attack I knew he had trouble with. The swarm of self-correcting shots was almost impossible for him to fully dodge. Predictably, he sent a round aimed right at my center of mass. I used an ability I had been practicing with but had held back from using in our spars. Using my Mana Manipulation skill, I was able to shape my Arcane Shield into a curved plane in front of me. This thicker and more focused shield was able to tank most of the force of the blast from Tiller¡¯s shot. This let me keep my footing as I pushed off on my right foot, launching myself straight at tiller. I made no attempt to evade or present a difficult target, instead relying on my reshaped shield to protect me. As I charged forward I drew my sword, aiming to press it against Tiller¡¯s chest and declare victory for the round.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I was knocked off balance as two shots exploded behind me. Tiller had anticipated my move and adapted, firing behind me rather than trying to pierce through my shield. It was enough to cause me to overextend my thrust and tiller used a baton to guide my blade around him in a perfect parry. I felt the barrel of a pistol pressed against the back of my shoulder. My Arcane Shield no longer protected my back. If it had I could have gone on fighting, but as it stood I had no choice but to concede the fight. ¡°All right,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯ve got me this time. Mind lowering that peashooter? Or are you just excited to see me?¡± ¡°Cracking jokes won¡¯t change the fact I just kicked your ass, kid.¡± ¡°Kid? You¡¯re like¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s it for the day,¡± Catayla said interrupting my response. ¡°Do a dozen laps and then get some rest. I¡¯m heading down for some grub.¡± She began walking away before looking back. ¡°Don¡¯t even dare join me smelling like a couple of wild tjornacs. That rust bucket still has running water, I suggest you avail yourself of the luxury.¡± ¡°Good job,¡± Tiller said. ¡°That trick you did with your shield almost took me by surprise. If you¡¯d been a step faster, you¡¯d have skewered me.¡± ¡°I just wish I could keep up with that reaction speed of yours,¡± I said. ¡°Those last two shots nearly knocked me on my ass.¡± We bantered for a bit, but a look from Catayla as she walked away sent us both running. As I ran I began going over my gains in the past few days. The constant practice trying to avoid, or tank Tiller¡¯s shots had granted me a Dodge skill that I had quickly brought up to the third level. It didn¡¯t make me faster or more nimble, but it did seem to give me an innate sense of where attacks would hit me and how best to avoid them. The constant barrage of bullets had also increased my Arcane Shield to its forth level, and I noticed a reduced pull on my mana when it was active. Arcane Missile, Sword, Physical Fitness, and Mana Manipulation had all increased by a single level as well. Most interesting were the abilities I had gained after completing the Hedge Magician feat. I had gained three new spells, Tanglefoot, Wild Growth, and Barkskin. Wild Growth and Tanglefoot both required me to be near living plant matter and were useless in my spars with Tiller. The raised platform was too far from the ground and I had been unsuccessful in reaching through the concrete. I had managed to increase each skill to its second level during my evening walks by practicing on the grass and weeds that grew between buildings and in the cracks between pavement. These skills were situational, but I had high hopes for their potential. Barkskin, too, was disappointing and had proved unable to stop Tiller¡¯s bullets. The growth of bark was too thin to stop bullets, and while it was unnaturally elastic it still restricted my movements somewhat. This detriment would lessen as I improved the skill, however. This deluge of FP I had gained allowed me to complete the Autodidact feat, gaining an additional two intelligence and a slight increase to my learning speed. This would prove useful in breaking through the soft cap on many of my skills. At least I hoped. Additionally, I had opened three new feat paths- Illusionist and Circle Mage were most likely opened by completing Hedge Magician feat, and Erudite was obviously a continuation of the Autodidact path. Each of the three new feats required an intimidating twenty-five points to complete. It seemed the cost between tiers increased significantly past the first two levels of each tree. I had poured all eleven of my remaining FP intoErudite and was rewarded with an additional four intelligence at the tenth point. Despite these gains I was barely able to keep up with Tiller, easily losing as often as I won. Rather than focusing on a single stat tiller had split his gains between perception and reaction. The combination gave him an impressive boost to reflexes and an almost preternatural ability to judge where his shots would land. This, combined with the area-of-effect nature of his attacks, had let him juggle me almost at will until I had adapted my tactics. Even then I would have been unable to compete with him at all without the use of Arcane Shield. It was humbling as I had started to believe that my gains were unique. The truth is many of the survivors had experienced much more combat than I had over the last few weeks. Some of them, including Tiller, even had combat training from their prior lives. This was a gap I was still trying to close. After finishing, Tiller and I agreed to meet up at his office after getting cleaned up and finding something to eat. I stayed, catching my breath, while Tiller left toward the small shack he shared with his sister and uncle. I took a long drink from a plastic water bottle and sat on the railing looking over the waters of the cooper river as it flowed into the harbor. The skyline was divided by the Ravenel bridge, still standing despite everything. A testament and lasting legacy to what we had once been. After watching Tiller leave I decided to take a quick walk around the water to clear my head. The sun was still going down and the sunset over the water was one of my favorite things. The night was beginning to grow dark bringing with it a cool breeze that I found refreshing after the day¡¯s exercise. The oranges and reds of the sunset were quickly replaced with twilight as the sun set behind the bridge. I turned back towards the ship, intending to take a shower and find something to eat when the gradually darkening sky once again lit up. A purple sun had risen to the east even as the last dim rays of the sun set to the west. I could hear shouts and feet on pavement as people began running. I climbed back up the platform Tiller and I had used for training to get a better view of the sky. To the east rose a large pillar of purple light. The light was blinding to look at and illuminated the world as clearly as if it were day. Above the pillar was a spinning vortex of dark clouds that overtook half the sky. After staring at it for a moment I quickly looked away, rubbing at my eyes. The vortex was in the same direction as the dungeon, and I was willing to bet anything that it was the epicenter of this light. ¡°Shit,¡± I said. The noise of running and screaming drowned out my voice, leaving me alone as I once more watched my world change. Chapter Seventeen: Pickman鈥檚 Daughter ¡°So what do we know?¡± Said Captain Smith. About a dozen of us stood on a raised section at the stern of the cruise ship. It was still night, but we were all illuminated by an eerie, flickering light. In the distance a purple monolith of intense light reached up into the clouds disappearing into a vortex of black clouds that billowed outward and had been slowly expanding. I could feel the eldritch energy pouring out over everything around me, thicker and more wild than any I had encountered so far. I gripped the railing as my head leaned out over the side of the ship. Heavy wind tugged at my jacket and swept through my hair as I peered into the distance. Beneath the vortex of black clouds, a thin violet mist spread out from the light and had crept slowly towards us, already covering half the distance. ¡°We¡¯ve called back most of our outposts, and reinforcements have been sent out to support the bridge team,¡± said Pat. ¡°All scavengers and scout teams have been recalled and the patrol along the wall has been doubled.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of calling back all of our eyes,¡± Tiller added. ¡°We don¡¯t know what is out there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous,¡± said pat. ¡°We¡¯ve had reports of increased monster aggression, and the bridge team has been under attack by a constant flood of low-level monsters. We believe they are fleeing. From what, is the question that terrifies me.¡± ¡°We could blow the bridge,¡± said a man with a British accent. He walked to the center of the crowd, pausing to look around making eye contact. He was a short middle-aged man, bald on top with a thick beard and an even thicker stomach. ¡°We get rid of the bridge and we move, get as far away as possible,¡± he continued. ¡°That is not a good idea,¡± said Catayla jumping into the conversation for the first time. ¡°I need a team to go across with me. We make contact with the Peacekeepers, we find out what went wrong, and we retreat back to a safe staging area.¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t had any luck contacting your people?¡± Captain Smith asked. ¡°No,¡± she said slowly shaking her head. ¡°My com disk should be able to contact any Peacekeepers on the planet, and can even receive messages from off-world. We¡¯ve been completely cutoff.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we take the ship¡­¡± said a slender woman with brown hair. ¡°Think no one tried that?¡± Said the captain. ¡°Something big is out there, it¡¯ll smash us to pieces as soon as we leave the harbor. Seen it happen and it ain¡¯t pretty.¡± The crowd began arguing, most favoring that we destroy the bridge. Many were already calling for us to retreat and settle in a new area further to the west. I still planned to leave eventually as I needed to find Liv and Troy, but I wasn¡¯t ready to give up on Charleston just yet. ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± I said. A few eyes turned towards me in surprise, but it didn¡¯t take long before someone tried to argue. ¡°That¡¯s brave, but hardly relevant,¡± said the British man with the thick beard. ¡°Should we put our lives at risk while you galivant around on some merry chase? It¡¯s suicide out there.¡± ¡°Shut up for a minute, Thurber,¡± said the captain. ¡°Catayla, can you get through that fog? How many men would you need?¡± ¡°The fog will likely be dangerous for anyone without a high vitality and willpower. If it is concentrated eldritch energy, as I suspect, then it will corrupt both the mind and body. I¡¯ll take six with me, no more, and they¡¯ll have to be able to keep up.¡± ¡°I think I can protect us from the mist," I said. "But I¡¯ll need help. I can manipulate eldritch energy to a small extent, but my range and control hasn¡¯t progressed very far yet.¡± ¡°What kind of help?¡± asked the captain. ¡°A skill,¡± I said. ¡°Tiller¡¯s notes mentioned a skill that allows the user to augment the abilities of others. Song of something or other.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Song of the Triumphant, yeah,¡± Said Tiller. ¡°No way she¡¯s going with you, though.¡± Tiller crossed his arms while shaking his head. ¡°This ain¡¯t no democracy, kid,¡± said Captain Smith. ¡°I¡¯ll decide if we go, and who¡¯s going. Someone has a problem with it they can get my boot on the way out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Rachel Pickman,¡± said Tiller. ¡°As in Senator Pickman¡¯s daughter?¡± asked Pat. ¡°His only child, apple of his eye,¡± confirmed Tiller. ¡°Well, shit,¡± said Pat. ¡°I really don¡¯t see that happening, Captain. Her dad¡¯s a real jackass, thinks he¡¯s still in charge. She¡¯s not too much better, spoiled and sheltered her whole life. Not someone we can trust with a mission like this.¡± No one tried to argue after that. We just stood waiting for the Captain to answer. For several seconds the only sound was the howling of the wind. ¡°Alright,¡± said Captain Smith. ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. We¡¯re giving Catayla her team, Pat I want you to hand pick the best we¡¯ve got. Combat types with experience, find those who¡¯ve put points into willpower. Tiller?¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± said Tiller. ¡°Take three men and get Senator Pickman and his daughter.¡± Tiller hesitated for a moment, but only briefly. ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll get them immediately.¡± *** ¡°No, absolutely not.¡± The senator could have been stock footage of a middle-aged business man. He had a strong chin with high cheekbones and jet-black hair that was suspiciously only gray in the temples. Somehow, he had managed to still be wearing a suit, perfectly pressed and tailored. He even had one of those tacky flag-pins that all politicians were mandated to wear. His only concession to the end of the world was going without a tie. ¡°I¡¯m not arguing with you, Dad.¡± Rachel Pickman had her father¡¯s classical good looks, including his high cheekbones, blue eyes, and black hair. That was where the similarities stopped, however. Rather than a business suit, she wore ripped jeans and a black leather jacket with spiked studs and only one sleeve. Her hair was shaved on one side and long on top, pulled back into a tight ponytail with blue highlights. ¡°If I can help, I¡¯m going to do my part. Isn¡¯t that what you always taught me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always supported your rebelliousness, to an extent, but this isn¡¯t the same as getting a girlfriend and starting a punk band. This has real consequences. The life and death kind.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already lost your mother, I can¡¯t¡­¡±The senator began to cry, and ifhis daughter''s skill wasn¡¯t so useful to me I would have ended it there. ¡°Enough,¡± said the captain. ¡°I¡¯m not going to force you to go, but you¡¯re a grown woman and this is your choice. We¡¯ve told you why we need you, and what we¡¯re up against. Just give us a yes or a no. I¡¯ve got shit to do and watching your old man blubber is making me queasy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming,¡± she said. The father and daughter continued to argue, but it was clear from the look on the man¡¯s face that he knew he had lost. His rage eventually gave into pleading, until he finally surrendered with a visible slump. As the father and daughter hugged I wondered what my own family was doing. Would they approve of my actions, or fear for my life and beg me to stay? To know that I¡¯d have to find them which wasn¡¯t going to happen if I hid behind walls while others did all the work. If I was going to do something, anything that mattered, I would need strength. If I¡¯d learned anything from this shit-hole of a world it was this: No power comes without a price. I needed a class, and it was time to stop putting it off. First, though I was going to find out what kind of roommate my dark companion was going to turn out to be. I couldn¡¯t afford to pass up any kind of advantage if I was going to survive past tomorrow. If it was a liability I needed to know that, too. I left the captain and his team to take care of the details. I already knew we were leaving in the morning as soon as the sun was up. It seemed silly to wait for the light when night was rendered meaningless by the perpetually violet light. Still, people needed rest and time to prepare. I walked back to my small room, locking the door behind me. It was just as empty and gray as usual, but the floor had picked up a layer of dust and dirt that I hadn¡¯t gotten around to cleaning. My small bed was folded back into the wall leaving me just enough room to stand in the middle of the room and reach my arms, my fingertips brushing the walls. I leaned against the far wall and I called out my dark companion. Black smoke crackling with red energy began to swirl around the center of the room forming a small ball suspended an equal distance from the floor and ceiling. The ball pulsed as it spoke, ¡°Gus, my boy. I knew you couldn¡¯t stay away.¡± I reached out with my Eldritch Manipulation and I squeezed the energy as strongly as I could. ¡°You will never use that voice again. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Oh, perhaps this one then?¡± The voice was deep and scratchy, like a thousand nails on a blackboard, it reverberated through my skull shaking my teeth. My eyes watered, and I raised my hands to my face, wiping away a drop of blood. ¡°Gah,¡± I screamed as I reached out once more with my skill. The ball began to compress as I squeezed it as hard as I could. My muscles tensed, and I could feel my grip slipping but I refused to let go. ¡°Fine,¡± said a deep but otherwise normal voice. ¡°You never did have a sense of humor. I¡¯ve seen your whole life, you know? All your memories, your dreams, and I must say Gus is a dull boy.¡± ¡°You know what I want then?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the sphere said. ¡°But can you pay the price?¡± Chapter Eighteen: The Band Sets Outs ¡°What is this place?¡± I asked. I floated through an infinite grey void on an island of iridescent glass. The island was a perfectly circular disk perhaps a dozen meters wide. In the distance I could see a hexagonal column crackling with lighting. Atop the pillar sat a man completely hidden within the folds of a billowing black cloak. ¡°I thought you might not recognize it. Kind of empty, don¡¯t you think?¡± The man¡¯s laughter was like a peal of thunder, intense and foreboding. ¡°This is your mind, or at least the part of it you kindly made my home. We bargain for knowledge, what better place to impart it?¡± ¡°Name your price, Demon,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m tired of games.¡± ¡°Price? Demon?¡± the voice was soft, almost a whisper. ¡°I think not. Does the angler bargain with the worm? No, he guides his bait upon the hook and with the hand of fate casts out his line beneath the frigid waves.¡± ¡°And what prey do you hope to lure?¡± I asked. ¡°An enemy, old and new,¡± the creature said. ¡°At the heart of that which binds you, dead my quarry waits dreaming. His visions unfold, twisted and stolen by the fleas that walk upon his pallid flesh.¡± His voice took on an acerbic quality dripping with rage. ¡°No more,¡± it said. ¡°Three questions asked, thrice answered a boon of words I seek. Three words whispered at my call, three answers now I¡¯ll speak.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll play,¡± I said. ¡°You give me my answers, and in return you want me to say three words? That¡¯s it?¡± It felt wrong, too easy, and yet I couldn¡¯t imagine how just speaking three words could be dangerous. There wasn¡¯t even anything keeping me from prefacing the words or adding an explanation after. ¡°An accord, then? Freely given?¡¯ ¡°We have a deal,¡± I said. The creatures cloak fell back away from his face revealing a skeletal smile upon a bleached skull. ¡°Then ask and be done.¡± ¡°For now, I just need you to guide me through the best way for me to create a class with my current resources. It needs to be a class capable of both magic and melee and should combine my Reactive Adaptability with my ability to manipulate eldritch energy.¡± ¡°Best?¡± it said. ¡°I can lay no guarantees, your mind still lost might be. But to be your guide, that I can do. A catalyst you require, a vessel to carry your intent. Three drops of blood and freedom I petition.¡± ¡°What kind of freedom? I¡¯m not setting you loose to kill or infect others. I¡¯m not giving you my blood either.¡± I stood up straighter trying to confront the creature. The wind began to pick up, twirling around me, and I could feel a force pressing down upon my shoulders. The creature looked from its perch with empty eyes and a permanent skeletal grin, his cloak pressing tight against him as it rose and fluttered behind. I let out a gasp as the pressure lessened, not even realizing I had been holding my breath. ¡°The catalyst requires blood, I can give you naught without. My freedom is a simple matter, I desire to be set upon the world, but we are bound. Let my eyes follow your path and my talons strike your foes. Your allies need not fear my wrath, for I shall hide my nature in friendly garb.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± I said. ¡°You can have your freedom, but I will banish you right back to this void if you so much as give me a hint of harming me or my friends.¡± ¡°It shall be as you say,¡± it said. ¡°I shall heed your call and spare your allies.¡± ¡°Then we have a deal.¡± As I said the final words I pulled my sword from its sheath on my hip and drew the blade across my palm. ¡°Take my blood then and fulfill your part of the bargain.¡± ¡°Gladly.¡± ***Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The sun was beginning to come up painting the world in more natural light, drowning out the unnerving blues and purples that had lit the night. I stood outside the ramshackle gates of New Charleston waiting for the others to arrive. Catayla and Pat had arrived before me and Tiller arrived with Rachel Pickman shortly after. It wasn¡¯t long before a group of three guards walked out from the gate, led by Worthy the Witcher Wannabe. His red mohawk was now combed down over one side of his head, leaving the other side bare. The two guards following him wore a combination of scavenged tactical gear, sport equipment, and leather padding. I recognized one of the guards from the bridge, a blonde Amazonian woman wearing football pads with a club nearly as tall as she was strapped to her back with a looped hemp thong. ¡°How ya doing, Sam,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s Worthy, motherfucker. And don¡¯t forget it.¡± He had the casual arrogance and posture that seemed to say ¡®hey, look at me¡¯ as if he believed everyone was here just to worship him. I suspected that some, those like him, were secretly glad for the apocalypse, as it allowed them to get away with bullying and pushing their physical superiority onto others. Some might not like such attitudes, but I understood that sometimes that is the exact kind of guy you need in a rough situation ¨C if you can keep him pointed in the right direction. Shouldn¡¯t be hard with literal monsters trying to tear us apart. ¡°Alright, Worthy. What¡¯s the plan? You in charge?¡± ¡°Of you, damn straight. Right now, we listen to Boss Lady over there.¡± Worthy craned his head slightly to the side to indicate where Pat was standing. Pat walked forward as I spoke with worthy. The crowd naturally formed into a half circle splayed out before her. She was wearing an eggshell-white pantsuit with a thin black tie. Her hair had been done up into a bun with a pair of chopsticks. She had the air of quiet competence. ¡°That should be everyone, yes?¡± said Pat. She didn¡¯t even wait for a response before continuing. ¡°Catayla will lead this mission, you are all on loan to her ¨C do you understand?¡± A low murmur of assent rose up from all of us before she continued. ¡°Good, your immediate task will be to break the siege at the Ravenel Bridge and secure a path of retreat for the guards currently stationed there. After that, Catayla will lead you on a scouting mission to make contact with whatever remains of her people, the Peacekeepers. Any questions?¡± ¡°Are we abandoning the bridge?¡± Asked Tiller. ¡°If you don¡¯t hold the bridge we have nowhere to retreat to.¡± ¡°It has become untenable, Captain made the call. We can¡¯t hold the bridge any longer. You¡¯ll have to break through on your own. If you find the Peacekeepers, our hope is that they will be able to assist you in returning, if not? Get creative.¡± ¡°And the people here?¡± Said Rachel Pickman. ¡°Aren¡¯t those monsters going to come straight here once the bridge is lost?¡± ¡°True, but we are much better equipped to deal with a siege here. Vehicles have been outfitted if we need to evacuate. If that happens, you¡¯re on your own.¡± She gave us each a careful gaze making sure to make eye contact. Her eyes were green, and much more beautiful than I had realized. ¡°Now, no more arguments. Sun is already up, and you know what you have to do.¡± We lined up with Worthy¡¯s group taking the lead while Catayla disappearing to scout ahead. Tiller, Rachel, and I grouped together hanging back slightly from Worthy and his group, letting the meatshields go ahead. We walked for about fifteen minutes without anyone speaking. The terrain changing effects I had noticed after leaving the dungeon were starting to take hold here as well. We climbed up a road that had once slopped downward. The pavement was splintered and broken with weeds and small trees beginning to grow between the cracks. As we crested the hill Rachel stopped to catch her breath and pulled out a clear blue water bottle. ¡°Anyone need any of this?¡± ¡°Brought our own, thanks,¡± said Tiller reaching for his own canteen. ¡°So,¡± said Rachel. ¡°What¡¯s up with the bird? Some kind of familiar? You a witch, Finn?¡± Tiller turned to look at the bird that was perched on my shoulder. It was medium-sized, large enough that it would be hard to grab with one hand. Its feathers were blue-grey with a white band around its neck and a striped tail. Tufts of dark plumage crowned its head. It had round black eyes and a wide, straight beak longer than a hand. The tips of the blue feathers were slightly black, with a singed look to them. ¡°It¡¯s a belted kingfisher,¡± said Tiller. ¡°Bigger than most, but the crest and the band around its neck is unmistakable. Notice the white belly, with no chestnut coloring? That and the higher crest means it¡¯s a male.¡± Tiller kept on like this for the next minute or two while Rachel and I shared a look. Sighing, I set my hand on Tiller¡¯s shoulder to get his attention. ¡°Look man, I knew you were a nerd. But birdwatching?¡± Tiller looked slightly embarrassed, but quickly straightened himself. ¡°My gram was a birder, took me along sometimes. Besides,¡± he said. ¡°There is nothing wrong with ornithology it is a rich and respected field.¡± ¡°Alright, nerd,¡± said Rachel. ¡°You never let him answer my question. This your familiar?¡± She reached out to poke the bird with her index finger. I caught her hand, holding it in my own. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t touch him. He¡¯s much more dangerous than he looks.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I get it,¡± she said. ¡°Can I get my hand back now?¡± She lifted one eyebrow but made no move to pull away. ¡°Sorry,¡± I whispered as I dropped her hand. ¡°Just don¡¯t provoke it okay? It¡¯s not really my familiar, but I guess that is a close enough analogy.¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s cute,¡± said Rachel. ¡°He got a name?¡± ¡°A few, but don¡¯t get him started. He¡¯ll go all day.¡± Rachel and Tiller gave me a confused look before Worthy called for us to keep moving. It wasn¡¯t long before we reached the top of another hill, and the bridge came into sight. Chapter Nineteen: Conflict on the Bridge The hike to the bridge took about two hours, twice what it would have taken me if I was on a casual stroll before everything had gone to hell. The changes in terrain would occasionally block our view of the bridge only to bring it back into sight as we topped another hill. Around us were ruined homes and businesses, the pale pastels that had been popular in the city now buried in the browns and greens of nature reclaiming her territory. Catayla had appeared, in her usual ninja like fashion, as we reached the top of the final hill before a gradual slope would bring us directly to the ramp leading up the bridge itself. At the far side of the bridge we could see a dark mass of bodies pressing through the barricades of stacked cars and scrap metal. The roar of thousands of voices crying out together was punctuated by the echoing barks of gunfire. It was difficult to make out individuals from the horde but some of them were large enough to be clearly seen even from a distance. Among the wash of bodies could be seen massive forms, some humanoid with odd proportions - overlong limbs, and twisted bodies. Others were beasts of fantastic size that would dwarf their common cousins. Still stranger creatures were harder to describe with no common creature to compare them with, one such beast seemed to be a massive ball of eyes and tentacles covered in rubbery, wrinkled skin. The sky above the battlefield was nearly as full. Forms too far away and packed to densely to be clearly seen blacked out the sky, providing shade to the killing below. ¡°Tiller,¡± I said. ¡°Can you make out anything useful? What about those birds up there?¡± I was relying on Tiller¡¯s perception heavy build. It made sense that it would increase his vision, but I¡¯d never really asked him about it in detail. ¡°Dinosaurs,¡± Said Tiller. ¡°Pterodactyls with gold and red feathered wings and scaled bodies. It¡¯s really quite amazing¡­¡± ¡°I get it, Tiller,¡± I said. ¡°We can both geek out together when our lives are not in danger and we don¡¯t have a crisis on our hands. Now. Focus. What are the birds¡­ I mean dinosaurs. Tell me what they¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± he said shaking his head. ¡°I mean they are flying, obviously, but they are not fighting. They seem to just be circling. Some are breaking away from the group and fleeing, but they aren¡¯t attacking.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± said Rachel. ¡°Whatever has these literal fucking demons spooked is something we should stay away from. There must be hundreds of those things, thousands! Yet here we are moseying on in like it¡¯s a day at the park.¡± ¡°You wanted to be here,¡± said Catayla. ¡°It¡¯s too late to back out now. Besides, those are your people on that bridge. We need to get down there and find a way to punch our way through.¡± ¡°Look,¡± said the tall amazon with the ridiculously oversized club. ¡°None of us want to be here, but it needs doing. Besides, I¡¯ve got friends on that bridge. There is no way we are leaving them there to die.¡± Despite the tough words none of us moved immediately. The numbers were overwhelming, a mass of dark bodies covered half the length of the bridge like swarming ants. It was Worthy, of all people, that started moving first. With a grunt his two companions followed, the rest of us not too far behind. Crossing the bridge required going up a ramp and climbing over several makeshift barriers of stacked cars and debris, but we covered the ground quickly. The sound of gunfire and the roar of voices, both human and otherwise, slowly began to drown out my ability to pick out individual sounds. My other senses were obscured as well, smoke and the smell of burning hair nearly overwhelmed me for a moment. It was disorienting and isolating in a way that made my heart begin to race and my hands shake. We were soon met with a close-up view of the battle, and immediately thrust into the fray. The defenders had fallen back to a secondary barrier about half way down the bridge. This funneled the stampeding monsters into a narrow area creating a ¡®kill zone¡¯ where the defenders were able to concentrate their ranged fire. Despite the advantage this gave to ranged attackers most of the guards had abandoned their rifles and those that still used guns had telltale blue lines tracing the trajectory of their shots, much like Tiller¡¯s guns did when he was using mana rounds instead of physical bullets. Worthy and his two companions immediately ran to the top of the barricade and began shooting with hunting rifles. Catayla quickly disappeared again as she shimmied up one of the bridge¡¯s suspension wires. It didn¡¯t take her long to find a perch on a cross beam and begin raining death upon the horde of monsters set out before us. The rest of us were slower, but not by much.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. I stepped onto the hood of a car before jumping off it and landing on the top of a three-car high barricade. God it felt good, even with all the danger around me I reveled in my new strength. My physical stats had basically doubled during my time in the system, making me feel like a superhero in the rare times I was able to truly cut loose. I began raining down arcane missiles. The self-correcting missiles allowed me to minimize my time aiming, and it was one of my most mana efficient spells. The analyze ability allowed me to pick out the strongest, or at least highest level, monsters. I focused my spells on bringing them down so the others could take down the fodder that were threatening to overtake us. Tiller was close behind me and began firing his revolver into the mass of bodies. He quickly began to match my targets, switching only to take down anything that came close to our barricade. His speed and ability to quickly change targets with almost no aim time made Tiller a whirlwind of death and he quickly caught up to and surpassed me in number of kills. Tiller could probably keep up his barrage for an extended period, but I knew I could not. My mana was quickly being depleted and its recharge time seemed to be suppressed to almost nothing during times of danger. We were vastly outnumbered and any monsters I took out were quickly replaced, often with stronger, uglier beasts. I looked out over the battle field trying to pick out the best targets. These creatures were spooked already, perhaps if we could take out the strongest among them we could weaken their resolve ¨C perhaps even cause them to break and withdraw. It was clear they were not working together in an organized way, more a stampede than an army. It might benefit us if we could further lower their morale, even if they didn¡¯t flee. I can be an optimist at times. I finally calmed down enough to slow my racing thoughts and concentrate, taking a deep breath I tried to take in the whole battlefield and understand what was happening. What was coming at us, and what resources did our side have? Despite our lack of numbers, the group of bridge guards had some impressive abilities. Someone had conjured a golem made of concrete and rebar that was smashing its way through tiny humanoids that had blue skin and furry shoulders and backs. The golem would strike out with giant sledgehammer like fists and send the tiny creatures flying. They would swarm the concrete and steel juggernaut, but it would quickly shake them off or flatten them against its own body with a massive concrete palm. The construct would occasional reach into its own chest and pull forth a boulder that really should have significantly lessened its mass, and yet somehow didn¡¯t. Rather than toss the boulders the creature would then roll them, literally bowling though the horde of fiends. As the stones came to a stop under the weight of crushed bodies they would provide additional cover and create another obstacle for the approaching horde of beasts and monsters. A man in a long coat and fedora was shooting red beams from his palms that would set anything they touched on fire. Between spells he waved his arms and contorted his fingers in complicated and exaggerated motions that I was quite sure were unnecessary. Despite his theatrics and bad fashion sense, his attacks were quite effective as he would sweep his beam across the attackers setting as many as half a dozen aflame every few seconds. A large man with a fire axe had jumped down in front of the barricade and was hacking apart anything that managed to make it that far. I watched as a wolf the size of a jeep charged down the middle of the bridge and tried to leap over the barricade. The man with the fire axe twisted his body sending the axe into an uppercut like slash that sent the dire wolf flying back tumbling head over feet as its entrails spilled out upon the ground. I yelled commands to my dark companion, still in its kingfisher form, to fly through the battlefield and find anything that resembled a leader. Despite the noise and distraction, it was able to understand me ¨C perhaps due to our mental bond. The creature immediately turned into a haze of gray feathers as it darted through the air. Rather than fly overhead it chose to cut through monsters leaving bird sized holes in anything in its path. It didn¡¯t tarry or search but seemed to be heading in a straight line towards the far end of the bridge. I ignored the bird and began to look around, as I realized that one of my companions was missing. ¡°Rachel,¡± I called out, but my voice was lost in the cacophony of battle. I immediately regretted sending out my dark companion without first making sure I had accounted for all my teammates. It was a mistake I vowed to learn from. ¡°Tiller,¡± I yelled grabbing his shoulder to get his attention. He fired into the horde twice more, but then lowered his aim and bent his ear towards me. His increased perception allowing him to hear my voice even as it was concealed by the intense sounds around us. ¡°Find Rachel,¡± I said. He looked back at the battlefield beneath us, but then just nodded once and jumped down in the direction we had come from. I trusted him to find her faster than I could, and I didn¡¯t want him following me for what came next. The eldritch energy was thick around me, I could feel it rolling off the bodies of the slain monsters and coagulating into thick clouds around the human combatants. The knuckles on my left hand turned white as I grabbed the hilt of my sword, slowly dragging the blade from its scabbard. I carefully began to draw the dark energy into the blade, extending its edge and reach. I built the shadow of a sword onto the frame of the metal blade until it was twice its original length. In my right hand the vague outline of a shield slowly began to take form as I jumped down into the battlefield. Bodies pressed around me, providing targets for my blade. Chapter 20: Song of Battle With every swing of my blade I would feel the eldritch energy respond, both in myself and in those around me. Each death brought a combination of blood and thick streams of eldritch energy mixed together with the smell of sweat and the sound of gurgling death rattles. The beasts seemed to be infused with the energy. I could see its shape as it spread and flowed throughout the bodies of my foes. It took on a pattern vaguely reminiscent of a circulatory system ¨C thick streams endlessly splitting into smaller and smaller capillaries that reached and nourished every cell. As the beasts died the energy would shoot forth into the air thickening and adding movement to the dense energy in which the battlefield was awash. I could reach out and manipulate this energy, but only after it was released into the air. I could feel the energy in each beast, even get a sense of its shape and flavor, but I couldn¡¯t grasp it. When I tried it was like attempting to catch air between my fingers, flowing and immaterial. Each creature had its own unique ¡®signature,¡¯ I believed with time I could learn to tell individuals apart by the unique shape, feel, and color of the eldritch energy that flowed through their veins. I had never had this kind of sensitivity to the eldritch energy before, but since I had leapt into the fray I had gained a greater understanding and sensitivity. Perhaps my skills were improving, or my own understanding had increased. It was likely that I would never again be able to tell the difference. The abilities granted by the system were too much a part of me to determine where ¡®skill¡¯ ended and raw human talent began. I was still only a few meters from the barricade, desperately trying to stop anything that tried to get close. So far, I had been successful in killing everything within range of my blade, and yet many simply swarmed around me or jumped over me too fast or too high for me to react. I could detect the sound of battle to my right, and gunfire coming from behind me. As long as they fought, I would stand beside them. It was a vaguely heroic thought that I quickly pushed down, focusing again on my own actions. In my left hand I held the short sword granted to me by Sebbit, from what felt like a lifetime ago. A shifting shadow like blade had been built atop the sword from countless layers of eldritch energy. Each foe I killed would strengthen the phantom blade, as if it were being nourished and sharpened through battle. In my right hand I carried a shield nearly as tall as I was, but weightless and appearing to be made of a dark and translucent smoke. I used it as a weapon to bash at my foes or to catch and break claws and talons. Despite this, countless blows made it through my untrained defense. For each attack I blocked as many as three would make it through, a stinger to the stomach, slashes across my chest or the pounding of fists upon my back. My arcane shield still stopped these attacks, though I was down to less than ten percent of my mana. I could also feel my blows slowing and landing with less force as my stamina was gradually depleted. I retreated towards the barricade, slashing out wildly around me to keep my enemies at bay. For a moment I had let myself get carried too far forward, and yet in that instant of mindless rage I had gained a deeper understanding. My connection to the eldritch energy was beginning to wane, but the brief experience had given me a greater idea of just how interconnected the system and the eldritch lifeforms were. I could feel the energy in my own body, not like a series of capillaries but as a sphere of densely packed runes and shapes that defined my skills and feats. It was too tightly packed to make out any details, but I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that this ball of energy was the source of my current power. This insight didn¡¯t help to strengthen my weakening arms or to replenish my nearly depleted mana. As my back reached the barricade I planted my feet and hid behind my shield, swinging my sword wildly at anything that came too close. In front of me stretched hundreds of foes each waiting eagerly to take the place of those I slew. I¡¯m not sure how long I held out like that but eventually my mana gave out as the mandible of an oversized insect clamped down on my thigh. The armored jumpsuit took most of the force, and I was pretty sure neither the suit nor my flesh had been punctured. Despite this my leg exploded with pain as I fell to one knee, propping myself up with my shield. The insect wouldn¡¯t let go and began shaking me by the leg before throwing me back into the barricade as I left my sword buried in its head.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. After being tossed like a ragdoll I found myself laying on the warm pavement, my head and shoulders leaning up against the barricade. My sword, now out of reach, had reverted back to a simple weapon of steel and leather with a blade roughly the length of my forearm ¨C the hilt still protruding from the head of the giant ant-like monster. My shield, too, had dissipated like smoke in a strong breeze. A dozen more insects, each the size of a Doberman, charged towards me clawing over their dead cousin. I managed to kick out as the first insect reached me, sending it flying back with a sickening crack. Two more, and then a third, were on me before I could fight back. The first two were latched onto my legs while the third was attempting to impale my neck with its long spear-like mandibles. I grabbed onto each mandible, one with each hand, and tried to force the creature off me. I was successful at first as the creature¡¯s head was gradually pushed back, even as my muscles began to shake, and I felt weaker with each second. I might have succeeded in dislodging the overgrown arthropod, but I felt my ankle snap as one of the other two insects clamped down tighter upon my leg. The flood of pain destroyed my concentration and the mandibles I had been struggling against slipped from my grasp. The razor-sharp tips of the jaws barely missed me as they sank into the steel door of an old truck that made up part of the barricade behind me. With both arms I began to beat the head and thorax of the bug with wide and unaimed swings until my fists began to bleed and the creature lay dead. The insect that had snapped my ankle was pulling at my feet even as I felt the other set of jaws dig deeper into my thigh. I gritted my teeth and screamed as my face twisted in agony. Throughout the fight my mana had been regenerating, but terribly slowly. I only had a few points left, not even enough for a single spell. I activated my arcane shield, and for a fleeting fraction of a second the jaws of the creatures were forced open before the shield broke again almost immediately. It was my screaming that saved me as it had finally drawn the attention of my allies. The red and silver head of a fire axe bit into the neck of the insect pulling at my leg while two well-aimed bullets from on unseen shooter liquified the head of the other. The man with the fire axe planted one foot on the side of the creature and pulled his axe free before extending a hand to help me up. I grabbed his arm and pulled myself up while avoiding putting any weight on my shattered ankle. ¡°You alright?¡± he screamed above the booming sounds of battle. I nodded my head a few times to let him know I was okay. I was too exhausted to speak, and my throat was raw from screaming. I barely had the energy to hold up my head. The man walked me to the barricade and waited for me to begin climbing back up before he charged back into the battle. My tired arms carried me up about halfway before I began to slip. A dark hand shot out to grab mine and helped pull me atop the pile of cars, wood, and metal. Tiller stood there, still firing one-handed even as he pulled me up with his other hand. Next to him stood Rachel, with tears and trails of dark mascara staining her face. As Tiller finished pulling me up Rachel placed my arm around her shoulders and helped me move away. She set me down on the hood of a car, probably the same one I had leapt from earlier. Before she left Rachel looked down and smiled slightly. I couldn¡¯t make out the words, but she said something to me before sprinting back up to the top of the barricade. As I watched her go I regretted my actions that led her here. It was my idea to bring her, even Tiller and the girl¡¯s own father voicing objections. She was scared and would probably die at the hands of some vicious beast thought impossible to exist merely a few weeks earlier. It was a silly thing to regret considering that I, along with everyone else on the bridge, was probably going to die. Yet, it was the thing I clung to in that moment. As I looked up I could see Tiller, still firing his revolver, standing next to Rachel as she was staring blankly at the battle beneath her. I saw her stand straighter for a moment before looking back at me once again. We locked eyes for a minute and she turned away. In that brief moment of eye contact I could see her fear evaporate- her eyes narrowed, and her jaw set in determination. She did the last thing anyone would expect on a battlefield where men and women fought for their very lives against eldritch abominations. She began to sing. It began softly before gradually picking up speed, eventually being joined by the crash of a cymbol and the slow steady tapping of a bass drum. As the lyrics drifted over me the sounds of battle were forgotten and I was lost in the melody of the song. I could hear her voice, clear and pure, and it seemed to be singing just for me. It wasn¡¯t a battle song, or some uplifting piece of classical music. Rachel sang a punk anthem, a song of youthful rebellion and independence. As her voice belted out I heard a guitar and a horn join, though it seemed impossible for them to exist. As she reached the chorus a surge of vitality seeped into my limbs. I could feel myself getting stronger and my stamina replenishing with each beat. Chapter 21: Dark Revelations The music reached a crescendo, quickly becoming faster and louder with each second. The sounds of battle were now faint, almost an afterthought. Subsumed but not gone. The clash of blades and pounding of flesh kept time with the rhythm, while the cracks of gunfire faded into gentle susurrus even as they increased in frequency. It was a frantic kind of harmony. The violence and the cacophony of battle all blended together to make something beautiful and lasting ¨Corder from chaos. In addition to refreshing my body the melody calmed my mind, giving me clarity and focus. Dozens of status updates and alerts had popped up showing my gains from the fight, cluttering my view. New skills, skill levels, feats - I scanned and then dismissed them all. None of them would help me with what I needed to do next. The eldritch energy swarmed around me like a cyclone, heavy and viscid. I could feel it pouring into me, and into my allies around me. It bled from the slain. It nourished my skills, causing them to grow larger and to gain new clarity. This allowed me to make out vague outlines of runes and arcane symbols from the tightly bound sphere in my chest. I could see the thick energy flow in, then be filtered into something lighter and more homogenous. It was weaker yet lacked the chaotic specks and pollutants that made up the rawer form of the energy. The greatest share of the dark energy swarming into me avoided this sphere, instead aiming for an object secured in an inner pocket of my leather jacket. I could feel the item nearly overflowing with power as it sucked dry the energy around it. It felt like it could burst at any moment, like a tiny nuclear reactor I carried in my pocket. I reached into the pocket, ripping loose the threads that I had used to sew it shut. With a shaking hand, I pulled out a crystal long and narrow, with numerous polished facets. It was a deep black and inside was a raging storm of red branching lightning bolts. The Fisher Man, my dark companion, had called it a catalyst. It was like a seed, or a cocoon, from which could grow potential, possibilities. Power. The gem had gorged and grown large. The crystal ate with glee and gluttony, never satiated. I could feel it pulling at me, at the energy around me. It needed to be unleashed, lest it consume itself and all around it. This would be my greatest leap of faith yet, it could give me a class. Grant me strength. All I had to do was trust. Trust the bit of madness left behind in my mind by an ancient and unknowable evil. I had given blood, and I would need to give more if the contract was to be fulfilled. It was an impossible trust to give, and yet what choice did I have? The barricade would quickly be overrun, and my friends and allies would die. I was useless, and crippled ¨C one foot held on only by ligament and flesh. I needed to survive, to become more powerful. I still needed to find my family - my mother, Liv, and Troy at the very least. I was willing to take the risk. I had to trust that what remained of me would be enough. In addition to the two feats and two skills required by Soul Forging, the catalyst required a sacrifice. This ability would make up the core of my new class, though changed and flavored by the other skills and feats to be infused. It would be the defining characteristic of what I would become. It wasn¡¯t a hard decision, what feat to choose to represent the heart of my future power. My reactive adaptability sounded great on paper, and yet I had gained little from it. My past experience convinced me that the feat would only activate if I had been brought to the brink of death. It had the power to save me from that death, and even resist that particular form of damage in the future. It was a safety net, useless unless I had already failed. I willed the crystal to consume the feat, to take it as its core. The bond I held with my dark companion lit up with glee, and I gained a quick image of the bird. It hummed with joy as it crushed an eye, still bloody and trailing a thick cord of optic nerves, between its beak. The crystal floated up above me, seeming to stare down at me as I lay helpless on the hood of an old rusted car. The jewel hovered for a moment, then faster than my eye could track it plunged into my chest. No wound was left behind, but I could feel the crystal deep within me. It had found the heart of the strange sphere of energy, and it called out for more.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I willed it to consume Eldritch Manipulation and Reactive Learning. One feat, one skill: one of each to go. The gem began to rotate, its gravitational force increasing. The sphere, and my skills, began to rotate with the crystal, matching its pace and expanding outward until my entire chest cavity was covered. I could feel the energy rebelling, the skill and feat fighting against being consumed. The sphere was holding on to them, trying to exert its own force to repel the consumption of the gem. It was successful for a moment, the shapes that represented my abilities gradually slowed their descent and even reversed course for the briefest of moments. The crystal reversed the direction of its rotation, moving even faster. A whirlwind of black and crimson energy inundated throughout my body. I could feel my skin crack and my eyes become dry and irritated. I bled from my nose and ears. Each cell seemed to be under stress, as if I was being torn apart. Disintegrated. I willed the abilities into the crystal, hoping to expedite the process. My efforts proved to cause even more pain as my entire body spasmed, leaving me feeling crippled and weak. It was enough, however, as the skills plunged into the crystal, giving it a lighter shade and a larger, rounder form. The crystal expanded until it was on oblong sphere of dark grey, swirling inside with red mist and lightning. It was nearly as large as the original sphere that held my skills and feats, if it consumed more it would become a perfect sphere larger and surrounding the original. The energy and arcane symbols began to twist once more, faster this time. I could feel my chest begin to pull inward and my ribs begin to crack. I almost gave into the pain, and my body was quickly losing strength. My vision became blurry and began to narrow. I almost lost to pain and despair, but a voice pulled me back. It was pure and loud, it spoke of fighting against the world, of independence, and rejecting those who tried to oppress you. It called out to fight the world just for the chance to be yourself. It was a song sung without care, reveling in itself because it could. It pulled me back, and with a final push of effort I called out for the catalyst to take the final two abilities. The catalyst began to suck inAutodidact and Mana Manipulation. As the abilities were tearing free, slowly being drug down into the crystal ¨C I could feel the excitement and anticipation of my dark companion. The image of the kingfisher invaded my mind. It was attacking a creature made up of thousands of eyes hidden between folds of thick rubbery skin. Tentacles, each with a cluster of eyes at the end, struck out wildly but the bird was too fast and was constantly pecking out eyes and eating them, even as it tore through tentacle and flesh with its talons. It wanted me to create this class, I could feel its anticipation and joy. These were the abilities it had suggested to me, the skills, and feats it had sworn would give me a powerful class. It was also the class that would further whatever game my companion was playing. It had called me bait, admitted to me that I was a pawn in its game. A lure to catch some otherworldly prey. Rachel¡¯s voice sang out, once more repeating the chorus and filling my mind with powerful images of rebellion and independence. I wouldn¡¯t play the game of others, I would make at least a small part of this class my own. Perhaps it would make no difference, but it would at least be my own choice. With energy and concentration born of rage I reached into my chest, pulling back the skills I almost sacrificed. In their place I released Analyze and Dark Companion. I would take more control over this creature, make it a core part of me. Perhaps we would merge, or one of us would become subservient. Either way I would understand it. Know what it wanted, what it cared about. I didn¡¯t know what would happen, but I could sense the panic and outrage of the creature. It called out to me, it demanded and begged. It pleaded for me to stop, warned me of the danger of this course of action. I stayed my course, a momentary impulse causing me to rebel and filling me with a need to create something of my own. The abilities quickly coalesced within the gem, causing it to grow larger. The facets quickly smoothed and grew more round, until the gem had only a single side. An unblemished ball of grey-red crystal. Within the crystal shell swam the sphere of energy that made up the skills, stats, and feats given to me by the system - no longer packed as tightly. This new crystal shell contained them, but also defined them and protected them by creating a barrier. The whole thing looked vaguely like a galaxy contained within a glass jar. I could feel the dark companion scream out in rage, even as it grew larger. I now had a sense of it in the back of my mind. I could feel its immediate intentions, its emotions. I could see what it saw, though not yet know what it was thinking. It was part of me now, perhaps it always had been. I had imagined it as alien invader, a parasite. That was only part of the truth. Another, greater truth also spoke out in my mind. The truth of what I was, what I could become. The class I had forged from blood, the power I had gained at the cusp of death and betrayal. I accepted it, and it settled around me like a mantle. From this day forward, I was the Hierophant of the Elder Ones- Seer of the Unseeable, Namer of Lies. Chapter 22: Truth from Madness I could feel the abilities I had sacrificed, not gone, but used as the core and scaffolding of this new crystal sphere. The sphere grew and contracted, always changing, for at its core was the mutability granted by Reactive Adaptability. I could feel the other skills as well: Eldritch Manipulation, Reactive Learning, Analyze, and finally Dark Companion. They were not gone, but nor could I directly access them. They had been shattered, reconstructed, and cast into new forms. The crystal sphere that made up my class hummed with power and potential, it would strengthen and grow as I did. The skills and feats it contained, those not part of the class itself, swam loosely within the sphere. No longer were they so tightly bound as to be almost indistinguishable from one another. I could sense that if I continued to learn new skills I would eventually reach a limit, as my class could only contain so much. I was nowhere near this point, however. A problem for another day. During the battle I had gained skill levels at an incredible rate, even picking up new ones. Something about mortal danger, or perhaps the saturation of energy in the air, caused skills to level in actual combat far easier than they did during training. My skill with a sword, pain resistance, arcane shield, physical fitness, dodge, and arcane missile had all leveled once during the battle. Even more impressive were the two new skills I had gained, shield defense and combat proficiency ¨C each already at the third level. These gains were paltry compared to the gains from my class, even if the FP did make me salivate slightly. The true gains came in the form of a new category ¨C Class Features. In return for the three feats and two skills I had sacrificed I had received four new abilities in return, a net loss of one. After reading the class description, however, I realized that it really hadn¡¯t been a loss at all. Each class feature was far more powerful than what I had given up, the only thing I really mourned were the life saving abilities of Reactive Adaptability. My Willpower and Perception had both been increased by five and would continue to increase by one per level. Almost as useful was the increase of five to all resistances, if it could save me injury in the future it was welcome. I could still hear the battle raging around me. Categorizing my abilities would have to wait till my friends were safe. I was more powerful than before the battle but gaining a class had done nothing to heal my shattered ankle. Even my newly improved pain resistance wouldn¡¯t help, as the leg was completely unable to support my weight. The first of my new class features gave me the solution to this problem, it couldn¡¯t heal the ankle, but it could bind it and reinforce it enough to function. I wouldn¡¯t be graceful, but I could walk. I glanced at the description one more time before deciding what to do. Eldritch Mimicry (0/15) ?- The energy of the Old Ones is now yours to command, no longer does it struggle at your touch. It dances in delight as it bends to your whims, taking on any shape that you can imagine ¨C but only for as long as you can hold a clear picture of that form in your mind. This ability can mimic weapons, armor, and even the spells and forms of your allies and enemies. Anything created by this method will be a shadowy illusion of the truth. These shadowy illusions are half as strong as the original (50%) plus an additional 2% per skill level. It was what eldritch manipulation could have been if taken to its ultimate conclusion. Theoretically, it could copy anything even if the copy wasn¡¯t as strong as the original. I would need practice to fully bring this ability into my fighting style, but for now it was exactly what I needed to support my injured leg. I found it difficult to create and focus on a unique design, so instead I conjured an image from my memory ¨C a memory that was almost perfect due to my investments in intelligence. Thin streams of energy conjured around my foot and shins, quickly weaving around them to create the shadowy outline of a cast. In shape it was an exact replica of the plaster cast I had had as a child when I had broken my leg at summer camp, just a cast sized for an adult and made of shifting black threads of interwoven energy. I stood slowly, still shaking from the pain and from muscles weakened from fatigue. My legs buckled for a moment and I rolled from the car, my back striking the hard pavement as my limbs spread out around me. As I opened my eyes to look up I made eye contact with Rachel, she had stopped singing and was panting as she bent over to hold her knees. Her face was flush and covered in sweat and running mascara. Her eyes were opened wide, and her mouth was bent into a tight smile even through her gasping breath. It occurred to me that she must have seen my fall, so I quickly turned away in embarrassment. Her song had saved me, perhaps even saved my soul, or whatever passed for one. It had given strength to the others holding the bridge, prolonging all of our lives. Even with the ridiculous physical stats most of the defenders likely had they would tire eventually, especially without Rachel¡¯s singing infusing vigor and determination into them with each passing second.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. With Rachel exhausted I felt that it was now on my shoulders to do something. It was possible that Tiller or Catayla would have a solution, but I needed to spread my new wings. Metaphorically anyway. I wanted this battle in a way I didn¡¯t fully understand. I needed it in the same way that I needed air to breathe. I slowly pulled myself back up to my feet and began carefully shuffling towards the barricade. Each step was agony, like molten nails being driving into the marrow of my bones, but my cast was sufficient to support my weight. Only a few minutes prior I had casually leaped to the top of the barricade, but here I was forced to gradually climb - my legs and arms shaking as they slowly reached out for purchase. It was Rachel who reached out offering her hand, pulling me up the last few feet. She wrapped an arm around my waist, helping to support me. ¡°Thank you,¡± my whisper went unheard, swallowed by the howls and clamor of battle. To my right stood Tiller, sparing only a casual glance and a nod in my direction before turning his attention ¨C and revolver ¨C back to the battle. Looking up I made out the form of Catayla lying prone on a support beam above the bridge, casually raining bullets upon the endless attacking masses. Her shots rang out in a rapid constant beat, never missing or failing to kill their target. Beneath me spread out an army. They had pushed through the other barricades, shoving aside cars and boulders. The stone golem could no longer be seen, just a pile of concrete and rebar stood as a testament to its demise. The man with the fire axe, the one who had pulled me from the giant ants, had retreated to the top of the barricade- still cutting down monsters before they could reach us. It would be minutes before the defenders were overrun, perhaps sooner. I quickly reached out to the eldritch energy swarming above the battlefield. It leaped at my touch, eager to be shaped and molding into forms of murder. Despite the seemingly limitless shapes the energy could take, I had to be able to understand and clearly visualize what I wanted to create. Complex machinery was out, as was anything I couldn¡¯t clearly imagine and hold in my mind. Things from my memory were better, as my intelligence stat would help me to visualize them. There was also a limit to the amount of energy I could command at once, and I imagined that there would be some mental fatigue as well. I searched through my memory for a form that was both simple and effective, something that I could form quickly and would be easy to maintain. My mind quickly switched to memories of the old Civil War forts my father used to love bringing me to. Cannons were too complex, and I doubted I could make something like gunpowder ¨C but after I dismissed that idea I remembered the old fortifications my father had helped construct for a Civil War reenactment. Simple wooden palisades, made from sharpened logs lashed together with rope. I knew I could do something similar, it would be impossible to dig a trench, but I could anchor the wall of sharpened posts into the concrete and steel of the bridge itself. I willed the construction into existence forcing the image onto the thick eldritch energy permeating the battlefield. Thick, sharp logs made of black misty energy grew up in front of the barricade like wild brambleberry. Posts three to four meters long pointed upwards, angled toward the horde of monsters. It wouldn¡¯t completely stop them, but it would slow them down and buy the group of defenders time. I kept the image in my mind, focusing on the memories it was based on. I could feel a mental drain, but I could handle it. I could still form simple weapons, but it would be difficult to create anything as complex as a spell or further construction. I regretted for a moment that I hadn¡¯t re-created the stone golem. With some experimentation I was sure it would be possible. I began to rain down javelins made of the black and crimson eldritch energy. Each projectile would quickly be dissolved into smoke as it impaled its target, freeing my mind to concentrate on creating more spears. It was effective, but slow. It was relieving some of the pressure on the defenders, but it was not a permanent solution. I needed something bigger, something that could affect the entire horde at once. Of my new Class Features, one stood out as being able to do so, but it was risky. I was hesitant to use such an unpredictable ability without first testing it in a more controlled environment. If I waited, however, I might not ever get that chance. The most mysterious of my new Class Features seemed to be a double-edged sword, just as likely to cut at me and my allies as it was to hinder my enemies. Eye of Madness (0/10) ?- You have seen the terrifying truth of those that wait in the void. Your connection to the source of this maddening presence allows you to tear back the fabric of reality and see the hidden, terrifying truths that lie beneath. Overuse will burn this terror into your mind, risking your sanity ¨C skill level and willpower will reduce this risk. Alternate use: You can create an aura around yourself that shares this truth with your enemies, filling their minds with terror and possibly causing them to go berserk. You must confront the truth you share, but your allies will be spared ¨C save those for whom you hold hidden malice. Using the Class Feature¡¯s ability to see the truth seemed dangerous, as an entire army of eldritch abominations was likely to overburden my mind, and my low skill level and willpower meant I risked permanent madness. I gave that a hard pass, but the alternate use had some potential. It would likely take me out of the fight, but it would also reduce the ability of the monsters to defend themselves and if they started going berserk and attacking their allies? Well, all the better. I closed my eyes, and slowly released madness around me in a tight vortex of swirling energy that invaded the minds of all it touched. Chapter 23: Banter and Bombs The Eye of Madness opened, engulfing everything before it. It revealed the truth, a truth I shared with my enemies. I saw them for what they were, tiny extension of something much greater. No more important than a few loose skin cells shed casually without care or notice. All their hunger and rage, meaningless before their true purpose. I stood at the very center of this vortex of madness, seemingly important. But what was I? I saw the birth of planets and great civilizations, only for those civilizations to gradually fade and die, slowly being replaced over time. I saw entire solar systems perish as stars expanded before collapsing into magnificent and violent supernovas that could be seen from half a universe away. It was awesome in its scale, and terrifying in the realization of how small even these events were. I saw the great expanse of time and space, every possible action repeated over and over unendingly. Both the past and future were infinite, and yet more existed beyond these measurements. Other dimensions existed outside of our own, some far older and with native intelligences so alien, powerful, and malignant as to be unfathomable. Then I saw the silent waiting forms for whom these events and creatures were but cosmic specs of dust, the lifespan of universes over in the blink of an eye compared to these eternal beings. Terrible and frightening, not because they held malice but for the complete lack of regard they held for anything as insignificant as human life. Even entire universes were little more than baubles to be squandered and bartered. Worse than their lack of regard was the chance that one might turn their attention towards you, a momentary amusement. I saw a burning eye in sky as one of these great intelligences, gods that stood outside of time and space, took notice. Only for a moment, but events were set into motion that could not be avoided. I saw the true enemy, and I understood the utter insignificance of my own existence. To resist was unavoidable, and yet pointless. *** I felt a strike across my face. ¡°Finn,¡± said a familiar voice laced with sobs. ¡°Snap out of it.¡± I held my hands in front of my face, fingernails dripping with blood. Deep gauges had been dug into my forehead and cheeks, tears and blood ran down my face. My eyes were dry, and my skin felt hot. My throat was hoarse, and every muscle in my face ached as if I had been screaming for hours. I breathed deeply, hyperventilating while collapsing to my knees in despair. I took deep ragged breaths, as I tightly squeezed my eyes shut. The images would not leave, they seemed to be permanently burned into my memory ¨C not only unforgettable but unable to be repressed or ignored. ¡°Finn,¡± Rachel¡¯s voice called out to me. ¡°We need to get out of here.¡± I looked up to see Rachel and Tiller standing over me. Someone had carried me down off the barricade and leaned me up against a group of stacked cars several meters behind the main barricade. After a few moments I finally dragged myself up, one hand grasping a car for support while Rachel put her shoulder under my arm for support. My conjured cast was completely gone, and in a moment of clarity I realized the palisades I had constructed would be as well. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± I asked. I could still hear the sounds of battle, somehow fiercer than before. ¡°I think so,¡± it was Tiller who answered. ¡°Whatever you did caused everything to go crazy. Those monsters went berserk, started tearing each other apart. Others charged the barrier, ignoring every injury like they¡¯d gone mad.¡± ¡°Your spiked wall is gone,¡± added Rachel. ¡°A bunch of those ¡­ things, they just mindlessly impaled themselves, but it didn¡¯t take them long to smash through.¡± She looked at me for a moment, peaking out from beneath my arm. She briefly pulled away from before throwing her arms around me, almost causing me to stumble. ¡°You were babbling and screaming the whole time, I though something was really wrong with you. I tried singing again, but it didn¡¯t help, and my mana was already almost gone. I¡¯m¡­ just.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I smiled. ¡°You save me more than once today, all of us really.¡± She smiled back releasing me from her bear hug, still leaving one arm under my shoulder to help me stand. ¡°Oh,¡± said Rachel holding one hand up to her chest. ¡°Your bird, Finn, I am so sorry. He¡¯s¡­¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Eaten,¡± finished Tiller. ¡°Eaten?¡± I said. I reached out through my connection to the creature before saying more. ¡°He¡¯s fine. In fact, whatever ate him is probably having a bit of indigestion right about now.¡± My bond to the dark companion was now much deeper, and the creature itself had gotten some fancy new upgrades as well due to another of my new class features ¨C Dark Gemini. I wasn¡¯t sure how useful it would be just yet, but the description was promising. Dark Gemini ? - You have gained insight into the true nature of your Dark Companion. It is now truly a part of you, a twin born from your shattered psyche. It can no longer hide from or deceive you, but no longer can you deny it its rightful place in your mind. As long as you live, your Dark Gemini cannot be truly killed. Having absorbed a piece of your adaptability, the Dark Gemini has gained complete control of its form. Furthermore, as the twin to your own soul you now share a mana pool with your Dark Gemini and it can cast any spell you know from this pool. It wasn¡¯t the most impressive of my new abilities, but it did significantly reduce the risk of the creature I had once considered a parasite. The ability to share mana and spells was also potentially powerful. It could potentially double my firepower, even allowing me to focus on combat while my twin cast spells. Despite this, I was still hesitant to trust the creature ¨C even if it was me. ¡°The defenders can¡¯t hold out much longer,¡± Tiller said. ¡°Catayla is doing something to blow the bridge. We are supposed to fall back and make sure the way is clear so everyone else can haul ass in a minute.¡± Tiller seemed as detached as usual, though he was almost hesitant, as if he was torn between leaving or staying to study the monsters. Rachel, however, had truly surprised me. It didn¡¯t seem like that long ago that I had had to send Tiller to find her as she hid from combat, the evidence of her crying still visible by the black lines of makeup that ran down her cheeks. Yet now, she had a certain determination to her. Perhaps she had found her courage during the battle. ¡°All right,¡± I added. It took me only a moment to reform the cast around my shattered ankle. It took considerably more effort this time. I suspected constructing anything as large as a palisade would be well above my abilities, at least for the short-term future. ¡°Did anything get past us?¡± I asked. ¡°The bridge should be pretty much clear in this direction, right?¡± ¡°A big part of the horde broke off to the Northeast, they may cross up there and circle back south. We¡¯re still not sure what those pterodactyls will do either. Whatever you did seems not to have affected them, so far. Probably just waiting to feast from the carrion, but we can¡¯t be sure.¡± ¡°Can you walk?¡± asked Rachel. ¡°I¡¯ll manage,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s painful, but I can move on my own.¡± ¡°All right,¡± said Tiller. ¡°When Catayla gives the signal, they¡¯ll be coming for us like a bat out of hell, demons hot on their tails. Literally in this case.¡± We began sprinting back towards the city. It was difficult, but I manage to keep up despite my crippled leg. Under ideal circumstances I would have been faster than either of them. My physical stats were the highest of the trio, though Tiller was able to avoid obstacles with a gymnast like grace that allowed him to easily take the lead. Our run didn¡¯t take long, and we didn¡¯t run into any trouble along the way. Slowly, we made our way down the debris ridden ramp at the end of the bridge and took cover behind the overturned frame of an old sedan. ¡°So, what¡¯s the signal?¡± I asked. ¡°No idea,¡± said Tiller. I looked to Rachel, but she just shook her head to indicate she didn¡¯t know either. ¡°I imagine we¡¯ll know it when we¡­¡± began Tiller. A bright flash preceded a shockwave and a large plume of smoke. The entire bridge vibrated, but it still held. The groaning of the high-tension wires became sharp cracks as wire began to snap, and the bridge began to sway. ¡°If that¡¯s the signal,¡± said Rachel. ¡°Then I hate to see what the actual explosion is going to look like.¡± ¡°Baddasses never see explosions,¡± said Tiller. ¡°What?¡± Rachel and I said together. ¡°Too busy walking away in slow motion.¡± The groans were left unsaid, but the momentary silence and empty stares communicated our feelings well, I think. ¡°You¡¯ve been holding on to that one, haven¡¯t you?¡± Rachel asked Tiller. ¡°Maybe for a bit¡­¡± he admitted. ¡°Alright, you guys. Pre-fight banter concluded?¡± I asked. ¡°They¡¯re going to come charging down that ramp at any second and we need to be ready for whatever is coming¡± It wasn¡¯t long before my prediction came true. A dozen bridge guards, Catayla and Worthy leading the way, came rushing down the ramp. Tiller was already firing, not worrying about friendly fire as his shots unerringly flew past fleeing guards to strike the targets behind them. The speed and accuracy of his shots was poetic, some shots came within inches of striking an ally but somehow his bullets always struck Tiller¡¯s intended target. As the group of guards reached us they split up to take cover. I began to use Arcane bolts to take out pursuing creatures while Tiller continued to take out everything that came even remote close to one of our allies. Rachel held a gun at her side, but hadn¡¯t started firing, instead humming a gentle tune that seemed to sooth my aches and clear my mind. The effects were minor, maybe even a placebo. ¡°Everyone down,¡± yelled Catayla. She pulled out a disk that looked exactly like the communication device she had given to me after we first met. I tensed as she pressed down the button in the center of the device. Instead of the high intensity blast I had braced for, there was a long serious of pops ¨C sounding more like fireworks than high grade demolition charges. Almost immediately I could hear sharp cracks and the screeching sound of metal on metal. The wires that supported the bridge all began to give out at the same time. The bridge collapse into the river beneath it, creating waves and a large splash that nearly reached us. The resulting clamor washed over me, even as a cloud of dust and powdered concrete settled, obscuring my vision. ¡°Get ready,¡± I said. ¡°Here they come.¡± Chapter 24: Aftermath It was almost peaceful, the stillness. No one moved or dared even to breathe. The previous chaos and the clamor of battle, gunshots, and explosions had been overwhelming in its intensity, yet for a brief moment everything was muted and tranquil. A faint ringing noise in my ears and the thumping of my heartbeat kept time as everything else appeared to move in slow motion. I closed my eyes. I breathed deeply, slowing my pulse. My eyes opened. The peace didn¡¯t end so much as it exploded into motion. Someone shouted, and my damaged hearing was invaded once again by the booming cracks of gunshots. Time moved once more. The wave of creatures was not as large as I had expected, I estimated their numbers at just over thirty. Most of the monsters were bipedal, with only a few quadrupeds rounding out the numbers. Among them were two direwolves, much like the ones I had fought earlier. I felt a cold shiver as I reflected on the memory. The curved ramp they charged down was narrow, steep, and littered with holes and debris. This caused several of the creatures to stumble or jostle each other as they tried to push past. At no point during the battle on the Ravenel bridge had I witnessed such poor coordination from these creatures. Even the irregular terrain didn¡¯t explain it. They weren¡¯t working together and seemed to be running in a blind panic. It was an opportunity that I immediately seized. Operating on sheer instinct, I used Eldritch Mimicry to copy the Tanglefoot spell. I¡¯d yet to use the spell in a real battle, as it required contact with the earth. The smoky illusions created by Eldritch Mimicry, however, had no such restrictions. It would be weaker than the real thing, but I didn¡¯t need to entangle them, merely tripping them up for a fraction of a second would create openings for my allies to exploit. The air was still thick with energy, it had an almost greasy feeling to it. It was like a web of tendrils made of black, oily tar floating in the air connecting and flowing through everything. I was able to capture and contort these tendrils, shaping them into the form I wanted. Thin vines snaked up from the ground beneath the charging monsters. Each vine was as thick as a thumb, and roughly as long as I was tall. They were smoky black and tinged with red, like embers burning in charcoal. Long curved barbs grew from each vine, drawing blood as they constricted and pulled at the limbs of the creatures caught in their grasp. The monsters charged through them as easily as if they were tissue. I had reached the limit of the spell, but I wasn¡¯t finished. I used the spell as the base, it was a template to give shape to what I wanted. A shortcut that saved me from having to perfectly visualize it in my mind. I then took control, feeding power into each tendril. They grew larger. Thorns bit deeper. Vines held limbs longer and tighter. Most of the creatures continued to charge, unhindered except for a few shallow cuts. One of the wolves lost an eye but kept moving forward, barely slowed. A few of the bipedal creatures, however, were not as lucky, crashing down into the pavement halting their charge and slowing those behind them. Vines quickly entangling them as thorns bit into their flesh ¨C sinking deeper the more they struggled. I turned back towards those that had made it through. I had stopped only four, but I had succeeded in breaking the charge. The creatures were now more staggered, coming in groups rather than all together. Catayla took out the closest enemies with quick bursts from her rifle. I saw several of the bridge guards firing into the crowd of monsters, while Worthy and the woman with the giant club ran out to meet the charge. Tiller¡¯s revolver began a quick dance, the crash of gunfire tapping out at a measured pace. Each shot striking an eye, a head, or an exposed throat. Worthy had somehow unsheathed both of his swords and was dancing around a large green-skinned humanoid. He cut at the creature¡¯s back, before dropping into a roll to slash at its ankles. The creature roared. A kick sent Worthy flying into the metal frame of an old car. As worthy slumped to the ground, a club smashed into the creature¡¯s head. A barrage of rifle fire pierced its torso and limbs. It fell dead. A tall blond woman stood over it still pounding her club into its head. I cast spells. As enemies would get too close I would blind them with Venom Spray. Their flesh would sizzle even as the neurotoxin slowed their movements and weakened limbs. As the closer enemies were cut down I switched my focus towards sniping the slower enemies with Arcane Missiles. It was over too soon, the violence ending suddenly. I continued to look around me expected danger but finding none.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± I jumped at the sound of something approaching from behind. Tiller caught my punch, casually deflecting it. His block had started before I had even known I was going to attack. ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Tiller said. ¡°We¡¯ve won, or at least something that resembles winning.¡± I heard his words. But my body couldn¡¯t process the truth as quickly as my mind. Adrenaline continued to pump through my veins. I could feel my blood as it was pumped through my veins. My hands shook, and it was difficult to catch my breath. ¡°How many¡­¡± I gasped out. ¡°Did everyone make it?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Tiller. ¡°One of the guards that came with Worthy didn¡¯t make it. Four of the guards assigned to the bridge were taken out as well.¡± I looked over at Worthy. He had gained consciousness but was still lying where he had fallen. Next to him knelt the tall blonde woman with the oversized club. In her arms she cradled a man. The way she carried him made him look small, childlike. His eyes had been closed, and his arms and legs dangled uselessly to the side. I had never even asked his name. I looked through the rest of the survivors looking for familiar faces. The man who had literally pulled me from the wolves was missing. His tall lean frame and eye catching red and silver fire axe were now gone - likely bent and broken, lying under hundreds of tons of rubble. ¡°Is Rachel..¡± I asked, not needing to say anymore. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± she said. She was sitting in the dirt a dozen meters behind me. Her black leather jacket and crisp blue jeans were now torn and stained. She looked tired. Her stare was empty, and she refused to make eye contact. I hobbled over to her. ¡°Rachel, I¡¯m glad you were here. I¡¯m not sure we could have made it without you. Thank you.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t enough. We barely made it out of there. If I hadn¡¯t hesitated, maybe¡­ I just.¡± ¡°Not fair,¡± said Tiller. ¡°Trained soldiers sometimes break the first time they see combat. The only way to really know how you¡¯ll react is to be there. All the training in the world doesn¡¯t mean a thing without real experience. The fact that you got back up, you fought.¡± He shook his head a few times, before he walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s rare as hell,¡± he continued. ¡°To face that kind of fear, have it overtake you and yet still somehow find the strength to get back in the fight? You¡¯re a fucking hero, Rachel.¡± She looked up at him, her eyes narrowed and her mouth slightly open. ¡°If no one else,¡± I said. ¡°You saved me. I¡­ almost lost myself for a moment. You brought me back, you allowed me to make a choice I couldn¡¯t make alone.¡± She looked over at me and made eye contact for the first time since the battle had begun. She smiled slightly, ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay.¡± That was all we got from her before she turned her eyes downward, lost in contemplation. ¡°You two surprised me,¡± said Catayla. Her ninja entrances didn¡¯t even surprise me anymore. ¡°All of you did.¡± ¡°Humanity may not be the biggest or the meanest,¡± said Tiller. ¡°But we adapt. We learn to shape our environments and can thrive in almost any extreme.¡± ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± I asked. ¡°The mission should still be our primary objective. The only way to know what is going on is to make contact with my superiors. They¡¯ll have the intel, and the weapons, we need to survive.¡± ¡°So how do we get across?¡± I asked. Tiller looked at me with a grin. ¡°Finn, I like you but you¡¯re an idiot. I just watched you create a three-meter-high palisade that stretched across four traffic lanes. You don¡¯t think you can make a boat big enough for five people?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say. I looked out over the river, wondering what might lurk underneath. ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± said Catayla. ¡°Your new power will prove useful. Perhaps you could tell us how you did that?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I hesitated once more. ¡°I¡¯ve got a new class.¡± ¡°No shit!¡± said Tiller. Catayla didn¡¯t say a word, just watched me silently for a few moments. Her face was a blank mask. ¡°Man, you¡¯re going to have to give me all the details. Right now, though, we need to make a plan. Decide who¡¯s going with us, send word back to New Charleston, let them know about the bridge.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll stick with our remaining five,¡± said Catayla. ¡°The other guards should head back and reinforce the rest of your people. Once these men and woman have rested they¡¯ll likely be among the strongest warriors you have.¡± ¡°Hell yeah,¡± said Tiller. ¡°I¡¯m up to level seventeen already. It¡¯s fucking amazing. How about you Finn. You must have been swimming in XP during that battle on the bridge.¡± ¡°Uh, Not really,¡± I said. ¡°All that experience from the bridge went¡­ elsewhere. I¡¯ve gained three levels. I¡¯m level six.¡± ¡°Six?¡± said Tiller. ¡°That can¡¯t be right, man. I was sure you were a higher level than me.¡± ¡°How about you, Cat?¡± Catayla just ignored Tiller¡¯s question as she turned to walk towards the rest of the group. ¡°And you Rach¡­¡± Tiller started to ask. ¡°I¡¯m not going,¡± said Rachel. ¡°I can¡¯t go. It¡¯s terrifying. What¡¯s out there is fucking insane, I just can¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°I know you can,¡± said Tiller. ¡°I just saw you¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m the one who said we needed her, and we don¡¯t anymore.¡± I pointed across the river at the rolling mist that was slowly creeping towards us. ¡°With my new class, I can protect us from that on my own. We don¡¯t need her. Besides, her power is amplified in large groups. She¡¯ll be much more valuable helping to protect the survivors.¡± Rachel looked up at me and smiled. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°Alright,¡± said Tiller. ¡°So, it¡¯s what, just the four of us?¡± ¡°We can probably ask for a volunteer, or two, but if we take too many I¡¯m not sure I can make a boat big enough. We also need to worry about drawing attention.¡± The sound of gunshots interrupted our conversation. Looking up I could see a twisted abomination beginning to make its way down the exit ramp of the bridge. It was a floating sphere as large as the cab of a semi. Hundreds of eyes and dozens of tentacles were spread out over its body. Its skin was thick and wrinkled like folded leather. A thin coat of hair and mucus were layered over its body. Half of the creature was a scarred mess of charred flesh and burst eyes. Many of its tentacles had been severed or hung limply at its side. It didn¡¯t move, merely floated there slightly bobbing. A truly tortured sight. ¡°Hold on,¡± I yelled. ¡°It¡¯s with me.¡± 24.E Not a chapter, just a poll, but if you''re interested I did an Easter/April Fool''s Chapter but decided not to post it as I would have had to delete it anyways. Plus, I wasn''t really that happy with it. If you really want to read it I''ll leave a link on the bottom. Let me know what you think of the story so far. If you can think of additonal answers for the poll please let me know those as well. I''ll be logged in here later tonight from 6-7 p.m. (10-11 p.m GMT) to answer any questions or concerns you have. In the future I''ll look into getting a discord server and setting up monthly chat sessions.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. No content today, regular post on Monday. note: The poll is set so everyone can answer twice, just in case you agree with more than one statement. Chapter 25: Smoke on the Water A slight breeze blew across the Cooper River creating small, gentle waves that carried above them large clouds of dust that brought the smell of smoke and burning rubber. The sun was beginning to set at our backs, painting the sky with wide bands of orange and gold that cut across a backdrop of deep purple and blue beginning to transition into darkness. The rubble of the Ravenel bridge was still smoldering, releasing dark plumes of thick, heavy smoke. Both ends of the bridge were relatively intact, but the middle had completely collapsed into the waters below. Debris peaked up above the waves as lengths of steel and concrete blocks leaned up against the triangular pillars that had once supported the majestic bridge. It was a curious juxtaposition of beauty and ugliness. What remained of our group stood on the west bank of the Cooper river. We were slightly downstream from the bridge, and directly across the river from the USS Yorktown, the old WWII aircraft carrier turned museum. We¡¯d had a short service to honor those who had died on the bridge, but a proper memorial would have to be left for later. After this impromptu funeral, the remaining bridge guards had left taking Rachel with them. It was bittersweet, but I was glad at least one of us would return unharmed. We¡¯d lost most of the day to the battle and its aftereffects. Many of the bridge guards and members of my own party had lost friends, even loved ones. The survivors all had injuries ranging from minor scraps to broken limbs and in one case a punctured lung. These injuries, and my own ankle, would have healed perfectly over time ¨C one of the benefits of the system. Still, this process took hours or even days. Fortunately, one of the guards, a mage with a long coat and fedora, had healing spells as well as his beam of fire. Worthy had also surprised me with his own minor healing skill, one he claimed was called Lay on Hands. He smirked slightly when he said it, but I didn''t catch the joke. Of the original group, only Worthy, his blonde follower, Tiller, Catayla, and I remained. My other companion had discarded the borrowed flesh it had worn at the end of the battle and returned to its bird form. It appeared to be sleeping while perched on my shoulder, though I could sense its alertness. The terrifying thing was that I knew it could change into the form of a mass of tentacles and eyes whenever it wanted to. It might have given me nightmares if all the vacancies hadn¡¯t already been filled by even greater, more existential terrors. ¡°Are you sure that thing will float?¡± asked Worthy. ¡°It creeps me out a little.¡± In front of us my ¡®boat¡¯ sat on the bank of the river. It was little more than a large box, open at the top with three lines of benches and a flat canopy roof. It was constructed completely from black threads of energy that were constantly moving, containing streams and swirls of deep crimson embers that glowed beneath the thin black mist that rose up from the craft. I took another moment to look at my creation before answering. ¡°Probably,¡± I said. ¡°It should be okay. Not a lot of mass, mostly water tight. Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± ¡°Mostly?¡± Worthy asked while raising a single eyebrow. ¡°Ah, fuck it. I¡¯m not going to drown in five feet of water.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to worry about drowning,¡± said Tiller. ¡°The local marine life is probably just as aggressive as the rest of the wildlife in the area. Who knows what could be beneath this seemingly peaceful water. What sleeps in the depths.¡± Tiller¡¯s voice got deeper and more theatrical as he finished. ¡°Cute,¡± Worthy said. He began to push the boat across the sand and jumped into it with an easy grace as the craft slid into the water. He stood still for a few seconds before shifting his weight from foot to foot, barely rocking the boat. Even as his stomping became more vigorous the craft remained remarkably stable. ¡°Seems sturdy enough,¡± he said. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this now, though? It¡¯ll be dark well before we make it across. Bridgett and I brought camping supplies, I hope the rest of you did as well.¡± It was Catayla who answered. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d agree with you, but we don¡¯t have the time to wait. We¡¯ve rested long enough.¡± The tall blue-scaled scout jumped up into the boat beside Worthy and turned to look at the rest of us. ¡°Your physical stats should allow you to easily skip a single night of rest, and if we make good time and have a little luck, we should meet up with the rest of the Peacekeepers well before the moon reaches its highest point.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°I think we¡¯re all in,¡± said the statuesque blonde, Bridgett. ¡°I¡¯ve lost friends to get here, and I¡¯m not ready to turn back now.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Catayla. ¡°I know you¡¯ve lost more than most, all of us have lost something. We all stand to lose a lot more if we do not complete this mission.¡± Catayla stood up straight, highlighting her intimidating height, before taking a moment to make eye contact with each of us. ¡°Something has obviously gone wrong at the containment zone,¡± She continued. ¡°And if we don¡¯t find out what has happened and help to put a stop to it then the whole area may be in danger. Everything you care about could be gone, unless we act.¡± ¡°We¡¯re with you,¡± said Tiller. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s at stake, really, but I do know I¡¯d rather be doing something.¡± ¡°Well then,¡± Worthy said. ¡°Are you all going to join me on this pleasure craft, or should I wait for you to hug it out first?¡± As everyone climbed onto the boat I was struck by the grace each of them displayed. The physical improvements made by the system allowed almost everyone in the party to move with fluid and precise motions. Even casual movement betrayed the coordination and strength generally only seen in professional athletes and dancers. I jumped forward covering twice the length of my body, landing upright on the stern of the small boat. Before the system I¡¯d never really taken pleasure in physical activity. I¡¯d kept in shape, of course, but I¡¯d long ago lost the childlike joy that could be found in just moving. It was wonderful just to exist, despite all the suffering and loss that lived around me. I became lost in the physicality. It was exhilarating to explore these new limits. ¡°Show off,¡± said Tiller. ¡°I might be able to take gold in the long jump,¡± I said. ¡°But I¡¯ve got nothing on those Jedi reflexes.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± said Tiller. ¡°I wanted to talk to you about that. Once we start moving talk with me for a minute, okay? You haven¡¯t spent any of your stat gains, have you?¡± ¡°No,¡± I shook my head. ¡°I was planning on just putting all of them into intelligence. It seems the most efficient use, as it also increases my physical stats. Anything else would feel like a waste.¡± ¡°Just trust me,¡± said Tiller. ¡°If this works you¡¯re probably going to kick yourself. You''ll definitely kick yourself if you don''t try it, and you find out later that it works.¡± I agreed to consult Tiller before spending any of my unallocated stats. I then created a set of four oars that we could use to row the boat. I took one of the oars, while Worthy, Bridgett and Catayla took the others. With our increased strength I estimated it would probably take less than forty minutes to reach the other shore. ¡°Listen,¡± said Tiller. He sat down beside me and began whispering so quietly that I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to understand him if it hadn¡¯t been for the increased perception I gained from my Hierophant class. ¡°Do you remember how you got your Able Learner feat?¡± he asked. ¡°Sure,¡± I answered while trying to keep my voice low. ¡°Why are we whispering?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± he began. ¡°I don¡¯t really know, I guess I just figured you¡¯d want to keep being secretive with your build.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I said loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°I think we¡¯re all past that point. If we¡¯re going to be a team, I think we need to share this kind of info.¡± I notice a few eyes turn toward me, but no one interjected. ¡°Ok,¡± said Tiller. ¡°During the tutorial most of us got feats from focusing on a single stat. In fact, the tutorial encouraged it. Mine is Heightened Reflexes, it doubles my reaction speeds. It¡¯s basically a straight multiplier for my reaction stat.¡± I whistled. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s pretty good.¡± ¡°You should try putting three points into reaction, see what happens.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve already done that but with intelligence. It¡¯s how I got Able Learner.¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t get it, do you?¡± This time it was Catayla speaking. ¡°Us Peacekeepers are forbidden from giving you specific information on feats and stats, other than what is given in the tutorial. The tutorial you never had¡­¡± ¡°Oh, shit,¡± I said. The realization finally dawning on me. ¡°I never finished the¡­¡± I didn¡¯t wait anymore, immediately assigning three points into my reaction stat. Congratulations! You have put three points into a single stat before completing the tutorial!! You have unlocked the feat(s) ¨C Heightened Reflexes ? - Having focused on Reaction during the earliest part of your training you now find that your body reacts to your commands more quickly than you had ever imagined. Your reaction times are now half of what they were before. This effectively doubles the gains you receive from the reaction feat! I looked over at Catayla and then turned my head to make eye contact with Tiller. I just smiled and nodded my head. ¡°Heightened Reflexes,¡± he asked. ¡°You got the same feat?¡± The look on my face must have given it away because I soon heard a mix of groans and cheers. ¡°Of all the fucking luck,¡± said Worthy. ¡°Not only are you the only one of us with a class, you also have a fancy familiar and now¡­ cheat codes. It¡¯s hardly fair to the rest of us slobs.¡± I ignored Worthy, instead turning back towards Tiller. ¡°So, what do you think I should do with my next three points?¡± I asked. ¡°Fair question, I don¡¯t imagine it will take you long to level if you¡¯re only level six,¡± said Tiller. ¡°Oh, no,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve already got them. I receive an extra unallocated stat per level from one of my feats, so those three levels gave me an extra three stats buys.¡± ¡°Jesus save me,¡± said Worthy throwing his arms up. ¡°I¡¯d be outa here if this boat wasn¡¯t the size of postage stamp.¡± ¡°Focus is my lowest stat, by far,¡± I said. ¡°But I really could use the boost to will.¡± ¡°Well,¡± said Tiller. ¡°Obviously you should take all of them eventually. Personally, I think Will would be a good idea, considering¡­ everything.¡± He casually glanced at the kingfisher on my shoulder before quickly looking away. ¡°I¡¯ll hold out for now,¡± I said. ¡°A relaxing boat ride is exactly what I need to clear my mind.¡± It¡¯s too bad things never work out the way we plan. Chapter 26: So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish Tiller was the first to notice something was wrong. He began to yell, saying that something had just swum underneath us. He then started firing into the water, leaving behind traces of blue energy with every shot. Catayla reacted to the warning almost immediately, she jumped onto the boat¡¯s canopy roof and began to fire, the familiar peal of her rifle was like thunder ringing out in quick succession. It was chaos, no one else knew what was happening and yet they all began to shout out orders and questions, even as most of them fired blindly into the water. ¡°It¡¯s in the water,¡± Tiller yelled. ¡°Something is circling us, at least ten of them. Probably more. Line up and focus your shots and we can work together to take these things out one at a time.¡± Worthy and Bridgett immediately lined up next to Tiller and began to concentrate on the same targets. The blue lines left behind by Tiller¡¯s mana bullets made it easy for the other two to follow his shots and pick out the same foe. It seemed effective, as blood would rise from the areas where the group focused their attacks. Unfortunately, the creatures were tough and fast and so far, our group had only struck glancing blows. Even Catayla had yet to get a kill. I looked around, taking the time to activate my arcane shield. The water seemed calm, with only the splash of bullets and a few gentle waves disturbing the surface. It was too dark to see beneath the water, and the explosion and collapsed bridge had kicked up silt and dirt to further cloud the water. Still, I could barely make out areas of the water that seemed darker than the water around them. Faint shadows that were circling us. I used my connection to the Dark Gemini, and it immediately awoke and dove into the black water beneath us. It changed into an abomination of eyes and tentacles as it did so. A form I had come to call the ¡®Gazer.¡¯ It was now healed of damage, without the burns or missing tentacles and eyes it had suffered from originally. It was also considerably smaller, perhaps due to limitations on the creature¡¯s shapeshifting talents. As my companion dove under the water I was able to share its senses enough to get a vague idea of what was around us. Dozens of fish surrounded our boat, I could only make out silhouettes, but it was enough to see that each creature had large, dagger-like teeth and long stalks growing from their heads. Each ¡®fish¡¯ was roughly the size of a dolphin, but fatter and misshapen. They lacked symmetry and were covered in lumps and protrusions that looked like tumorous growths. I reached for the sheath at my hip. It was empty. I had lost my sword on the bridge, so I created a weapon in my left hand. Dark smoke-like energy flowed through my arm and twirled around my fingers before quickly lengthening and solidifying into a spear, black with bits of burning crimson. It smoked and gave off sparks and embers. The javelin was massive, half again as tall as I was and as thick around as my wrist. It was a scaled-up version of a real weapon I had pulled from my memory, something I had seen at the local aquarium. The blade at the tip was jagged and asymmetrical, with a cruel sickle-like blade that curved behind it. I didn¡¯t bother creating a line or chain to tether the weapon, as I didn¡¯t want myself, or my boat, dragged under the waves. I would simply create a new weapon after I lost the first. My strategy was simple ¨C I would use my Dark Gemini to locate the creatures and pin them down with its tentacles, and then harpoon them. Rinse. Repeat. It worked well, quickly landing me five kills. Tiller, Worthy and Bridgett had managed to take out another two and Catayla had killed at least as many by herself before the school of fish fled, leaving behind floating corpses to bob on the surface of the river. ¡°Is that all of them?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Tiller replied. ¡°I can¡¯t hear or see anything, but it doesn¡¯t feel finished.¡± ¡°You two,¡± said Worthy. ¡°You need to learn how to keep your fucking mouths shut. You think whatever is out there isn¡¯t listening to us? Paying attention? You jinx us and it¡¯s liable to fuck with us just for kicks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an interesting theory,¡± said Catayla. ¡°You might even possess some inexplicable wisdom masquerading as ignorance, but right now we need to focus. Tiller is right. That was just the opening salvo. Something else is coming.¡± Without orders the Dark Gemini sank beneath the boat, stretching out its tentacles and searching with a hundred eyes. If would be hard to get past its gaze, even in the dark and murky water. Hard, but not impossible. I quickly learned that fact as the boat was brought to an immediate stop. The bow of the boat was lifted above the water, and I could feel the eldritch energy the craft was made from begin to distort and bend.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Before I could use the Dark Gemini to confirm what had happened, a large tendril of thick slimy flesh shot out of the water and wrapped around the hull of the boat. The tentacle was massive, long enough to wrap around the small craft twice. Two more tentacles shot out of the water, hanging above us like executioners waiting for the command cut us down. They cast a shadow that blocked out what little light there was from the moon and the fading sunset that still tentatively clung to the horizon. The last rays of daylight disappeared behind the horizon. I struck out with everything I had. Thick spikes grew from the hull of the boat, extending outward and skewering the tentacles around us. A high-pitched scream, just barely within the range of human hearing, rang out as the tentacle that had been wrapped around the boat withdrew beneath waves. I released the spikes and created a dome above us, just in time to catch the remaining tentacles as they began to pound, denting the dome like hammers upon thin sheet metal. ¡°It¡¯s not going to hold,¡± I yelled. ¡°We need to attack those tentacles, drive this thing off.¡± I hardly needed to have spoken, however, as the small crew had already begun firing under the dome to hit the tentacles around us. Maintaining the dome, reforming, and reinforcing it with each blow it took, cost me every drop of mental energy I had. The Dark Gemini could act separately from me. I cutoff our connection, dropping the sensory input I received from it, and ordered it to follow the tentacles downward and find the main body of this creature. If the creature could be distracted or driven off, we might be able to escape. ¡°Catayla,¡± I heard Worthy yell. ¡°Got any more of those explosives? A shockwave might be able to injure this thing, or at least convince it that we aren¡¯t easy prey.¡± ¡°A few,¡± she yelled. ¡°But they¡¯ll be useless unless we can get them close to the main body. These tentacles are boneless and flexible and abomination flesh is notoriously tough, they¡¯d barely feel it. Even if we did take them out, there is a good chance they can regrow, or more are waiting in reserve.¡± ¡°Besides,¡± she continued. ¡°You don¡¯t want to be anywhere near that blast when it goes off.¡± An idea hit me, and I ordered my dark Gemini to return. ¡°Wait,¡± I stammered. ¡°Will that work? If we can get the explosive close to the main body can we kill this thing?¡± My words were formed slowly between gasps. The dome was being damaged faster than I could repair it, and it was taking a toll on me physically as well as mentally. ¡°Theoretically,¡± said Catayla. ¡°Or at least drive it off, even if we can¡¯t kill it.¡± ¡°Good,¡± I said. ¡°Throw everything you have into the water directly in front of you.¡± Catayla either trusted me or guessed at my plan because she didn¡¯t hesitate. She immediately threw three small beads, each no larger than a marble, into the water. Three splashes were immediately followed by a large bubble that rose to the surface as the beads disappeared beneath the waves. Strikes continually struck at my barrier, and more tentacles had begun to target the gap I had left at the bottom of the dome, trying to pry it open. I responded by shattering the dome, sending out shrapnel in all directions, severing or wounding the tentacles immediately next to the boat. For a few glorious moments I was able to catch my breath. I looked around the boat and found that the tentacles had withdrawn, giving us a small gap of time to prepare. ¡°I¡¯m going to turn this whole boat into a capsule,¡± I yelled. ¡°We¡¯ll be totally cutoff and defenseless, and those tentacles are going to smash through in a matter of seconds. We¡¯ll have to hope those explosives do their job.¡± I looked up at Catayla and then back down towards Tiller. ¡°Anyone else have a better plan?¡± I asked. ¡°How long can you hold out for?¡± asked Tiller. ¡°A minute,¡± I said. ¡°Probably less.¡± ¡°And Catayla,¡± Tiller said. ¡°How much time left on those bombs?¡± ¡°Fifty-six¡­ fifty-five seconds and counting. Do it now, Finn!¡± she yelled. We were immediately surrounded by a darkness that was all encompassing. I had closed the top of the boat, leaving us entombed and unable to react to the danger beyond the thin walls I had created. It was like being in a bell, the constant barrage of strikes vibrating the craft with deafening cracks. My bones shook, and I felt a sharp piercing pain as an eardrum burst. The attack persisted for several seconds, before seeming to relent. The reprieve lasted no more than a second, soon I could feel us being lifted out of the water. The stress and fractures that were forming on the construct showed me that three thick tentacles had wrapped around it and were slowly constricting with terrifying strength. I copied my previous trick, creating long thick spikes around the hull. It worked once more, causing the tentacles to pull away. This time, however, we were not released so gently. As the tentacles pulled away we were thrown into the air. A rising feeling of vertigo and nausea filled me as we hung weightless for a moment before beginning to speed back down again. As we struck the water the shell I had created around the boat was completed smashed. The stars were visible through a latticework of cracks in the shell above us, and water was beginning to leak in through the hull. I released the form of the shell and boat, concentrating on the much simpler form of a flat plane beneath us ¨C like a small raft woven of dark and corrupting energy. ¡°I¡¯m spent,¡± I moaned. ¡°Hold them off as long as you can.¡± ¡°How much longer?¡± asked Bridgett. ¡°Can we hold off long enough for the bombs to work?¡± ¡°Thirty more seconds,¡± Catayla said. She seemed calm, almost emotionless. ¡°Might as well be a lifetime,¡± said Worthy. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we can hold out that long.¡± ¡°Just fire at anything that moves,¡± Bridgett added. ¡°We have to make it through this. I¡¯m not going out as fish food.¡± I lay panting while they fought. For what felt like hours, but was actually seconds, they held off the tentacles, shooting, and hacking at them as they rose from the depths. There seemed to be an unending number, each limb quickly being replaced faster than they could be cut down. ¡°Five more seconds,¡± Catayla yelled out. I counted down the final seconds. As I reached zero a shadow reached out above me, speeding downward, seeming to gain speed and size as it descended. ¡°Now,¡± yelled Catayla. ¡°Hold on.¡± I was once more tossed into the air, quickly losing consciousness as I felt something tightly wrap around my ankle. I recall the sensation of movement and the cool darkness and weightlessness of sinking beneath the waves, and then¡­ nothing. Chapter 27: One of Many I was weightless, suspended in a void of blackness that was fractured by pillars of swirling silver light. The light would split and revolve like threads in a loom, until finally separating into finer and finer strands. Ultimately, each ended in bright points like stars swimming in a galaxy submerged in moonlit water. The light refracted like thick, grainy smoke. It clung to me, flowed around me like I had my own gravitational force. It entered my lungs with each breath only to be released moments later. I extended my arms to touch it, but the light was immaterial. It clouded my vision giving everything a fuzzy haze. Far beneath me, half hidden in light and fog, was a lush island of trees, grass, and rivers that would end in waterfalls ¨C pouring boundless mist into the void. At the center of this island sat an elaborate marble palace adorned with gold and topped by ivory towers domed in brass and silver. It was beautiful, and something about it struck me as familiar. I had seen it before, perhaps in a dream, a scene from a fantasy long since forgotten but not yet gone from my mind. It pulled at my attention, and it took me a few moments to reorient myself and to take in my more immediate surroundings. Four granite pillars stood around me, curving inward to join at the top and create a circular roof with a wide oval opening in its center. Carved leaves and vines adorned the pillars and wrapped around them until blooming into intricate stone flowers that wreathed the open dome ceiling. Opposite me sat a chair atop a long red rug that was set on nothing but the void. It was made of a rich, dark wood with a high, arched back. It was padded with a quilted cushion made of deep crimson leather. Sitting in that chair was a man shrouded in shadows. Only his eyes were visible, a deep blue almost glowing with reflected light. ¡°Hello, Gus.¡± The voice was deep and inviting. Its familiarity was comforting and immediately put me at ease. ¡°Dad?¡± I asked. ¡°How are you here? Where am I?¡± I stood unspeaking for a moment, but my confusion quickly slipped away as the man spoke once more. ¡°Oh, Gus,¡± he said. ¡°Haven¡¯t we had this dance before?¡± He quietly stood and quietly crossed half the distance between us, revealing a face similar to my own. ¡°This is a universe upon itself, made up of thought and whim. A brittle chrysalis for what may come. It is your mind, a portion of it. Or should I call it ours?¡± The creature¡¯s laugh had none of the warmth and humor of my father but was instead thin and wheezy. ¡°And yet,¡± it said. ¡°This place is more. So much it sings to be. A dreamscape, a place connected to the multitude. Layers of light and dark, each speck a weary eye closed in quiet wonder. The dreamers stir and when they wake what better place to be? The wake do not see what lies with me.¡± I stood there for a moment as the creature walked back to its chair. As it sat it beckoned with one hand. ¡°Please, sit,¡± it said. A duplicate of the chair the creature sat in appeared next to me. ¡°You¡¯re my companion, the Fisher?¡± I said ignoring the offer of a chair. ¡°Why have you brought me here?¡± ¡°Brought? No, sheltered you. You swim through darkness, bait caught and tangled on the line. You must cast free, take back the sky else¡­¡± ¡°Else what¡­¡± I said, for it had paused and I grew impatient. ¡°Else you don¡¯t,¡± it said with an exaggerated shrug. ¡°And drown, bait lost to bigger fish. And I, swallowed back not to die, lost in thought and forgotten to memory.¡± I sat watching. The Fisher had a strange way of speaking, but it was clear it meant I was in danger. ¡°What does all this mean?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m tired of puzzles and vague prophecy.¡± ¡°Prophecy?¡± it said with a gentle laugh. ¡°Is it prophecy to call the snared hare caught? No, but let me show you¡­¡± The creature stood, casting its chair into the void where it disintegrated into silver dust before disappearing into nothingness. As the creature stood it grew to enormous heights and spread its arms wide.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°This is just theatrics,¡± I yelled. ¡°Show me what you want me to see or send me back to my friends.¡± ¡°Your friends are cast in dark waters beset by dangers,¡± the creature said. Its voice was loud and thunderous as it echoed through the void. ¡°And you must aid yourself if you wish to free them from this peril.¡± Between its massive outstretched hands, a round plane of silver light began to form quickly growing darker until an image formed on its murky surface. I peered into the plane and I saw myself within it. I was being pulled through water, everything moving slowly as if the water was sluggish and thick. The image was dark, but the filtered moonlight was enough to barely make out the dense cord of flesh that was wrapped around my right ankle and up my calf and thigh. The boot was missing, leaving only the thin jumpsuit as a barrier between my skin and the dark tumorous flesh of the tentacle that bound me. My face could not be seen, instead I wore a mask of eyes hiding in grey folded flesh and twisting limbs. It pulsed with a study rhythm, like bellows fanning a fire. ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± I said. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°The bait is taken,¡± the creature answered. ¡°But the catch has leapt the net. If you wish to break free you must become more than bait. Stop resisting what you are. Embrace the madness in your soul, and the dark gods that call out to you.¡± ¡°How¡ª¡± ¡°We are one, the Finn and the Fisher. What is such a mind if not mad? Do not call it weakness but embrace the strength it gives us ¨C you. And I.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already let you out,¡± I screamed. ¡°I won¡¯t give you control as well.¡± ¡°Three words spoken, we have bargained.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t take control of me that easily,¡± I said. ¡°Tell me your words.¡± ¡°Listen. Speak them, know that you cannot lie to yourself. Not here in depths of your own soul. Speak, and believe.¡± As it spoke the words I found my mouth repeating them. Three words, repeated over and over. The words alone were not dangerous, it was the idea that they represented. And the truth I knew I spoke. We spoke. There, alone in the void, I spoke aloud. No one was there to hear me but myself. *** My eyes opened but what I saw was incomprehensible. My mind was not prepared to see in all directions and the sensory overload caused me to cry out as I slammed closed my eyes. All eighty-seven of them. I reached out and touched my face. The skin was thick, almost rubbery. Long limbs protruded in random directions, and as I touched one I realized how incredibly sensitive it was. I could feel the slightest change in texture, it was enough that I could visualize my finger prints just from touching my hand with a tentacle. I could feel even the slightest vibration in the water, and despite my eyes being closed I began to ¡°see¡± a massive form far ahead of me. This sight gave me no details, just a hazy outline of a misshapen ball that was churning the waters around it. I could feel the water as it was drawn into the creature and then expelled in a steady beat. It looked like a massive beating heart. Thick tentacles protruded from the mass of flesh, each pulsing and contracting in time with the heart beat of the creature. One of these arteries reached up through the water and ended as it wrapped around my leg. As I reached out towards the tentacle, the flesh of my companion instinctively reached out as well- the tentacles intertwining. I worked to pull the flesh free, to unwind it from myself ¨C instead it just grew tighter. It dug into my leg, and I screamed out. I reached out once again, this time gripping the slimy flesh further up. I wrapped the limbs of my dark companion around the tentacle, but this time I pulled on a bit of eldritch energy to create teeth that lined the inside of the limbs, much like the teeth of a chainsaw. I twisted and pulled, sawing into the creature with each tug. The teeth gradually bit deeper, tearing away bits of flesh as they did so. As it finally came free I heard a mind splitting screech ring out. The flesh that was wrapped around my head protected me from the worst of it, but I could still feel my teeth and skull rattle until the noise gradually subsided. The new tactile sight I had gained showed me several more tentacles shooting through the water in my direction. They were moving too fast for me to outrun or to even dodge. I reached out for the eldritch energy that flowed around me, but it was much thinner than it had been on the surface. Too thin to create a dome or capsule around myself. Instead I created several blades and sent them in the direction of the tentacles, hoping to impale them and buy myself time. I used my head tentacles, shuddering at the thought of what I must look like, to propel myself through the water towards the surface. As I broke through the surface of the water I could feel cool air hit my ¡°face.¡± It was refreshing to feel fresh air upon my flesh. It brought with it a thousand new scents too intense to process. Each was both familiar and unplaceable at the same time. I tried to use my new senses to find my friends ¨C the boat I had created would not have survived and they were likely stranded halfway across the river. I wasn¡¯t sure how long they could hold out if more of those fish came, let alone against more of those tentacles. Before I could move, however, a dark presence spoke to me from the back of my mind. It was not words, but a pulling of my focus. It was like an instinct, a desire and reflex that couldn¡¯t be ignored. I could sense injured prey, and a powerful urge to tear into its flesh overwhelmed me. I fought it for a moment, but I found myself speaking those same three words. Repeating them as I gave in to the instincts of my darker half. ¡°We are one,¡± I said as I dove back into the darkness. Chapter 28: Descent I found a kind of clarity in giving myself over to my primal instincts. It was as if by letting that part of my mind take over I was also reducing the burden placed on my more rational side. I no longer needed to resist. Reflex controlled my physical actions now, and yet I was not a slavering beast left unable to think. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was in control, or if the Companion was. There might not even be a real difference between us anymore. We were separate entities, and yet we were also two parts of something more ¨C it was yet to be seen what that something would become. I could sense the body of the Companion. With its every pulse it drove oxygen into my lungs. It augmented my senses and strengthened my body. I could feel the creature pulling on the eldritch energy around us, strengthening us, and growing its mass as it did so. The clump of flesh around my face tightened and began to flow downwards over my back and shoulders. Eyes dissolved into protoplasmic bubbles and tentacles merged and lengthened. When the transformation was complete six long tentacles trailed behind me like demonic wings, pumping to propel me through the darkness of the abyss. A thin clear membrane had been created in front of my face, allowing me to see for the first time since waking. The water was dark, with only the thinnest hints of grainy beams of moonlight cutting through the gloom. My perception and willpower had recently received a boost, increasing by five when I gained my class and by an additional point at each level up. My perception was increased even further from my connection to the Companion. Even with this boost, however, I couldn¡¯t see more than a few meters in front of me. My vision was not the only sense that had been enhanced. I still regained the strange sonar-like sight I had experienced earlier. When I closed my eyes faint vibrations in the water would become visible to me as cloudy outlines. The images were like paintings crafted from smoke, hazy and quickly dissipating. I scanned around myself discovering vast emptiness and a jagged and scarred landscape beneath me. Life was teeming here, but it had retreated and hidden away. Small creatures concealed themselves on the ocean floor, diving into various crevices and holes. I could sense faint movement as water moved around and through these creatures. My senses were strong enough to pick out individual heartbeats and the low hum of water flowing over gills. The dolphin sized fish had all fled, leaving the strange blob of flesh and tentacles as the only danger. I could make out its misshapen form and the writhing arteries that madly flailed around it. Some dark instinct in me called out in glee to see the panicked flailing, I sensed injury and desperation, and I felt a primal desire to strike back at my attacker. I continued to dive deeper, far deeper than any river could ever be. It was hard to tell if this was the terrain warping that seemed to grow stronger as we had grown closer to the dungeon, or if I had been dragged far out to sea. The pressure was immense, and most likely an unenhanced human would be unable to survive under this crushing pressure for long. I could feel the air in my lungs compress, and bones groan in protest. My physical stats and resistances protected me, but I also suspected that my final class feature was playing a role in my survival. I had yet to work out exactly how the ability worked, but it had the potential to be my most powerful ability - if I could properly understand and harness it. I opened my status screen, noticing the staggering amount of FP as well as the remaining stats I needed to allocate. Somewhere along the line I had gained two more levels, leaving me seven stat points to allocate. First, I looked at my fourth, and final, class feature to see if I could gain any further clues as to how it worked. As I did so, my body continued to swim down deeper propelled by the writhing tentacles of my Companion. Chaotic Mutability ? - Eldritch energy swims through your every cell, leaving them pliable and easily mutable. Your cells drink in the ambient energy around them changing and evolving over time, giving you the ability to adapt to any environment or challenge. Occasionally, you will take on characteristics and abilities of unique, boss, or raid level monsters that you have slain. Your chaotic nature permeates every part of your being, greatly increasing your resistance to any external abilities that seek to control or predict your actions or thoughts.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was an upgrade to Reactive Adaptability, but it sure as hell was just as promising. Hopefully I would get more out of it. Of my seven unallocated stat points I knew that I had to allocate them in multiples of three. There were too many choices, and each time I was about to allocate the points I would freeze. I couldn¡¯t shake the idea that I was making a mistake and somehow gimping myself by not choosing something better. My own inability to choose was eating away at my confidence, but it was my trust in my friends that finally brought me back to my senses. I didn¡¯t have time to debate and think through each choice, so I would instead choose to follow the advice of someone I trusted. Tiller had advised I put points into will next, so I did. I was met by the usual congratulations informing me that I had earned a new feat before getting the details. Iron Will ? - By focusing on the power of will during your earliest training you have learned to infuse will into your every thought and action. You are twice as likely to resist a mental attack or illusion, and mental attacks or illusions created by yourself will be twenty-five percent more powerful. A solid and easily understood ability. I wished more of them were as obviously useful and clear in their effects. The remainingfour stat points I decided to hold on to untiluntil I could examine my options more closely. I was curious to see what would happen if I could gain the rare feat for each stat, would the system recognize it? It seemed likely that there would be an additional reward, but at the same time gaining them all should be impossible - unless I was not the only one to have avoided the tutorial. I looked out with my sonar, trying to gauge the distance between my prey and me. I had crossed maybe a quarter of the distance, though the distance now seemed to be growing. The creature had begun to flee, slowly slithering away as it tried to drag its massive body across the sea floor. Despite the apparent slowness of the creature, its massive size meant that every movement carried it a considerable distance. I increased my speed until I began to gain on the creature once more. Its attempts to flee excited the darkness within me, prompting my Companion to redouble its efforts. This allowed me to continue managing my stats, in a curious division of labor. My largest resource still remaining was my FP. I had twenty-two points, a number higher than I expected. Checking my skills, I noticed that Eldritch Mimicry had increased by three points, while Eye of Madness had gained a single level. I had gained the final two points by gaining a new skill, Swim ?. I quickly looked over my list of available feats; Warrior (0/3), Acrobat (0/3), Swordsman (0/5), Defensive Fighting (0/5), Illusionist (0/25), Circle Mage (0/25), Erudite (11/25), Corruption (0/???), Prophet (0/100). Corruption was new, and I saw absolutely no reason to put points into it. Throwing away good FP just to corrupt myself seemed like a poor trade. It was also disturbing to contemplate why the feat had only just now become available. It was almost as if the system was judging me - or sending me a warning. Prophet was an enigma, though I could guess it had something to do with my Hierophant class. It was most likely powerful due to its high cost, but that very cost made me ignore it. Circle Mage was almost as much as a mystery, but Illusionist looked promising. It seemed likely to contain new spells, which would create new FP in a glorious cycle. If I had had enough points to finish it I might have taken it right then and there, just to see if it synergized with Eldritch Mimicry. Similar feats, such as Hedge Mage, had only given skills but if Illusionist also increased my ability to use illusion then it might increase the strength of the constructs I created with Eldritch Mimicry. Erudite was the obvious choice, as It was already almost halfway finished, and had previously increased my intelligence stat. It was also the only high-level feat I could complete. I spent the fourteen points needed to purchase the feat, saving the remaining eight. I smiled as I received four points to my intelligence stat, bringing it up to an even forty and further increasing my physical stats by one each. Erudite ? - You have chosen knowledge and self-reflection as the path to power. The speed at which you assimilate and internalize knowledge has increased, giving you a further boost to the rate at which you advance skills and acquire new ones. Additionally, the effects of this feat will become greater as you increase your will and intelligence stats. It wouldn¡¯t immediately impact the battle ahead of me, but it was a welcome ability that seemed a satisfying conclusion to the scholar and able learner feats. I especially liked the way it would continue to grow more powerful as I did. By this point I had covered almost half the distance to the fleeing creature and was only about ten meters from the sea floor. I could sense the ground vibrating, but It wasn¡¯t clear what was causing it, until several thick tentacles of dark slimy flesh burst from the ground to surround me. Several more growths shot out from the creature to cut off my escape, caging me off both from below and from above. I could sense the creature¡¯s movements shift as it stopped fleeing. Instead, it was charging forward at incredible speeds. Far faster than I had believed it capable. ¡°Well,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°This ought to be fun.¡± Chapter 29: Trapped Three long, writhing limbs were wrapped around me, constricting my waist and chest. More were shooting towards me from multiple directions, completely closing off any avenue of escape. My legs and right arm were quickly grasped and held still. I could feel the limbs being twisted and pulled ¨C testing the limits of my body. Sand and small pieces of rock had been kicked up from the ocean floor when the tentacles had exploded from their hiding spot beneath the ground. As the limbs continued to thrash around me bubbles, ripples and small vibrations in the water would combine with the debris, essentially blinding my new ability to perceive the world through my Companion¡¯s sonar. There was too much ¡®noise,¡¯ too many distractions for me to sort through. Everything was just static blending together. My new senses perceived the world as chaotic fragmented images that quickly overlapped and fused into a singular mess. It looked like an underwater blizzard that was whirling and howling like a hurricane. I closed my eyes and breathed. My sight and other senses were useless, but I still had an almost perfect memory. I just had to calm down and visualize the terrain around me. I could remember where I was in relation to the seafloor, and my ability to sense eldritch energy was enough to get a rough location for the closest of the tentacles. It was a quickly changing grouping of images that took prodigious amounts of concentration to hold in my mind. I could feel my limbs being pulled tight, threatening to dislocate as ligaments and tendons were stretched beyond their natural limits. I ground my teeth together as I tried to stifle a scream. The pain was intense, only bearable due to the adrenaline racing through my veins and the system working through my skills to dampen the agony. My own terror gave me strength, allowing me to ignore the damage to my body even as it worked to focus my mind ¨C cutting out all distractions. I had instinctively activated Arcane Shield as soon as the first tentacle had shot up from the sea floor. The spell held steady ¨C my own mana being augmented by that of my Companion had greatly increased my survivability. The slight gap the spell created between myself and the tentacles was welcome but did nothing to lessen their grip as they snaked around my limbs and torso. I knew the shield would not hold out forever no matter how much mana I had. I couldn¡¯t win a one-way battle of attrition. It was also useless in stopping the creature from stretching my limbs, even if the shield did save me from being crushed. I would need a more offensive strategy if I was going to survive. My body was in agony, but I forced myself to remain calm ¨C I needed to wait for more tentacles to attach themselves to me. For a moment longer, I would have to continue to be bait. I had created a visualized map of my immediate surroundings, the only thing I couldn¡¯t ascertain was the locations of the tentacles beyond those in my immediate vicinity. Anticipating their movement would have been even more difficult. Instead, I let more and more of the thick appendages grab me, immobilizing themselves as clearly as they bound me. I had a plan, but the window of time it would buy me would be brief. Possibly only a fraction of a second. My body was almost completely entombed in thick slimy flesh. I would only need to wait for a moment more. As the ball of flesh grew around me I became isolated from everything else, blocking out all noise except for the sound of my own breath and the pounding of my heart. I couldn¡¯t wait any longer. My eyes opened, narrowing in concentration. I let out a long breath, before slowly filling my lungs once more. The ritual calmed me, allowed me to center my mind enough to visualize my intent. Commanding eldritch energy required a focused mind that was capable of holding onto a clear and unchanging image. I used Eldritch Mimicry to copy the Arcane Shield spell, creating an additional barrier between the writhing ball of flesh and myself. It momentarily reduced the tension on my limbs, but the tentacles quickly readjusted their grip until the pressure on my joints was almost unbearable. That is exactly what I wanted, the harder they squeezed the more likely my plan was to work. I poured as much energy as I could into the shell of eldritch energy around me, thickening and reinforcing it as much as possible. The eldritch energy had grown thicker the deeper I had dived. It seemed to flow up from the sea floor like a dark crimson mist before it then spread out into the water like a cloud of sediments slowly being dissolved into the water. The marine life hiding beneath rocks or buried in sand absorbed this dark energy, allowing it to gradually change their form and nature.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I pulled on it, willed it to obey me. I consumed and guided the energy as it slowly formed a shell around me. When the energy of the shield became too dense to be strengthened further I bent it around itself to create layers of folded energy. The swirling eldritch miasma in the surrounding water quickly thinned, consumed faster than it could be replenished. The energy flowing into my spell slowed until only a trickle remained. I took the final drops, squeezing all I could, before finally releasing my hold on it and grabbing onto the energy of the shield itself. The eldritch energy within the shield reacted to my will, gladly calling out to be shaped. Its nature was chaos, ever changing and mutable. My nature was to command it. The shield expanded outwards as it changed into long thin needles of black and crimson energy. The spikes pierced flesh and drew forth streams of blood, black and thick as oil. A high-pitched screech rang out, muffled by the ball of tightening flesh that was slowly constricting around me. Rather than loosen their grip the thick limbs instead squeezed harder. I didn¡¯t release the spikes, instead driving them deeper into exposed flesh. I twisted the spikes, once more changing them ¨C this time into spiral blades like the head of a drill but as large as fire hydrants. I could feel the tentacles begin to weaken as more and more of their flesh was ripped away ¨C slowly drifting down onto the seabed below. The creature would not relent, and new tentacles continued to appear around me as others were severed or retreated. They squeezed and pulled with relentless determination. I once more pulled the energy into a shell around me as I curled my body into a ball, trying to take up as little room as possible. I visualized the shell growing, pushing the shield as far out from myself as I could. This created a bubble of space around me large enough that I was able to thrust my arm straight down without touching anything. I reached out with the six long ¡®wings¡¯ created by my Companion, using them to anchor myself to the wall of flesh surrounding me. I released the spell made from eldritch energy, calling every ounce of energy into my open palm. The energy condensed into a dense sphere of flowing mist, black and burning with sparkling crimson embers. I thrust out my hand forming within it a curved blade as thick as my wrist and longer than I was tall. The blade cut through countless tentacles before emerging on the other side of the sphere. I spun. Pushing outward using the anchored limbs of my companion for leverage, I struck out around myself in a perfect circle. The ¡®wings¡¯ on my back pushed as I twisted my body, twirling me around in violent and deadly dance. A mist of dark black blood filled the water, dyeing everything around it as if a cloud of ink had been poured into the turbulent waters. I could feel the eldritch energy flow out of the blood and seep from the slowly dying limbs. The energy flowed into me, and I could feel a fire in my chest that was slowly converting and filtering the energy ¨C changing it into something else. The mist was slowly beginning to clear, and I knew that I had to act fast. I dove downwards as quickly as possible, kicking my legs with all my strength even as my Companion pumped its tentacles to propel me through the water. I performed a perfect flip turn right as I struck the bottom, using the extra limbs for a greater boost¨C it was a maneuver that would have made my old high school swim coach proud, if he hadn¡¯t been too busy screaming in terror. As the mist cleared I had already covered half of the distance to the fleeing creature. Behind me several tentacles were attacking a vaguely humanoid simulacrum I had left as a decoy. A few tentacles had launched towards me as well, but their momentary hesitation combined with my speed caused them to strike short. My prey was just ahead, and nothing would come between it and me. I began to spin like a perfectly thrown football as the squid-like appendages of my Companion rotated, propelling me forward even faster. As the creature grew closer I took in its enormous size. It was roughly ovaloid and had countless tentacles growing from every inch of its surface, save for the two far ends which were flat and rounded. Most of the tentacles clung loosely to the sea floor, with only a few retaining the strength to strike at me as I grew closer. Even these were beginning to slow ¨C missing me by wider and wider margins. I could sense thick rivers of blood and eldritch energy flowing from the creature and diffusing into the waters around it. Wide chunks and deep channels had been carved out of its flesh and a deep crater had been tunneled into one of the creature¡¯s sides. I didn¡¯t hesitate ¨C I drew forth as much energy as I could, even pulling as much as I dared from my Companion. I recreated a harpoon that matched those I used during the battle on the surface of the river. It grew larger as more energy was poured into it, soon extending to nearly three times my height. My speed increased as I recklessly sped towards the creature, gripping the harpoon in both hands and extending it forward like a lance. I struck flesh. My arms exploded in pain and my left wrist snapped ¨C but my aim was true. The harpoon sank into the crater in the creature¡¯s side, digging deep into the exposed flesh. Every tentacle came to life in an instant. Each widely flailing as they cracked stone and flesh ¨C some even colliding with each other with deafening cracks. I cradled my injured arm, releasing the gigantic harpoon. I once more launched myself through the water, this time upwards and with as much speed as I could manage. For a moment a deathly silence covered the world, only to be broken by a deep and sorrowful wail. I could feel every bone in my body vibrate, eliciting a scream of my own as my wrist exploded in pain. As I lost concentration the harpoon I had lodged in the side of the creature faded away, removing the only obstacle holding back a thick deluge of blood that quickly drowned out everything in a sea of black mist. As I watched the final moments of the creature my anger and thirst for blood subsided, leaving behind only a great sadness. I felt a kinship with the creature for a moment, and I mourned its passing. I watched as its movements slowed and its many limbs grew torpid. In the final moments before its death I sat in quiet witness ¨C the only courtesy I could extend. Chapter 30: The Fisher Man and the Sea I sat on a replica of an old wooden rowboat remembered from my childhood. The wooden planks, and the white and green paint had been replaced by black mist and smoldering crimson embers. Around me choppy waves threatened to upend my tiny craft, the design of which was never intended to be seaworthy. Beads of half frozen rain fell around me, covering me in a thick slush that quickly melted as it came into contact with the heat of my body. Despite the freezing air and the frigid water that soaked me to the bone, I did nothing to shelter myself ¨C allowing the rain to fall on me unimpeded. Instead I rowed. The repetitive motion, back and forth, it was cathartic. I sat on the rear bench, facing forward. I smiled slightly remembering my father, and his never-ending lessons. He would not have approved of my rowing form. I could picture him as he constantly reprimanded me for sitting ¡°ass backwards¡± every time we would take the boat out on the lake. I missed those lessons, I no longer had a rock to fall back on. No one was there to offer me sage wisdom born out of loving concern and decades of experience. I was alone, only myself and my demons. Demon. ¡°You can come out now,¡± I yelled. For a moment I sat there, only the soft patter of rain and the howling of the wind to bear witness to my words. I felt rather embarrassed, despite no one being there to see me. ¡°Fisher! I said it is time to show yourself.¡± I yelled louder now, feeling like an old man challenging the sea. A clich¨¦ from an era long lost to time, hidden now between the pages of oft ignored tomes. ¡°Do you think yourself my master?¡± said a voice on the wind. The sound was clear, and yet reminded me of the thud of a hollow wooden box. ¡°If not me, then who?¡± I said. ¡°Is not a man the master of himself?¡± ¡°Ah, so the simpleton tries on the jester¡¯s hat. Do you speak to me in riddles? Should we match wit-for-wit, like rapier spikes - tit-for-tat?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t compete with you in foolishness,¡± I said. ¡°I only want answers.¡± ¡°Then does the wise king bend an ear to bespeech the roguish fool? Ask, perhaps I shall deign to speak.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve had your words, Fisher. I believe I still have questions,¡± I said. Anger rose up in my voice, and I felt my hands balling into fists as I shouted at the creature. At myself. ¡°Then speak your query, prey. You already know all that you must ¨C if you want strength then you must cast aside your bonds ¨C and yet you cling to yours as if familiar shackles did suckle you at merry teat.¡± ¡°We. Are. One.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s not true is it? You¡¯re something else, something more, and something less¡­ human.¡± ¡°Do not deny your nature, little Finn. The fool - the king- twined they are, creatures both united and apart ¨C one must simply switch a silly cap to see a fool of sovereign made. A Severed sigil upon a silver crown, shattered and scattered upon the seven winds. Find the pieces and claim your chair upon a broken council, waiting and wilting within the sleeper¡¯s dreams. Soon to fade, in waking.¡± The creature spoke in a strange way, stilted and quickly changing in tempo and even accent. Its words would increase in speed as it spoke in forced alliteration, only to slow down to a crawl as its voice deepened and grew steadier as it spoke less poetic words. ¡°The damned shall fall before you,¡± it continued. ¡°And the righteous rise up behind your mantle. Let me feast upon the souls, a Fisher King, daring and debonair to snare the wicked and the mad in wild gluttony, like the dulcet songs of hope crashed upon the destined shores of Avalon.¡± ¡°I do love these pointless conversations,¡± I said. ¡°I know I could never come up with something as pointless as¡­ whatever nonsense that was. Just tell me what you are.¡± ¡°I¡¯m an answer, and a riddle. Both the key and the lock. You must simply know the answer before you ask, and all shall be revealed. Know this young fish, rise above your oppressor, cast aside borrowed power, and you shall cry havoc as you ride across this world, and others, like Wodan upon his slippery steed, the Hunt loyal at your heels in eager chase into the depths of Hel.¡± ¡°Again, with the ominous bullshit,¡± I said. ¡°Kudos on cutting down on the atrocious alliteration, though.¡± I waited for a minute, rubbing my temples before continuing. ¡°Just answer me one final question, and please answer with as few words as possible.¡± ¡°Speak.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Where the fuck am I, and how do I get back to my friends.¡± ¡°A simple matter,¡± it said. ¡°Just follow me, like doomed detritus beneath devoted albatross, undaunted and dogged it guides true if faith is kept in kind.¡± ¡°Right, we were getting along for a moment there and you had to go and ruin it,¡± I said. With a sigh I raised my hand and pointing forward. ¡°So that way, then?¡± ¡­ The fog of eldritch energy had begun to spread over the water, so it was almost a shock when my boat grounded upon a narrow beach littered with small stones and bits of broken shell. The boat ride had taken several hours, and I reflected that I probably could have made it back more quickly if I had simply swum using the decidedly odd method of locomotion the Companion had created for me. I repressed a slight shiver at the thought of allowing that creature to bond with me once more. It was a useful trick, but one that I had not fully embraced. The boat ride was not in vain, however, as it had allowed me to process my gains from the previous battle. I wasn¡¯t sure the level of the creature I had slain, as analyze was no longer available to me and I was hesitant to use Eye of Madness in anything but the most extreme situations. Whatever the level, it was worth a staggering amount of XP. I had gained six levels with a single kill, bringing me up to level fourteen, though the readout displayed it as (3/11) most likely due to the ¡°dead¡± levels I had gained before I had a class. It seemed strange that the system would allow such useless levels to exist if its whole point of existence was making citizens strong enough to resist monsters created by eldritch mutations. Perhaps there was a hidden benefit to these levels, or at least a way to remove them. The six levels I had gained granted me twelve unallocated stat points. When combined with my remaining four this gave me enough points to unlock five more of the ¡°pre-tutorial¡± feats. Only two more points and I could collect them all. I wondered if I would get a shiny trophy to memorialize the achievement. Either way, I was running out of reasons to procrastinate. I immediately put three points into focus, it was by far my weakest stat and yet it looked incredibly powerful as it had the ability to synergize with my other mental stats ¨C making them stronger when I was focused on a single task. The feat I was granted, Inner Focus, was quite interesting. It would allow me to meditate and use my focus stat to find my own inner weaknesses and strengths. It also had the much more appealing ability of allowing me to add focus to physical tasks, in addition to mental ones. I could focus on a particular action, like striking an enemy or making a throw, and the likelihood of me succeeding would increase as my focus stat did. A few points in focus and reaction and I¡¯d probably be the best juggler the world had ever seen. Perhaps when this whole apocalypse thing was finished I could find a new gig. Augustus Finn¡¯s Three Ring Circus of Terror and Delight had a nice ring to it. I still had enough points to unlock four more feats. This time I decided to purchase them all in one go ¨C getting over my crippling indecisiveness like ripping off a Band-Aid. I put three points into perception, vitality, endurance, and agility. This left me with only one point remaining, but a menagerie of new feats - Eagle¡¯s Sight ?, Bear¡¯s Vitality ?, Horse¡¯s Endurance ?, and Snake¡¯s Agility ?. Each new feat acted to increase the effects of their respective stat. For instance, eagle¡¯s sight acted to increase the range of my senses, all senses not just sight. Bear¡¯s vitality increased my passive health regeneration slightly and would also allow me to go longer without food or water. Horse¡¯s endurance almost completely eliminated stamina drain while running ¨C which would allow me to sprint at full tilt for hours at a time. Snake¡¯s agility was an interesting one as it increased the elasticity of my body, not only would it increase my flexibility, but it would also reducean damage taken from falls and blunt attacks. None of them were game changers on their own, but all together they added up to something greater than the sum of its parts. The ability to sense danger sooner and run away for longer might just help me live an extra day, or at least for a few additional moments. Even then surviving longer than a day seemed a faraway goal best left to contemplate in later, safer times. I was in hostile territory, alone and with no idea if my friends had even made it across the river. In front of me were dunes covered in thick patches of tall beachgrass. I could feel small creatures, infected with eldritch energy, crawling beneath the hills of sand. Large insects burrowed, and snaking creepers grew between the roots of the swaying grass. Behind the dunes I could make out the U-shaped courtyard of a hotel. Its once grand exterior was now broken and collapsed, its skeleton and plush interior exposed and bleached by the cleansing rays of daylight. The whole world seemed like a rotting cadaver, waiting to be feasted upon by scavengers. I slowly crept closer to the hotel but stopped when I noticed the smell of smoke and charring flesh. It was overwhelming, as I hadn¡¯t yet adjusted to my newly enhanced senses. The minor boost to focus allowed me to filter out the smell, at least partially, and focus on the task at hand. I continued to move forward with small, precise movements. I was careful to keep low, never allowing any part of my body to raise above the dunes. Now that I had seen how incredibly powerful system-enhanced senses could become, I wouldn¡¯t underestimate any creature¡¯s ability to sense me through my amateur attempts at stealth. As I reached the crest of the dunes I lay prone and slowly crawled forward on my belly. In the distance a small band of vaguely anthropoid creatures huddled around a bonfire. The creatures had odd proportions, with too small heads, short legs, and arms long enough to drag behind them on the ground. They had dark green skin and patches of black fur that ran down the center of their backs, and clumped like thick rugs upon their chests. The largest slept, leaning against the side of the hotel with a chunk of charred meat still dangling from its open, greasy hand. None of the other creatures so much as dared to look at the vulnerable meal, instead staring at the small flank being slowly roasted upon the fire. ¡°Can you get close without being seen?¡± I communicated with my Companion mentally. The only answer I got was a small kingfisher flying over my head directly towards the hotel. ¡°I hope he heard the ¡®without being seen¡¯ part,¡± I silently moaned to myself. Chapter 31: Into the Fore The Companion ended up proving to be a nimble and reliable scout. It was able to land on a window ledge far above the pack of humanoid creatures, keeping a quiet watch on them as I carefully made my way across the sand dunes that lined the rocky beach. I would occasionally use my connection with the Companion to ¡®borrow¡¯ its senses ¨C giving me a disjointed experience of its vision overlaid onto my own. If I closed my eyes and focused I was able to see as if I was there perched behind the Companion. It was still there, keeping watch on the hairy creatures I had spotted from the beach. The surprisingly uninquisitive creatures had ignored its staring¨C even as it sat on a window ledge behind them, constantly watching. Perhaps it was true that almost no one ever looked up. Did that even apply to non-humans? I could feel a desire to feast and kill rising up in me. Sitting there watching creatures it considered prey annoyed the bird, filling it with bloodlust that bled into my own emotions. I hurried, knowing that I would not be able to reign in the creature¡¯s impulses for long. Even worse, I wasn¡¯t sure how much they would influence my own actions. I reached a bend in the beach that took me out of sight of the courtyard, then closed my eyes to look through those of my Companion, which still wore the form of a large kingfisher. I could feel the soft wind as it twirled around me, pulling up on my wings and ruffling my feathers. Powerful talons gripped stone, and I could hear faint cracks as the claws slowly slid into the marble windowsill as if it were as soft as dough. My sense of smell was full of the sweet smell of earth and decay, of life and death in a constant cycle. The views were amazing from this height, even with thick mists limiting my field of vision. Beneath me was the ruined courtyard, once the face of a five-star hotel, now vandalized and taken back to nature. Pool chairs and tables had been broken apart and stacked for firewood, while grasses, thick bushes, and vines had invaded the cobblestone and grown up through the wooden planks of patios and gazebos. The pool was empty of water and had been caved in on one side. Within the hollow grew a thick bramble of dense vines with dagger like thorns that protruded in thick spirals around the long and curving branches. Hidden within were fleshy blue fruits and bright red leaves, broad and oar-shaped. Directly in front of me, past the courtyard and the narrow stony beach, was the Charleston harbor. It was still heavy with rolling waves that crashed like hammers upon a shore that was blanketed by thick mist. This fog had rolled up from the sea to cover the entire area, giving me the feeling of looking down upon mountain tops poking through from beneath the clouds. The ground around the hotel had been raised up into tall hills covered in massive trees and foliage. The immense silhouettes created by the new terrain dominated the landscape, towering over everything like sleeping giants ¨C hazy and mostly hidden in the fog. A pressure began to build in the back of my mind, pulling on my consciousness like a rubber band almost at the point of snapping. My mind became fuzzy and it took all my focus and willpower to hold onto the connection. It was a slightly disorienting experience. It felt like the lurch in my stomach during the initial drop of a rollercoaster mixed with the swimming vision and confusion of being spun around until dizzy, and then punched in the gut. It was much like I had always imagined skydiving would feel, something my father had regularly tried to convince me to try. With practice I quickly grew accustomed to the discomfort, or at least familiar enough that it only gave me a mild feeling of nausea. True teamwork might have eliminated this discomfort and would have significantly sped up my progress along the beach. I always had the option of communicating with the Companion and receiving updates and warnings from it, rather than usurping its senses directly. Despite this, I wasn¡¯t quite ready to trust its judgement or intentions. I didn¡¯t believe it meant me harm, at least not in the short term. I wasn¡¯t willing to risk my life on that belief, however. I stopped admiring the sights and the feeling of being a bird, giving a small shudder at the thought of flying. I wasn¡¯t quite ready for that experience. Instead, I turned my attention back to looking for danger. The creatures living in the courtyard did not seem particularly active, instead remaining mostly sedentary and opting to stay in their partially enclosed courtyard, as they huddled close and watched meat become slowly overcooked.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Occasionally, they would eat one of the blue fruits, and upon closer inspection I could see long gouges, deep and red, down the arms and across the hands of many of them. The fruit might have been what had attracted them to this location, and I supposed having confirmation that the large berries were edible was useful information. The creatures seemed almost ape like, and occupied themselves with grunts and communal grooming, carefully picking insects from each other¡¯s fur. There didn¡¯t appear to be any children, and if any of them were females then they were as bearded and flat-chested as all the others. Occasionally a pair, a new one each time, would break off from the group with a slow and languid pace. Each time, without fail, the pair would begin by entering the hotel for several minutes which was then followed by them making a loop around the perimeter of the building before once more joining their fellows around the fire. It was inefficient as far security went, but it showed some kind of social structure, and a basic level of cooperation for the welfare of the group. Perhaps this was a scouting party for a larger group. They seemed to be mildly intelligent. In addition to their use of fire, each wore crude loincloths made of uncured leather and carried primitive weapons fashioned of wood and stone. They may also have been a group of survivors cut off or abandoned during the mass exodus caused by the pillar of violet light that still stabbed into the sky, faintly visible even through the obscuring mist and bright rays of the newly risen sun. I wanted to avoid battle with them, because in many ways they seemed like primitive humans. Ugly, misshapen humans but still people. It would feel like murder if I attacked them unprovoked. It was possible they were humans mutated by heavy exposure to eldritch energy, or even apes freed from the local zoo. It wasn¡¯t even clear that they originated from earth at all, the system generated description of the spider I had fought in the dungeon suggested it was not a native species ¨C but descended from some primordial spider. Whatever the origins of the primitive humanoids, they seemed content to remain in their small domain. Their lack of exploration combined with their predictable routine had left me a clear path around them by heading south and west along the beach while making sure to keep the dunes between the creatures and myself. I slowly opened my eyes, letting go of the second set of senses. A feeling of relief and euphoria washed over me, it was similar to scratching a particularly annoying itch. I gave a quick mental order, telling the Companion to fly above me and to watch for any danger approaching. It didn¡¯t report any creatures nearby that were large enough to be a threat, though I had learned that plants could be just as dangerous. Every step was potentially my last. I stopped to admire the fact that in many ways I was an explorer ¨C all the maps of earth would need to be redrawn and now the warnings here be monsters would have to be taken literally. I knew that I needed to make my way north to the site where my friends should have landed if they had been able to make it across the river. I trusted the group and knew that they were strong. Catayla alone was probably a match for anything this world could throw at her. I regretted leaving them, I had allowed emotion to overcome me and acted without restraint or thought. It was possible, however, that by distracting the tentacles, and pursuing the giant ovoid creature that commanded them, I had bought my friends time. Hopefully it had been enough. Orienting myself was not a problem, even through the thick mist and unfamiliar topography. If the pillar of light was not enough, then the unmistakable outline of the Yorktown, the WWII aircraft carrier, was all the landmark that I would need in order to know precisely where I was. Despite this knowledge the terrain and flora were new, and completely unknown to me, so I would need to proceed carefully. This entire area should have had almost no elevation, some places should have even been below sea level and yet hills and massive trees shaped the horizon into curves and green peaked spires hidden behind fuzzy screens of vapor. The alien terrain blocked my sight of all but the top level of the massive aircraft carrier, despite the fact that there should have been nothing but level earth between it and me. I was directly south of the where my party should have landed. Despite this, I decided to first go west along the beach before heading north. Heading directly north would take me too close to the creatures in the hotel courtyard and would require me to traverse hills and thick forestation that I wasn¡¯t sure I could handle. To the west of the hotel the terrain was still mostly flat, with only a few short hills and rounded waterways to block my progress. The grass was overgrown and nearly waist high, and the hills and lakes had somehow twisted and grown larger as well - but it still looked like what I remembered being there ¨C a golf course. I had actually been there once before, with my dad and grandfather. It had been beautiful, but sterile and lacking any of grace and life found in nature. Every blade of grass had been precisely cut with no plant or tree out of place -each leaf seemingly arranged by hand, and every flower expertly presented, each petal accounted for. I had hated the artificial feel of it. Even the game had seemed more like an excuse to drink and drive while old men gossiped about golden times that had never truly existed. It was unlike the ocean that I loved, and that my father had shared with me. Golf was my grandfather¡¯s game, and perhaps it was lost to time, just as he was. It was a foolish thing to mourn, but it struck me suddenly and I shed tears for a world I would never see again. I quickly reigned in my feelings and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand before wading into the sea of grass. Chapter 32: Flowers of Change Other than the waist high grass, the area in front of me was relatively open, with only a few hills and small lakes dotting the landscape. The grass itself was more rigid than I had expected, more like tiny stalks of bamboo than anything you would find in your front yard. The ends of each blade of grass were split into multiple thin threads topped by wisps of something blue and fluffy that fluttered and spiraled up into the air as a slight breeze picked up from the east. The air around me was filled by these small particles of blue fuzz, as if someone had made a wish by blowing upon a giant blue dandelion, sending millions of tiny cerulean florets into the sky. I hesitated to enter the cloud, but I was anxious about rejoining my friends, and the substance didn¡¯t immediately appear dangerous. Even my mild pollen allergy was unaffected. Wading through the field did little to slow me down, most likely due to my strength being double what it had been before ¡®stats¡¯ were a realistic way of measuring human performance. I started off with a steady walk, carefully taking each step and occasionally stopping to scan for dangers. I still had unpleasant memories of when Catayla had revealed a peaceful meadow full of flowers had instead been a trap for a carnivorous monster made of rotating teeth and bone smashing vines. I couldn¡¯t even trust the grass not to kill me. I missed the blue-scaled scout, she had a quiet competence that I enjoyed having on my side. I was glad she was with Tiller and the others, as she was the main reason I was convinced the group had made it across the river. My plan to find them was simply to search the area of the riverbank where they should have landed ¨C the lack of current meant this area should have been fairly narrow. I had judged that they were likely in a small range that ran from the remains of the Ravenel bridge down to Patriots Point, where the Naval monument the USS Yorktown was still moored. If they had crossed back to the downtown side of the river, I would simply make the trip back across to join them. This seemed unlikely, however, as I knew Catayla would have pressed them to continue the mission, with or without me. I was headed north and slightly east across the golf course, a path I knew should bring me almost directly to where I needed to be. Navigating through the grass was made difficult due to the terrain changes that blocked my view of any easily identified landmarks. To my east were tall rocky hills and thick forestation that had replaced an area that was once nothing but flat, dusty land containing only a few sparse shrubs and loose pebbles. This blocked my view of the bridge and the Yorktown, forcing me to rely on memory to plan my route. To the west was an inlet across from which were the ruins of an old residential neighborhood that had been made up of cookie cutter McMansions decorated with tacky Greek-style pillars and thin brick facades, now mostly buried in earth and vegetation. Creepers grew up over the crumbled homes, as if seeking to drag what little remained of human civilization back into the dirt. At some point the neighborhood had been torched. Ash covered the ground like snow, lightly brushing across the dark browns of soil and the vibrant greens of freshly grown plant life. Brittle wooden boards, broken and burnt, stuck up from the earth like blighted teeth cast down into the ground. A faint whiff of smoke mixed with the smells of earth, decay, and something more metallic. My perception stat had increased significantly with the bonuses it received from my class and feats. I could hear the wind as it played across the field, each blade of grass giving off a faint hum as the breeze touched it. As I set a foot down upon the ground I could feel the vibrations as they rose up through my bones and hear them as they spread out into the ground around me. My hearing and sense of touch combined to give me an acute sense of any vibrations in my immediate area ¨C it was nothing compared to the sonar-sight I had temporarily gained while fused with my Companion, but it could still be useful for sensing surprise attackers. My sense of smell had increased in power as clearly as my other senses, but it would take time for me to learn how to interpret the myriad of information and the cryptic messages that were furiously assaulting my nostrils. My Companion flew above me as it scanned for threats. I hadn¡¯t taken over its senses since it had started flying, as I felt it would be too disorienting while trying to move and would slow my reaction if I needed to quickly switch back to my own senses. Instead, I decided I had no choice but to trust it to warn me of any danger.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I knew the area and it was a straight shot from here to Patriots Point Road, which I could follow east to quickly reach the area I intended to search. This knowledge tugged at my impatience, but I pushed it down and forced myself to continue my careful pace ¨C at least for a short while. It didn¡¯t take long before I had abandoned caution and started sprinting at full speed. The simian-like monsters were long behind me, and the lack of apparent danger combined with my concern for my friends convinced me that speed was more important than being overly vigilant. My weight had increased only slightly as my physical stats had grown, my muscles had firmed but not grown noticeably larger. This allowed each one of my steps to send me forward in great bounding leaps that carried me above the blades of grass before gravity would pull me down. It was almost like floating, with only brief stops to push off against the earth once more. I applied one of my newest feats, Inner Focus, and I felt myself falling into a trance. It might have been something like a ¡®runner¡¯s high.¡¯ I had heard about the phenomenon but had never achieved it for myself. Each step became more fluid and precise. Each movement seemed exact and measured with an almost machine-like efficiency, and there was none of the boredom or discomfort I normally associated with running. It was exhilarating, almost to the point that I had forgotten why I was running ¨C or to where. Within minutes I had cleared at least half the distance across the golf course. My focus began to wane, and I decided to stop on a small hill that poked up above the sea of grass. The experiencing of running under such an effect had been exhilarating, endorphins and adrenaline had flooded my system leaving me with a faint glow of pleasure. My speed had also increased dramatically, but I quickly realized that I had blocked off everything outside of what was necessary for the run itself. Instead I had been focusing solely on running and the feeling of wind across my face and rhythm of the earth beneath my feet. My Companion had been screaming in the back of mind, warning me of something close by. As I came to a stop, I could feel the Companion¡¯s frantic pleading as it called out to me, but it took me a moment to regain my senses. Rather than react I stood atop the small hill in a stupor. My confusion lasted only for a fraction of a second but that was all that it took. I was vaguely aware of unusual movement in the grass around me when something large and heavy struck the back of my knees. I collapsed, and my shoulders struck the ground with a heavy thump that drove the wind from my lungs. My legs where the only part of me remaining airborne when something long and tensile wrapped around my left calf before tightening and dragging me into the air to dangle only a few feet above the ground. Two beady black eyes stared at me from above a mouth full of multiple rows of tiny, razor sharp teeth. Two enormous buck teeth poked out from beneath the snout of the creature, giving the otherwise razor filled maw an awkward appearance. It¡¯s ¡®fur¡¯ was green and mangy, like patches of grass growing out of diseased and putrid flesh. On its back was a large growth, much like the bulb of a flower. Thick black vines grew from the open top of the bulb and thrashed around the creature and pounded at my ribs and limbs. I immediately activated my Arcane Shield and conjured a blade of eldritch energy in my left hand. I slashed out at the appendage grasping my leg, but I found myself being swung around and thrust into the ground. My head rung, and my stomach lurched as I tried to move. The mild confusion and nausea quickly passed, and the attack had barely done any other damage ¨C even my mana was mostly untouched. I was once more tugged into the air and I cut out wildly with my conjured sword and began to create spikes of energy in the air above me. Each as long as a car and pointed downward at my enemy. This proved to be overkill, however, as I heard the screech of a giant bird of prey piercing through the sky. The vine quickly went limp and I was dropped to the ground with a rib cracking thump. ¡°Dammit,¡± I cried out. ¡°What the hell was that thing.¡± I sat up and looked at the creature. A large hole had been drilled through its head, and a kingfisher sat upon its shattered skull pulling long strips of flesh from the creature¡¯s back. ¡°Nice save, but are you sure you should be eating that?¡± The bird gave no response, so I walked over to the creature and gave it a closer look. It had the general shape of a large rat, and the two buck teeth reinforced my theory that this is what it had once been. A large green bulb grew from the center of the creature¡¯s back, and thin, branching tendrils of plant matter grew down into the rat¡¯s flesh fusing plant and mammal. The bulb itself was made of four large leaves that closed into a point at the crest. The top of the bulb was slightly open, revealing red and gold petals. Thick black vines still grew from the center of the bulb but were beginning to liquify and seep into the ground beneath the creature. I closed my eyes, readying myself to use the Eye of Madness to gather more information about the rat but a sharp chirp interrupted my concentration. I looked up at the bird, still feasting on the body, and I saw it shake its head slightly as if it to warn me away from my present course of action. Instead, the Companion sent me an image of several more creatures around us. Bulbs, just like the one atop the giant rat, were hidden beneath the grass and spread around us at even intervals. I counted at least seven, but it was impossible to be sure. ¡°So, what do you suggest?¡± I asked the Companion. It looked up at me once more, before sucking down a strip of flesh in one gulp as if it were eating spaghetti. Images once more invaded my mind, outlining the Companion¡¯s plan. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll do it your way this time.¡± Chapter 33: Out of the Breach My own eyes were unable see the enemies that were spread out in the grass around me. I knew that they were there only because the Companion had shared its memories with me, revealing the area around us in an incredibly detailed bird¡¯s-eye-view. I could see the creatures hiding, but it seemed unlikely that they would continue to wait for long. I would need to strike as fast and as lethally as possible, before the creatures had a chance to launch their own attack. I closed my eyes, trying to build an image in my mind that contained the location of each of the bulbs and their direction and distance relative to myself. As I reviewed the memories, I could see myself standing on a small bald hill, like an island sticking up above waves of grass. Spores had spread out to fill the air around me with a blue haze as they danced upon eddies of wind that whirled them into tight spirals and dizzying patterns. Below the haze, eight lines of rippling grass encircled me. Each row was rushing towards me from a different direction. Only the unusual pattern of movement showed that anything was wrong. Nothing could be seen within the ripples and they created no noise as they sped through the grass, parting it slightly behind them. The Companion was showing me its memories from moments before I was attacked ¨C seven of the ripples came to a sudden stop and the grass began to weave together before growing into tall bulbs that appeared directly behind where the ripples had ended. The eighth ripple did not stop, instead exploding into motion as claws and matted fur crashed into me from behind. My inattention had led me to not only become surrounded, but also sucker punched by what was obviously an attack meant to test my defenses. The intelligence and coordination this showed terrified me. If humankind lost our only advantage over beasts, then what hope did we have to thrive in this new environment? The rat-plant thing that had attacked me proved that they were capable of incredible levels of stealth as well as debilitating sneak attacks. I wasn¡¯t sure I could handle the remaining monsters if they were able to get the drop on me. So far, they had remained hidden, but it had only been a scant few seconds since the first attack had ended. I would need to either attack all seven at the same time or find a way to defend against their immediate counter attack. I hated being on the defensive as it always felt like a losing strategy. Luckily, the Companion had its own ideas about how we should handle the situation. Whatever the Companion might be, it was not subtle. It had shared with me images detailing its plan to take out the creatures, though calling it a plan might be giving it too much credit. I sighed as I mentally agreed with the Companion, giving it my permission to act. Now was not the time to reign in its blood lust, or its twisted sense of humor. The Companion turned into a cloud of black and red smoke that flickered with its own internal light. The sun still shone in a clear blue sky above a field of rolling green and spinning sapphire, and yet for a moment it was is if all color was drained from the world save for that infernal red glimmer. I snapped out of the moment as I heard the familiar sounds of bones cracking. The slain rat-plant creature had slowly begun to rise from the ground with slow, twisting motions. It looked unnatural, as if strings attached the creature to a sinister puppeteer. At first, the creature¡¯s stance was unsteady, and it wobbled upon weak knees and its head jerked back and forth in erratic, spine-cracking motions. The limbs quickly stiffened as the Companion brought the corpse under its control, and the creature gave out a roar as it charged forward and disappeared into the grass. As this was happening I activated the arcane shield spell and then filled everything around me with illusionary smoke that I sent deep into the grass, trying to fill the void between each blade. The Companion would be unaffected by the illusion, but the plant-animal creatures would hopefully be blinded. I also hoped to play upon the creature¡¯s natural fear of fire. My ability to give these shadow illusions ¡®realness¡¯ allowed the smoke to take on a viscous quality that would cling to anything it touched, hampering their movements. I felt the companion reach its first target, sharp fangs bit into cold flesh as vines wrapped around limbs. My mind was full of confusing images shared through my link with the Companion, and I could sense the metallic taste of blood as it slid across the companion¡¯s tongue. Apparently, the strips of flesh it had torn from the body of its current host had not been enough to satisfy its appetite.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! As soon as the Companion met the first enemy I followed the plan and opened the Eye of Madness, choosing to use it as a group depuff rather than focusing it on a single object. I could feel a physical eye appear in the middle of my forehead, closed but slowly opening. As the eye snapped open I was filled with images of fire, my eyes stung, and I could taste smoke as it sought to invade my lungs. I coughed, grabbing at my throat as if I could not breathe. I looked around to see an inferno had consumed the grassland around me. Screams rose up like the howls of the earth itself ¨C rising from beneath my feet in a deep rumble. I was lost in the illusion for a moment, but I would not allow myself to succumb to my own attack. I pushed the images away, using every shred of willpower I had left. As reality returned the rumbling screech rising from the ground crashed into me, sending my hands up to my ears. The earth shook, not in a steady rhythm, but in large, violent jerks as if explosions were being set off deep below. The grass began to sway and stretch out in every direction as if reaching for something. I could feel the pain, each blade of grass a single nerve that exploded in agony as fire consumed it. My own nerves cried out in sympathy and I sank to my knees as I fought back against the pain. The eye upon my forehead threatened to close, but I forced it to remain open. I needed only a few more moments¡­ My pain resistance did little to block the illusory pain as my muscles clenched and my vision began to swim, my sight filled up with bright white dots. I held out, feeding the pain into my anger ¨C allowing my rage to grow rather than succumb to the weakness. I stood and looked out over the grassy field once more. I had it, the location of each creature was blazoned into my mind. The Companion transformed once more as a kingfisher exploded into the air. The beak and claws of the bird effortlessly tore through each skull as easily as it had torn into the skull of the first rat. My concern did not lessen, however, as I was drawn into a greater connection ¨C a link between each of the slain monsters. Deep beneath me was ¡­ something, roots growing up from it until they burst from the ground. The grass around me was one organism, everything connected by a labyrinth of roots and controlled by a single mind. My third eye was slowly drawn downwards, and I fell to my knees. I could feel myself slowly losing my grip on reality. It was becoming harder to tell who I was, the man or the plant beneath his feet, and the feeling of my nerves burning soon became unbearable. I let the third eye disappear, and I slowly stood once more. I felt a dull ache in my chest, and my breathing was heavy and came in uncontrolled gasps broken up by deep coughs that rattled my chest. At the same time, I could feel the earth beginning to quiet and as I looked out I saw the grass, or at least what looked like grass, go still. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as the grass began to sink into the ground, leaving behind a plain of dirt filled with small holes and littered with corpses. It was like standing on a giant scalp and watching strands of hair being sucked back into the skin ¨C incredibly unsettling. The newly bare earth revealed seven bodies laid out around me in an almost a perfect circle. Each corpse had either a large bulb or a red and gold flower growing from its back, and thick tendrils of plant matter growing into its flesh. They were not all the same creature, however. I saw two more of the mutant rats, now dead and broken. Among the dead were also what looked like a giant praying mantis, a horse and some kid of dog that had grown as large as a sedan and was covered in thick cords of bulging and asymmetric musculature. The remaining two bodies were too mutilated to recognize, other than being able to tell that they had been some kind of quadruped. I didn¡¯t truly understand what kind of creature I was up against, but it seemed clear it was retreating. It was impossible to say for how long it would do so. A panicked and cornered creature the size of an entire golf course was not something I felt ready to take on directly. As effective as the Eye of Madness had been, it would have diminishing returns and was nearly as debilitating to myself as it was to any potential enemy. The companion was in its avian form, once more feasting on carrion while showing no distinction between flesh and plant. It seemed to be absorbing eldritch energy directly from the air and I could see no benefit to its meal. Any additional energy it absorbed from the meat would be almost unnoticeable. The battle hadn¡¯t done much for me either, as I had gained only a single level in Eye of Madness as well as roughly enough XP to progress ten percent towards my next class level. I didn¡¯t stick around to examine these gains, however, instead choosing to escape while I still had the chance. I put as much distance between the site of the battle as I could and quickly eliminated most of the distance across the golf course. The black tar of a nearby road soon came into view, and I poured everything I had into the sprint as if I was in the final stretches of a race. I quickly reached my destination, but what I found there almost made me want to turn around and take my chances with the sentient golf course. The road was cracked and overgrown and had the empty shells of cars littering its length. Across the street I saw a large building with a green roof, now caved in and spilling bricks and green shingles into the street. The more important detail was the large metallic box as large as a single-story house and supported by wheels as high as I was tall. It was angular and sleek, and painted with white lines and alien letters. Three large turrets stood atop its roof, and many smaller guns lined its sides. Standing atop the vehicle, still halfway inside a hatch, was a familiar face. ¡°I see you¡¯ve managed to survive, Mr. Finn,¡± said the machine voice of Sebbit¡¯s translator. Update Hi everyone, sorry I''ve been out of touch the last few days. I had a shift change at work and ended up with an unexpected 4 day weekend, and since my girlfriend is in Brisbane (anyone reading this from Australia?) I went camping by myself. I spent the last 3 days sitting on a boat, fishing, hiking, and sleeping in a tent (and eating jerky because I barely caught anything). I left my phone in the truck and only checked it 1-2 times a day. I told myself I would ignore RR until I was back because some of the negative ratings were bumming me out (I cheated and still checked). Great weekend, but I''m back now. I did some writing, as well. I have about 3200 - 3500 handwritten words. It''ll probably be 2 chapters once I type it out and edit it. I''ll release the first late tonight/early tomorrow. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. edit: I''ve learned a lot of readers are from Australia! Wow, it''s amazing to have international readers and I probably have RR to thank for that. It also makes sense why a few people were confused and voiced concern in the comments about everyone having guns and no one trying to conserve ammo - American gun culture is strong in SC. I have friends with whole arsenals (even I have a bow, shotgun, and several long guns and I''m a bleeding heart liberal by SC standards), and it should be assumed that any male (maybe a quarter of the girls) in the story has a 50/50 chance of having grown up using guns. Also, the survivors should be assumed to have millions, tens of millions, of rounds of ammo. They''d have that just by raiding a couple gun stores and a Walmart - or a prepper''s house (I know whose house I''d hit up after an apocalypse). Please no gun control debate, just wanted to clarify that point. For the point of the story, guns and ammo can be considered a near unlimited resource. Chapter 34: Isolation I heard gravel being crushed between steel boots and hard pavement. My Companion was screaming warnings in the back of my mind, but I didn¡¯t need to look to know that there were two Peacekeepers approaching me from behind. They had given up all pretenses of stealth. I had no delusions that I would have been able to hear their footsteps if they didn¡¯t want me to. I briefly wondered how long they had been following me, but it was useless speculation if they had been even half as talented as Catyala. Sebbit climbed down from the top of the massive transport ¨C it was more of a tank really. His skin was a crimson that was a few shades darker than the blood red of his uniform. His features were given a stony texture, as if roughly hewn from rock, by a number of raised bumps and deep crevices that lined his face. He carried no weapon, but still held himself with an air of intimidating strength. Sebbit was shorter than any of his soldiers, but I still had to look up to make eye contact and I was generally considered tall ¨C freakishly so even, or so I¡¯ve been told. Four massive Peacekeepers flanked their captain, two on each side, and several more stood atop the vehicle, each staring down at me. The giant soldiers stood at perfect attention, with one hand resting on the butt of their rifles and unreadable expressions on their faces. They carried their guns in the resting position - strapped to their chest and pointed downwards. ¡°Sebbit,¡± I said, subconsciously raising my hands slightly to keep them in view. ¡°Is everything all right? Do you know where Catayla and the others are?¡± ¡°My subordinate is fine, Mr. Finn,¡± the alien said in the dull monotone of his computer translator. ¡°As are the rest of your companions. I understand they are worried about your fate and are most likely looking forward to a reunion. I hope to facilitate that meeting as soon as I am able.¡± Sebbit walked closer, his pace slow and measured. He kept eye contact with me the whole time, and even though his body language was relaxed my instincts screamed at me that I was in danger. ¡°Are they here?¡± I asked, slightly raising my chin to point towards the massive vehicle that Sebbit had descended from. ¡°I¡¯ve been moving to join back up with them. We got separated after an attack on the River ¨C we were actually trying to assist Catayla with making contact with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been briefed, Mr. Finn. Thank you for your assistance.¡± ¡°How did you find them?¡± I asked. ¡°And how did you find me so quickly? I appreciate it, of course, but I¡¯m surprised to find you here waiting for me.¡± In answer Sebbit reached down to his belt and unclipped a small disk with a single depression in the center. ¡°Every Peacekeeper carries one of these. I believe you have one as well, yes?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, uh, Catayla gave it to me in case we needed to communicate. It hasn¡¯t worked since the sky exploded and that pillar of light appeared. She claimed that communication had been cut off due to some kind of interference. She asked us to help find the rest of her people, uh your Peacekeepers.¡± The alien captain stared at me in silent appraisal, pausing for an uncomfortably long ten seconds or so before speaking once more. ¡°If you would return the tracking device, Mr. Finn, I would appreciate it. They are generally not loaned to outsiders.¡± ¡°Tracking¡­?¡± I said. ¡°Sure, uhm here.¡± I threw it to him with a gentle underhand pass. ¡°I¡¯m just here to help, I¡¯m not looking for any trouble.¡± ¡°You seem nervous. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be asking you to honor that promise of assistance in due time, but for now I¡¯m afraid that it is you who is once more in need of my help.¡± ¡°Me?¡± My voice wavered. There was no threat to be found in the mechanical voice, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy. ¡°Yes, Mr. Finn,¡± he said. ¡°It seems you have been infected, a pervasive corruption that threatens to overwhelm you both mentally and physically.¡± He stepped towards me once more, this time coming within arm¡¯s length of me before reaching out a hand and gently plucking something from my shoulder. I could hear the Peacekeepers behind me step forward as well, coming to stop directly behind my back.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. It was a claustrophobic feeling, and I noticed my heart rate increase as I broke out in a cold sweat and every hair on the back of my neck stood straight up. The alien soldiers that had flanked Sebbit had not approached as he had, and still remained near the transport. They did, however, all subtly change their stances and snap their eyes towards their captain as his hand reached my shoulder. I gulped and looked away, breaking eye contact with Sebbit for the first time since the conversation had begun. ¡°I¡¯m ¨C" I started, but the scarlet alien quickly interrupted me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Finn,¡± Sebbit said. He held up his hand and showed me a small particle, the blue stood out in sharp contrast against the redness of his palm. ¡°The Tartarus Grass is deadly, and its spores can induce a fate even worse than death, but we¡¯ve had to deal with its likes before. We¡¯ll cleanse it, and you ¨C in good time.¡± ¡°Tartarus Grass, I¡­¡± I realized that he was talking about the creatures I had fought, and the massive intelligence that controlled them from its hiding place beneath the earth. I let out a sigh of relief and resumed breathing. I hadn¡¯t even been aware that I was holding my breath. I clenched my hands and squeezed my eyes shut, calming my nerves before looking back towards the alien captain once more. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said. ¡°You are, of course, welcome,¡± Sebbit said. ¡°I¡¯m surprised how well you are taking the news, you seem almost relieved.¡± He crossed his arms and raised one hand to his chin before speaking once more. ¡°It seemed that perhaps you thought I meant something else, Mr. Finn? How many corrupting influences might you be under?¡± said Sebbit. ¡°Perhaps we will have time to talk about your other secrets soon. For now, I¡¯m going to have to ask that you remain my guest. I apologize that I can¡¯t extend this conversation further.¡± He looked over my shoulder and gave a slight nod before turning on his heel with a sharp and practiced twist and briskly walking back towards the transport. I felt a pair of powerful arms grab me from behind, twisting my hands behind my back as something cold and hard snapped around my wrists. I immediately felt weak and would have fallen to my knees if a pair of powerful arms hadn¡¯t been supporting me. I yelled out and tried to shrug of my captors, but I found that my arms held little strength. My limbs felt numb and tingled with pinpricks, as if my circulation had been cut off. ¡°What have you done to me?¡± I asked. Sebbit stopped and looked at me. He quickly turned his head and began walking away, as if he was going to ignore me, but he then quickly turned back and looked at me once more. I could see his eyes narrow, and his jaw jut out slightly as he stared at me for the next few seconds. ¡°I¡¯ve merely isolated you from the system, Mr. Finn. I¡¯ve taken nothing from you that was yours to begin with. You¡¯ll feel weak, but it will pass as your body quickly adapts to your natural level of strength. You are no weaker now than you were before the system, and no permanent harm has been done to you.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m a prisoner you need to chain and cripple, is this how you generally treat allies? I was helping you God dammit. I risked my life to help Catayla. I almost died trying to find you.¡± ¡°Allies are those I trust, Mr. Finn. Allies are those with whom I share a common cause, those that don¡¯t lie to me, and those that I can rely on to have my back ¨C you, Mr. Finn, have none of those qualities. You will be treated fairly, and in accordance with the law ¨C I recommend you cooperate fully. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have work to do.¡± He turned to leave once more, and I was pulled upwards by my arms, the cold metal of cuffs digging into my wrists. *** I awoke in a small cell. The walls were made from pale grey metal and the only furniture was the slab I was currently laying on and a metal toilet in one corner. I felt cold, and I recognized the early pangs of hunger. No one had taken the time to give me so much as a mattress, let alone a blanket or food. I no longer wore cuffs, but the weakness and inability to access the system remained. There were no windows or bars and the only door was a solid piece of metal without so much as a sliding panel or a slot to pass things through. I was completely isolated. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I had been here, but I was fairly certain that it had been less than a day. At first, I had yelled out to be released, demanding in the beginning but quickly regressing into despairful pleading. I had also tried pounding on the door, but my fists quickly became bruised and I was surprised by how fragile I had become. I had grown used to feeling like a demi-god capable of superhuman feats. Now¡­ I just felt human. The first thing I had tried upon being thrown into this shithole was to try to open my stats, but nothing happened. I had felt a sense of loss, as if I¡¯d lost a limb or even a loved one. I¡¯d only had access to the system for a relatively small part of my life, but already I had grown accustomed to it ¨C dependent even. After failing to view my stats I had tried casting a spell, hoping that perhaps I was only blocked from viewing my abilities and not cut off from them entirely. It was useless, and I soon gave up. It shouldn¡¯t have surprised me that they would have a way of neutralizing system granted powers. I still wasn¡¯t sure what the relationship was between the Hegemony, Peacekeepers, and the System but it was obvious they were all connected. It was also likely they¡¯d needed to restrain individuals much stronger than myself. With nothing to do, and no hope of escape, I closed my eyes once more. I would simply have to wait for them to come to me ¨C hopefully I wouldn¡¯t die of thirst, or boredom, in the meantime. Chapter 35: Questions I wasn¡¯t sure how long I had been waiting. All sense of time had vanished somewhere within the vast expanse of uncertainty that existed between hours and days. There was no point of reference with which to count the seconds and they soon began to merge, one into the other. At some point, I had fallen asleep and woken to a meal of water in a metal carafe and a bar of some kind brown-grey substance served on a red ceramic plate. The bar resembled granola but somehow drier and less appealing. I recognized it as a common staple among the Peacekeepers. It was no doubt high in calories and nutrition and low in anything resembling flavor. They had fed me better last time, if only slightly. The food did, however, mean that my captors had some interest in keeping me alive. I had no idea what their motivation was or for how long it would last. Sebbit didn¡¯t seem like the kind to murder me out of hand, but I had no idea what system of laws and justice he followed. The Peacekeeper captain struck me as the kind that would follow the letter of the law with ruthless efficiency. I remembered something my father had once told me, ¡°true justice is free of mercy.¡± It was a comforting thought until one ran up against that justice. Before I figured out what was going on I would have to hope that Peacekeeper law ¨C or Hegemonic law, I wasn¡¯t sure on the exact relationship between the two ¨C would grant me some version of basic ¡®human¡¯ rights. In the meantime, I waited. I kept my mind active by reviewing the events of the past weeks. I would replay images, and dwell on my mistakes. I had more of them than I care to admit. My memory was still sharp, much sharper than it was before the system had enhanced it ¨C though not to the superhuman level I had been used to. I wasn¡¯t sure if this meant that I still had some bonus from the system, or if there were other explanations. The Companion seemed an obvious suspect, or at least a source of information, but it hadn¡¯t revealed itself to me since my imprisonment had begun. It was possible that I hadn¡¯t lost my abilities, perhaps I was only blind to the them or they had been countered by some temporary effect. I decided to test my physical abilities to get some form of baseline I could compare to my earlier abilities. It was most likely useless, but it gave me direction. I needed something to break up the silence and fill the emptiness. My every waking moment was spent alternating between calisthenics and attempting to communicate with the Companion. Sometimes I would shout at the walls or bargain with myself in quiet whispers. At other times, I would sit in meditation, despite having no real sense of how to do so. I simply sat and tried to find a sense of peace ¨C some quiet corner of my mind. It hadn¡¯t born fruit yet, but I did find the practice surprisingly comforting. It brought me to the realization that what I desired was control, even over myself. It was during one of these quieter moments that my wait finally ended. The short hissing sound of pressurized air being released was accompanied by the clicking of metal gears grinding against each other. The door of my prison cell slid open, disappearing into a recess in the wall. Within the doorframe stood a tall silhouette backed by dull blue light. There had been no warning, and at first my mind didn¡¯t register the event. It was as if I had forgotten that the door existed, or perhaps I had given up hope that it would ever open. What brought me back to my sense was the smell; pure unfiltered air filled my cell. I breathed in deeply before looking up. ¡°You¡¯re not who I was expecting,¡± I said. ¡°And who, exactly, were you expecting?¡± said Catayla. She was wearing a new uniform, this one completely white and without any armored plates. The full body jumpsuit had no adornments except for a single circular patch on the left shoulder - three interlocking gold lines atop a cluster of leaves affixed to a blue-green background. She had no weapons, but she was carrying a small tray covered with a white cloth. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± I answered. ¡°Someone I didn¡¯t want to throttle for selling me out and leading me into a trap, perhaps?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly how it happened, Finn. I had a job to do, and you were only a small part of that. Did you think we were friends, and even if we were; did you think I would betray my own people?¡± ¡°I thought we were a team,¡± I said. ¡°I trusted you. I chose to trust you despite having every reason not to. I risked my life fighting beside you, so yes ¨C I thought we were friends.¡± This seemed to affect her, as she took a few moments before she began to answer. ¡°Finn¡ª¡±. ¡°Look, let¡¯s forget it. We¡¯re not a team, you were only following orders. I get it. You¡¯re a soldier, just tell me why you¡¯re here.¡± Catayla walked over and took a seat on the cold slab that had failed in every way to resemble a bed or comfortable place to sit. She sat her tray down beside her and looked down at me. I was already sitting on the floor directly across from her. ¡°Do you know why I¡¯m here¡­¡± she waved away my attempt to interrupt. ¡°Please, just listen for a moment. We suspect that you were involved with a group of cultists, traitors that have infiltrated and sabotaged your world.¡± ¡°Is this because of the Eye?¡± I asked. ¡°Sebbit knew I lied about it, I get it. Is that really enough of a reason to keep me in solitary confinement for weeks?¡± ¡°Three days, Finn,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s only been three days, and we needed that time to finish our investigation. If you cooperate I believe Se¡­ Captain Xern, will be lenient on you.¡± ¡°Three days¡­ that can¡¯t,¡± I said. ¡°And the others? Tiller, is he okay? Bridgett and Worthy ¨C did everyone make it over the river?¡± ¡°Tiller is here, we¡¯ve built a base out of an abandoned Naval vessel,¡± Catayla said. ¡°The others all survived and have been returned to the human settlement, New Charleston.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you helped them. Is Tiller a prisoner too, can I see him?¡± ¡°No,¡± she shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s not a prisoner, but he doesn¡¯t have free reign of the facility, either. He insists on talking with you, but command has decided that all interactions with you are to be limited.¡± ¡°Are you going to tell me why you¡¯re here, then?¡± I said. ¡°There isn¡¯t much I can tell you, I¡¯ve only been part of one ¡®cult¡¯ and I doubt you¡¯d be interested in anything that went on at St. Mary¡¯s.¡± ¡°We know,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ve been tracking and recording you since even before I gave you the disk. We don¡¯t suspect you are in league with the Separatists, but you are connected somehow.¡± ¡°Separatists?¡± I asked. ¡°That sounds an awful lot like an internal matter. Something I, or anyone from Earth, would have nothing to do with.¡± ¡°Eat,¡± she said. ¡° She uncovered the tray beside her and revealed a small loaf of bread, small red berries, and a glass of a golden-brown liquid. ¡°Afterwards, you can tell me everything you know, and we¡¯ll both have to trust that my superiors will know what to do.¡± ¡°Is that¡­¡± I asked while staring at the tray. ¡°Sweet tea,¡± she answered. ¡°Tiller mentioned it was something of a favorite of yours.¡± ¡°Well you catch more bees with carrots,¡± I said. ¡°Or was it the stick?¡± *** The door slid closed behind Catayla, leaving me alone once more. I thought back over our conversation. We had spoken for several hours, and I¡¯d held almost nothing back. The only secret I¡¯d kept to myself was the existence of the mental space that the companion occupied, and its ability to speak with me there. She hadn¡¯t answered any more of my questions about the cultists or Separatists, but I was somehow certain that they were connected. The thought scared me more than I can explain. If the event that had destroyed Charleston was not random chance, but instead something engineered, then the implications were terrifying. Could eldritch abominations and planet devouring Elder Gods simply be summoned like an Uber? Why would such beings even care about what lowly humans did? We were nothing but ants scurrying over a pebble in their eyes. I had told Catayla everything that had happened since seeing the burning eye. I told her about waking up, unharmed, in a puddle of my own blood all the way up to my battle with the Tartarus Grass. She already knew most of it, but she still made me recount every second of it in clear detail. She brought up my companion on several instances and would ask about our connection. She seemed particularly concerned with how we communicated and if I shared its memories. We also spent at least an hour going over my actions on the days leading up to Eldritch Night, but I couldn¡¯t imagine how anyone I knew could be part of some intergalactic cult. The most interesting part of our conversations was not anything Catayla had said, but something I discovered on my own. During the entire interrogation the cell door had remained opened, no doubt a tactic to make me feel more relaxed. Not only did this allow the sweet smell of unfiltered air into my room but it also brought with it small amounts of something else. I could no longer see it, but I recognized the familiar texture. It was faint, almost non-existent, but it was there. As I focused I found small traces of the energy everywhere. It was in the air, and in the food I ate. It clung to Catayla in a thin sheen that was gradually thinning as the energy was absorbed. I breathed it in and I could feel it invigorating me. It was a subtle change, but very real. I reached out and gathered as much of the energy as I could, being certain not to touch the energy surrounding Catayla. I had no reason to think she would detect the change, but I had no idea what skills or technology the peacekeepers had. I kept this process up for the rest of the conversation, slowly gathering small trickles of the energy into my closed right hand. After Catayla had left I held out my fist and slowly opened my hand. Resting in the center of my palm was a small sphere no larger than a marble ¨C a marble made of pure eldritch energy. Chapter 36: The Fruits of Despair My exuberance at having succeeded quickly faded into a quiet melancholy as I realized I had absolutely no idea what to do with that success. Even after hours of careful work, all that I had managed to collect was a ball of eldritch energy the size of a large pebble. The problem was that I had absolutely no idea what to do next. It might even be a liability if it were to be discovered. I considered letting it go, allowing it to vanish into the ether. I was quickly disillusioned with such a plan, not because it wasn¡¯t the best idea but because I was constitutionally unable to simply sit and wait. I needed to do something. Anything. The sphere of energy was incredibly dense and could probably be stretched out into a dagger or maybe a tool, like a wrench or screwdriver ¡ª though I couldn¡¯t think of any possible way any of those items would allow me to escape. If I did escape, what then? I was being held prisoner by what was, for all ostensible purposes, an alien occupation force that was hundreds or even thousands of years more technologically advanced than humans. I was pretty sure they had planned for ¡®bad guy with a screwdriver.¡¯ At least of the non-sonic variety. Instead, I simply sat there pondering my open palm. If anyone was watching me they must have thought I had finally snapped. Unless they realized the truth, that is. You¡¯re being watched¡­ This idea filled me with a sense of dread and I immediately clamped shut my hand, leaving the invisible ball of energy within my closed fist. Until that moment it hadn¡¯t even occurred to me that I was probably being watched. I couldn¡¯t see any cameras, but that hardly mattered when dealing with the Peacekeepers. Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, plus¡­ they had actual magic. They could be capable of anything. This didn¡¯t stop me, it just convinced me to be more discrete. I had hoped to practice with the energy, shaping it into tools and weapons. It was a miniscule amount of the energy, but it represented a chance to exercise and grow my skill. Real skill, not the sterilized and easily quantifiable version granted by the system. There was no way such actions wouldn¡¯t draw attention. If I was going to practice it would have to be something less visible. Something more¡­ internal. With a thought I released the energy. It quickly separated into innumerable threads that fled in every direction ¨C or they would have had I not exerted my control once more. I guided a small number of the threads back into my hand, allowing them to be absorbed through my pores. More¡­ I stopped holding back and allowed every speck of energy to flow into me. The energy flowed down my arm and into my chest like a flood of frigid water. Feelings of cold and loneliness filled my senses, threatening to drag me down into the depths of depression and self-loathing. The sensation quickly passed, but I was left with the idea that such emotion did not originate from myself. I shivered for a moment as I contemplated my situation. Depression did not seem unreasonable, and yet I had never felt such absolute despair before. I was pretty sure it would have shown up by now if I was predisposed towards it. It was as if I had, for just a moment, been completely cut off from any sense of connection or belonging, as if I were alone in a cold an unforgiving universe. It was a terrible feeling that could easily consume me, a common danger when dealing with anything that had to do with the eldritch. I knew that the energy could shape reality. Could it shape emotion as well? Perhaps it was the other way around ¨C my own emotions warping and amplifying the effects of the energy. There were no easy answers to be had so I turned my attention back to the energy that was now flowing through my body. In the past, I had never been able to contain the energy within myself, instead always needing to draw it from the environment or from the Companion. The eldritch energy that I had tried to hold onto would quickly be absorbed and lost or converted into mana. Whatever the Peacekeepers had done to me seemed to arrest this ability, preventing me from absorbing the energy. Perhaps someday I would thank Sebbit and his goons for giving me this opportunity. I spread the threads of energy as evenly throughout my body as possible. I could only consciously control a small number of the threads at a time, but the rest seemed to respond to my intent. Within moments almost every inch of me was infused.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. I could feel every speck of energy as it coursed through my veins, suffused my flesh, and sank into my bones. There was so little of it, and yet it seemed infinitely capable of transformation ¨C easily stretching to fill the shape of my body. I closed my eyes, focusing on the energy. What came next might have been the closest I had ever come to achieving a true meditative state, despite my previous attempts. All of my focus was on the energy within, cancelling out any distracting thoughts or outside stimuli. Not only could I feel the energy, I could feel how it interacted with my cells. I didn¡¯t feel stronger, but I felt an awareness of my own form that surpassed anything I had experienced before. Now that I had claimed it, the energy felt different, more responsive. Each particle was as much a part of me as my own limbs. What¡¯s more¡­ it was incomplete. I could feel more of it calling out to me, cut off from me but still resonating and connected to the energy within me. I¡¯m not sure how long I stayed like that, perhaps hours. The thought occurred to me that it was a good thing that I had established meditation as part of my normal routine over that last few days. The other part of my routine had been calisthenics ¨C push-ups, sit-ups, and stretches mostly. I decided to do a few push-ups to test if my strength had improved at all. I had gained a fairly good idea of my own capabilities over that last few days, so any significant improvement should be easily noticed. After about forty push-ups I could feel my arms beginning to weaken and every additional repetition became more difficult ¡ª I was collapsed on the floor by the time I reached sixty. I was certainly in much better shape than I had been a few weeks ago but the energy didn¡¯t seem to be having any effect. The only difference had been an increased awareness of my own muscles. I could feel muscle fibers contract and expand with each motion. I could almost see each of the fibers and where they attached to ligament and bone. This greater awareness of my own body also showed me that my form was sloppy as hell. I was allowing my back to arch, and my elbows flare out way too far. It was easy to correct, but I had felt the increased difficulty immediately. It had actually been a little disconcerting watching myself like that, it felt almost like an out of body experience. I rested with my back against the wall, giving myself a short recovery time before trying again. This time I wanted to try focusing all of the energy into just the muscles being used. My new awareness would make them easy to identify. Hell, I could literally feel muscles I never knew I had. I had a theory that I could use the energy to pull and push in time with my muscles, not actually making them stronger but supplementing them by mimicking their actions. I tried a few stretches and was just about to begin doing more push-ups. I didn¡¯t get the chance, however, as the door to my cell began to open once more. The clicking of spinning gear teeth was accompanied by the soft hiss of pneumatics. The first thing I noticed was an inflow of energy, though I held back from gathering it immediately. I didn¡¯t even turn my head before saying, ¡°Back already? I figured you¡¯d let me stew for a while longer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve mistaken me for someone else, Mr. Finn,¡± said the familiar sound of a mechanical translator. I turned my head and found the red-skinned Peacekeeper captain staring down at me. Shit, how cool would that have looked if it had been Catayla. ¡°Sebbit, buddy,¡± I said with a mock smile. ¡°Here to let me go? Let bygones be bygones?¡± I saw an almost imperceptibly quick upturn at the corners of his mouth before the captain looked behind him and nodded once. Two large Peacekeepers charged into my cell and grabbed me by my arms. My feet didn¡¯t even touch the floor as they dragged me into the hallway. *** I found myself in a room that, surprisingly, made my previous cell look almost luxurious. It was incredibly narrow, no more than two meters wide, and roughly twice as long. The only furniture was two backless stools on opposite sides of a small plastic folding table with metal legs. The table took me aback for a second. For some reason it just felt wrong to see something so¡­ human. So normal. One of my guards grunted and pushed me down onto one of the stools, before turning to leave. This left me alone with the red skinned captain. No one had bothered to restrain me. In my present condition I was probably considered no more dangerous than a particularly rambunctious toddler. ¡°Perhaps you are ready to have a conversation, Mr. Finn,¡± Sebbit said. The captains stood, with one hand resting on the table beside a small cylindrical machine. It was a solid tube of metal except for two black, triangular protrusions and a rectangular screen displaying symbols in an unknown language. ¡°If you wanted to talk you¡¯re always welcome to stop by,¡± I said. ¡°No reason to drag me into some interrogation room and threaten me with¡­¡± I gestured at the device. ¡°Whatever the hell that thing is.¡± I crossed my arms and tried to stare down the captain, but the truth was that I was just putting on a show. I had lost any desire to rebel, and I knew my only way out of this situation was by cooperating. The idea of giving in still pissed me off, though. ¡°This is no time for quips, Mr. Finn. We¡¯re dealing with a very serious situation, one that goes far beyond any misgivings I have about your lack of candor.¡± The captain sat across from me before continuing. When sitting we were almost the same height, and he held eye contact with me for several seconds. ¡°In fact, I haven¡¯t brought you here for an interrogation, despite what you may think.¡± ¡°And this is?¡± I said, pointing at the device held between us. ¡°This, Mr. Finn, is proof. Proof of a conspiracy that threatens to destroy not only your own world but countless others, as well. We¡¯ll get to that in a moment, but first¡ª¡± As Sebbit spoke he pulled a small envelope out of a pouch on his belt and placed it in front of him. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I said. Sebbit didn¡¯t answer, instead reaching out with a clawed hand and gently opening the envelope. He took out a picture, one of the small ones meant for a wallet. As he placed it in front of me I immediately recognized it. In fact, I had been there when it was taken. ¡°Do you know this person, Mr. Finn?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ why are you showing me this? There¡¯s no fucking way¡­¡± I stood up and began pacing the length of the room. Sebbit did nothing to stop me. He just remained sitting, quietly watching me. I finally gave up and sat down once more, staring at the picture that still sat on the plastic, coffee stained table. ¡°She has nothing to do with this. Do you understand me?¡± I looked up at Sebbit, but his expression was unreadable. I picked up the picture and looked at it, trying to will it to speak. The woman in the picture stared back at me. She wore a yellow and white checkered sun dress and her face was lit up in one of the most beautiful smiles I had ever seen. In fact, it had been months since I had seen her this happy. ¡°Liv¡­¡± I whispered. Chapter 37: Fuel on the Fire I turned the photo over and pushed it across the table. My finger lingered on the photograph for several seconds. I was unable to let it go. I¡¯d done so once before; I¡¯d let her go, and I¡¯d always regretted my decision. ¡°This is bullshit. Liv has never even left South Carolina,¡± I said. ¡°How could she have anything to do with anything? She¡¯s a girl, not some space terrorist or eldritch cultist. I¡¯m not going to let you turn me against my friends.¡± ¡°Your loyalty is commendable, Mr. Finn,¡± Sebbit said. ¡°My own daughter speaks highly of you ¨C a courtesy that even I rarely receive.¡± He picked up the metal canister, looking at it before setting it on the center of the table. I had no idea what it was. It was roughly the same size as a tube of tennis balls. If anything, the display and the odd protrusions made it look like a clich¨¦ sci-fi bomb from a Hollywood prop department. The captain pressed down on the three protrusions and the canister split open down the center. A cold mist rose up from the canister obscuring anything that lied within. As the cloud dissipated a small round object was revealed. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked. As I looked at the object I saw it twitch. It was a ball of black, leathery material riddled with veins and tumorous growths. Every few seconds it would pulse, releasing a thick stream of a familiar energy. Not only did it seem alive, it was somehow creating eldritch energy. ¡°This object was retrieved from one of the cultists that ambushed my soldiers. What is most concerning, to me, is that its existence on this planet predates the eldritch event that predicated Hegemony intervention.¡± I simply sat there watching the beating heart. I could feel the thick streams of energy that poured out of it with each spasm. The energy was much thicker than anything I had ever felt. I had to force myself to stifle an instinctive urge to reach out and manipulate it. Some deep part of my mind responded, desiring to consume the energy and make it part of ourselves. Myself. The energy quickly filled the room, and I felt as if I was swimming in muck that clung to me and threatened to pull me deeper into it like quicksand. The grey paint on the walls began to peel and warp, as if time and entropy had been sped up. I reached out towards the energy but pulled back in disgust. It felt much more active and volatile than the reddish black energy I was used to working with. As it caressed my skin, trace amounts of the energy would seep into my pores, filling me with a sense of hatred for the living. Whatever this heart belonged to had died terribly, and I could still feel it calling out for vengeance. My arms and torso shook and sweat began to pour down my face. My face paled, and I could feel the contents of my stomach beginning to rebel. I pushed the energy away, and Sebbit snapped shut the canister with a deafening bang that reverberated between the walls of the narrow concrete room. The energy didn¡¯t immediately dissipate, instead lingering as a literal cloud of malaise. I reached up to touch my face and ran my thumb across the stubble before placing my hand over my eyes. I couldn¡¯t get the emotions out of my head. ¡°Aah,¡± I said, finally breaking free from the spell. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sebbit vocalized. ¡°As I said, this object was taken from a cultist. A human that murdered several highly trained Peacekeepers. I shouldn¡¯t have to tell you how difficult that should be for any citizen, let alone a tier four citizen armed with primitive weaponry.¡± ¡°And why are you showing it to me?¡± ¡°I needed to see your reaction,¡± said the computerized voice of Sebbit¡¯s translator. ¡°It was interesting ¨C you clearly had a very strong reaction, and yet your claims of ignorance are honest. You¡¯ve either never seen a dungeon core before, or the memory has been¡­ tampered with.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°And what does this have to do with Liv,¡± I said. ¡°Why did you show me¡­ that,¡± I pointed towards the photo that still sat on the table. ¡°Mr. Finn, please know that this gives me no pleasure. My only wish is to uphold the Accord and to protect every citizen of the Hegemony. I take my oaths very seriously, especially this one.¡± ¡°Please, just tell me what is going on¡­¡± ¡°Very well, Mr. Finn. That photograph and this core,¡± Sebbit said. His hand rested on the silver canister, and he pulled it slightly towards himself. His eyes narrowed, and he paused for several breaths before speaking. ¡°These items were recovered from a terrorist that was captured during an attack on my forward base. Nearly a dozen women under my command were slaughtered in an attempt to take one of the attackers alive. As you can see, their sacrifice was not in vain.¡± ¡°It was incredibly important that we understood the abilities and motivations of our attackers. Each displayed power I have heard rumors of but had never witnesses for myself. ¡°Powers very similar to your own, Mr. Finn.¡± ¡°Captured? Is she here¡­ is she,¡± I couldn¡¯t continue. I just stared at the expressionless face of the alien captain. I tried to convey my question through eye contact alone. I tried to will him to tell me if she was still alive. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say the words. Sebbit watched me as I gasped helplessly. He denied me even the simple mercy of telling me what had happened, if she still lived. He just stood and looked down on me once more before turning and silently exiting the room. ¡°Sebbit, answer me. Tell me what you want!¡± I banged on the table and the cheap metal legs bent and the table slid forward as it collapsed. I stood and flung my stool at the closed door and called out again. ¡°Sebbit, please¡­¡± I exploded with rage, calling after the bastard to come back ¨C demanding that he answer me. Instead, he simply left me alone to stew in my own rage; a rage that was fueled by a thick cloud of anger and resentment. A palpable, literal cloud. I began to draw the energy into myself. As I did so I could feel my own anger responding to the resentment contained in the cloud of energy. It was like a cycle, the energy flowed into me as it fueled my rage and my rage in turn strengthened and shaped the energy. I could feel it growing and contracting into a denser and denser sphere ¨C as if building up to a critical mass before going critical. I felt as though I would explode. Stop, Finn¡­ The voice barely registered as I allowed the energy to continue to control me. I continued to pull the energy into myself, consolidating it into my left fist which now shook and wavered as if holding a massive weight. Finn, you have to stop¡­ The voice was different this time. It was comforting and familiar ¨C feminine. Please, calm down. "Liv?¡± I asked. ¡°How can you be¡­¡± My rage gradually dwindled, and I found the energy quieting as it joined with the rest of the energy I had collected during my conversation with Catayla. It no longer screamed out in rage, but instead settle into acceptance. That brief interruption had been enough to interrupt the cycle and the feelings had quickly passed, much like the feelings of depression I had experience earlier. ¡°You¡¯re there,¡± I whispered. ¡°I can feel you in my mind. I thought I was finally free of you, but you¡¯re just one more reminder. One more failure added to the pile.¡± Before that moment I had never experience true, uncontrollable rage and hatred. It had left me drained ¡ª physically exhausted in a way that even vigorous exercise could not. It was as if any strength or motivation had been burned away as fuel to feed my anger. In its place was a gentle apathy. An acceptance of my insignificance. I had felt powerful once, what seemed ages ago, but now I realized I was little more than an insect. ¡°Come out, Companion. Dark Gemini. Whatever you are, you know more than you are telling me. You wanted me on your side, well now you¡¯ve got me. ¡°Help me find her, and I¡¯ll do whatever you want.¡± But the Companion did not answer, instead my ravings were interrupted by two sets of impossibly strong arms that lifted me by the shoulders and dragged me into a narrow, dimly lit hallway. *** Some time later, the door to my cell was opened and a green skinned Peacekeeper deposited a thin metal tray on the floor before turning and leaving. She never said so much as a word, none of them had. The tray contained more of the red fruit and a dull gray slice of bread. Beside it was a tin cup of water. I ignored it, as I had done the last half dozen. The trays would come, and then be picked up an hour later ¨C each time untouched. ¡°You need your strength,¡± said a faint voice. ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I croaked. ¡°They want you for something.¡± The faint outline of a small bird was hidden in the shadows that filled the corner opposite me. ¡°This waiting is nothing more than theatrics meant to break you, to make you beg them to do whatever it is that they want from us.¡± ¡°So, why have you finally decided to show up?¡± I said. ¡°Your timing is perfect, as usual. And what is it that you think they want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nothing more than a little bird,¡± the creature said. ¡°What could I tell you?¡± ¡°So, what the hell do you want?¡± I slumped down and let me head lean back against the cool wall. ¡°Come to torture me with meaningless riddles, or did you just stop by to say hi? Perhaps you want to tell me that one of my best friends is either dead or working with a cult of murderers?¡± The words were difficult to speak, my throat felt dry and brittle. Each syllable was agony. ¡°No, Finn,¡± the creature said. ¡°While you¡¯ve been wallowing in your own misery, I¡¯ve been trapped in mine. Mind.¡± The creature laughed with a sickly wheeze. ¡°They¡¯ll be back, and when they do, we¡¯ll be ready.¡± ¡°Ready how?¡± I asked. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly think we could escape this place.¡± ¡°Escape?¡± I could also feel the creature grin despite it being nothing more than the silhouette of a small bird. ¡°No Finn, they are going to let us go.¡± Chapter 38: Family Ties Four years ago¡­ As I opened the door my senses were assaulted by the sweet smell of perfume and the pleasant smell of ozone that always followed a thunderstorm. I could feel a gentle breeze caress my face and I heard the rhythmic thumping of an open shutter swaying in the wind. A petite brunette was framed by blue curtains that billowed and swelled as gusts of wind blew through an open window. ¡°Shit, Liv,¡± I said. ¡°Can you close that window?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± she reached out and pulled the two halves of the window closed. As the wooden frame clicked shut the howls of the wind died down to a quiet whimper. ¡°I should have texted first, but I just needed to see you. I hope it¡¯s okay?¡± Her nose scrunched up as she pulled her lips into a tight smile. I gave up on trying to pretend I was angry. Her effortless cuteness was like a reset button for my nerves. ¡°Of course, though you know you can use the front door? You¡¯re more welcome at my house than I am.¡± I stared at her for a few moments ¨C my eyes lingered on the pink dress that clung to the gentle curves of her hips. ¡°Uh, you¡¯re soaking wet. Just wait here, I¡¯ll get you a towel.¡± I gave her a smile as I walked towards the closed door of my bathroom. I opened it while making sure to keep the door angled so she couldn¡¯t see the mess inside. ¡°Here.¡± I tossed her a white, folded towel and closed the door with a gentle click. As she caught the towel she glanced down at it and I tried to hide my embarrassment while secretly hoping she wouldn¡¯t notice my initials, AFF, embroidered in gold thread. ¡°That was a gift from the parentals,¡± I said. ¡°Haven¡¯t even used it yet so it should be clean.¡± I rubbed the back of my head with one hand and looked down at my feet. When I looked back up at Liv she was still standing in front of the window, but she had turned away and was looking out at the retreating storm clouds. She held the towel down at her side. It hung loosely, still unused and folded. ¡°So¡­ where¡¯s Troy? He¡¯s been avoiding me all week. You have been, too. I miss you guys.¡± ¡°Troy hasn¡¯t been avoiding you, Gus. He¡¯s just been working through some stuff, is all. Me too.¡± Her voice trailed off at the end, and for a moment I could detect sadness in her eyes. ¡°What kinda ¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I started. I just stood there like an idiot for a few moments. ¡°Why are you telling me this? I mean we¡¯re only juniors, for Cris¡­ Are you going to finish the school year? Does Troy know?¡± ¡°Yeah, I told him when I found out last week,¡± she said. ¡°He knows it¡¯s his and he asked me to marry him.¡± She turned and stared at me unblinking. I could see her determination from the way she protruded her jaw slightly, something she always did when trying to look serious. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s¡­?¡± I asked. ¡°How far¡­ how many weeks?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important, Gus. Just promise me you¡¯ll leave it alone, okay? I love you both¡­ but it¡¯s his baby, okay?¡± ¡°Okay, Liv...¡± I regretted the words instantly. I screamed internally as I raged at myself to take back the words. I didn¡¯t want it to be okay, but I refused to come between my two best friends. I loved them both too much. ¡°Just one thing, Liv,¡± I called out. She glanced up, and we locked eyes for a few moments. I burned the image of her face into my memory. Her blue eyes were framed by lines of running mascara and reddish-brown curls that threatened to consume her face at any moment. Her mouth was drawn tight and her red lips were slightly puckered.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°I love you, Liv,¡± I said. She started to say something, but I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re my best friend. You both are.¡± I removed my hand from her shoulder and placed it over her clenched fist, drawing it up to my chest. I could feel her hand shaking, but her face kept the same calm look of determination. ¡°I¡¯ll always be here for you and Troy. The baby too.¡± *** ¡°I was expecting your father.¡± The blue-scaled alien looked down at me and blinked. The slowness of the action is what made it so strange. Multiple translucent membranes rotated inward like the iris of a camera as her two main eyelids slowly drifted closed. As her eyes opened the thin membranes of her inner eyelids slowly unfolded. ¡°Captain Xern told you?¡± she asked. ¡°He¡¯s generally more¡­ circumspect.¡± ¡°Not in so many words, but I figured it out,¡± I said. ¡°He seems proud, Catayla, I mean you did manage to set a trap for the notorious Augustus Finn. You¡¯re the first girl to succeed, though many have failed. I think that deserves a pat on the back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve enjoyed your entirely inappropriate quips, Finn,¡± she said. ¡°My mother once told me the best way to judge a warrior was by how she responded to loss, and you¡¯ve lost as much as anyone. That¡¯s not why you wanted to talk though, is it?¡± ¡°Lost as much¡­¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to take that.¡± I smiled innocently, keeping up the act of being wounded. ¡°Why are we here, Finn? I didn¡¯t get the feeling that you were too interested in social calls during our last conversation.¡± ¡°I want to see Troy Swanson.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You took a photo and some kind of device off a captured cultist,¡± I said. ¡°Your dearest dad made it seem like you had captured the woman in the picture, but I know that isn¡¯t true.¡± Catayla began to talk, but I raised a hand and asked her to wait. It had been a week since she had last come to see me, and despite my anger at her I was enjoying the company and was in no rush to end it. It certainly beat talking to shadows and smoke. ¡°How long has it been?¡± I asked. ¡°Since you last came to see me?¡± ¡°Six days, Finn. Nine since you were first taken into custody.¡± ¡°Nine days¡­¡± I had been experiencing two sets of sensory inputs and the time had felt much longer. My connection to the Companion had grown stronger during my imprisonment, and I was aware of everything it was experiencing at any moment. Even in my dreams it would¡­ talk to me. ¡°During these past nine days I¡¯ve enjoyed your hospitality. I¡¯ve also seen the pillar of light growing stronger, and you¡¯ve fended off attacks at least three times while you keep me here rotting away, unable to help.¡± Catayla¡¯s eyes narrowed and she bared her small, sharp teeth in an expression I had come to associate with a frown or grimace. I waited before continuing. I had played through this conversation in my mind many times, and I experienced a strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu when I finally spoke the words aloud. Catayla seemed in no rush to continue the conversation either. She merely sat across from me, watching me with unreadable eyes and a cold empty expression. ¡°The attacks are growing worse, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°How?¡± she asked, her cool finally broken. ¡°¡­ Your ¡®Dark Gemini¡¯, but that¡¯s impossible. You¡¯ve been Censored, and your class sealed.¡± ¡°Not all power is external, Catayla. This is all me, no assembly required. That¡¯s not why we are here, though. I can get to Liv, and I can stop her or whoever is controlling her. At the very least I can get her to tell me what the fuck is going on.¡± ¡°How do you know we don¡¯t already have her?¡± Catayla asked. ¡°We¡¯ve captured several cultists over the past weeks.¡± ¡°Look,¡± I said. ¡°Liv is as vain and flawed as anyone, but do you really think she carries a photo of herself? On her phone, sure, but an old printed wallet photo? It¡¯s just not her style. Besides, I¡¯ve seen that photo before, and it was in Troy¡¯s wallet.¡± ¡°And you think he¡¯ll tell you where she is? He hasn¡¯t given our best interrogators anything, and you don¡¯t even want to imagine what they are capable off. Trust me when I say that you¡¯ve been treated well.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve just told me that he¡¯s alive, and that you have him,¡± I sat back and crossed my arms. ¡°Not bad, for a human.¡± I smiled and steepled my fingers. I took several breaths and spoke slowly, trying to project an image of calmness and confidence. ¡°I don¡¯t need him to tell me anything,¡± I said. ¡°I already know where she is. I just want to talk to my friend. I need to know if anything of him is left.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± she said as she began to stand. ¡°If you actually know where she is then we may have a deal. I can¡¯t guarantee my superiors won¡¯t decide to come down on you with everything they have, though. This may not end the way you are hoping.¡± I laughed at that. It made no sense, but the idea of a plan actually working the way I wanted it to just struck me as some kind of grand irony. ¡°There is hardly much precedent of that.¡± My mirth slowly faded, and my voice took on a more serious tone. ¡°Catayla,¡± I said as she reached the door. ¡°Yes, Finn?¡± ¡°When this is all sorted, no matter what happens, I want you to know that I still consider you as a friend.¡± She didn¡¯t answer, instead giving me a passing glance as she slowly closed door. I could hear the echoes of her boots on hard tile as they gradually faded into the distance. ¡°How was that?¡± I asked. ¡°Good, Finn,¡± said a bristly wheeze. ¡°Well done, indeed.¡± Chapter 39: Eye of the Storm The door to my cell slid open with a grinding clank of gears and the soft hiss of depressurizing pneumatics. I was startled, not by the door, but by the lack of energy that came with it. I had been accustomed to collecting small traces of eldritch energy whenever the door was opened, and yet this time the air was fresh, pure, and bereft of the invigorating corruption. ¡°What is it this time?¡± I asked. Sebbit stood in the doorway, his face contorted in a way I had never witnessed on his normally unreadable face. His eyes were narrowed, and his inner eyelids had even partial contracted creating a ring around his slit pupils. His face was tense, and his jaw and the corners of his mouth were arched downwards. His entire body seemed to be vibrating with barely contained energy. The alien captain held what looked like a tablet in his left hand; the other was by his side clenching a massive revolver with chambers that looked large enough to hold tennis balls. Behind him stood two massively tall female peacekeepers in jet black armor. Each was carrying a rifle the size of a small tree. ¡°Take this,¡± Sebbit said while tossing me a small sphere. The ball was matte black and seemed to be made from interlocking hexagons. As I caught it the orb began to unfold into long filaments that clung and wrapped around my hand before beginning to spread down my arm and up around my shoulder. ¡°What the hell is¡­¡± my words were cut off as the material spread over my head and began to worm around both shoulders and down my back. Within seconds I was completely encased in the substance and it quickly hardened until I was unable to move. It was like being encased in solid stone as a great weight bore down to crush me. ¡°Give it a moment, Mr. Finn,¡± Sebbit said. He was no longer using a translator and his English was stilted and his voice deep and gruff. I screamed profanities into blackness, unable to understand what was happening. It didn¡¯t take long, however, before the weight decreased and my limbs were no longer restricted. My vision slowly came back as well, as if a dark haze was slowly being lifted from around me. I lifted my hands up to my face, but they stopped several centimeters in front of my eyes. I moved my fingers upwards and found that there was a barrier around my head that seemed to be almost weightless and was perfectly translucent. My hands and arms were covered by the same material the sphere had been made from ¡ª a dark graphene like substance that was so black that it seemed to absorb any light that came in contact with it. Looking down I saw that the substance had grown around me like a suit of armor. I began to stammer out a question, but before I could finish Sebbit turned on his heel and began to walk away ¨C his two guards stepped to the side to create a hole. Just as he exited the door he looked over his shoulder, ¡°Come with me, Mr. Finn. I believe that I require your assistance.¡± ¡°Just like that¡­¡± I began to say. Sebbit didn¡¯t wait, instead quickly charging down the narrow passageway with his guards in tow. I stood staring at the open door not knowing what to do. I had been a prisoner for so long that it felt strange and faintly uncomfortable to contemplate freedom. I suspected that it was a trick, or a mistake. I quickly brushed aside my hesitation with a shake of my head and stepped through the door. If Sebbit needed my help, then the situation was probably already beyond fucked. I might as well follow and find exactly what form of mayhem this particular dicking would take. The alien captain had already disappeared by the time I entered the hallway, but one of his massive bodyguards was standing next to a narrow metal staircase that led up to an open hatch. I took her presence as an invitation and quickly sprinted down the hall. My limbs responded sluggishly as if I were trying to swim through molasses. I had done everything I could to stay in shape during my imprisonment, but no amount of training could replace the feeling of strength and exhilaration that came from system enhanced stats. I leaped up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and found myself in a narrow break in the stairway. The stairs continued upwards after a short bend, but directly in front of me was an open door that led outside. After a few short steps I found myself face-to-face with the sky for the first time in weeks.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It was daytime, but it was almost impossible to tell. Thick clouds of purple and red covered the sky plunging the world into a perpetual night. Only a few stray beams of sunshine broke through the cover, like needles poking though a sheet pulled up over the sky. These faint and filtered strands of light only served to draw contrast against the dark and violent heavens. I looked down at my feet and found that I was standing on a wide, flat platform. A preserved WWII fighter plan was a few meters in front of me, and Sebbit and a crew of his subordinates stood underneath it. As I walked towards Sebbit it quickly became apparent that we were standing on the deck of the Yorktown. An invading force had commandeered a piece of American history. If they weren¡¯t the ones holding all the guns I might have been offended. ¡°What the hell is going on,¡± I yelled over the roar of dozens of voices all talking at once. A few faces turned to look at me, but quickly leaned back into their conversations ¨C all but ignoring me. ¡°Sebbit¡­¡± I was reaching out towards the captain when a realization struck me. I hadn¡¯t felt a drop of eldritch energy since I¡¯d exited my cell. Even now, as I stood beneath a sky covered in the corrupting energy, I couldn¡¯t detect even the smallest amount of it. I could faintly make out the familiar feel of the eldritch in the distance. The clouds themselves seemed to be made from a concentrated form of the energy, but it was too dense and far away for me to control. I took a moment to take a closer look at my surroundings. What I had thought were clouds were in fact a spinning vortex of pure eldritch energy, though a slow moving one. The Yorktown was in the middle of a tunnel that was empty of the energy, like the eye of a storm. All around us the vortex spun, slowly obliterating everything in its path ¡ª and it was slowly contracting. Within hours everything within the vortex would be obliterated. My shock must have been apparent, because Sebbit called out to me in an angry and abrasive voice. ¡°You see it, don¡¯t you? Good, if you hadn¡¯t I would have lost what slim faith I have that you can help us.¡± ¡°¡­ I.¡± I couldn¡¯t speak. I simply looked up at the sky that was slowly falling down to crush us. ¡°I see it, but I can¡¯t do anything against¡­ this. This much energy is thousands of times larger than anything I¡¯ve ever dealt with. If I could survive long enough to go mad in the attempt, I would consider that a major victory.¡± Sebbit smiled. It was full of razor sharp teeth and was objectively terrifying, but it was a smile nonetheless. ¡°If you could stop this, Mr. Finn, I believe our relationship would be reversed and I would be at your mercy. No, I don¡¯t want you to fight this or even try to slow it down.¡± ¡°Then what do you want? I¡¯m not much good in a fight these days, and I have no idea what is going on.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t control this energy, but you have a connection to it that allows you to see it and, more importantly, track it. None of the equipment or personnel under my command are your match in this area, Mr. Finn.¡± If I could have seen myself from the outside I¡¯m quite certain that at that moment I would have seen my jaw literally drop. I stood there for several seconds, my mouth acting as a fly trap rather than a method of communication. I might have taken longer to react, but a dark presence in the back of my mind urged me to focus. Our lives were in danger, and this might be our only shot at salvation. ¡°Fine,¡± I said. ¡°You tell me what to look for and I¡¯ll find it, but I¡¯m going to need my stats and class restored. Without them I have much less control over the energy, and I can only see it physically when it is concentrated like it is now. I need ¡ª¡± ¡°Very good,¡± the captain waved his hand and a tall Peacekeeper female with brown skin, and long red hair walked forward. She was one of only a few of her species I had seen with long hair, and she hardly seemed to fit in with the spartan military vibe most of the alien soldiers gave off. Rather than armor or the form fitting jumpsuit that most Peacekeepers wore, she was wrapped in a long flowing robe covered in symbols stitched from silver thread and she had heavy chains wrapped around her waist and forearms. ¡°This,¡± said Sebbit. ¡°Is Archmage Telvius Armeria, she is one of only seven Class Three citizens on this continent, and most likely the most powerful mage on this entire backwater world. She will take over from here. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me I have a battle to coordinate, good luck.¡± Abruptly leaving conversations was becoming a pattern for Sebbit, and he didn¡¯t disappoint this time. I promised myself that as soon as I had a chance I¡¯d learn how to perform that sharp looking heel turn he always used. ¡°Greeting, please call me Telvy.¡± The archmage smiled with a tight, closed lipped mouth while giving a short bow. She seemed humble and unobtrusive despite her height, but the three brutes in black armor that towered behind her gave her a sense of ¡­ gravitas. ¡°Uh¡­ hello Telvy. I¡¯m Finn.¡± I reached out with my hand, but when she didn¡¯t take it I returned her bow. ¡°So, what is the plan?¡± ¡°The plan is a simple search and destroy. I¡¯ll be doing most of the destroying.¡± Her smile was no longer closed mouth as she revealed two rows of teeth in the shape of a blood thirsty grin. She even began twirling her hair with one finger. If I had to compare her body language to anything it would be a giddy teenage girl waiting for her prom date. It was downright terrifying. ¡°Ah, right. Sebbit mentioned you would be able to restore my stats?¡± I asked. ¡°And my class.¡± ¡°Of course, darling. Just give me your hand, this won¡¯t take but a moment.¡± Chapter 40: Chains that Bind The pain was intense but was also satisfying. It was like the smoldering ache of torn and tired muscles after a good workout. It burned, and yet it relieved an itch that I didn¡¯t know I had. Energy poured through me with the intensity of a pump forcing hot water through cold veins, reinvigorating, and giving life to what I hadn¡¯t recognized as dead. I screamed from surprise and from pain, but it was a quiet scream that barely passed my lips. My body shook, and my muscles felt fatigued and weak. My eyes couldn¡¯t focus, and everything around me became a haze of colors and spinning light. ¡°What is happening?¡± I asked. ¡°Quiet,¡± said Telvy. ¡°You¡¯re ruining my concentration. Do you think mana surgery is easy? You wouldn¡¯t want me to mess it up my first time, would you?¡± I couldn¡¯t see her, but I heard a tisk as a faint and blurry form shook its head. ¡°Could ruin my confidence for years.¡± ¡°First tim¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t finish the sentence. Instead, I found myself retching as clutched at my stomach. ¡°It burns.¡± As the pain increased it brought with it a feeling of strength and energy. My muscles felt twitchy and restless, like they needed to be used or else they might burst. My whole body began to vibrate as if building up to something, they energy was growing but it had no way to be released. When it felt like I couldn¡¯t contain it anymore, it stopped as if nothing happened. I relaxed and slumped to the floor. The first thing to return was my vision, but it was different than it had been a moment before. Everything was more vibrant, and I could see shades of color that hadn¡¯t been there before. Even the tiniest objects, such as the screws in the railings around the deck of the ship, could be seen in perfect clarity. Strength flooded my limbs, returning to me a sense of confidence that I hadn¡¯t realized I had lost. The world had turned into a nightmare, and only the enhancements of the system had allowed me to face those terrors on equal ground. Calibrating¡­. System Initializing. Basic Stats¡­ Adjusting¡­. Lines of text scrolled down in front of my eyes. The words came fast, and I barely had time to pick out a few of them as they disappeared beneath my field of vision. I saw the first signs that my skills were returning when the blue glow of mana became visible in my hands. I could feel and see the mana around and within me. The blue glow stood in sharp contrast to the deep black tinged with flickering red that represented the skeletal lines of eldritch energy that I had built up within me. The air around me was almost empty of both types of energy, but Tyldy was like a beacon. The Peacekeeper mage was a raging inferno of blue and green flames that spun around her like a wild storm. It was a beautiful sight, but humbling. Every spell I had ever cast would not equal a tenth of the energy the woman held within her. More notifications began to appear, but I set them aside for a moment to open my status screen. As the translucent screen appeared before me, I let out a breath I didn¡¯t realize I had been holding. It was back. I was back. Augustus Finn Class: Hierophant of the Elder Ones Level: 14 (3/11) Health: 95 Stamina: 90 Mana: 204 (306) Vitality: 21 Endurance: 18 Strength: 16 Agility: 17 Reaction: 17 Intelligence: 40 Will: 28 Perception: 30 Focus: 8 Phys. Resist: 7 Ma. Resist: 7 My stats were exactly as I remembered them, other than a small bump to endurance. I had a theory that exercising without the system enhancements had allowed me to grow my endurance. I was starting to think that in many ways the system was a crutch I needed to learn to walk without. It was certainly true that having it kicked out from under me had left me helpless. My body didn¡¯t get powerful when I fought and ran, because it did not struggle. The only thing that grew stronger had been the benefits of the system. Only by being without the system had my own body been able to grow more powerful. Despite that, any ¡®human¡¯ gains would come much more slowly than anything granted by the system.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. If I wanted to survive I knew I would need everything I could get - system or not. The momentary feelings of resentment towards the system quickly fled as I remember the sense of emptiness and longing that had accompanied its absence. I quieted my shaking hands by balling them into tight fists, and turned my attention back to the notifications. My imprisonment represented many lost opportunities for growth, but I had still gained some skill levels during that time. I had gained a single level in physical fitness, proving that hours spent doing calisthenics had not been entirely wasted. I had also gained two levels in a new utility skill, meditation, but at the time I found the description to be rather underwhelming. Meditation ? - You have delved the mysteries of your own mind and learned to grasp at the secrets that reside within. While meditating you have learned to block outside distractions, thereby increasing the effect of your mental stats and increasing your rate of mana regeneration. Cannot be used in combat. I could see the potential for training my spells and control skills, but I suspected I wouldn¡¯t have much down time in the near future. It felt as if the world would never give me a peaceful moment to train, and I had squandered what few opportunities I had been given. I had also gained two levels in Eldritch Mimicry, perhaps due to my repeated attempts to gather and shape the energy during the brief times I had access to it during my imprisonment. I had been working with small amounts of the energy, and I had been all but blind to it. This had forced me to improvise and increase my ability to sense and control the energy without being able to ¡®see¡¯ it. I had gained a deeper understanding of the energy, finally realizing that eldritch energy was not all the same. The energy seemed to have different textures and emotions depending on the source. The black and red energy I was used to seeing in the world represented madness and sought corruption and chaos. It warped and changed everything it touched, but it did not destroy. This was different from the loathing and rage I had sensed from the heart, or dungeon core, that Sebbit had shown me. That energy had sought only to destroy and inflict pain. It cried out for revenge, and would drag down anything it came into contact with. I could sense that there was some deep secret hidden in that knowledge, but I couldn¡¯t, for the life of me, figure out what it was. I stood thinking for a moment, but I was quickly brought back to reality by a deep feminine voice. ¡°Finn, did I break you?¡± said Telvy. ¡°We¡¯ve got work to do, and I¡¯m going to need you ready to go.¡± ¡°Yeah, no problem. I¡¯m fine¡­ just a little overwhelmed.¡± I pushed my knuckles together with a loud crack before pushing my chest forward and stretching my elbows behind me, creating an audible pop. ¡°Ahhh, that felt good. I¡¯m tired of being cramped up, I¡¯m ready to do some work. What do you need me to do?¡± ¡°Good,¡± the tall archmage reached out with a single clawed finger and ran it along the edge of my jaw. As the finger stopped under my chin she tilted my head up until our eyes met. ¡°Look around, do you see the dome above us?¡± She tilted my eyes up further until I was looking straight up. ¡°Umm, yes. I see¡ª¡± ¡°Good, that dome is being controlled and it must have something supplying it with energy at multiple points. A common penta-hybrid formation based on the theories of High Mage Malak is possible, but I¡¯d bet my teeth we¡¯re looking at a seventeen-point formation with an oscillating origination point.¡± ¡°I thought you spoke English,¡± I said. ¡°Just tell me what you need me to do.¡± ¡°Backwater mages,¡± she sighed as she shook her head. ¡°Just find the areas with the largest concentrations of eldritch energy and prioritize areas with unusual amounts of movement or fluctuation. Tell me if you see anything strange.¡± I looked out at the dome. It was so dense with energy that I had been able to see it in the physical spectrum even without my skills and class ¨C now, it was ablaze with color and patterns. Snaking chains of symbols lit up the sky, with the black and red energy serving as a backdrop. The symbols seemed to be flowing around the dome in a spiral pattern that led upwards towards the apex of the dome. As these symbols reached their end they would swirl in tightening circles before being consumed by an incredibly dense spot at the very top of the dome. As I turned around I could see several other areas where the energy was concentrated almost as thickly. Each of these areas were evenly spaced from each other, and from the Yorktown. They seemed to be the origination point for the long chains of symbols that were flowing around the dome. The energy in these areas seemed more volatile than the rest; constantly expanding and contracting and even changing in color and speed. ¡°There,¡± I shouted as I pointed straight up. ¡°All the energy is being fed there.¡± ¡°Can you see where the energy is being fed from?¡± Telvy asked. ¡°Sure, umm¡­ there are eight points. And I think another eight smaller points as well, but it¡¯s hard to tell. The closest is right there,¡± I pointed directly in front of me at a spot roughly half a mile, or just under a kilometer, away. ¡°Good, we strike immediately,¡± she said. ¡°Ladies, form up and prepare for evac.¡± The three large Peacekeepers that had been flanking Telvy stood up taller and holstered their rifles behind them. They then each crossed their arms in front of their chests and waited while standing perfectly still. It had the grace and precision of a well practiced routine. Telvy turned toward me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about how you stand, just don¡¯t struggle. Got it?¡± ¡°Umm, sure?¡± As I finished speaking Telvy was lifted into the air as the chains that were wrapped around her torso began to unravel and twirl beneath her like a tornado of steel. Long red hair spun out behind her like a flag that was fluttering and struggling against a heavy wind. I could feel myself buoyed as a spell took hold of me and I gently rose up from the ground. Small pebbles floated up from cracks in the concrete deck below my feet, and the air filled with the haze of dust and debris. ¡°What¡¯s going to happ¡ª¡± I began to speak when a chain shot out from the tornado of metal that surrounded Telvy. It spun around me, wrapping around my waist and chest. The three Peacekeepers in black armor were quickly bound in the same manner. ¡°Telvy,¡± I protested. ¡°You¡¯re not doing what I think ¡ª¡± she didn¡¯t even give me a chance to finish before she was flying through the sky like a meteor. The chain binding me to her tightened instantly and I was dragged behind, yelling profanities the entire time. As we cleared the deck of the ancient aircraft carrier I felt my stomach lurch as we began to speed downwards toward the earth. Chapter 41: Fruits of the Earth We came crashing down towards the earth at bone splintering speeds. At the last second, merely a few meters from the ground, I noticed a force pressing upwards to slow my descent. I experienced a brief sensation of weightlessness before touching down as softly and quietly as a feather. The instant my feet became firmly planted on the ground gravity returned to normal, and for a second, I felt like I might lose my balance when my own weight caught me off guard. I shook off a feeling of vertigo and looked around. The five of us stood atop the crumbled remains of a building that barely peaked above the earth that had risen up to consume it. In front of us stood a line of short, narrow trees being slowly strangled by thin green creepers. The vines twisted and dug into scarred trunks, drawing forth green sap that they eagerly absorbed as a leech does blood. It was darker here, this close to the barrier of the dome, but flashes of crimson light would briefly illuminate everything around us like bright red flashes of exploding fireworks. To the north and south the growth of trees was much thicker and towered above us like looming titans. These trees cast brief and dancing shadows that swayed in time to the sporadic flickers of light. Wind buffeted us from every direction. It twirled around us at hurricane speeds that grew stronger with each rotation until reaching such herculean strength that each gust tore against gravity, threatening to pull us into the sky. After a few moments the wind would die, before quickly picking up again from a new direction. I could hear the tiny clinks of pebbles and bits of sand as they bounced off my armor. If it wasn¡¯t for the translucent face shield I would have been unable to see through the thick cloud of bombarding sediments. It was like setting foot on some strange and inhospitable world. My childhood dreams of alien exploration came true only miles from where I had grown up. Looking beyond the line of sad and dying trees that lay ahead, I could see the spot I had identified as one of the places supplying power to the dome shaped formation of eldritch energy. It was no more than fifty feet, or roughly fifteen meters, away from me. To the naked eye it looked no different than any other random spot along the twisting vortex that was slowly devouring the land beneath it. To my senses, however, it was like a tesla coil giving off long and twisting sparks of black and red lightning. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to point out the exact area,¡± said Telvy. At that exact moment she released the chains that still bound me, and they retracted and wound back around her torso. I nearly jumped but was able to hold back my startled reaction with the exception a sharp intake of breath. ¡°It¡¯s right there,¡± I said while pointing forward. ¡°You have the ability to manipulate mana in its raw form, correct?¡± Telvy asked. ¡°Yeah, you want me to paint the area for you? I can do that.¡± There was no ambient mana in the area, but the eldritch energy was thick and viscous. As I expended my own mana, drawing it out in a thin disk in front of me, the energy in the air started to flow into me as it slowly began to restore my lost mana. I couldn¡¯t see the exact mechanism the system used, but I could witness the violent energy go in and a thin trickle of pristine blue-white take its place. I walked forward, Telvy and her guards close at my heel, before stopping halfway to the edge of the dome. That was the limit at which I could manipulate mana. My disk of mana was large enough now to completely cover the area containing the explosive and turbulent energy. In addition to the sparks and branching bolts of lighting, thick streams of eldritch energy burst upwards from the small area. Each of these streams of energy contained thick golden symbols linking together in long, complex chains vaguely reminiscent of mathematical formulas. The energy quickly tore apart my disk of mana, but it seemed to have been enough for Telvy to identify her target. She lunged in front of me and stretched out her arms. The chains that had been wound around her forearms quickly uncoiled and dozens of tendrils made of steel links began to strike at the dome. Each strike would tear out thick gouges of energy, but these wounds were filled more quickly than they could be inflicted.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Rather than give up the archmage changed tactics. This time the she unwound the chains from her torso, which joined the others in attacking. Once each chain was unraveled they began to spin around in a circle, like the blade of a blender, shaving thick layers away from the wall of energy. I watched, transfixed, trying to gain insight into how she used her mana to manipulate the chains. It would be a valuable skill to emulate. Before that train of thought even had time to leave the station my ruminations were interrupted by a crunching sound and a soft, voiceless groan. I spun to look behind me and saw one of the black clad Peacekeepers being hauled into the sky. A pillar of sharpened earth had grown up from the ground and pierced the soldier¡¯s chest. The spike protruded from her back, but she still seemed to be alive. She kicked and struggled to pull the spike from her chest, but she let out no scream. Her black armor seemed to be attempting to aid her. It had slid away, revealing her naked form beneath, and was surrounding the wound in her chest as it attacked and sawed at the pillar that pierced her. My increased perception gave me a clear view of the look of agony and fear that was stamped upon her features in cold pallid flesh. I could see a thick stream of blood, and even smell its coppery tang, as it ran slowly down the pillar of stone. ¡°Shill,¡± yelled Telvy. She called off her assault on the dome and began to fly into the air dragging her lifeless chains behind her. The stone pillar immediately vaporized and began to fall as powder ¨C soft and fine as snow. Telvy caught the falling soldier and held her in her arms as they gently glided back towards the earth. As the mage set the woman down she turned to look at the rest of us. Her eyes seemed to be full of fire and her teeth were bared. ¡°They won¡¯t use that trick again,¡± she said. ¡°The earth obeys me.¡± As she spoke her face tightened into a snarl, and her voice had grown deeper, and lacked emotion. I could see a thin layer of mana spread out from her before diffusing into the ground beneath us. ¡°Find them,¡± she howled, and the remaining Peacekeepers immediately fled to the north. ¡°I¡¯m no healer, but I have to try and save her.¡± She looked up at me as she finished her words. ¡°Please, Finn, you have no reason to help me, but I can¡¯t let her die.¡± ¡°What do you expect me to do?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m no healer either, and your body guards could shoot me down in an instant, so I doubt I¡¯m much help to them. Besides, I¡¯m not even sure where the attack came from.¡± ¡°Each of my sisters is a capable tracker and fighter,¡± she shook her head as she spoke. ¡°What I need you to do is protect me as I work, and while my sisters kill. Build a space of empty energy around Shill and I. Fight off any attackers as they come. I need three¡­ roughly four point two minutes.¡± ¡°One condition.¡± ¡°Speak, but quickly,¡± her words were a faint whisper that barely rose above the cacophony of the wind. ¡°When this is done, I¡¯m escaping. There is no fucking way I¡¯m going back. All I need you to do is not try to stop me when the time comes, and I need you make sure that my friend Tiller gets back home safely.¡± I held eye contact with her for a moment, but she quickly nodded her head in assent. ¡°Fine, now hold up your end.¡± The Peacekeeper mage surrounded herself in a thick haze of bright blue mana, a much darker shade then my own I noted. As she worked I summoned my Dark Gemini, my companion the Fisher. It began immediately. Our connection had grown to the point that I didn¡¯t need to communicate my intentions. With almost no time passing a thin egg-shaped barrier made of eldritch energy surrounded Telvy and the injured soldier. A small black kingfisher perched atop the egg, its eyes closed in concentration. The two Peacekeepers had both darted towards the north, no doubt in pursuit of whatever had attacked their sister. I cast my own eyes to the south, hoping that I would hear anything coming from the north. Nearly two minutes elapsed without any problems, and I was just beginning to become optimistic that things might work out well for a change, or at least well for me. It was then that I heard a mighty boom from the north followed by the incessant sounds of gunfire at full auto. I spun in that direction, but the combat was too far away and beyond the cover of trees. I saw nothing and had only the sounds of fighting and the occasional scream of pain to illustrate what was happening. It took a force of will, but I broke away and turned my vigil towards the south. Any monsters fleeing from the north would just be scraps, I still felt that the likely, and more dangerous, sneak attack would come from the opposite direction. I was wrong. The attack was not even close to being stealthy. The ground began to shake strongly enough that small pebbles and finely ground sand jumped dozens of inches into the air. At first, I thought it was an earthquake, but as I looked south I realized the truth. The first thing I saw were mighty trees being toppled, each falling towards me as if a giant blade was cutting through the forest. I began to hear roars that shook my bones and sense of primal fear rose up in my gut. Whatever was coming would not be dealt with lightly. Soon the many-horned heads of terrible behemoths broke through the line of trees to my south as fiery eyes locked upon me. Chapter 42: Sky Meets Earth The pack of beasts broke through the line of trees as a darkness sank in around us. The dome was thickening, and the sparks of energy it produced had become even more unstable and active. The sky was slowly shifting into a deep black fog that jumped and rolled like a tumultuous ebony sea beneath the crimson crackling hum of Zeus¡¯s fury. As the dome thickened the borders were slowly shrinking and the edge of the dome gradually inched ever closer. The earth moved and nearly shook me from my feet as the din of hundreds of thunderous hooves vied and harmonized with the howling gale to create a symphony of discordant chaos. It was a music of opposites, the furious cords of a raging sky meeting the unrelenting percussion of the quaking earth. The air was filled with upturned dirt and missiles made from rock and small debris that pelted my back and obscured my vision. As the quiet light faded into clamorous darkness the cries of demons rose up to meet it, as if the world had descended into Hell. If I had to stand before those fiery gates, I would not abandon hope. I would storm the cellars of hell with my head held high. Hooved beasts charged at me with long and twisting horns that protruded from their heads in numerous spirals ending in jagged tips and cruel sickle like hooks. The behemoths had four shaggy legs attached to thick and muscular bodies that were covered in a layer of short, dark fur. Their heads were snarling masks of rage and folded flesh behind a Cheshire grin of large triangular teeth. The largest of the beasts slowed as it threw its head back in a roar. The howl seemed almost mournful and was loud and clear enough for the challenge to rise above the pandemonium that shook both earth and sky. Its head was hidden beneath a matted mane of red hair and its single eye glowed bright orange with dancing light, as if a wildfire burned within it. Three red lines crossed its face and ended where its second eye should have been. The eye was nothing but torn and empty tatters covered by a red and angry wound still unhealed and oozing. The short fur on the creature''s back was purple, dark enough to be almost black. Unlike the hooves that most of its followers had, this beast¡¯s feet were clawed and left massive gouges in the earth behind it. It had a proud and regal air, as if it were a paragon of its species. As this king of beasts continued to wail the rest of the pack charged forward, bending around and even leaping above their leader to reach me, their prey. I would not merely stand still and expose my neck, however. I didn¡¯t need to fight them all. I merely needed to delay them long enough for Telvy to finish or for her sisters to return. My priority was to annoy and distract the monsters enough that they ignored the archmage. I had no illusions that she would stop to aid me before her work was complete. The life of her sister meant much more to her than my own, just as I valued my own life above hers or any obligations the Peacekeepers believed I owed them. Eldritch energy was much thicker close to the border of the dome than it had been at the Yorktown. Despite the dome blocking off and siphoning away every trace of ambient energy, the area of crackling lighting that was powering the formation bled energy like waste heat from a generator. I used Eldritch Mimicry to hide Telvy and my Companion in the illusion of a granite boulder. I had been sent on this mission weaponless, but I had collected the rifle dropped by the injured Peacekeeper after her impromptu flight. I had some training in Peacekeeper weaponry, but I had never held a piece of tech this advanced. I knew that it had many alternate modes of fire and could even transform into different configurations, but I had no idea how to access them. I would have to content myself with an oversized machine gun with near limitless ammo. I had no idea how the technology worked, but Talith had once mentioned that Peacekeeper rifles shaved nearly microscopic threads from a block of metal before propelling those threads at incredible speeds. This created not only impressive stopping power but was nearly recoilless and a single ¡®block¡¯ of ammo could contain thousands of rounds. I began firing at the beasts as I ran parallel to the herd, hoping to draw them towards me. As I did so I also began to draw in eldritch energy, consolidating it around myself. It frustrated me that now that I had my connection to the system restored I could no longer store the energy within my body. I still had the thin latticework I had built from the small amounts of energy I had collected during my imprisonment, but I had been unable to add to it. Any energy that touched my skin was slowly converted or consumed by the system itself. The energy I already held seemed unaffected by this limitation, but I had still only managed minor success in using it in any meaningful way.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. I continued to fire the rifle, but the stampede barely noticed my potshots. The rifle was powerful, but so were the hides of the beasts. Each shot would draw blood, but the thick fur and skin of the creatures were strong enough that the wounds were mostly superficial annoyances. I was only able to bring down a single creature through luck and concentrating all my fire on a single target. As I bombarded it the creature began to slow and as it turned towards me a single lucky shot found its eye and the creature fell with an inaudible crash. The herd ignored this lone death, as the closest creatures simply leaped over the body and continued towards my original location, where Telvy and the Companion were still hiding. If I was going to draw the herd¡¯s attention I would need to act fast, as they had already cleared nearly half the distance. The only thing I could think of was to either use a larger attack or to choose a better target. I turned my sights towards the behemoth king, but there were too many bodies between it and the barrel of my gun. ¡°Shit,¡± I screamed in frustration. For a moment I considered abandoning Telvy and using my class skills to break through the dome and escape. The Peacekeepers would likely all die, but I wasn¡¯t exactly a fan of theirsat this point. I had originally believed that the Peacekeepers would be invaluable to the survival of New Charleston and its residents, but the interplanetary soldiers had shown a remarkable amount of bad faith. Like most soldiers, I could only trust them to follow orders and uphold the interests of their superiors. I couldn¡¯t trust any of them ¨C despite my fondness for a couple of their number. The thing that brought me back from this line of thinking was Tiller. He was still at the Yorktown, and the only reason he had been there at all was because of me. Thinking back to the time I had spent with him, his sister, and Pastor Belk, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to abandon him. Instead, I continued to yell profanities as I ran towards a charging horde of devils. I would have to trust in luck, magic, and alien armor to keep me alive through a blender of horns, hooves, and flesh. I had seen that the herd reacted much like most earth animals did while running. They were not in a blind panic and would still act to avoid obstacles. Much like horses avoiding a fallen rider, they had jumped over and parted around their king. Additionally, not even a single hoof had trampled the body of the behemoth I had killed. I used this knowledge to clear a path before me. I took all the eldritch energy that I could collect, and I created row of angled spikes much like the palisades I had fashioned on the bridge. I could run behind the spikes, keeping them angled towards the beasts. They would leap the spikes and land behind me without a passing glance. Their single-minded devotion caused them to continue to advance without heed to myself, or anything else behind them. As I reached the end of the row I would pull up spikes from behind me and move them to the fore. I was moving incredibly quickly, but the herd had almost reached my illusionary boulder by the time I had the king in my sights. I dropped to one knee and took aim at the creature¡¯s remaining eye. Curved horns that spiraled around the king behemoth¡¯s head deflected my bullets and I failed to find my mark. I did manage to draw blood on the creature¡¯s face and neck prompting it to finally abandon its howl and turn its glowing eye and damaged visage towards me. As its eye met my own I felt fear so intense that I almost fell to both knees. I recognized the effects of a mental attack, however. The feeling was much like how I felt using the Eye of Madness ¡ª so I retaliated by quickly flashing the eye¡¯s power. The gambit worked, at least somewhat, but the backlash was nearly as bad as the attack. In that one fraction of a second my mind was filled with the memory of my young being taken, and a deep primal fear for their safety. I saw a cub, brown and gold with two blue and glowing eyes, it screamed as the flesh was torn from its body and its siblings tossed into cages. I saw creatures made of soft, bulbous flesh and covered in mouthless teeth and mismatched appendages. They tore at flesh, and invaded minds ¨C demanding obedience and offering freedom for a price. I also received a brief flash of another face, one more human and familiar. As I slammed closed the Eye of Madness it continued to burn like a red-hot coal in the middle of my forehead. I slowly opened my own eyes and looked up to find that every one of the enormous animals had come to a stop - and they were all staring at me. I felt sympathy for the creatures, but I would use that momentary confusion to my advantage. I took the row of spikes I had created and drew them in front of me before launching them all towards the king. It was enough to darken the sky, had the sun not been hidden behind rolling clouds of heavy fog bristling with crimson lighting. The spears of black-red energy came down as thick as rain and pierced both flesh and earth. I began to flee back in the direction I had come from. As I ran I could hear the king charging behind me ¨C barely harmed and completely unslowed by my attack. I used the rifle to fire blindly behind me, but if any of the shots landed they failed to slow the behemoth. It was gaining on me and I knew that I was too slow to escape its pursuit for long. I continued to create a row of spikes between myself and the herd, but they were beginning to throw themselves into the murderous wall in a spiteful rage without regard for self-preservation. I needed to increase my speed, but I was out of options. The only possibility was one I had only experimented with on a small scale. I would need to directly control the latticework of energy that flowed throughout my body. I could use the eldritch energy to control my own body like a puppet master. In theory, I could even use it to reinforce my movements and increase my own strength as I leaped ahead of my pursuers. The most terrifying words in the English language echoed through my mind as I gathered all the energy in my legs into a tight coil. It should work, in theory. What could go wrong? Chapter 43: Kiting with Behemoths I only had the smallest amount of eldritch energy built up within my body. If I had compressed it fully, it might have been no larger than an egg. Despite that, the energy was spread throughout my body in an almost universally distributed web of thin, interwoven channels. Creating this delicate structure had taken days of intense effort and concentration, and yet if I failed my plan threatened to destroy all that work in a moment. I focused on drawing the energy downward into my left leg, but the process would take time. As I worked I continued to run forward in a mad dash, my mind and breath heavy from exertion. Each step I took brought me closer to completing the process, but also allowed the charging King Behemoth to close the distance between us. My concentration was split as an army of tank sized monsters threw themselves against my wall of spikes. With every crash I could feel myself shudder, as if the hit had struck me physically. It was exhausting both mentally and corporally. I knew I could not go on for long. I wanted to check on Telvy and her sister, but my attention was already strained and taking even a fraction of a second to do so could prove fatal. I would have to hope that my actions had been enough to buy the mage and her sister the time they needed. I wanted to do more. I couldn¡¯t fight the entire herd directly but creating barriers and weapons had become a bit of a specialty of mine. I was already drawing heavily on the eldritch energy around me and it would take incredible focus and will to draw on it further. Maintaining the long palisade of spikes also took less effort than switching to a new image. Each construct needed time to form in my mind and each new image took exponentially more mental effort to sustain. I still had the advantage of system dictated spells. They were not as versatile or as powerful as my own constructs, but many of them had the benefit of not requiring direction or concentration to utilize. They were much like macros, producing a complicated but predetermined output from a simple command. I aimed at the ground directly beneath me and used Tanglefoot bolstered by Wild Growth to create a wall of brambles in an attempt to slow my pursuer. Thorns and twisting vines would grow out from the point where the spell was cast. They would be left behind to trip my enemies as I continued to run forward. The strategy was best used to tie down a group of smaller pursuers and I had never used it in combat before, but I was out of choices. I did this several times, but it was worthless. I could hear the behemoth tear through each obstacle as if it were ripping through tissue paper. Its feet struck the earth in a drumming of heavy beats that never slowed or faltered. It would have been just as useful had I gift wrapped myself for the creature in the hope that it would give up and go away. As it broke through my final barrier, with my mana expended, I could hear small dings as bits of plant and thorn struck the back of my armor. Perhaps it was my mind creating illusions, but I swear I could feel the breath of the behemoth as hot gusts brushed against my neck and a pungent musk filled my nostrils. The horde of smaller beasts continuously crashed into the barrier to my right, adding to the confusion and slowly sapping my concentration. Some of the beasts had decided to stop slamming into the wall and were instead leaping above it, crashing into the ground to my left with heavy thumps. They left long gashes in the earth as they slid to a stop and fell onto their sides and backs in failed attempts to quickly turn. The lumbering behemoths were not graceful when taking corners. This new strategy did little to add to their pursuit, but it did add to my mental pressure as I began to feel as if I were being closed in on from every direction. I had always wanted to experience running with the bulls, despite my friend Liv telling me it was a cruel and inhumane tradition. I guess this was my chance. I had been running for less than ten seconds at this point, but I could already feel a familiar tingling at the nape of my neck that I had learned to associate with immediate danger. I only had time to gather roughly half of my eldritch energy into my left leg, but it would have to be enough. During my imprisonment I had experimented with using the energy to boost my strength during calisthenics. The theory was to fill and surround the muscle as it worked and mimic its action with the eldritch energy. I had had some positive results, but they were minor compared to the amounts of force I would need for my current plan to work. Even if executed perfectly, the technique would increase the pressure exerted on the joint and bones. I had yet to find a way to counter this limitation, though I had several theories. I had decided to use it sparingly until mastered, and only in short busts. One explosive, limb tearing use ought to count as ¡®sparingly.¡¯Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. I allowed what energy I could seep into the muscles of my legs. By concentrating on the energy, I could ¡®see¡¯ the internal workings of my leg and I slowly moved the energy where it needed to be. I allowed it to copy the shape and movement of each muscle. As my left foot came down upon the earth I could feel the muscles in my leg bunch and shorten. As my foot pushed against the ground the muscles in my thighs and calves released and I allowed the eldritch energy to follow in a short experimental burst. The first thing I noticed was an eruption of pain in my hips and knee, though my ankle held up remarkably well. I looked down and saw the ground grow steadily further away. I was high enough that I could see over the wall of spikes and make out the horde of clamoring beasts on the other side. I enjoyed a brief moment of weightlessness as I seemed to float above the ground. The moment quickly passed, and I soon found myself violently plunging towards the grassy earth. I landed on both feet, creating two long lines leading to a small crater where I finally came to a stop. The jump had worked. I had gained a lead on the pursuing behemoths, but I had completely lost all momentum. They beasts were quickly gaining on me. ¡°Fuck!¡± I yelled in frustration. The next jump would probably do real damage to my leg and had to carry me much further if I expected to outdistance my pursuers. I ran as fast as I could, giving a small thump of energy every time my left leg pushed against the earth. This increased my speed somewhat, but the sounds of pursuit grew ever closer. Once I reached my top speed I began to prepare my mind for one final leap. I delayed just long enough to examine my step a final time and ran through a mental ¡®trial¡¯ jump. I needed to get it just right and couldn¡¯t afford to rush it ¨C even with thousands of pounds of flesh and horn close at my heels. As my right foot came down I began to shift all my concertation onto the energy in my left leg. I only needed one more step. A beast slammed into a section of the wall directly in front of me. The wall of spikes exploded inward, causing the entire line to weaken as a cascade of chain reactions ran through it. A surge of mental energy hit me, and the backlash caused me to momentarily stumble. I didn¡¯t fall but I missed my timing and was unable to leap; the eldritch energy was still held in a tight coil that was waiting to explode outward. As this was happening the behemoth that had broken through my wall fell to its stomach and slid directly in front of me. Rather than stop, I ran over it while planning to use its highest point as a jumping off point to begin my leap. Roars filled the air with enough force to rattle my bones and cause my ears to ring. I could feel their eagerness and rage. All around me heavy bodies fell to the ground as they smashed through my fading barrier, crying out as they did so. I released my hold and the barrier faded completely. I would put everything I had into one last push, and hope that it would be enough. Just as I reach the top of the fallen behemoth I release a yell of triumph and began to bring my left foot down in preparation to jump. Before I could do so an impact launched me forward. I felt no pain, just a warm numbness that spread over my entire body. My vision was beginning to grow red and my thinking slowed. As I was lifted into the air I looked down and saw the tip of a large horn protruding from the flesh between my right shoulder and chest. Everything was happening in slow motion, as if my mind was unable to accept reality. It was as if I were simply a bystander. The Behemoth King began to shake its head furiously and I could feel the horn move within me as it pushed aside flesh to impale me further. I screamed out and felt my arm loosen as flesh was being torn away. Eventually my screams faded away and I hung loosely upon the creature¡¯s horn. With a powerful flick of its head I was torn loose and thrown to the ground. Blood pooled around me, and an army of beasts formed as if they were a murder of crows circling a battlefield. I hung onto consciousness by giving myself a simple goal. One action that I would take before slipping into oblivion. My entire life I had held back my anger. I was always the bigger kid, or my guilt told me it wasn¡¯t the right thing to do. There was always a better way¡­ Not this time. Here, as my life bled out beneath me a terrible rage grew in my heart. It was like a tiny spark given fuel had quickly morphed into a raging inferno. I no longer fought it and as I gave in a primal need for vengeance tore at me and took control. It gave me strength and focused my determination. I wasn¡¯t going out alone. I closed my eyes and focused on the eldritch energy that was still tightly coiled in my left leg, drawing in more of it. Time seemed to be moving more quickly. I felt my leg surging with power as more and more was siphoned into it. All the while, the King Behemoth slowly meandered over to me. It came to a stop when its face was directly above me, and it twisted its head down to poke me with a blood-stained horn. The world became a chorus of cheering roars and growls. The king pulled its horn away from me and lifted its head into a mighty roar that rang out between the hills and trees. It silenced the others and shook me to the bones. It might have filled me with fear if it wasn¡¯t exactly what I had been waiting for. My eyes snapped upward, and a brief flash of a smile played itself across my lips. The creature was not even looking at me; its eyes were closed as its maw was raised upward towards the heavens. I would help it to get closer. I spent the last bit of stamina I had left to drag my body up until I was standing and then kicked upwards at the Behemoth King''s unguarded head. As I made contact I released the energy I had been building in my foot. A powerful impact pushed me backwards and I was pressed into the ground. Blood washed over me and something warm and heavy covered me like a soothing and unmovable blanket. As I looked upwards, my final sight was of soft flecks of dust and shavings of crushed rock billowing towards the sky and falling around me like Christmas snow. I smiled and drifted into darkness in the sweet embrace of quiet contentment. Chapter 44: A Pound of Flesh I expected to wake to the grey confines of a Peacekeeper prison. Instead, I found that I was still trapped under a sky filled with winding golden runes. Behind the runes, black clouds spun in a turbulent sky full of crackling flickers punctuated by booming thunder and the stabbing blades of crimson lightning. The wind had quieted into a cold but gentle breeze that caressed my face like silk and filled my nose with a scent reminiscent of freshly mowed grass. I focused on the calming scent before turning my mind towards making sense of the situation. I closed my eyes and focused on what had happened. My meditation was interrupted by a sharp pain that prevented me from taking deep breaths. My lungs burned, and my breathing was labored and uneven. I could feel my heart racing and sweat poured down my face despite the cool air and my own lack of exertion. I swallowed and let out a gasp of agony. My throat burned and felt as if it were raw from gargling with shards of broken glass. I tried to push myself up, but the entire right half of my body was numb and unresponsive. My left arm was weak but I could move it. I sluggishly raised it above my face and stared at my own bruised knuckles for a second before letting the hand fall and come to a rest on my brow. My arm slowly slid down my body to lay once more on the grass beside me, and I realized that nothing was covering me. My clothes, or at least my shirt, were gone. There was no translucent face mask, and the black armor no longer surrounded me. The armor was not the only thing missing. I remembered being surrounded by dirt after being forced into the ground by an overbearing pressure, yet I was somehow lying here on flat earth with nothing pressing down on me. Someone had helped me reach this point, but no one seemed to be around. Had they just left me here to die? I struggled to lift myself and cried out, but my voice was weak and hoarse. I only had the strength to grunt out a few short syllables, my words barely articulated and quickly swept away by the gentle susurrus of the calm spring breeze. ¡°Water, please¡­¡± I croaked. ¡°Wa¡­¡± I struggled to push myself up with my left arm, but I lacked the strength to even roll over. I pushed up with my elbow and managed to lift my head and one shoulder for a moment. My strength was short lived, and I quickly fell flat on my back once more. ¡°Do not worry, Finn,¡± said a voice that was my father¡¯s but also something more. ¡°You are never alone. Not from now till end. Universes still unborn shall not outlive our song.¡± ¡°Fisher,¡± the word was nearly soundless and half-formed, but words were hardly needed. ¡°Wa¡ª¡± even as I began to ask two cupped hands parted my lips and a trickle of water flowed over my tongue. It was spectacular, like the sweetest thing I had ever tasted. ¡°You¡¯re broken, Finn,¡± the Fisher said. ¡°You gave too much for naught; the Devil, his due has taken.¡± The creature paused for a moment while it fed me another mouthful of water. ¡°Flesh has been rent. And we, cast off like detritus, foul and abandoned.¡± I held the water in my mouth for a moment, letting it seep into a parched tongue and cracked lips. I closed my eyes and swallowed the water. I took in a few slow and shallow breaths and I began to feel stronger and more lucid with each exhale. It wasn¡¯t strength I was looking for, however, but courage. I hesitated for a moment, but I finally commanded the Fisher to confirm my suspicions. I knew, but I had to see it for myself. ¡°Show me,¡± I said. The creature did not share my hesitation and it quickly overwhelmed my senses with its own. The sensation was disorienting at first as conflicting images overlapped and overwhelmed my vision with hazy forms and blinding light. It was dizzying, but the feeling quickly passed. I was left with the image of myself, lying on tall grass that had been pressed down all around me to create a bed. My face was bloodied and bruised, and one eye was swollen to the point it seemed impossible that it was open. My exposed torso was covered in small lacerations and my entire body was a patchwork of overlapping bruises in various shades of yellow and purple. If that had been the extent of my injuries I would have been shocked that I was able to move at all. But that wasn¡¯t the worst. A layer of black material, much like that which my armor had been made from, covered half my chest. It went from my sternum to where my right shoulder should have been ¨C and there it stopped.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Nothing extended beyond that empty socket. My arm was gone. The words couldn¡¯t form in my mind. I had expected to find my arm mangled and useless. Some Peacekeeper technology could have saved it, or magic could heal the damage. Didn¡¯t even mundane doctors reattach severed limbs all the time? It was gone. There was more, however. The shape of my body was... wrong. My chest wasn¡¯t symmetrical, parts of my side and right pectoral were now a crater. My right shoulder didn¡¯t extend far enough out, as if it just ended right below my collar bone. It was hard to see the full extent of the injuries, as the armor was surrounding them like an amorphous bandage. What I couldn¡¯t see, the missing pieces of myself, were enough for me to despair, but I fought against the realization. Surely some magic or some skill, anything¡­ something could reverse this. I couldn¡¯t live the rest of my life crippled. I knew what it was like to watch as strength and health quietly faded while sickness robbed a man of his dignity. I¡¯d seen a strong man, a hero and a father, reduced to a mess of quivering muscles unable to lift a spoon or wipe his own ass. I couldn¡¯t become that. In the pits of my despair I laughed, and the Fisher joined me in its madness. Perhaps it was that or cry. The laughter quickly descended into anger and my lungs bellowed out screams of rage and threats of vengeance. And yet, vengeance against whom? I could have left Telvy to fend for herself, or at least found a strategy that was less dangerous. I could have had freedom. I had become too sure of my own abilities and it had cost me. It had cost me everything. I had done it for my friends, to protect them. Yet here I was, with no one to protect me. No one except¡­ ¡°You,¡± I said. ¡°Yes,¡± a kingfisher circled my head twice before landing on my chest. My vision swam as every nerve in my body lit up in pain. ¡°I see the will, your intentions clear, but words are still unspoken.¡± ¡°You,¡± the words came easier now. I pushed myself up a to sitting position with new found strength. My head felt like it was spinning from the quick motion, but I ignored it and spoke the words. ¡°You can become my arm. Isn¡¯t that what you¡¯ve been telling me this whole time?¡± ¡°We are one,¡± as it finished speaking the bird flew up and expanded into smoke. The haze landed in front of me and took on the rough shape of a man. I recognized it as my own silhouette. Two red eyes burned on its otherwise shapeless face. ¡°Then do it,¡± I said while meeting the creature¡¯s eyes. It seemed hungry, eager maybe, as if something it had long toiled for was finally presented at its feet. ¡°A hand lent to oneself, is no great feat.¡± In my delirium, I laughed hysterically at the creature''s jest in short, choking bursts. My mirth was short lived. Pain flooded my mind as hands turned into sharp talons and began to pry open the armor on my chest. As the shell was peeled away the Fisher evaporated into tendrils of black liquid, like oil possessed and animated by a vengeful spirit. The tendrils forced themselves under the lifted corner of the black armor and I could feel them burrowing and squirming as they forced themselves beneath my skin. It was like millions of rime-soaked razors digging away at my flesh and carving out a cavity in my chest. It stopped for a moment before I felt it begin to expand. What was left of the black armor flew out like a projectile. I heard it slam into the ground to my right as a plume of dust and grass clippings shot into the air. Before the dust could settle, a bulge of tumorous flesh grew out from my shoulder and turned into a many tailed flail of black branches tipped and marbled with lines of flickering red embers. I laughed once more, accepting the pain and the madness. As if sensing my acceptance, the branches of black oil wrapped around themselves like muscle fibers and spun until they were wound so tightly they appeared to be a single smooth tentacle of dark flesh. As the tentacle shortened, it spread and shaped itself into the form of an arm. The empty cavity in my chest began to expand and fill, as well. I was beginning to feel whole once more, but the feeling was not quite right. I looked down at my arm and watched as flesh folded away to reveal long, thin fingers. I willed them to move and they did so with flawless ease as if they had always been mine. The skin was jet black, but otherwise the arm resembled mine perfectly. There was even a small scar, a line of crimson on jet black, beneath my thumb. It was identical to the scar I had received as a child when I¡¯d been bitten by a neighbor¡¯s dog. I held the arm closer to my face and was amazed by the fidelity. It had fingerprints, creases on its knuckles and slight rises where I had once had veins on the back of my hand. Even the hairs on my forearm were perfect. Yet, I still couldn¡¯t place the feeling of something being off. As I made a fist the realization came to me. I could move it, and even feel what it did, but the arm wasn¡¯t quite mine. I could feel the barrier between where it ended and I began, as if it were nothing more than a useful parasite. It was no more my own arm than a prosthetic limb would have been. It was incredibly useful, but ultimately interchangeable. Despite the triumph of regaining my arm so quickly I felt only sadness. Disappointment. I could feel the strength that coursed through my new limb, and yet it wasn¡¯t mine. I could only draw on it so much ¨C and I knew that the Companion was still free to come and go as it pleased. It had a kind of freedom that I lacked. That was what I wanted. Freedom. Strength was only a means of gaining it. That momentary clarity into my own motives was enlightening and I made a realization. I¡¯d heard similar words before, but never truly understood. Freedom was never given but had to be taken. I had an arm, I merely had to take it¡­ Throughout my body were thin wires, an intricate web of eldritch energy. This web filled my entire form, but each thread was thin and weak and so the entire structure was insubstantial. If I could drive those wires into the arm I could fuse with it more completely ¨C it would become part of a whole rather than a removable attachment. As I began my experiment I expected a struggle from the Fisher, but it was unusually quiet. Perhaps it too was curious to see the results. Chapter 45: Growth Small tendrils of energy stabbed into my new arm. They anchored it to me, creating a whole from the sum of its parts. As the capillaries of energy grew and wormed their way into the arm they began to feed. Since regaining access to the system, I had found it impossible to add to the small amount of eldritch energy I had gathered. The system would greedily consume every speck of the energy as soon as it touched me. The small amount I had been able to hold onto seemed immune to this absorption, as if by claiming it I had somehow made it impervious to the system¡¯s hunger. Now, however, the thin channels of dark energy swelled and fattened. They lengthened and multiplied at an exponential rate. It was too fast for me to process or control, and I could feel the arm beginning to weaken. The threads of energy seemed to have a will of their own as they slowly drained the energy in my new arm with insatiable abandon. Soon they grew too numerous for me to envision as a latticework of thin wires. Instead, I watched as the energy became a chain of spheres that surrounded and linked each cell in my body. I was unsure how much of it I was guiding, and how much I was the spectator. Some force seemed to be controlling the transformation, and yet I was aware of each change even before it happened. I easily understood and anticipated each step. It was as if I had witnessed this play out once before. I was still unsure of the benefits this transformation would give me, but I immediately gained a much greater awareness and control of my own body. If I concentrated I could isolate and view individual cells. Injuries and flaws became obvious, as if surrounded by beaming lights. Other than the injuries to my chest and arm, I also had tears in almost every major muscle, and the ligaments in my right knee and ankle were nearly severed. The shin bone was barely holding together and seemed as if it could disintegrate into bone fragments at the lightest touch. It was riddled with fractures that branched and spiraled throughout the bone. As the energy infused each cell these injuries were not healed, mine was not a power of regeneration. The connections between cells became stronger, however, and a new force pulled bone and muscle back together. They were not healed, but they would function until they could heal naturally. It was like a glue holding me together, adding both strength and flexibility. From here on I would be much more durable, but I would still have to experience the pain of each injury as it happened. I could hold together broken bone, at least to a point, but not prevent the injury or heal the damage. It was a ruthless ability, but powerful. Rather than slow the transformation, I let it continue. I was not worried about the arm being weakened too much- I knew the Fisher had ways of replenishing its energy. Besides, I had a faint understanding that the process would end once an equilibrium was established. I called to the Fisher, but it didn¡¯t answer. Perhaps the process had suppressed it, or my Companion was involved in the transformation at a deeper level than I had believed. The benefits of the system seemed an afterthought, but I still had that source of power as well. Several warnings and messages had appeared after my battle with the King Behemoth, but I had ignored them until now. Rather than try to dig through each message, I dismissed them and looked at my stats and skills directly. The most obvious change was that I had leveled three times. Just how powerful had that behemoth been? I had expected to level, but not multiple times. Perhaps I had also gained experience from Telvy mopping up the rest of the herd. I assume she did, anyhow. Everything after the headless corpse of the King collapsing on me was a blur. I had no idea how to feel about the archmage. She had promised to protect Tiller and had pulled me out from under the crushing embrace of the behemoth. She had also left me to fend for myself behind enemy lines with grievous injuries. I just couldn¡¯t find the energy to become angry at her. Instead my rage was focused elsewhere. I had never thought of anger as a limited resource, but I only had the will to hold onto so much. I shook my head and turned my attention back to my stats. I had gained three points in both Will and Perception due to my class, which meant Ihad six pointsto do with as I wished. My first instinct was to put them all into Intelligence, because of the way it bolstered my physical capabilities due to the feat Mind Over Body. I hemmed over the decision for a moment,but it turned out I didn''t need to worry. I was unable to select intelligence. It seemed as if forty was the cap. I remembered Sebbit saying that Telvy was one of only a handful of Tier Three citizens on the planet. Perhaps the different tiers had higher caps. That seemed likely but couldn¡¯t be the only benefit. I really needed to learn more about tiers and the system in general. If each stat was capped at forty I would need to rethink how I was allocating my stats. A more even distribution was probably called for. Iconsidered that something else could behind the stat being locked, but I didn''t have time to worry about it then.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Instead, I ended up putting three points each into focus and strength. Focus was my weakest stat ¨C and seeing it finally break into double digits was satisfying. Strength was less useful to me, especially due to my recent... upgrades. Up till this point I hadn''t invested in strength at all, because it seemed a waste. Five points spent in Intelligence was also five points evenly distributed to my physical stats. With Intelligence locked, however, I had more reason. Besides, it would gain me another of the ''menagerie feats.'' A free feat was a free feat. I wasn''t disappointed, and message quickly notified me of a new feat, Ogre''s Might ?.It was an interesting ability that increased the strength of my physical attacks as I took damage. I hoped I never had to use it, but if my current physical state was an indication the feat would get a lot of use. I still had one remaining stat point remaining. It had been hanging with me for a while, so I decided to keep it. There might even be some benefit in keeping free stat points in the future - as I could spend them in response to a specific need. Too bad respecing wasn''t an option. After settling my stats, I checked on my skills. I had an eagerness and hope that my recent physical changes would grant me some new abilities. I was disappointed when I found no new skills, but the feeling was short lived due to the massive gains I had made in other areas. My class features had seen the most growth, especially Dark Gemini which was now flashing and displayed a satisfying (10/10). Eldritch Mimicry had leveled twice as well. The biggest surprise was that Chaotic Mutability had changed. That particular class feature didn¡¯t have skill ranks, but it now had a flashing (+) next to it. I knew the display was not real and I didn¡¯t need to physically interact with it, but in my excitement I still reached out to press the (+). Chaotic Mutability ? - Eldritch energy swims through your every cell, leaving them pliable and easily mutable. After slaying the unique beast Belshax, King of the Planes Walkers, your chaotic mutability has taken on new traits and you have gained a feat. Monarch¡¯s Raiment ? - You are as terrible as you are powerful. All whom experience your presence will feel a subconscious desire to defer to your decisions. Your enemies will fear your power and your allies will respect your terrible might. This is only effective on those with Will significantly lower than your own. The ability could be toggled on and off and drained a small amount of mana when it was being used. I wasn¡¯t sure how immediately useful it was, but I liked the sound of it. If I could overwhelm others without the need for combat I wouldn¡¯t complain. Besides, King Finn had a nice ring to it. An echo in the back of my mind called out another name, but I ignored it and continued to look at my skills. Tanglefoot and Wild Growth had both leveled twice, and Pain Tolerance, Physical Fitness, and Combat Proficiency had each gained a single level. After adding the few Feat Points I had left over, this brought me to twenty-two. This was a sizable number but not quite enough to purchase any of the feats that looked worthwhile. I especially wanted to invest in either Illusionist or Circle Mage, but I knew that doing so was likely to increase my Intelligence stat. Most mage related feats had done so at regular intervals, even if I didn¡¯t have enough to purchase the feat outright. I feared losing points if forty truly was my current cap. Besides, I still had a battle to fight and three skill points would come easily. The obvious course of action was to find Telvy by tracking the points around the dome with the highest levels of eldritch energy. If she was assaulting one of them the disturbance would probably be obvious to my increased sensitivity and control over anything powered by eldritch. Her assault had most likely been significantly slowed without me. That was the smart plan, the careful plan. Help her and expect her to live up to her side of the bargain. I liked the mage, even trusted her somewhat. I couldn¡¯t put my faith in her, however. I would have to take the freedom I desired. My own, Tiller¡¯s, and even Troy¡¯s if he really was the cultist the Peacekeepers had captured. I had questions for my old friend. I began to move but remembered one more thing I had meant to check. Dark Gemini was my first skill to reach the maximum level and had been flashing. Perhaps it would undergo some form of transformation as well? I selected the class feature and as its description opened the skill began to transform. After the words were finished rearranging, I was presented with a new class skill. Shadow Doppelganger ? (0/5)- Your connection with your Dark Gemini has strengthened to the point that there is no longer a divide between the two. This is no loss, but a gain. You will continue to be able to draw on two pools of mana, and your mind is capable of splitting, which allows you to focus on multiple tasks. You still remember, deep in your soul, what it was like to be more than one and you can use this knowledge to create Shadow Doppelgangers. As the skill level increases so too does the number and strength of the doppelgangers you create. I wasn¡¯t sure if the Fisher was still capable of leaving, as its body was now my arm. I had tied it to myself completely and separating it would require tearing apart my very being. This skill solved the immediate problem. I would still have a scout to act as my eyes and ears. I experimented with the skill and was able to create a perfect replica of myself, though it was formed from smoky black mist, like living shadow. It was completely unable to take action on its own, and I had to direct each motion. Once I was able to summon the Fisher again, this limitation would be mitigated almost completely. I dismissed the doppelganger and was met with a satisfying notification that I had gained a skill rank. ¡°Good,¡± I said to no one. The skill would be the perfect diversion, but I still had one more stop before returning to the Yorktown. I knew what was supplying energy to the dome. I had seen into the barrier of mist and lightning. As Telvy had assaulted the dome with chain and spell, I had witnessed a familiar object. It had called out to me. I now merely had to reach out and take it. Chapter 46: Volatile Responses It didn¡¯t take me long to find another of the areas powering the dome. The ribbons of golden runes were easily visible to my senses, and each generator produced sparks of red lightning that lit up the sky like a bonfire. I might not be as powerful as Telvy, or as smart as Sebbit and Tiller ¨C but I had a deeper connection to the eldritch than any of them. I was even able to sense the remnants of the spots Telvy had destroyed, and where she was now. The archmage was as easy to track as paw prints on wet sand. She had moved north and was circling counterclockwise back towards the river. She had already destroyed three generators and was attacking a fourth. Her attacks created fluctuations that spread out from where she was attacking like ripples in a pond.She lacked finesse, but the brute force method seemed to be working for her. I purposefully chose to move in the opposite direction. I needed as much space between myself and that chain wielding madwoman as possible. My path would also keep me closer to the Yorktown. I believed Telvy to be strong enough to single-handedly hinder my plan to distract and escape from the Peacekeepers. Before I had to worry about that, I still needed to get past the first step of my plan. I let out a breath before taking a step into the dome. The dome was solid, but I was able to push through with only minimal resistance. It was like submerging myself in a pool of liquid lightning. The snapping clicks of static drowned out the howls of the wind and a chilling tingle ran up my spine. As the tingling sensation grew a soft pressure began to fight against my push inwards. Red sparks crackled and clung to me like the coils of a fiery serpent. The pressure gradually became stronger as I pressed forward. The feeling was like trying to press together opposite sides of a magnet, if that magnet were fighting its way through a hurricane and had really pissed of Zeus. My pace was slowed, but only slightly. I pushed further into the wall of energy and before long found myself completely cut off from the outside world. I could see only darkness and concussive flashes that were preceded by twisted lines of crimson lightning that held briefly upon the sky like a skeletal hand. No other light could break through the thick fog that billowed up from beneath my feet. Hiding within the fog were eyes. I could feel them on me, watching and darting around me. The wind carried barely heard murmurs, whispers just low enough that I was unsure if they were real or imagined. Whenever I turned to confront these phantasms I would find nothing but an empty red haze. My feet became heavier with each step. My mind began to race with half formed paranoia. As I continued forward I could feel a pressure beginning to form in the back of my head. It was like the precursor of a headache. A feeling of vertigo caused me to stumble and I landed on one knee. As I pushed myself up a face appeared before me. The quickness with which it arrived startled me, and I yelled out. It was a disembodied and gruesome visage, a shifting mask of translucent smoke. It was not alone. A wall of ghostly figures had sprung up unseen. If I tried to focus on one for too long it would disappear into the constantly moving horde. Their forms were hazy and inconsistent, each was constantly shifting both shape and location. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing for a moment. I could sense the attack on my mind. It was much like the fear caused by the Eye of Madness, but different at the same time. This feeling was less primal, and without the feeling of revealing truth. It was an insubstantial fear, but nonetheless one that was as insidious as it was infectious. This was only my second interaction with a dungeon core, but I was beginning to form an understanding of them. Each contained some deep emotion that colored and shaped the energy it produced. Perhaps this was not only true for the cores, but eldritch energy in general. I kept my eyes closed and launched myself forward. By blocking off my more mundane senses I could see the phantoms for what they were, constructs meant to torment me. The were pale echoes of that which should long ago have faded into death; no more real than my own illusions. I felt the resistance increase as I broke through the ring of specters. This only caused me to increase my speed. I was battered back by wind and an invisible power, but I refused to be slowed. Each step forward was an agonizing ordeal, like molten lead had been poured into my limbs. I had reached the limit of my pain tolerance, and fear made me doubt my actions. I could turn around and save myself. Was this really that important? The voices whispered, but I ignored them and carried myself forward through sheer spite. The pain and pressure nearly broke me both mentally and physically.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. But then it stopped. I opened my eyes and found myself floating in darkness. Around me was a near perfect void, but I could still make out the fog and electricity just outside the small bubble of nothingness. I breathed inward but my chest tightened and cramped. My heart began to beat erratically, and my hands grew cold and clammy. I clutched at my chest and noticed a trail of vapor rising from my fingertips. I exhaled, relieving some of the pressure, but I soon felt a bubbling sensation on my tongue and eyes. My vision blurred, and I began to feel light headed. I pushed down the desire to run as every nerve in my body cried out for relief. Instead, I ran forward. My fear and regret rose with each step, but a surge of vindication rose up within me when an object came into view. The pedestal was small, and half hidden in shadow. It was no higher than my waist and had a wide circular platform at each end. It was like a small table; it¡¯s top was plated in copper and curved inward like a bowl. The column depicted carvings of human sacrifice and dismemberment being watched over by a great eye wreathed in flame. The eye looked familiar, but so too did the pillar. I had seen it before, long ago. I just couldn¡¯t place where. Placed atop the pillar was a small, faintly glowing stone. It was perfectly centered atop the dais and had been partially wrapped in purple velvet lined with gold stitching. Splintered cracks of fiery red crisscrossed the stone as if it were coal freshly pulled from the fire. A heavy stream of eldritch energy poured out of the stone and into the sky like thick, black smoke. I tried to speak in my excitement, but my lungs were empty. I was unable to form the words. The stone was a smooth sphere rather than a heart, and the color was different than what I had been shown, but this was clearly a dungeon core. One much more powerful than what Sebbit used during his show and tell. With such a stone I could have a near infinite amount of eldritch energy to shape and command as I wished. Its uses were limitless. It could power spells, formations, and could probably be used to create dungeons - hence the name. I had a different plan in mind for it. One that should cause Sebbit and his Peacekeepers to take notice. Anything that released this much energy would only have one reaction if that energy were no longer able to vent. As the energy built up, so too would the pressure it created. The result would no doubt be powerful, but I had no idea how long it would need to be contained before becoming critical. I reached out and took the stone with my right hand and folded the purple cloth around it. As my fingers brushed the surface of the sphere, small arcs of lighting struck my hand, causing the hair on my arm to stand on end. I was surprised that the black colored arm could be affected in such a way. Many fantastical things had crossed my path recently, and yet this was one of the few to take me aback. The arm was a construct of pure energy, and yet it seemed to follow all the rules of flesh and blood. It even tingled slightly at the touch of electricity. I just couldn¡¯t understand why it would do so ¨C it was no more flesh than any other construct I had created. Perhaps it was as simple as feeling what I expected it to, much like how amputees could still feel phantom limbs. Regardless, I had the core. I turned and walked out of the dome of darkness and swirling energy. With the core in hand I encountered none of the obstacles that had slowed me on my way in. Finally, my foot came down on grass and the outside world became visible once more. I could see amber fields flanked by hills and tall trees beneath a dim and reddening sky. The air was still heavy with fog, but it clung low to the ground, swelling and falling with the turns and hills of the earth. I shaped a fold of eldritch energy in my arm and placed the core within it. I could feel a slight tingle as the arm began to absorb as much energy as it could hold. It didn¡¯t feel any stronger, but it would be more durable, and I would have an extra store of energy to call on for a rainy day. I began to leave but turned back when I heard a sound that was halfway between cracking glass and the gentle song of wind tossed chimes. A single note reverberated for a moment, clinging to life briefly before fading into silence. The wall of the dome was now a smooth plane, no longer was the surface of the dome dancing with crimson sparks. The golden runes still spiraled upwards but were beginning to slow and fade. The structure supporting the entire dome was beginning to weaken. The dome had stopped spinning and was no longer slowly contracting. It was still an effective barrier but no longer threatened to crush everything that was contained within. I mentally cursed. I had known this would happen, but I was hoping to be able to get at least one more core before it did. Telvy worked much slower than I did, but she would destroy her core soon and the entire dome would collapse. Once that happened she would rush back to join Sebbit at the Yorktown. I had to get there first. I began to run back towards Patriot¡¯s Point, where the old aircraft carrier was moored. I moved forward with explosive speed, each step flinging clumps of dirt and grass behind me. My stride would send me forward several meters with each step, and I felt as though I were floating above the ground. My path was a straight line, so I quickly reached the outskirts of the pier. I leaped above a short concrete barrier and plowed through a chain-link fence as if it were cobweb. Gunfire and bestial roars rang out to the south. When Sebbit had freed me, he had claimed to be going to personally oversee the battle, and it was unlikely that he would leave many guards at the Yorktown. To him this great piece of American history was nothing more than a temporary base. Hopefully my errand wouldn¡¯t take long. I would have to join the battle soon myself, but it was important to make a proper entrance. Finding a single prisoner on an aircraft carrier seems like a difficult prospect, especially under time constraints. I had the advantage of knowing how the Peacekeepers kept their prisoners. I was especially familiar with how they kept those they considered corrupted by the eldritch. The energy was light here, only the smallest wisp remained, but it still flowed freely through the passages and bulkheads of the old ship. I identified several spots that were completely sealed off from the eldritch energy. They stood out like beacons to my sight. They may as well have been black holes floating in a sea of white. It was time to go see an old friend. Chapter 47: Overt Operations My search was over almost before it began. Even aircraft carriers are surprisingly small when you ignore minor details like ¡®stairs¡¯ or ¡®walls.¡¯ I instead choose the shortest distance between two points ¡ª a straight line. Obstacles like the concrete barriers and a chain link fence hadn¡¯t slowed me down on the way in, and I was past the rain slickened pier in a half dozen bounding steps. Several turrets, certainly new additions, had caught my eye, but they ignored my infiltration. It was possible that they didn¡¯t see me as a threat, or that I was designated as an ally. I didn¡¯t buy that for a second. Sebbit would murder me given half an excuse. Most likely the dome was interfering with the technology. I knew firsthand that the Peacekeeper communications disks were not always reliable when exposed to heavy levels of eldritch energy. I had run past a dozen turrets and two abandoned watchtowers before reaching the ramp leading up into the labyrinthine aircraft carrier. Rather than search for a way through the confusing corridors of the massive ship, I activated mana shield and charged through walls like the Juggernaut. I had three targets, and immediately aimed for the closest. I crashed through several thin bulkheads before I found myself face to face with two peacekeeper guards. They were standing on either side of a closed hatch, behind which was one the areas that had been sealed off from my sight. My chances were one in three, and yet I was still amazed to find what I was looking for on the first attempt. I couldn¡¯t be so lucky. Unless they had more than one prisoner? The guards were even more surprised than I was. The one on the right stumbled back and smacked her head on the wall behind her. The other soldier was more alert but failed to use appropriate close-range tactics. She was already holding her rifle in a low-ready position, and her first instinct was to raise the gun towards me. The barrel never managed to rise more than a single centimeter. I lunged forward, pushing Gun Girl¡¯s barrel down with the palm of my right hand. I spun and rammed my left elbow into the sternum of her clumsier partner. At the same moment that my elbow landed in the middle of Clumsy¡¯s chest, I reached up with my left hand and grabbed behind her shoulder. I pulled forward, dropping my shoulder, and tightening my core muscles as I did so. The clumsy guard was much taller and probably stronger than I was, but the element of surprise and my lower center of gravity proved to be enough to overcome her advantage. Clumsy flew over my shoulder and collided with the wall on the other side of the narrow passage way. A new hole had appeared in the bulkhead, right next to the one I had made during my surprise entrance. I didn¡¯t have time to see where Clumsy had fallen. Gun Girl had placed both hands on the barrel of her rifle and was trying to pull away. My new arm proved to be stronger in that competition, but her greater weight was enough to pull me towards her. She focused on controlling her weapon rather than striking or grappling with me. This was despite having a collapsible baton on her belt and being at least a foot taller than I was. I hoped she hadn¡¯t been trained by Talith. If so, the old lizard was bound to skin and mount her on the wall as a warning to others. This only solidified my original assessment of Gun Girl¡¯s skills. She was probably well trained but had developed bad habits. Her stats and skills levels were no doubt stellar, probably better than my own, but I doubt she¡¯d ever faced a truly life or death situation. She had what Troy would have called ¡°gym muscles.¡± This realization probably saved her a lot of pain. I could have kicked out her kneecaps or nailed her limbs to the deck with spikes of eldritch energy; instead I conjured a chain and used one end of it to bind her legs. I held the other side of the chain with my left hand, while the fingers of my right hand tightly grasped the barrel of Gun Girl¡¯s rifle. I flung my left hand backwards with as much force as I could muster. The guard was at least twice my weight when she was fully armored, but she was still unbalanced in the fraction of a second after she had tried to wrest her gun away. Once her feet were pulled out from under her, it was all downhill. She crashed to the ground with a crunching thud that echoed down the narrow corridor. As her back struck the floor she let out a loud gasp, and began sucking in deep, frantic breaths. She had forgotten the grip on her rifle and held both hands to her throat. I looked down at her and realized that I was enjoying the violence way too much. Tears had filled her eyes, while I was standing over her with a terrifying grin on my face. My smile faded, and I focused on keeping a neutral expression. It was much more difficult than I was comfortable with. ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± I placed a foot on her chest.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. I tried not to use too much weight, as I had no idea what injuries she had sustained. She probably only had the wind knocked out of her, but I was hardly an expert on alien biology. If she was dead Sebbit was likely to be a lot more difficult to handle. I released the half of the chain I still held and let it wrap around her torso. It pinned her arms to her chest while her hands still grasped uselessly at her throat. I kept my foot on her chest and her own rifle trained on her head as I turned to look for her partner. Clumsy was lying face down on the floor. Her black armor looked almost grey under a thick cover of dust and metal debris. The slow rise and fall of her chest told me she was at least still breathing; which didn¡¯t rule out that she might be faking. I looked down at the Peacekeeper under my foot and waved the barrel of the gun slightly. It was unlikely she spoke English, so I was hoping she would understand the motion as the universal sign for, ¡°move and I will fucking shoot you.¡± If she failed to understand I wasn¡¯t entirely sure I could shoot her in cold blood. I was also terrified that I could. I took a step towards the possibly unconscious guard, but quickly realized that it didn¡¯t matter if she was awake or not. I just needed her to stay still for a moment. I created another chain and she was quickly bound in the same manner as her friend. I have to say ¨C if she was acting she gave one hell of a performance. ¡°Now, you girls be good.¡± Clumsy showed no reaction while Gun Girl glared at me murderously. I¡¯d never really given bondage much thought, but it seemed a handy skillset. I turned to look at the steel hatch. It was little more than a grey, oval door made of thick metal. The bottom of the door was raised about four inches above the floor and a ring of metal clamps held it shut. A spinning handle had been built into its center. I reached out and grasped the handle and spun it counter-clockwise. The hatch began to spin, but quickly met resistance. I turned it the other direction but ran into the same problem. Of course, it was locked. Things were never that easy in real life. I looked down at the two guards. I was already trying to figure out a way to communicate with them. They might have translators, and I could probably mime out what a key was. Even if they understood, I was sure they would try to play dumb and stall as much as possible. I would just have to search them and hope I found something useful. Before I could do so the entire world shifted. My vision blurred and the chains I had constructed loosened for a fraction of a second. The feeling quickly passed, and the guards gave no indication they had noticed. ¡°Shit, titty fucking Crist,¡± I yelled. The dome had come down and Telvy would be flying back to the Yorktown at that very moment. I turned back towards the hatch and began gathering every ounce of energy I could into each of my legs. It was much like what I had done during my battle with the King Behemoth, but on a much larger scale. It was dangerous, incredibly so, but I had no more time. I kicked forward and watched as the door was ripped from its hinges with the earsplitting sound of twisting metal followed by an explosive bang as it hit the far wall. Hopefully no one was standing behind that. ¡°Well, that might have been a little too much.¡± I looked down at Gun Girl and smiled. ¡°Sorry about the cleanup. Sebbit¡¯s got the bill.¡± She stared up at me with wide eyes, and I couldn¡¯t help but blink in response when her inner eyelids closed. It was just unnatural looking, like the shutter of a camera spiraling closed in slow motion. She used my momentary distraction to kick upwards with her bound feet. It was an impressive performance of speed, athleticism, and flexibility, but she couldn¡¯t have known that I didn¡¯t need my eyes to see the chain that still bound her limbs. I leaned backwards and turned my body to the side, narrowly avoiding her attack. At the same time, I reached forward with my right hand and grasped the chain that was wound tightly around the back of her legs. I spun around like an Olympic discus thrower. Gun Girl¡¯s head bounced off both walls before I finally released her to land limply next to her partner. I ignored her. If she attacked again I¡¯d just have to deal with it. I was past the point of doing things carefully. I¡¯d have to do this the same way I¡¯d done most of the best things in my life ¨C loud, messy, and over too quickly. I stepped through the empty cavity that had once been a door. The room behind it was much like my jail cell had been, but slightly larger and the floor was tiled in an unsightly shade of lime green. It was either the color, or the room¡¯s inhabitant but I found myself holding back a mouthful of bile. ¡°Gah. What the fuck is that?¡± The creature looked like a person had been half swallowed by a blob of rancid, grey flesh. The stench was unbearable, and the way it moved made my skin crawl. It flowed across the room bonelessly, it¡¯s body rippling and undulating as it slowly inched forward like a monstrous slug. The human half of the creature was covered in ruptured pustules and scale-like scabs. It hung off the back of the boneless ooze of flesh and remained unmoving as it was dragged behind like a useless clump. I raised the rifle and aimed it at the creature¡¯s head. It seemed unlikely that this would kill it, but I had no idea what to do. As I looked down the barrel of my stolen gun a face came into my sights. One eye was milky white, and the face was almost completely covered in scales and boils. Its scalp was mostly bare, save for large liver spots and a few sparse clumps of grey, brittle hair. It was a face that would have been unrecognizable if it hadn¡¯t been for one green eye that gazed at me with unblinking focus. I could sense intelligence, and something familiar, behind that unblemished eye. ¡°What have they done to you?¡± I rushed forward and took the face in my hands. I ignored the danger around me even as the rancid flesh continued to circle me. ¡°Troy, can you hear me? Are you still in there?¡± A single eye stared at me. His mouth moved but no sound came out. Half his face was split open, but the half of his lips that remained seemed to be silently mouthing the same two words. They repeated over and over, but his eye eventually closed, and his face fell deathly still. Whatever hell he had been trapped in he had seen the hope of salvation when I had appeared. I wouldn¡¯t let my friend down in his final moments, even if he had once betrayed me. His last words were, ¡°kill me.¡± It was a request I fulfilled. Chapter 48: Pearls of Thought Some memories are cherished. They are like a splendid pearl kept in one¡¯s pocket to be taken out and gazed upon during moments of reflection. They become polished and made free of imperfections through constant handling. We revel in these recollections and they become the moments from which we define ourselves; facets in the jewel we call our conscious mind. There are other kinds of memories. They eat away at us ¨C forgotten but never truly gone. We push them down into the darker parts of our psyche. There we keep them hidden. We bar these remembrances from our waking thoughts through an endless vigil. It is only in our dreams that we confront our demons, as they tear and claw against the hells we¡¯ve fashioned in their image. They wait in those depths and fester until the day we take them with us into our final rest. Or we confront them and risk a fate more dreadful still: acknowledgement. In acknowledgement we would see the truth of ourselves, and of the world. We would then be forced to face the certainty that we are weak, insignificant creatures in a vast and uncaring universe. I had one such memory. I forged another in the moment I took the life of my best friend. This was twice now that I¡¯d watched a man give up hope as his body betrayed him. Troy had asked for death, begged me to kill him. I had agreed, not in anger, but in mercy born from recognition. I had seen that same look upon the face of my father. I had worshiped the man, even as his body gradually failed him. A strong man had been left a broken husk, nothing more than a shade trapped in a prison of his own flesh. The final time I had seen my father his eyes had held the same acceptance that I saw in Troy¡¯s. In our final moments together, my father had briefly opened his eyes to look up at me, and even though he had long since lost all power of movement, I felt his hand tighten, slight and brief, around my own. I had thought it a positive sign, but he never saw the morning. For years I¡¯d blamed myself. I¡¯d pushed down the memory, completely forgetting that look in his eyes or the feeling of his hand grasping my own. It was the only farewell he could give, and yet I had never acknowledged it. I¡¯d never understood the significance of the look in his eyes or the message contained in the final desperate grasp of his hand. Now I spoke farewells to someone else. Mortality claimed my friend, and as it took him it left behind memories that resonated with pain long repressed. I had torn Troy¡¯s head from a pool of pulsing flesh. In that moment, it was the face of my father that I had seen. The face I held in my hands was that of a man grateful to meet his final rest. I should have mourned him, and I would, but for a short time I clung to feelings of joy at having been able to release him from his prison. I had failed once, but not this time. Troy would not have to suffer a slow, torturous death like my father had. I refused to push down either memory. Instead the two memories became linked inexplicably as I made a new realization about myself. I would hold onto these memories and take them out when nothing else could give me strength. I was not broken, and I was not weak. I could kill, but I could also build and protect. Perhaps I was going mad. If the Fisher was to be believed I already was. So what? If I was crazy, then so was everyone. It was no more rational to love the memory of my father than it was to hate or kill. I could do all three. I held the proof in my hands. I lingered in the room for a moment, but I had more work to do. I set the only recognizable piece of Troy on a small bed in the corner of the room and covered it with a sheet. I didn¡¯t look back as I walked out into the narrow passageway. I was full of conflicting emotions. Memories of my father filled me with joy, but I also felt regret and mourned the death of my friend. These thoughts brought with them feelings of guilt and reminded me that I had failed to find my mother. I¡¯d barely even thought of her in days. I might still have family ¨C something to cling to from a world now lost. And Liv. She was my first love, and her husband was now dead at my hands. I feared she was caught up in this mess as deeply as Troy had been. I had to find her. A pragmatic corner of my mind whispered that I should have forced the creature to speak. Troy had left me with many unanswered questions. I set those concerns aside by focusing on what I needed to do next. Clumsy and Gun Girl were still bound on the floor and appeared to be unconscious. I searched them and found what I was looking for on Clumsy¡¯s belt.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. She had been carrying two explosive satchels identical to the ones Catayla had used to bring down the bridge. It had only been a hunch, but it seemed that if the scout had been carrying them they were probably standard issue. I fumbled with the device for a moment, but I had seen Catayla use them and I had a near perfect memory. After depressing a small black button for several seconds, a sharp beeping sound alerted me that it was armed. A shape made of interlocking curves appeared on a small display. It looked almost like a stylized drawing of a knot that was slowly unraveling. I tossed both charges into the room behind me and slammed the hatch shut. I wanted to be gone before they detonated but I took the time to bring the two guards with me. I couldn¡¯t be sure that the explosion wouldn¡¯t be larger than I expected. Fire or smoke could also spread out of the room and kill the Peacekeepers. I was going to negotiate with Sebbit and being responsible for killing two of his subordinates probably wasn¡¯t the best opening gambit. Once the two women were cocooned in chains of eldritch energy I began retracing my steps back through the aircraft carrier. I dragged the two soldiers behind me while ignoring the occasional thuds as armored heads collided with unyielding steel. The middle level of the Yorktown opened to a wide aluminum ramp that led down to a narrow wooden pier. I propped the two Peacekeepers against a post at the bottom of the ramp and released their restraints. Once the chains had fully dissipated I turned and prepared to leave. I felt a moment of unease, a scratching at the back of my neck. I expected my entrance to be easy, as there was most likely only a skeleton crew left behind at the Yorktown. My escape, however, had gone unexpectedly well. I hadn¡¯t so much as seen another soldier. That didn¡¯t always mean they weren¡¯t there¡­ Before the thought was finished the explosives I had placed detonated. The sound was a muffled thud, but it was loud enough to draw my gaze. As I looked up a bright flash filled my vision. In the same moment something heavy collided with my skull. Closely behind the impact was an air cracking boom. My vision filled with swimming lights, and my skull reverberated like a bell. The hit had launched me forward. My head landed first, and I bounced and skidded across the pier. I came to a stop inches away from the guardrail, one hand extending beyond the edge of the pier. My arcane shield was still active, but that one shot had depleted over eighty percent of my mana. One more shot like that and I was as good as dead. Reacting on instinct, I threw my hands forwards and a wall of swirling shadow and fiery embers grew up in front of me. This caused the pier to explode into splinters of wood and the section I was laying on fell into the cold water of the Cooper river. Bullets broke through the surface of the river, creating dozens of spiraling tails as they cut through water around me. A nearly overpowering rage burned inside me. I had gone to all that trouble to spare the lives of those two guards. Whoever was attacking hadn¡¯t even waited till I was clear of their unconscious comrades before opening fire. I held back the anger, using it to focus myself. I couldn¡¯t control it; my emotions were still too raw from all that had happened. All I could do was aim the rage in a useful direction. Behind me were two injured guards and who knew how many guns aimed in my directions. In front of me were answers and freedom. Tiller was with Sebbit, fighting an army of monsters. It was also likely that the cultists were behind the army, just like they had been the cause of the dome and the herd of behemoths. I couldn¡¯t get answers from Troy, but if I could get my hands on another cultist I might be able to learn what had happened to him. They might even be able to give me information about Liv, if she wasn¡¯t with them. Liv couldn¡¯t be my only priority. I had friends on both sides of this conflict. That included Catayla. The blue scaled scout was still my friend, and I had promised her it would stay that way. Whatever happened, I needed to make sure I protected those I cared about. During moments of rage it was easiest to think about the simplest motivations. I split off a small portion of my focus and a shadow doppelganger rose up above the waves and began charging towards the Yorktown. The copy was created from pure eldritch energy, which meant I could control it like any other construct. I used this ability to propel it through the surface of the river and I launched it directly towards my attackers . It wouldn¡¯t be able to fly for long. My control got weaker the faster it went or the further it got from me. I had given the rifle I plundered from Gun Girl, and it strafed the Yorktown with covering fire. With luck, the Peacekeepers would be caught off guard by an image of me flying through the air. The surprise wouldn¡¯t last long, but it might buy the clone a small amount of time before it was inevitably cut down. Hopefully enough time for me to escape unnoticed. I decided to ignore the fight behind me, and instead swam south towards the larger battle. I could sense the opposing armies as a vortex of eldritch energy. It was like a reverse tornado, a wide base of swirling energy that fed upwards into a narrowing cone that ended about fifty meters above the ground. Whatever was at the top of that cone was absorbing energy at an unbelievable rate. Even the near unlimited energy released by the dungeon core would only be the tiniest fraction if compared to the energy that was concentrated at the top of that cone. Thousands fought within that ever growing storm. I couldn¡¯t make out any individual shapes, but the frantic nature of the energy surrounding the battlefield told me the fight was much more pitched than I had anticipated. I had expected the Peacekeeper to be mopping up when I arrived. Instead, it seemed as if they had found a real fight. 48.R Not a Chapter Hello everyone! I''ve redone my outline a little bit, and the end of the current arc will be the end of Vol One. That should be in about 12-15 more chapters (4-5 weeks from now), but it is hard to be precise as I outline events not chapters. I plan to make a few changes to the story at that point, before moving into Vol Two. I expect the process to last 2-3 weeks, but it could take longer. It won''t be a complete rewrite, but some chapters will be changed dramatically, new ones will be added, and the ordering could change in parts. I''ll continue to post new chapters during that time, but I can''t promise more than 1 a week. I''ve left a list of some of my thoughts below (I''ve deleted any that contained spoilers from after ch. 48), and I''d love your input, thoughts, or additions. Story Changes. New prologue (pre-apocalypse? Possibly a different POV) Start at a rewritten and expanded Ch. 5; dungeon chapters are Finn briefing Sebbit Standardize nomenclature, i.e. mana shield/arcane shield Greatly expand early Peacekeeper chapters, add more training (possibly also from Telvy) and worldbuilding You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.Early chapters used a lot of section breaks and small time jumps, where I rarely use them in later chapters ¨C standardize this Rework stats and add regen speeds, consolidate skills where possible. Considering removing health as a stat, and placing more emphasis on stamina. Rename all pre-tutorial feats to have an animal themed name, i.e. heightened reflexes will become feline reflexes (also add a reward for getting all of them- Magnificent Menagerie?) Expand the Worthy and Bridgette characters Add more chapters in New Charleston, show the party with survivors rather than cutting away ¨C show how the survivors are living, more development of Tiller and his family, maybe develop the Captain and Pat more as well. More foreshadowing about Finn¡¯s dad and his sickness (unsure) Perhaps more flashbacks to time with Troy and Liv, unsure on this one but needs more build up Add series name, ¡°Dark Hierophant¡¯s Rise¡±? (work in progress) Lots of feedback about not showing enough emotion (Give Finn a more active voice) Chapter 49: Charge of the Dark Brigade My head was still ringing when I pulled myself onto a narrow, rocky beach. My health and stamina were full, though my mana was still less than half. Perhaps losing all that mana at once was the cause of the pain, or some injuries just weren¡¯t serious enough for the system to register. I laughed at the thought, if I had felt like this before the world had gone to hell I probably would have taken the day off. The most strenuous activity I would have engaged in was heating up Cup Noodles and streaming cartoons ¨C now I was preparing myself to face an army of eldritch abominations. It wasn¡¯t far now. I was already at the edge of the vortex of energy. I could feel it in the air as it passed over my skin. Anything involving eldritch energy always felt off; it was tinted with dark emotions and the feeling of truth hidden just beyond perception. The energy of the vortex had something else to it. It was somehow¡­ less clean. It stank of grime and felt like oil on my skin. It seemed to coat everything it touched in a layer of filth. It felt like death and decay, if the concepts were expressed as emotion. It was as if the idea of death, the metaphor, had somehow manifested in reality. The force of the vortex pulled at me like a raging river as it threatened to catch me in its current. This was made worse by the reaction it had on the eldritch energy I stored within myself. It was like half the molecules in my body were all being pulled in the same direction, and if I didn¡¯t move with them I would be torn apart. I was able to create a thin shell of black and red energy around myself, allowing the pull of the vortex to pass over me. The feeling of discomfort lessened but didn¡¯t disappear entirely. The barrier was almost completely translucent, but everything I saw was tinted slightly red. I had never considered myself an optimist, but I couldn¡¯t help but let out a small chuckle when it occurred to me that I was looking at the world through rose colored glasses. What is wrong with me? It was as if every little thing ¡ª every random observation, or internal comment was hilariously funny. The world looked as if it were burning and smothered in ash. I just laughed. Far to the east a pillar of light ignited the sky beneath a dark and growing cloud. Together they drowned out the sun, creating a perpetual day beneath a firmament of rolling black. It was like a gleaming pillar was holding up a canopy to shade a dying world. If that was what the heavens had become, perhaps Hell was the better option. The only ones with the strength and knowledge to set things right were fighting for their lives and the lives of everyone I knew. Even New Charleston would be engulfed if the vortex continued to grow. It was absurd that I was here charging forward like some mythical Calvary to save the day. There was no three-foot alien or bearded sage to hand me a magic sword or give me advice that would only make sense in the final moments. No one had chosen me for some grand quest or had even expressed confidence in my abilities, to be honest. Hell, even the annoying parasite that lived in my mind was missing. I was just one man. Perhaps I couldn¡¯t make a difference. I would still charge forward. I was determined to see this through. If I was going out I wanted it to be without regrets. That meant finding answers. It meant saving my team, my own little corner of the world ¡ªeven if I had to let the rest of it burn. I looked up to where the top of the disturbance was, the point where the energy was gathering. I could sense the energy, but my mundane vision was blocked by a tall ledge crowned with gnarled bushes and sparse yellowed grass. Whatever was on the other side of that ledge was gathering enough energy to flatten everything around it. It might even be capable of undoing some of the crazier changes to the local geography. As my irrational laughter and amusement subsided it was replaced by a sense of unease and nausea. My entire body shook, and my legs felt weak. I knew I had to climb that ridge, I wanted to. My legs wouldn¡¯t move. I considered myself fairly used to combat at this point, no expert, but experienced enough to know I wouldn¡¯t freak out. This time I couldn¡¯t set aside the feeling that I was completely outclassed by whatever I was about to go up against. I didn¡¯t need to win, though, did I? I wasn¡¯t here to slay the bad guy. My plan had only ever been to get in and get out. A little chaos sowed over the battlefield was as likely to help as it was to hurt. I kicked up a plume of sand and rock as I ran towards the cliff. The beach was little more than a long, thin strip of grassy sand and I quickly reached the base of the cliff and leaped upwards. The height of the cliff was about twice the length of a football field. It was made of yellow-orange rock lined with swirling strata. Multiple outcroppings held withered trees and yellow, lifeless grass. The rock of the cliff itself was brittle and easily broke off in my hands, making climbing difficult.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Numerous handholds crumbled into dust under my touch before I began creating spikes of energy and slamming them into the cliff wall. I was able to anchor them deep enough that the soft rock could support my weight. Once I had two alternating rows of spikes created, scaling the rock face was as easy as climbing a ladder. From there, it was a matter of seconds before I was swinging my legs over the top of the cliff and looking down on the other side. It was like I had climbed into another world, a world of conflicting extremes. I stood above a sweeping valley with high cliffs on two sides. A meandering river ran through the valley, dividing vibrant forest from rolling hills of grassland. The trees were large and had curling trunks from which grew twisting, pointed branches that exploded into tiny green leaves. Amid the sea of leaves were large blooms of white petals that gently swayed to a chill breeze that flowed over everything. Roughly fifty meters above the valley floated a sphere of dense energy that was so black it looked like a hole drilled into the sky. It absorbed not only light, but the life of everything around it. The eldritch energy was wild and turbulent in the valley and spun around it like a twister before it was slowly drawn upwards into the sphere. Nothing could be seen through the surface of the orb, even my sight couldn¡¯t pierce the thick shell of energy. Despite that, I could sense life, or some twisted perversion of it. Something was growing inside. I looked away and rubbed at my eyes as spots swam through my vision. Looking at the sphere was painful, as if I were staring directly into the sun. Below the orb was a small area of dead trees that had drooped and split open to reveal swarms of beetles that crawled through black pus that flowed from dead wood onto cracked and barren earth. The ring of death was still small and surrounded by vegetation that still clung to life. The trees at the edge of that divide had leaves that were slowly turning brown, some crumbling into black ash that drifted up and filled the sky above the valley. Bark was slowly sloughing off to reveal blackened trunks riddled with gnawing insects. On the northeast side of the valley a ring of metal barricades had been constructed around the remains of an overgrown building. Dirt and vegetation had filled the building and burst out from swollen walls. Soon it would be nothing more than an oddly shaped hill, completely hiding the architecture that was its skeleton. Muzzle flashes followed by rapid barks of gunfire drew my eye. The peacekeepers had retreated behind large metal barriers that stood in front of a u-shaped courtyard. A blue haze surrounded their location like a thin, permeable wall. It was too far for me to see individuals, but I guessed there were at least fifty of them. A horde of creatures surrounded the building on all sides. There were thousands, perhaps tens of thousands. Even more amazing than the number and variety of the monsters was the way they were segregated. The creatures ranged from humanoid to giant quadrupeds and even included winged serpents and floating tentacle abominations ¨C yet they all massed together like tribes unwilling to intermix. Each of the larger tribes contained a leader, and these creatures were the only exception to the segregation. There were thirteen of them, and each was massive and vaguely humanoid. Their features and limbs were hooded and hidden under flowing red robes. Smaller, human sized figures clothed in brown or green robes surrounded these monstrosities. They had yet to attack, instead standing behind their armies as if unconcerned by the growing body count. They stood gazing outwards, their smaller attendants defending them and occasionally attacking barriers with bolts of green lightning. A line of death surrounded the overgrown building, but monsters were beginning to pour over the metal barricades as peacekeeper troops fell back into the courtyard. Telvy had beaten me there, and I could see her covering the retreat of a group of a dozen black-armored Peacekeepers. Her long red hair flowed behind her like a rallying banner. Chains hummed as they sliced flesh like razor sharp whips. Some of the larger creatures would hold out for a moment but would wail in pain as her chains wrapped around their limbs and slowly sank into thick hides before slicing through bone and sinew. It was a masterful, and terrifying dance. A group of robed figures bombarded her with streams of green fire. She easily deflected or danced through the attacks, but she was slowly being driven back into the courtyard. Once the soldiers she was covering had passed through, the archmage joined them behind the shimmering blue wall of force. A black, buzzing fog filled the air above the sheltering Peacekeepers. The cloud circled the perimeter of their defenses, and the shifting haze made it difficult to make out any details on the other side. The cloud had a strange way of moving, shifting from one direction to another rapidly. Occasionally, it would take short pauses where it had almost no movement at all. The swarm seemed unable to pass through the blue forcefield and fizzled into smoke and ash upon contact. Larger beasts would charge the wall of energy as well but would be quickly cut down by spells and bullets before they could make contact. It seemed a solid defense, but the Peacekeepers had been driven back and were now forced to be completely reactive. Without a counterattack, I feared they would lose a battle of attrition. Once their barrier was gone they would be quickly overrun. I had no way of knowing how long they could hold the forcefield, but it if it was powered by mana they would run out of resources eventually. If I reached them I could reinforce the shell with a nearly limitless amount of eldritch energy, but my own focus and concentration would eventually waver as my mental fatigue increased. No, defense wasn¡¯t the answer. The only thing I could do was cut a line through the horde of beasts and then retreat with whomever I could convince to go with me. Even if they could win a protracted battle, there was still the growing sphere of deathly energy. I didn¡¯t want to be around when that thing finally hatched. Chapter 50: Ave Maria I followed the ledge of the cliff as it gradually angled towards the northeast. I stayed low, trying to stay behind the sparse vegetation and sporadically placed rocks. This slowly brought me closer to the courtyard, but there was still the problem of an army of creatures between the Peacekeeper encampment and myself. There were gaps where the different breeds of abomination refused to mix, but I couldn¡¯t see a way to slip through those narrow openings without being detected. The area around the battlefield had been trampled flat. Even the grass had been ground down to nothing but dust. There were no trees or rock formations large enough to provide cover. A stream that had broken off from the larger river cut through the northern half of the horde, but just getting there undetected would be impossible. Even if I could, I had no guarantee that I wouldn¡¯t be noticed as I tried to swim against the current. There was no clear shot to the courtyard, and a growing number of beasts were congregating around the area. Different species would occasionally engage in short skirmishes to determine which of them would be allowed to attack the Peacekeeper defenses. The losers would scurry off, biding their time. It became a constant rotation of infighting followed by challenges and posturing that were inevitably followed by an earth shattering charge against the glowing blue forcefield. Each time these attacks would be broken by a deluge of fire and lead. Whatever faults I had with the Peacekeepers, I couldn¡¯t criticize their accuracy. Despite this, the attacks showed no sign of slowing. It was an unending cycle as more beasts would take the place of the slain. Each wave destroyed was added to a growing mound of corpses. It was as if the horde was content to entomb the Peacekeepers in a mountain of sacrificial flesh. Even for mutated, eldritch infested beasts it seemed unnatural. Their survival instincts had been overpowered by a mindless bloodlust. There had to be more to it, some motive I wasn¡¯t seeing. This single mindedness only aided me, but I still felt uneasy. I wasn¡¯t being watched and had the element of surprise, so it would be a test of their speed against my own. Some of the quadrupeds and smaller humanoids were quick, but I was capable of explosive bursts of speed when required. There was even a chance of assistance if I could get close enough to the courtyard. If only the mindless beasts were the only thing I had to worry about. The red robed giants stood as silent sentinels. They peered down on everything before them with unmoving attentiveness. Each was ringed by a group of thirteen mages. What I needed was a distraction. It would have to be big. My eye slipped down to the pocket of energy I was using to carry the dungeon core. I had intended to use it as threat ¨C a way to get Sebbit to back down. The idea seemed foolish now. The captain was way too by-the-book to give into what was essentially a terrorist threat. Besides, it couldn¡¯t be a bluff. I¡¯d have to truly be willing to go through with it. If I wasn¡¯t sincere he¡¯d see through the ruse. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was skill or skill, but the captain was impossible to lie to. I¡¯d have to be willing to blow up Tiller as well. That wasn¡¯t really an option if saving the cocky son-of-bitch was my only goal. It was time to stop thinking, and just act. Let the chips fall where they may. I formed a plan. It was monumentally stupid and not properly thought out, perhaps, but it was all that I had. I jumped from the cliff. For a tiny moment, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to feel the unbridled joy of it. The sky was behind me and the ground raced up to meet me as the wind flowed over my face and brushed back my hair. It was exhilarating. It was also brief. I was trusting nothing but chance that I wouldn¡¯t be seen before I landed, but that was the smallest worry on my mind. The drop was more than enough to kill me, or at least the old me. Rather than risk shattering every bone in my body I fabricated two wings that sprung from my back and curved outward to catch the air. The wings bore large, black, and red feathers and were modelled after the kingfisher¡¯s ¨C a form I had become familiar with. They were big enough to fit on a single engine Cessna, and almost entirely rigid. They looked the part but lacked the strength or articulation for true flight. They were enough, however, to slow my descent as I softly spiraled downward. I looked below to the horde and its masters, but nothing turned to stare up at me. As I broke through the the top of the forest canopy I dismissed the wings and fell the rest of the distance. I hit the ground with a heavy thud that turned into an uncontrolled roll. It was painful, but after a quick check of my status screen I was convinced that I was unharmed. Who needed x-rays and doctor visits when I could just summon a hallucinogenic display involuntarily implanted into my head by an invading alien civilization? Progress. Before I continued I scanned my surroundings for threats. Who knew what kind of scavengers would be attracted to a battlefield this size?The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I found nothing. Nature was never still. Even when you couldn¡¯t see anything, the signs were always there. At least, before that day I¡¯d never seen their absence. I could hear the tremble of the earth as thousands of feet marched across it, and the shouts and howls were a ringing vibration that shook my skull. There was nothing else. No skitter of tiny claws on bark, or the rustling of leaves as creatures fled through the underbrush. No birdsong filled the sky ¨C only the angry buzzing of millions of flying beetles. Everything else was gone or had bunkered down and feared to show itself. This absence filled me with more dread than any number of visible threats could have. I¡¯d seen what the ecosystem had become, and it was at its most dangerous when you didn¡¯t know what to expect. If it was true that no scavengers waited to clear the battlefield, then something else was waiting ¨C something worse. I didn¡¯t have time to worry about what I couldn¡¯t see. I quickly sprinted towards the battlefield but stopped before I passed the tree line. It was the last cover I¡¯d have, with more than five-hundred yards (460 meters) of empty space between me and the rear line of the attacking horde. Assaulting the horde directly was pointless, there were too many of them. I needed to take down the generals. The red robed giants seemed the obvious candidate, but I was hesitant because they seemed too obvious. The closest of the giants was standing his vigil behind a group of green skinned humanoids. They looked like spindly goblins and were dressed in tattered garments made from untreated hide. They held simple weapons, mostly clubs or short javelins with stone spearheads. Some of their number were much larger, at least three times the size of the other goblins and twice as thick. They were ferocious, battling even amongst themselves to reach the front of the battlefield. The largest would casually trample the others as they charged forward. One such creature even carved a path through green flesh, swinging an oversized stone club back and forth like a scythe cutting down wheat. This casual slaughter of their own people, combined with the segregation of species, told me that whatever was controlling this army had a tenuous hold at best. There was some influence overriding primal instincts and free will, but it was fallible. My only chance was to disrupt that influence. The entire time I¡¯d held the dungeon core I had been slowly venting energy so that it wouldn¡¯t build up too much pressure. I decided to close this vent and slowly contract the pocket, allowing the pressure to build unchecked. I quickly felt the energy pushing against me. It struggled against my control as it grew stronger with each second. This was incredibly dangerous and was akin to holding a bomb without a visible timer. Luckily, I didn¡¯t have to hold it myself. Instead I conjured a Shadow Doppelganger and slowly passed the core to it. It was a slow process, as I had to be sure to keep the orb encased in a thick membrane of eldritch energy. As soon as the process was complete the doppelganger shot forward faster than I could keep up. I followed behind as closely as I could, concentrating on keeping my makeshift explosive encased. If I failed to contain the energy it would either harmlessly disperse or violently expand before I was ready. Either option would likely lead to my death. I could already feel it start to degrade. I conjured an illusionary sphere around myself that matched the color of the dirt beneath my feet. It wasn¡¯t a perfect illusion, especially with the speed I was moving. My hope was that the screaming shadow flying like an arrow towards the nearest giant would be distraction enough to make my camouflage effective. Before the doppelganger crossed half the open field, bolts of green lightning and streams of jade fire filled the sky. I ordered it to dive close to the ground. My clone flew low enough that its toes almost brushed the earth, and a thick cloud of dust rose up behind it. This covered its advance somewhat but wasn¡¯t enough to stop a stream of green fire from passing through the shadow. I cursed, shifting all my focus into the duplicate, and lying my true body as close to the ground as possible. The line of fire had evaporated the left leg of the shadow from the knee down. A layer of green flame still clung to the stump of the illusionary leg, despite having no possible source of fuel. The flames slowly climbed over the rest of the leg, threatening to engulf the shadow completely. Rather than continue the attack, I ordered the doppelganger to crash into the dirt. I had it mimic thrashing and screaming, as if it were injured. Its howls were the death throes of a mournful creature. This only drew more attention, and some of the horde couldn¡¯t help but turn towards injured prey. The entire time I slowly crept forward keeping as close to the ground as possible. I¡¯d been fishing enough times to know that live bait was the most effective. I¡¯d let the worm dance for a bit before I set the hook. It worked and before long hundreds of the goblins were charging towards my downed doppelganger. The green fire was continuing to consume it, but I sacrificed what remained of the leg and ordered the creature to crawl away. It screamed in feigned agony the entire time. The watchful and hungry gaze of thousands of bloodthirsty beasts didn¡¯t notice a small, black ball slowly rolling towards the circle of robed mages. As the orb got further from me, my controlled lessened. The membrane of eldritch energy became unstable and began to swirl and expand under the mounting pressure. I fought to keep the thickness consistent as the pressure continued to grow increasingly difficult to contain with every inch it moved. Soon I would lose control completely and it would spin out of my grasp. As the horde reached the downed doppelganger they tore it apart and looked around in confusion as their meal quietly evaporated into harmless mist. They began to fight amongst themselves. Stone and wood broke bones and teeth. Blood flowed freely as claw and fang tore into flesh. Screams pierced the chaos and nothing noticed a small ball as it continued forward. Eventually the red-robed giant turned its attention away from the battle in front of it and towards the rebelling goblins behind. It let out a silent howl, and the goblins looked up in confusion. A calm came over them and they reluctantly turned back toward the rest of the horde. At the same time, the giant looked down as a small object came to rest against its foot. The face of the creature was hidden in shadows, but its head turned slightly to the side and its shoulders rose. As the creature reached down to pick up the object I allowed the eldritch membrane to collapse. It didn¡¯t dissipate all out once, instead it spun as layers of energy gradually evaporated. Tiny pinpricks of light began to appear on the sphere and the energy began to swirl faster. As the speed increased the pinpricks grew larger, and thin needles of energy began to shoot outwards from them. I saw the giant pull back and howl in rage, its hand was dripping blood and missing fingers. The pinpricks of light quickly consumed the entire orb until it was a swirling mass of glowing plasma. And then the orb released its energy, the final wisp of the protective barrier evaporating into nothingness. Chapter 51: Leveling Earth and Sky I was expecting something along the lines of a Hollywood explosion ¨C a controlled, evenly distributed release of kinetic energy, heat, and light. A few billowing flames wouldn¡¯t have seemed out of place. That wasn¡¯t what I got. There were no flames, but there was plenty of light and force. A brilliant wave washed over me, drowning everything in an intense sea of white. I was blinded. It lasted only seconds, but those moments contained more pain and death than anything I had imagined possible. The force of the blast had pressed me into the cold soil. Heavy earth fell like rain, burying me further. I felt trapped under the weight and it bore down upon me with increasing force. I began frantically kicking and pushing as I tried to free myself. My panic and the loamy walls of my tomb muffled the sound of the world above me. Everything was distorted and far away, but still clear to my enhanced perception. Those sounds still haunt my more restless nights. Screams full off spittle and rage filled my ears. Howls and pounding feet shook the earth around me in answer to these calls. This was met with a clash of claw and flesh as allies turned against each other. The cries of fury quickly turned into despair as I heard the thud of dozens of bodies hitting the ground at the same time. Something incredibly large was slamming against the earth with terrifying force and speed. The ferocious beat slowly increased in tempo, it was much like the sound of a train picking up speed as it pulls away from a station. The earth responded like taut skin stretched across a drum. The dirt bounced, and waves passed through blood-soaked mud like ripples in a pond. I felt it as a deep vibration in my chest. Each strike was followed by a thunderous boom like the crack of a whip. As the speed of the cracks intensified I could no longer hear the dings and shouts of combat. A few inhuman voices still called out in pain and rage, but they were quickly being silenced. The wet sounds of tearing flesh and the sickening cracks of shattered bone would follow each percussive strike. It seemed to go on forever but had taken no more than a scant few heartbeats ¡ª a single measure of a ghastly dance. Eventually, even the raging howls and cries of anguish faded into quiet whimpers. Everything else had gone quiet. No sounds of battle or life broke the silence as the deadly percussion slowly stilled. My vision was beginning to return. The blinding white slowly retreated, to be replaced by a deep and overwhelming black. I thrust my arm upwards and I could feel a cool wind between my fingers. I tore at earth and pressed up with my legs until my eyes broke free beneath a purple and hazy sky. The world was blurred and dark and I was unable to focus on the carnage that lied around me. Something large and fast passed over me, creating flickering shadows like the spinning shade of a gargantuan propeller. A gentle hum filled the silence. With every rotation of the shadow the hum grew louder, and the air began to pull at me like the drag of a large truck passing too closely. As the effect increased, dirt and small stones began to fly into the sky until converging at a single point. I may have joined them if I didn¡¯t still have a half ton of earth anchoring me to the ground. I wasn¡¯t sure how long that would be true, however, as thick streams of dust spiraled into the air and began to rotate around a growing sphere of rock and dirt. The spinning singularity picked up speed and was soon absorbing green-skinned corpses and tearing craters from the ground as loose dirt revealed buried stones of various sizes. I reinforced the earth around me by creating a large net of eldritch energy that covered myself and the small hill I was buried in. I then anchored the net with massive spikes that I drove as deep beneath the ground as I could. Within seconds I was lifted out of my hiding spot, my weight straining against the net. Long gashes were cut into my armor and thick red welts appeared on exposed flesh. The spikes anchoring the net began to loosen and pull free one by one. With each tug the net was lifted higher above the ground as winding trails of dirt broke free to orbit what was beginning to look like a small moon. The reversed gravity continued to pull me upwards until only a single spike remained to anchor me to the Earth. I grasped the energy of the net and condensed it into a sphere to protect myself from the flying rock and fallen weapons that filled the air. And then¡­ it stopped. I heard a sound like shattered glass, and everything went still. For a moment I was weightless. I floated among clumps of dirt and stone like detritus cast through space. A globe the size of a large house hung motionless above me. Small cracks appeared in its surface, widening and lengthening almost instantly as the stone began to fray. Not everything fell at the same time. The objects closest to the ground began to obey normal gravity first, before slowly passing the message upwards. As stone and rock began to bury me I looked up at the boulder that blocked out the entire sky. It was slowly rotating and was still absorbing the dirt closest to it. The spin was slowing, and the surface of the sphere was an ever growing crisscross of cracks and chasms. When that thing came down I couldn¡¯t be under it. Dirt poured down the rounded sides of my energy shield, all but burying me once again. Only one direction was clear.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I bent my knees. As the muscles in my legs contracted I wound eldritch energy around each fiber. I didn¡¯t have this much control over the ambient energy, but since fusing with my new arm I had gained a greater control and understanding over the energy I had integrated into my own flesh and bone. It would hurt, but I could roughly double my power without doing more damage than a heavy workout. Greater boosts were possible, but the risks were greater as well. I chose to increase the strength of my legs threefold. I jumped, my body and legs straightened as I threw my arms over my head. In the same instant I released my protective shell. I cleared the top just as tons of earth and rock rushed in to fill the void. A thick plume of dust engulfed me. At the same time, the spinning sphere stopped its rotation and hung motionless in the air. The feeling of flying towards it was both invigorating, and terrifying. I continued to fly upwards with no way to correct my course. I was blind in every direction as thick clouds of dust surrounded me. A wall of earth blocked the way forward. It was as if I was falling through clouds of dust towards an empty, desert planet. In the fraction of a second before the orb began to fall, I flipped and landed feet first on its cracked surface. I pushed off against crumbling rock, creating a cascade of breaks and fissures. Small pieces began to break off from the miniature moon and immediately began to fall. This seemed to be the signal for everything else to follow. I flew outwards, angled slightly away from the hurtling ball of rock and buried corpses. I would reach the ground first and might even have a moment to run. I would still land closer to the impact than I would like. My mana shield was active but had yet to recover to full strength after the sniper shot I took to the head. I could create another shield of eldritch energy, but instead I chose to focus on speed. I was falling headfirst, and the ground was still obscured. Energy coursed through my legs in anticipation of a mad dash as soon as I landed. I would need to nail the timing perfectly. I tried to calculate my speed to figure out exactly when I would land, but it turned out that a forty intelligence did not automatically make up for years of minimal effort in math class. That didn¡¯t mean I was out of tricks. I conjured several small marbles of energy and threw them forward with a soft underhand. They would land a fraction of a second before I did. I kept a mental hold on the energy, looking for the exact moment the marbles stopped moving. When the marbles hit the ground, I fell into a forward roll. I ended up beginning the roll too early and came down on my hip rather than my shoulder. A burning shot of pain ran up my spine, but I continued as if nothing happened and easily hit my feet running. A shock wave followed by a rolling mound of dust and dirt quickly overtook me. I was buried and knocked to the ground once more. Luckily, this time I was not entombed but merely covered in a layer of grime. Something wet and sticky was mixed with the dirt and pebbles, but I ignored the feeling and turned my mind to something else. The destruction had been massive and had killed nearly everything within its radius. Despite that, the area wasn¡¯t large enough to have taken out more than a tiny fraction of the horde. It was confined almost entirely to the rear flank of the goblin army. Most of the goblins, not to mention the other species, were likely unharmed. One of the red robed giants and its thirteen cohorts seemed to have been taken out. That, at least, was a win. Whatever intelligence or algorithm that controlled the system decided that this was perfect moment to remind me it was in charge. A deluge of status updates was starting to overwhelm my senses. Normally they would be welcome, but I had never received so many in such a short time. It was distracting and nauseating. I could feel the air become thick with energy, but it was the flavorless and pasteurized version used by the system. It was like mana, but grey and lifeless. It was devoid of the temperament and instability of eldritch energy. Worse, I couldn¡¯t control it. I couldn¡¯t stop it from flowing into me. I became dazed as it formed a twister above me that funneled straight into my chest. I felt as if I was the drain at the bottom of some celestial tub. I could feel the energy changing me. A large portion of the energy disappeared, and I was unable to grasp where it went. Flashing lights and scrolling cautions, numbers, and updates distracted me. I dismissed them until I got past the army of fiends and found a safe place. If such a place even existed now. The information kept coming, demanding to be seen. I could set it aside, but the knowledge stayed in the back of my mind demanding to be acknowledged. I had to act before curious or vengeful monsters ventured closer. I may not have taken out the army, but I had filled the sky with a cloud of dust that was slowly settling over everything. That, combined with my illusions, would camouflage my movements. I took off running. I would need speed, and a little luck. I ran roughly the length of three football fields before I exited the radius of the destruction I had created. As I broke through, the dust thinned and I became aware of something in front of me. An army of green bodies was lined up shoulder to shoulder. Individual goblins would jostle or kick their neighbors, but it was an otherwise unified front. The lined curved as far as I could see in each direction, as if they were creating a ring around the entire area. Shit. Something was suppressing their instincts to an even greater level than before. They were waiting to stop anything that exited the radius of the cataclysm that had consumed thousands of their horde. I wasn¡¯t entirely caught of guard. I was surrounded by an illusionary sphere that made me look like a whirlwind of dust. I should blend in to the background, except to the most scrupulous of eyes. As the horde appeared I conjured a shadow doppelganger and ordered it to run parallel to the army of goblins. The shadow was uncamouflaged, and moved slowly. Whatever was suppressing the goblins¡¯ instincts wasn¡¯t powerful enough to stop them from chasing easy prey. This created a hole in the wall of goblin flesh. I slipped through unnoticed, picking up speed with each step. I reached a sort of no man¡¯s land in less than half a minute. It was a semicircle of cratered and blood soaked land directly in front of the blue forcefield. A small group of familiar faces stood just outside the dome. They didn¡¯t look happy. I took one more look at the wasteland behind me. The army of abominations could not be reasoned with or overpowered. They represented only death. I still hesitated before stepping forward. The look on my welcome committee''s face was not one of gratitude. Chapter 52: Apotheosis Horizon As I walked through the barrier I felt a slight tingle as an electrical current washed over my skin. There was a faint fizzling sound followed by a loud pop, and then I was on the other side. The air was fresh and carried a slight whiff of ozone like the cool nighttime air after afternoon thunderstorms. It was one of my most pleasant experiences in recent memory. I hadn¡¯t realized how badly the battlefield had smelled. I had either gotten used to, or blocked out, the horrible smell of excrement, perspiration, and death. Their absence was the sweetest thing I had ever tasted. It¡¯s funny how often the greatest pleasures are found in the relief of something unpleasant. Silent Peacekeepers flanked me on each side. Sebbit walked directly behind me and was joined by Catayla at his left and Talith on his right. They weren¡¯t exactly on my ass, but they walked closely enough that I was starting to get a bit claustrophobic. This certainly didn¡¯t feel like the hero¡¯s reception I was expecting. ¡°So, what in Hell is going on,¡± I turned around to face Sebbit. ¡°Did I somehow offend you again? Do you macho assholes not accept help even when you are surrounded and outnumbered? I mean, fuck, just look outside.¡± My rant started calm, but quickly descended into shouting. ¡°Mr. Finn ¡ª¡± ¡°Let me, Captain,¡± Catayla said. She looked at Sebbit and he gave her a slight nod before she continued. Now that I was looking for them I could see signs of pride on his face. The captain¡¯s smile appeared and disappeared fast enough that I may have imagined it, but it lingered in his eyes. ¡°Finn, we¡¯re glad to see you. We really are. Archmage Armeria told us that she had to leave you behind after stabilizing some very serious injuries.¡± Catayla held eye contact with me for slightly longer than I found comfortable but looked away as she patted my shoulder with one hand. ¡°She also told us about the barrier,¡± I flinched instinctively when Talith began to speak. I¡¯d learned the old armsmaster had a way of punctuating her statements with physical violence. ¡°Apparently you found a way to not only overcome your injury but also continued your mission to bring down the dome. I never imagined you¡¯d amount to anything even close to resembling a competent soldier, but that was a damn fine performance.¡± The massively tall alien looked down at me and smiled, showing multiple rows of razor sharp teeth. ¡°I¡¯m proud to have trained you.¡± ¡°Uh¡­. Not that I¡¯m not grateful for the praise, but if there is some shit in the middle of this compliment sandwich I¡¯d like to get it over with.¡± ¡°Ah, Mr. Finn,¡± Sebbit interjected. ¡°I have missed your¡­ colorful colloquialism. I cannot say, however, that I agree with your assault of women under my command. We will revisit that in the future. Trust me when I say that conversation will go much better if you cooperate now.¡± Something about the way he said it made me feel ashamed. Perhaps it was the way he emphasized ¡®assault of women¡¯ ¨C even if those women were seven-foot alien super soldiers with sci-fi weapons and a nasty set of razor sharp teeth. ¡°My primary concern, at the moment, is not your insubordination, but the fact that you decided it was a good idea to feed the gestating death goddess. An apotheosis, I might add, that I have spent significant time, resources, and lives just to delay.¡± ¡°Well¡­ fuck.¡± What do you even say to that? I turned and gazed at the sky. The black orb that hung there had clearly grown. It now cut a hole in the sky larger that was larger than a full moon. ¡°We have taken every action available to syphon off the energy in the area, and we have avoided direct conflict at all costs. Those beasts out there do not care if they kill us or we kill them ¨C they serve their masters either way.¡± ¡°Captain Sebbit,¡± I said. ¡°The only information I had was that you took one of my people into harm¡¯s way. Make that two.¡± I looked over at Catayla as I said the last word. ¡°I will do everything in my power to get them out safely. My team means just as much to me as yours does to you. If that means dealing with a few infant deities, abominations, or elder ones then so be it.¡± Sebbit¡¯s jaw tightened but I couldn¡¯t help but notice the smiles on the faces of Talith and Catayla. ¡°So then,¡± I continued. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°Very well, Mr. Finn. Come with me.¡± Sebbit agreeing so quickly scared me more than whatever was growing in the black orb. He was even somewhat pleasant. The only explanation I could think of was that he was desperate. We crossed the Peacekeeper camp quickly. Almost every one of the soldiers was stationed behind small, hexagonal barricades. Each shield was made of translucent energy and had several gaps in the center and around the edges that were just large enough to fit the barrel of a rifle.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. No one spoke, and the silence and general stillness was unnerving. I couldn¡¯t imagine how much training it took to develop that level of cohesion and confidence in a group this large. Not one of the soldiers so much as turned their head to look at their commanding officer as he cut a path through the camp. As we neared the rear of the encampment I noticed we were walking towards two massive vehicles. They looked somewhat like a tank if you took the basic idea and super-sized it. Each had multiple rows of articulated treads holding up fifty tons of armored plating. There was no cannon, but multiple turret stations lined the top of each vehicle. Between the two tanks was a long, narrow tent made from brown cloth that was similar to canvas. This was the only area in the camp with activity; Peacekeeper troops were moving around the vehicles and a stream of soldiers were moving in and out of the tent. I continued to follow Sebbit as he marched into the tent, soldiers moving aside to clear the way. The interior was simple, with a few machines placed to one side and a large, round table set in the center. There seemed to be another room, but it was sealed off behind a drawn curtain. Above the table floated a large holographic representation of the battlefield surrounding the Peacekeeper encampment. Four Peacekeepers stood around the table. They were interacting with hieroglyphic symbols and would occasionally make changes to the hologram itself using arcane hand movements. I almost never saw male Peacekeepers, and yet every one of these technicians was male. ¡°You son of a bitch,¡± I heard Tiller before I saw him. ¡°Was that you out there?¡± I turned and found the gangly airman standing directly behind me. He lifted me into a massive bearhug that pulled me several inches above the ground. I tried to make my discomfort at his physical affection clear with a few awkward pats of his shoulder. ¡°I thought you were dead. Then I found out you weren¡¯t, but then you¡¯d been torn apart by monsters. Try to stay with us this time, okay?¡± ¡°I could say the same thing to you,¡± I said. ¡°But first, can you put me down?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± he dropped me immediately. ¡°Sorry about that, it¡¯s just how I am. Are¡­.¡± I let out a soft gasp and begin to rub my temples. I was having a hard time delaying the system messages and they were demanding my attention with increased insistence. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Tiller asked. ¡°You kinda look like shit.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m fine, really. Just all these status updates won¡¯t shut up and they¡¯re giving me a headache. I¡¯ll be fine once I get a minute to deal with it.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was possible,¡± said Tiller. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be,¡± said Catayla. ¡°I mean, there are situations where the system will impose penalties if ignored ¨C but nothing on a tier IV planet should cause it. The whole point is to impose limits, both on citizens and dangers. This gives the natives the gentlest introduction possible.¡± ¡°Ha, you call this fucking gentle?¡± Tiller said. ¡°You only think this is bad because you haven¡¯t come up against anything above level twenty-five. I¡¯ve seen¡ª¡± ¡°Look,¡± I said. ¡°Can we get back to what¡¯s important? I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I turned to look at Sebbit and Talith. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you have a plan to deal with that thing?¡± I pointed behind me with my thumb. ¡°Hold on a moment,¡± Sebbit said. The captain turned to one of the male Peacekeepers and gave an order in a growling voice that sounded like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together. The soldier nodded and ran to the back of the tent and moved a large curtain slightly to one side. He shouted to whomever was inside, but never crossed the barrier itself. It only took a few seconds for Telvy to walk out, pushing aside the curtain to reveal a warm golden glow coming from the room behind her. ¡°Finn, my dear,¡± she smiled and threw her arms out wide. ¡°I was positively aghast at having to leave you behind. I¡¯m so glad you made it back in one piece.¡± She paused for a moment and looked at me with narrowed eyes. ¡°How are you¡­¡± she started. ¡°Archmage, please,¡± said Sebbit. ¡°I am sure Finn will answer your questions in good time.¡± He looked at me with an expectant stare as he finished the sentence. His cold eyes lingered for a moment before he continued. ¡°Right now, we require a status update on your formation.¡± ¡°Oh, well alright,¡± the archmage frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve completed the basic formation array with a series of mana infused silver inlays and copper wire salvaged from local tech, a brilliant piece of improvisation if I don¡¯t say so myself.¡± She lifted her chin and turned her head, showing off a long graceful neck. She continued to pose for a moment, seemingly gazing at some invisible point in the distance while quietly polishing her claws on the front of her shirt. When she finally finished her preening, the mage huffed before turning back to her explanation. ¡°I solved the power problems by connecting the dungeon cores in a master/slave chain regulated by the AI daemon, but there are just too many variables. Everything is ready ¨C but I¡¯ll need several minutes to calibrate and adjust to the deific entity¡¯s specific energy signature and aspect. ¡± ¡°What,¡± Sebbit rubbed between his eyes as he spoke. ¡°And please speak plainly ¨C what exactly do you need?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need time. The Apotheosis Horizon has already been crossed. We no longer have any chance to stop the event in its infancy. We¡¯ll have to wait for the fledgling deity to emerge and then distract her long enough for the AI to finish calibrations ¨C then we pray the spell works.¡± ¡°Reassuring,¡± Talith said. Sebbit remained remarkably calm for a man who was just told that his only way to stop a death goddess was to ¡®pray.¡¯ He used his characteristic thousand-yard stare to look through the archmage for a moment before nodding his head. ¡°Get it done.¡± ¡°Mr. Finn,¡± the captain turned to speak to me just as he was opening the tent flap. ¡°Leave Telvy and her new apprentice to their work¡­¡± As Sebbit spoke the word apprentice Tiller stood up straight and pointed at himself with both thumbs ¨C the universal gesture for ¡°this guy.¡± ¡°¡­ and follow me.¡± Sebbit didn¡¯t wait for confirmation before he exited the tent. Tiller looked like he wanted to say something, but Telvy was already heading to the backroom and calling for him to follow. Instead, he settled for giving me a firm pat on the shoulder before running after the archmage. I followed Talith and Catayla as they exited the tent. ¡°Alright, Mr. Finn,¡± Sebbit said as soon as we were clear of the tent. ¡°Thanks to you we no longer have to hold back. Saddle up and get comfortable, we roll out in ten.¡± 52.5 A powerful engine started up behind me, its roar loud enough to vibrate my teeth. ¡°All right,¡± I said with a smile. I¡¯d always had a fascination with anything that had lots of horsepower. Besides, riding inside the tank would give me a moment to allocate my stats. I found a ladder, but merely used it as a handhold before leaping to the top of the vehicle. I followed a group of three Peacekeepers as they entered an open hatch. The inside of the vehicle was long and narrow with two rows of chairs built into the walls. The floor and walls were solid metal and the only window was a clear door leading to a two-man cockpit. I slid into the nearest chair, ignoring the looks of the alien commandos that sat around me. I had much more interesting things to occupy my attention. Allocating stats felt good, like feeding some primal need. I had gained eight levels, bringing me to twenty-five. The number looked satisfying, but I noticed that the bar showing progress to the next level had turned grey and no longer displayed a number. It seemed I had finally reached the cap ¨C I vaguely remember Talith mentioning one during our training. It seemed like years ago. I had sixteen free stat points, and my class bonuses had given me eight each to Will and Perception. I quickly put a single point into will, bringing it to the cap. Perception had reached the cap from the class bonuses. Fuck. My stomach felt as if it dropped into my knees and my whole body felt cold and numb. I had lost a point. It seemed bonuses from leveling would be lost if the cap was already reached. It was only a single point, but the regret overwhelmed me for a moment. First world problems, I guess. The concept of a first world was kind of pointless now, wasn¡¯t it? Was America even a thing anymore? Sebbit had told me that most of the world was intact, but I also knew that monsters and dungeons weren¡¯t the only dangers. I was pretty sure that a single high-level criminal could take on any police department that relied on pre-apocalypse tactics. I shook off the brief lapse into introspection and looked back to my stats. I still had fifteen points to allocate. I considered ignoring the physical stats as I could always buff myself with eldritch energy, but it was also true that those augments benefitted from having a higher base. Focus, however, was still my lowest stat and had been increasingly useful since I gained the ability to create a doppelganger. I agonized over it, but in the end my love of round numbers won out. I split nine points between Endurance, Strength, Agility, and Reaction ¨C rounding each out at twenty. I poured the remaining six into focus, bringing it to seventeen. I looked over my status page with glee, my stats truly were starting to look impressive. I began scrolling through the rest of the updates, but they were mostly meaningless health or XP updates ¨C but two caught my eye. The first was a warning that my progress towards the corruption feat had increased by ten, but it came with absolutely no clue what that meant. The other was an entirely new feat: Herald of War ? - Where you walk war follows. You have slain hundreds upon the battlefield and anointed yourself in blood and earth. Your wounds close and your stamina returns with each kill you make. This effect is proportional to the strength of those whom fall before you. Beware, the very presence of a Herald on the battlefield fills the hearts of both friend and foe with an overwhelming desire for battle. It was a double-edged sword if it caused my enemies to fight harder than before, but it was also reassuring to have a way to heal myself in battle. It also felt completely tailored to my current situation. Was it merely a coincidence or was it ¡ª ¡°So. You¡¯re finally back with us. Feeling any better?¡± I shook my head and looked up to find a blue-scaled face directly across from me. Catayla had changed her form fitting jumpsuit for one of the black, bulkier versions and carried a rifle much larger than her usual armament. She¡¯d also managed to find a bandolier filled with shiny metal orbs. There were dozens of them, and the belt carrying them had to wrap around her chest twice to accommodate them all.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Oh. Uh Yeah, much better. It¡¯s like scratching an itch.¡± I leaned back in my chair and smiled. I probably looked goofy as hell, but I didn¡¯t care at this point. The vehicle kicked forward at the same time and the engine became louder. The floor began to visibly vibrate and the force of the sudden movement nearly pushed me into the soldier sitting next to me. ¡°I need to cover a few things with you, so listen up.¡± I nodded and held eye contact to let her know I was listening. The vehicle began to shake even more violently as I heard gunfire coming from above. At the same time a deafening boom rang out, and the tank tilted slightly to the left before righting itself. ¡°We are going to sweep the battlefield,¡± she yelled above the racket of the oversized engine. ¡°We rendezvous with team A in approximately two and a half minutes. At that time¡­¡± she paused to point to the rear wall of the transport. ¡°That wall will blow out and we exit and secure the area. You¡¯re going to be third out the door ¨C just behind me. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Got it,¡± I said. Time to start paying attention to my surroundings - a warzone wasn¡¯t the best place to fuss over my stats. ¡°Stay behind you and secure the area. Simple enough.¡± ¡°Good. Finn we¡¯re going to need you out there ¨C your ability to build defenses is going to save lives today. Focus on defense, leave the offense to the big guns.¡± She patted her comically large rifle fondly as she spoke. I began to nod, but my head was flung back into the wall behind me as the transport ramped up a hill and came down on the ground hard. ¡°You¡¯ve got it,¡± I whimpered. ¡°Here to help.¡± ¡°Good¡ª¡± she put two fingers against one ear and broke eye contact as she looked down and to the left. ¡°Incoming! Hold on to your asses, ladies.¡± I copied the Peacekeepers as they pressed their foreheads against their knees. I looked up at Catayala to find that she was the only one still sitting upright. She had a small circular tablet that she was typing into furiously with a single clawed finger. ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡± she yelled. Before she finished the final word, I was surrounded by a blue energy shield and the world fell out from under me. I was still belted into my chair but there was nothing beneath me but a thin blue membrane and the hard, rocky earth. An explosion of orange and red flames lit up everything behind me. To the front was nothing but the ground, which was quickly rising to meet me. I landed with a bone jarring thud as a cloud of dust surrounded me in a hazy fog. I began to fumble with the buckles securing me to the chair. As the noise picked up around me my heartbeat rose as well. My hands began to sweat and I couldn¡¯t find purchase on the metal clasps. I could hear screams and gunfire, but I couldn¡¯t see what was happening. In frustration, I turned the fingers on my right hand into blades and began to cut and smash my way out of the chair. I sliced at the belts and pummeled the chair with my elbows and feet. It eventually slid off me as a tattered scrap of cloth, steel, and plastic. By the time I stood up, the blue shield had completely faded, and the dust had settled enough that I could see a a small group of Peacekeepers standing around me. They had formed a ring and were shooting outwards at shapes that moved just out of sight. I looked, but couldn¡¯t find Catayla among them. I remembered her orders to focus on defense, and the first thing that came to mind were the hexagonal barriers the Peacekeepers set up throughout their base. The shields would protect us, and the Peacekeepers obviously had training using them. It took me less than a second to create the constructs. They quickly grew up from the ground until we were surrounded by a ring of hexagonal barriers. The shapes were perfectly designed to be fit together, and I quickly began to construct a roof above us, merging the hexagons into single dome. I had to credit the Peacekeepers for adaptability, as they immediately took cover and began to fire through the small gaps in the barricade. It was as if this was a routine thing they had trained for a thousand times. Perhaps it was. As the alien women fired into the shifting fog, I looked back in the direction of the transport. I couldn¡¯t see through the fog, but the light of a large fire pierced the veil of smoke and dust like a beacon. Two more explosions appeared as short bursts of light and sound before fading into the constant rhythm of gunfire. A strong hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. A large head encased in black armor stared down at me and yelled a few gruff syllables, but I was unable to understand the alien speech. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I yelled while pointing to my ears. The Peacekeeper looked at me for a moment before nodding. She pressed four outstretched fingers together and pointed using her whole hand before using two fingers to mime walking. I almost laughed at the absurdity of it, but her message was clear. I dismissed a hexagonal shield and the Peacekeepers fell out in two single file lines, charging across the battlefield. I followed, but chose to place myself between the two lines. I was amazed when they instinctively closed ranks around me, protecting me from every side. It wasn¡¯t much, but I felt much better having meat shields. Chapter 53: Fingers of the Dead I ran in the center of a Peacekeeper formation. They towered over me in bulky armors, making me feel as if I were enclosed in a wall of scale and steel. Heavy feet cracked the earth as we moved away from the relative safety of my hastily constructed defenses and towards the sounds of gunfire. We were headed for the smoldering ruin of our former transport, its flames cutting through the fog like a decrepit lighthouse. Both abomination and beast circled us, their roars and claws striking from every direction. A deep growl startled me, and I looked to my left. I heard the skitter of claws on stone, but my eyes saw only a blur retreating behind a thick haze. Things hid in the miasma of ash and dust, darting in to strike before fading back into the fog. Attackers fell before a constant streams of lead, delivered with scalpel-like precision. The women surrounding me, the soldiers, never hesitated or missed. They charged and killed, and I ran with them. I was struck by the beauty of it. Brilliant flares of gunfire burst through the plumes and ribbons of dust like hundreds of burning stars born into a chaotic nebula; each created only to die in the same instant. I felt as though I were watching the relentless cycle of death and rebirth at a cosmic scale. I looked down as something hard yet brittle cracked under the pressure of my boot. One more step and another object, round and white, snapped before turning into powder beneath my foot. Small yellow-white shards littered the ground, and long angular protrusions pushed through the earth like broken teeth in a malformed jaw. Bones, withered and bleached, were strewn across the dry, dusty field. The further I ran the greater their numbers, and the greater the extent of their decay. Even if these corpses, it must have been thousands of them, predated the battle, they couldn¡¯t be more than a few weeks old. Despite that, only dry, desiccated bones remained. As we drew nearer to what remained of the Peacekeeper vehicle I felt myself begin to weaken. My stamina slowly began to drain, and I felt a heaviness in my limbs. It was slight, but perceptible. My stamina was going down by only a fraction of a point every few seconds and was regenerating at almost the same speed. I could probably last hours at this rate, but the loss was slowly increasing in speed the further I moved. I looked around, but if any of the troops around me noticed, they gave no indication. I looked to find the Peacekeeper who had tried to communicate with me earlier. I had come to think of her as Head Girl, because of the way she had taken charge earlier. Her actions gave no indication that she had noticed the drain, either. It was convenient that I just gained an ability that allowed me to replenish stamina in battle. I still found it odd, but I wouldn¡¯t let my unease stop me from exploiting the ability to its fullest. My thoughts were interrupted as the Peacekeepers began to slow. We were only a few hundred yards away from the transport at this point, and Head Girl had come to a halt. She held a closed fist above her left shoulder as a signal to the others. In the same moment, the charging soldiers stopped and fell to one knee. Rifles jumped to the ready with the heavy clang of metal on metal. The change in position was almost instantaneous, and was carried out with a practiced grace. I planted my feet and skid to a halt with decidedly less grace. I was unsure what to do so I began to create large, hexagonal shields. A thin membrane was beginning to take form when Head Girl stopped me by holding out an open palm and shaking her head in disapproval. As soon as my shields were dismissed she threw three small orbs about fifty yards (45 meters) in front of us. She then repeated the action behind and to each side of us. As soon as the last grenade left her hand she turned and made eye contact before giving me a quick nod. Everything gained a slight red haze as my shields solidified around us. I looked forward, taking a deep, desperate breath. Before I could fill my lungs again, the air was knocked out of me by what felt like a train driving through my chest. Pillars of fire and light rose up into the air as multiple shockwaves converged around me, sending tremors through my skull. My shields did little to dampen the force, but it was over quickly. I fell to one knee, as I struggled to draw breath. Air came in short, fitful gasps that felt like hot needles tearing through my lungs. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Nothing moved. The only sound was the drumming of my own heart. The only thing I could see were bright specks and swimming lines of light. I gently rubbed my eyes, but it did little to help. The quiet stillness seemed to drag on forever, and I could feel the pre-fight fear beginning to grip me. The sweat running down the back of my neck turned cold. I turned my head, my eyes darting back and forth feverously. I envied the calm control of the women around me. They remained unmoving as they gazed into the quickly darkening fog that surrounded us. Soon, shifting shadows filled the mist once more. Clacks rang out as rifles were pulled against armor, but no one fired. Head Girl stood up, a closed fist held above her head with her rifle down at her side. My heart raced, every instinct in me cried out to fight. I had to destroy the danger around me, or flee. I focused on visualization as I waited for the fight to begin. It calmed me, if only slightly. The more clearly I held the image, the more powerful the construct would be once conjured. Luckily for my chaotic mind, a sharpened pole is one of the most basic forms imaginable. As the shadows began moving towards us, Head Girl kept her arm upraised. The shadows were beginning to take form and were slowly moving forward. I noticed them take a strange, tilting gait ¨C a half step, followed by a short lunge. It created an unnerving two beat rhythm. Before I could fully make out what the creatures were, Head Girl threw her hand down and drew her rifle up to her shoulder. The Peacekeepers responded with an unending barrage of bullets. I maintained my shields, while also conjuring a rain made of dozens of fencepost sized spikes. After a volley, I¡¯d release control of the energy, allowing each projectile to slowly unravel. I repeated this process several times before I finally saw what I was fighting. One of my spikes impaled the head ofa creature while a hail of gunfire cut through its torso and limbs. As it fell to the ground there was no blood, instead a pile of splintered bones rolled forward. The bones might have been goblin, or even human. The forms they had been shaped into were not. As I looked up from the pile of loose bones at my feet, several more of these creatures became visible. What I saw resembled shambling mounds of bones crafted into only the barest hint of a humanoid. They were not skeletal, merely made from bones. Every part of these golems was created from tightly packed bone, with no regard for original function. One creature had a pile of skulls making up its chest, while its head was made of a rib cage and a broken pelvis. It ambled forward on thick legs of coiled bone that moved with jointless dexterity like powerful, supple worms. One hand was like a massive club, and the other ended in a long, thin blade made of sharpened femur. I redoubled my efforts, straining my focus as I continued to conjure lances of chaotic energy. A wave of backlash washed over me, making my mind feel as if it might break. Still, I continued. Spears of energy littered the field of battle and countless bullets shattered bone. The golems would continue to move forward despite broken bodies and shattered limbs. Even destroying the head was not enough. One such creature was slowly approaching when I shattered its head and tore off both legs with a hail of spikes. Despite these injuries, it continued to drag itself forward with barrel-thick arms made of mismatched bone. Head Girl switched positions, taking the shield directly in front of me. She dispatched the crawling bone golem with a single shot, before taking out three more in less than a second. When she was finished she turned towards me, a cloud of gunsmoke clinging to her figure. A long-fingered hand grasped my shoulder and drew me towards the imposing Peacekeeper. I looked up towards her eyes, violet surrounded by flecks of gold. She looked down at me with a predatory stare. Unlike most Peacekeepers her face was smooth. Rather than bumps and ridges, she had a group of three small scales at the corner of each eye and in a thin line around her jaw. She barked an order at me in a gravelly voice and physically moved me so that I was looking in the opposite direction. There I saw the silhouette of two massive columns growing into the sky. They twisted and swayed like grass blown by a gentle wind. My first thought was that someone must have dropped some magic beans. That fantasy was quickly broken when the twisting vines began to fall towards me. As they came crashing down I threw up another layer of shields and directed everything I had left into a volley of spikes. Head Girl¡¯s rifle began to shorten as it¡¯s barrel widened; within moments she was firing grenades towards the twin monsters. Each shot hit its target with a thump and a thin sheet of flames that clung and began to spread across the moving pillars. The remaining soldiers were directing their fire towards the pillars as well, ignoring the shambling bone golems that were drawing ever closer to our position. Grenades, automatic fire, and heavy shots that shook the air with the force of a cannon ¨C none of these stopped the speeding descent. The sky grew dark as the shadow enveloped us completely. The pillars became fully visible in the seconds before their imposing bulk swallowed us completely. Each was a pale white tentacle made of tightly packed bone that writhed and spun like millions of maggots crawling over each other. The bones clinked together producing an ear splitting rattle. The world went dark. Chapter 54: Our Lady, Who Art in Hell ¡°Wake up, Gussy Gus.¡± The voice was low and lilting; it was feminine and seeped in mirth and half-stifled laughter. It was as if the words were spoken during the discovery of some great delight, like a greeting between two friends long parted. I had the sense, however, that this amusement was born of malice rather than joy. I tried to look around to find the speaker, but I couldn¡¯t move. I was surrounded by something heavy that pressed down on me from every side. The weight shifted as I tried to move, causing the pressure to bear down on me all the harder. As my body struggled, my mind reeled at the smell of rot and chalk that permeated my tomb. My eyes saw only black. I was not truly blind, however. I could sense a thick cloud of energy, made of a combination of eldritch and the strange death-flavored energy. It had sunk into everything around me. It hung over the battlefield like a cloud of malaise, seeking to drown everything beneath it. At the center of that cloud was a beacon of energy too radiant to look at directly. It was as beautiful and intense as the sun, but consumed life rather than sustained it. I could feel small, pulsing channels connecting it to every creature in the area, alive or dead. I was no exception. I pulled back, using my senses to map the contours of the objects closest to me. I seemed to have been buried beneath a large pile of rubble. It was made of small, brittle objects that had broken into irregularly sized pebbles and long, jagged shards. I searched for Head Girl and her squad beneath the rubble, but they couldn¡¯t be found. ¡°Fisher!¡± I yelled more than once, but no response came. It seemed I was still alone in my own head. ¡°I know you can hear me, you fucking bird!¡± The only answer was silence, and an increase in the weight that bore down on me. The weight and darkness began to erode my will. Flashing system updates failed to illuminate the darkness, instead warning me that my health was critical and that the drain on my stamina had increased in speed. I battled an urge to give in, to just fall asleep and never awake. What was left to save? There was nothing that could be done, best to sleep¡­ No, not yet. I pushed aside my loneliness and despair and did what I do best ¨C I lashed out blindly and violently at everything I could touch. My right arm narrowed and elongated into a whip ending in five razor sharp claws. I thrashed and spun, using the weaponized arm to crush the rubble into fine powder. As I created more room for the limb to maneuver I slowly inched it toward the surface. At the same time, I created a skintight barrier around myself and slowly began pushing it outwards. The weight was intense, and it took all my focus, but the pressure on my body slowly lessened as the shield expanded. This gave me room to move and allowed me to strike with more leverage as I tried to dig myself upwards toward the unknown sky. Perhaps, I would have been better off hiding in my tomb. Eventually, my clawed hand broke through to the surface and I saw light. It split and scattered as it reflected off dust, breaking through the dark with visible lines of alternating greys and red. I worked to widen the tunnel, and several small objects rolled towards me, creating clinking echoes. As one came to rest beside my face I recognized it, and with that realization so to did I understand the nature of my surroundings. I reached over and picked up the small, chipped knuckle bone. I held it in front of my face, before focusing on the dome of white and yellow that hung above me. It was bone; all of it a mountain of skeletal remains. Most were broken and crushed, but under the pale red illumination they became recognizable. Half-intact skulls were wedged between cracked ribs and shattered femurs. The ridges of a severed spine could be seen under the crushed remains of an ulna and other bones too small and damaged to identify. To be surrounded by that much death made we wonder in awe at the power of whatever had caused it. It reminded me of the fragility of my own life. Rather than be horrified, however, I mostly just felt unclean. I had an urgent desire to be free of it, and to scrub away the rot and death. Despite each bone being fleshless and dry, I felt as if I were covered in a layer of slimy filth. I retched silently, but the action only served to remind me of how long it had been since I had eaten. I stuck out with strength born from blind panic. I continued my efforts until the tunnel was just barely wide enough for me to slide through, each inch slowly and painfully gained. My barrier kept my passage open until I broke through the surface, after which the tunnel collapsed inward while expelling a cloud of white dust. I breathed in large ragged gulps. The air was sweet as it filled my lungs, and cool as it gently brushed my face. I closed my eyes, allowing myself a brief moment of bliss before standing to survey my surroundings. I stood on a small mound amid a field littered with desiccated corpses, and sun-bleached bone. What had felt like a mountain as I clawed and scraped my way free, was no more than a half-dozen yards tall (5.5 meters). Dozens of similarly sized piles were visible, and many more existed beyond the thick fog that limited my range of sight. Above me, a glowing orb of red and black dominated the sky. It formed connections to everything within sight, slowly draining the living and empowering the dead. I could see this connection as forking channels, like black lightning frozen in time. I was being drained as well, which just meant I needed to find something to kill. Re-kill? Hopefully, the Herald of War feat wouldn¡¯t make a distinction between killing and re-killing. It was quite considerate of the budding death goddess to provide me with handy arrows pointing towards everything in my immediate area, alive or dead. I leaped from the mound of bones, sliding down an incline while leaving a trail of crushed ivory behind me. There was no solid ground to land on, just a thin layer of remains to crush under my boot. I ran across this field of white, aiming in the direction a particularly dense group of the undead. I was unsure, but there seemed to be a small group of the living in the area as well.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. As I ran forward, the large sphere only grew larger. I seemed to be aiming for a point directly below its center. The field of bones grew thicker, no longer could small glimpses of brown earth and blackened grass be seen between cracks and gaps. The air was full of mist, gentling the deathly imagery though obscuration. To uncareful eyes, I might have been running through snow-capped hills. It even crunched under my feet, much like the snow I remembered from an almost forgotten Christmas in Vermont. Once I passed directly under the sphere I noticed a change. The bones were vibrating and slowly sliding across the ground, and a deep rumbling could be heard within each mound. Some of the piles seemed to be growing upwards as if fed from some underground source. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± I yelled. ¡°There is no way I need to be here.¡± I came to a stop, realizing for the first time that I was charging into a graveyard that was likely to be my own. My entire body shook. Even my eyes began to water, but I sighed and continued forward. I wouldn¡¯t call it bravery, just a stubborn refusal to change course ¨C I was Ahab chasing my whale. I was determined to find some meaning, save some corner of a world that had been changed irreparably. My pace became slow and stuttered. I was capable of incredible speeds, but the bones made for unsure footing and I was constantly making turns to avoid the mounds that seemed to be growing larger and more frequent the further I ran. Within a few minutes, however, I rounded a hill and came face to face with an army of bone golems. They were a wave that had surrounded a small island. I could see the top of a Peacekeeper transport. Golems constantly crashed into its sides, their smashed bodies adding to the growing pile that threatened to consume the vehicle. Head Girl had somehow found her way here and was fighting alongside two of her squad. The rest were missing, or worse. An unmoving form lay at her feet, a blue-scaled face atop a mass of black armor. ¡°Catayla,¡± I yelled. ¡°Head ¡­ I mean, fuck. Hey you!¡± I stammered over what to call Head Girl but decided the best course of action was to get her attention the old-fashioned way. Violence, lots of it. I launched myself forward, my whip-like arm carving through reanimated bone with ease. As I moved forward, the crowd filled in behind me ¨C striking at my unguarded back. Sharp jaws made from shattered ribs latched onto my left knee and dragged me to the ground. I once more felt entombed, but I was saved as a large blast of fire and concussive force struck both me and my attackers. Bone crumbled, but I was left mostly untouched ¨C other than a twinge in my left knee and a burning pain that ran up my spine and down my left arm. The pain should have been crippling, but I was no longer soft enough to let it stop me. When this whole thing was over I¡¯d sleep for a few days ¡ª make that a few weeks. Rather than continue to fight my way through the horde of reanimated bone, I gathered as much energy as I could stand into the muscles and ligaments in my legs. They shortened and bunched as the power slowly grew, and then I leaped. I whooped in joy as I soared above the battle, but I was not aiming forward. Instead I launched myself upwards, to get as much height as possible. I was nearly fifty feet (15 meters) above the ground, when I felt my momentum slow. Right at the moment where I hung in balance at the top of my jump, that moment of almost complete weightlessness, I reached out. My right hand shot downward, trailing behind it a long cord of sinewy, black flesh. Two wings grew out from my back, reaching their maximum length at the same moment my clawed and twisted hand buried itself in the steel hull of the massive Peacekeeper vehicle. I glided above the dead, my arm slowly reeling me in towards the befuddled Peacekeepers. Head Girl stared up at me, mouth agape, but was not taken by surprise when a skeletal hand grasped her ankle. Without even looking, she struck downwards with the butt of her rifle. Bone shattered and exploded into fine dust. I was within a few yards of the transport when I released my artificial wings, they bubbled and turned into ash and large, twisting funnels of mist. My feet hit steel with a thud, as my hand came free of the tank ¨C leaving behind a large bloom of twisted steel in the hull of the vehicle. I began to lash out in all directions, firing arcane bolts from my human arm while the other cut through bone, like a razor-lined whip through warm butter. The Peacekeepers had already gotten over their shock and continued to shoot into the encroaching horde with heavy machine gun fire punctuated by concussive grenades. I fought, for minutes or hours I don¡¯t know. It all blurred together, until a lull in the attack allowed me to catch my breath. The bone golems where no longer attacking, instead turning to look up at the sky. Rather than turn to look, I immediately took advantage of the situation and picked up Catayla¡¯s limp form. I flung her over my shoulder, and was surprised at her weight. Even with my strength enhanced by eldritch power, she would slow me down. ¡°We need to get out of here,¡± I yelled. Head Girl looked at me, but only shook her head and extended a clawed finger, pointing behind me. The second transport, still intact, was charging through the horde of bone. It was far away, but moving quickly - launching into the air as it crested mounds of bone. A powerful headlight stabbed through the mist like a blade, and rapid muzzle flashes erupted as undead bone fell broken to the ground. ¡°Oh, thank God.¡± I allowed myself to relax slightly, as my fatigue final caught up with my adrenaline-fueled strength. ¡°We¡¯re saved.¡± I heard a sharp exhale, and a slow wheezing gasp. I turned back towards Head Girl, but she was slumped over. Blood poured from her mouth, and a large golden spear pinned her to the roof of the transport. The other two soldiers were firing their rifles upward but were quickly cut down as well; a beautifully crafted golden spear through each of their spines. ¡°No...¡± I meant to yell, but the word fell from mouth in a barely audible whimper. One more thing I tried to save, destroyed in front of me. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you,¡± I directed my rage towards the heavens. Above me hovered a great bird, with two pairs of wings. The wings on the left mere molted, with bits of bone sticking through rotting flesh. The wings on the right were black, like raven wings as large as a tractor trailer. They beat slowly, creating a powerful squall that pushed down on me. The groan of bending metal cried out from beneath my feet. ¡°Ah, Gus,¡± the creature said in a feminine, familiar voice. ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say to an old friend?¡± I looked up in shock. What I had thought was a bird, was not. It was dwarfed by the incredible size its two sets of mighty wings, but at the center I clearly saw the body of a female human. I focused on her face and found a visage hideously deformed. The left half of the creature¡¯s face was twisted, burnt flesh that barely clung to exposed bone. The eye was a swirling vortex of misty black with a burning red ember at its center. But the other half¡­ Red lips surrounded by pristine porcelain-smooth skin, supple and flawless. A mane of untangled hair spilled out behind her, like a golden halo. She smiled, a vindictive grin, as realization dawned on my face. ¡°Liv¡­¡± ¡°I am not Liv, not anymore." Her voice was exactly as I rembered. It was deep and sultry, pleasant to listen to and with a hint of innocence - I found it intoxicating. "Sweet boy, embrace me as you once did.¡± She spread her arms wide as she began to descend, as if walking down invisible stairs ¨C a long, green gown with golden trim trailing behind her. The Golems began to reach upwards, bones clattering together in macabre applause. ¡°Kneel before your queen,¡± I turned in fright as a thick, raspy howl rose up around me. The bone golems were all speaking in unison. ¡°Kneel before the Goddess, Hel.¡± Chapter 55: Darkness Before Dawn The being that shared half its face with one of my oldest and dearest friends continued to descend, her feet finding purchase on empty air. Her wings slowly shrank and folded behind her like a feathery, mismatched cape. Apparently, they were not needed to maintain flight. Liv always had been one for dramatics. ¡°¡­ But how?¡± I stammered. I was horrified at the implications of her appearance, but a large part of me was relieved to see her alive. Could she finally explain what was happening? God, did she know about Troy? Did she know what he had become, and what I had done? These thoughts crashed through my head, silencing questions of much graver import. ¡°Hold on, Finn,¡± she said. Her voice was soft and seductive, with no trace of the vileness that invaded her flesh. ¡°Our reunion can wait. We have other friends coming over to play. It would be rude not to invite them in.¡± She extended the broken, charred flesh that was her right hand and closed her claw-like fingers into a fist. I followed her gaze to the second Peacekeeper transport, which was charging up another mound of bone. Just as the transport reached the apex, it¡¯s front two tires beginning to gain air, the mound exploded. ¡°Fuck, Liv,¡± I screamed. ¡°Please, you don¡¯t have to do this. You know I¡¯m not your enemy.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be such a spoilsport,¡± she waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Your new toys are fine, see?¡± Broken bits of bone were still raining down around us, but when I looked back to the destroyed mound I found another of the giant bonetacles reaching into the sky. It wrapped around the Peacekeeper vehicle, swallowing it into a mass of bone. Slowly, the giant limb began to move towards me ¨C bringing the transport with it. ¡°Liv, I don¡¯t know what¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything, Finn.¡± She continued her descent until she was standing before me on an invisible plane of air. ¡°It¡¯s enough that you stand with me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ but stand with you against what?¡± ¡°Against the world, Finn. Everyone and everything.¡± She reached out and cupped my cheek with her unmarred hand. I placed my inhuman hand over her pale flesh, leaning into her embrace. ¡°This entire fucking universe would see us slaves, homogenous drones, to serve a broken system. A system that has invaded even you. We are more, don¡¯t you see? We can be gods, Finn. It¡¯s our birthright, given to us by the Founder, his greatness knows no bounds.¡± Behind me I heard a crash and the groan of bending steel. My eyes stayed firmly locked on Liv¡¯s. There was a strange beauty to the sharp contrast of her new form, a fierceness mixed with the pureness of her former self. The vortex of her empty socket drew me in, even as an eye of beautiful sapphire-blue promised me warmth and love. ¡°And you would what?¡± I asked. ¡°Tear down the system, and kill thousands ¡ª just for power? I can¡¯t support that Liv. Don¡¯t you know what your ambition did to Troy?¡± ¡°Troy?¡± Earsplitting laughter echoed through the bone-lined hills and canyons. It was an inhuman screech, like the mocking call of a stalking predator. ¡°Troy was never one of us. Just a disposable tool, though it is unfortunate you had to kill my serpent. He would have been so much fun.¡± She sighed in annoyance, a blackened hand coming to rest on her hip. ¡°But then, who am I to deny my former paramour his jealousy.¡± She pulled her fingers across my cheek until they came to rest below my mouth. ¡°I do hope you enjoyed the feel of his flesh coming apart in your hands. The power you hold, Finn! Isn¡¯t it intoxicating?¡± I pulled back, pushing away her hand. I found her strength to be unmovable, but she slowly drew her fingers back. Her jaw set, jutting forward slightly, and she crossed her arms over her chest. I¡¯d seen the same expression on her face countless times, often right before she began to pout. ¡°I don¡¯t want this power, Liv. You think I wanted to kill him? Troy was my best friend! Your husband, once¡­¡± She exploded into motion, and before I could register what was happening a single hand was wrapped around my throat. She slowly raised me above her head. ¡°Troy was nothing, Finn! It was always you ¨C we were to rule together, until¡­¡± She dropped me into a ball on the ground, my hands grasping at my throat as I desperately sought to breath. Liv crouched down, cradling my head in her arms. During the confusion I lost track of Catayla''s unconsious form, leaving her to slide unseen into a bed of bones - slowly buried alive. ¡°But I had you, didn¡¯t I?¡± Her smile twisted into a grin as she began to stroke my hair. ¡°That small piece of you, I carried it. I nurtured it. You must have known. Didn¡¯t it kill you to see another man claim your daughter as his own? You should have fought! You watched her grow, and never knew her true importance.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Import¡­¡± I tried to speak, each syllable was like gargling with acid. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Cat¡­ was mine?¡± I sat up, ignoring the pain in my lungs. Her powerful hands made no motion to stop me, and she chose to stand. She twirled in a graceful circle and bent over, bringing her face within inches of my own. I could smell her, it was like burnt flowers and freshly spilled blood. I met her gaze, both of us unspeaking for long seconds. I grabbed her by the throat, and jumped to my feet in a single, powerful motion. Liv¡¯s smile only widened. ¡°What the fuck happened to her, Liv? Where the hell is my daughter?¡± I screamed. I attempted to move her, to squeeze her throat into paste; but it was like fighting a rock wall. ¡°Hel,¡± she laughed. ¡°Happened to her. It¡¯s your father you should blame ¨C you were to be a king among gods. He burned the Mantle, cleansed his blood in fire. He stole your birthright and he perished for it.¡± She slapped away my hand, shattering the bones in my wrist. ¡°But the foolish son of a bitch didn¡¯t know he had another heir. We always knew his misgivings. My mother spent hundreds of years trying to capture his seed. In the end, the task fell to me.¡± I held my shattered hand and looked at her in horror. I was done speaking, I had no idea what to say. The Liv I knew was dead, or perhaps had never existed at all. ¡°You could say,¡± she said sweetly. ¡°That this beautiful new world began the moment our lovemaking ended. What greater creation could a parent hope for?¡± She approached me, twinning her fingers behind my neck. I made no attempt to stop her as she slowly pressed her lips to mine. She tasted of ash and spoiled meat. When she pulled away she let out a soft moan of pleasure. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you, Finn. I never expected to develop such fondness for you, yet here we are.¡± She gave a half grin and began to twirl her hair with one finger. ¡°I¡¯m just a goddess, standing in front of a boy¡­¡± I plunged my right arm into her stomach. Each finger lengthened into jagged blades, twirling as they tore through flesh. ¡°You killed her!¡± My face contorted in pain, an anguish I never knew existed. I stabbed her repeatedly, each time my hand coming away with thick chunks of flesh as blood stained the ground. ¡°You fucking bitch. I will end you!¡± A kick sent me flying, half burying me in fine, white powder. I stood, brushing the dust from my eyes and jacket. My legs felt rubbery, and I swayed as I walked back towards the self-proclaimed goddess. I would kill her, even if it killed me. ¡°You wound me, Finn.¡± She said, jutting out her lower lip slightly. ¡°I mean, not really. More¡­metaphorically.¡± My right arm had lost all feeling, and as I looked down I found it had become a shapeless clump. I had lost control of the energy that formed the limb, and it was beginning to droop like melting wax. Liv¡¯s midsection was a hole full of blood and ash but was already beginning to mend. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you could have been, what it means to be a God! I¡¯d kill a thousand daughters to feel this. Mine, yours, I don¡¯t care.¡± Her face contorted into a savage snarl before gentling. She walked forward and reached out to caress my cheek once more. ¡°You should know, before I kill you,¡± she said while placing a finger under my chin. She lifted my face until our eyes met. ¡°In the end, I couldn¡¯t do it.¡± She shook her head and turned, looking over the fields of death she had created. ¡°I felt some¡­ sentimentality. It was Troy who slit her throat, spilled her blood upon the altar. She looked up at him afterwards. Her last sight was of her murderer, the only father she ever knew. I could see the pleading in her eyes as they slowly darkened. It killed me too, Finn. She never knew why she had to die.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a monster, Liv,¡± I no longer had the energy to shout or lash out. I faced her eye-to-eye, refusing to back down. ¡°I will kill you.¡± ¡°Oh, Finn. My little Gussy Gus, you won¡¯t be killing anyone.¡± She stretched out her black hand, ash falling from it in gentle wisps. A golden spear began to form in her closed fist. ¡°You will watch me kill your friends, and then you will beg me to spare you as I carve out your heart as an offering to the Founder, may he rule again!¡± Hands made of bone reached up from below. I struggled to free myself as they slowly pulled me beneath the surface, leaving only my head uncovered. I had a perfect view of the shattered and smashed transport. Sebbit and several of his subordinates had slowly crawled from the wreckage and were lying around it, propped up against debris ¨C rifles trained forward. Liv laughed as bullets landed futilely around her. Sebbit held an impractically large revolver that fired grenades, but every shot exploded several feet before reaching the goddess. Her wings unfurled behind her and she rose into the sky, pillars of purple light filtering between the gaps in her feathers. I couldn¡¯t move my body, but I was not entirely powerless. As golden spears began to rain over the injured Peacekeepers I created a shimmering red dome to shield them. The spears broke by the dozens, each time creating long, winding cracks in my barrier. I filled the weaknesses as quickly as possible, but the barrage continued, and the mental fatigue was beginning to slow my reactions. I bought Sebbit and his women a few final moments, but eventually my shield broke under the relentless onslaught. Black armor was rent by golden spear, and flesh was torn and perforated. Screams filled the air as soldiers died under that misty sky. A weak, gurgling laugh pulled me from my remorse. Sebbit was still alive, though multiple spears pinned him to the ground. He pulled one from his leg and tossed it aside. The ones piercing his stomach and shoulder remained. ¡°May I request some final words?¡± Sebbit¡¯s usually reserved voice rang out with power and conviction. Hope filled me, and I used the distraction to begin working my arm free of its restraints. ¡°The goddess Hel will grant your request,¡± her voice was deep and resounding, as if it came from the heavens themselves. ¡°Give me your final words and I shall carry them into the halls of Valhala.¡± ¡°That will not be necessary, but thank you,¡± the captain¡¯s voice was beginning to waiver. ¡°I just wanted to express my gratitude at having served my queen, the Resplendent Wave, for over a hundred cycles. May she someday know peace.¡± Sebbit coughed, blood flowing over his chin. He paused to pull a white cloth from a small chest pocket, dabbing carefully at the corners of his mouth. ¡°Is that all?¡± Hel boomed. ¡°Not quite, thank you.¡± Sebbit dropped the cloth to the ground, his administration having done nothing to lessen the blood that covered his face. ¡°I also wanted to thank Mr. Finn for buying my people the time they needed. He will know glory in his time, but yours is up.¡± A golden spear pierced the heart of Captain Sebbit¡¯Task Orvillio Xern. As he took his final breath, a golden sun rose in the east. Chapter 56: Hubris, Slayer of Gods I watched Sebbit¡¯s lifeblood seep into bone, adding to the carnage that lay beneath him. He met his death with the same quiet dignity and staunch professionalism that he showed in life. I imagine he followed protocol even in the end. As the captain¡¯s eyes closed a brilliant golden light filled the sky. The intensity continued to increase until everything was awash in brilliant hues of white and gold, as if the sky had been consumed in fire. The air began to shimmer, and scattered bone cracked under the growing heat. A defiant shriek descended from above. Liv still hovered above me, but her face had contorted in horror. Her wings beat frantically, yet she seemed unable to make headway against whatever force restricted her. The demigoddess¡¯ cries and struggle became more desperate as the light and heat continued to increase. The world itself seemed to answer her call; the earth and bones that trapped me began to shake, producing a chattering rattle that I felt before I heard. The small fragments of bone vibrated as they began to move around me like a liquid, slowly drawing me beneath their pale white surface. As my face was covered by bony quicksand, a powerful flash became visible even through the growing layer above me. A thunderous boom split open the sky, soon followed by a powerful shockwave that pulled me into its grasp. The wave of force carried me backwards, a cloud of dust billowing around me. The force of the impact had blown through my shields, depleting the last of my mana. I was unable to gain enough orientation or focus to bring to bear the enormous amount of eldritch energy surrounding me. Every attempt I made to create a shield formed too late, protecting an empty pocket of air I had already long passed. I tried growing a cocoon of eldritch energy around myself to act as a cushion, but it was forming too slowly. I could already see the ground growing large beneath me. In the fraction of a second before I landed I did the only thing I could think of, using eldritch mimicry to create a partially-real copy of the arcane shield spell. It would stop a large percentage of the damage, and unlike mana, eldritch energy was an almost unlimited resource. Hopefully it would be enough. As I landed, the shockwave continued outward. The circle of force pushed through mounds of bone, clearing the ground as shards of brittle white dust joined the expanding cloud. My hand shot up to my ribs, I could tell I had cracked at least one. Multiple status screens appeared to highlight my injuries in more detail ¨C I had fractures and bruises throughout my body, but my health had stabilized at just below fifty percent. A cloud of dust blotted out the sky, but Liv was still clearly visible. She glowed with golden flame, two long tendrils of yellow energy had constricted her torso, breaking through flesh and bone. A third tendril was racing towards her head, but she turned and batted it away with a golden lance. She lashed out again and again, but each time the tendril grew closer. She was physically unrecognizable as the girl I had grown up with. There was now little dichotomy between the two halves of her face. Her smooth, porcelain skin was charred and had become of a patchwork divided by jagged rivulets of blood. Her mouth was bent into a defiant scowl, a look I recognized. It was possible, even now, to find traces of the girl I knew. ¡°Liv!¡± I shouted. I still found it difficult to hate her. The revelations were too new, and I couldn¡¯t reconcile what she had become with the girl from my memory. None of that stopped me from trying to end her. She was weakened, I may never have a better chance. Long pikes glowing with swirling black and red energy burst from the ground. I reached out with the full strength of my eldritch arm and grasped each pike before throwing them into the sky, one by one. At first, Liv ignored my attacks as each throw was pushed wide by an unseen force. I responded by increasing the frequency, until she was forced to spin her long, golden spear to deflect my own. The parry cost her only a fraction of second, but it was enough for the golden lash of energy to break through her defenses. She screamed as flesh sizzled and a long gash appeared that ran down her shoulder and across her chest. I continued my barrage, forcing her to split her focus between myself and the tendril of energy that danced around her. Its blows continued to increase in speed, but I noticed the tendrils wrapped around Liv¡¯s torso were beginning to grow fainter. Once more, my throw broke through her defenses and she was forced to parry. As she deflected my blow, she turned to look at me, her eyes narrowing and her cheeks dimpling as she smiled. ¡°Finn,¡± she said with a raspy wheeze. ¡°Aid me and we can be together once more! We can unlock your birthright and rule this land together as gods¡­¡± ¡°Fuck you.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. My words were quiet and failed to rise above the howl of wind. I was too tired to banter. Instead, I communicated with action. I continued to throw my conjured javelins but also split my focus to produce a rain of spikes from above. They might not do much damage, but I would whittle away at her focus as much as possible. Wait¡­ if all I wanted to do was distract her, then I had the perfect tool. It was dangerous. Who knew what fucked up shit I¡¯d see inside Liv¡¯s head, but it had proved effective. I threw a spear while dozens of razor sharp spikes rained down from above. At the same moment that Liv spun her spear to deflect my attacks, a glowing eye slowly opened in the middle of my forehead. A wave of pain and nausea rolled through me as my vision went black. I fell to my knees and clasped at my reeling stomach. I felt as if burning needles were being shoved under my eyelids, and every inch of my skin began to itch. A soundless scream escaped my throat as an image began to materialize in my mind. Dull, earthy browns floating in a void of white swirled until they revealed a forest. Men and women dressed in fur and linen walked down a cobblestone path. Horses and goats followed, with small children playing underfoot. I saw a man turn to speak to a woman next to him, both smiled as he took a small child from her arms. As the man raised the child above his head I looked into the babe¡¯s eyes. They were brilliant sapphire-blue gems framed in golden curls. The image began to fade, but before it went dark, I saw a powerfully built warrior turn to scold the two lovers playing with their child. The face was harsh and weathered. His mouth twisted in anger as he shouted unheard words. Deep lines creased his face, and intense green eyes stood out against a massive beard streaked with grey. ¡°Dad¡­¡± The pain intensified, and my legs gave out, sending me into the dirt. My hands scraped against the sharp stone and splinters of bone that still littered the ground. The eye in my forehead began to burn and my head craned upward, as the eye focused on Liv. She no longer fought, she merely stared down at me. Her eyes were narrowed, and her mouth was slightly open, but still turned upward in a wide smile. All three of the golden lashes held her firmly and were beginning to draw her downward as they tightened, cutting into her. ¡°More, Finn!¡± she yelled in triumph and glee. ¡°See the truth. See what we truly are!¡± As the eye locked onto her I became aware of every molecule of her being. The information was too much to process, and all conscious thought stopped. I gave in completely to the desires of the eye, its mission to show the truth. As the golden lashes bit into Liv¡¯s flesh I became aware of hidden lines of energy binding her to something else. Thin, wispy streams flowed from her. She was connected to thousand of people from all over the earth. I could see them, their belief in the goddess of myth giving her power. These connections were insubstantial and flimsy, true belief had long since vanished. Only the faintest whiff of tradition and yearning for times of old remained. Something larger and more powerful bound her as well. It flowed into her as a thick, venous tendril of purple and black. It spread throughout her, rhythmically pumping as it filled her with vigor but taking something as well. I cast my vision outward and saw that the writhing vein stretched far into the distance, disappearing beneath the ground. Whatever was connected to Liv was located directly at the center of the pillar of purple light that divided the sky in two. At the bottom of the dungeon, something waited. Something far older and more powerful than giant spiders. I could sense its hunger as its attention noticed my gaze. For a moment our vision met. It whispered something to me, before breaking the connection. The eye in the middle of my forehead slowly closed and faded. Whatever was feeding Liv was powerful and sinister, but obviously didn¡¯t wish me dead. At least not yet. As the eldritch vision cleared, my phiscally eyes regained their clarity. I was still looking upwards at Liv. She was bound, but no longer struggled. She merely looked down at me with a wide smile on her face. I could see the streams of energy that flowed through her, but as the Eye of Madness faded the tendrils began to diminish. In the moment before they disappeared from my sight, the thin, wispy tendrils began to glow. Liv moaned in pleasure as the human half of her face began to mend. She closed her eyes and reached out to one of the golden lashes binding her. She squeezed the lash between her thumb and forefinger, and the binding shattered like glass. Golden sand fell to the ground, losing its luster as it was cast among the dust and bone that littered the field. ¡°Oh, Finn,¡± she said. ¡°You have truly outdone yourself. I had no idea so much of the old religion still existed. Thank you for opening my eyes.¡± She pouted, playfully sticking out her bottom lip as she put one hand on her hip. ¡°Well, they don¡¯t exist anymore ¨C but, oh well.¡± Her voice was chirp and chipper. She sounded just like the cheerleader I remembered from High School. "I think a little Old Testament style recruiting will do wonders for my complextion." I stood alone on a field of bone, beneath the literal goddess of death. My mind was still confused. I tried to speak but my words came out as slurred syllables, lacking any sense. Liv slowly glided to the ground, standing above my prone form. ¡°Oh, Finn,¡± she said. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t believe that whole ¡®rule together¡¯ thing. It was all an act, you understand.¡± Liv¡¯s face lit up with delight, as she reached down and grasped me by the throat. She easily lifted me above her head, as if I were a toddler. ¡°Know I could kill you Finn. I¡¯ve killed those far closer to me. You¡¯d be but an ant beneath my boot, and in the end that¡¯s all you are.¡± She sighed dramatically, before throwing me back unto the ground. ¡°But¡­ he seems to have a plan for you.¡± She leaned down and pulled me up by the jacket, until her mouth was inches from my ear. ¡°You know where to find us. Don¡¯t keep him waiting.¡± The back of my head struck the dirt once more and I saw four massive wings unfold before I drifted out of consciousness. Chapter 57: Dreamscape ¡°Hey, Kid.¡± ¡°Fisher?¡± I said, opening my eyes slowly. ¡°I thought you were gone for good this time.¡± ¡°No, Kiddo,¡± he stood up from a crouch and offered me his hand, ¡°This time it¡¯s all me.¡± I shook my head, refusing to take his hand as I stood. We were in a dusty brown field full of winding cracks and sparse, yellow grass. Dawn was just beginning to appear, painting the sky in orange and blue. I smiled as unfiltered sunlight warmed my face for the first time in days. ¡°Where are we,¡± I said, ¡°this doesn¡¯t feel familiar.¡± ¡°Augustus, my son¡± he grasped me by the shoulders and looked into my eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve known this place all your life. It¡¯s who you are.¡± I looked around at the arid desert but found nothing familiar. It was just dry, cracked ground devoid of life stretching as far as the eye could see in almost every direction. Tall mountains, blue and snowcapped, stood like giants to the west, as dark storm clouds gathered behind them. ¡°If this is all I am,¡± I shook out of his grasp, ¡°then I¡¯m worse off than I thought. Perhaps it¡¯s all the lies I¡¯ve been told. My whole life has been a lie, hasn¡¯t it? Dad. Fisher? Whoever you are.¡± ¡°No,¡± he shook his head, ¡°not that. ¡°Everything else was a lie, but not who you are. The power. The truth of our family, our past. We are not gods, Gus. Not like we were, like all men can be. We are merely the descendants of fools who made a poor choice in allies.¡± ¡°Then tell me where we are, why any of this is happening. Tell me why a girl, a child I barely knew, had to die. My child, Dad. And tell me why the monster that killed her still lives.¡± ¡°Gus ¡­ son. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be there for you. I can¡¯t answer your questions. I am just a memory, a fragment left by a dying man. The world has become a dangerous place, but I¡¯m afraid you will have to make your own way once you leave here.¡± ¡°Then tell me just one thing, you¡¯re useless to me if you can¡¯t.¡± ¡°I will, if I can.¡± ¡°How,¡± I growled, ¡°do I kill a god?¡± ¡°The source of a god¡¯s power, son, is the Dreamscape. It is a world that binds all minds, from the lowest insect to the beings that play marbles with our universe. Perhaps even creatures greater still. The power to visit that world is what allowed my grandfather to create the first generation of ¡®gods¡¯. It¡¯s a power you share.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand. If I¡¯ve had this power all my life, why have I never used it? Why did you never tell me?¡± ¡°The mantle, a shackle really, suppressed it. Recently though, you¡¯ve felt it haven¡¯t you? Perhaps you¡¯ve even begun constructing your own Mindspace?¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¡­¡± I thought back to my chats with the Fisher and the floating island in the middle of a black void. The creature had said it was a part of my own mind. His part. ¡°Maybe,¡± I conceded, ¡°and the Fisher, and the burning Eye?¡± ¡°Creatures of the Dreamscape, yes, but also more. Beware the temptations of Madness, Finn. It is what first gave rise to consciousness and is a powerful weapon, but it¡¯s a sword that cuts both ways.¡± ¡°And I can use this place,¡± I waved my arms in front me, ¡°to kill Liv?¡± ¡°She is not a god,¡± he shook his head, ¡°not like those of us who once ruled in Midgard. The Liv you knew is long since dead, but now is not the time to mourn. Not until you face our true oppressor, and the true source of Liv¡¯s strength.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. If the Founders return, I¡¯m afraid it will be too late. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re here to tell me it¡¯s too late?¡± ¡°No, Finn,¡± he smiled, ¡°I¡¯m here to train you. Here, in this place, anything is possible. Weapons, opponents, even time can be created and destroyed with a thought.¡± ¡°Train me?¡± I raised one eyebrow, ¡°to do what? Fight gods and level up?¡± ¡°No,¡± he shook his head, ¡°not to kill gods, but to create them. You¡¯ll need to grow powerful, but you¡¯ll also need allies to face your true enemy.¡± ¡°The creature at the source of that giant pillar of light?¡± I asked. ¡°The creature at the very bottom of a dungeon that already almost killed me once?¡± ¡°Yes, son,¡± he placed a hand on my shoulder, ¡°and the source of Liv¡¯s power and the architect of the machinations that have ruined our world. Our family¡¯s shame has come to fruition, you must set it right.¡± ¡°So ¡­ what you¡¯re saying is, we need to go on a boss raid?¡± ¡°Gus, I have no idea what that means.¡± ¡°I know, dad. I know.¡± *** ¡°Oh, thank fucking God.¡± I heard Tiller¡¯s voice. ¡°He¡¯s awake!¡± He sounded muffled, and faraway. My eyes slowly opened, but I quickly shut them under the assault of a powerful glare. I saw only white light as I blinked away the crust that had formed in the corners of my eyes ¡°Finn,¡± I heard Telvy¡¯s voice, ¡°Can you hear me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± I moaned. ¡°Where am I, though? How long have I been out?¡± I slowly sat up, my muscles felt stiff and unresponsive. I hadn¡¯t been this weak since before the system. Was atrophy still a thing I needed to worry about? I felt like I¡¯d been gone months, but I had no idea how long had passed outside the Dreamscape. Everything seemed hazy, and unreal ¨C like a dream. Something had called me back early. ¡°It¡¯s been a few days, Finn,¡± Tiller said. ¡°But you were very injured. We tried spells, and potions but you just kept getting worse ¡ª¡± ¡°What my apprentice is saying,¡± interrupted Telvy, ¡°is that you would be dead if not for me. I devised a brilliant formation that isolated you from all outside interference, allowing your natural healing to take effect. You¡¯ll find you have no mana, or Ancestors forbid, eldritch energy, to call on, but you should make a full recovery quite quickly.¡± I flexed my right arm, finding it to be just as strong as ever. It seemed the archmage could be wrong. ¡°Thank you, Telvy,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯ve truly done wonders.¡± ¡°As usual,¡± she preened. ¡°Now tell me, did you witness the entity? I can¡¯t imagine how any backwater godling could escape my ritual.¡± ¡°I did,¡± I sighed, ¡°Her name is Liv Swanson, and she¡¯s apparently connected to everything that has been happening. Eldritch Night, the abominations, the dungeon, the cultists, all of ¡­.¡± I paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°She killed Sebbit.¡± ¡°Wait a fuckin¡¯ minute,¡± Tiller said. ¡°Your childhood friend, grew up together, married your best friend Liv? She¡¯s the motherfucker that just killed an entire army single handedly, and took out Sebbit, as well?¡± ¡°Does your little sister know you¡¯ve got such a mouth on you?¡± Two pairs of eyes stared at me unapologetically. ¡°Fine! Yes,¡± I said, ¡°It¡¯s her, but she¡¯s not the same. Something about founders and mantles. She ¡­ I can¡¯t, won¡¯t talk about it now, but it¡¯s fucking bad ¡­ The things she told me. I just don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m s¡ª¡± Tiller began. ¡°Wait, Catayla. Is she okay? Did you find her?¡± I leaped up from the sleek, white hospital bed but Tiller and Telvy both stopped me from leaving and guided me back to the bed. ¡°Let me go!¡± ¡°Wait, Finn,¡± said Tiller, ¡°it¡¯s okay. We found her. She¡¯s alive and already up. At first, she looked worse than you, but she recovered two days ago. She¡¯s checked on you constantly, but she was called away. She should be back tonight.¡± ¡°She¡¯s alive,¡± I fell back into the bed. ¡°She¡¯s alive. At least someone is. Everyone is dead, because of me. It¡¯s all my fault.¡± ¡°A soldier never blames herself,¡± surprisingly it was Telvy who spoke. ¡°And if she falls she never blames the shield beside her. All soldiers die, only the unlucky few die old and fangless within piss stained beds.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand, this isn¡¯t self-pity ¡­¡± ¡°Captain Xern, Sebbit¡­ was a friend. You dishonor him and those who fought beside him by taking his death unto yourself. We will find the one responsible, and I will gut her personally, and feast on her entrails.¡± The Peacekeepers were a terrifying bunch, especially the women. ¡°So, what now then?¡± I asked. ¡°You know her, she spoke to you,¡± there was no hint of a question in Telvy¡¯s voice. ¡°You must have some idea where she went, or what her plans are.¡± ¡°¡­ I do, but it¡¯s not going to be easy.¡± ¡°The best hunts,¡± said a mouth full of pointed teeth, ¡°never are.¡± End of Book Update and Acknowledgements So that''s it for Book One. I took a few days off, but it is time to get back into it. I''ve enjoyed writing EN and I can''t wait to jump into Book Two. You guys and gals have been great, and I''m sure I would never have finished if I hadn''t had so much support and literally ten times the readers I ever thought I¡¯d have. So, thank you all. I''d like to give a special thanks to Adam for being my beta reader and catching a lot of my typos. Also, thanks to my girlfrie- fianc¨¦! Lina for her support and encouragement. To be honest, if she hadn''t done a semester in Australia I might not have ever started this fic (mixed message there.) Athena, my labrador, also deserves a mention for keeping my feet warm while I write. I also must thank my patreon donors, the fact that you donated despite me not asking you too, and even saying chapters wouldn''t be released early there means a lot to me. When I start doing rewards, I''ll be sure to remember you. Signed cover art or posters maybe? Right now, your donations will go towards some real cover art for book two. My own efforts are ¡­ middling. I¡¯d love to have some character art, as well. I will share any sent to me.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. I''m planning to go back and do some rewrites, but it won''t be a complete rewrite - more like heavy editing. You''ll still recognize the story and characters. Certain parts are going to see restructuring, and I plan on at least two entirely new chapters. I will start a new fic for the edits, as I plan to make changes to just about every chapter and it will be confusing to anyone starting while I''m in the middle of editing. Stats are the biggest change and will be simplified somewhat. I will also eliminate health as a stat. There will be a changelog. Once the new chapter one is posted, I''ll include a link here and on Discord. Speaking of which, I''m going to do an AMA tomorrow at 6 pm eastern time (-4GMT) on Discord. Discord is a much better forum for me to answer questions and I''ll leave a link below. On a final note, I''ve decided that while I''m doing edits on book one I won''t work on book two. Instead, I want to start a side project. I have two ideas at the moment, and I''ll let you guys decide which I go with tomorrow during the AMA on discord. Once I start on Book Two, I''ll keep the side project going but it''ll have slower releases and smaller chapters than EN. Changelog Okay, so I''ve posted the the rewrite here: https://www.royalroadl.com/fiction/19458/the-dark-hierophant-saga-eldritch-night-rewrite/chapter/234891/prologue I''d appreciate your support by rating the story. My two side story ideas are in the notes below, but the winner seems pretty clear already. Changelog (edit: I''m going to update this weekly from now on, rather than everytime I post a chapter) New Prologue, expands the events of the flashback from chapter two. The flashback will no longer occur. Chapter one is a complete rewrite, but mostly follows the same events health is no longer a stat and some others have been combined stats now look like this Class: N/A Level: 1 Stamina (r/ per second): 16/16 (0.133)This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Mana (r/ per minute): 19/19 (0.633) Might: 8 Agility: 6 Reaction: 6 Intellect: 9 Perception: 10 Focus: 5 Phys. Resist: 1 Mag. Resist: 1 Chapter Two: complete rewrite. Only major change is the addition of a cooldown for Reactive Adaptability. Chapter Three: I kept a lot of this chapter, changes are mostly cosmetic. Reactive Learning was given a cooldown. Chapter Four: This chapter was just a mess. I completely rewrote it, but made no significant story alterations. Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through these early chapters. Chapter Five: is now two chapters, the debrief with Sebbit becoming chapter six. This chapter and the original are night and day, though the actual events are still mostly the same. The final interactions with the spider are different, so I recommend reading this one. Epilogue ¡°Tiller, you sure this is going to work?¡± I asked. ¡°No idea whatsoever,¡± he answered, ¡°Telvy assures me it will, but she made me work out all the calculations on my own, and she refuses to check my work. So, you know ¡­ ¡° ¡°Great,¡± I patted him on the back, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got it in hand. This coronation needs to go over without a hitch.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re sure you have your part under control?¡± ¡°My training wasn¡¯t finished, but I can do this much,¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but it will help Charleston survive while I go do what needs to be done.¡± ¡°Fuck off, you think any of us are letting you go alone?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll probably die, you know? We¡¯ll be fighting literal gods and ¡­ worse. Much worse.¡± ¡°Look, I know you don¡¯t believe this, but I know one thing,¡± Tiller¡¯s voice got deeper and took on a cadence like his uncle¡¯s, Father Belk, when he was preaching. ¡°There is only one God, and he is a loving God. He wouldn¡¯t give us this challenge if there weren¡¯t any hope.¡± ¡°Thanks, Tiller. I appreciate the words.¡± I turned to leave, ¡°Oh, if your master stops by, can you send her to the bridge?¡± ¡°Sure ¡­ not like she ever talks to me, though. I¡¯m only her apprentice.¡± ¡°Fantastic. I¡¯ll be up there for the next several hours, but I have some errands to run before the ceremony tonight.¡± I made my way through the narrow passageways of the USS Yorktown. It was strange how what had once been my prison had become like a second home to the Charleston survivors. The old aircraft carrier was becoming a floating city that already had a fledgling economy. As I made my way towards the flight deck, I passed several of the survivors. Each gave me a polite nod, but none talked to me. My strange appearance had given life to many rumors about my connection to Eldritch Night and everything that had followed. If only they knew the truth. I wish I didn''t. I opened a hatch to a clear sky. The pillar of light still dominated the eastern horizon, but the fog had cleared enough that the natural light of the sun bathed the deck of the ship in cleansing light. I breathed in and enjoyed the heat on my face. It was a small pleasure. One I had taken for granted in the past. As I stepped onto the grey deck, a large kingfisher circled my head before perching on my shoulder. ¡°Everything set, Fisher?¡± The bird nodded before pecking at my ear. I pushed it away and it darted upwards and quickly disappeared. The bird spent most of his time scouting for enemies. It was a task I needed the survivors ready to take on sooner rather than later. Already they had several promising warriors and mages, but they were sorely unprepared to take on the worst of the threats. There wasn¡¯t a person among them who could take on a Behemoth King, or even one of the tentacled beasts I knew lived far below the currently still waters. Tonight, I would change that. It would give them hope and someone to rally behind. It would also give them a powerful weapon, if everything went right. ¡°Hey, Finn!¡± I heard Catayla¡¯s gruff voice. ¡°So ¡­ did you talk to Tiller?¡± ¡°He says everything will be ready. I trust him.¡± The smooth skin between her sapphire scales turned a subtle shade of purple. ¡°No ¡­ I mean about the other thing.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. He¡¯s just waiting for you to make the first move.¡± I hadn¡¯t spoken to Tiller about it at all, but I wasn¡¯t going to play matchmaker for two grown adults. ¡°I¡¯d say go for it tonight, during the celebrations.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She opened and closed her mouth several times before nodding and heading back to whatever other tasks she had. Catayla and Talith had their hands full training the locals to hunt. Many of them had been hunters in the world before, but hunting behemoths was a bit different than white tail deer. I was grateful the Peacekeepers had agreed to help the survivors, even if the arrangement was temporary. It was still impossible to communicate outside the quarantine zone, and what remained of the Peacekeeper leadership was contemplating making a journey north. Apparently, there was another dungeon, and another squadron of Peacekeepers, a little outside of D.C. I made my way towards a tall tower in the middle of the deck and walked up a narrow staircase that went up the outside of the structure. Below me I could see dozens of humans and Peacekeepers working side-by-side to clean the deck and set up defenses. It was inspiring, in a way. I felt myself much more predisposed towards trusting the Peacekeepers since Sebbit¡¯s death. It was hard not to blame myself. For Liv, for Sebbit, for ¡­ everything. I found Pat standing on a small balcony outside the bridge, looking out with a pair of large binoculars. I could see Worthy and Bridgette standing inside the bridge, giving orders into an outdated radio. ¡°So, Pat,¡± I said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to find you here.¡± ¡°Captain left me the Conn,¡± she said flatly. ¡°Being here is my duty.¡± ¡°Right, you know that unless Tiller works his magic this is just a floating museum, right?¡± ¡°The USS Yorktown is our home now, and it is all of our responsibility to keep it safe.¡± ¡°Calm down, calm down,¡± I held my hands up defensively. ¡°I¡¯ve been working as hard as anyone to get this place up to snuff. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here, actually.¡± ¡°The ritual?¡± she raised one eyebrow as she asked. ¡°Yeah, I still have some work to do. I¡¯ve drawn the runes around the deck, and Tiller is doing his part. Telvy is ¡­ providing spectacle.¡± ¡°Do you need us to leave?¡± ¡°No,¡± I shook my head, ¡°I just need some time to check the runes and prepare the connection to the Dreamscape.¡± ¡°This will work?¡± I turned my head side to side, ¡°I don¡¯t know. It will if they believe.¡± ¡°So why Captain Smith? Why not someone already powerful, like yourself?¡± ¡°It would never work, they don¡¯t trust me. You and Smith kept these people alive for weeks before I ever showed up. They trust you, they believe in you.¡± ¡°Anything else I can do?¡± she asked. ¡°No. Well ¡­¡± I smiled, ¡°there is one thing. Just have faith.¡± *** ¡°Goddamn,¡± said Captain Smith, ¡°I feel ridiculous.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t fuss,¡± said Pat. She began straightening the captain¡¯s collar and epaulettes, ¡°you look fine.¡± The scene would have been comfortingly domestic if it weren¡¯t for the two curved blades strapped to Pat''s waist and the rifle on her back. Captain smith was shaped more like a barrel than a man and the gold tasseled uniform did look a little ridiculous, a bit like dressing up a bear, but I kept my mouth shut. The sleeves were a tad short and tight on his muscular forearms, and his large belly was straining against the fabric of his jacket. ¡°You ready, Captain?¡± I asked, ¡°Or should I call you Mr. Mayor?¡± ¡°For now, just call me Arthur.¡± We shook hands and the captain walked to the closed door leading out of the bridge. He looked through the glass at the expecting crowd waiting beneath and shook his head slightly. ¡°Alright,¡± said the captain, ¡°I can barely breathe in this getup, any reason we can¡¯t get this over with now?¡± Everyone looked to me, and I gave a short nod. I crossed my legs as I sat on the floor and prepared to enter my Mindscape. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Captain Smith walked out to the small balcony overlooking the flight deck and addressed his people. They began to cheer, and the captain held out a hand to quiet them. I could feel their hope and faith in him. It poured into him and connected the survivors to each other. I could see this faith flowing into the Dreamscape, and I used my father''s lessons to keep it here, rather than feeding into the dreamscape. If all went well it would grow on its own, but I didn¡¯t take any chances. I hadn¡¯t spent the last week preparing runes for nothing. I activated the ritual just as Captain Smith began his speech. Every word seemed charged with power and each of the survivors looked upward with expectant gazes. Tears glistened in unblinking eyes. I could feel the links connecting them growing, only a little more and these channels would be able to exist independent of my efforts. Their power would continue to grow the longer they lasted, and the more Captain Smith earned the faith placed in him. As the speech concluded I looked over at Worthy and nodded. He spoke a few words into a radio, and I felt the floor begin to raise into the air. I stood up and looked out the window behind me. The ground was growing further away. Familiar landmarks quickly shrunk as the aircraft carrier continued to rise, finally stopping once it was roughly a hundred feet above the ground. I could hear the quiet rumbling of the survivors as they frantically looked around. At that exact moment the fireworks began. It might not be enough to create a god, but damn did we pull that off well. No one would forget this night, nor would they forget the legends it created. Ive Been Away, but Im Back (Not a Chapter) For those of you still following me on here; a sincere thank you. I got fed up with RR and online in general a few months back so I''ve been MIA. I was spending more time stressing over .5 stars and reading comments than I was writing. I also moved in with my fiance and changed around my work schedule and writing space. It''s been great, actually, but it took me a while to get back into the rhythm of writing. Since then, I did manage to finish the rewrite to Eldritch Night and format it into an eBook. I''m going to make it available on Amazon, mostly just to see what happens. If any of you would like a free copy just message me with your email and prefered format (.docx, PDF, etc) and I''ll send it to you. It may take a while if I get a lot of requests (I''ll reply to at least 10 a day). All I ask in return is feedback, preferably in the form of an Amazon review but I understand that not everyone meets the requirements to post a review there. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. There will be plenty of new stuff coming this month ¡ª including EN book 2 chapters and new BYH chapters. Also, I am making EN available on Amazon so any reviews would be appreciated. I''ve already looked into it, and Amazon allows me to give free books to reviewers (but nothing else). Cheers! Eldritch Night: Book Two Chapter One: Quiet Storms I leaped from the deck of a flying aircraft carrier, the wind buffeting my face as I fell towards the roar of the Cooper river below. The sound of the rushing water was nearly drowned out by the wind and the repeated barks of gunfire from above. ¡°Fisher,¡± I yelled. In response, the abomination that had replaced my right arm began to move. Bands of black flesh burst from my shoulder and wove around my body like yarn spun by a loom. As the sinuous veins twisted and grew, I could feel them constricting around my torso and limbs. I grumbled internally and flinched in pain as the creature began to draw on my reserves of eldritch energy, but the discomfort was short lived. I had long ago grown used to the claustrophobic feel of the Fisher¡¯s shape changing. My velocity slowed and then I was tugged upward as large wings made of black flesh burst from between my shoulder blades with the sound of snapping bone and tearing flesh. I hadn¡¯t figured out true flight, yet, but I could manage a controlled glide. I steered my descent into a gentle spiral as I surveyed the remnants of Charleston ¡ª at least what little of it was still recognizable. As far as post-apocalypses go; Charleston''s had been thorough, but surprisingly green. Trees dominated the skyline, while underbrush and twisting roots covered what little masonry was still unclaimed by dirt. The events of Eldritch Night had rearranged and warped the landscape, leaving rolling hills and large, bleak cliffs to replace flat earth. The occasional church steeple, once the tallest points on the skyline, poked through earth and leaf to mark the tomb of the city buried beneath. At least it doesn¡¯t flood every time we get a light drizzle, I thought to myself. I detected a stifled laugh, but I wasn¡¯t sure if the thought had been my own. I shook my head, banishing the introspection as I reminded myself that I had a mission. In the same moment, a sense of danger filled my mind and I rolled my wings forward and tucked my arms to my side to drop into a dive. A large bat-like creature fell through the space I had just occupied. A short, fletched spear had been lodged in its chest and the beast was spinning uncontrollably. Its limbs and leathery wings beat frantically but it was unable to gain control of its flight. I could still feel the chaotic energy that flowed through its veins as evidence it still clung to life, though I doubted it would survive the landing. I could finish it, easily. With a thought, I could devour the energy that served as its life force. I could feel the eldritch energy that was bound to every cell of its being and see it leaking from the creature¡¯s wound like a black mist lit with hot red embers. For a moment, I began to chase after it like a greyhound after a mechanical rabbit. No. It was too small, inconsequential. I had better things to occupy my time, but I knew I would have to do something soon, or the urges would only grow stronger. Life was too easy among the survivors ¡ª too boring and predictable. Even the daily attacks did little to alleviate the building pressure. I felt ¡­ riled. A small voice in the back of my mind reminded me that I was meant for more. It told me I couldn¡¯t stay idle forever. There was blood to be spilled, sweet revenge to drink up. The voice was becoming stronger, more insistent, but I would ignore it for as long as I could. I turned my attention to the battle above me where thousands of the creatures were attacking the Yorktown. The old WWII aircraft carrier had long ago been decommissioned and turned into a floating museum, but with a combination of human ingenuity, magic, and good old-fashioned alien technology, we had managed to get her flying ¡ª or, at least motionlessly hovering a few hundred feet higher than gravity wanted her to. The Charleston survivors fought alongside a small number of Peacekeepers, basically giant, scaly alien super soldiers, to hold back the flying creatures. For the first few weeks after we had gotten the Yorktown flying, we had thought we were safe from the worst of the dangers our new world had brought with it. We¡¯d been wrong. Beasts had torn down the lines we used to reach the surface, forcing us to begin retracting our netting each night ¡ª effectively stranding overnight anyone left on the surface. Other beasts were capable of bombarding the Yorktown with stones or glowing spheres of pure mana. The worst were the flyers, some were as large as tanks and others carried tiny riders that would fall onto our decks to kill and raise mayhem before they were put down. Each night seemed to bring with it new dangers. The crew and inhabitants of the Yorktown grew strong, as I grew frustrated by how long their progress took. The best of these burgeoning warriors were sent out on raiding parties, mostly for supplies but also as a form of training and tempering. The Peacekeepers refused to participate, keeping their own counsel in the usual, infuriating way. I could have probably ended the battle within moments. These bat-like creatures seem fragile, even if they were fast and numerous. A few well-placed spells ¡ª but no, the inhabitants of the Yorktown would have to fend for themselves this time. I wouldn¡¯t always be there to protect them, and any kill I made was valuable XP robbed from someone that needed it more. I¡¯d reached level twenty-five weeks ago, and since then I¡¯d found it impossible to gain XP or levels. I¡¯d contented myself with increasing [Skills] and exploring the eldritch side of my powers, but the lack of growth was still something I would need to fix. And soon.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I would consider tonight to be a test. If the survivors could hold off the attack without me, and without losing anyone, then, and only then, would I consider them capable of surviving on their own. The Peacekeepers could leave at any moment, and I ¡­ I had business elsewhere. I forced the memories of Liv out of my mind through sheer force of will. I had found it increasingly difficult to separate memory from reality, especially since my bond with the Fisher had grown more ¡­ corporeal. I could feel its tendrils working their way into my mind as our thoughts and personalities began to merge into one. Even my body was not wholly my own. I sighed as I looked towards the north, scanning for the raiding party that had been due back hours ago. Worthy and Bridgette, two of the strongest hunters among the survivors, were with the group and they¡¯d managed to send up a pair of signal flares a few minutes before the attack, so I didn¡¯t worry too much about their safety. I was more concerned with something I¡¯d requested before they¡¯d left. Something I needed ¡­ or at least something I desired very badly. I straightened the angle of my descent, aiming for a narrow dirt path used by the scouts and hunters. The small dirt road headed northwest over what had once been the heart of downtown and had been carved by constant use and a not small amount of terramancy from our resident archmage. It was just wide enough for a single jeep or pickup to navigate, if you were careful. Worthy¡¯s team of scouts had taken one of the vehicles we¡¯d managed to get running and kept stored in a makeshift garage dug into the side of a cliff that was directly across the shore from the Yorktown. I¡¯d seen the group off personally. My request had been something I wasn¡¯t comfortable handling through messengers. I was less than a hundred feet from the ground, by that point. Such elevation was risky, as it was beneath even the canopies of some of the larger trees. It was made even more difficult to navigate by the unpredictable gusts of wind coming in from the west. I¡¯d have to touchdown soon; the trail was my target and following it was the best bet to find the scouts in a timely manner. Rather than the graceless landings I¡¯d made when first experimenting with my new-found shapeshifting, this time a quad of thick tentacles shot forward from my torso to brace against the earth like thick springs and wrapping around the base of tree trunks. They slowed my descent and set me down gently, before curling back up around my torso. I imagine my silhouette in the moments before I landed would have looked like that of a giant and demonic daddy long leg. I immediately leaped forward, using my new limbs to push against the earth and pull me over fallen trees and rock. I may not have been able to outrun a jeep, but I made much better time as I never had to stop to clear the road or slow down around narrow corners. I could feel eyes on me, watching from the forest. My forehead itched as some part of me called out to open a different kind of Eye. I could show all the watchers, all the silent observers who hid from the light, the truth of what they were. What we all were. I suppressed the urge, though grudgingly, as I continued north. I couldn¡¯t waste time. Worthy¡¯s group had sent up two flares, which meant immediate danger and a request for aid. Three would have meant, ¡°don¡¯t bother.¡± I ran, or perhaps it¡¯s better to say galloped, as quickly as I could down the narrow path. It didn¡¯t take long before I began to hear gunshots and the sounds of yelling. Amid the human shouts and the usual drone of battle, there was something else ¡ª a sort of hum. It was like the sound a rattlesnake makes, but much louder and it sounded as if dozens, perhaps hundreds, of them were shaking in concert. I was close enough that my other-than-natural senses could make out the vague outline of human forms highlighted in the blue glow of mana and the dark reds and black of the eldritch corruption, but they seemed to be fighting mist. The eldritch energy was like a cloud of black, shimmering satin that clung to them. It seemed to move unnaturally as if it were being controlled or attracted and repulsed by some unseen force. The scouts were shooting into the air frantically but didn¡¯t appear to be aiming at anything in particular. I left the path, quickly cutting through the trees and over the hill that had been between me and the battle. The powerful limbs I had conjured pulled me around and over rocks while smashing through undergrowth and any small obstacles in my path. It was not a stealthy approach, but it didn¡¯t matter. That dark consciousness that was growing in the back of my mind scented battle, and I responded. As I broke through the tree line into a small clearing, I saw a small jeep that had been overturned, its tires twisted with bits of shattered glass and twisted metal littering the area around it. Someone had released a smoke grenade, or perhaps used a [Skill] or magic to the same effect, but I was able to make out a group of six men and women despite the opaque wall of white smoke. I immediately conjured a dome of black and red energy around the group as I charged forward on six legs. As I grew closer, I kicked away the jeep with a powerful, spinning kick from two of my conjured limbs. I was still unsure of what they were fighting, but I needed a better view. Whatever it was had the group of scouts panicked to the point they had yet to notice my arrival. ¡°Worthy!¡± I yelled. I saw a mohawked head turn towards me in confusion. Just as Worthy¡¯s eyes widened in shock, he began to yell something I couldn¡¯t make out. Did he change his hair color again? When did one find time to ¡­ Before the thought could finish, I screamed in pain as something hot pierced the skin on the back of my neck. I immediately swatted and felt a crunch as warm sludge filled the spaces between my fingers. ¡°What the?¡± As I pulled the hand in front of my eyes, I saw something similar to a wasp ¡ª if wasps had been the size of mice and covered in spikes as long as my thumb. The insect was bright red and was covered in a black, oily substance that leaked from the cracks I had created when crushing it in my hand. Dozens of the creatures dove at me in the moment I was distracted, seemingly coming from nowhere as if they were born from the smoke and early morning light. I couldn¡¯t detect them with my ability to see mana, nor could I pick out individual insects with my ability to sense eldritch corruption. Instead, the eldritch energy that filled the area seemed to move as a single unit ¡ª like a constantly flowing sheet covering the entire field. New stingers found my exposed flesh but were immediately turned as I instinctively activated my Arcane Shield [Skill]. The stings were constantly depleting my mana, but I was regenerating it fast enough that I could likely keep this up for at least a few more minutes before I needed to worry. At least, that¡¯s what I thought until the dive-bombing insects began to explode. A dozen flashes blinded me as a shockwave launched me across the field and into the base of a tree. Its branches rattled as I was covered in fallen leaves and splinters of wood. I picked my self up, using the tree as support. As I turned my eyes back towards the misty field full of buzzing and flashing lights, I smiled. It was, perhaps, the first true joy I had felt in weeks. Chapter Two: Bonds of Gold I drew a small baton from my belt, dropping into a defensive stance as the weapon extended into a full-length staff. Insects launched at me like fuzzy grenades only to be swatted aside with machine-like precision and speed. Each impact rang out like the crack of a whip followed by the skin-crawling sound of cracking carapace. None of the insects made it through my [Staff Defense]. No matter how quick they were, I¡¯d tempered my skills against faster opponents. I had literally deflected bullets. It didn¡¯t matter. The giant, fiery wasps didn¡¯t need to connect. Once they were within range of my staff, they were close enough to explode. Shockwaves constantly pushed me back, even as a thick layer of the oily ichor the insects bled began to coat my body. The ichor proved to be flammable, keeping a constant layer of flames with only a thin, depleting layer of mana between the flesh-melting heat and my own exposed skin. I considered retreating to get a better understanding of the situation, but doing so would only leave my defenses open and put the scouts back in harm''s way. Instead, I used mobility to mitigate the advantage the bugs gained through their lack of self-preservation. The centrifugal force caused by me spinning through the battlefield coupled with the stability added by my conjured limbs allowed me to keep my footing through the barrage. It also put out the majority of the flames, but I felt like an abused, dented ball being thrown around an arcade pinball machine. I suspected I could have ended the battle before it had ever begun. I had the ability to shape the eldritch energy in the air ¡ª and there was plenty of it ¡ª into any shape I could image. I could have conjured a hail of knives or a globe of spinning blades to surround me. I chuckled as I imagined playing a game of whack-a-mole with an oversized mallet. None of these options, however, were practical if I wanted to prevent collateral damage. No, that was only the excuse. I told myself prolonging the battle was to protect the scouts and train some neglected skills, but, in reality, I relished the violence and the first real sense of danger I¡¯d felt in weeks. I continued to play defense as I launched a few experimental spells against the swarm. Most were useless, as they were only capable of taking out a single insect out of hundreds, perhaps thousands. [Venom Spray] and [Lighting Arc] were both somewhat effective, but the insects were too fast and spread out for the limited area of effect to take out more than two or three of them at a time. Only [Arcane Missile] seemed to really give them trouble. The spell had been a staple of my offense since nearly the first day the system notifications had informed me, and the rest of the world, that things like magic and ¡°leveling up¡± was even possible. This constant usage meant that the spell had grown stronger, and at its ninth level it allowed me to conjure five bolts per cast ¡ª each with the ability to track an individual target. I had the mana reserves to let out dozens of barrages, with almost no time between castings. How many of the wasps could there be? It would be like using a machine gun before the invention of trench warfare. It was just so ¡­ uninteresting. I sighed, twisting through the air as I avoided another barrage of explosions. I was beginning to feel nauseous, either from the constant spinning or from what smelled like burning hair and overdone barbecue. I was growing bored. Tired. Best to just end it. I leaped, spinning as the momentum carried me upward. As my jump crested, I threw my staff into the middle of the field. It sat there, silently quivering, as a cloud of bugs formed around it, hungrily waiting to meet my descent. I hung motionlessly in the air, trapped in that almost timeless millisecond of complete weightlessness before the world came rushing back to meet me. My most powerful abilities were the [Class Features] I had gained through what was basically a Faustian bargain with the Fisher. Of these, the most useful, or at the least the one with the most utility, was Eldritch Mimicry. I used it to duplicate the staff that was still quivering as it stood upright in the center of the field. This filled the field with hundreds of shadowy, partly-real copies of my staff. They were each placed an even distance from each other, and other than being made from black and red energy, were exact duplicates of the original. From above, the hexagonal shapes the staffs created looked like the pattern of a blackened honeycomb that was burning from within. I reached forwards and mana flowed through my fingers, creating arcs of lighting that launched downward in forking streams, striking the original staff. The bolts of electricity multiplied and split, each new fork jumping to a new staff before arcing again, and again. A single cast of the spell could arc through as many as five staffs, killing everything between them. Dozens of insects fell from the sky, some exploding and others raining down as scorched corpses. It hardly slowed them, as more rose seemingly from nowhere. I cast the spell again, this time duplicating it ten times over using [Eldritch Mimicry]. Black and red arcs of lighting joined the blue-white bolts to fill the entire field. The electricity took on the properties of water as it flowed over the rolling hills, devouring everything it touched. Finally, as my mana dwindled, I relented. A few of the blood-red wasps clung to life, some flying above the reach of the arcing lightning, and others rolling wingless and barely clinging to life on the cracked, crystalized earth that lay below. I prepared to spend the rest of my mana to finish them off when the world seemed to stand still. Everything became clear and I was filled with the feeling that something was wrong. I knew that I should spare the insects, but it was just a feeling, raw emotion, void of reason or evidence.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. There had been a few instants in my life when time had seemed to stand still, as it did in that moment of hesitation. These moments didn¡¯t seem to follow any particular pattern, not coming when I need them the most, or consistently appearing in moments of high emotion or danger. They are each burned into my memory, however, like glowing checkmarks on the roadmap of my life. There was the time in sixth grade, before my growth spurt, where I had stolen the ball during a game of basketball and made a basket after running under the legs of an older kid. There was my first kiss, and the first time I wrecked a car. I remember locking eyes with an old woman watching me from a bus. There were my father¡¯s final moments, and the words he spoke to me before. There was the day I stared into a fiery eye as the world crumbled around me. Why were these memories so strong ¨C what linked them? It felt similar to the connection between gods and worshipers, like those strands of belief corrupted by Liv or the simplified version I had created between Captain Smith and the inhabitants of the Yorktown. The feeling wasn¡¯t the same, but it was similar. And powerful. I slowly fell to the ground, allowing the jointless tentacles that had grown from my torso to retract into the shadowy flesh of my right arm. Lines of dirt and grass appeared in my footsteps, as I cracked the thin sheet of glass under my feet. I bent down to examine one of the wasps, grabbing it as it struggled to move away from me. Its wings were gone, completely disintegrated, while its body was cracked and charred. Thick, oily blood fell to fill the cracks in the reflective surface below. I glanced behind me, waving my hand to dismiss the protective barrier surrounding the rescued scouts. I could feel them running forward. Their shouts reached my ears, but I didn¡¯t register the words as I stared at the insect. It moved, vibrating and expanding in my arms. What remained of the rest of the injured insects, either in the air or squirming across the ground, turned into drops of red light that shot towards me like expanding meteors. ¡°That¡¯s ¡­,¡± I said while looking down at the bundle that was taking shape in my arms. ¡°Unexpected.¡± ¡°We were trying to warn you,¡± Worthy said, as he placed his arm on my shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s been hunting us for the last two days. We didn¡¯t want to hurt her. We tried ¡­¡± I pulled at the eldritch energy around me to create a blanket that I wrapped around the child in my arms, her long, red hair flowing over my arm and into the ash and blood below. ¡°How?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Bridgette said. The tall blonde came to stop beside Worthy, her hand slipping into his. He looked up at her with a quick nod before turning back to me. ¡°We encountered her about a day to the North. We tried to approach her, but she screamed at us and attacked without reason ¡ª shapeshifted into that swarm you saw. She said something about a sister, but I know shit all besides that.¡± ¡°Shapeshifting,¡± I asked. ¡°A skill?¡± ¡°Fuck if I know,¡± Worthy ignored the cold stare from Bridgette as he continued his explanation. ¡°What other option is there, though? Has to be system related. Never saw any shit like that before everything else went to piss.¡± ¡°All right,¡± I said. ¡°Did you get what I asked for?¡± ¡°What ¡­ yeah man. It¡¯s over there,¡± he pointed over his shoulder toward the remains of the Jeep. ¡°Anyone ever tell you that you¡¯re a cold motherfucker?¡± ¡°Daily,¡± I smiled. ¡°I do have a reputation to uphold, after all.¡± ¡°Look here, ladies,¡± Bridgette said. ¡°You¡¯re both pretty, but how about we finish this little tiff later? That jeep is done and it¡¯s at least a day¡¯s hike back to the Yorktown.¡± She turned to look at me, before continuing. ¡°Anything you can do about that?¡± ¡°I can carry the girl,¡± I said. ¡°Once I get her safe, I can escort you the rest of the way. Not much I can do about the Jeep. You¡¯ll have to hoof it the old-fashioned way.¡± ¡°Fuck off,¡± Worthy said. ¡°You¡¯re faster than any jeep on these shit trails, you saying you can¡¯t carry a few of us at a time?¡± ¡°Do I look like a fucking horse to you, Worthy? You wanna fit me with a feedbag while you¡¯re measuring that saddle?¡± ¡°Just calm down, both of you.¡± Bridgette tucked her sweat-stained hair behind her ears as she shook her head at us. ¡°Finn¡¯s right. Getting the girl safe and ¡­ contained, should be our first priority.¡± ¡°Look,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. Gather up the supplies and see how much of the Jeep is salvageable. When I get back, I think I can tow you the rest of the way. It¡¯ll be slow going, but faster than walking.¡± Worthy just grunted, but Bridgette thanked me before turning to walk back towards the rest of her group. I sighed, trying to suppress the anger I felt at Worthy. Something about him had always rubbed me the wrong way, but even I had to admit he was right to be annoyed in this situation. I looked down at the girl in my arms. Where had she come from? How did a child survive in the wilds alone? It wasn¡¯t the time for questions, I reminded myself as I walked towards the twisted heap that remained of the jeep. I set it upright, doing what I could to twist the frame back into shape. Worthy was going to have his hands full just getting it stable enough to pull behind me. I poked through the bags and boxes that were still intact. Most were full of canned food. There were also clothes, blankets and some ammo. Truth is, we had more bullets than we could use in years, but the leadership thought it important to have a steady stream of new ammo to replace what we used during the nightly raids. ¡°There we go!¡± I exclaimed as I found what I was looking for. Inside the backpack was an assortment of goods and toiletries, but it was the three yellow plastic bottles with red lettering and twistable caps that caught my eye. My toes flexed instinctively as I fought the urge to rip my boots of immediately and apply the powder. My willpower won out, if barely, and I began my run back towards the Yorktown, child over one shoulder and a bag full of Gold Bond over the other. At least, in that one small way, the mission had been a success. I¡¯d take what I could get. Chapter Three: Split Custody ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Captain Smith crossed his arms, looking to Pat for backup, but the pristinely dressed woman merely shrugged, as if to remind the Captain that this was his decision and she wasn¡¯t getting involved. The Captain¡¯s frown deepened, and, for a moment, I could feel the thin strands of energy that connected him to almost everyone on the Yorktown begin to twirl. I¡¯d made myself immune, but even I could feel the influx of emotion and power at such close range. Pat¡¯s face remained stony, as she continued to stare down the Captain who was subconsciously using the power of this connection to manipulate his lieutenant into agreeing with him. ¡°Fine,¡± Captain Smith sighed, as the glowing connection once more thinned and dulled. ¡°I¡¯ve heard your objections, but it¡¯s still my call to make. I know you have the power to usurp me, hell I¡¯d welcome it, but unless you¡¯re willing to stick around and keep these people safe it¡¯s up to me to make the hard decisions.¡± ¡°Captain,¡± I said, ¡°I have no objection to your command. I¡¯ve supported you from day one, but I¡¯m the only one here that¡¯s been through this procedure and I¡¯m telling you that we can¡¯t do it to a child.¡± ¡°The archmage,¡± Captain Smith nodded towards the eight-foot-tall Peacekeeper whose lithe form was lazily stretched over an antique couch, ¡°has already assured me that the process is reversible and has no long-term effects. Entire cultures use it on children. In fact, the only reason we haven¡¯t considered it for everyone under sixteen is the immediate threat, and, frankly, resources. Some powers are just too strong for children to handle.¡± My head flailed as I looked at Telvy and then Pat for support. Pat simply looked away, the tightening of her lip told me she agreed with me, but she wouldn¡¯t voice her opinions, at least not publicly. The archmage never looked up from her preening. She held a small mirror, obviously built for humans, pinned between two claws on her oversized hand. She lightly dusted the golden scales that lined her jaw and spotted her cheeks using a brush made from wood and fine hairs. ¡°If anyone,¡± Telvy announced, slamming closed the clamshell mirror, ¡°had bothered to ask me we could have avoided this entire discussion.¡± ¡°What do you ¡­¡± the Captain and I said at the same time. ¡°You can¡¯t do the surgery?¡± Pat asked, almost hopefully. ¡°Oh, not that my dear.¡± Telvy stood, her head nearly brushing against the roof of the Captain''s small cabin. Her presence seemed to fill the entire room. ¡°I could [Censor] her with barely a thought. What I mean is that doing so won¡¯t limit her powers the way you desire.¡± ¡°That ...¡± I said, before Pat held up her hand to interrupt me. ¡°You¡¯re saying these powers don¡¯t come from a [Class] or [Skill] ¡­ they¡¯re what, natural?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far ¡­ but yes, the girl¡¯s abilities certainly predate the Hegemony¡¯s intervention in this world. I suspect,¡± the archmage paused to look towards me before continuing. ¡°Well, there is more to this world than I¡¯d first imagined.¡± ¡°No,¡± I said. I immediately knew it was true. The training my father had provided me, even if incomplete, had given me powerful abilities that had nothing do with the system. My father had once belonged to an entire group ¡ª as had Liv¡ª with supernatural powers whose origins had gone back hundreds of years. Wasn¡¯t it possible that other groups and powers had existed? Were they connected? ¡°What are our options then?¡± said Captain Smith. ¡°One of your people has already placed her in a healing trance,¡± Telvy said. ¡°Your nurse¡¯s work was ¡­ adequate. I suspect the child will need several days before she awakens. In the meantime ¡­ what do you normally do when one of your offspring gets unruly? I personally believe in spanking.¡± Before anyone could react, the archmage was once again staring into her mirror as she ducked through an almost comically undersized door. I held my laughter till she was gone but quickly covered my mouth as both Pat and Captain Smith shot daggers at me with their eyes. ¡°Hrmm,¡± I said, clearing my throat. ¡°Sorry, bit of a cough.¡± ¡°So, who do we put in charge of the child?¡± The captain said, ignoring my interruption. ¡°No idea, not my problem. I¡¯ve got to get ¡­¡± ¡°Tiller¡¯s uncle,¡± Pat said. ¡°He takes care of a young girl, about the same age?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I said. ¡°Pastor Belk looks after Tiller¡¯s little sister, Trish. They might be about the same age, I¡¯m terrible at kid¡¯s ages, but you can¡¯t seriously be thinking about putting them together?¡± ¡°No,¡± Pat shook her head, interrupting whatever the Captain was going to say. ¡°But ¡­ it can¡¯t hurt to have the Pastor talk with her, can it? He¡¯s as close to a therapist as we¡¯ve got, and he¡¯s better with kids than any of us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll do it,¡± I interjected. ¡°It¡¯s what ¡­ Wednesday?¡± ¡°Monday,¡± Pat frowned. ¡°How do you even keep track anymore? Look, doesn¡¯t matter. This time of day he¡¯ll be in his ¡°church.¡± He converted it from the gift shop on the second level. Tiller might be there, too.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Good,¡± the captain said, ¡°can you ¡­¡± ¡°No can do, Captain,¡± I said, already halfway through the door. ¡°I made a promise, and I¡¯ll get there way faster than the half-trained rescue team you sent out.¡± I heard objections call out behind me, but I blocked them out through sheer, willful ignorance. I was glad I wasn¡¯t the guy in charge, some problems just weren¡¯t mine. This was one of those. *** It didn¡¯t take long for me to catch up with the rescue party. I sent them back to secure the area under the Yorktown with orders to make sure the net stayed deployed. I didn¡¯t need exhausted, possibly injured men and women, waiting the roughly thirty minutes it took to get the thing entirely unrolled, especially if we were being followed. The rescue party hadn¡¯t seemed too distraught by the dismissal, and it was obvious I was the faster option. I couldn¡¯t shake that the feeling that I was taking on too much responsibility, though. Should I be protecting them, or focusing on bigger issues? My sight turned to the west, where an intense pillar of purple light called to me like a moth to fire. Liv was there. I could feel it. I¡¯d have my revenge, but I could never get back what she¡¯d taken from me. The thought brought me back to images of the tiny child I¡¯d just left. She hadn¡¯t moved the entire time I had carried her, even her breathing had been barely detectable. I had done that to her. Not Liv. Me. I tried to focus on the task at hand, but my emotions were running wild. What else had been hidden from me? Had there been an entire world of magic, monsters, and gods ¡ª even before the system had taken over? I was part of that world, and yet I had been left ignorant of everything in it. If I had known, could I? Would Liv have ¡­ I pushed the thoughts down by focusing on something else. My training over the last few days had hit a wall, but the recent battle against the wasps had yielded impressive results for such a short battle. Had that really been one small girl? Even without levels she¡¯d been a match for a highly trained, and leveled, group of scouts. Menu, I thought, before quickly scrolling through options and opening my ¡°status screen.¡± A translucent screen appeared roughly three feet in front of my face, though it would only be visible to me. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was purely a purely mental construct or projected onto my eyes ¡ª and no one had been able to answer my questions. The screen displayed all my stats and skills, in neat, orderly rows as if I was a machine whose output could be perfectly quantified. Name: Augustus Finn Current Class: Hierophant Level: 3/22 Stamina (r/ per second): 43/43 (0.72) Mana (r/ per minute): 109/109 (3.633) Might: 15 Agility: 20 Reaction: 20 Intellect: 40 Perception: 40 Focus: 33 Phys. Resist: 7 Mag. Resist: 6 Men. Resist: 5 Below the list of my stats were rows of [Class Features], [Skills], [Spells] and [Feats]. Spells and skills were activated abilities with preset outcomes and costs, with spells generally requiring mana to activate and skills burning through stamina. [Class Features] were an interesting mix of activated and passive abilities that made up the core of each [Class]. [Feats] were almost always passive but would often grant new powers or amplify existing ones. Almost every one of these abilities could be made more powerful through use. Training worked, especially at low levels, but battle was the quickest and most consistent way of ¡°leveling¡± skills. My battle with the wasp-child had been no exception. [Staff Defense] was still sitting at level nine, but I could feel that it was just a tick away from hitting its tenth, and final, level. Once a [Skill] was fully leveled most would then reset in level and change to a different skill, but the results were not always predictable. [Staff Defense] was already a key part of my fighting style, I couldn¡¯t wait to see what improvements it might gain. Moving on, I found that [Eldritch Mimicry] and [Lightning Arc] had each leveled once. This would make the abilities slightly more powerful and efficient, but the real prize was the 1 [Feat Point], or FP, that each increase gave me. The combined 2 points were small, but just enough to purchase the latest feat I had been working towards. I scanned through the available options: Novice (0/4), Warrior (0/3), Acrobat (0/3), Inspiration II (0/50), Swordsman (0/4), Sniper (0/4), Shadowmancy (48/50), Circle Mage (0/25), Papal Wisdom (0/50), Corruption (10/???), Avatar of Madness (0/100) I eagerly spent the two points and a glowing, text-filled box filled my view. Congratulations! You have gained new a feat(s) - Shadowmancy (0/5) ? - Where others seek to light the darkness, you embrace it. Your mastery of illusion and forbidden powers has given you access to the planes of Umbra. Any illusion spell you cast is formed from the tangible embodiment of darkness, making it partially real and capable of interacting with the world around it. Each illusion created this way is 5% ¡°real¡± plus 3% per level of this feat. This effect similarly strengthens any [Darkness] or [Shadow] spell. The shadowmancer can no longer use [Photomancy] and any light-based illusion magics are permanently altered. This ¡­ was welcome. A five percent increase in anything was powerful but Shadowmancy directly affected two of my most used abilities, [Eldritch Mimicry] and [Shadow Doppelganger]. My doppelgangers were already partially real versions of myself, but this would increase the durability and strength of these shadowy clones. Now, I just had to find an excuse to use them. Perhaps Tiller and Catayla would be up for a bit of training when I got back? If they could keep their hands off each other. They were my two best friends, and I didn¡¯t like to admit my own prejudice, but I found the human-alien pairing slightly unsettling. I pushed them from my mind, as I continued to imagine uses for my new power. I even experimented by creating a few doppelgangers to run side-by-side with me, until I drew closer to where I had left Worthy, Bridgette and the other members of their scouting party. I slowed before the clearing came into sight and moved forward carefully. I didn¡¯t want to be caught off guard again. I circled to the south and stepped into the clearing from a line of boulders that would cover my approach till the last moment. I was surprised to find that not only had the frame of the jeep been repaired but someone had managed to get it running. Worthy and another man were staring at the dented vehicle proudly, but their expressions changed as the pitch of the engine grew higher. This was quickly followed by a clanging sound as the front of the jeep began to shake. Almost immediately, the engine died and the sounds developed into a high pitch whirl. Steam surrounded the hood, and the smell of burning oil filled the air. ¡°Dammit,¡± Worthy yelled, ¡°I thought you had it that time, Mack.¡± The mustached man next to Worthy just shrugged and said, ¡°Even my [Skills] have limits, we¡¯re lucky we even got this much.¡± ¡°I was just hoping to see the expression on that dumb son of ¡­¡± Bridgette cleared her throat before Worthy continued, much to my disappointment. I was looking forward to the man¡¯s embarrassment when he realized I was right behind him. ¡°Alright,¡± I spread my arms out wide, ¡°who called for a tow?¡± Chapter Four: Tides The journey back to the Yorktown had been slow, but uneventful. With the Jeep fixed ¡ª at least structurally ¡ª I only needed to make a single trip. The weight of the vehicle hardly registered as I once again summoned a quartet of eldritch tentacles to pull me forward. Only the danger of flipping the vehicle on the narrow paths and tight corners slowed me as I towed it behind me with a chain made of conjured energy. I should have been annoyed at being turned into a beast of burden, but honestly, I was just relieved to be far enough ahead of the group that I didn¡¯t have to participate in the mindless chit chat that they insisted on engaging in. I knew I could have just let the rescue party finish their job ¡ª every day I told myself this was the day to leave the survivors to their own devices. I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to do so. I had a constant need to be doing something, anything. Quiet voices tormented me in my sleep. The morphic lands of the Dreamscape were blocked to me and the Fisher stayed silent ¡ª so I ran, and I fought. I killed and faced death on a daily basis for one reason ¡ª Because I was afraid. There were things on this planet I wasn¡¯t equipped to deal with. Even the archmage, Telvy, could destroy me if she ever turned her magic or living chains my way. There were things far stronger than the archmage, some not very far from home. This didn¡¯t stop me from wanting to face them. I was willing to die. What stopped me from trying was the knowledge that I would be dragging others to their deaths, and likely doing so in vain. I needed to be stronger. I had to find a way to level ¡ª to break through the walls I had hit. Telvy was the only being I had seen with a level above twenty-five, which was rare even among the Peacekeepers. She refused to tell me how she had done so. ¡°Only the Seas of Kell know,¡± she had said. Her amused smile told me there was a hint there, but without context, it was just as good as no answer at all. One thought kept running through my head, but I refused to acknowledge it. I would repeat the thoughts over and over, before forcing them down in shame. Still ¡­ The girl has power. No. But I couldn¡¯t ignore the temptation. Hers was unlike the power of a Dreamer or a god, and Telvy had confirmed it didn¡¯t come from the system. If I could learn to harness it, or use it to gain some insight into the powers I had inherited ¡­ Did humanity have other powers? Were they all lost ¡­ or waiting to be rediscovered? To use a child for power ¡­ it reminded me too much of what I had lost. No, I could never be like Liv. I would help the girl, not seek to exploit her. I would protect her from those who tried. In the meantime, I would just need to train harder. Once we were in sight of the makeshift camp directly under the Yorktown, I detached from the jeep. I ignored the calls of protest and leaped past the guards. The netting we used as a ladder still hung from the deck of the Yorktown. I climbed it in bounding leaps that carried me upwards a dozen meters with each step. From the ground, I must have looked like a furious spider ascending its web. Before I reached the top, I heard the music of cheerful voices and acoustic instruments. The gentle buzz of conversation and the sweet smell of baked goods and spices filled the air. I tried to slide onto the crowded deck quietly but as soon as my feet landed faces turned towards me in shock and disgust. Two pairs of tentacles still grew from my back and a faint mist of black, fiery energy filled the space around me. I stared back at the accusatory eyes, but they all looked away as soon as my gaze turned towards them. It was as if they were afraid to acknowledge my presence. I sped forward, dismissing my eldritch armor and revealing the silver jumpsuit that covered everything below my neck except for the naked darkness of my right arm. The crowd parted as I made my way towards an old WWII fighter plane that had been bolted to the deck. It had become a gathering spot for traders and even the occasional performer. A line of merchants were still busy plying their trade; most were selling potions, food, or clothing and jewelry made from the remains of monsters. For the first time, I noticed that the survivors were beginning to look much more like a society of hunters and less like a modern society of pencil pushers. Muscle had replaced flab, while fur and leather replaced khakis and floral sundresses. Somehow, the fashion of keeping one arm bare had become popular. I noticed the style on most of the men and even a great deal of the women. A single pauldron would often cover the shoulder of the clothed arm, and I noticed full-sleeve henna tattoos on many of the women while similar, more angular tattoos had become popular among the men.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I shivered when I realized most of the tattoos were depicted stylized eyes. An entire culture was beginning to develop. I felt a sense of pride, but the knowledge that it had gone unnoticed by me till now only filled me with an even greater sense of loneliness. Was Charleston even my home anymore? I looked around for familiar faces but each time I recognized a hunter or one of the original survivors they would look away, sometimes with a polite nod but just as often they would give me nothing but hurried, downcast eyes. I told myself I didn¡¯t care, and marched further into the crowd. I was determined to at least join in the food and perhaps listen to some music before tracking down Tiller and Catayla. Maybe they were even here? Someone had strung a cord of white lights around the deck and conning tower. The gentle music, conversation, and sweet smells made it seem like the perfect place to find a new couple. As I reach the line of merchants, I approached a stall made of old plywood inexpertly cobbled together with crude nails and duct tape. The merchant gave me a wide grin, as he ignored an older couple that had been waiting before me. The couple stood aside and began speaking softly to each other. They each must have been in their fifties or even sixties, and yet I noticed that they moved with a grace that spoke of youth. The apocalypse had been good for some, it seemed. ¡°What¡¯ll it be,¡± the merchant asked. I glanced at a sign written in sharpie on old cardboard. Bat Berger ¨C 5 Stones ¡°Thunder Dog¡± ¨C 6 Stones Coke ¨C 2 stones ¡°Ah, what¡¯s in the dog?¡± ¡°Some kind of reptile, or so I¡¯m told. It¡¯s good meat though and damn fine sausage. I made it myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take one, and a Coke. Got any mustard?¡± I finished ordering my meal and sat down on a wooden bench, facing the setting sun. The sausage was gamey and difficult to chew, but it was warm. The feeling of grease washed down by lukewarm coke was nostalgic, and I allowed myself to enjoy just sitting. The sunset over the warped landscape was beautiful. Reds and golds hung above the sheer, chalky cliffs and the rolling hills, as the skies slowly faded from blue to purple. ¡°Night¡± was a different concept these days, as it never grew truly dark. The pillar of light to the east, rising from the center of a dungeon that could not be entered, was strong enough to act as a second sun. Nights were just slightly less bright, more purple days with deeper shadows and greater threats. As I finished the last bite of my sausage, I took a chug of Coke but almost spit it out as something small and fast collided with my midsection. ¡°Gus!¡± The young girl wrapped around my stomach would not have looked unusual if she was walking to school in the days when surviving just meant going to work and paying bills, and indoor plumbing had been taken for granted. Her unruly hair had been done up into twin poofs on each side of her head and her blue, corduroy dress looked brand new. ¡°Trish,¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t breathe!¡± She squeezed harder but let go as a strong hand landed on my back. ¡°Pastor Belk,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡± ¡°I wish you¡¯d just call me James,¡± he said, sitting down next to me on the bench. ¡°Trish,¡± I said, pulling a handful of pearly, pea-sized stones from my pocket. Her eyes widened as I placed the glowing orbs into her palm. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go buy us some Cokes? Mine¡¯s all gone.¡± The girl beamed and jumped up and down, but her celebration ended as she looked over to Pastor Belk for permission. The old man smiled and nodded his head, causing the girl to fling herself into the crowd like a rocket parting clouds. ¡°So ¡­ how¡¯s Tiller?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t see him much, not at home or church.¡± The pastor sighed, sitting up a little straighter as he looked out at the sunset. ¡°He¡¯s got responsibilities these days, not to mention a new girlfriend. We¡¯re proud of him.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t bother you?¡± ¡°Bother me? Well, this whole magic business is still uncomfortable, but I¡¯ve prayed on it and I don¡¯t see any way for us to survive without it. The Bible never tells us how to spot the witch for the miracle, it¡¯s left to our hearts to guide us to the truth.¡± I shook my head, ¡°I meant Catayla.¡± ¡°I thought the three of you were close? I¡¯m surprised at you.¡± ¡°I love them both,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s just she¡¯s ¡­¡± ¡°What, got a foot of height on him and claws that could skin a deer? How could I love her any different because of such gifts? Besides, as dangerous as the world is ¡­ it is nice to know she is by his side.¡± ¡°And if he leaves?¡± ¡°I think I understand, Finn,¡± he smiled. ¡°I raised the boy, and I see the man he is now. I trust his judgment, and you should too.¡± ¡°So many people need us ¡­¡± ¡°Finn,¡± The pastor stood up and his voice deepened. I called it his sermon voice, and I suspect it was subconscious. ¡°You know the Chinese proverb of the Fisherman, yes? It¡¯s better to teach a man to fish than to feed him for a day." "What, no scripture?" "You know my beliefs, Finn, but not everything can be learned by reading scripture alone. We need to live in the world to truly understand the Lord''s will. If you understand your own heart, you''ll know what you should do." "People will die, Pastor. That''s not in question." ¡°And if you stay, everything goes back to normal? Teachers are not meant to stay with us forever, Finn. You¡¯ve given these people what they need, all of us, and eventually, you will need to stand aside to let them catch the fish on their own. Youdo more good elsewhere ¡ª or perhaps you will fail. We can never know, only do what feels right.¡± ¡°What about Trish, and the other children? Who protects them?¡± ¡°We all do, Finn. As a community, a village. We won¡¯t always succeed, but we must keep trying. I¡¯ve never been a father, not in the biological sense ¡ª but I¡¯ve raised two children and I¡¯ve been to funerals for far more than that. I will do so again.¡± ¡°You ¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t understand the pain of losing a child? No, I don¡¯t. I¡¯ve seen that pain firsthand, though, and it can destroy lives, but it can transform them as well. You¡¯re not alone. For all your strength, you need the power of community. The church ¡­¡± ¡°Pastor ¡­ James, thank you. I have to go.¡± ¡°Can I ask where to?¡± ¡°To find your nephew. I have an apology to give ¡­ and a few ideas to go over.¡± Chapter Five: Motion I stepped into the hangar, taking the time to close the hatch behind me. The clanking of metal on metal resonated between the concrete walls as the screeching of ungreased hinges drowned out the buzzing of the fluorescent lights. The mostly empty chamber was long and high-roofed. If anything, it reminded me of my old middle school basketball court ¡ª if you ignored the rows of weapons and the Apollo 8 module someone had shoved into a corner. ¡°Tiller,¡± I yelled, ¡°You here?¡± Only the shadows and the booming echoes of my footsteps answered. I walked further into the room, grabbing a training staff from a rack and spinning through a few practice forms. I found the movements completely useless in battle, but the flowing motions were great exercise and the constant motion was meditative. I spun 180¡ã, ending with my staff held out at chest level while keeping my body still. The pause was barely perceptible before I plunged the far end of the staff into the ground and used the weapon as a lever to fling my body into a flying kick that ended in a series of flowing staff attacks. I spun again as I mimed deflecting bladed attacks while simultaneously striking with foot and elbow. I could feel myself growing winded, though the effects of the system never let me get completely out of breath. I¡¯d learned that if I avoided skills that used [Stamina] heavily, then I no longer needed to fear growing fatigued in battle. Despite this, I¡¯d found training to be the best way to grow my strength and endurance. With my level capped, and my higher-level skills barely growing, training had become the best outlet for my frustration. Gains from exercise came faster than they should, likely due to no longer needing long recovery times. It also might have had something to do with the adaptive qualities of my [Chaotic Mutability] class feature. Whatever the reason, I¡¯d put on at least fifteen pounds of muscle in the past weeks and had real definition in my chest and abs for the first time in my life. I ended a lunge with the staff held parallel to the ground and my back leg bent. I slowly lowered myself on one leg as I stretched the other leg straight up, allowing the muscles in my back to fully extend. Just I was beginning to raise myself back up, slowly turning on one heel, when I felt a chill run down my spine and the hairs on the back of my arm bristled. I launched myself forward, landing in a tight roll that ended with me facing the hatch I had entered through. Two knives were buried to the hilt in the concrete where I had been standing not even a second earlier. I couldn¡¯t tell where they had come from. The hatch I had used was still closed, as where the other two entrances. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I yelled. ¡°Catayla? Tiller?¡± Another knife flew at me from the shadows, but this time I easily deflected it. As I leaped upwards, towards the source of the attack, I batted aside several more of the short, nearly hiltless blades. The attacks seemed slow and uncoordinated, though perfectly aimed. If someone with the skill to make that first attack had been trying to kill me, they would¡¯ve grouped their attacks in tighter formations. Instead, the throws came at nearly perfect quarter-second intervals. I reached out and grabbed a rafter, swinging around it to get a better view of my assailant but I was met only with a shadowy blur and something heavy colliding with my chest. The momentum of the kick slammed me, back first, into the cold, concrete floor but my eyes were able to follow the movement of the shadow as it sped towards the edge of the room. ¡°That was good,¡± I yelled. Only my own echoes answered. ¡°But you won¡¯t catch me off guard again.¡± I¡¯d never seen Catayla fight like this ¡ª and Tiller would have just blasted me from a distance with his revolver. If one of the Yorktown crew or hunters had grown this powerful, I would be impressed. That, however, seemed unlikely. This was something else. I smiled as I scanned the hangar for signs of movement. The flickering fluorescent lights bathed everything in white, but the rafters and piled junk cast shifting shadows that clung to the edges of the room. The darkness could hide little from my System enhanced [Perception] but my eyes found nothing except piled boxes, tarps, and WWII memorabilia stacked around the edges of the room. I wasn¡¯t sure where my attacker was hidden ¡ª or even what it was. I knew only that it was fast and immune to [Eldritch Sight], and that it wasn¡¯t invisible or truly made of shadow. I had seen it ¡ª and my chest still ached from its kick. If it could hurt me ¡­ then it had to have a physical form. I took control of the twisting lines of eldritch energy that ran through the room, flattening them and pressing them into the edges of the room. It was a crude sort of sight, but I could sense where the energy moved freely and where it found resistance. It moved more slowly through inanimate objects and, though it was slow, I had trained myself to notice the barely perceptible drain of energy caused by anyone touched by the system. All system skills and feats were powered by a filtered version of the chaotic energy, though the process of this purification was invisible to me. Even the archmage claimed she was unaware of the mechanism the system used to turn eldritch energy into [Mana], [Stamina] and other forms of energy. I turned as a hatch began to squeak open behind me. My attention was drawn only for a second, but it was enough to distract me from the knife aimed at my heart and the knee aimed at my face. I deflected the knife on reflex alone, and partially blocked the kick with my forearm, but it was not enough to stop a grazing hit from bloodying my nose. My eyes watered, but I was able to get a clear look at the attacker as she stood over me.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. It lasted only a moment, but I doubt I¡¯ll ever forget what I saw. She was black. Not brown, like Tiller, or even dark skinned in the normal sense. She was like a hole cut into reality ¡ª a silhouette of a tall and slender woman with long hair trailing behind her as if it were floating in water. Only her eyes had color, a deep purple filled with hatred. She screamed with a voice full of rage and sadness before once again turning into a blur and charging towards the opened hatch. I heard a surprised yell as she pushed aside our interrupter. I had a quick glimpse of a green mohawk and chain-decorated denim before I heard the sickening crunch of a skull cracking against metal. I followed the shadow but slowed my pursuit to examine Worthy, his head at an unnatural angle. I screamed as I turned away from him to finish my pursuit ¡ª but the mysterious woman was already gone. The passageway split ahead, and I had no way to track her. I turned back to Worthy¡¯s form, and screamed again, before bending to check his pulse. I wasn¡¯t sure if he had saved my life or prevented me from stopping the creature; either way, I was consumed with rage at my loss. My prey had escaped. I felt a weak pulse under my fingers, pulling me out of my haze. My scowl softened, though my face still ached, as I turned my attention back to Worthy. There was a large gash across his chest and his head was ¡ª the best way to describe it is ¡°dented.¡± Just above his left temple was golf ball sized crater covered in blood. I knew I wasn¡¯t supposed to move someone with a head injury, and I was considering leaving him to find help when a large air siren announced the beginning of our nightly raids. ¡°Fuck,¡± I yelled. ¡°Perfect timing.¡± I slung Worthy over my shoulder, ignoring my urge to leave him and hunt the shadowy attacker. She had done this. If Worthy died ¡­ well, what? It wouldn¡¯t change what I did with her. *** I wasn¡¯t surprised by the frantic energy of the infirmary, but I was amazed by how full it was. Of the twenty beds, over half of them were in use. The raid had only just begun, and it seemed unlikely that these many people could have been injured and transported here already. I noticed a few nurses and doctors wearing scrubs, but the vast majority wore a mishmash of modern clothing mixed with the furs and leather that had become the latest trend. The treatments were just as unfamiliar. Arcane spells were used next to beeping machines and dripping IVs in a chaotic merging of two seemingly incompatible worlds. I raised my voice above the din of conversation and machines, and a short nurse with long bangs ran towards me. As she approached, she waved over a pair of men to join her. The two orderlies carefully took Worthy from my shoulder and set him on a nearby bed. ¡°He¡¯s ¡­¡± The woman ignored me, holding up a hand to shush me as she placed her other palm on Worthy¡¯s forehead. A green glow had already appeared between her fingers before the two men had finished placing their patient on the bed. The glow of the nurse¡¯s hand intensified, and I noticed a faraway look on her face that I recognized from seeing countless people examine their stats and skills while walking through the decks of the Yorktown. Phones no longer worked, but we had found other screens to stare into as we avoided eye contact and idle conversation with strangers. The woman continued to concentrate, and I saw the redness and swelling on Worthy¡¯s face slowly retreat, though the crater persisted. The orderlies stood and looked towards me, so I took that as my cue to leave. Just as I turned towards the door, however, I came face-to-face with Bridgette. Her eyes had gone wide, and even though her mouth was held open in a scream she made no sound. ¡°Bridgette,¡± I said. I wanted to reach out to her, but I didn¡¯t know if I should. She saved me the trouble of deciding by slipping past me and going straight to Worthy. Her silence was unbroken until the two orderlies had to physically hold her back. Bridgette began to wail. It was a raw, primal pain, like the cry of a wounded animal. Few eyes turned to us; all too focused on closer tasks. I took a step towards her, but when she looked up, I saw nothing but judgment and anguish. Her jaw quivered and her nostrils flared as she stared through me. I noticed her fists clench, and I instinctively took a step back. ¡°Bridgette ¡­¡± ¡°Who did this? Who!¡± She lunged, hitting me in my still sore chest before grabbing my collar and lifting me from my feet. The best way to describe Bridgette was ¡°Amazonian¡± and such strength wouldn¡¯t have seemed unusual on her, even pre-system. Now, full of rage and power, she was a force of nature. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Bridgette.¡± She looked up at me, shock covering her face. Tears filled her face once again, as she dropped me. She reached out to me again, and I flinched as she pulled me into a tight hug. ¡°I¡¯ll find her Bridgette, I promise.¡± ¡°Her?¡± Brigette pushed me away to arm¡¯s length, and I held her gaze for the first time. Her face seemed calm, but the rage still burned behind her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it was,¡± I said, ¡°but I fought it and I think I can beat it. Worthy ¡­ was drawn into the fight without ever knowing what hit him.¡± Bridgette¡¯s face spiraled between grief and rage as I described what happened. As I talked, I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was familiar about the shadow woman. The shape of her face had seemed ¡­ but I couldn¡¯t hold onto the thought. Just trying to hold onto the thought was painful, like burning coal placed in the center of my forehead. As I struggled to force the memory, the room around me was thrown into chaos. Machines fell from the floor and crashed into a tilting floor as the roar of twisting metal reverberated between the walls. I looked around to find smashed glass and small instruments scattered across the room, but the floor was no longer down, and everything had been pulled to the far side of the room. Nurses, doctors, and orderlies were struggling to hold patients and hospital beds upright and a woman in green scrubs was screaming as she cradled a twisted arm. ¡°Is everyone all right?¡± Multiple people called out to each other in shock and concern, but I was locked in confusion, my ears ringing like a siren reminding me I needed to act ¡ª but I seemed to have forgotten how. I had instinctively steadied myself by growing a pair of tentacles to brace against opposite walls, leaving me hanging off the ground in the center of the room. But then, everything came back into focus. I grew another five pairs of sinuous limbs, using them to hold down hospital beds as I waited for another impact. Whatever had shaken us had only happened once, but the ship was still listing at least fifteen degrees to one side and there was no telling if it would worsen. I wasn¡¯t even sure if we could remain airborne like this. ¡°Bridgette,¡± I yelled. She looked up to me, but her arms remained wrapped around Worthy¡¯s torso. ¡°I need to get to the main deck. Can you take charge here?¡± She nodded, glancing down at Worthy before standing and giving orders to stow debris and tie down everything that could be secured. I climbed upward through a hatch I had walked through only a few minutes prior. Chapter Six: Shadows at Dusk The sound of thousands of screeches and the thunderous beating of winds muffled my curses as I looked up at the darkened sky. It was as if every form of winged beast had taken flight at the same time and were circling the Yorktown like the old ship was carrion set out for dinner. Some were birds that wouldn¡¯t have looked out of place before Eldritch Night, while others were ¡ª more fantastic. Nearly every shape capable of flight, and some that should not have been capable, was present and they ranged in size from as small as a sparrow to as large as horses with long, curved beaks and leathery wings. I even caught a glimpse of a wingless serpent slithering between the mass of feather, flesh, and wing. Creatures rained down upon the deck around me, some full of holes and others missing limbs or with long gashes across their bodies. They weren¡¯t attacking the ship, only each other, but the depth of their panic drove them in every direction without care for their own safety. I heard a rhythmic tattoo as thousands of them collided with the hull of the Yorktown, some with enough force for the vibrations to travel through thirty-thousand tons of steel and concrete and be felt in the soles of my feet. Almost nothing moved on along the deck, except for the flashes of gunfire from where the Peacekeepers had set up their trademark hexagonal energy shields at key points around the edge of the ship. The rest of the guards and hunters who would normally participate in such defenses were either sheltering inside ¡­ or worse. I gulped as I peered over the edge, but all I could see was the dark cloud of bodies pressing into each other. Not knowing what else to do, I began to run towards the command tower, where I was sure I would find the Captain and Pat. I hadn¡¯t taken two steps before I lost balance as the pitch of the ship shifted once more. If it wasn¡¯t for my high [Reaction] stat, I¡¯m sure I would have eaten a face full of concrete. The tilt slowly corrected itself as the deck once more became level, but I could hear a whirr coming from below ¡ª somewhere in the bowels of the ship. The energy in the air, both eldritch and mana, was more active than normal. It would slow and seemed to come to rest in sluggish pools before jumping around in unpredictable patterns and shapes. I could sense a similarity between the restless pulsing of the eldritch energy that swam through the air and the thumping of birds colliding with the Yorktown, but it wasn¡¯t exact, and I was already at the limit of my senses, so I dropped the thought. I flicked my wrist to extend my staff, but as I willed the eldritch energy to form into a blade it resisted me. I paused my run to concentrate and was able to conjure a waifish blade of flickering energy, but it pulled on my concentration to maintain it and fizzled away as soon as I became distracted. ¡°Shit,¡± I yelled, batting aside a winged eel that flew too close. Above me, a group of bat-like creatures began crashing into each other, causing a syrupy green liquid to rain down on me that stung my eyes and smelled acrid but with a hint of sweetness. On instinct, I pointed up and yelled, ¡°Arcane Missile!¡± Despite the chaos in the ambient mana, the spell worked without a hitch, conjuring nearly a dozen sparks of fiery blue missiles that would each seek out a separate target. I repeated the spell as I ran towards a line of Peacekeepers who had formed up along the starboard side of the ship. As I moved, hundreds of flashing wisps rained upwards to ignite everything above me like a fluttering canopy of blue flame. Even the greenish blood that drizzled down from the injured creatures was ignited, leaving flaming waterfalls to evaporate into puffs of blue light before striking the ground. I looked at my [Mana]: 94/109, but it was already recovering. [Arcane Missile] had once been a staple of my offense, and I felt a bit of glee as I continued to cast it. I became nostalgic for that brief moment of pure joy I had felt after casting magic for the first time ¡ª of course, that was before being abducted by the mother of all spiders and dragged into a world that had gone insane. I find it best to focus on the good parts. My mana regeneration had reached a point where, even with if my mana was somehow exhausted, I could cast [Arcane Missile] nearly every two seconds for an eternity, or at least until fatigue or injury stopped me. It wouldn¡¯t be enough, though. Even if I took out tens of thousands of the flying critters it wouldn¡¯t have reduced the deadly flock by a fraction of a percent. ¡°Report,¡± I yelled as I slid between the formation of Peacekeepers. They were all wearing the bulky black armor that somehow grew like a living thing out of the skintight jumpsuits that made up their daily uniform. Each of the soldiers kept their eyes and rifles firmly trained on the sky, but a male with scarlet skin and a speckling of brown scales across his cheeks pointed with a clawed thumb while still managing to fire with his other hand. I nodded as I looked toward the tower at the center of the ship. At the top, I could make out gunfire and the glow of a massive spell. [Mana Manipulation] flared and I could feel the skill begin to level just by witnessing whatever was going on up there. The antennae at the peak of the tower were glowing in greenish blue energy that was shaping into complex geometric shapes that swirled and collapsed into themselves.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Telvy, you better have a plan,¡± I said. I launched a volley of [Arcane Missiles] in every direction, easing the assault on the Peacekeepers as much as I could. The alien soldiers kept the same stoic look on their faces, adjusting to more distant targets with ease as I began running towards the center of the ship. A few brief flashes of light made it through the shifting mass of avians like moonlight filtering through seawater. It didn¡¯t matter, the glowing runes at the peak of the tower were beginning to grow and flash in alternating shades of blue and green like a flashing beacon only a mage could see. I regretted that the Fisher was not there to scout ahead. Was I beginning to miss his strange combination of snark and nihilism? Just as I reached the entrance to the tower, I paused. The hairs on the back of my head stood up and I looked behind me. There was a shadow, or perhaps it was just a trick of the light creating images as it filtered through the shifting flock of panicked creatures. I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling, however, that something was watching me and the dormant eye in the center of my forehead began to burn as it slowly slid open. I screaming in pain as I forced the eye closed, though it took a feat of willpower similar to gripping a lump of hot coal with a naked hand. The [Eye of Madness] would show me Truth, but each time I used it the images became permanently burned into my memory like nightmares constantly lingering in the back of my mind. Even with concentrating on [Intellect] and [Focus] as I leveled, I wasn¡¯t sure my mind could survive the process of seeing the Truth for so many creatures. I turned back toward the hatch, but as the handle spun, I heard a roar rise above the din of beating wings. It was muffled just enough I might have imagined it, but I couldn¡¯t ignore the instinct that something was watching me. Even as a child I¡¯d considered that my ¡°superpower.¡± If anyone was talking about me or watching me, I would feel it as a hair-raising tingle up the back of my neck ¨C an instinct that was only amplified by the interference of the System and its skills. I suppressed the feeling. Of course, I was being watched. Thousands, maybe millions, of beady eyes circled above my head. As soon as the hatch spun open, I sprinted up the narrow, twisting stairs and pushed past a duo of human guards as I entered the control room at the top of the tower. Only the antennae array and its strangely glowing runes were higher. ¡°Finn,¡± Pat said, turning away from a display panel. ¡°Do you have any idea what is going on?¡± The Captain turned to acknowledge me but held up a large, calloused hand to silence me as he spoke into a handheld radio. ¡°Sergeant,¡± he yelled. ¡°Repeat ¡­ can you hear me? Over.¡± ¡°Is there a problem?¡± I asked, leaning against one of the thin metal walls. ¡°A problem?¡± he said. ¡°My ship is going down and all you can think to do to help is prop up the walls with your skinny ass.¡± Captain Smith grabbed me by my coat, dragging my heels against the wall as he lifted me. ¡°Where the hell have you been? I¡¯m missing my lieutenants, my XO is dead, and Bridgette isn¡¯t responding to my calls ¡­ what the hell have you brought to my doorstep?¡± ¡°I know as much as you,¡± I said, pushing his hands back. ¡°And Bridgette is fine. Or was. I left her in the infirmary to look after the wounded. Worthy is one of them.¡± I heard Pat gasp, but her eyes never left the screen she was looking at. I wasn¡¯t sure what the machine she operated did, but it looked to have been made in the 80s and I couldn¡¯t see how it could possibly help our situation. ¡°Isn¡¯t there some voodoo you can do to fix this?¡± the captain asked. ¡°I¡¯ve tried,¡± I shook my head. ¡°I can barely even hold onto any eldritch energy that isn¡¯t in direct contact with my body and mana is just as unreliable. Only the system spells are working. We need Tiller, or better yet his master.¡± ¡°The archmage is doing something,¡± Captain Smith grunted, ¡°had the hairs on my arm prickling as soon as she started. I imagine you mage types must sense something ¡­ and Tiller is in engineering working on some fix, but that mumbo jumbo is not my wheelhouse. Radios aren¡¯t going through and these damn sound-powered phones these old military tubs use aren¡¯t worth a damn with the hull ringing like a fucking bell.¡± ¡°What¡¯s Telvy doing?¡± I was yelling as the noise from outside grew worse. ¡°And what do you know about this shadow?¡± ¡°Shadow?¡± the captain said. ¡°Aye, before this mess something like that took out some of my men. Was so fast we couldn¡¯t track ¡ª I sent Worthy to find you after it lopped off Pikman¡¯s head ¡­ but then, well you see where we are now?¡± ¡°They must be connected.¡± The Captain only grunted as he turned back toward the cracked glass at the front of the bridge, still barking orders into an unresponsive radio. I could feel the lines of energy pouring out of him, seeming to grow in power even now. The connection I had forged between him and the crew seemed to have spread to the Yorktown itself, and I could feel his emotion flowing outward as something else flowed back. I suspected his rage might have literally been the only thing keeping the ship together. I stepped out onto the catwalk that surrounded the bridge and joined the few remaining crew members who were doing their best to keep away the monsters with nothing more than bravery and good old-fashioned human firepower. Dozens of glowing missiles joined the attack and I could feel the crew¡¯s relief after receiving the first few seconds of rest they had had since the attack began. ¡°You,¡± I said, pointing to a man in torn jeans a florescent green tank top. ¡°What have you seen?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said. ¡°They took Marcus, just plucked him up and ate him right in front of us. I could see. He just got married, you know? Before all ¡­¡± ¡°Focus, sailor,¡± I said. ¡°Out there is something else. These monsters aren¡¯t attacking on their own, this isn¡¯t coordinated enough for that. Something else is driving this ¡­ what have you seen?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± he shook his head. ¡°Just a shadow. Just a shadow. Just, just ¡­¡± ¡°A shadow,¡± I said.