《Harem Reaper》 Chapter 1: Angelic Voice "I can''t believe some idiot actually bought my CoM account for 50,000 dollars..." Michael said in a mildly surprised voice as he checked his email. He was in one of the top raiding guilds in the world at the time that Weed managed to sell his account for a ridiculous amount of money. After hearing about it his whole guild, which was only about 10 people including his brother, decided to power level as quickly as possible to sell their accounts. His guild leader Bunny was the first person after Weed to hit level 200 so she managed to sell her account for over 200,000. However, even though Michael was only the 4th person to hit max, the price was dropping pretty quickly. Luckily everyone managed to get enough money from selling their accounts to afford Royal Road, which cost almost 15,000 dollars at the time in America. "Although, considering I played the damn game for almost 10 years, 50,000 dollars really isn''t that much money..." They would play for a few months every time a big patch or an expansion came out, but once they managed to become the top guild on their server, they would usually get bored and stop playing. Over the years people came and went but the core group always stayed together, even when they played other games. After leaving his house for the first time in years, Michael went to the store and bought a Royal Road capsule. Of course he had to get his father to drive him there because he still didn''t have a license at 25 years old. After coming back home he took the capsule down into the basement and placed it next to his bed. After cleaning it off as much as possible he then went upstairs to take a shower. Every time he leaves the house he has to take a shower, if he touches a doorknob then he immediately needs to wash his hands. Even if his shirt just slightly brushes against the back of a chair in his kitchen he has to throw it in the hamper and get a new, clean one. After touching the car''s handle he had to wipe his hands with disinfectant wipes, then again after touching the seat belt and again after touching the wipe container. "I can''t believe you let him spend fifteen thousand dollars on a stupid video game!" "Calm down hun, he said he can use it to make money." "How could he make money playing a video game?!" "Well, he did use the money he made from playing that other game to buy it." He tried to ignore his mother yelling at his father in the living room as he ran up the stairs to take a shower in the 2nd floor bathroom. His brother used to live in one of the two bedrooms upstairs but he managed to find a rich boyfriend to mooch off of, so now its just Michael and his parents. After he took a shower and went down into his room, he finally got into the capsule and turned it on. -The scan on your iris and retinal blood vessels has determined that you are an unregistered user. Would you like to create a new account? "Yes." -Please select the name of your avatar. "Azrael" The Archangel of death, or at least the one with the best name out of the three that he knew of. -Please select your gender from male, female or neutral. "Male." He was tempted to pick female since he always wanted to know what it would feel like to be a woman, but he decided that male was the safe choice. -Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may select your race from the primary twenty-nine that are currently available. A list of 29 races appeared before his eyes, after spending over an hour reading and rereading all of their pros and cons he finally chose. "Barbarian" -Would you like to manually customize your appearance or have an avatar based on your actual face and body created to match your chosen race? "Use my actual body and face but let me modify it afterward." After the 2 meter tall barbarian version of himself was created, which looked ridiculous because he was only about 173cm. For a barbarian he looked really wimpy and small, maybe he was just biased because he thought all barbarians should look like extreme body building giants. It took a few hours of editing but he managed to make a really muscular, 250cm giant barbarian that essentially had his face with long black feminine hair and a light beard. He also made his body a pale white complexion and completely hairless, which seemed a little strange but it looked fine. He made his iris'' dark red instead of dark brown but it wasn''t really that big of a difference. "OK, I''m done editing now." -Your account has been activated. Your stats and class shall be determined while you are playing Royal Road. For the first month of in-game time you will not be able to leave your starting city. Please select a city and kingdom you wish to start in. A huge map of the Versailles Continent appeared in front of him, it showed the various populations and other information that was crucial to the huge decision he had to make. After spending an hour looking at every city of every kingdom, he finally decided. "Rhodium." -Welcome to Royal Road, it is recomended that users watch the tutorial before beginning. Would you like to watch the tutorial? "No thanks."
Status Window
Character NameAzraelAlignmentNeutral
Level1ProfessionNone
TitleNone
Fame0
Health150Mana50
Strength20Agility5
Vitality15
Wisdom5Intellect5
Luck0Leadership0
Attack7
Defense0
Magic ResistanceNone
As soon as he appeared in the middle of a huge renaissance era looking town Azrael was startled by a status window that popped up in his face. "Fuck, maybe I should have picked one of the elven races... Oh well, this is good enough for now." He knew that barbarians had low intellect, wisdom and agility but he didn''t think the difference would be so extreme. He actually had a headache because the game was trying to dumb him down to a barbarian level. "Ah! What the hell is that thing?!" "I think it''s a barbarian user..." "No way, I''m a barbarian and I''m only 2 meters!" "Maybe it''s some sort of secret race?" "He looks like a beginner, I doubt he could have unlocked a special race." "Oh god! That thing sure is scary looking!" "We better get out of here before it sees us..." "Yea, he might actually be really high level user. We better get out of here before he goes on a killing spree!" Azrael started laughing hysterically in an obnoxiously loud voice at the people who were freaking out because of his size. "Holy shit! It''s like a fire alarm!" "Is there a 747 taking off over there?" "My ears! Ah! My eyes!" [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Skill: You aquired a new skill, Voice Of Death.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Voice of Death (Lvl. 1 0%): Using your unnaturally loud voice you are able to cause temporary deafness to low level animals and monsters, at close range your voice is powerful enough to cause eardrums and eyes to burst from the vibration.[/col][/box] This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Oops..." He quickly stopped laughing and started sprinting away from the scene of the crime, where three people were deaf and one person was deaf and blind. "Well, it''s not like he can''t be healed with some magic... right?" Azrael said to himself as he wandered through a dirty alley. If it were reality he would never be able to stand being in such a disgusting place, homeless people everywhere. There were sections of the alley where corpses covered in human feces were simply left to rot and be eaten by gigantic rats. Prostitutes who looked like lepers were having sex with fat drunk old men not even 20 meters away from the fucking corpses! "Sigh, is this supposed to be New Jersey?" He started laughing at his own joke unconsciously. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Level up: Voice of Death (2) Enemies with low health will have their hearts stopped at medium range and their brains will explode at close range.[/col][/box] The 10 or so disgusting people fucking in the alley around him all died instantly. The weird thing was that he didn''t recieve any infamy or even get a notification that he killed them. It was like the game didn''t care, or maybe what he did wasn''t considered wrong because he didn''t do it on purpose? Eventually he emerged from the alley to the central square again and it seemed like everyone that was there before had left. It was starting to get dark so maybe they went to inns or just left the city. Unlike most people Azrael saw the crafting classes as overpowered. He had an immense and extensive understanding of video games. The whole reason he chose Rhodium was because he wanted to spend his first month trying out each and every one of the classes he possibly could before he would have to decide which one he preferred. "Ouch, damn it!" Azrael yelled in an angry voice after stepping on a large nail while trying to avoid smacking his face against the door frame while entering the Bards Guild. "Holy shit! Is that guy here to kill us?!" "This is the bards guild not the warriors guild asshole!" "Get out of here you giant douche-bag!" Apparently a few of the people who were injured earlier were in the bards guild. They were all low level beginners so it''s not like they could overpower him, even if they all teamed up. Since he had the stats of a warrior he figured he could probably take them if it came to that. "Hello, welcome to the bards guild! Are you here to learn how to sing or play instruments?" A relatively tall woman with blond hair and a bright smile said while walking up to him and playing a lute. "I think you''re the first person I''ve seen who wasn''t a complete asshole to me..." He said but then stopped when he noticed she was actually talking to the person in front of him who was a dwarf so small that he almost stepped on him. "Ah! Please don''t kill me!" The woman yelled hysterically and the dwarf ran out of the building away from me. "Oh come on! There''s no way you didn''t see me before now!" The woman started crying and curled up in a ball on the floor in front of Azrael. "Oh God! Someone do something!" "She''s dead, it''s a shame, she was pretty hot for an NPC." "Well it''s not like she''s a real person or anything." People are assholes, it''s in their nature, they are just disgusting creatures that consider themselves superior to everything else. Even if they are weak, even if they are hiding, they consider themselves more important than anything or anyone else. At least that¡¯s the truth; though there are exceptions, it doesn''t change the fact that humans are terrible. "Calm down kid, I''m here to learn how to sing and play instruments." "Please, I''ll give you all the money I have, just let me go!" She pleaded in a desperate voice, completely ignoring Azrael. He sighed and grabbed her lute, which was basically just a weird shaped 7-string guitar. He started playing it awkwardly with his giant hands, but his ten years of playing guitar made it possible to at least play basic chords. "This song is called Innocence." It was just some random song he made up on the spot but between his singing voice and his playing ability it sounded amazing. (Pre-Chorus) The voices screaming, Their lies across my mind And though it seems, there is a path across the dark night My eyes deceiving, the truth that I cant seem to find And I cant see it, through the path into the light (verse 1) I cant tell what¡¯s right or wrong Lies don¡¯t justify this violent song The innocence just signifies what¡¯s really gone If eyes don¡¯t testify your mind is wrong (verse 2) In my eyes This compromise Just wont seem to make this feel alright Though lies They grow in size And make my mind control my sight (Pre-Chorus) The voices screaming, Their lies across my mind And though it seems, there is a path across the dark night My eyes deceiving, the truth that I cant seem to find And I cant see it, through the path into the light (chorus) Innocence My mind has drifted from the light Absence Of feeling guilty every night (verse 1) I cant tell what¡¯s right or wrong Lies don¡¯t justify this violent song The innocence just signifies what¡¯s really gone If eyes don¡¯t testify your mind is wrong (verse 2) In my eyes This compromise Just wont seem to make this feel alright Though lies They grow in size And make my mind control my sight (solo) (Pre-Chorus) The voices screaming, Their lies across my mind And though it seems, there is a path across the dark night My eyes deceiving, the truth that I cant seem to find And I cant see it, through the path into the light (chorus) Innocence My mind has drifted from the light Absence Of feeling guilty every night The room was completely silent for a few minutes as everyone stopped what they were doing out of shock. They couldn''t comprehend what just happened. Then everyone started clapping and the woman who was curled up on the floor crying out of fear was sitting up with a smile on her face while crying for a different reason. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Skill: You have acquired a new passive skill, Heavenly Strings.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Heavenly Strings(Lvl. 1 0%): You have the innate ability to play any string instrument using your knowledge and experience from another world.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Skill: You have aquired a new skill Angelic Voice.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Angelic Voice(Lvl. 1 0%): Using your innate ability to control your vocal chords and breathing you can produce the optimal frequency to soothe allies and enemies.[/col][/box] <=Back to Forum Next Chapter=> Chapter 2: Pink, Purple and Green [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]New Stat: Art[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Art: The ability to comprehend and practice beauty, art affects every aspect of life by enhancing your aesthetic and practical senses. Improves when you see, hear, smell, taste or touch beautiful things, or when creating art in any form.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]New Stat: Creativity[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Creativity: The ability to create new and/or unconventional concepts and ideals. Deeply intertwined with the Art Stat.[/col][/box] Azrael didn''t expect to be able to teach himself what he came to the Bard''s Guild to learn. "I''m terribly sorry for being so rude to you earlier! My name is Raphaela, I would love to learn the name of such an accomplished musician as yourself!" [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]New Class: You can become a Bard. Do you want to become a Bard?[/col][/box] He handed the lute back to her and sighed with a disappointed look on his face. "My name is Azrael and even if I''m a decent musician, I would never be able to be the best Bard in the world as a Barbarian. Although playing music is fun I do not want to be a bard, sorry." [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]If you decide you want to become a bard later you can do so by returning to the Bard''s Guild and performing a song.[/col][/box] "Here, it isn''t much but take this piece of silver in return for that beautiful song you showed me." "Thank you, but isn''t a silver too much for just playing a song?" "Well, normally that''s true but since it was such a wonderful performance I think you deserve it. Actually, if you would be willing to sell that song, we would buy it for a good price." "Sure, I don''t mind, how much are you offering?" "Is 10 gold enough?" ''Holy shit!'' Azrael thought to himself as he was talking to Raphaela in a calm voice while trying not to express his surprise. 10 gold is 100,000 copper, considering that a beginner normally earns a few coppers from a day of hard work, that''s just absurd. Maybe if he asked he could have gotten even more, but it was too risky to push it. "10 gold is plenty. I''ll play it a few more times for you so you can remember it better." After that he played the song 3 more times and received the 10 gold. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Fame Increases by 50[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]By selling a song to the Bard''s Guild you have given a great gift to generations of future bards. Every time a bard learns Innocence you will receive 1 fame point. Every time a bard plays Innocence to a large crowd of people you will receive 2 fame points.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Creativity has increased by 5[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Art has increased by 5[/col][/box] What he couldn''t understand was why the city was so poor, when there were fancy statues and all kinds of other art all around Rhodium. Just the materials alone would be worth enough gold to fix everything that was wrong with the city. However, he quickly realized the reason for the poverty. It was a city full of idiots, there was no governor of Rhodium so everyone used that as an excuse to be poor, dirty, homeless beggars and prostitutes. There aren''t even crime syndicates or any kind of mafia! Just a bunch of NPC''s who are programmed to be pathetic to an excessive extent. Although, maybe in that sense they were at least very realistic. "Time to go have some fun!" Azrael exclaimed in an excited voice as he walked into the Alchemist''s Guild. However, unlike the bards guild there were no screams, it was more like a library. There were books on the walls and tables, but no one was there to read them. Just one wrinkly old man in a dirty looking grey robe wearing a really poorly made wig, or maybe it was supposed to be an animal fur cap? He was sitting at the reception counter while reading an old book that looked like it would fall apart at any moment. "Hello, I would like to learn the alchemy skill." He said it in a clear voice but it seemed like the old man couldn''t hear him. When he approached the counter, the mans head smacked against it. It made a dull thud sound and then he slid down onto the floor, it was quite obvious that he was dead. Azrael immediately noticed that the man had cataracts in both eyes and he looked like he was over 100 years old so it wasn''t very surprising. He picked up the book the man was reading and then a window popped up. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Skill Book: Would you like to learn the crafting skill Alchemy?[/col][/box] "Yes." [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]New Crafting Skill: Alchemy[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Alchemy (Lvl. 1 0%): The ability to craft helpful potions and harmful poisons. Supposedly ancient alchemists discovered the secret to eternal life and also found ways to transform metals into more valuable and rare metals.[/col][/box] "Well that was obnoxiously easy... what am I supposed to do about him though?" Suddenly the mans body turned grey and disappeared. Azrael was surprised but relieved, that meant the body wouldn''t kept rotting while he was trying to practice alchemy. Then he realized, if their bodies disappeared after they died like that, then those corpses he saw in the alley weren''t dead... "Oh well, it''s not my problem! Time to make some potions." He said with an evil looking grin on his face as he started to gather up all the random ingredients he could find laying around on the tables and in the cabinets. Unlike the other guilds, there was only one floor and the place was set up more like an herbalist shop mixed with a library. However, in the back of the building, behind the reception desk, there was a room that looked like a chemistry lab. Beakers and all kinds of weird glass tubes were placed around on various tables. The place was completely vacant and no users ever entered the guild hall. Azrael pretty much claimed the whole place for himself and all of the ingredients along with it. "I wonder what would happen if I mixed this weird bird egg with that green mushroom and that goblin brain?" In his entire life Michael had never tried any kind of narcotics, the only drugs he ever took were ibuprofen and acetaminophen. However, even if he had extensive experience with a myriad of extremely dangerous chemicals, it would not compare to what he did to himself that night. It started with the green egg drop brain soup, then moved on to the purple nightmare vine casserole and finally ended with a shot of pink manticore venom on the rocks, which happened to be frozen clumps of demonic parasite eggs. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Alchemy skill has increased by 1.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Alchemy (Lvl. 2 0%): You are now able to roughly guess if ingredients are poisonous or not.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Skill: You have acquired a new crafting skill, Handicraft.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Handicraft (Lvl. 1 0%): This ability is the foundation to every crafting skill and increases along with them.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have become deathly intoxicated! If you don''t receive an anti-toxin immediately you will die.[/col][/box] You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have counteracted the toxin with a stronger toxin. You are still poisoned and will die soon without immediate healing.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have counteracted the poison with a stronger poison and are still dying from the stronger poison. You have no hope of survival.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]The demonic parasites swimming through your blood stream have absorbed the three deadly poisons and died. Their life-force and regenerative abilities have been absorbed into your body.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your health has increased by 50.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You will now regenerate 1 health per second and 1 mana per second.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your luck has increased by 5.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are currently hallucinating, until your mind returns to normal you will not be able to perform skills or combat abilities.[/col][/box] The last time Michael had thrown up was when he had appendicitis, since then he had eaten plenty of bad sushi and other raw seafood that was probably poisonous. Yet he refused to vomit, to him it was worse than having to plunge a toilet that someone else clogged. Azrael was even more resolute in his desire to not vomit under any circumstance, the worst that could happen is death. Death is easy, especially if all he would have to do is not play for 24 hours. He could sleep for 12 to 14 hours and then do plenty of other things while he waits, but if he had to vomit it would be far too extreme a punishment. "Such a strange creature you are." A deep feminine voice called out from behind him and when he turned around there was a beautiful elven woman with long wavy blond hair, pure golden eyes without iris'', elegantly pointed ears adorned with many large golden rings, and bright golden angelic wings coming out of her back. She was at least 2 meters tall and her skin was a golden color as well, since she wasn''t wearing any clothes except some golden nipple rings that connected by a golden chain to her belly button ring and her ear rings. Everything in the room was fuzzy and distorted except for her, she looked perfectly clear in his eyes. ''I guess this is what tripping means...'' He knew that she wasn''t real, but then again he was hallucinating in a virtual reality. "A gigantic body full of nothing but strength and vitality, yet you manage to perform a beautiful song with hands that could easily snap such a flimsy instrument in half. Even with your voice which can easily kill lesser beings, you are capable of singing soft and gently melodies. Now you attempt suicide three times only to end up making yourself more powerful, or perhaps you knew that would happen all along? Just what are you?" Azrael wanted to respond with a witty retort or a sarcastic comment that would have fit the mood perfectly. When he opened his mouth to speak, a stream of chunky pink, purple and green fluid spewed out of his mouth and passed through her body as she vanished in a golden mist. His worst fear had come to pass, not just vomiting but in-front of a beautiful naked golden elf woman. It was truly a terrible fate, but after a few minutes of intense upheaval the suffering ended and he felt completely health. In fact, he felt even better than he did before. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your Intellect has increased by 1.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your Wisdom has increased by 1.[/col][/box] After recieving a bit more intellect and wisdom he had decided that even if he had to hallucinate and almost die repeatedly, even vomiting every now and then was worth it if he could gain just 1 more stat point!
Status Window
Character NameAzraelAlignmentNeutral
Level1ProfessionNone
TitleNone
Fame50
Health200Mana50
Strength20Agility5
Art5Creativity5
Vitality15
Wisdom6Intellect6
Luck5Leadership0
Attack7
Defense0
Magic ResistanceNone
[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your health and mana regenerate by 1 per second[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Heavenly Strings (Lvl. 1 70%):You have the innate ability to play any string instrument using your knowledge and experience from another world. Angelic Voice(Lvl. 1 70%): Using your innate ability to control your vocal chords and breathing you can produce the optimal frequency to soothe allies and enemies. Alchemy (Lvl. 2 0%): You are now able to roughly guess if ingredients are poisonous or not. Handicraft (Lvl. 1 0%): This ability is the foundation to every crafting skill and increases along with them. Voice of Death (Lvl. 2 0%): Enemies with low health will have their hearts stopped at medium range and their brains will explode at close range. Mana consumption: 25 per second[/col][/box] viewtopic.php?f=361&t=3246 <=Previous Chapter][Next Chapter=> viewtopic.php?f=361&t=3252 Chapter 3: The First Quest "Why the hell is everything poisonous!?" [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=middle width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][pc]Alchemy Recipes[/pc][/col][col colspan=2 valign=middle width=50% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][pc]Potions 0[/pc][/col][col colspan=2 valign=middle width=50% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][pc]Poisons 21[/pc][/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]+Pink Hallucinogenic Poison +Pink Seizure Poison +Pink Parasitic Poison +Pink Painful Poison +Yellow Bleeding Poison +Yellow Sneezing Poison +Brown Vomiting Poison +Blue Freezing Poison +Blue Bleeding Poison +Blue Paranoia Poison +Green Vomiting Poison +Green Deadly Poison +Green Muscle Spasm Poison +Orange Parasitic Poison +Orange Deadly Poison +Orange Mild Poison +Red Spontaneous Combustion Poison +Red Crying Poison +Red Itching Poison +Purple Vomiting Poison +Purple Hallucinogenic Poison[/col][/box] He discovered that taking 2 or more poisons at a time would almost never be a good thing, even though he was lucky the first time. Somehow he managed to not die, but every time he vomited or started hallucinating that he was in a public bathroom he wished that it would just end. However, after ingesting his third vomiting poison and managing to hold it down he gained a new Skill. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Iron Stomach (Lvl. 5 79%): By subjecting yourself to terrible and excruciating digestive torture you have gained the ability to neutralize weak poisons without much discomfort.[/col][/box] Azrael raised his Wisdom, Creativity, Luck, Vitality, and his Intellect stats by one point every few poisons he created so his willpower allowed him to push through the suffering. His Alchemy, Iron Stomach, and Handicraft skills increased a little every few hours. The interesting thing was that his Angelic Voice skill would slowly increase as he sang to himself nonstop unconsciously, except when he was vomiting. Every 6 hours or so he would have to log out to hydrate himself in reality but since it was like he was sleeping, he only had to urinate every 12 hours in game. While he could go for days sometimes without eating in reality, within the game he would have to eat every few hours to keep his giant body from starving to death. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Skill: You have discovered a new skill, Creative Cooking.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Creative Cooking (Lvl. 1 0%): Either out of laziness or desperation you have learned to use dangerous and poisonous ingredients in combination with other more conventional ingredients to create edible food. Warning! Most people or monsters will not think it tastes good and may die or suffer from the various poisonous effects![/col][/box] The window popped out after he started seasoning his barley bread with what looked like ground up black peppercorns and then dipping it in some Red Spontaneous Combustion Poison in place of hot sauce. After putting out the fire with some tangy Blue Freezing Poison instead of water, even in reality he could never stand to drink plain water. He started to realize that while it was possible to learn basic skills from the various crafting guilds, it was simpler to teach himself the modified versions using his creativity. However, without learning the Alchemy skill he probably wouldn''t have been able to figure it out by himself. Actually, he still had no idea how it worked or why he couldn''t make any potions. "There has to be some trick to being able to tell the poisonous ingredients from the non-poisonous ones!" Then he realized how completely idiotic he was when he went back into the front of the Guild Hall. There were hundreds of books with detailed descriptions of every ingredient that was in the store and more. He quickly read about 7 of them, since they were mostly pictures and then a window popped up. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Alchemy has increased by 1[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Alchemy (Lvl. 7 0%): After many dangerous experiments and memorizing some books on alchemy ingredients you have learned how to tell poisons apart from non-poisons.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Wisdom has increased by 1[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intellect has increased by 1[/col][/box] "Finally! I can''t believe that green goop isn''t actually poisonous! Those spotted red mushrooms weren''t either?" Almost everything that looked safe was deadly and everything that seemed like a warning sign was actually just a trick. He had spent almost 5 days trying to create a potion and yet he never considered to just read a simple encyclopedia to save himself from being in a constant state of near death. If there was a computer with internet in the room he would have used it immediately but hadn''t even touched a physical book in over 10 years. "Seven down, at least two hundred more to go! Sigh..." After spending 6 more days just reading through the whole damn library of hand written books that looked like they would fall apart any second he was finally on the last one. His Intellect and Wisdom had increased by 10 and his alchemy skill was at level 9 99% but even as he finished reading the last book, that one percent didn''t increase. "Sigh, well I guess that means I need to actually make a potion before I reach intermediate." Azrael put the book back on the decrepit old shelf and then walked into the chemistry room with a smile on his face. It was finally time to create his first potion and even though he couldn''t memorize any of the hundreds of potions he read about he did discover the trick to making them work. Just mix together ingredients that had similar beneficial properties and you won''t create a poison. The only hard part was memorizing the ingredients properties, he never did have a very good memory when it came to that sort of thing. He chose some tiny blue fish eggs, a few frog brains and filled the rest of the small beaker with green goop. "Time to take a sip..." He cautiously raised the glass, which was very tiny since he had gigantic hands, up to his mouth and then drank it like a shot. It actually tasted pretty good, like strawberry and kiwi fruit juice but hard to swallow like a giant clump of melted cheese. He almost started choking but managed to hold his breath until it all went down. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your Alchemy Skill has reached level 10, Intermediate You can now create more useful potions and more deadly poisons depending on the ingredients used. All Stats have increased by 5. Your Fame has increased by 10. Your Affinity with Earth, Fire, Wind and Water have increased by 10. Poison resistance has increased by +10%. Earth, Fire, Wind and Water based resistances have increased by 10%.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Handicraft Skill has increased by 1[/col][/box] "Holy shit! I didn''t burst into flames, start seizing or even vomiting out blood!" Even though he knew that it wouldn''t be poison, he was still surprised after all his suffering to finally be able to make useful items that he could sell to people. Then the whole seemed to become darker and he saw a green, glowing, transparent old man standing in-front of him. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are currently experiencing the effects of the potion of Ghost Sight. You will be able to see and hear disembodied spirits until the effect wears off.[/col][/box] "Oh thank Freya you can finally see me!" The old man looked like a slightly younger version of the one who was dead when Azrael entered the Alchemy Guild Hall. The old man suddenly began sobbing with a really annoying echo effect that unfortunately couldn''t be turned off. "What''s wrong? You were old and died of natural causes, why are you still here?" "No, that''s not why I''m so upset. The day before I died... my son, Donathan went into the catacombs to find an ancient tome of alchemy secrets! I warned him it was far too dangerous, but he didn''t listen and went anyway! Now it''s been over a week and he still hasn''t returned..." "That''s terrible!" "Please find him for me, even if he isn''t alive anymore! I can''t pass on without knowing what became of him!" "Why the hell would you name your son Donathan? Is that even a real name?" "What? It was my fathers name, what''s wrong with it?" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Are you sure it wasn''t supposed to be Johnathan? Even Donovan would make more sense..." "Oh, you''re right! How could I have forgotten my own sons name.... please find Johnathan for me! I''ll even forgive the fact that you basically stole my entire supply of alchemy ingredients!" [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Finding Johnathan Deep within the dangerous Catacombs of Rhodium Dungeon Johnathan was searching for a mysterious and ancient alchemy tome. Be sure to bring ample supplies and alchemy ingredients, you will definitely have to fight the undead. Difficulty Level: F Reward: Forgiveness for stealing and possibly compensation. Quest Requirements: Find Johnathan, alive or dead.[/col][/box] "Yea, I''ll do it. It actually sounds pretty fun, and I was going to pay you back for the ingredients I was using. Well, not you specifically since you were dead, but whoever actually owned this place." [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Quest Accepted![/col][/box] "Thank Freya he was as gullible as he looked..." The ghost of the old man said under his breath as he quickly vanished and then the lighting in the room returned to normal. At that moment Azrael reinforced his theory that there wasn''t much of a difference between NPCs and Users. "The person who made this game must be as cynical as I am..." He said to himself as he started to pack all of the ingredients that he could fit into a few bags he found lying around the store. After gathering them all up, he finally left he Alchemist Guild for the first time in almost two weeks. He quickly found a grocery store where he stocked up on cheap and easy to make foods that didn''t require a campfire to cook. He also spent a few silvers on some decent pots, pans, spoons, forks ect. but even-though he was carefully trying to avoid overburdening himself, he was a barbarian. Not just any barbarian, but one that was 250 cm tall and looked like a pretty hardcore body builder too. He could have probably carried hundreds of pounds worth of equipment without much trouble but he was afraid that in the dungeon he would end up with a bunch of loot he would have to leave behind. "Holy shit!" "What is that guy?!" "I saw him singing over at the Bards Guild over a week ago but he looks a little bit different." "That giant monster can sing?!" "Yea! He''s great! Actually he even sold the song to the guild for 10 gold!" "Wow! He must be a high level bard to get such a good price!" "When the Class Trainer asked him to become a Bard he refused, so that must mean he''s some kind of special music related profession already." "I''ve never actually seen someone with a special class before..." "Me either, they''re nearly impossible to find and most of them aren''t actually that good anyway." Random people in the store were talking obnoxiously loud to each-other as Azrael walked up to the counter to buy the goods. He lifted the 150 lb bag of groceries up with his left hand and gently placed them in front of the cashier. "Are you sure you can afford all of this sir? You appear to be a beginner so you probably don''t realize how the game works yet. It''s going to cost at least 3 gold to buy all of this..." "Here." Azrael sighed as he handed the man the three gold pieces with a very angry look on his face. The cashier panicked at the sight of the giant who he had just insulted thrusting his gigantic hand in front of the cashier''s face. "Ah! Ok! I''ll give it to you for 1 gold! Just don''t kill me!" After giving the cashier the piece of gold he picked the bag of groceries up again and walked out of the store with a smile on his face. What he didn''t realize was that while constantly subjecting himself to various poisons his body and face was starting to change ever so slightly. Azrael never even thought about looking in a mirror or checking his appearance since he started playing the game. He walked into the Blacksmith''s Guild and approached a huge barbarian that was only a foot shorter than him. The barbarian didn''t speak, just pulled a giant seven foot long great-sword in a black leather sheath that was far too big for a human to use but it was small enough compared to Azrael that he could easily wield it with just his right hand. "One gold." The barbarian said with a serious expression on his face as he held out his hand. Azrael quickly pulled out a piece of gold and handed it to him and then placed the sheath on his back. He decided that he wanted to be as light as possible so he didn''t even buy some armor. However, before he left he spoke to the class trainer who was forging a sword on the far side of the building. "Excuse me, I would like to learn the Blacksmithing skill please." He said in as polite of a voice as possible and them man handed him a small blacksmithing hammer and a large one at the same time. "If you can learn how to repair properly, come back and I''ll teach you how." [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Skill: you have learned a new skill, Repair.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Repair (Lvl. 1 0%): You can repair low level weapons and armor.[/col][/box] "Sure..." "Those hammers will cost ya 1 silver." Azrael quickly payed him the silver and left the shop, he probably should have at least bought some leather or cloth armor but he decided that it didn''t matter. After searching for a few hours while carrying around 300 lbs of equipment and supplies he finally found the entrance to the catacombs inside the basement of a run down and abandoned Church of Freya.
Status Window
Character NameAzraelAlignmentNeutral
Level1ProfessionNone
TitleNone
Fame60
Health333Mana302
Strength25Agility10
Art10Creativity17
Vitality27
Wisdom29Intellect29
Luck17Leadership5
Attack14
Defense0
AffinityEarth: 10 Wind: 10 Fire: 10 Water: 10
Magic ResistanceFire: 10% Water: 10% Earth: 10% Wind: 10%
[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Outside of Combat your health and mana regenerate by 1 per second. +50 Health +4% Health +4% Mana +6% Unarmed Combat Damage +5% Weapon Damage Poison resistance: 20%[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Heavenly Strings (Lvl. 1 70%): You have the innate ability to play any string instrument using your knowledge and experience from another world. Angelic Voice(Lvl. 3 25%): Using your innate ability to control your vocal chords and breathing you can produce the optimal frequency to soothe allies and enemies. Intermediate Alchemy (Lvl. 1 0%): You are able to easily determine if an ingredient is poisonous or not and you can now create many complicated or difficult potions and poisons. Handicraft (Lvl. 5 3%): This ability is the foundation to every crafting skill and increases along with them.Increases unarmed combat damage by 6% Increases weapon damage by 5% Iron Stomach (Lvl. 7 22%): By subjecting yourself to terrible and excruciating digestive torture you have gained the ability to neutralize weak poisons without much discomfort. Increases Poison Resistance by 10%. Creative Cooking (Lvl. 4 91%): Either out of laziness or desperation you have learned to use dangerous and poisonous ingredients in combination with other more conventional ingredients to create edible food that tastes decent. Warning! Most people or monsters will not think it tastes good and may die or suffer from the various poisonous effects! Increases Health and mana by 1% per level. Repair (Lvl. 1 0%): You can repair low level weapons and armor. Voice of Death (Lvl. 2 0%): Enemies with low health will have their hearts stopped at medium range and their brains will explode at close range. Mana consumption: 25 per second[/col][/box] viewtopic.php?f=361&t=3248&p=21438#p21438 <=Previous Chapter][Next Chapter=> viewtopic.php?f=361&t=3260 Chapter 4: Heavenly Percussion [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have become the first to discover the Catacombs of Rhodium Dungeon! Reward: Fame has increased by 150. Experience and drop rates have doubled for a week. The first monster hunted will drop some of its rarest items.[/col][/box] Surprisingly he was actually the first person to ever find the place. Although he wasn''t that surprised since most people fled Rhodium as soon as possible to avoid the swarm of beggars. Since the people who started there were mostly craftsmen, even if they had a quest to go into a dungeon they would definitely turn it down. "Time to cook!" Since Azrael was always alone and never had anyone to talk to, he often spoke to himself unconsciously. After his many food and potion experiments, along with his extensive research into ingredients he managed to discover a hidden trait of Nightmare Vine. He spend nearly his whole life in a dark basement with nothing but a computer monitor as a light source, so even without a torch he was confident that he would be able to see pretty well. However, it was a dungeon where he would have to fight undead and even avoid traps so he couldn''t afford to take chances. While potions were typically limited to liquids inside of vials that you need to drink, poisons were more versatile. He ground up the nightmare vine into a fine powder and sprinkled it onto a piece of barley bread, then dipped the bread in some green goop that was called ectoplasm. After devouring a whole loaf in two bites the effects kicked in. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have gained enhanced ghost vision! For six hours you will have mild night vision and undead will appear with bright glowing auras.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are hallucinating, because of your poison resistance you will be able to use skills and abilities but you will still occasionally have auditory and visual hallucinations.[/col][/box] "Neat. Although, maybe it isn''t a good idea to explore a dangerous catacomb while tripping?" Azrael was able to see pretty clearly in the disgusting, cobweb filled dungeon but sometimes he would hear a woman''s voice whispering in his ear. "You aren''t strong enough yet." "Turn back." "I''m trying to help you, listen to me!" "Please Azrael, leave this place!" *Sob* After a while of ignoring it''s incessant pleading, the voice just started weeping for hours non-stop. It was pretty terrible, but he was able to tune it out by singing to himself very loudly. A song that he just made up as he went along. "This song is called Without You, now shut the fuck up for a few minutes." (verse 1) I can see you, looking back through the mirror Of your life But there¡¯s never a break From the choices you make The decisions, from visions And all of the reasons in life (pre-chorus) I know that nothing will ever be alright You know that I wont give up without a fight But I have to find a way Maybe ill find a reason to stay (chorus) Without you There¡¯s really no reason to make it through If I do I wont let them torture me too (verse 2) I see it ever day, Running away From what I say, to you I can save you if you want me too But if I do you have to help me through Every time I remember you So many reason I have to be careful what I do (pre-chorus) I know that nothing will ever be alright You know that I wont give up without a fight But I have to find a way Maybe ill find a reason to stay (chorus) Without you There¡¯s really no reason to make it through If I do I wont let them torture me too And I wont let them make me like you But you give me a reason to make it through When I do I¡¯ll make them regret this too (bridge) But I know, every day, every night, all those lies And I choose who lives and who dies I¡¯ll make them pay I remember the words that you used to say Every day But this is the only way (solo) (pre-chorus) I know that nothing will ever be alright You know that I wont give up without a fight But I have to find a way Maybe ill find a reason to stay (chorus) Without you There¡¯s really no reason to make it through If I do I wont let them torture me too And I wont let them make me like you But you give me a reason to make it through When I do I¡¯ll make them regret this too As he started to sing, all of corpses that were in a deep sleep within their stone coffins began to wake up. He unsheathed his great-sword with his right hand and kept on singing, using the sound of their bodies being smashed and torn asunder as a baseline. After pulling out the giant repair hammer from his bag with his left hand, he was using it to shatter their decrepit rusty armor and weapons, creating a beautiful harmony of symbols for his drum solo. After fighting for about three minutes the song was over and there was nothing but large piles of loot laying on the ground in a circle around him. Since he was going out of his way to destroy their armor and weapons, it was mostly just disgusting things like rotted flesh, broken bones, zombie teeth, brain juice. However, there were a few pieces of jewelry hidden underneath all the filth. Even though the zombie parts were considered alchemy ingredients, even Azrael had limits to what he was willing to eat. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Angelic Voice has increased by 1[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Skill: You have acquired a new skill, Heavenly Percussion.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Heavenly Percussion (Lvl. 1 0%):Using knowledge from another world you are able to create music by striking or scraping even objects that don''t seem like instruments.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Level Up[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Art has increased by 5[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Creativity has increased by 5[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Strength has increased by 1[/col][/box] '' [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Vitality has increased by 1[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Agility has increased by 1[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intellect has increased by 1[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Fighting Spirit has increased by 1[/col][/box] "Sigh, status update spam for the win..." [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Enhanced Ghost Sight has worn off, you are no longer hallucinating.[/col][/box] Azrael quickly put his 5 newly acquired stat points into agility, since he felt extremely sluggish in his huge body. After quickly making and eating another Enhanced Ghost Vision Loaf of Barley Bread he was able to see again. With a sledge hammer in his left hand and a great-sword in his right he slowly and carefully wandered through the tunnels that were relatively wide. If the tunnel branched into multiple pathways he would always pick the largest one for obvious reasons. He would sing random popular songs while hacking, slashing, stabbing and smashing the disgusting corpses in sync with the song''s tempo. When he sang a song that he didn''t actually write he very rarely gained any art, creativity or other stats. On a daily basis he only received about 1 of each stat that he used. Every few days he would manage to level up but it became harder as the enemies became weaker in comparison to his level. Azrael still didn''t know what he wanted to do and since his OCD kicked in when he saw a number like 17 or 13 he would place his stat points in whatever stats looked like they could be easily rounded up. He didn''t actually have to know how to repair things because the skill would work automatically. Although at first he just used it on the rusty weapons and armors that dropped from random undead because with a low repair skill you could actually break items. However, after using it enough he was finally able to repair his sword to a certain extent. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Every 6 hours he had to make and eat another barley bread covered with green goop and nightmare vine but it was fine because there were at least a hundred of each in his bags. He was slowly but surely walking deeper underground and he had no idea if he was even technically in Rhodium anymore. Although the rules that would prevent him from leaving the city until his month might have been bent by the fact that there was a dungeon within Rhodium. "That old man lied to you, this is just a trap!" "Please, don''t come any closer!" "You aren''t strong enough to survive in here!" Over and over the voice begged for Azrael to leave and after 10 days he finally snapped. While standing in a middle of a huge burial chamber that was at least big enough to fit a passenger jet inside of he screamed as loud as he possible could. "For fuck''s sake! It''s obvious that I''m not going to give up after coming this far! So just stop it already!" [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used Voice of Death! Not powerful enough to damage Golden Dragon of The Eternal Sleep. -100 mana[/col][/box] "Oh shit..." [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Boss monster has appeared! Golden Dragon of Eternal Suffering![/col][/box] The ground began to quake as the ceiling started falling down all around him, the path he used to get there had caved in and the floor was being torn apart. An enormous 15 meter wide golden claw erupted from the ground along with a plume of molten lava that nearly landed on him. As the claw slammed onto the floor on the right side of the room, another one burst through the floor to the left. Before he could move out of the way a gigantic body erupted from under his feet with wings that tore into and shredded the ceiling apart in an instant. His already worn out cheap leather shoes burst into flames and his feet were quickly seared to a black crisp. Surprisingly losing his feet didn''t do that much damage to his health, but it did hurt, but only until he fell forward trying to use his sword and hammer to save his arms but they quickly melted after a few seconds. Luckily his bags couldn''t be destroyed or affected by the fire but his clothes could and they quickly burst into flames. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Giant Great-sword of Excessive Weight has been destroyed[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Large Repair Hammer has been destroyed.[/col][/box] With one flap of its wings the colossal golden dragon that looked more like a sculpture than a living organism burst through hundreds of meters of rock and dirt. It soared into the sky so fast that Azrael slid down its body and grabbed onto the tip of its tail for an instant before his arms simply disintegrated and he started falling toward a huge plume of lava that the dragon left in its wake. It was incredibly painful, so much so that he wondered why he was even still alive. However, even in reality he had an absurdly high tolerance for pain and suffering. It''s not like he was a masochist or anything, he was just able to turn it off like a switch in his mind. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Enhanced Ghost Sight has worn off, you are no longer hallucinating.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have learned a new stat, Endurance.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Endurance: Reduces physical damage and stamina usage, increases health.[/col][/box] "It figures that I would managed to die within the first month of playing... I really hope my arms and feet won''t be permanently gone." Azrael started laughing as he was falling to his fiery demise. However, before he could be engulfed in lava he met eyes with the gigantic and majestic golden dragon. It quickly swooped down and swallowed him whole, or at least what was left of him.
Status Window
Character NameAzraelAlignmentNeutral
Level5ProfessionNone
TitleNone
Fame210
Infamy0
Health487Mana424
Stamina400Endurance1
Strength35Agility30
Art20Creativity30
Wisdom35Intellect40
Vitality40Fighting Spirit30
Luck20Leadership5
Attack19
Defense0
AffinityEarth: 10 Wind: 10 Fire: 10 Water: 10
Magic ResistanceFire: 10% Water: 10% Earth: 10% Wind: 10%
[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your health and mana regenerate by 1 per second. +50 Health +6% Health +6% Mana +6% Unarmed Combat Damage +5% Weapon Damage Poison resistance: 20%[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Heavenly Strings (Lvl. 1 70%): You have the innate ability to play any string instrument using your knowledge and experience from another world. Angelic Voice(Lvl. 4 50%): Using your innate ability to control your vocal chords and breathing you can produce the optimal frequency to soothe allies and enemies. Intermediate Alchemy (Lvl. 1 25%): You are able to easily determine if an ingredient is poisonous or not and you can now create many complicated or difficult potions and poisons. Handicraft (Lvl. 5 7%): This ability is the foundation to every crafting skill and increases along with them. Increases unarmed combat damage by 1.5% per level. Increases weapon damage by 1% per level. Iron Stomach (Lvl. 7 85%): By subjecting yourself to terrible and excruciating digestive torture you have gained the ability to neutralize weak poisons without much discomfort. Increases Poison Resistance by 10%. Creative Cooking (Lvl. 6 21%): Either out of laziness or desperation you have learned to use dangerous and poisonous ingredients in combination with other more conventional ingredients to create edible food that tastes pretty good. Warning! Most people or monsters will not think it tastes good and may die or suffer from the various poisonous effects! Increases Health and mana by 1% per level. Repair (Lvl. 2 85%): You can repair low level weapons and armor. Heavenly Percussion (Lvl. 2 25%): Using knowledge from another world you are able to create music by striking or scraping even objects that don''t seem like instruments. Voice of Death (Lvl. 2 25%): Enemies with low health will have their hearts stopped at medium range and their brains will explode at close range. Mana consumption: 25 per second[/col][/box] viewtopic.php?f=361&t=3252 <=Previous Chapter][Next Chapter=> viewtopic.php?f=361&t=3264 Chapter 5: The Heart of Suffering [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have become the first to discover the Heart Of Eternal Suffering! Reward: Fame has increased by 500. Experience and drop rates have doubled for two weeks. Quest rewards have doubled for two weeks.[/col][/box] Azrael was woken up by a status window and a myriad of sharp pains all over his body. In Royal Road there was a safety limiter that prevented more than 30% of the avatars pain to be experienced by the user. If that limiter was removed it would even be possible for a User to die in reality. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Warning! Error found in RR/settings/safetylimiter! Attempting automatic disconnect.... program file not found! Unable to disconnect... Retrying.......... Error has occurred in automatic shut down protocol.[/col][/box] "Terrific... create ticket." [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Unable to contact an administrator at this time. Please be patient and try again in 24 hours.[/col][/box] He couldn''t help but start laughing at the ridiculous situation that he was in. Trapped in a place called the Heart of Eternal Suffering with his pain limiter broken, it was probably just a matter of time until he died. Yet he wasn''t afraid, he looked back on his life and realized that there was nothing that he really wanted to do in reality. He had a girlfriend for a few years but after they broke up he really hadn''t even thought about trying to find love again. Hell, he hadn''t even had sex with anyone but her in his entire life. ''Oh well, hopefully my next life wont be quite as boring... my only regret was that I couldn''t play Royal Road longer.'' Azrael had accepted that he would probably die soon, but he refused to just give up. He hadn''t even picked a class yet! There was no way he would die from a little bit of pain! When he was suffering from appendicitis he waited a whole day before asking his father to take him to the hospital! "I won''t die! Even if you torture me for an eternity I will never let you kill me!" [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used Voice of Death! Skill level was too low to affect Heart of Eternal Suffering. -150 mana[/col][/box] He screamed as loud as he could but no one was there to listen. As he dangled by the hundreds of tiny fishing hooks that pierced his body, excruciating pain coursed through his skin, muscle and all his organs. He was being electrocuted through the golden fishing lines that connected to the room all around him. Every time the oval shaped room thumped like a heartbeat his body was shocked as the hooks tore at his flesh and muscle. His arms and feet were still missing but his health had almost completely recovered. It was strange, rather than doing damage, the electricity seemed to be slowly regenerating his health. When his health reached 70% his feet started to grow back and at 80% they had completely recovered. However, golden hooks attached to golden fishing lines shot out of the floor and impaled into them. It was pretty damn painful but he was getting used to it. The same thing happened with his arms after a few hours and then he started receiving endurance stat increases. Azrael could feel that the room was moving, if he was inside of the dragon then it was definitely flying around a lot. There was no way for him to gauge the time and he spent dangling there, swinging like a broken marionette to the beat of that dragons golden heart. It was so boring that he actually welcomed the pain, but unfortunately once his endurance reached a certain point he didn''t even feel it anymore. There were several small golden tubes that were attached to to the veins in his arms and legs, he couldn''t be sure but there were probably several of them hooked into his spine as well. They pumped some kind of fluid in and out of his body that made his body feel like it was on fire but frozen at the same time. It was definitely uncomfortable, but at the same time it actually felt kind of good. That''s when he noticed something very strange, he hadn''t really thought about it but the heart was beating really slowly. At the beginning it was almost as fast as a human heart, but then it started to slow down and now it felt like almost a day had passed without it beating even once. He thought that maybe it died, but then wouldn''t have been released? He started laughing hysterically at how stupid he was. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used Voice of Death! Skill level not high enough to affect the Heart of Suffering. -100 mana[/col][/box] "I can''t believe I didn''t figure it out earlier!" The reason for the error was because there was a time differential between where he was and the regular Royal Road world. It became so ridiculous that when the finally did beat, it took hours before the beat was finally over. His sense of time was so broken that when he tried to move his eyes it took him hours and sometimes days. This was the true meaning of eternal suffering, his mind was moving so much faster than reality that he couldn''t even blink anymore. ''This is so boring.... I can''t even sleep...'' ''Even if I wanted to kill myself I wouldn''t even be able to...'' ''I should have probably died when I had the chance...'' ''No, I made the right decision!'' ''Even if it takes an eternity, eventually this hell will end and I will finally have my chance to escape!'' "You will never escape this place!" ''No, I definitely will.'' "You''re going to suffer here with me for eternity!" ''Terrific, now I''m hallucinating again.'' "You should have listen to my warning!" ''Sigh, you were a hallucination! Why would I listen to a hallucination!?'' "I am as real as you are!" ''I guess it makes sense that after however many years I''ve been down here I would start to hear voices...'' "Why do you keep ignoring me!?" ''Prove it, if you''re real then prove it to me in a way that I can''t disregard.'' "I am right in front of your eyes and yet you say I do not exist? Are you blind?" ''All I can see is a bunch of gold everywhere...'' "I am the Heart of Eternal Suffering." ''Oh! Now I get it! Why didn''t you say that in the first place? Now I definitely know that I''m hallucinating...'' "You infuriating creature! I see now that I was not strict enough in my treatment of you!" ''Go ahead! Do it! You won''t because you aren''t even real!'' Suddenly time had returned to almost normal and all the hooks in his body were torn out, along with most of the skin covering his body, and he fell to the ground. Apparently have almost all his skin abruptly torn off only removed 70% of his health, but it was definitely painful. Still, at least it was interesting, rather than the pain, simply waiting for an eternity would be far worse. With the I.V. looking tubes shooting him full of what was probably dragon blood, his skin regenerated within a few seconds. Azrael noticed that thousands of golden snakes were covering the floor, the larger ones wrapped around different parts of his body, while the small ones just hissed and bit at him repeatedly. Their poison made him feel like he was about to vomit but he restrained himself. "Now do you still believe I''m not real?!" He started laughing loudly enough to use his Voice of Death and when the snakes that tried to strangle him were stunned, he tore them apart with the strength of a giant barbarian. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Voice of Death has leveled up![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have leveled up![/col][/box] "Don''t you understand yet?! You''re the only one who''s suffering! This is just a game to me! No matter how much pain you try to cause me and no matter how long you try to imprison me here I will just become stronger! Eventually I will become powerful enough to escape! Until then you should at least make it interesting!" "You arrogant little creature! You will regret every word you just said to me!" Azrael smiled as his body was pierced by thousands of tiny golden needles, he had to slowly removed each one using his gigantic hands. After about a day he finally removed them all, only to be sprayed with needles again and again for 3 days. It was aggravating but actually useful because he managed to learn a skill in the process. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Skill: You have learned a new crafting skill, Tailoring.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Tailoring (Lvl. 1 0%): You can create basic cloth and leather armor.[/col][/box] "Thanks! If you didn''t force me to, I probably never would have had the patients to learn that skill!" "Damn you! How can such a resilient creature exist!?" "Maybe you just suck at torturing people?" "Arggh!!" A normal person probably would have gone insane a long time ago, actually maybe the problem was that he was insane before he even started playing Royal Road. However, he continued to taunt the disembodied female voice every chance he had and every time he did, the torture would become more creative. Being completely charred and freezing to the point that his limbs would shatter into a thousand pieces. Sometimes, his extremities would be removed slowly with dull golden blades and that means "All" of his extremities. He would be penetrated in every way shape and form by blades, needles, even his own dismembered limbs that were seriously starting to pile up in the corners of the room. He found it hilarious that every time she nearly killed him, she would immediately replenish his health and regrow his body. She could never understand his mentality because she lived in a world where you could heal such severe injuries with so little effort. "In my world, such extensive torture wouldn''t even be possible..." He accidentally spoke to himself, it was strange for him to actually have someone else to talk to after so long. Even as she tortured him, he felt no resentment or anger toward her, he actually enjoyed being in that hell. "What do you mean by that?" "This world that we''re in right now, was created in the world I came from." "Are you trying to convince me that you are some sort of God? How could a God be so weak?" "I''m no god, just a man from another world. There are many other people from the other world, the people of this world calls us Freedmen but that''s just what they were created to think." "I have been asleep for many thousands of years, I have never heard of any Freedmen you speak of..." "That''s probably why you didn''t simply dismiss my words immediately." "Why would you come to such a terrible world if you had the choice?" "Ha! You''re a funny kid, isn''t it obvious?" "If it were, would I have asked?!" "There are no dragons in the world I came from, there is no magic, the only monsters in my world are humans... perhaps that is why the humans in this one were created to be just as greedy and manipulative? Actually, from what I''ve read, almost all the races have their own similar faults." "Then what are you in that world to claim such superiority over everything else?" "When did I ever claim that? I may not be evil but that doesn''t make one a saint either, I simply came to this world as a man who wished to play a fun game. Indeed this game is far greater entertainment than I imagined but I''m only level 6 and it will probably take many years before I would get bored of this world." "A game... I understand now how you could withstand my torment for so long. You are like I was long ago, a weak little girl who knew nothing of the cruel world. I didn''t care about anyone, only my research..." The conversation between Azrael and the Golden Dragon was so pleasant that you could completely forget that he was chained to the floor while having poisoned needles slowly stabbed into his eyes. In Royal Road pain is usually related to how much health is lost and how high your endurance or other similar stats are but since he was being constantly healed he would never be able to die no matter how much damage was being done. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "Let me guess, you were some kind of master alchemist right?" "Yes, my name was.... I can''t even remember anymore..." "I''ll just call you Freya." "The Goddess of beauty?" "Well yea, but the Freya from my world who probably didn''t really exist anyway was said to also be the Goddess of gold, love, fertility, war and death. It''s actually pretty funny." "I have indeed seen much war and death in my long life but never have I every known love or born offspring..." "You''re still young! Dragons are practically immortal, I''m sure you''ll meet a nice male dragon one day and have a happy little brood!" Azrael said in a very happy voice and suddenly the constant eyeball prodding stopped. The chains melted off his body and were absorbed into the floor while he stood up and pulled the large needles out of his eyes. "I will teach you how to use Ancient Alchemy if you allow me to accompany you on your journey throughout this world you find so entertaining..." "Sure, I have a few conditions though...." "I will try to meet them." "This game would be boring if I had an overpowered impossibly high leveled dragon that could save me any time I was even in a little danger. Create a level 1 avatar that isn''t a giant dragon to use and you can accompany me as much as you like." "What if we die because I am too weak to protect us?" "Isn''t that the point? It''s just a game, play it like one! Your avatar can die a thousand times but you will still be alive somewhere in your real body. That''s how it is for me as well, if this body died I would just wake up in my world and be bored for a day until I was able to play again." "I understand now! It''s fun because it isn''t real to you!" "Exactly! Now make you''re avatar and lets get this shit going already!" "What should I make it look like? There are so many possibilities... how did you ever choose?" "Ah, well yea... it did take me a while to pick my race and appearance...." "If you decide you don''t like it or if you screw up somewhere along the line you could always just make a new avatar with different features..." "True... actually I did speak to you once before in astral avatar I created..." "Ah! I get it now! I guess with all the torture and stuff I kind of forgot all about that... Why all the piercings though? I mean, if you want them later that''s fine but starting out you should be a clean slate. Those golden chains and rings would be expensive too..." "It was the fashion seven thousand years ago... but you''re right, was she pretty though?" "Yea, she was beautiful but you probably shouldn''t walk around in public naked... did they do that back then?" "Golden Elves were always very proud of their natural beauty, they would never wear anything more than golden jewelry to adorn their bodies with... I always envied them." "Heh, so they were nudists? What happened to them?" "We killed them to steal their gold... I was only a child then but I was also brought to the massacre." "And you were a...?" "I was an Orc, a hideous monster without elegance or honor... I killed her, their master alchemist and stole her secrets." "I see... and so they no longer exist in this world correct?" "Yes, they were a weak race that only cared about elegance and beauty... they could not survive even a small group of Orc fledglings." "Not that I really care about the Golden Elves or anything but it is a shame that they aren''t a playable race anymore. You should be one! I''m not going to spew some shit and say you should be happy with the way you look... hell, I became a barbarian mostly because I didn''t want to be short anymore!" "I see! You are indeed a very strange creature but perhaps I am the same." Suddenly an arm burst out of Azrael''s naval, with all the torture and pain he never even noticed that there was a person growing inside of him. He was so used to pain that it didn''t even register when the 175 cm woman squirmed her way out of his abdomen. The wound quickly healed over as he caught her in his arms, she was curled up in a ball and shivering like a baby kitten. She struggled to wipe the red slime off her face as she opened her eyes. Her skin looked like it was covered in gold paint and even though her breasts were practically nonexistent, judging by her facial features and body sized she appeared to be an adult. Her ears were extremely long and pointy, even for an elf. Unlike the hallucination only her Iris'' were golden, her pupils were black and her sclera were white. Her hair golden hair was covered in the red goop and stuck to her body all the way to her waist, the both really needed to take a shower. "Is this form appropriate?" "Yea, it''s cute, now how the hell do we get out of here anyway?" The various tubes that were injecting strange liquids into his body were pulled out as they retracted into the ceiling and walls. Then a blue, shimmering portal opened up in the center of the room. "We can travel to anywhere you wish using that portal." Freya said as she pointed towards the portal with her right hand, Azrael was still carrying her as he approached it with a bright smile on his face. "Rhodium!" A vision of the town square appeared with a blue tint to it and he quickly walked through. He found himself standing in the middle of the town square, in the middle of the day when it was extremely crowded. Both of them were completely naked, he was covered in blood and she was covered in a thick bloody slime. A group of guards quickly attempted to arrest them for public indecency but Azrael far too imposing and they were afraid to even come close to him. "Well, our adventure starts here kid!" Azrael said with a scary smile on his face like a murderer who just found his first victim, or at least that''s how he looked to normal people. "Indeed, I''m actually excited for the first time in thousands of years!" [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]-You have gained a new companion, Avatar of Freya! After befriending the Golden Dragon of Eternal Suffering, you named Freya, she decided to join you on your journey in the form of a level 1 Golden Elf. She will follow you as a loyal companion as long as you can manage to entertain her.[/col][/box]
Status Window
Character NameFreyaAlignmentNeutral
Level1ProfessionAncient Alchemist
TitleNone
Fame0
Infamy0
Health100Mana200
Stamina100Sadism25
Strength5Agility5
Art10Creativity10
Wisdom20Intellect20
Vitality10Fighting Spirit0
Luck0Leadership0
Attack2
Defense0
AffinityEarth: 25 Wind: 25 Fire: 25 Water: 25
Magic ResistanceFire: 15% Water: 5% Earth: 10% Wind: 10%
[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]+6% Unarmed Combat Damage +5% Weapon Damage Poison resistance: 10%[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Ancient Alchemy (Lvl. 1 0%): You have unlocked the secrets of the ancient alchemists. Torture (Lvl. 1 0%): After torturing Azrael for what seemed like an eternity you have finally learned the proper technique! Warning! Torture will cause your infamy to rise! Handicraft (Lvl. 1 0%): This ability is the foundation to every crafting skill and increases along with them. Increases unarmed combat damage by 1.5% per level. Increases weapon damage by 1% per level. Iron Stomach (Lvl. 7 0%): By subjecting yourself to terrible and excruciating digestive torture you have gained the ability to neutralize weak poisons without much discomfort. Increases Poison Resistance by 10%.[/col][/box]
Status Window
Character NameAzraelAlignmentNeutral
Level6ProfessionNone
TitleNone
Fame710
Infamy0
Health795Mana424
Stamina500Endurance30
Strength40Agility30
Art20Creativity30
Wisdom40Intellect40
Vitality50Fighting Spirit50
Luck25Leadership5
Attack19
Defense0
AffinityEarth: 10 Wind: 10 Fire: 10 Water: 10
Magic ResistanceFire: 10% Water: 10% Earth: 10% Wind: 10%
[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your health and mana regenerate by 3 per second. +50 Health +6% Health +6% Mana +6% Unarmed Combat Damage +5% Weapon Damage Poison resistance: 20%[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Heavenly Strings (Lvl. 1 70%): You have the innate ability to play any string instrument using your knowledge and experience from another world. Angelic Voice(Lvl. 4 50%): Using your innate ability to control your vocal chords and breathing you can produce the optimal frequency to soothe allies and enemies. Intermediate Alchemy (Lvl. 1 25%): You are able to easily determine if an ingredient is poisonous or not and you can now create many complicated or difficult potions and poisons. Handicraft (Lvl. 5 7%): This ability is the foundation to every crafting skill and increases along with them. Increases unarmed combat damage by 1.5% per level. Increases weapon damage by 1% per level. Iron Stomach (Lvl. 7 85%): By subjecting yourself to terrible and excruciating digestive torture you have gained the ability to neutralize weak poisons without much discomfort. Increases Poison Resistance by 10%. Creative Cooking (Lvl. 6 21%): Either out of laziness or desperation you have learned to use dangerous and poisonous ingredients in combination with other more conventional ingredients to create edible food that tastes pretty good. Warning! Most people or monsters will not think it tastes good and may die or suffer from the various poisonous effects! Increases Health and mana by 1% per level. Repair (Lvl. 2 85%): You can repair low level weapons and armor. Heavenly Percussion (Lvl. 2 25%): Using knowledge from another world you are able to create music by striking or scraping even objects that don''t seem like instruments. Tailoring (Lvl. 1 0%): You can create low quality clothes and armor out of leather and cloth. Voice of Death (Lvl. 3 0%): Enemies with low health will have their hearts stopped at medium range and their brains will explode at close range. Effects monsters and humanoids up to your level. Mana consumption: 50 per second[/col][/box] <=Previous Chapter Next Chapter=> Chapter 1.1: Ceda: The Dryad Inferno Mage [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have failed to cast Fire Bolt![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are on fire! You will continue to take damage until the fire is put out![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You cannot use water spells because of your class restrictions![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are an inferno! You are burning faster because you have negative fire resistance! You are about to die![/col][/box] This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. *Crying loudly* [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have died! You have not lost any levels because you are still level 1! You will not be able to log in for 24 hours![/col][/box] *Sobbing* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Did Ceda die again?" "Yep..." "How many times is that now?" "He was like level 25 when he found that hidden class..." "Yup." "Why does he always want to be a fire mage?" "No idea." "He''s a tree person too...." "Dryads make the best druids!" "They can''t even be around fire though..." "It''s fine if you can use water magic...." "El-Oh-El." "Yup." "It''s going to be a long time before he can start wiping the raid again." "Sigh." "Slash agree." Dalthis and Butter gossiped about Ceda as they healed an army of ten thousand users who were attacking some random castle for some silly reason that they didn''t care about, they were the greatest healers in all of the Versailles Continent, but they would never be able to keep Ceda from dying... Chapter 1.2: Bunny: The Unholy Paladin Queen "Syslave! Bring me the sacrifices!" "Yes my queen!" ''It''s OK Syben, eventually she''ll realize you much you love her!'' "Oh God! Please no!" "Spare my children please!" "Why are you doing this to us!? What did we ever do to you people!?" ''It''s OK Syben, they''re just Users, it''s not like they''re really going to die!'' *Unintelligible screaming* "Here they are your majesty! Seven impressionable children for you to corrupt!" "Good job Syslave! Prepare them for the ritual!" "Right away my queen!" ''It''s OK Syben! They will eventually mentally recover from this!'' ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Yea she''s probably doing something like that." "Nah, probably something way worse..." "Maybe heating baby hearts?" "Draining kitten souls?" "Burning down hospitals?" "Are there hospitals in Royal Road?" "I meant in reality." "Oh! Yea probably." Dalthis and Butter were curious about what their old Guild Leader was doing lately. They weren''t exactly on good terms with her... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have discovered a secret class, Unholy Paladin! Would you like to class change?[/col][/box] "Yes" [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have become an Unholy Paladin! All of your healing abilities will now become curses. You have become an Undead. You will now be vilified by all living races.[/col][/box] This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "Fuck!" *Sobbing* "Why does everyone hate me?! I''m going to kill everyone! I wonder if there are any hydrocodone in Royal Road? Oh well, I''ll just stick with alcohol for now..." *Guzzling Sound* *Crying* *Vomiting* *Crying* [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have gained a new stat, Bipolar Disorder![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Bipolar Disorder: You have trouble dealing with your emotions on a daily basis and will often hurt the people you care about and then feel guilty about it later.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have gained a new stat, Addiction![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Addiction: You have a very addictive personality and are prone to harming yourself for a brief moment of satisfaction.[/col][/box] "Damn it!" *Vomiting* Chapter 1.3: Will: The Incubus Chaos Mage "Did you hear? They say there''s been another one this week..." "I heard that whenever he passes through a village it either burns to the ground or..." "How many does that make now?" "At least 17 villages, 10 burned to the ground while the other 7...." "I see..." "Raise the bounty to 1 million gold!" "Yes sir!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Honey, why do you have to leave us?" "Yea! Are you going to abandon us even though we''re all pregnant?" The tall muscular man with tattoos all over his body and two large horns coming out of his forehead looked back at the village plaza with weary eyes. He was very attractive in reality and even with his demonic appearance in game, female NPC''s would throw themselves at him even if he just looked at them for a moment. ''I really need to log out and take care of my kids....'' "Oh Goddess! I''m going into labor!" "Me too!" "We all are!" ''Damn it, why the hell would they make a game where just looking at a woman can cause her to fall in love with you and get pregnant in an instant?!'' "You bastard!" "What did you do to our wives!?" "How could you do that to my daughter!?" "There he is! It''s the vile demon who burns down villages and violates women in an instant!" "Kill him!" "Priests, use your holy fire!" ''Oh well, time to go.'' Huge green fiery wings burst out of his back and he quickly soared high enough that he could no longer see the ground. Then he noticed a giant floating Island passing by underneath him, it was covered in clouds and there were strange giant birds flying through the sky over a huge city. ''I wonder what that place is like...'' Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He swooped down and landed in the center of a large group of slightly humanoid looking giant bird people. Half of them started laying eggs upon seeing him, the other half quickly forgot he existed and ignored him. ''This place will be my new base.'' Will was the best damage dealer in all of Continent of Magic but when he started playing Royal Road he managed to find a secret race and class. They sounded amazing, he quickly realized his mistake. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created 179 new offspring! When they become adults they will most likely attempt to kill you for abandoning them and their mothers.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]+1790 Infamy[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]All stats have increased by 179![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have lost 179 karma![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your bounty has increased to 1.5 million gold![/col][/box] *Sigh* *Logs Out* Chapter 1.4: Wheres Plague? [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Dalthis, Oosan, Prodeath, Butter and Ceda have joined the party.[/col][/box] Oosan: Dalfis where''s your bruhver? (He''s British) Dalthis: How the hell would I know? Butter: Plague''s probably dying to foxes. Oosan: Nah, he''s probably beat''n off to em! Dalthis: Eww... probably. Prodeath: Dalthis, why don''t you know where your own brother is? Dalthis: Do you know where your sister is? Prodeath: That bitch is probably in a brothel some where! Ceda: Dalthis... can you tell me a story? Dalthis: Shut up Ceda! Why aren''t you dead yet? Weren''t you dying from some incurable illness? Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Ceda: *Crying* Prodeath: Aww Ceda, don''t worry... I''m sure you can manage to make enough money to afford the treatment... Butter: *Snickering Loudly* Oosan: Tell Plague to join the call! Dalthis: He used a different name in this game! Ceda: I think it''s something like Raphael... Prodeath: Maybe he''s just called Mike? Dalthis: There are thousands of characters with those names.... Butter: Does anyone know his cell phone number? ------------------------------------------------ Meanwhile Azrael was lost in a dirty alleyway full of lepers. He wanted to ask his friends for directions but they all declined his friend requests. Chapter 1.5: Nexic: The Black Market Merchant "Boss! There''s a problem with this months delivery!" "Sigh, what is it this time?" "Zach... he got killed by demon bears in the woods this morning." "Sigh, fine I''ll go get it myself." "Bu-But Boss those monsters are over level 100..." "Meh, whatever, just find a new supplier before I get back." "Yes Boss! I heard that there''s a man in Rhodium..." "Sigh, why do you always cut yourself off like that?" "Sorry Boss, there''s a rumor going around that speaks of an old man who can create very unique potions." "Seriously? The kind of potions I''ve been trying to find?" "Yes Boss! They''re very dangerous though... I heard that everyone who tried them nearly died. Are you sure you can really sell something like that Boss?" Nexic simply walked away with an evil grin on his face that usually seemed so gentle and relaxed. He was a human but he was taller and stronger than most barbarians. He had chosen the merchant class because he was always very good at selling things, even in reality. However, unlike most merchants who gained levels by trading nonstop with mostly NPCs, he preferred hunting monsters. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your level has increased by 1[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]New Class Specialization discovered! By killing the Hulking Demonic Bear Patriarch without using a weapon or armor you have unlocked the specialization Black Market Merchant! Would you like to class change?[/col][/box] "Sigh, Sure why not?" [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Black Market Merchant: You are a merchant that specializes in selling illegal or dangerous goods, thus you have become very familiar with violence and the darker side of society.[/col][/box] Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Bribery[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new stat, Gambling.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Persuasion.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Intimidation.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have gained a new stat, Corruption.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have gained 1500 infamy.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have gained 250 luck.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your health has increased by 2000.[/col][/box] "El-Oh-El." Chapter 6: Compensation [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Error report for user id number 77789352. Pain Safety limiter has malfunctioned, attempting automatic log out procedure. Emergency disconnect operation failed. Users vital report is negative, life-signs are undetermined. Users last reported location was in The Heart of Suffering.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Playing ticket recording now, ticket length is 720486 hours.[/col][/box] "Oh dear god no!" "This can''t really be happening..." "Damn it! What the hell are you all waiting around for?! Send an ambulance immediately! Someone find out the address! Divide the video into a thousand parts and play them at a hundred times normal speed!" It was incomprehensible, over 82 years of footage under those conditions took a whole 7 hours to sort through. However, the video only covered 10% of the time Azrael was imprisoned there. Even after they viewed all of it, there was no way to know if he survived. It was terrible, truly one of the most disturbing video''s they had ever seen, and it all happened in their Royal Road. All of the highest authorities in the company were busy scrambling to cover their asses and find someone to blame for creating such a terrible place. However, there was no record of The Heart of Suffering even existing prior to when they received that ticket. "How could it just appear like that? Did someone hack the system and create it?" "No, there''s no evidence of tampering... the instance is like an illusion, it appeared as quickly as it disappeared." "That''s impossible! Unless... could the Goddess have created it?" "The Ai is capable of creating and destroying anything within Royal Road but it shouldn''t be able to override safety precautions..." "Well, let''s just pray that he''s still alive somehow... although either way we''re screwed." So-Ra was the only representative Unicorn Corp had in Baltimore City and she was assigned to go with the emergency personnel to Michael''s house. This was every person in Unicorn Corps worst fear, someone dying from playing Royal Road. Even during the beta tests they were extremely wary of such an outcome but it never happened. It was the longest 10 minutes of her life, that quick drive across town was like a ferry ride across the river Styx. ''Why the hell did this have to happen in Baltimore?!'' If Michael was dead and it was reported on the news that she was the one to discover his body, it would probably destroy her life. Actually, even if he managed to survive being tortured for over 82 years, how could anyone possibly live on afterwards? She was certain that there would be a corpse, either in the capsule or hanging from the ceiling. ''I should never have taken this damn job! This is how my shitty life ends? I''m only 36 damn it! I haven''t even had kids yet, hell I haven''t even met a decent man!'' So-Ra decided to take a representative job in America after getting tired of her parents constant attempts to convince her to marry and have children. Yet that was her biggest regret when she was faced with a situation where she could even be portrayed as a murderer depending on how the media spun the story. When they finally arrived at the street his house was on, she started crying. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael finally logged out after carrying Freya into the Alchemy Guild, it was disgusting. In the game he was able to ignore most of his tendencies, but in reality he was still the same obsessive compulsive mysophobiac he was before. The Royal Road capsules had a function that most people never even knew about because it only happened once the emergency log-out procedure failed. Three weeks worth of I.V. fluids were hidden inside the base of the capsule that would be automatically injected into the veins in his back. There was also a catheter that would automatically REPLACE itself and it included enough bag space for at least a week of normal urinary excretions. Basically he woke up with a needle in his back and a tube up his urethra, which is not the most pleasant experience but he was also borderline starving to death. The worst part was the other kind of excretion, waking up in a pool of urine and feces was literally his worst nightmare. He would have gladly been tortured for another thousand years if it meant he would have to clean up that disgusting mess. However, life is never that easy and there was no way he could afford to buy another capsule so there was only one option. He was already completely covered in it anyway so at least he couldn''t get any dirtier, it took him 3 hours to clean it all up. There really is no need to give a detailed explanation of the entire operation. After finally being able to take a shower, it was like that first sip of fruit juice in the morning after a long night of dehydrated sleep! He thought about the endless possibilities that could be achieved through proper use of that temporal augmentation he had experienced in the Heart of Suffering. "Why was Royal Road only 4 times faster than reality? Most likely because past that point the pain limiter and other safety functions would stop working. However, its easy to imagine the possibilities, the most interesting of which is Virtual Immortality. The technology already exists and yet no one has even considered it? No, more likely they are afraid of it. Unicorn Corp had created Ai that were as complex as a humans intelligence, it was only natural to think of Royal Road as an actual reality rather than just virtual. Somehow, they have create an entire world with endless possibilities and the only weakness is that it needs to be maintained from this end..." He was talking to himself out-loud since he was the only person home and didn''t really care if the birds in the other room thought he was crazy. Midway through his conversation with himself he completely forgot what he was talking about and started singing the theme song from one of his favorite anime, it was normally sung by a girl with a very high voice and he only remembered about half of the words. You might be wondering why he wasn''t suffering from muscular atrophy after doing nothing but laying in a capsule for over a week. The reason was simple, he was being tortured violently the whole time and all the muscles in his body were responding at one point or another. Every day or so his body would automatically fall unconscious and after sleeping for several hours he would wake up still logged into Royal Road. It was amazing that his brain didn''t just shut down from thinking so fast. After quickly running downstairs and into his room completely naked, he put on some boxers and a white t-shirt, then ran back up the stairs into the kitchen which was on the first floor. He was a very paranoid and caution person, but in the city when someone breaks down your door its never a good sign. Without even thinking he grabbed a huge kitchen knife with good balance and threw it as hard as he could from the middle of his kitchen, across his living room and into the doorway. He heard a loud yell and with his terrible vision could only make out the fuzzy outline of a tall muscular man in a blue shirt spraying blood out of his left thigh. "Stop! We''re here to help you!" A high pitched female voice cried out as he was about to throw another one, he kept it in his hand as he cautiously approached the woman who was holding her hands in the air like she had a gun to her head. He soon made out the figure of a woman wearing generic office lady attire, long black skirt, dark pantyhose covering her legs, black business jacket and she even had glasses. When he thought about all the types of people who would break down his door, he quickly realized that they weren''t there to kill him or rob the place. He could barely make out her facial features from only a few feet away but he could tell she was probably some kind of Eastern Asian, maybe Japanese or Korean but he couldn''t be sure. "I''m sorry but we have to quickly get John to the hospital, if you''re going to bring that crazy bastard with us you need to hurry the fuck up!" The men were apparently paramedics and he threw a knife into one of them, definitely not a nice thing to do but it was their own damn fault for breaking his door down and not announcing themselves immediately. Michael casually walked back into the kitchen and put the knife he was holding away. "Excuse me, Mr. Sinagra?" So-Ra said in a very nervous voice as she approached him cautiously. He was a relatively short man who could either be a teenager or in his thirties with his short, haggard beard and hair that was slightly past his eyes. His skin was almost as pale as his white T-shirt that was dyed red with hundreds of small blood stains, and his short but muscular legs were covered in hair that stood out even more because of his complexion. He had relatively large arm and chest muscles for his small stature and she could feel an aura of intimidation that made him seem like a giant. "Tell the paramedics to leave without us, we have some business to discuss and I won''t need to pay a visit to the hospital." She was terrified but if she refused there was no way to tell what he might do to her. After walking back over to the paramedics, she quickly explained that they didn''t need to take Michael to the hospital. After returning to the kitchen she was shocked to see him casually pouring iced tea from a 2 liter pitcher into a giant red mug that was nearly the same size. He stared at her as he kept pouring without even needing to see what he was doing, he knew exactly when to stop and then put the pitched back in the refrigerator with one hand and the lid on the mug with the other. After washing his hands quickly, he opened a straw container with one hand and then took out the straw with the other. He immediately rushed over to the sink and washed his hands along with the straw, carefully turning the sink off by only touching a very small area on the handle that no sane person would think to use. Finally, he was able to carefully REPLACE the straw in the lid''s Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. hole that was meant for sipping and started to drink for the first time in weeks. "Mr. Sinagra...." He stopped drinking for a moment, turned to her and said "My name is Michael." She was terrified to have offended him and quickly replied "I apologize, my name is So-Ra I came here to..." He cut her off and quickly said "You''re from Unicorn Corp and you''re here because I almost died playing Royal Road." It wasn''t particularly difficult to figure that much out but the reason she was surprised was because he looked completely fine, at least under the circumstances he appeared relatively healthy. She had already assumed that he would be insane, but throwing a knife at someone breaking into your house isn''t really all that illogical and he didn''t seem particularly unstable. She smiled and said "Yes, I was sent to make sure you were OK..." He cut her off again and said "You thought I would be dead and I''m not surprised, if I wasn''t receiving I.V. fluids I would definitely have starved to death by now. Actually, I''m pretty hungry... you have a car right?" She had a puzzled look on her face as she said "Yes, I drove here behind the ambulance but why?" He sighed and said "OK, give me a second I''ll go change and we can go out to eat." ''What the hell is he talking about?'' So-Ra hadn''t been on a date in nearly ten years so she easily created some strange fantastical expectations of having an amazing dinner at a fancy restaurant overlooking the harbor. However, like any sane person she quickly came to her senses when he came back up the stairs from the basement wearing a black shirt, black shorts and old decrepit flip flops that seemed to be falling apart. She remembered that his sense of time was recently warped so he must not have realized that it was the middle of February, Valentines Day. There was a sheet of ice on the streets which was why it took them so long to get to his house. Before she could speak he said "Don''t worry, it''s only slightly below freezing! Let''s get going before I literally die of starvation and then you have to explain to your superiors how you let it happen!" in a sarcastic tone and obnoxiously laughed afterward. He took a container of hand sanitizing wipes with him as they left the house, luckily there was another door that he could close and lock besides the one that was broken down. Without taking his wallet or even his cell phone, he simply grabbed his house keys and left with her. She was slightly annoyed that he kept wiping everything in her car down in a vain attempt to make it clean but she was afraid to say anything about it. After arriving at the inner harbor without even asking him where he wanted to go she quickly realized her mistake and covered it up by saying "There''s this nice sushi restaurant here that we can go to...." but he was unconscious. "Oh no! Please don''t be dead...." She was about to touch his should with her right hand when he woke up and quickly evaded it. Michael opened the door, managing to grab the hand wipe container, open it and take a few of them out before closing it then dropping the container on his seat as he got out of the small red car. His ability to pointlessly sanitize himself was almost at a superhuman level and she didn''t understand why he kept doing it. As they briskly walked across the street he said "You''re paying for it right?" in a tone that suggested she didn''t have a choice. Of course she was going to pay, it wasn''t as if she would force him to after bringing him to an expensive sushi restaurant without even asking where he wanted to go. After walking around the harbor for a few minutes they finally reached the destination, on the second floor of the building that the restaurant was inside of, they had arrived. Michael quickly walked up to the hostess and said "Table for two please." in a very polite voice then she showed them to their table. After sitting down and waiting for Michael to finish wiping his hands off she said "Do you like sushi?" which was a fair question, since there more people who hated it than loved it in America. After smiling he said "Sushi is better than sex, although I guess that depends on whether you''re hungry or horny..." in a strangely philosophical manner but she was still happy that he wasn''t angry that she brought him there. After a few minutes the waitress came over and asked what they wanted to drink, he said "Unsweetened iced tea, three spicy tuna rolls with salmon roe, two seaweed salads, a bowl of miso soup and twelve slices of salmon sashimi... also, please include extra wasabi." before So-Ra could even speak. After being startled by his giant order she quickly said "I would like unsweetened iced tea and a Maryland crab roll." in a hurried voice as she handed her menu to the waitress who was struggling to quickly mark down their orders. Three minutes of awkward silence passed until their drinks arrived, Michael went to several other tables beforehand and took all of their raw sugar packets so he was able to immediately start pouring it into his tea. He didn''t stir it, just started drinking the mound of sugar at the bottom of the glass. He was even kind enough to give So-Ra a handful of packets to use, but she only needed two. Thus the silence continued even when they finally received their food, they quietly ate it. Well... Michael was eating extremely loudly but he didn''t actually say anything, which was slightly polite in a way. When So-Ra was half-way done eating her four rather large real crab meat filled sushi roll slices, Michael started to speak. "820 years, give or take a few months." "Excuse me?" "I was being tortured for 820 years." "How is that possible?" "Well, it only seemed like 820 years from my perspective... it was actually only about two weeks in reality." "I heard it was only 82 years when they sent me to you..." "Nope, but it wasn''t all that bad... I won''t be suing Unicorn Corp." "Thank you..." "That doesn''t mean that I don''t have conditions though." "What kind of conditions?" "First of all, I want to play the game for free, 300 dollars a month is outrageous in the first place but considering the mental trauma I suffered I should at least get that much without even asking. Secondly, the Golden Dragon of Suffering isn''t to be altered in any way, that includes her avatar Freya. Third, I want a new capsule that has better safety features, I suggest they upgrade all their capsules as well considering that something similar could happen in the near future. Obviously they have to pay for my door and deal with that guy I injured too. Lastly, I have a friend who lives in California, his name in the game is Ceda. He needs a medical treatment that will probably cost a few million dollars, but Unicorn Corp will pay for it and they can even make a big deal out of it for all I care. Those are my conditions and considering that if my story ever made it to the media, Royal Road definitely wouldn''t be able to recover. Neither of us want that to happen right?" She was completely surprised by how insignificant and even selfless his demands were while he was grinning as if he was asking the impossible. What she couldn''t understand though was why he would want to keep playing Royal Road after what had just happened to him. Since So-Ra never had the time or money to play, she never even watched the news shows about it. Actually, the last video game she played was in high school on an old console system that she couldn''t even remember the name of. Was Royal Road such an amazing thing that this man would keep playing even after suffering for nearly a thousand years? After finishing her meal, she called her superiors and explained the situation. They were surprised and relieved at the same time since they had just finished watching his ticket footage and had little hope that he survived. They already had a working model that included extra safety features but they never released it to the public because they didn''t think it was necessary. Feeling thankful towards him for being so lenient with his demands the higher-ups decided to send him four instead of one and decided to make it so anyone using them didn''t have to pay the monthly subscription fee. They were slightly hesitant about not being able to fix the buggy Golden dragon that nearly killed someone but considering the person who was tortured by it wanted it pardoned, they reluctantly agreed. The PR department was already making the necessary calls to get Ceda treated and make a big deal out of it to make sure that even if Michael''s story did get out, they would be able to counteract it with a grandiose act of charity. However, they also had a condition of their own. She had a puzzled expression as she said "Apparently they want me to use one of the capsules they''re sending to your house to keep an eye on you in game and in reality..." in a strained voice. After laughing for a few seconds Michael said "I figured as much, they want to make sure I don''t contact the media. Oh well, by the way this meal is going to be pretty damn expensive... I hope you brought enough money because I didn''t bring my wallet." She paid for the 50 dollar meal and then they stopped by her apartment to pick up some clothes and other necessities she would need to stay at his house for a while. The whole time she was freaking out about the fact that she was essentially moving in with a man she had just met a few hours ago. ''What the hell am I so worried about anyway?'' After finally gathering as many things as she could fit in her car, they finally returned to Michael s house. There were several people in the doorway putting up a brand new door, the previous one was at least 60 years old. Michael and So-Ra carried her things into the living room where there were four capsules, he left two in the living room and carried the other two up to the room that used to be his brother''s. The only thing in the moderately sized room was a queen sized bed and two capsules that were slightly spaced apart. "We''re going to be playing the game right next to each other?" "My room is probably going to be uninhabitable for at least a month or so..." <=Previous Chapter Next Chapter=> Chapter 5.5: Nexics Bar ¡°Do you know what the difference between the Royal Family and our organization is?¡± ¡°No¡­ boss, should we really be having a casual conversation right now?¡± ¡°The only difference is public opinion.¡± ¡°I see¡­ but boss, how are we going to get out of this?¡± Nexic and his bodyguard Jacob were in a bar, surrounded by ten of the Assassins Guild¡¯s strongest members. They were all wielding short swords and daggers, ready to strike at any moment, but there was a strange sense of danger in the air. The envoy from the royal palace told them that their mark was just a defenseless merchant, yet before them stood a giant man, the size of a barbarian who was passively emanating so much fighting spirit that they could barely even look at him. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used Intimidation! All enemies have had their fighting spirit temporarily reduced by 90%! All enemies have had their attack and defense lowered in accordance with the level difference between you and them! You have gained 50% more attack and defense against enemies under the effect of intimidation![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intimidation skill mastery has increased![/col][/box] ¡°Sigh¡­ get out of what? These guys aren''t even level 200, even without any armor or weapons I could still kill them without trying.¡± ¡°Then what level are you boss?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I stopped paying attention after 250 and that was a while ago.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Then why did you even hire me as a bodyguard?¡± ¡°When did I ever do that? I thought you were like a secretary or something¡­¡± While the two targets were talking amongst themselves, the assassins were requesting for backup. However, everyone else in the guild was offline and the NPCs weren''t responding to them. Then the bar''s door was gently opened and a cute dwarf woman walked in, wearing full plate armor. Her skin was fair and her hair was in long black braids that went down to her waist, which wasn''t really that far for a dwarf. Her bright blue eyes were almost beautiful enough that you could ignore the fact that her entire body was drenched in blood and she was dragging a huge sack full of human heads behind her as she pushed her way through the crowd of assassins. ¡°Hey Peri, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Hi¡­¡± The dwarf left the sack of heads on the floor as she struggled to climb up the bar-stool, there was already a beer prepared ahead of time in front of her. There was complete silence in the bar for a few minutes and a few of the assassins escaped while they had the chance. Eventually there was only one assassin still in the bar, pointing his blades at Nexic in a vain attempt to appear threatening. ¡°Sigh, if you don¡¯t order something soon, I¡¯m going to throw you out¡­¡± ¡°Can you make¡­ Pina Coladas?¡± After serving the assassin a few drinks, Nexic discovered that he was actually the guild leader. After experiencing such a crushing defeat, Roflblades decided to abandon the Royals and instead offered his guild¡¯s services to Nexic. It was time to initiate the next step in his plan to become the ruler of Varhales and the King of Brent. Chapter 7: Mana Crafting [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created a potion of major invisibility![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used a potion of major invisibility! Your body and anything you¡®re wearing or holding will become invisible for 12 hours![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Ancient Alchemy skill has increased to level 2.[/col][/box] *Snickering* ¡°He never said that I wasn''t allowed to leave¡­ only that I couldn''t let people see me until he returned.¡± The disembodies voice of an invisible elven girl was already searching for her first victim among a crowd of filthy beggars. Unlike Azrael, she wasn''t willing to test her more dangerous ¡®Potions¡¯ on herself to find out what they do. The first target was an old woman who was missing her left eye and couldn''t even afford an eye patch. Freya quickly pulled out a special elixir she created and poured it on the woman¡¯s partially bald head. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have discovered a potion of reverse aging![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Ancient Alchemy skill has increased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have gained 25 karma for giving an old woman back her youth![/col][/box] After a few seconds the old woman had become a young child who looked about ten years old, if she had tested that potion herself, she probably would have died. When the other beggars and users in the area saw that miracle they flocked around the little girl, who apparently also lost all her memories and experiences which may have been for the best. A kind male and female wood elf couple decided to adopt the one eyed little girl because they wanted to raise their karma points after being player killers for a few weeks. In that crowd of people was a sleazy looking obese old dwarf with an evil grin as he stared at the little girl, this was her next patient. She poured the potion into his beer a second before he started guzzling it down, the effect was slightly delayed. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have discovered a potion of ultra high metabolism![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Ancient Alchemy skill has increased.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have become a player killer! Your name will be seen above your head in red until your status has been changed.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]No one saw you commit the crime so your infamy has not increased.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Karma has decreased by 25 for brutally murdering a dwarf.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Sadism has increased by 5![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Torture has increased to level 2![/col][/box] The dwarf immediately began convulsing on the ground as his giant beer gut burst into flames and his flabby arms and legs became nothing but bones. His face contorted as all seven of his chins disintegrated and his rather large head became nothing more than a skull with hair. ¡®Maybe I added a little too much demon salts? Could have been the hell-fire ginseng¡­ oh well. Still have quite a few mysterious potions to try out before Azrael gets back!¡¯ *Snickering* The invisible elf¡¯s reign of terror had only just begun and it would be another ten or so hours before Michael could log back into the game! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]The 7 Laws of Michael! Cleanliness! A clean body creates a clean soul! Always shower after returning to the house! Wash your hands before and after you touch anything! Always take a shower after sitting on the toilet! Never get into the capsules unless your body is clean! Never get into the capsules wearing clothes! Stay alive! Dying is bad![/col][/box] Before they went into the capsules Michael made his ground rules very clear, if she was going to live in the same house as him and use his equipment then she had to become just as insane as he was. Perhaps his compulsions were the reason he had the mental fortitude to endure 820 years of torture? Maybe he was just too crazy to be tortured in the first place? The truth was that within his twisted mind were thousands of rules and regulations that he had to follow every second of every day, most of which conflicted with each other and made absolutely no sense. That was his burden and even in Royal Road he continued to suffer because of it, but somehow it was different. In the game he was stronger, mentally and physically. After taking their individual showers, they were finally able to enter royal road. The reason they needed to be nude in the capsules was because, if the emergency protocol had to be initiated, clothing could prevent the system from working properly. So-Ra made him go first because she didn''t want him to see her naked, she was a pretty normal person in very abnormal circumstances. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are completely naked. Some parts of your body may be censored to the eyes of users under the age of 17 and anyone who is using a nudity filter.[/col][/box] ¡°Shit!¡± Azrael had logged into the library section of the Alchemy Guild with Freya nowhere to be seen. Then he felt a warm fluid splash against his back, accompanied by the scent of burning flesh. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have taken acid damage.[/col][/box] ¡°Ouch, I see you''ve been busy working on your¡­¡± When he turned around, there was a bright red name with a smiling golden elf underneath, holding a half empty vial of green liquid. After sighing dramatically he said ¡°How many?¡± in a disappointed voice. After looking away from him she said ¡°How many potions have I made?¡± in childish voice. However, since she was his companion, he was able to look at her status window.
Status Window
Character NameFreyjaAlignmentNeutral
Level2ClassAncient Alchemist
TitleThe Invisible Chaos Fairy of Rhodium
Fame0
Infamy0
Health100Mana250
Stamina100Sadism50
Strength5Agility5
Art15Creativity15
Wisdom25Intellect25
Vitality10Fighting Spirit0
Luck5Leadership0
Attack2
Defense0
AffinityEarth: 25 Wind: 25 Fire: 25 Water: 25
Magic ResistanceFire: 15% Water: 5% Earth: 10% Wind: 10%
[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]+1.5% Unarmed Combat Damage +1% Weapon Damage Poison resistance: 20%[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Ancient Alchemy (Lvl. 3 11%): You have unlocked the secrets of the ancient alchemists and started on your path to bring it¡¯s terrible power back to the Versailles Continent! Intellect and Wisdom increase by 1% per skill level. Health and Mana Increase by 1% per skill level. Handicraft (Lvl. 2 35%): This ability is the foundation to every crafting skill and increases along with them. Increases unarmed combat damage by 1.5% per level. Increases weapon damage by 1% per level. Torture (Lvl. 5 25%): Experimenting indiscriminately with dangerous and extremely potent poisons on relatively innocent bystanders has given you a better understanding of pain and suffering. Iron Stomach (Lvl. 8 0%): By subjecting yourself to terrible and excruciating digestive torture you have gained the ability to neutralize weak poisons without much discomfort. Increases Poison Resistance by 10%.[/col][/box] *Sigh* ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Why aren''t the guards doing anything to them?¡± ¡°Not only are they walking around completely naked, but the girl is even a murderer!¡± ¡°I''ve never even seen that race of elf before, maybe she¡¯s just wearing body paint?¡± ¡°How can a barbarian get that big? Isn''t there a limit?¡± ¡°That title! She must be the one who was going around killing people earlier!¡± ¡°That bitch! She killed two of my friends! Although she did bring one of them back to life afterward¡­¡± ¡°The guards are afraid of them! They must be top rankers or something!¡± ¡°They probably lost all their fame by being nudists!¡± *Snickering* Azrael wanted to laugh as well but that would probably end up killing everyone around him, so he just started grinning. He didn¡¯t really understand why everyone thought it was strange for two people to walk around naked in the town square, in CoM people would do it all the time. The giant, muscular, barbarian body felt very comfortable to him but even so, they needed to wear clothes and even armor to survive in this virtual world. Finally they had arrived at the tailoring supplies shop, which was a small building that had a door he needed to crouch down and turn to the side to fit through. After gently smiling at the terrified cashier Azrael said ¡°Excuse me, I would like to purchase low level cloth, thread and leather in bulk.¡± in a very low voice. Without saying a word the cashier who appeared to be a young boy pointed toward two giant piles that were right next to each other, one of ragged cloth and another of shredded leather. Then the boy said ¡°There are spools of thread and sewing kits over there.¡± in a soft voice while pointing at the other side of the room. After managing to stuff 75 lbs of cloth, 100 lbs of leather and 25 lbs of thread, along with a few sewing kits into his bag, he checked the prices. While holding the bag in his left hand, he gave the boy two gold with his right. ¡®We better hurry back before So-Ra logs in¡­¡± -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have been invited to a party. Do you accept the invitation?[/col][/box] "Yes?" [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have joined Azrael¡¯s party.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Azrael has sent you a friend request. Do you accept?[/col][/box] "Sure?" [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have 1 friend.[/col][/box] "That sounds kind of depressing..." -Look to your right, I''m the giant naked dude in front of the building with big sign that says Alchemy Guild on it. "Huh?" So-Ra looked to her right and just as he said, there was a gigantic naked body builder waving to her. She quickly recognized his face and started walking over to him, as much as she didn''t want to, her job was to keep an eye on Azrael. "So the demon has captured another maiden?" "It seems that way..." "Well, it''s not like anyone could stop him..." "Those poor girls." "Maybe he''s a siren?" "More likely to be an ogre..." "He might be really nice..." "A nice person doesn''t kidnap naked women and keep them locked up in a decrepit haunted poison workshop." "True." She tried to ignore what everyone was saying as she walked towards her only friend in all of Royal Road. As soon as she entered the building she saw a beautiful, golden skinned, completely naked woman with long and pointed ears. Freya carefully examined So-Ra, looking over every inch of her body in a very invasive and offensive manner. After sighing she said "I don''t get it, how can you tell the difference between Users and NPCs?" in an irritated voice. Azrael laughed and said "Users are simply visitors to this world, NPCs live here permanently." in a serious voice as he struggled to sew some cloth together. So-Ra was extremely uncomfortable, she was in the same room as two nonhuman nudists with superhuman physiques, she didn¡¯t really understand the way races worked so she just chose her own body but made herself a little younger. Freya said ¡°Then this human is a User?¡± with a confused look on her face. He smiled as he looked at So-Ra with eyes that could see better than humanly possible, she looked to be a young Korean woman with very pretty features and a relatively nice body. She said ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? It¡¯s creepy¡­ and who is this girl?¡± in an angry voice while blushing slightly. Freya suddenly jumped on her back and then began biting on her neck as hard as she could. Azrael said ¡°She¡¯s a User, are you trying to see if you can taste the difference?¡± in a curious voice as he finished sewing his first piece of clothing. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your tailoring skill has increased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Ragged Cloth Panties Durability: 5/5 Defense: 0 These are quite possibly the most cheaply made and useless underwear in all of the Versailles Continent. However, they were made with a lot of effort and are quite comfortable. Basically just a piece of cloth attached to a rope. Requirements: none Special Effect: none[/col][/box] Azrael had a satisfied look on his face as he pried Freya off the crying So-Ra¡¯s back and forced her to wear the flimsy piece of cloth. She looked at them with great disappointment and said ¡°Even Orcs know how to make a proper loincloth.¡± as she attempted to tear them off. However, with only 5 strength she couldn''t even stretch the 5 durability panties. After getting off the floor, So-Ra yelled ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you?!¡± at the golden elf who was still attempting to remove her underwear. She looked up with a blank expression and said ¡°I¡¯m not used to this body yet¡­ it¡¯s so small and weak. Maybe I should have picked an ogre or a small Minotaur instead?¡± in a sad voice. Azrael had already started sewing together something new when he yelled ¡°Stop bickering you brats! Freya, teach So-Ra how to do alchemy! So-Ra, stop whining and start leveling skills! This is a game where grinding out skills is the key to victory! Also, I¡¯m terrible at sewing because my hands are gigantic so this is going to take me a while!¡± in a voice that was almost loud enough to literally kill them. Without uttering another complaint they both scurried off into the back room and left him alone to focus on the most aggravating skill in the whole game, Tailoring. At first it wasn''t so bad, all he had to do to gain levels was pull needles out of his body, sewing was so much more difficult. It would be relatively easy if he were in his normal sized body, but when his finger tips were several times larger, there was just no way to properly do it. That¡¯s when he realized something, the trick was being able to sew without using his hands! [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have learned a new skill, Mana Weaving. This skill has replaced tailoring.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Weaving (Lvl. 1 0%): After hours of intense concentration you have discovered a new form of tailoring that doesn''t require you to use your hands or even a needle! By pouring your mana into the thread, you can sew together leather and cloth into armor. At higher levels you will be able to fuse the materials together without the need for thread.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Creativity has increased by 10.[/col][/box] Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Art has increased by 10.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana has increased by 200.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Giant Simple Cloth Boxers Durability: 15/15 Defense: 2 Who could possibly fit in underwear this size? Requirements: Gigantic Barbarian, Ogre, Minotaur, Giant Orc Special Effects: +5 Strength.[/col][/box] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created a combustion potion![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used a combustion potion on yourself![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are on fire![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Cloth shirt has been destroyed![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Cloth pants have been destroyed![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Cloth underwear have been destroyed![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Leather boots have taken significant durability damage![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Freya has doused the fire, you are no longer on fire![/col][/box] *Sobbing* Azrael had anticipated this outcome from the beginning and had just finished creating new clothes for her to wear. He didn''t understand why she was so embarrassed by nudity, he had become jaded after spending 820 years completely naked. He sighed and said ¡°Listen kid, there are times in life when you feel embarrassed or ashamed. When you look back and remember all the stupid things you did because you were afraid of being judged by others you will feel even more embarrassed and ashamed. Hmmm¡­ I forgot what I was talking about. Something, something, hmmm¡­. oh yea! Here are some clothes I made for you.¡± in a completely serious voice, then he handed her the clothes. They were basically just some poorly made underwear, pants and a t-shirt that looked terrible. So-Ra was struggling to cover her body with her arms and hands when she yelled ¡°Don¡¯t look!¡± in an angry voice as she grabbed the clothes and ran into the other room. Freya had confused look on her face when she said ¡°Why do human try so hard to cover their bodies?¡± in a curious voice. Obviously as a dragon she couldn''t wear clothes even if she wanted to and before that she was an Orc, so she was completely oblivious human customs. Azrael sighed and said ¡°People are stupid, they create paradigms and unbreakable rules based on principles that haven¡¯t existed for thousands of years. Taboos are the same, most of which are completely irrelevant in current times but culture is like a cancer that kills ingenuity and creativity. Every culture has its own rules and each of those rules has exceptions which make the rule completely pointless in the first place. The point is, just wear some fucking clothes and stop trying to understand the illogical nature of humanity.¡± in a tired voice as he was trying to force her to wear a very strange looking white dress that had leather armoring on the chest. It looked hideous but it was actually the best piece he managed to create so far and had decent durability along with defense. Unlike normal crafting skills, Mana Weaving required him to constantly exert massive amounts of mana into the thread instead of simply moving it using his hands and a needle. After every few minutes he would run out of mana and have to drink mana potions or simply wait for it to regenerate naturally. After seven days of practicing by creating clothes for the two he finally reached his goal. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Weaving has increased by 1.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Weaving (Lvl. 5 0%): With the mana control that should be impossible for a barbarian, you can now fuse cloth and leather together to create clothing and armor without the use of thread! Mana increases by 2% per skill level Mana regeneration increases by 1 per second per skill level.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intellect has increased by 5[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Wisdom has increased by 5[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Creativity has increased by 10[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Art has increased by 10[/col][/box] It was finally time to test out his new ability! It was much easier and faster than weaving the thread through the cloth or leather and with his extra mana regeneration he didn''t have to stop as often. All he had to do was focus the mana pulsating out of his giant hands into the materials and using his imagination he was able to create a halfway decent suit of gigantic leather armor to wear. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have completed the Gigantic Leather Armor set! By wearing all five pieces your total defense will increase by 50%![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Mana Crafting![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Crafting(Lvl. 1 0%): A skill that most people would never even consider because of how difficult and inefficient it can be. However, by using a combination of creativity and intelligence you have successfully created a powerful new technique! Replaces the Handicraft skill and increases along with all crafting skills. Adds 1% of intellect as weapon damage per skill level. Adds 1% of creativity as unarmed damage per skill level. Increases defense by 1% of max mana per skill level.[/col][/box] ¡°Heh, I guess I was right¡­ the trick to this game isn¡¯t in the numbers but the names.¡± Azrael had already realized the moment he gained the creativity stat, it didn''t matter if you were a master or a grand master at a basic skill because someone with a better version of the skill would always have more potential. It was also better to learn the upgraded skills as early as possible because even if you have intermediate alchemy, Ancient Alchemy will start at beginner level 1. A theory he tested shortly after he tried on the armor, surprisingly all he had to do was ask Freya to teach him and the skill was immediately learned. He was right about the reset to beginner as well, but then something strange happened that managed to surprise him. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Quest Complete![/col][/box] Suddenly the lights in the room dimmed and the ground began to quake, a sinister laugh emerged from the center of the chemistry room where Azrael, So-Ra, and Freya were gathered. The air dropped below freezing in an instant and it was incredibly hard to breath. It was that sensation again, that sense of dread and terror that Azrael was incapable of feeling. Why was it that he was unable to fear like a normal person would? Maybe it was a bug in the system, or possibly some sort of natural ability that barbarians had but his instinct made him react before anything even happened. He picked up the two girls, one in each hand, and threw them out of the room before the doors slammed shut. Azrael yelled ¡°Freya! Take So-Ra and get the fuck out of the building now!¡± [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used Voice of Death! Skill level not high enough to affect The Demonic God of Destruction Embinyu.[/col][/box] It all happened so suddenly that Azrael didn''t have a chance to react, or even speak. He was standing in the center of the room while a warped harmony of thousands of voices screeched ¡°Hahaha! I knew you were crazy but I never thought anyone could be that insane!¡± inside his mind. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]The Demonic God of Destruction Embinyu has appeared![/col][/box] The voice continued its horrible melody as it said ¡°Not only did you manage find that bitch for me, but you even tricked her into creating a weakness I can exploit!¡± and his vision began to blur. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are losing control of your character![/col][/box] The voice said ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take good care of your little pet while your gone! Hahahaha!¡± as intense pains shot through his entire body. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have been dealt a lethal blow by Matallost The God of Death![/col][/box] Azrael looked down to see a wide, curved black perturbing out of his brand new leather armor¡¯s chest plate. The voice screamed ¡°No! I won¡¯t you destroy my new body!¡± so loud that his ears started to bleed, even though he wasn¡¯t technically hearing it. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have received demonic curse of regeneration![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Demonic curse of regeneration has been removed![/col][/box] Before he could even regain half of his health, the curse disappeared and he was once again about to die. The voice screamed ¡°Damn you Matallost! Even if you kill him a thousand times, he will come back, and when he does I will finally have my revenge on all three of you bastards!¡± in distorted and out of sync chords. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Warning! Error found in RR/settings/safetylimiter! Attempting automatic disconnect.... program file not found! Unable to disconnect... Retrying.......... Error has occurred in automatic shut down protocol.[/col][/box] *Sigh* [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have died, level reduced by 1 and the last 5 stat points invested have been removed! Stats can be reacquired at the next level up.[/col][/box] He blacked out for a moment but when he opened his eyes he wasn''t in his capsule, he was drowning in a tar black river filled with wailing spirits. It took him a moment to realize but he wasn''t even in a physical body. Azrael had just become one of the many ghostly figures being pulled along with the current, but he didn''t scream, he didn''t cry and he did weep. He simply yelled ¡°Oh, for fuck sake!¡± in a voice so loud that the disgusting river water was blasted away and he was able to soar into the sky. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used the skill Voice of Death! All low level spirits within range have been purified or destroyed.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Voice of Death has increased to level 4![/col][/box]
Status Window
Character NameAzraelAlignmentNeutral
Level6ClassNone
TitleNone
Fame210
Infamy0
Health918Mana649
Stamina500Endurance30
Strength40Agility30
Art40Creativity50
Wisdom45Intellect45
Vitality50Fighting Spirit0
Luck25Leadership5
Attack20
Defense21
AffinityEarth: 10 Wind: 10 Fire: 10 Water: 10
Magic ResistanceFire: 10% Water: 10% Earth: 10% Wind: 10%
[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]+1 Health regeneration per second. +6 Mana regeneration per second. +50 Health +100 Mana +1% Intellect +1% Wisdom +8% Health +18% Mana +1% Defense +2% Weapon Damage +2% Unarmed Damage Poison resistance: 20%[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Heavenly Strings (Lvl. 1 70%): You have the innate ability to play any string instrument using your knowledge and experience from another world. Angelic Voice(Lvl. 4 50%): Using your innate ability to control your vocal chords and breathing you can produce the optimal frequency to soothe allies and enemies. Ancient Alchemy (Lvl. 1 0%): You have unlocked the secrets of the ancient alchemists. Intellect and Wisdom increase by 1% per skill level. Health and Mana increase by 1% per skill level. Mana Crafting(Lvl. 1 0%): A skill that most people would never even consider because of how difficult and inefficient it can be. However, by using a combination of creativity and intelligence you have successfully created a powerful new technique! Replaces the Handicraft skill and increases along with all crafting skills. Increases Weapon and Unarmed damage by 2% per skill level. Increases Defense by 1% per skill level. Iron Stomach (Lvl. 7 95%): By subjecting yourself to terrible and excruciating digestive torture you have gained the ability to neutralize weak poisons without much discomfort. Increases Poison Resistance by 10%. Creative Cooking (Lvl. 7 10%): Either out of laziness or desperation you have learned to use dangerous and poisonous ingredients in combination with other more conventional ingredients to create edible food that tastes pretty good. Warning! Most people or monsters will not think it tastes good and may die or suffer from the various poisonous effects! Increases Health and mana by 1% per level. Mana Weaving (Lvl. 5 15%): With the mana control that should be impossible for a barbarian, you can now fuse cloth and leather together to create clothing and armor without the use of thread! Mana increases by 2% per skill level Mana regeneration increases by 1 per second per skill level Repair (Lvl. 2 85%): You can repair low level weapons and armor. Heavenly Percussion (Lvl. 2 25%): Using knowledge from another world you are able to create music by striking or scraping even objects that don''t seem like instruments. Voice of Death (Lvl. 4 0%): Enemies with low health will have their hearts stopped at medium range and their brains will explode at close range. Can purify tainted spirits and banish demons. Effects monsters, undead and humanoids up to your level. Mana consumption: 75 per second[/col][/box] <=Previous Chapter Next Chapter=> Chapter 7.5: King Nexic ¡°Boss! It¡¯s just like you said, the royal guards are shutting down all the bars and inns in the city who are serving alcohol!¡± ¡°El-Oh-El. With this, even under normal circumstances there would be open rebellion¡­ let¡¯s go Peri.¡± ¡°Where are you going to go?¡± ¡°Obviously I¡¯m going to go bring peace and prosperity back to Varhales.¡± The two men and Peri were standing in front of the Royal Palace gates, blocked by over a hundred royal guards. There was chaos all around them as the citizens took up arms and were getting slaughtered by soldiers in a vain attempt to rebel. However, everyone stopped what they were doing when a terrible roar tore open the clouds above them and a huge bone dragon could be seen soaring through the sky in a zigzag pattern, then abruptly fell and crashed into the center of the plaza. A blond woman, wearing the skimpiest plate armor possible was sitting down on top of the giant pile of dragon bones, guzzling down a bottle of rum she was holding in her right hand while crying tears of blood. She stopped drinking for a moment and screamed ¡°God damn it you stupid piece of shit! Why the hell are you so¡­ *Gagging Sounds* fucking bad at flying!?¡± in an obnoxiously loud voice as she struggled to stand. After equipping her unreasonably large, demonic looking sword, which actually had skin and was covered in purple slime, she started chanting a spell, while trying not to vomit. Everyone who had died in the riots between the citizens and the soldiers were being brought back to life as zombies and skeletons. Nexic smiled when he saw the giant rainbow colored bird flying alongside two Pegasus¡¯ start circling above the city. The stage was finally set for his little distraction, the epic battle between the evil Bunny and Peri, who was the strongest tank in the continent, being kept alive by the top 3 healers in the world. All the guards who were supposed to be protecting the palace were being assaulted by hordes of undead and didn''t notice when Nexic and his secretary casually walked by them. ¡°Demon!¡± ¡°What have you done to the princess and queen?!¡± ¡°Honey! Get away from that monster this instant!¡± ¡°They''ve all been corrupted by his evil powers!¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. By the time Nexic had arrived in the throne room, the king was laying at the bottom of the stairs with a dagger in his back. All the male nobles were standing around the bottom part of the room, yelling at the man sitting on the Kings throne, with the princess and queen on his lap and all the female nobles crowding around. Nexic walked around the king¡¯s corpse and briskly climbed the few stairs that lead up to the platform, where the assorted thrones were lined up. ¡°Can I leave now? I need to get out of here before one of my crazy kids show ups and tries to kill me¡­¡± ¡°El-Oh-El. Yea, good luck.¡± After standing up, the tall man with horns coming out of his head and glowing tattoos all over his body sprouted green flaming wings from his black and flew through the broken stained glass window a few meters behind the thrones. The women cried and the men cheered as he left, while there were screams and explosions filling the air just outside of the palace walls. Nexic sat down in the kings throne and quietly took out some paper, rolling up some dried yellow stamina herbs inside it. After putting it in his mouth, he smacked a flint against some steel a few inches from his face, lighting the tip of the herbal cigar on fire. ¡°Boss¡­ I still don¡¯t what¡¯s going on¡± Nexic filled his lungs with the herbal smoke, then breathed out a huge sigh. A stamina herb has no extra ¡®effects¡¯ regardless of how you use it. ¡°What¡¯s taking those two so long to find that damn alchemist?¡± [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]The king has been assassinated! The queen and princess have been corrupted by a demon! The city was under attack by an Unholy Paladin but your champion was able to defend the city when the royal guards and soldiers were helpless! You have proclaimed yourself as the new King during the chaos and the nobles were too distracted to try to stop you![/col][/box] ¡°Oh well, I guess it¡¯s time to start construction¡­¡± Chapter 8: Soul Fishing ¡°What the fuck do you want from me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It figures that the God of Death can¡¯t speak¡­ can you at least write something down? Maybe send a text? For fucks sake, at least have some kind of telepathy¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The shadowy figure wearing a black cloak, covered in mist and holding a giant black scythe with runes all over the blade was apparently Matallost. Azrael knew enough about the back story of Royal Road to recognize the three main religious figures. Freya was the God of beauty, abundance and probably some other important stuff, no one really knew what she looked like exactly. Belacus was the God of fighters, so probably sort of like a god of war, but maybe a not? Most people didn''t even know about Matallost though, since no one seemed to even know where it¡¯s churches were, not quite sure if it has a gender or not but it¡¯s most likely a typical Grim Reaper type. However, he had no idea why this wannabe God and that generic God-like antagonist were fighting over him? Most likely something about Freya, but of course he got stuck with the one who doesn''t speak. ¡®At least the other one would probably explain the situation before he tried to steal my soul or some such shit.¡¯ They were floating on top of a cloud above a land that looked like a sewer in hell¡­ just an endless river of souls and black muck surrounded by wastelands on each side. The reaper pulled two gigantic white, shiny fishing rods out of the hole where its face was supposed to be and handed one of them to Azrael. He just cast the line down into the sewage without even using bait and waited a few minutes. It seemed like something was tugging on the line when he quickly yanked it up, pulling along a soul. It was a sobbing little boy who was wearing ragged clothing holding onto the massive hook with both hands. Matallost leaned over and whispered something to the boy that was impossible to hear from even a few meters away and the child¡¯s astral body began to change from a dark green tint, to a shimmering bright blue. After that, he quickly dropped the boy down a bit and then launched him up into the distorted sky that was a disgusting grayish color. However, after a certain height the boy¡¯s ghostly figure exploded in a brilliant flash of blue light. It was impossible but it almost looked like the shadowy figure was actually smiling as he stared at the afterglow for a few moments, then continued to fish. ¡°Sigh, I guess it was about time for me to learn a new skill¡­¡± However, even after a few hours there was no bite on his line, even as the thing next to him was catching one every few minutes. That¡¯s when he realized what was wrong, he already had 10 skills and he hadn''t decided on a class yet. He was definitely irritated but then a window popped appeared in front of him. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have received a quest![/col][/box] ¡°I guess I have no choice¡­ not like I would have refused it though.¡± [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Reincarnation! When the people of the Versailles Continent die, their bodies are destroyed and their souls or personalities are left behind. Sometimes they simply linger on in the world of the living, but usually they fall down into the Wailing River where they struggle to retain their memories and experience until they can receive a new body. However, even though Matallost has dramatically altered the passage of time, he is still alone in his quest to recycle the endless stream of disembodied personalities to be reborn all over the continent. He has requested your help fishing out the souls and using the Voice of Death to give them new names and sending them to their new bodies. Rewards: Unknown Rank: ?? Quest Requirements: Must be able to learn Soul Fishing.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Hidden Class![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Would you like to accept the class change?[/col][/box] After sighing he said ¡°I¡¯m going to be pretty pissed if it ends up being something related to fishing but¡­ yes.¡± and he could feel a surge of power coursing through his astral body. Suddenly, he began glowing with a blinding white light coming from inside his chest. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Angel! A concept that is foreign to the Versailles Continent, an envoy or messenger of the Gods! Until now the Versailles Continent had a predictable ebb and flow that was carefully regulated by the most powerful beings that had existed since the beginning of time. However, once the Freedmen appeared, the balance was destroyed. Coming from another world to this one, you are considered a mysterious and powerful entity that could bring salvation or damnation to Versailles. +Can receive unranked quests from +Disables basic skills to be learned past the intermediate stage. +Enables special, unique or secret skills to be learned up to the grand master stage. +Enables class specific skills to be learned indefinitely. +1 to all stats every level up instead of being able to choose where to put 5. +Can learn all combat and crafting related skills. +Gained a new stat, Charisma. +Gained a new stat, Faith. +Learned a new skill, Soul Fishing. +15% Black Magic resistance.[/col][/box] ¡°Are they just making this shit up as they go along? Whatever, I figured something like this would happen.¡± [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Charisma: A natural attractiveness that allows you to more easily persuade others and gain their trust. Affects leadership.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Faith: Increases your relationship with Gods and people who believe in them.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Soul Fishing (Lvl. 1 0%): Enables you to use spectral fishing rods to catch souls. Also works with normal fishing rods and fish.[/col][/box] Azrael was a Jack of all trades type of person in the first place so if he wasn''t forced into a situation like this, he probably would have ended up reaching level 100 without even being able to decide on a class. Although not being able to invest points where you want, or need, seems pretty bad, the amount of total stat points he would receive per level increased every time he gained a new stat. There was also another factor to consider, stat points could be raised in many different ways and if a person was willing to mindlessly grind out skills, they would be able to painstakingly increase the specific stats that they needed. After a few hours went by there was finally a bite on the line, but there was problem. Matallost made it look so easy, but apparently souls are actually pretty heavy. It took him over an hour of struggling to reel the mass of ectoplasm up to where he could even see it but the moment the purple spirit came into view, it leg go and fell back down into the river. A total of six hours was wasted because he didn''t have enough strength, but that wasn''t even the worst part. The number of souls in the quest requirements was increasing by about 1 every 6 hours, although it wasn''t really 6 hours. Time was being warped within the section of the river they were hovering above, he could only guess by looking at how slow the river was moving outside compared to inside, but it seemed like the ratio was 5 hours inside was only a second outside. It might seem impossible to be able to think 72,000 times faster than normal, but it really isn¡¯t. A typical person will spend 20 minutes at a time in REM sleep, which is the state where one dreams. It was common for Michael to have lucid dreams where he could experience thousands of years but usually the memories would fade quickly. The trick was know how to forget, rather than being able to remember. There are always limits, but they¡¯re usually much higher than you can possibly imagine. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have caught Bobo the minotaur soul![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Soul Fishing proficiency has increased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Faith has increased by 1![/col][/box] After a day of struggling in vain, he finally caught one! No wonder it seemed so difficult to catch anything! Matallost was constantly catching humans, elves and dwarves, but there were actually souls of every size, shape and race within the pitch black river. While struggling to hold the minotaur steady he said ¡°Hurry up and tell me your story, if you lie then you¡¯re going back down.¡± in an irritated voice. The spirits body was in the shape of a huge blood red human male with a cows head, it yelled ¡°Moooo! Mooo! Moooo!¡± in a very angry voice, apparently it had the language skills of a cow. Azrael sighed and yelled ¡°Female, Dark elf, Talia!¡± in a deafening voice and then his strength surged as he channeled all of his mana into his spectral muscles. After dropping the minotaur down a few meters he launched it up into the sky, just barely managing to make it high enough to explode into a beautiful red flash. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have learned a new skill, Mana Conversion![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Conversion (Lvl. 1 0%): Enables you to inefficiently channel mana into other stats. Currently only possible to convert mana into strength.[/col][/box] ¡°So that¡¯s the secret¡­¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Why the hell do these things keep happening to him?¡± ¡°Maybe there¡¯s something wrong with his brain?¡± ¡°We went through his medical records and found nothing!¡± ¡°There must be some error involving the Creativity stat¡­¡± ¡°He isn''t the first person in Royal Road to receive it though, there are at least 15,000 others and none of them have been able to manipulate it like he does.¡± ¡°We though it would be a fun aspect to allow users to create their own unique skills but it was never meant to affect the game in such a dramatic way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost as if Versailles is using his thoughts to create more content¡­¡± ¡°It¡®s hard to notice but every sixty seconds he enters REM sleep for 1 second and within that moment, a thousand years of detailed history is written and recorded in great detail.¡± ¡°At his current speed, it¡¯s simply impossible for him to complete this quest¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been an hour for us but to him it must have seemed like over 10 years!¡± ¡°What the hell is So-Ra doing? Tell her to log out and unplug his capsule if that¡¯s what it takes to get him out of there!¡± ¡°You know that if she did that he would most likely die! Besides, he doesn''t seem to be in any immediate danger¡­¡± ¡°I know, I know! Plus, it would take our concept and development team years to come up with even a fraction of what he creates in a minute¡­¡± What they didn''t tell Michael they send him the capsules, was that they would be watching everything he did very carefully. In all the years that they were testing the virtual reality system for Royal Road, they never even considered truly testing its limits. The risk was always far too great and anyone died or was seriously injured during the early stages, the whole project could have been scrapped. However, they did notice that the current temporal ratio was optimal for most users in the beta test. They did 1:1 first, but it just wasn''t fast enough, 2:1 was too slow as well and after a few users reported migraines at 6:1 they settled on 4:1 which was perfect. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Unable to log out while in combat![/col][/box] ¡°God damn it! Freya, what the hell did you do to these people!?¡± ¡°Nothing! I just let them try my new potions!¡± ¡°By let them try, do you mean you forced them?!¡± ¡°Maybe just a little bit?¡± Freya and So-Ra were yelling at each other while running as fast as they could from an angry mob of Users and guards through the disgusting alleyways and side streets of Rhodium. It started the moment they escaped from the collapsing Alchemy Guild, without Azrael there to scare them away, the two girls were defenseless. If not for Freya¡¯s demon smog potion, they would have been captured and killed immediately, but even with their head start, they didn''t have enough agility to outrun the huge group of medium level users and NPCs. Just when they reached a dead end, two shady looking people covered in black clothing and wearing black masks along with their black cloaks seemed to appear out of thin air in front of them. They quickly grabbed the girls and vanished again only a split second before the mob arrived. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. When they opened their eyes, the two girls were in a place with no light, only the sound of running water underneath their feet and unintelligible yelling above their heads. A man with a deep voice said ¡°Do you two belong to the Alchemy Guild?¡± that was too quiet to even be a whisper. Freya said ¡°We are alchemists, but we belong to no one.¡± in a stern voice. A high pitched feminine voice whispered ¡°We came to Rhodium in search of an old man who belonged to this cities Alchemy Guild. He was capable of creating special potions¡­¡± So-Ra said ¡°Michael¡­ I mean Azrael did mention something about finding a dead old man in the guild when he got there.¡± in a quiet voice as she tried to log out again, but she was still in combat. Their eyes had begun to acclimate to the darkness and the two people became slightly visible. The man and woman were indistinguishable aside from their voices, they were wearing such dark clothes that only their bright green, catlike eyes could be seen. The man said ¡°How high are your alchemy skill levels?¡± in a slightly louder voice than before. Freya grinned and said ¡°My alchemy skill is only level 5 but I¡¯m sure I can create the potion you seek. If you can help us escape this city, I will make it for you.¡± in a voice that sounded extremely suspicious. So-Ra quickly yelled ¡°She isn''t lying! She¡¯s probably the greatest Alchemist in the whole continent!¡± with a worried look on her face, she still couldn''t log out. The woman sighed and said ¡°Well, we can¡¯t return to the boss empty handed¡­ even though these two seem really suspicious, at least they¡¯re low level so we shouldn''t be in too much danger from them.¡± in an irritated voice. Normally, a person can leave their starting city for 4 weeks in-game but So-Ra was an exception since she had to be able to keep up with Azrael. After an hour of following the two people who were most likely thieves, which was a class similar to assassins but with more out of combat skills relating to¡­ acquiring items, they finally reached the outside. There was a river that flowed underneath the city, which was used as a fresh water supply. The technology to utilize sewer systems didn''t exist in the Versailles continent, in-case you thought that¡¯s where they were. In fact, user avatars didn''t actually need to excrete waste in the first place, they were probably afraid that there would be a lot of accidents where the person couldn''t tell which body needed to use the bathroom¡­ [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Recorded voice message from Azrael incoming![/col][/box] ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m fine, so don¡¯t go tearing me out of the capsule or something idiotic like that. I would probably go into a coma or have an aneurysm and die if you did. I¡¯m currently in a temporal bubble that¡¯s about 18,000 times faster than the normal Royal Road speed, so its probably been a couple years for me. Anyway, I¡¯m almost done this quest so I should be able to meet up with you two soon¡­ although I have no idea where I might end up so don¡¯t wait around Rhodium for me. Be careful, this is not just a game but a different reality, don¡¯t be afraid to kill someone else to preserve your own life and take care of Freya. P.S. don¡¯t pick the alchemy class, you suck at it.¡± -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Soul Fishing proficiency has decreased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Voice of Death proficiency has decreased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are suffering from mental fatigue! Some stat points may drop permanently and new stat points will be more difficult to earn. This debuff has stacked 1397 times![/col][/box] ¡°What a strange dream¡­ or maybe this was the dream?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I know Matallost, but everything feels so strange these days.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me! I¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯s just a little headache¡­¡± [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Soul Fishing proficiency has increased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Voice of Death proficiency has increased![/col][/box] ¡°I¡¯m so¡­ tired lately, maybe I¡¯m just not getting enough sleep.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha! That wasn''t what I meant Matal¡­lost, hmm¡­ what was I doing again?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Oh yea! You were going to teach me how to fish!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I see, that is a good tip to remember¡­ who are you anyway?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hmmm, I really wish I had some ibuprofen¡­ maybe I should try to sleep it off?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Oh hey! I caught something!¡± Dementia is more terrifying than any dragon or demon in Royal Road or even reality. Azrael¡¯s mind was being warped by the constant strain it was being put under. Even though it had only been about 10 or 15 years, every time he tried to rest, he ended up being forced to push his brain into thinking thousands of times faster than it was while he was endlessly fishing. However, just when he was at the breaking point, his struggle had finally ended with his 43,900th soul. The bald old man looked slightly familiar but without even letting him speak Azrael yelled ¡°Female, Dire Wolf, Donathan!¡± as he launched the spirit into the air with ease. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Soul Fishing skill has reached level 10, intermediate! +Permanently increases maximum health by 2000. +Permanently increases maximum mana by 500.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intermediate Soul Fishing (Lvl. 1 0%): You can catch living creatures or disembodied spirits using any kind of fishing rod. With intermediate mana crafting you can fish without using a rod. Increases Endurance and Vitality by 5% per skill level. Increases Strength by 1% per skill level.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Voice of Death has increased to level 10, Intermediate! +Fighting spirit increases 50% faster. +Permanently increases maximum stamina by 500.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intermediate Voice of Death (Lvl. 1 0%): Yelling can kill enemies with low health instantly and stun strong enemies at medium range. Costs 150 mana per second. Whispering can remove curses from living targets and purify spirits, preparing them to receive new bodies. Costs 100 mana per second. Screaming causes living targets in medium range to become deaf and applies a bleed based on their level compared to yours. Undead targets take 50 holy damage per second at long range, 150 holy damage per second at medium range and 300 holy damage per second at close range. Costs 300 mana per second.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Conversion has increased to level 10, Intermediate! +Permanently increases Intellect and Wisdom by 50. +Permanently increases maximum mana by 1000.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intermediate Mana Conversion (Lvl. 1 0%): You have learned how to efficiently channel mana into other stats. Can currently convert mana into Strength, Endurance, Vitality, Agility, and Fighting Spirit at a ratio of 10 mana to 1 stat point. Only usable on one stat at a time. Can convert 500 mana into 100 health per second.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Quest Complete! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up![/col][/box] ¡°Was I doing a quest?¡± [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have received a new title, The Forgetful! You can¡¯t remember how you got this title, but it probably wasn''t that important anyway! +All stats permanently increase by 1[/col][/box] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Thank you¡­¡± He heard a quiet whisper in his ear as the wind blew across his face and a cold chill ran down his spine, mainly because the thick leather armor he was wearing had huge holes missing on the front and back. When he opened his eyes he could see the bright blue sky, blotted out by the tops of trees, he was standing in the middle of a forest somewhere. After logging out, it was like he was sleepwalking, fulfilling his basic needs for survival unconsciously, eating, drinking, washing his hands a lot, then returning to the capsule while completely ignoring his parents were trying to talk to him. So-Ra was talking to them about something, but he couldn''t comprehend the conversation, his mind was blank for once. Michael was so tired that when he laid down in the capsule to start playing Royal Road, he fell asleep. ¡°What is it? Chwiiik!¡± ¡°Giant human? Chwitchwit!¡± ¡°Chwik! It¡¯s waking up!¡± ¡°Should we kill it? Chwichwitchwit!¡± Azrael opened his eyes and saw two orcs standing over his body. There are many words that can describe the typical orc¡­ ugly, fat, tall, green, piggish, and typically they had small tusks along with ears that were closer to a goblin than an elf. However, there was one quality that stood out among all the others. ¡°This is just a disguise! Chwiiik!¡± ¡°Ah! Chwik! I knew there couldn¡¯t be such a large human! Chwichik!¡± ¡°What you named? Chwik.¡± ¡°Chiwichwik! Fake human name Azrael, real orc name Michwii!¡± Orcs are naive idiots who will believe just about anything you tell them, no matter how outrageous it should sound. Azrael could barely remember anything that happened after he started fishing, however long ago that was. He was just going with the flow for the moment while he figured out what it was he wanted to do in this village full of orcs in the middle of some forest somewhere. He suddenly received a whisper from an old guildie he hadn''t spoken to in a long time. -Sigh, Plague, where are you right now? -Some orc village? Why what¡¯s wrong? Nexic was one of the only people who accepted his friend invitation when he started playing Royal Road¡­ -These crazy bitches are telling me they won¡¯t create potions for me unless I bring you here, or take them to you¡­ -Oh yea! I completely forgot about them¡­ -El-Oh-El. I just told them that. -Hmmm, so where are you guys at? -Some city called Varhales? -Yea, it really doesn''t matter, I¡¯m not actually going to go there. -Sigh¡­ -Give me a second, I¡¯ll tell them to make you drugs, I mean potions¡­ -Thanks¡­ It was pretty difficult to calm Freya and So-Ra down, but after a few minutes they finally accepted that I wouldn''t be able to meet up with them for a while. Freya offered to use her real body to give me a ride or teleport me but I explained how that would be cheating. So-Ra insisted that she needed to be close to me at all times in-case I got into trouble again, but after I explained that she wouldn''t be able to help me if she got stuck in the same situation, she quickly stopped caring. ¡°Chwik, since you new here, we show you hunting places.¡± [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Hunting With Orcs! You have tricked the orcs into accepting you, but it takes more than a few nasally sounds to fit into such a combat hardened society. If you want to fit in, you need to prove your worth by keeping up with the rest of the orc hunting party. Rank: E Rewards: Reputation with the Sharp Tooth Orcs. Some of the loot that drops. Quest Requirements: Don¡¯t die, don¡¯t be worse than Stumpchwii.[/col][/box] ¡°Sounds like fun Chwik.¡± [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Quest Accepted![/col][/box] <=Previous Chapter Next Chapter=> Chapter 9: Manasmithing
Status Window
Character NameAzraelAlignmentNeutral
Level13ClassAngel
TitleThe Forgetful
Fame210
Infamy0
Health5486Mana5416
Stamina2700Endurance81
Strength267Agility110
Art47Creativity57
Wisdom209Intellect299
Vitality222Fighting Spirit11
Charisma57Faith347
Luck47Leadership12
Attack135
Defense21
AffinityEarth: 10 Wind: 10 Fire: 10 Water: 10
Magic ResistanceBlack Magic: 15% Fire: 10% Water: 10% Earth: 10% Wind: 10%
[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]+At level up, all stats increase by 1. +6 mana regeneration per second. +1 health regeneration per second. +Fighting Spirit Increases 50% faster +50 Intellect +5% Endurance +50 Wisdom +5% Vitality +2050 Health +1% Strength +500 Stamina +1600 Mana +1% Intellect +1% Wisdom +8% Health +18% Mana +1% Defense +2% Weapon Damage +2% Unarmed Damage +Poison resistance: 20%[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Heavenly Strings (Lvl. 1 70%): You have the innate ability to play any string instrument using your knowledge and experience from another world. Angelic Voice(Lvl. 4 50%): Using your innate ability to control your vocal chords and breathing you can produce the optimal frequency to soothe allies and enemies. Ancient Alchemy (Lvl. 1 0%): You have unlocked the secrets of the ancient alchemists. Intellect and Wisdom increase by 1% per skill level. Health and Mana increase by 1% per skill level. Mana Crafting(Lvl. 1 0%): A skill that most people would never even consider because of how difficult and inefficient it can be. However, by using a combination of creativity and intelligence you have successfully created a powerful new technique! Replaces the Handicraft skill and increases along with all crafting skills. Increases Weapon and Unarmed damage by 2% per skill level. Increases Defense by 1% per skill level. Iron Stomach (Lvl. 7 95%): By subjecting yourself to terrible and excruciating digestive torture you have gained the ability to neutralize weak poisons without much discomfort. Increases Poison Resistance by 10%. Creative Cooking (Lvl. 7 10%): Either out of laziness or desperation you have learned to use dangerous and poisonous ingredients in combination with other more conventional ingredients to create edible food that tastes pretty good. Warning! Most people or monsters will not think it tastes good and may die or suffer from the various poisonous effects! Increases Health and mana by 1% per skill level. Mana Weaving (Lvl. 5 15%): With the mana control that should be impossible for a barbarian, you can now fuse cloth and leather together to create clothing and armor without the use of thread! Mana increases by 2% per skill level Mana regeneration increases by 1 per second per skill level Repair (Lvl. 2 85%): You can repair low level weapons and armor. Heavenly Percussion (Lvl. 2 25%): Using knowledge from another world you are able to create music by striking or scraping even objects that don''t seem like instruments. Intermediate Soul Fishing (Lvl. 1 0%): You can catch living creatures or disembodied spirits using any kind of fishing rod. With intermediate mana crafting you can fish without using a rod. Increases Endurance and Vitality by 5% per skill level. Increases Strength by 1% per skill level. Intermediate Mana Conversion (Lvl. 1 0%): You have learned how to efficiently channel mana into other stats. Can currently convert mana into Strength, Endurance, Vitality, Agility, and Fighting Spirit at a ratio of 10 mana to 1 stat point. Only usable on one stat at a time. Can convert 500 mana into 100 health per second. Intermediate Voice of Death (Lvl. 1 0%): Yelling can kill enemies with low health instantly and stun strong enemies at medium range. Costs 150 mana per second. Whispering can remove curses from living targets and purify spirits, preparing them to receive new bodies. Costs 100 mana per second. Screaming causes living targets in medium range to become deaf and applies a bleed based on their level compared to yours. Undead targets take 50 holy damage per second at long range, 150 holy damage per second at medium range and 300 holy damage per second at close range. Costs 300 mana per second.[/col][/box] His stat¡¯s and skills seem absurd at first glance, but the truth is that they should be much higher. Unfortunately, skills are closely related to memories and that debuff he kept getting was preventing his stats from accumulating as high as they should. However, Azrael was still satisfied because if he was any stronger then it wouldn''t even be a challenge to kill monsters over 50 levels above him with his bare hands. Actually, he had to kill monsters with his bare hands because he didn''t even have a weapon to use. It was fine though, at first their prey was only level 20 wolves, though there were hundreds. Azrael would punch and kick the wolves with enough force to crush their skulls, break their spines or rupture their internal organs without even using his Mana Conversion. It was pretty gross though, but since he had to pick up their loot anyway, it didn''t really make a huge difference. The simple minded orcs were amazed by his brute strength and overwhelming fighting spirit, but what was even more impressive was his crafting, they had no idea how he did it. After every battle, he would create terrible hide armors out of the materials that dropped and since the orcs thought terrible actually meant impressive, they were very happy with his shitty gifts. After a few hundred wolves, the group of 10 male orcs and a barbarian had gained about 10 levels, so it was finally time to move to the new hunting grounds. Unlike in the human starting cities, the areas around the orc village were nearly impossible to solo. Foxes, rabbits, squirrels and deer couldn''t survive in such a high leveled zone, so the lowest animal on the leveled food chain were fledgling orcs for the packs of starved wolves. Like orcs, the wolves had incredibly fast spawning rates but they formed huge groups of other packs, just to hunt an easy target. Luckily, Azrael¡¯s group had a few chaperons and the old war veteran Stumpchwii, who were at least level 50. Even if he wasn''t there, the orcs would be able to survive the low level hunts by themselves. Perhaps because of his love for sushi and all kinds of raw seafood, Azrael was actually able to make delicious wolf meat sashimi out of their prey. The orcs didn''t really care about cooking and thought what he was doing to be pointless, so they didn''t even notice him using his mana as a knife when preparing his meals. He didn''t know exactly how stupid the orcs were, so he decided to pretend to be a crazy muscle bound idiot who didn''t even use weapons. However, everything changed when they came to their second hunting ground. ¡°Finally! Chewiiik! I was getting tired of wolf meat!¡± [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Kaichwik the Cannibal has appeared![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]New quest requirement added! Return to the Sharp Tooth village with at least 1 orc from your hunting party.[/col][/box] It was supposed to be a small group of level 30 dire wolves, but what they found was a giant orc, even bigger than Azrael. He was surrounded by wolf bones and was wearing heavy plate armor, adorned by human, orc and dark elf skulls. The other orcs were terrified, they had all heard of this voracious bastard before, Stumpchwii yelled out ¡°Kaichwik! This time you wont get away, Chwiiik!¡± as he pointed his rusty glaive at the giant. Long ago, when he was younger and had a left arm, right leg and two eyes, he was probably quite powerful, but the Stumpchwii of today wasn''t even fat. He was old, wrinkled and even looked like he was starving to death while wearing leather armor that Azrael gave him. There was no way he could win against the giant middle aged orc who was dual wielding what looked like ogre femurs, chipped from overuse. The giant lumbering monster charged toward the 9 cowering orcs with Stumpchwii standing in the front, wanting to charge as well, but his peg leg wouldn''t let him. Normally, you wouldn''t be able to know the level of a player, it was just a vague feeling, based entirely on how much stronger or weaker they were from you. There was no way for him to know the true strength of the orc without testing it himself, just like before when drinking poisons and creative cooking, he would have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. While boosting his endurance by 100, he jumped in front of the group and stopped the charging giant with a shoulder charge of his own. Azrael was knocked back into the group of disgusting, smelly and sweaty orcs, but it managed to snap them out of their fear status. One swing of Kaichwik¡¯s right ogre femur, tore one of the level 30 orcs in half, spraying his intestines and other organs against the trees. The left swing which came immediately afterward was blocked by one of the veterans, using a large kite shield made from some giant insects exoskeleton. However, his arm broke and in less than a second, Kaichwik slammed the right femur down on the veterans head, smashing it into a puff of red mist as skull fragments shot out into some of the other orcs. Kaichwik momentarily stopped the slaughter so that he could intimidate the remaining orcs, he yelled ¡°Hahahaha! Chwiiik! I love the taste of fresh orc blood!¡± as the blood dripped down his face, into his gaping mouth which never closed because of his massive under bite. Even in other games, Michael hated it when friendly NPCs that he could have saved died because he was unprepared or just not paying attention. Normally, in games where he played by himself, he could just reload and keep trying until he got it right. They were citizens that lived in ¡®his¡¯ world and even the stupidest, most obnoxious NPC had a purpose in it! Now he was faced with a situation where he couldn''t restart the mission to make it perfect, or reload the world to bring his fallen comrades back to life. It wasn''t even a feeling of grief or loss over their deaths, it was purely his obsessive compulsive nature that fueled his rage. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Mana Shield![/col][/box] There was always a way! If he couldn''t bring the dead ones back to life, then he just needed to keep the living ones alive. Azrael stood up, released a huge amount of energy from his core, into the palms of his hands and thrust out both arms towards the small orc standing a few meters in front of him. When both of Kaichwik¡¯s femur clubs were in mid swing, aiming at the frail Stumpchwii, a small barrier of concentrated mana covered his body. Stumpchwii was miraculously able to avoid taking any damage, but a huge chunk of Azrael¡¯s mana was consumed to nullify just one blow. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Shield (Lvl. 2 0%): You have learned the main defensive ability a mage has without even being taught! Using large quantities of mana, you can create weak temporary barriers around yourself or others. Shield strength has no limit but costs 150% of the damage absorbed in the form of mana. At higher skill levels, efficiency rises and other similar skills may become available.[/col][/box] It was impossible to level it up enough to be useful in such an critical situation, so he gave up on being clever and creative. The solution was simple, he had been in this situation thousands of times in CoM, the raid was about to wipe on an easy boss, with simple mechanics. The only difference was that he wasn''t powerful enough to heal, tank and dps the boss down alone this time, at least not while worrying about keeping everyone else alive. After dashing behind the giant and snatching a glaive from the still living, somehow, orc who was torn in half¡¯s hand, he slashed at the back of giants exposed Achilles tendons¡­ which didn''t even get through his thick skin. Azrael yelled ¡°Stumpchwii! Take the young ones and leave! Chwiiik! I can¡¯t kill this giant fucker with them holding me back!¡± in a voice that was so loud, the literally half dead orc¡¯s head exploded, which was probably a good thing since he was slowly dying from being torn in half. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used voice of death! Nameless orc has died, Kaichwik has been stunned! Using your charisma and fighting spirit, Stumpchwii has been forced to follow your orders! -350 mana[/col][/box] Stumpchwii quickly yelled ¡°You hear Michwii! Chwichwik! We leave him fight alone! Lets go, Chwiik!¡± and all the other orcs quickly followed his hobbled retreat.¡¯ While Kaichwik was still stunned and unable to react, Azrael was busy attempting to find some weakness somewhere. It seemed like no matter where he stabbed or slashed with the shitty glaive, he could do any damage. Maybe it had to do with his lack of weapon skills, or perhaps the giant green bastard just had too much endurance. Then he stopped being an idiot and checked the first place he should have looked. Using all his strength he thrust the glaive, which was pretty much just a stick with a curved blade at the end, into the right, bloodshot and beady yellow eye of the ugly bastard. Most of the blade was stopped by his helmet, but the eye was definitely pierced and ruptured but in that moment, he was released from the stun and swung both clubs into Azrael¡¯s sides at the same time. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Critical Strike on Kaichwik![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have received a Crushing Blow from Kaichwik![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are internally bleeding, your health will deplete rapidly![/col][/box] He could feel various vital organs being obliterated by the collision, but after what he had been through, it didn''t even feel that painful. Maybe with the limiter off he would have winced a little bit, but he simply ignored it and jammed the glaive into Kaichwik¡¯s other eye socket with all he strength he had left, plus a little bit extra by using mana conversion. The frenzied orc screamed in pain and anguish, the first time he couldn''t feel it because of the stun, but even a giant monster will lose its composure when its eyes are being gouged out. Azrael finally understood the bastards weak point after backing up and watching the screaming giant orc swing his clubs around randomly. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Critical Strike on Kaichwik![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your health is nearly depleted![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used mana conversion to heal your vital organs, mana depleted![/col][/box] This wasn''t a game where a level 100 monster was invincible unless you were the same level, it was closer to reality but incorporating numerical values for everything that could be easily understood. At a certain point, monsters and even players can gain abilities that make such simple tactics impossible, but Kaichwik was just a level 70-90 orc who was a little stronger than most. Azrael was a level 26 barbarian with the stats of a level 70 mage and warrior mixed together, but he was nearly dead and out of mana. Killing is always about anatomy, if you understand the anatomy then you can easily kill anything given the right tools for the job. When the orc finally started to tire itself out and stopped swinging the clubs, he sprinted as fast as he could strait towards the bastard from the front. Azrael thrust the glaive into the gaping mouth of Kaichwik, blade facing upward, using his full momentum and strength. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have dealt a Deadly Blow![/col][/box] Somehow it was still alive and managed to smack him lightly with one of the clubs, but after a quick uppercut to the bastards jaw using Azrael¡¯s left palm, the tip of the blade tore through Kaichwik¡¯s spine and his whole body went limp. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have paralyzed Kaichwik the Cannibal![/col][/box] Finally, after wiggling the glaive around for about 3 minutes after Kaichwik fell on its back, his body turned grey and disappeared, leaving behind nothing but experience and a giant bag of skulls. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Level up! Level up! Level up! Level up![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Kaichwik¡¯s Skull Collection! Inside this bag are the skulls of over 100 orcs, 20 dark elves and even his own. Weight: 500 lbs Quest Item: Return this to Stumpchwii for a reward.[/col][/box] He was exhausted and severely wounded, but still had to carry that ridiculously heavy bag all the way back to the village. He didn''t even loot the two other orcs that died because he could carry anymore, but after about 10 minutes his health and mana was completely recovered, so he was able to funnel his mana into strength. When Azrael finally arrived at the village outskirts, Stumpchwii and the rest of the survivors were waiting. He tossed over the bag with both hands and the three orcs who caught it were nearly crushed, then he said ¡°Walking back here carrying that was more work than actually killing the bastard! Chwik!¡± in a tired voice. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Quest Complete![/col][/box] Stumpchwii laughed heartily and yelled ¡°Chwiiik! From now on, you are Sharp Tooth Orc! Even if you look like giant, white skin human! Chwichwik!¡± in a loud, happy voice. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have become part of the Sharp Tooth Orc tribe! Although, since you aren''t actually an orc, only the other Sharp Tooth orcs will consider you one.[/col][/box] After fighting so hard and receiving such a small reward, most people would be angry, believing they deserved some sort of amazing reward in gold or items. However, Azrael was happy, reputation in most games is extremely difficult and time consuming to earn, but all he had to do was one quest. It wasn''t a particularly good faction, but still, it allowed him to accept a multitude of varying quests in the area. Azrael smiled and said ¡°Are there any other Dire Wolf hunting spots? Kaichwik was a decent warm-up but I need new prey. Chwik.¡± while looking into Stumpchwii¡¯s only eye. He laughed again and said ¡°Chwiiik! You are true orc! On the other side of the village there is big cave! In cave find many strong prey! Return some meat to the village and we have big fun time! Chwiik!¡± in a happy voice , but Azrael was worried about the phrasing of that last sentence¡­ [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Hunting for Food! Stumpchwii has told you of a special hunting ground where many powerful monsters can be found. Go to the Cave outside the village and kill enough to bring back for a festival with the whole village. Reward: Reputation, Friendship. Quest Requirements: At least 3000 lbs of meat.[/col][/box] Azrael sighed as he read the description, then said ¡°How the hell am I supposed to carry it back? Chwik.¡± in an irritated voice. Stumpchwii said ¡°Your strong orc, it not much. Chwiik!¡± in a calmer voice. After sighing again he accepted the quest and walked through the village. He realized something pretty quickly, since orcs didn''t actually need sex to reproduce, they also weren''t programmed to care about it. Orcs didn''t have relationships, marriages or families, any time a male and female orc would eat a meal together, a child would be born. Often, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, it really didn''t matter who, if there were two orcs of opposite genders eating a meal together, a child would spawn in their house. Such a strange concept, but very convenient since the orcs died so easily and often. Even the small village had at least 50,000 orcs in it, with more being born every day. There did seem to be a limit though, they could only have as many orcs as they could house, so they would have to expand the village to grow the population any larger. He sighed at the orc shop keepers who were trying to sell all of their goods for thousands or hundreds of thousands of gold. They were idiots, even the few craftsmen they had could barely make it past beginner level 2 of even the simplest skills over the course of their entire lives. Azrael was suddenly approached by some fat and ugly orc women who wanted to have a meal with him, he quickly ran away. He had no idea what would happen if he did, they might not even be able to have kids, but either way it wasn''t something he had time to deal with. After leaving the village it took him about 20 minutes to find the discretely hidden cave, which seemed to have a steep decline. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are the first discoverer of the Cave of Beasts dungeon! Reward: Fame has increased by 200. Experience and drop rates have doubled for a week. The first monster hunted will drop some of its rarest items.[/col][/box] A familiar sight, but he couldn''t quite remember why it felt that way¡­ well, you try remembering something that happened a thousand years ago. It wasn''t quite as suspicious though, it was just some cave in the forest full of level 50-100 animals. No crazy twists or important plot points, it wasn''t a cave full of animal girls or a dragons lair full of zombies. At first it was just a couple of dire wolves at a time so using the rusty old glaive was all it really took, but the problem was that after two waves, its durability was almost completely gone. His armor was practically destroyed as well, so it was time to do some repairs. Using some of the dire wolf hide and leather, he made improvements to his tattered armor using Mana Weaving. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Creativity stat has increased by 5![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Weaving skill proficiency improved![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana crafting has reached level 2![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Mana Repair![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Repair (Lvl. 1 0%): Just like normal repair, but with mana! Why use silly tools when you can just pump copious amounts of mana into objects to ¡®fix¡¯ them? You¡¯re the type of person who thinks its too much work to learn the proper way to do something so you just create a much more difficult and nearly impossible alternative¡­ good job. Mages used this method centuries ago but ended up abandoning it for the original method. Costs 100 mana per second and only works on low level materials.[/col][/box] Azrael sighed and said ¡°I don¡¯t think the person who writes these things likes me very much¡­¡± in a dejected voice as he continued to spray mana out of his hands, into the chipped and rusted glaive¡¯s blade. The mana didn''t create new materials out of nothingness, or transform other materials into ones he could use, it just smoothed it out. The durability of the weapon actually decreased, but its damage increased by a lot since the blade became thinner, sharper and harder after the mana reshaped it. All of the rust had disappeared and the shape of the blade looked closer to a thick katana. After carefully examining it, he received a new skill, one that he probably should have gotten already. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Identification (Lvl. 1 0%): A more general version of Item Identification. Can also work on animals, monsters, NPCs and just about anything that has statistics or other information to view. Isn''t always correct, depending on the level of the object or creature it may fail or even lie! Costs 50 mana per use.[/col][/box] ¡°Identify¡± [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Redesigned Iron Glaive Durability: 45/45 Damage: 15-39 Using Mana Repair you have altered the shape and form of the old rusty glaive into a new, more efficient shape. Very light and easy to use, for an orc. Requirements: Strength 100 Effects: +10 Agility Critical Strikes are easier to make.[/col][/box] It was a weapon that would probably sell for a decent amount since it has no level requirement and relatively high attack damage. The problem would be finding a town where he could sell it, or after selling it at auction online, he would still have to deliver it to the person in-game. Then he remembered the orcs have the mercantile sense of a guppy, so he returned to the village. Dire wolves are huge, some weighed over 600 lbs and they were the size of adult male tigers, so even if only a fraction of their meat dropped after they died, he was almost overburdened. Six haunches, three ribs, and a bunch of random organs ended up weighing nearly a thousand pounds. His first stop was to Stumpchwii¡¯s hut, which was actually rather large, where he dropped off a half ton of raw meat. ¡®Apparently this quest is going to be pretty easy¡­¡¯ Haggling with an orc merchant is strange, you say 10 gold, they get angry and say 100 gold, when you agree they get dejected because they only have 50 gold. Eventually you end up settling on 15-20g for something that¡¯s only worth 2 at the most. However, since there was very little competition you could make much more gold by selling the items yourself. Especially if you had crafting skills, some of the bigger villages to the south would capture humans to make weapons and armors but everything the Sharp Tooth tribe used was made by orc hands. Which meant that even their best weapons and armors had huge defects that increased restrictions, lowered damage or just made it generally bad. If a dagger does 1-2 damage, weighs 50 lbs and looks more like a dumbbell, you¡¯re probably doing something wrong. In the middle of what was probably the town plaza, there were many merchants trying to sell just about anything but for absurd prices that no one could ever afford. Orcs were actually really poor, it wasn''t inflation but extreme idiocy that fueled their high prices. Azrael sat in the very center of the bazaar and put down the glaive in front of him, then started pulling out a hundred pounds of Dire wolf hide. Orc fashion was typically just a loincloth for men and women wore a small fur skirt along with what looked like a wolf pelt, wrapped around their chest and upper back. It reminded him of the last time he went to Ocean City¡­ well, the orcs weren''t quite that fat and they did have a decent amount of muscle too. That¡¯s when he realized, that the familiar stench wasn''t the orc body odor, he could smell the beach. It was probably a few miles away but the smell of rotting fish was hard to forget. After a few hours it was nighttime and all the orcs who went out hunting earlier had come back, without his OCD raging out of control, he wasn''t afraid of crowds anymore. In fact, aside from the awful smell and appearance, orcs were actually pretty nice people. Sure, they will kill and eat just about anything or anyone, but they don¡¯t use deception or sneaky tricks like humans or elves. They were greedy, but in a way that seemed very childish and innocent, like a kid who doesn''t want to share their toys. Instead of using gold to buy and sell, they usually bartered with items they deemed of equal value and collected useless things like bones or teeth to make ugly jewelry. Azrael had been mana crafting orc clothes all day, they were designed more like bathing suits made of fur or leather. It wasn''t anything fancy and there was enough leather to make hundreds of low defense, high durability underwear to sell that night. Without an accurate point of reference, there was no way to tell how much they were really worth so he just sold them for one gold a piece. Making 300 hundred gold from killing a few dire wolves and making simple clothing out of them, it seemed like a pretty good day. Finally the time came to sell the glaive he repaired but there was no one who actually had enough gold to buy it for a reasonable price, so he decided to barter. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was an iron mine a short distance outside the village to the north, no one actually owned it and few orcs actually had the patients to use it. However, there was one ¡®orc¡¯ in particular who had a large group of similar minded ¡®orcs¡¯ that very rarely did anything but mining ore all day. He was a short, stocky ¡®orc¡¯ with a long beard¡­ he was definitely a dwarf. Apparently Azrael wasn''t the first to use the old ¡°I¡¯m an orc too! Chwiiik!¡± routine to get accepted by the village. The Dwarf¡¯s name was Osmond or Orchwik and he even dressed like a typical dwarven miner. He wore a dirty brown leather tunic with suspenders that were holding up his leather pants, his belt had many small bags and pouches on it. His backpack was bigger than he was, stuffed to the point of almost bursting with iron ore that he was planning to sell to the blacksmiths like usual, but he caught a glimpse of something peculiar. There was a gigantic barbarian sitting in the middle of the bazaar who was offering to trade a relatively small and light glaive for ore. When Osmond walked up to the giant he cautiously said ¡°Are you a user?¡± in a worried voice, since he hadn''t seen another user since getting shipwrecked at the northern tip of orc land with his small crew of dwarven miners. The captain and the rest of the humans were killed by the orcs, but since the dwarves looked different, they were spared and tricked the orcs into inviting them to their village. The barbarian grinned and said ¡°Me no know this user, Chwik! I trade good poker, only few rocks! Chwiiik!¡± in an obnoxiously good orc impression. However, there was no way to disguise that cunning look in his blood red eyes. The barbarian said ¡°You look like good orc! Chwiik! We friends now!¡± in that same voice. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have received a friend request from Azrael![/col][/box] The dwarf whispered ¡°Accept¡± as quietly as possible. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Friend request accepted![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have received a whisper from Azrael![/col][/box] Azrael: Lets make a deal. Osmond: OK¡­ Azrael: You¡¯re a miner correct? Osmond: Yes? Azrael: How much are you making from selling ore to the orcs? Osmond: About 5 silver a pound¡­ why? Azrael: Since they¡¯re so terrible at crafting, most of that ore is going to waste and you¡¯re barely even making any gold from such a time consuming job. Osmond: You want me to sell you the ore instead? What if the blacksmiths find out and have us thrown out of the village¡­ or worse? Azrael sighed at the little man who looked like he was at least in his forties but he was probably a teenager or younger. Azrael: Listen kid, I have no idea how you managed to get to this place¡­ hell, I don¡¯t even know where we are, but you need to start thinking like an orc! Osmond: But¡­ aren''t orcs idiots? Azrael: Exactly! They don¡¯t care if you stop giving them ore, it would just give them an excuse to stop blacksmithing and go hunting! If you want to fit in with orcs, you just have to do things that they don¡¯t like to do. Osmond: I think I kind of understand¡­ then how much are you willing to pay for the ore? Azrael: You don¡¯t seem to understand, I¡¯m not buying the ore, I¡¯m making a deal. Osmond: What kind of deal? Azrael: I¡¯m going to be living in a dungeon to the west of here called the Cave of Beasts. That place is loaded with so many damn animals that I won¡¯t have the time to run back and forth between the village and cave every time I kill a few dire wolves. I assume you have a whole team of miners right? Osmond: There are 27 dwarven mining NPCs in my crew¡­ Azrael: Good, I know a few orcs that can be body guards for you and the rest of your group. It¡¯s really not that complicated, you will be in charge of selling items here, in the center of the bazaar. Some of your miners accompanied by my orcs will be transporting materials between the cave and mine every day. I will give you 90% of the food that I get, 20% of that will be delivered to an old orc named Stumpchwii. The rest is for you to sell or use, I don¡¯t really care either way. You will still give 10% of the ore you mine to the orc blacksmiths, but the rest will go to me. I¡¯ll be many armor and weapons as fast as possible but it may take a few days for me to get started. You will then come to the cave and pick up the items to sell in the bazaar, we split whatever you make selling them 50/50 and that¡¯s pretty much it. Osmond: ¡­ Did you seriously come up with all of that the moment you saw me? Azrael: No, I just made it up as I went along¡­ why? It seemed like a good plan as I was saying it¡­ Osmond: Well yea¡­ although you would have to trust me to give you half of the gold when you have no idea how much I might make. Azrael smiled as he looked at Osmond¡¯s gold pouch and said ¡°Identify. Chwik.¡± in a quiet voice. A status window popped up between them that both could easily read. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Osmonds gold pouch. Contents include 15 gold, 19 silver and 93 copper. This pouch was made by Derek the tailor in Varhales.[/col][/box] Azrael: Strange, a friend of mine was just telling me he was in Varhales¡­ anyway, you get the point. Besides, I really don¡¯t care that much about gold right now. As my skills increase, I will be capable of making much more gold quickly, even if you skim a little off the top I wouldn''t care enough to make a big deal out of it. Leveling my skills is more important than anything at the moment. Osmond: I wouldn''t steal from you¡­ you¡¯re just too scary. Azrael grinned as he said ¡°Chwiiik! Oh well! You no trade, I keep stick!¡± in an angry voice as he grabbed the glaive, stood up and walked over to Stumpchwii¡¯s hut. After exchanging a few weird orc noises and a way of speaking that was so broken, neither one of them completely understood what the other was saying, he was able to convince Stumpchwii to send orcs to offer protection and help carrying things to the ¡®Tiny Orcs¡¯. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael knew enough about video games to realize that low level economy is almost always a waste of time. Unless you¡¯re a merchant, there was no point in worrying about making a few copper from days of hard labor, when you can make a few gold from killing one high level monster. If you level your crafting high enough, eventually it becomes impossible to sell anything because no one even has enough gold to buy it for the price of the mats alone. Luckily, for those kinds of items there were plenty of rich bastards who are willing to pay ridiculously large amounts of real money. Royal Road was the perfect environment for a dark gamer to thrive, yet most of them wasted their time doing lots of low risk low reward tasks and they barely had enough money to pay their living expenses along with the subscription fee. Michael had already solved the problem of the subscription fee and gave the rest of his money, that he had left over from selling his CoM account, to his parents. It wasn''t a fortune, but it did allow them to avoid working themselves to death trying to pay the bills each month. His ultimate goal was to make a comfortable living for him and his parents while being able to enjoy playing the game as much as physically possible. After he started making some money at it, he knew that his parents would immediately follow. However, he didn''t expect them to get curious so quickly¡­ Michael¡¯s father, who he was named after, Mike had accidentally entered royal road while trying to use the capsule to take a nap. -The scan on your iris and retinal blood vessels has determined that you are an unregistered user. Would you like to create a new account? "Huh?" -Please select the name of your avatar. "Avatar?" -Please select your gender from male, female or neutral. "Male?" -Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may select your race from the primary twenty-nine that are currently available. A list of 29 races appeared in front of him and he still had no idea what was going on. He accidentally read one of the names out loud. "Lizard Man?" -Would you like to manually customize your appearance or have an avatar based on your actual face and body created to match your chosen race? "How the hell are you going to make a lizard man based on my face and body?" -Your account has been activated. Your stats and class shall be determined while you are playing Royal Road. For the first month of in game time you will not be able to leave your starting city. Please select a city and kingdom you wish to start in. A huge map of the Versailles Continent appeared in front of him and he just blurted out the name of the first City he saw. "What kind of name is Varhales?" -Welcome to Royal Road, it is recommended that users watch the tutorial before beginning. Would you like to watch the tutorial? "No, can out let me out of here now?" Mike was in the center of a town that looked like a medieval Atlantic City or Las Vegas. Everywhere he looked there were flashing neon signs for bars, strip clubs and casinos. There were even nice restaurants and big super market-like buildings. Street vendors were openly selling various narcotics and there were people of pretty much all races walking around. Tourists from all over the continent came to the town for entertainment of every kind. He noticed there was a stage in front of him, it brought back memories of when he and his wife played music in night clubs and concerts for over 30 years. However, they had to stop when she got pregnant, they didn''t want their child to be exposed to all that smoke every night. He still played keyboards every now and then for a few minutes when he had the time, but it had been 26 years since he last played for an audience. A familiar looking bald man with glasses was setting up a drum set at the back of the stage, Mike yelled ¡°Hey Jim! It¡¯s Mike Sinagra!¡± in an excited voice. The man jumped up and rushed over to the edge of the stage to get a closer look, then said ¡°Holy shit! It¡¯s been like 40 years but you look exactly the same as I remember you!¡± sarcastically with a smile on his face. Mike said ¡°Yea, I don¡¯t really know what happened¡­ I took a nap in this weird bed looking thing in my living room and when I woke up I was asked a bunch of confusing questions.¡± in a worried voice, he thought that he was either dreaming, or dead. Jim laughed and said ¡°Ah, I was wondering why you looked like a lizard monster. My kids got me this game so I could spend more time with them a few weeks ago. Even in Vegas the live music industry had finally died, but in this game world where technology is practically nonexistent I can play shows again!¡± in a happy voice. Mike said ¡°Oh¡­ so this is why my kids are so obsessed with this game. It¡¯s amazing, I can¡¯t believe this is just a game.¡± while looking up at the clear blue sky. Jim grinned and said ¡°If you still remember how to play, I still haven¡¯t found a pianist yet¡­¡± in a cautious voice as he looked at Mike¡¯s light blue lizard hands with long talons. Mike climbed up onto the stage and sat down at the piano, he said ¡°It¡¯s a shame there are no keyboards in this world though¡­¡± as he started playing some random classical music. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have joined a party with DrummerJim.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new stat, Creativity![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new stat, Art![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Magic Keys![/col][/box] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first batch of iron ore had arrived, it was over 200 lbs, in the time it took them to find him, he had already killed 10 dire wolves. That was a lot of meat and even with three orcs and two dwarves, they could barely carry it all back to the mine. The problem was that Azrael didn''t actually know how to use mana to smelt the iron, it would have been a simple matter if he knew fire magic but with a rudimentary understanding of mana manipulation it was difficult to guess the answer. While sitting on the ground he took out a clump of iron ore, holding it with both hands and quickly dumped all of his mana into it. Nothing happened, so he tried again but much faster, the ore started to burn his hands a little so he set it down a foot in front of him. After his mana returned he aimed his palms and fingertips at the ore like it was a crystal ball and he was an old fortune teller, pumping out all of his mana in an instant. It exploded like a hand grenade, spraying small chunks of rock and metal into his face, armor and everything in the general vicinity. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have been temporarily deafened! For 2 minutes you will not be able to hear![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are stunned! For 30 seconds you cannot move![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Manasmithing![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Manasmithing (Lvl. 1 0%): Blacksmithing using mana to smelt ore and forge the metal into various shapes. Requires Mana Sculpting and Mana Shield to function properly. Costs 50 mana per second to smelt iron. Costs 100 mana per second to heat and cool iron during the forging process.[/col][/box] His sight was fixed and he couldn''t hear or feel anything but he knew that a noise that loud would definitely attract at least 10 or 20 dire wolves. When the 30 seconds finally ended, he looked around to see piles of wolf meat, hides and strangely crude looking arrows. He looked to his left and right, but didn''t see anyone in either direction. There was a stealthy in the room, but he didn''t know where and since they helped him, they probably weren''t an enemy. Azrael sighed and ignored his curiosity, figuring out different ways to manipulate mana was his favorite part of Royal Road so far. It reminded him of telekinesis, he could use it as an extension of his body to do anything he could imagine. Obviously its not that easy though, otherwise mages would be so overpowered that no one would play anything else. The creativity stat makes invention, discovery and creating anything much faster, but not easier. Magic was dangerous, mana was naturally volatile and difficult to control, so even though he had the skill this time, the ore exploded again. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have delivered a critical strike to Nyx! You have forced Nyx out of stealth![/col][/box] This time Azrael was prepared and activated mana shield right before it happened, but he didn''t have enough to completely negate the damage. The shield forced the fragments in front of him and to the sides at a much higher velocity, causing several bullet-like slivers of metal to pass strait through the finely toned abdominal muscles of someone standing over 20 meters to his right. He heard a feminine scream as he saw the barely visible figure fall to the ground, they were writing in agony as they clutched the wounded area with both hands. The girls cries were like wolf bait, when the first wave arrived he simply said ¡°I guess the price of wearing sexy armor is getting easily disemboweled¡­¡± and began the doggy death match against the hordes of angry dire wolves. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have received a new quest![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Saving Nyx! A beautiful and mysterious woman has been mortally wounded in a tragic accident¡­ She protected you before so you should at least return the favor now! Fight off the dire wolves and then find a way to heal her wounds! Rewards: Karma, Faith Rank: D Quest Requirements: You must survive, Nyx must survive, 30 minutes until she bleeds to death![/col][/box] <=Previous Chapter Next Chapter=> Volume 2 Chapter 1: Azraels Shadow Sex is strange in Royal Road, and not just because genders can be chosen or the various non-human races who are involved. Unlike reality, there are rules and regulations that cannot be broken, there is no rape. A person cannot even attempt to sexually assault another without filling out a contract between Royal Road and both participants. Coercion, deception or any variation of non-consensual sexual interaction is eliminated through the use of game masters and automatic systems that are triggered by keywords. Users under the legal age have nudity censored and can¡®t even choose to do anything related to sex. It really was a beautiful system and Azrael thought it was nearly perfect in that regard. NPCs weren''t excluded from the protection either, except for various Ai that were created to work in brothels or just be really¡­ ¡®easy¡¯ but they had the mental capacity of a goldfish. Romance and love were actually possible for the ¡®real¡¯ Ai, but it was very difficult to win their affection. Your stats and skills could help speed up the process, but for the most part it was very difficult to impress a woman or man in Royal Road. After completing quests for them, spending lots of time and generally making them happy, you could finally have sex with them. Sometimes you even had to be married first before they would let you do anything sexual but the end result was the same. After so much time and effort on an NPC, it was common to stay in long term relationships with them, it was even possible to have children. When two NPCs are paired up together, typically they have a bit of back story but nothing actually happened. Most of them that have been alive since the game started, were simply created with their partner and family, they were programmed to love and care about each other¡­ sometimes they even hated each other. Every race was different though, humans acted pretty much the same as real humans. Elves acted like humans but typically reproduced slowly and were more picky about their partners. Orcs were more like monsters and even though they could have sexual relationships with users, their children typically spawned at a set rate, without the parents even having to do anything. The children quickly grew into adults and within weeks they were capable of fighting and hunting, usually they ended up dying relatively young. It would even be really sad, if they weren''t quite so stupid¡­ The question is, what about hybrids? They definitely exist, so how are they made? Well that all depends, between humans, elves and dwarves, its just sex, pregnancy and birth. However, this is the story of how the Dark Orcs came into existence. On a day just like any other, a hideous orc woman got separated from her hunting party and ended up in dark elf territory. She discovered a beautiful dark elf man sitting at a table with two seats, outside his cabin in the middle of the forest, he had poured an extra cup of tea for his deceased wife. The orc simply walked over to the table and sat at the seat across from him, they started at each other awkwardly and the moment that orc female drank a sip of that tea *Poof* a little dark skinned orc who had tight abs, a smaller body and a relatively pretty face walked out of the cabin. The End! For the most part, hybrids are considered abominations or outcasts, it varies depending on the difference in appearance and nature of the parents. That little dark orc wandered through the forest alone and afraid, struggling to defend itself from simple wolves, but that¡¯s when a kind man appeared and protected the little girl, it was a dark elf hunter who decided to raise the child. When she matured into a woman in a few weeks, they had their morning tea and she got pregnant. It was not as extreme as her parents case, but she had a baby within days of that, the baby was essentially just a large muscular dark elf man after becoming an adult in a few years. That man met several orc women in his life time who he had tea with, more than once, and thus the Dark Orc tribe was created. After a certain point they had a relatively large population, but they were enemies with both the dark elves and regular orcs, so they became weaker and weaker. Eventually they were wiped out by orc raiding parties, only one remained, the last Dark Orc. Her name is Nyx, her favorite game is killing orcs, her second favorite game is killing dark elves, she only stops playing when she¡¯s hunting for food. One day she came upon a strange sight, there was a gigantic human who was fighting alongside orcs in the woods. The orcs treated him like he was one of them and he even pretended to speak the same way they do, but she had no idea why. Nyx was a Dark Ranger, which is basically just an archer who can use stealth and creeps around a lot. Normally, using stealth requires a constant stream of mana and stamina but she had been in stealth mode for over 10 years. Perhaps it was a racial quirk or maybe the memory from her childhood of hiding in the corner of her hut as she watched a giant orc tear her mother and father apart with his bare hands. Since then she hadn''t deactivated it even once, regardless of what she was doing. The giant human pretended to be a mindless brute, but was using magic to create clothing out of the wolves they hunted. He even used it to cut his wolf meat into neat, thin slices, before eating them one at a time, using the magic to touch the food, instead of his hands. Dark orcs were almost as strong as orcs and almost as intelligent as dark elves, they were a rare case of a powerful hybrid race. Which is probably one of the reasons both sides hated them and thought they were a threat. Even with her keen intellect, Nyx still couldn''t figure out why the giant human called Michwii kept running around, risking his life, just to save the weakest orcs when they were about to get overwhelmed. He was obviously very powerful, but they were just orcs, disgusting, stupid, monsters that she only considered as target practice. Over the years she killed thousands, yet there was a man who wasn''t even part orc and still he considered worth protecting. It was just a simple curiosity at first, but then something truly strange happened. After following them for a few more hours, they had come to a small clearing that should have been full of dire wolves. It was him, the orc who killed her parents, Kaichwik! She finally had a chance to take revenge, killing that monster was her main motivation to keep going, but she couldn''t move. Even though 10 years had passed, she was still that same little girl, hiding as she coldly gazed at the slaughter. Michwii tried to protect the orcs, but he was easily pushed out of the way by the monster. In what seemed like an instant, two of the orcs were gone, the only one who had the courage to fight back was a weak old orc. However, when he should have been crushed into a fine paste, a blue light surrounded his body and absorbed the blast. ¡®Michwii¡¯s still in the fight! They might be able to win if they all teamed up against the giant!¡¯ The opposite happened when he told the others to retreat in a voice that was terrifying, even when she was 50 meters away. She immediately thought ¡®No! Stay and kill that bastard! No, I can¡¯t rely on orcs, I need to kill that monster myself.¡¯ but she couldn''t move her body any further. If she were stunned like Kaichwik, at least she would have an excuse, but she was paralyzed by her own fear. Nyx wanted to cry as she watched Michwii, a mage, desperately trying to hurt the giant orc while using a rusty glaive. Even if she got closer and started shooting arrows at Kaichwik, he wouldn¡¯t notice her and at least then Michwii would have a chance at victory, but she just watched. After finally dealing a critical blow to the giant, Michwii died, or at least he should have been crushed to death instantly, but he shrugged it off and stabbed the orc again, blinding him. At first she thought that maybe he saved himself by using a mana shield, but there were huge indents in both of his sides. Massive quantities of blood were gushing out of his mouth, ears, eyes and especially out of his waist. Then it just stopped, but even with his giant body, there was no way he wasn''t about to die. Kaichwik was flailing around and she could have killed him with one well placed arrow, but she didn''t, just cried tears that no one could see. It seemed like a miracle when Michwii finally managed to kill the giant orc and her curiosity transformed into admiration. She was his shadow, following only a few meters behind him at times and when he was sitting in the middle of the bazaar, she was practically touching his back. Admiration turned into obsession, she was stalking him in every sense of the word, stealing the food directly from his hands sometimes. Nyx would pretend that he gave it to her, she would only sleep for a few minutes at a time to keep up with him, but he never slept. He never seemed to urinate or defecate either, so she began to believe that he was some kind of demigod. Sometimes he would look at her with his deep red eyes and she could feel a sharp pain in her chest, it was a sensation that she couldn''t comprehend. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Stalking skill increased to level 5![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Obsession stat has increased by 5![/col][/box] She had to go outside to relieve herself for a few minutes but when she returned to the cave, Michwii was doing something strange. He kept forcing massive amounts of mana into strange orange rock, it looked dangerous so she stayed back about 20 meters. The rock exploded and shards flew into his face and body, then a large group of dire wolves came rushing over to attack him. She used multi-shot, a skill that lets her fire multiple arrows at different targets, several times and quickly dispatched all the wolves, but there were arrows everywhere. There was no way he wouldn''t notice her now, after staring at her for a few seconds he pulled out another rock and started doing the same thing again. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have received a critical strike![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are bleeding profusely! In 30 minutes you will die![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have been removed from stealth![/col][/box] It happened so fast she couldn''t even see the projectiles which passed through her unprotected abdomen with ease. Her small intestine was shredded, there was no hope for survival even if she didn''t get eaten by the waves of dire wolves that swarmed around Michwii. She couldn''t stop her screams of pain or the tears that poured from her jet black eyes where only a yellow, snake like iris was clearly defined. She didn''t actually know what her body or face looked like, the last time she saw her reflection was when she was a child. Somehow, Michwii managed to slaughter 40 dire wolves in less than 10 minutes, but his armor was completely destroyed. He was only wearing a pair of leather boxers and covered in gaping wounds that were bleeding worse than she was. After yawning loudly, he walked over next to her and sad down with his legs crossed. ¡®No! Don¡¯t look at me! Please don¡¯t look at this hideous monster!¡¯ He smiled and said ¡°What a cute little stalker I seem to have.¡± in a quiet voice, with a gentle look on his face and she immediately stopped crying and screaming. She wanted to disappear, to be invisible, but she couldn''t, so had to at least be silent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Azrael finally got a good look at his invisible friend, she was beautiful. She did have very small tusks like a female orc child, but she was definitely fully grown at about 2 meters tall. Her skin was green, but so dark that it was impossible to see it as anything but pitch black, like a dark elf. Black sclera combined with yellow snake eyes, the yellow part was like an orc, but neither dark elves nor orcs had snake-like iris¡¯. Ears that were long and pointed but slightly curved. Her muscles were all very well defined and her breasts were rather large for such a muscular woman. She was very feminine in many ways and since she was so tall, her muscles appeared very lean. Her hair was completely shaved off, but somehow it didn''t take away from her beauty. After looking at the wound he had a pretty good idea of what needed to be done, he put his left hand over the holes in her back and placed the right gently over the wounds on the front. Azrael said ¡°This might hurt¡­ a lot. Don¡¯t scream.¡± in a serious voice. His mana was completely recharged and he had already healed his own wounds a few minutes ago. At first he tried using mana shield to close up the wound, but that didn''t help much. Then he cauterized both sides of the wound, but her internal organs were still bleeding and it wasn''t enough. That¡¯s when he thought of an interesting concept and tested it out. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Sacrificial Healing![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Sacrificial Healing (Lvl. 1 0%): You can give up a large portion of your own health to heal someone else. At higher skill levels it can be used in reverse. Costs 500 health per second to heal 100 health per second.[/col][/box] After 9 seconds he had to stop and burn all his mana to get a few more seconds worth of healing her, but it was enough. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Sacrificial Healing has increased to level 2![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Faith increased by 100![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Health increased by 100![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana increased by 100![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Karma increased by 30![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have completely healed Nyx![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Health and mana regeneration increased by 5 per second![/col][/box] The girl had tears dripping down her face as she became invisible again and squirmed out of his hands. He was happy with such nice quest, so many stat increases and he got to learn a new skill. Even if the quest didn''t appear, he would have helped the girl, even if she was a normal orc female or male. It was just part of his nature, the kind of person who would make huge sacrifices for people they didn''t even know. The only condition was that they would need to be right in front of him, otherwise he really didn''t care about anyone he didn''t know. It was probably related to his obsessive compulsive need to control everyone close to him rather than compassion. It was pretty obvious as soon as the quest appeared, but she was definitely an NPC. Although, that made little difference to Azrael, if anything it was better. He didn''t like how most users thought of them as ¡®Not Real¡± or just NPCs. They had intelligence and even had souls, so what was fake about them? He sighed and said ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hurting you, my name is Azrael. You don¡¯t have to introduce yourself, I already know your name is Nyx and judging from your appearance I can pretty much guess your life story. Also, you''ve probably been following me for quite a while now, if you¡¯re tired then get some sleep. Might not want to do it inside the cave though, I¡¯m trying to use mana to smelt this iron ore. If you want to watch, hide behind me and cover your ears.¡± in a tried voice as he looked around, not only was she invisible but also silent. There was literally several tons of meat just laying around on the ground, along with bones, hides and one of them even dropped a giant cut emerald, random drops are definitely strange. They make sense in a normal MMORPG but when everything is normally so¡­ well, there are definitely stranger things in Royal Road than a dire wolf dropping a jewel. There was something else he noticed as well, eyeballs, teeth, snouts, ears, hair, and other similar dog parts had dropped. When he used his identification skill, they were described as alchemy reagents so it was time to finally test out his ancient alchemy skill. After mashing a bunch of wolf pieces together into a beaker, he struggled to swallow the furry clump. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Ancient Alchemy increased to level 2![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created a Minor Dire Wolf potion![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are experiencing very minor, temporary Dire Wolf Lycanthropy! For 2 days your sense of smell and hearing will be heightened! For 2 days you will have night vision![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intellect has increased by 1![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Creative Cooking proficiency has increased![/col][/box] It was such an amazingly useful potion, yet it was most likely too disgusting to market towards users. However, to orcs who have practically no sense of taste and would eat every part of the wolves they killed anyway, it would make a huge profit. Azrael immediately whispered Osmond and told him to come over with a big crew to pick up the meat and potions. By the time he got to the cave, Azrael had already created about 20 Minor Dire Wolf potions. They were in containers crafted from dire wolf leather, smelled and looked so gross that Osmond nearly vomited 8 times on his way back to the village to sell them. He managed to sell them in a few seconds, for 20 gold a piece. The orcs liked the taste even more then the effects, so they were anxiously awaiting the chance to buy more. With the Dire Wolf Lycanthropy effect active, Azrael was able to hear and smell Nyx, who was only a few feet behind him. He didn''t tell her though because he thought she might leave, but it was strange how good she smelled. Perhaps it was due to him being around regular orcs so often lately, or maybe it had to do with his dog-like sense of smell. Her heart was beating incredibly loud and fast, it seemed like she was nervous or afraid but he could understand. Michael would get nervous even when just video calling one of his friends from CoM, it was the fear of being judged by another person. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Several days had passed since Nyx had been healed by Azrael and she became accustomed to being in very close proximity to him. Over and over there would be loud explosions and she would use a silencing spell to protect her sensitive ears, while hiding behind his gigantic back. Obsession had turned into a strange kind of one sided love, but she was literally invisible to him. After each explosion, a group of dire wolves would come to attack, but between the two of them, the wolves were killed very swiftly. They were both gaining a few levels every day, her level was a still a little higher than his. Azrael would make slice the meat up into what looked like sashimi and infuse it with a bit of mana then give it to her to eat. The mana give it an interesting flavor but it would also give strange status effects. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Health and mana regeneration as temporarily increased by 5 per second! Effect will last for 3 hours.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Obsession has increased by 5![/col][/box] Just because she loved him, didn''t mean she wasn''t an obsessed stalker anymore. She was constantly asking herself ¡®Does he want me to leave? Why hasn''t he said anything to me lately? Maybe he forgot about me? What does cute mean? Maybe he hates me? Why did he save me?¡¯ but never actually saying a word. Humanoid NPCs don¡¯t have to learn languages and they can¡¯t forget them either, she could speak if she wanted to but instead she just kept creeping silently. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Manipulation (Lvl. 1 0%): Everything in this world has mana and health, they are fabricated resources from another world. If you can manipulate mana, everything is possible. However, while mages and clerics use mana specifically for magical spells, you¡¯re just an idiot who likes to throw it around and hope for the best. The Gods who first inhabited this world tried the same thing, what do you think happened to all of them? Their minds began to erode and eventually their souls were converted into pure mana and absorbed by the few that survived! How arrogant of you to assume you are more powerful than them! Allows you to bombard anything with mana. Warning: Effects may vary depending on everything! Allows you to transform mana into any of the elements. Warning: Unless you have some basic knowledge of magic, you really shouldn¡¯t try this![/col][/box] Azrael had finally succeeded! It took him a week, he spent a lot of time making potions and hide clothing to sell but the iron was really starting to pile up. He had finally figured out how to melt down the ore without making it explode, he cheated by using the internet to look up smelting. The trick was using mana shield, which had been leveling up pretty quickly, to create an iron furnace. Although it would have been a hell of a lot easier just to make one out of mud or clay, he could have even used the one the orc''s had already made! Plus, if he ran out of mana or lost his concentration, the furnace would disappear and he would have to start from scratch. Nyx would bring him branches to turn into charcoal and he would use mana manipulation to create fire and wind magic for the furnace to work properly. At first he could only smelt one ore at a time in his mini mana furnace, but as his various skill levels increased, so did it¡¯s scale. It took him a week of smelting to catch up with all the ore he had collected since he was also hunting wolves, making clothing and creating potions to sell. They had made over 7,000 gold so far but after paying the miners and orcs they only had about 3,000 each. Osmond was extremely happy, since the most gold he ever had prior to the arrangement was 20, but Azrael thought it was barely anything. Nyx was paid 300 gold for helping so far but she had no idea what to do with it, she thought of it more like a gift from Azrael and cherished the shiny coins. It was finally time to start using mana to forge the iron ingots into workable shapes for weapons. There are many hi-tech and old fashioned ways to forge anything and everything. He made ingots so that he could easily melt them into whatever shape he wanted and his first test would be a simple knife. However, each ingot was about 5 lbs so he ended up making a knife that was closer to a short sword. Using mana shield he created a mold and using mana manipulation he heated the iron but then he learned something else in the process. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Mana Sculpting![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Sculpting (Lvl. 1 0%): By manipulating mana shield you have learned how to hone your mana into sharp blades and use them to carve sculptures or engrave objects. In conjunction with Manasmithing you can also create molds to give shape to metals. Costs vary depending on the situation but will decrease as skill level rises.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Art has increased by 15![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Creativity has increased by 20![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intellect has increased by 5![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana regeneration has increased by 5 per second![/col][/box] Mana was a lot like stamina and health, it was always the most comfortable at 100% capacity. At 0 stamina or health you die, but at 0 mana you just wish you were dead. It was like having the worst migraine you could possibly imagine and the only way to make it go away was waiting until your mana was above 50% again. It¡¯s one of the main reasons why magic classes are relatively unpopular, but the second reason is that they actually had to memorize spells and incantations. You had to pretty much learn a special language for each type of magic, it was much easier to just kill things with a sword or bow. Most people would never let their mana drop below 20%, but Azrael would completely deplete his mana, over and over. He did let it recover to 100% but combined with the tedious nature of crafting, there was a huge impact on his mental health. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Azrael realized why he felt so shitty, it wasn''t because of the migraines, he hadn''t been singing. Normally he would have spent almost every second of every day singing, but because he wasn''t alone, he was subconsciously suppressing his needs. While forging that first dagger, he sang a soft core metal song about something completely unrelated to what he was doing but that didn''t really matter. After the metal was in the general shape of the dagger, he waited till his mana regenerated. Then he reheated it to about 60% of its melting point and started to use mana shield along with his massively increased strength from mana conversion to refine the daggers shape by beating on it with his shielded fist like a hammer. Even though he actually had a small repair hammer he could use, it wouldn''t have increased his mana related skills. That was the main drawback from mana crafting, it made regular handicraft skills useless, Ancient Alchemy was technically a mana related skill since he had to infuse mana into the potions, the same thing with creative cooking. Finally, a dagger was crafted! [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Manasmithing proficiency has increased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Crafting proficiency has increased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Shield proficiency has increased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Manipulation proficiency has increased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Conversion proficiency has increased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new stat, Mana Affinity![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Affinity: Elemental affinities increase the effectiveness of spells based on that specific element, but mana is the base for all magic. To have an affinity with mana makes mana itself more effective, all mana related abilities will become more efficient and powerful depending on this stat.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created a Mana Forged Iron Dagger of the Invisible Stalker! Damage: 10-15 Durability: 50/50 This weapon was created by using mana to smelt the iron, mold the dagger, then forge it into a powerful killing tool. It has a simple design but is very efficient and sharp. The Manasmithing process has infused this weapon with additional effects. This weapon was created by Azrael specifically to be used by the dark ranger Nyx against him in a strange yandere fantasy he often daydreamed about. Requirements: None Effects: +50% extra damage when invisible. +10 maximum damage when bald. +5 minimum damage if you are a hybrid race. +70% damage if you are female. +600% damage when used on people you love. -90% damage if you aren''t a dark orc.[/col][/box] Azrael started laughing just loud enough that he didn''t activate Voice of Death while reading the dagger description. As long as Nyx was the one using it, the dagger was actually really good but he was afraid to let her read the description. After thinking about it for a whole 2 seconds he decided to give it to her anyway, while thinking ¡®Hopefully she has a sense of humor¡­¡¯ he turned around and handed the dagger to the invisible girl. Luckily she was too happy about getting a gift that she didn''t even read the item description and quickly equipped it as a secondary weapon. Most weapon based classes can equip secondary and tertiary weapons, in sheathes located anywhere that¡¯s convenient, that they use in emergency situations. Normally in a situation when two people who are attracted to each other, spend every second of every day together for a few weeks, their relationship tends to progress. However, when one of them is a dark orc who¡¯s parent¡¯s didn''t even have sex, and the other is a barbarian who hadn''t even watched porn since he started playing Royal Road, they couldn''t even progress to a normal relationship where they talked to each other. Azrael just sang constantly to block out the silence, while Nyx just listened while watching him from within his shadow. It was a strange partnership, but it worked, neither really needed the other but it would have been much more difficult for Azrael to create weapons and armor if he had to constantly fend off the wolves that spawned every day. He completed the quest to give meat to the village almost two weeks ago, but he never got around to turning it in and he missed the orc festival. Azrael was working on his second weapon idea, nothing particularly difficult but when he created the dagger, he used wolf leather to create a comfortable handle cover. Most weapons had wooden parts like handle covers for swords, staves for pole arms, and handles for maces or axes. He practiced his mana sculpting by carving simple tree branches by coating his fingertips in thin, sharp mana shields that acted like carving knives. With his strength and agility being so high, it was pretty easy to make the cuts, but while his art ability was relatively high, when he attempted to make a simple dire wolf out of a stick¡­ [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created a sculpture of a mysterious 3-legged animal! Artistic Value: -23 This sculpture was most likely created by a kobold with absolutely no concept of art.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have lost 1 art stat![/col][/box] Normally when you destroy a sculpture you receive negative art stat but when he incinerated it using mana, the art stat he just lost from making it returned. Crafting is always about trial and error, mostly error, but the key to success is determination. Michael wasn''t just born knowing how to sing or play instruments and he wasn''t taught by others either, he learned from repetition¡­ probably more than most people would even need. However, by practicing something all day every day, to others it would appear that he was learning quickly. For him, it was much easier to create mana molds of different shapes than simply carving a piece of wood and since it was relatively simple to create leather grips to iron poles and swords, he gave up on carving for a while. Orcs typically used glaives, but that was just because all they had was glaives. They didn''t particularly care what kind of weapon they used, as long as it was big and could be used to kill things. Since they naturally had high strength and low agility, great swords, heavy pole arms, battle axes, war maces, generally anything that required two hands was popular. Azrael never used the same design twice, mainly because he could create a mold by just imagining a shape and once the iron cooled, he wouldn''t have enough mana to make another right away. It was fine though, because every time he used a new design, he would gain creativity and art points and every skill that he used was increasing at a pretty steady rate. He used 1 ton of iron to make 30 great swords, most of which only had 1 edge and were what he liked to call ¡®Siege Blades¡¯ which you could literally use to cut down a tree, if you could even swing it. The next ton of iron was used to make creative and frightening war maces and battle axes of varying shapes and sizes, one was just a long pole with a simple sphere on the top, but when you hit it against something, thin long needles would pop out and could easily penetrate a wooden shield. The last ton of iron he had was used to create heavy iron plate armor that was padded with dire wolf hide and each set was made to fit an orcs body type, which meant that with all that metal, only 10 sets could be made. For the abdominal area he had to use a massive amount of leather to accommodate the typical orc gut and since both males and females have pretty much the same body measurements, there was no reason to make a special chest plate to fit the women. The helmets were the most intricate and important part of any suite of armor, aside from the pardons but they were usually more for decoration anyway. Orcs normally have large defined jaws which had extreme under bites because of their huge, almost tusk like lower canines that kept them from closing their mouths properly. One of the main attributes of all orcs is their insatiable gluttony and willingness to eat just about anything, even each other. Azrael made the helmet in two parts, the lower jaw, and the main helmet. The main part was shaped pretty normally, except for the eye holes the rest of the head would be completely covered, but in front of where the orcs upper jaw would be, were several huge metal teeth. The biting function was similar to how orcs usually eat, with the lower part sliding over the upper teeth, the lower and upper jaw areas covered and protected the orcs teeth so they could bite through anything weaker than iron without shattering. The inside of the helmet was comfortable, padded with wolf leather and fur, the inside of the jaws was also padded with a decent amount of leather. He even made a customized version for Stumpchwii that was lighter but full plate, even over the abdomen and for his wooden peg leg there was an iron prosthetic attached to the greaves. There was also a large iron shield that could be attached to his arm that was severed at right below the elbow, so he didn¡¯t have to choose between either using a weapon or shield. Each suit of armor made an orc look like 230 cm tall, bulky metallic monster that could terrify even the most battle hardened warrior. When he finished the last suit of armor, it had been a month since he arrived in the orc village. The only problem with making such extravagant weapons and armors was that no one could actually afford them. Maybe in one of the bigger villages there would be orc generals who had a couple thousand gold to spend on gearing themselves up, but the most the Sharp Tooth tribe had was Stumpchwii and a couple of other veterans that weren''t even level 100. However, Azrael considered it more like an investment, so he told Osmond to sell each armor set for 500 gold a piece, most of the weapons were about 200 gold a piece. The orcs didn''t even have that much but, it was different story if there were payment plans. Orcs had clans which consisted of hundreds or thousands of members that were similar to guilds, their leaders were typically orc commanders who created huge raiding parties to perform dangerous hunts. The main payment method was basically a pledge of loyalty and friendship from the entire clan to Osmond¡¯s clan, plus 10% of the original price was still paid upfront. By doing that with 9 clans and even Stumpchwii who was basically the village chief, Osmond became the leader of the Sharp Tooth tribe. Of course it was Azrael who told him exactly what to do and Osmond still had no idea why he needed to be the orcs leader. Rather than increasing the village size, Azrael instructed Osmond to focus on increasing the general quality of life that the orcs had and improving their defensive capabilities. It was only a matter of time before some other tribe, or race or just a random group of high level monsters would try to destroy the Sharp Tooth orcs. A population of 50,000 was actually way more than he would have liked, because it would be impossible to turn all of them into elite warriors equipped with heavy weapons and armor. Luckily, there are plenty of menial tasks that can be handed out, like builders, farmers, miners, lumberjacks, craftsmen, and hunters but at the moment almost everyone was a hunter. Osmond felt uncomfortable ordering around orcs but they seemed to respect him for some strange reason and didn''t complain. The orcs had discovered several other mines and caves in the area but never had the motivation to explore them. There was a silver, copper, coal, and several other iron mines, the caves were all filled with dangerous monsters over level 100 so Osmond told them to just clear the mines. The dwarves were each given hundreds of orcs to help with mining and also provide security from monsters. There were hundreds of new orc blacksmiths and tailors, most of which were terrible, but it was still better than before. Azrael could only make about 50 weapons and 10 armors a week, but the horde of orc craftsmen could create thousands of bad weapons and armors in the same amount of time. They basically just copied his designs and made barely usable imitations that were bad but still massive improvements compared to what the average orc could normally afford. The huts were slowly being transformed into cheaply made, wooden row houses and the current wooden wall surrounding the village was being replaced by huge stone blocks that they were excavating from a quarry to the south. It was a slow process but on such a large scale that every day the village was starting to look more like a city. Since the coal mine was created, it was possible to smelt steal instead of just iron, making armor and weapons of much higher quality. Azrael and Nyx stopped leveling in the Cave of Beasts once they reached 75, so he decided to move on to the newly discovered caves, one had huge black ants that were level 90-100. He didn''t clear the caves because he was afraid the monsters might not re-spawn after that. The black ant¡¯s had delicious meat that tasted a lot like lobster when cooked, and their chitin or exoskeleton could be used as a light armor component with much higher defense than leather. When Azrael made himself a full suite of Black Ant Chitin armor that was reinforced with steal and had comfortable leather padding he finally reached the next level on a few skills. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Weaving has reached level 10, Intermediate! +Intellect has increased by 100! +Mana Affinity has increased by 50! +All magic resistance has increased by 10% +Fame increases by 300! +Maximum mana increases by 1500![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intermediate Mana Weaving (Lvl. 1 0%): With the mana control that should be impossible for a barbarian, you can fuse cloth and leather together to create clothing and armor without the use of thread! You have also learned how to create living armor that can become part of the wearers body and grow along with them, they act like parasites and feed off the wearers life force, experience, mana, and stamina, using it to repair themselves or grow stronger. Can only be used on armor created through mana crafting, organic armors grow faster and more efficiently. Living armor can be removed but cannot be used by another person afterwards, if someone tries to use the armor besides the owner, they will be devoured. Warning: Living armor can literally kill the wearer if they aren''t healthy enough! Costs 5000 mana, 3000 health, and 1000 stamina to give life to an armor set. Costs 500 mana, 300 health, and 100 stamina to give life to a single piece of armor. Costs 10 mana per second to fuse materials into clothing or armor. Mana increases by 10% per skill level Mana regeneration increases by 5 per second per skill level[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Manasmithing has reached level 10, Intermediate! +Strength has increased by 100! +Intellect has increased by 200! +Creativity has increased by 100! +Vitality has increased by 100 +Mana Affinity has increased by 50 +Fame increases by 300! +Maximum stamina has increased by 1000![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intermediate Manasmithing (Lvl. 1 0%): Blacksmithing using mana to smelt ore and forge the metal into various shapes. You have also learned how to create living weapons that become stronger as they¡¯re used to kill, feeding off their enemies corpses. Can only be used on weapons created through mana crafting. Warning: Living weapons may try to devour their wielders if they aren''t consistently fed! Costs 5000 mana, 3000 health and 1000 stamina to give life to a weapon. Costs 10 mana per second to smelt iron. Costs 20 mana per second to heat and cool iron during the forging process.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Crafting has reached level 10, Intermediate! +Mana Affinity has increased by 100! +All stats increase by 50! +Fame increases by 500! +Maximum mana increases by 3000![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intermediate Mana Crafting(Lvl. 1 0%): The foundation for all crafting skills that use mana. Levels along with all other mana crafting skills. Allows several mana crafting skills to work together efficiently and effectively. Increases Weapon and Unarmed damage by 20% per skill level. Increases Defense by 10% per skill level.[/col][/box] It would have taken months if he had to gather all that ore by himself but with Osmond''s help, he had painstakingly reached intermediate. He had gotten two strange additional abilities from his skills that seemed extremely dangerous. Luckily life is pretty cheap to orcs and even if it might be dangerous to use parasitic armor or ravenous weapons, the increase in strength would actually make them life longer. To test it out, he used the ability on his newly crafted armor and put it on. It felt slimy and burned a little bit but then the sensation disappeared and the armor was attached. His entire body was covered in black ant chitin that made him look like a giant ant man, but the strange thing was that he could feel through the armor like it was his own skin. The helmet was basically just a giant ant head that had a widened neck hole, somehow the compound eyes were smoothed over into what looked and acted like round sunglasses. He could even open and manipulate the mandibles on the ant head, it was like he really was a humanoid ant. His current weapon was a steel siege blade that was so large he actually had to use both hands to wield it. The design was pretty much the generic giant sword shape that no human could ever use properly, mainly because it weighed over 500 lbs. Similar weapons were always very popular in video games and anime but in Royal Road people quickly realized that regardless of how cool they looked, someone with a katana would easily win in a fight. He fused some chitin over every part of the sword besides the blade and then brought it to life. Suddenly the black chitin on the sword began to pulsate and radiate fighting spirit as the steel colored blade started to turn a shade of dark blue. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created The Living Steel Siege Blade of The Ant Lord! Damage: 70-90 Durability: 80/80 This weapon was created by the mana craftsman Azrael in what can only be assumed was an attempt to create the heaviest sword possible. After making it, he covered it in black ant chitin for no apparent reason and then gave it life. It has no consciousness, no soul, only a ravenous hunger for living flesh, bone and blood. Requirements: Level 80 or higher Over 700 strength Over 15% poison resistance Over 200 vitality Must be at least 250 cm tall Effects: +200 strength -100 agility +200 defense[/col][/box] The strength requirements of weapons and armor are scaled based on level, a level 1 weapon that weighs 200 lbs will only take about 30 strength to wield. However, there¡¯s a huge difference between being able to equip a weapon and actually being able to use it. A sword that weighs 5 lbs and is extremely easy to wield might still have a strength requirement of 200 just to equip it. Azrael''s siege blade was so incredibly heavy that even when he pumped as much mana as possible into strength, it was still nearly impossible to use efficiently. Fortunately, it could still do enough damage to easily kill an couple giant ants with one swing. Once he gathered enough chitin he molded it into a bow for Nyx to use, but he didn''t turn it into a living weapon because he didn''t think it would work properly and he was afraid it might end up killing her. After two weeks in the Ant Cave, they had reached level 100 so he decided to finally return to the village and turn in his quest. The walls were nearly complete and almost all the hunters and warriors were equipped with heavy armor and weapons, combined with fact that half of the huts had been converted into houses, the village was already more like a town. The idiotic orc merchants were actually selling items for reasonable prices and the sound of blacksmiths forging steel resounded throughout the village. Azrael went to the town hall, which was located near the northern wall and came across a peculiar sight. There was an injured dark elf woman crying while holding a child in her arms who was bleeding profusely. The woman was on her knees, begging Osmond ¡°Please! We have nowhere to go! I know you¡¯re orcs and our people have been at war for ages, but none of that matters now!¡± in a desperate voice. Osmond sighed and said ¡°Its really not up to me¡­ Ah! Az- I mean Michwii! I didn''t recognize you in that¡­ armor? Anyway, we''ve got a problem!¡± in a nervous voice as he ran over to Azrael, who was just walking into the room. The woman screamed in terror at the sight of the giant ant man but then quickly recognized him as the boss and became quit. Azrael walked over to the woman who was now standing in the middle of the room and placed his giant black claw looking right hand on the injured little girls head. He said ¡°Sacrificial Healing.¡± in a quiet voice and then the child¡¯s wounds were completely healed almost instantaneously since she had so little health in the first place. The woman looked in amazement at the giant monster using such advanced healing magic and then started pleading to him ¡°Oh please great Michwii! Please let my people enter this village! We have many sick and injured but all of our healers were slaughtered by the invaders! We will do anything, even become slaves to the orcs if necessary!¡± in a loud and frantic voice. Azrael sighed and said ¡°I would rather massacre your people and mine than see even one orc or dark elf become a slave. There are much worse fates than death, little girl. Anyway, I would have let you kids stay here even if you didn''t beg so pathetically. Now about these invaders¡­ what did they look like?¡± in a deep and over dramatic voice while moving his mandibles along with what he was saying unconsciously. The woman started crying and said ¡°They were humans¡­ we were only a small fishing village a few miles north of here, we didn''t even have a chance to react. They came in huge ships and started bombarding us with metal spheres that could destroy a house with ease, after a few minutes they stopped and started sending boats with soldiers to the beach. There were so many ships¡­ our strongest warriors fought valiantly but they were slaughtered. We immediately started evacuating as many people as possible but so many were already dead.¡± in a surprisingly coherent voice as she hugged the little girl tightly. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A beautiful human girl with long black wavy hair was standing on the bridge of a galley while speaking to a tall, handsome, blond man with long hair, wearing beautiful white mithril armor that sparkled in in the sunlight. ¡°This is Eun-Mi of Versailles Continental News bringing you an update on the Orc Lands Subjugation Expedition, lead by the Poseidon Guild who currently have the most powerful fleet in the entire continent! Shockingly the cruel, disgusting and violent orcs aren''t the only inhabitants of this land! Admiral Perseus, please tell our viewers about the Dark Elves?¡± ¡°The only way I can describe them is, pure evil. When I looked into their pure black eyes, I knew that they were just soulless monsters that needed to be cleansed from this land, along with all the orcs. Fortunately we managed to minimize our casualties in this first, epic battle. Our scouts have reported that the retreating dark elf army has entered an orc stronghold, quite possibly the capitol of the Orc Kingdom. We plan to begin our assault before they have a chance to prepare countermeasures!¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re all hoping that you succeed! This has been Eun-Mi, reporting in from the front lines on what is expected to be one of the most important conflicts in Royal Road history! Please tune in tomorrow for the next update!¡± Osmond turned off the T.V. and walked over to his computer, before he started playing Royal Road he was a pretty famous internet celebrity from Japan who reviewed games but was most renown for his CoM videos. While Weed may have been a legendary solo player on the Korean server, there was a guild who was just as infamous on the American server. They were called Forewarning and each one of their members was very¡­ dangerous, in their own way. They had the top 3 healers , top 3 tanks and top 3 dps on the server but there was a tenth person who was a mystery. His most notorious act involved using diseased rats to infect every city in every kingdom on the server in the same day. It actually crashed the server when every NPC in the world was transformed into undead at the same time so the whole guild was suspended for a month. Butter¡¯s account was banned since it was his 37th offense¡­ Osmond logged onto the VCN website and posted a comment on the Orc Lands Subjugation Expedition video under the username Forewarned. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]The Plaguedone awaits your arrival.[/col][/box] <=Previous Chapter Next Chapter=> Volume 2 Chapter 2: Nature Manipulation [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Forewarned: The Plaguedone awaits your arrival. KatsRfun928: What the hell? Falconstrike1379: Just some troll¡­ Likebutter: Lulz, I was wondering what Plague was up to. Roflsauce1249: No way, isn''t he just a myth? Dalthis: Boring, this plot is too clich¨¦. KatsRfun928: What plot? Dalthis: Perseus is just a sexy Hitler. Dalthis has been banned from the chat and their messages have been erased. Likebutter: Fucking Nazis! Likebutter has been banned from the chat and their messages have been erased. Falconstrike1379: Ok then¡­ Butter: Piece of shit! Butter has been banned from the chat and their messages have been erased. Roflsauce249: Lmao Likebread: Don¡¯t ban me, I¡¯m a racist too! Likebread has been banned from the chat and their messages have been erased. Oosan: Why the fuck is Plague in some orc village? I¡¯m gonna go there and punch him in the face! Perigrin: I might stop by to say hi¡­ Roflsauce1249: Wait, are you guys talking about ¡®That¡¯ Plague? Oosan: WTF other Plague Done is there?! These people are so stupid! Nexic: Sigh, he told me that he couldn''t come to Varhales and he¡¯s not even that far away. KatsRfun928: Are they really Forewarning? Bunnybutt: They aren''t Forewarning! I¡®m Forewarning! Oosan has left the chat. Nexic has left the chat. Perigrin: Hey Bunny. Ceda: Bunny! I¡®m not dying anymore! Bunnybutt: WHY!?!? WHO FIXED YOU?! SATAN?! Ceda: Oh, Plague forced Unicorn Corp. to pay for a super expensive treatment. Perigrin: Plagues so nice. Bunnybutt: OF COURSE! IT HAD TO BE THAT BASTARD! Roflsauce1249: Wait what? Ceda: Bunny, can I touch your hair? Bunnybutt: NO CEDA! DAMN IT I CANT EVEN MAKE CRIPPLE JOKES ANYMORE! Bunnybutt has been banned from the chat and all of their messages have been removed. Ceda: I miss Odin¡­ Falconstrike1379: Wait, so that rumor was true? Odin really died? Perigrin: He was murdered. Roflsauce1249: So that story¡¯s actually true? Ceda: Oh! Bunny and Plague¡¯s happy love story? How did that go again Peri?[/col][/box] This is a story that happened 8 years ago, when Michael was still an innocent little kid¡­ Ok maybe that¡¯s not the best way to describe it. Michael looked exactly the same as he does today, he was just a super virgin who had never even kissed a girl before. He had been playing CoM with a group of people who would later become Forewarning for almost 2 years, but never actually met any of them except his brother. He had just gotten his braces off and recovered from his appendectomy so his current goal was obviously to find a girlfriend. Back then he barely even had OCD and wasn''t afraid to touch everything. Michael and Bunny had been sexting for a while, even though she had a boyfriend who she had been dating for years named Odin. They just randomly stopped talking or sexting to each other for a few weeks and Michael didn''t really think it was a big deal. However, one day the cute, short, blonde haired 21 year old girl with brown eyes and relatively large breasts showed up at his door. They immediately recognized each other and the crying Bunny immediately hugged the confused Plague. She was completely different from her usual personality which was either extremely vulgar, extremely sexually explicit or extremely mean¡­ it was like she was actually a real person. Bunny was wearing a white tank top dyed in dried blood stains and short jean shorts which was relatively normal since it was summer. She said ¡°He¡¯s dead¡­ my crazy ex-boyfriend got out of prison and killed Odin.¡± in a quiet voice while sobbing into his chest. Michael sighed and said ¡°Ok¡­ wait, don¡¯t you live in California? Have you just been wearing the same bloody clothes while traveling across the whole country?¡± in an irritated voice, the situation was very strange and he noticed that she was covered in cuts and bruises everywhere but her face. Bunny whispered ¡°Be careful, the fucker is right outside your house¡­ he¡¯s got a .32.¡± in a completely calm voice while crying loudly. Michael grabbed the metal baseball bat that was laying up against the wall, they lived in the city so there were plenty of weapons laying around the house just in case something like this happened. They were standing in the living room, right inside of the door when the crazy ex-boyfriend, who looked like a generic skinhead with a swastika tattooed on his forehead started walking up the 4 stairs in front of the house. He was aiming a small revolver at Michael and walking up the stairs very slowly. Michael started laughing and said ¡°Watch out for the rat.¡± in a sarcastic voice while smiling. The man snickered and said ¡°Keep laughing you fuckin¡­¡± in an cocky voice but was cut off when he slipped on a stack of letters that Michael was too lazy to pick up earlier. While he was falling forward, he shot Bunny in the left ass cheek and then smacked his face against the tile floor. Michael quickly threw Bunny behind him, then jumped a few feet into the air and stomped down on the back of the man''s bald head. The man was still alive-ish and twitching quite a bit, even though Michael¡¯s heel actually went through the back of his skull and a decent amount of brains were splattered about. It was quite disgusting, probably the start of Michael¡¯s OCD issues, he regretted not using the baseball bat instead. After he called 911, the ambulance and police came, Bunny was taken to the hospital, Michael was arrested but after getting Bunny¡¯s statement, it was ruled as self-defense. After she was released from the hospital, she lived in Michael¡¯s room for a while and he took care of her while she recovered from the bullet wound. Love is when you¡¯re willing to help someone who can¡¯t even sit on a toilet, use the bathroom everyday for 2 months. They didn''t even start having sex until after she completely healed, well they tried a few times but well¡­ it¡¯s pretty obvious why that didn''t work out. She had nowhere else to go so he would have let her stay there even if they didn''t start dating. For the first two years, it was pretty normal, they basically spent all their time playing CoM or other video games with each other or other people and the sex was great. However, at the end of their third year together, Bunny cheated on his with Will, so they broke up. She went to live with Will for a while after that and Michael slowly began his descent into OCD hell. Strangely enough, Bunny, Will and Michael still remained friends and guildies for years after that. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Ceda: And then zombie Odin and evil Bunny lived happily ever after? ZombieOdin: Yes uncrippled one. Perigrin: Butter¡­ that¡¯s not right. KatsRfun928: Wait a second¡­ then how did she get from California to Baltimore? Are you saying the crazy ex-boyfriend actually drove 3,000 miles while she was what? Locked up in the trunk? Odin: Sigh¡­ I¡¯m not dead, we just broke up for a few years. Bunny never got shot in the ass, she fell down the stairs in Plague¡¯s house and broke her tailbone. They had a weird abusive relationship for a few years and then finally broke up, she dated Will for a little while after that and then came back to me a few years ago. ZombieOdin: LIES! DON¡¯T LISTEN TO THIS BLASPHEMER! ZombieOdin has been banned from the chat and his messages have been removed. Perigrin: Yea, that was just some story Dalthis told me lol. Ceda: Yay Odin! Oh, but Plague really did kill a guy¡­ Perigrin: Yea, wasn''t it because of Butter? Odin: Butter trolled that guy for years and pretended to be Plague, eventually the guy snapped and tried to kill him. I think the guy broke into his house in the middle of the night, trying to catch him off guard but¡­ Plague is never off guard. Roflsauce1249: Wait, so did the guy have a gun and did Plague beat him to death without a weapon? Ceda: Lmao Perigrin: lol Odin: If I remember correctly, the guy did have a gun¡­ but it was completely dark so no normal human would be able to see. Since Plague is some kind of demonic cockroach that can see in the dark, he had the advantage.[/col][/box] It was a quiet night like any other when Michael was preparing for someone to try to kill him, like he does every night. He wasn''t clairvoyant, just extremely paranoid with a ridiculously powerful imagination. After urinating in the bathroom which was right next to the back door, he heard someone trip over the maze of potted plants/trees in his yard. The bathroom door was slightly open and it was easy to hear someone cutting open the screen on the back door, then unlocking it. Michael grabbed a plunger with his right hand and grabbed a bottle of drain cleaner with the other. He filled the accordion shaped plunger with the drain cleaner and then put the bottle away. When someone opened the door and took a few steps in front of the bathroom door, he kicked it open with so much force that the intruder was knocked into the stove. Michael immediately noticed the man had a gun, so he front kicked the guy in the balls, grabbed the gun with his left hand and then shoved the accordion plunger into the mans mouth. The man struggled for a few moments as he plunged several times in quick succession, forcing the man to vomit and then swallow it along with half a liter of drain cleaner. Then Michael pushed the man, with the plunger still stuck in his mouth out of the back door. He hit the back of his head on the concrete and started bleeding profusely while unconscious. Michael called an ambulance and the police but by the time they had gotten there, the man had already died. Bunny saw the whole thing and backed up his story, it was eventually considered self-defense. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Roflsauce1249: Eww Perigrin: Yea. Ceda: Yep, never fight the Plague Done. Odin: Like I said before, Plague never lets his guard down¡­ he¡®s a paranoid, obsessive compulsive, mysophobiac who is harder to kill than a swarm of demonic plague rats. Ceda: Wasn¡¯t Oosan and Peri going to say hi to Plague too? Perigrin: The conflict will probably be over before I get there though¡­ KatsRfun928: Lol, I think you guys are really underestimating the Poseidon Guild. PerseusFan1529: The Poseidon Guild will defeat any evil Dark Elves, disgusting Orcs or even this Plaguedone you¡®re bragging about! Ceda: LMAO Odin: heh. Perigrin: lol. Buttersmooth: LULZ! They gonna gets plagued! Buttersmooth has been banned from the chat and all of their messages have been removed.[/col][/box] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Azrael had been preparing for a situation like this to occur eventually, but he thought he had more time. Luckily they didn''t seem to have a large force and the terrain, combined with the fact that they came there on ships, prevented the enemy from using siege weapons. Azrael even let their scouts get away alive, so that they would underestimate the orcs. In the woods around the village, large quantities of nightmare vine grew wildly. It was a special type that was green instead of purple and was very difficult to notice¡­ until you¡¯re pricked by one of its thorns. By itself, the hallucinogenic effect isn''t that powerful and a decent antidote potion, or a healer with a similar ability will be able to remove it. While he was perfecting his Dire Wolf potions, he discovered a way to turn it into more of a liquid. As his Ancient Alchemy skill increased, so did the power of the potions he already knew. It had more to do with infusing mana into them than actually changing the ingredients, although he did come up with an interesting additive. A potion of major Dire Wolf lycanthropy turns a humanoid into a gigantic werewolf, and when you add in a bit of nightmare vine¡­ well, the effect is pretty obvious. Azrael already had plenty of traps, created and ready to be deployed¡­ things that were relatively simple, yet truly terrible. Since they would be facing level 75-200 users and NPCs, conventional traps wouldn''t actually be effective. They would also have classes like adventurers, thieves, mages and assassins who could detect various kinds of traps. It would be difficult to set anything up in such a limited amount of time as well, but Azrael had already expected this invasion type scenario to play out. Perseus¡¯ army was split into four parts, left, right and rear flanks that had 2,000 users and 3000 NPCs each. The middle was a command unit of elite users along with Perseus himself but there were only 300 people in that group. Since they were stuck in a thick forest, they had poor visibility and if they didn''t have the ability to communicate via guild chat or whispers, it would be a terrible situation. There weren''t many ways to cut communication in Royal Road, although, what if you had a spy who was feeding the enemy false information or distracting them? Like a certain notorious compulsive liar and also the best PVP healer in the world, who was supposed to be the Poseidon guilds trump card. There was a beautiful human female shaman with long flowing black hair, her skin was fair and she was relatively tall. Along with the beautiful blond human priestess who was a renown arena healer in the central continent, Butter and Prodeath joined the guild/expedition before they found out Plague was on the other side. Going just by numbers, 50,000 orcs may seem like they would have the advantage but unlike the Poseidon Guild¡¯s army, orcs were typically poorly equipped, disorganized and only melee fighters. A few good area of effect mage spells could easily win that kind of battle within minutes. Chaos and fear were the most important weapons in any battle, but Azrael wore them like armor. His main weapon wasn''t the giant 9ft long 500 lb siege blade, but the enemy itself, they were his vanguard. Perseus and his elite warriors, along with the reporter Eun-Mi came across the opening of a mine. Intrigued by the sounds of pickaxes chipping away at ore, deep within the shaft, they entered completely oblivious to the dangers within. After a few minutes of walking down the shaft, they finally arrived at the source of the noise, a group of 28 dwarves were busy mining away. Perseus was surprised to find dwarves so deep into the orc lands and yelled ¡°What are dwarves doing in a place like this?!¡± to the man who seemed to be their leader. The dwarf turned to look at the human and wore a surprised face as he yelled ¡°Finally! We¡¯re saved! Are you the rescue party?! A few months ago we were shipwrecked and got captured by orcs! They forced us into slavery and half of us have already died from exhaustion!¡± in a frantic voice as all the other dwarves stopped mining and gathered around him. While they were speaking to each other, Eun-Mi was whispering ¡°We have just stumbled across a small group of dwarf slaves in a mine a few miles north of the fortress, their leader even seems to be a user.¡± in a quiet voice as she watched the situation unfold. Perseus smiled and said ¡°Thank Freya we made it to you in time then. We just stumbled upon this place by chance on our way to eradicate the orcs.¡± in a voice brimming with confidence. The dwarf grinned and had a sinister look in his eyes when he said ¡°Do you honestly believe that anything happens by chance?¡± in a much deeper voice as all the dwarves took out potions and started guzzling them. There was a reason why seafaring classes typically stayed on the ocean, it¡¯s because they could barely compete with a crafting class in land combat ability. Even with all his fancy armor and his relatively high level, he was still weak. Without warning, Butter walked up behind Perseus, grabbed his hair with her left hand, then using a mithril hatchet chopped off his head with one swing. A large burst of arterial blood sprayed across the stunned reporters face as she screamed. Butter started laughing hysterically as she looked into the eyes of the decapitated user, she was constantly healing Perseus so he could remain conscious as he watched the hell that was unfolding. Butter turned to the crowd of users with Prodeath at her side and yelled ¡°Frenzy!¡± as she cast the advanced AOE curse on the whole raid. Prodeath created a holy barrier, protecting her and Butter from the rampaging users who were forced into slaughtering their friends and guild mates without any way to stop themselves. Then the dwarves started to transform into tiny little werewolves with black fur, sharp claws, fluffy tails and vicious snarling wolf heads. At their howls, they beckoned hundreds of starving dire wolves from deep within the mine. The horde of wolves, lead by the dwarven werewolves, recklessly jumped into the fray and started indiscriminately slaughtering and devouring everyone they could. Butter and Prodeath were easily able to keep all the dwarves alive through their overpowered healing abilities, but the low level wolves were getting slaughtered at a pretty quick pace. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Hearing the howls, Azrael began the second phase of his massacre by releasing massive quantities of a white powder upon the army¡¯s left flank, which was located east of the mine. Before they could even react and protect themselves, everyone had inhaled the powdered Dire Wolf Lycanthropy potions that had nightmare vine mixed in with it. Normally, even when hallucinating, most people would be able to take antidotes or use antidote spells, but not if they were also turning into werewolves. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Your race and class has temporarily become a Dire Werewolf! All of your senses have been heightened and all unarmed melee combat abilities have been increased! You cannot use any spells or abilities outside of the Dire Werewolf class specific ones! This effect will wear off after the next full moon in 14 days![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You are hallucinating, your perception has been altered significantly! This effect will continue until it is cured or you die![/col][/box] The transformation is incredibly painful but ultimately worthwhile if you like being a werewolf, but to be forced into becoming one is much different. Everyone was in a state of shock and panic that was amplified because they were tripping on nightmare vine. That¡¯s when he finally appeared, the giant Angel of Death, Azrael the Ant-Man, wielding a sword that was taller than himself. The newly created pack of wolves was about to attack when it began, the terrible screeching. It was like a thousand nails scratching against a chalkboard at the same time, while being played through huge concert amps that were feeding back into the microphone while a nuclear explosion was happening in the background. Combined with the fact that they had just gotten hypersensitive doggy ears, it was a truly horrifying experience. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used Voice of Death! 671 dire werewolves have been killed, 1499 dire werewolves have been deafened and stunned, 2830 dire werewolves have been driven in a state of panic and are fleeing! -4000 mana[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Voice of Death proficiency has increased.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have leveled up! You have leveled up! You have leveled up![/col][/box] He had purposefully approached the group from the southeast, so that they would be fleeing towards their own rear flank. Now he just had to slowly but steadily hack away at the stunned werewolves who were left behind, it was actually pretty boring. Even when the stun wore off, they were all hallucinating so badly that they could barely tell the difference between the giant black ant man and the rest of the black furred wolves. At least he managed to get a new weapon proficiency out of it and a decent amount of experience, it was also good practice for his heavy weapons skill. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Living Weapon Proficiency (Lvl. 1 0%): Increases the rate at which living weapons gain levels and grow. Increases living weapon experience by 1% per skill level.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Heavy Weapons (Lvl. 6 18%): Increases your damage while using heavy weapons, as well as reducing the requirements and negative effects. Increases heavy weapon damage by 3% per skill level. Reduces requirements and negative effects by 2% per level.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have leveled up![/col][/box] Hearing the terrible screeching sound from nearly a mile away, a massive horde of 10,000 orcs, all clad in steel and iron armor while wielding gigantic and very strange looking weapons appeared in the distance and began charging towards the Poseidon army¡¯s right flank. Just when their mages were starting to cast their big spells, hundreds of orc werewolves pounced upon them from up in the trees. The squishy mages, clerics and archers who were supposed to be safe in the center of the group, were torn to shreds without much resistance while the horde of metallic orcs, led by a small crippled orc were tearing through the army¡¯s front line. The users and NPCs had never fought in a serious battle before this so they turned to their commander for orders, the tall, muscular knight, clad in mithril armor exuded confidence as he yelled ¡°Don¡¯t panic! We are Poseidon! No group of simple orcs can¡­¡± but before he could even finish his sentence, an arrow from up in the trees flew straight down into his open mouth, sticking into the back of his throat. Nyx was picking off all the officers and anyone with decent leadership while sighing out of boredom, she missed being with Azrael. A few minutes after the terrible screeching sound, thousands of werewolves came rushing toward the rear flank, who had just been reading Butter¡¯s elaborate story about how Perseus couldn''t talk to anyone because he was gang-banging Eun-Mi with a group of the other officers and were completely distracted. When they saw the werewolves, they immediately started firing arrows and spells from a distance. It was a one sided slaughter and by the time the werewolves came into melee range, they were too weakened to fight against the knights or warriors who were in the front lines. However, they served their purpose, which was to focus everyone¡¯s attention to the southeast, so they wouldn''t notice the army of 30,000 relatively well equipped orcs approaching from the northwest. The orcs waited until they were only a hundred meters from the rear flank, before they started charging while yelling loudly and making weird orc noises. The orcs were getting slaughtered and they were barely managing to kill anyone but since there were so many of them, it didn''t really matter that much. After 20 minutes, 10,000 orcs had died but their sacrifices weren''t in vain because it allowed time for the reinforcements to arrive. Stumpchwii''s army still had 9500 elite warriors, along with 500 orc werewolves and Nyx they attacked from the southwest. Butter and Prodeath were dragging their prisoner Eun-Mi and the still living head of Perseus along with them as they led the Dwarven werewolves followed by 200 dire wolves to attack from the south. By far the most terrifying enemy of all was the giant ant monster, drenched in blood, using a huge sword to slash through shields and plate armor as if it were light cloth. Barely any of Azrael''s forces died after the arrival of the two healers, but he was the type of person who preferred flawless victories. If it were a single player game, he would have kept resetting until he managed to win the battle without losing a single orc. Guild chat was in complete chaos as cannon fire rang out in the distance, the fleet was under attack. While they were frantically healing the giant army of orcs Prodeath yelled ¡°Butter, throw that thing away!¡± while looking at the head she was carrying in her left hand. Butter laughed and yelled ¡°No way! I¡¯m gonna use it to turn people to stone!¡± in a serious voice. Prodeath sighed and yelled ¡°That was Medusa¡¯s head¡­ Perseus was the guy who carried it around!¡± in an irritated voice. The Poseidon fleet was huge and extremely powerful, but a ship that has set anchor is relatively defenseless. Combined with the fact that they were careless enough to send nearly all of their officers with the army, it was a massacre. Using water and air magic combined with their racial ability to fly, the fairy pirates used small skiffs that were impossible to hit with cannon-fire. It only took them a few minutes to get close enough to fly aboard the ships and use their enchanted blades to quickly dispatch the crews. Their leader was particularly ruthless, he was the Pirate Admiral Oosan, who had the body of a fairy but the head of a badger. Supposedly, he was cursed by a witch who works for the Undead Paladin Queen Bunny. After the battle was over and the enemy were just chunks of meat and random items scattered across the forest, Azrael was pretty angry with the outcome. He ordered everyone who participated in the battle to return to the village to rest, while the remaining orcs scoured the battlefield and looted all the items. He walked over to Butter, who was using Perseus¡¯ head to practice his ventriloquism. Azrael aimed his palm at the head and then pumped out a massive burst of mana, causing it to explode like an egg in a microwave. A chunk of brain juice splashed in Prodeath''s eye and she started crying. Eun-Mi yelled ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me! I¡¯m just a reporter! I had nothing to do with them!¡± in a terrified voice. She was just a level 50 bard and this expedition was her first actual assignment since she joined VCN. Butter yelled ¡°Sorry Plague, it¡¯s been fun but we gotta go hunt an evil Bunny! Dalthis just saw her attacking zombie Odin¡¯s fort!¡± in a happy voice as he called down his pegasus and hopped on it¡¯s back. Prodeath called her own pegasus, got on and said ¡°It was a fun little skirmish, call us again next time you wanna PVP.¡± in a happy voice, then yelled ¡°Hey reporter bitch, you coming?!¡± as she grabbed Eun-Mi by the wrist and pulled her onto the back of the winged white horse. She was crying quietly as they flew off into the sky, she was afraid of heights but even more afraid of the two psychotic women she couldn''t escape. With the expedition a failure and the entire guild slaughtered, all their ships stolen or destroyed, the Poseidon Guild was finished. When the video of the battle was aired on VCN the public consensus was that the Orc Lands should be avoided at all costs. Not only were the orcs extremely powerful, but there were the dark elves and the mysterious Ant-Man who could kill people just by screeching loudly. It was never confirmed whether the Ant-Man was actually Plaguedone, because his name wasn''t officially revealed. After returning to the village, Azrael noticed a significant change in the inhabitants. Since he came to the village, the population stopped decreasing and since they were at maximum capacity, very few children were created. However, after the village expanded into a city and so many orcs died in the battle, they had begun reproducing. Osmond and the other dwarven miners had settled in the village a while before Azrael arrived, so some of the NPCs had even established relatively romantic relationships with the orcs. A lot of the dwarven females had become pregnant from just having dinner with the orc males in the time he was gone. However, there were already little dwarven orcs walking around the city because when a dwarf male eats food with an orc female, the kid just spawns in the middle of their house. It was definitely weird, they were kind of like dwarf sized orcs, with beards¡­ even though they were children. Out of the dark elf refugees, most were already pregnant and the few males that survived had already produced dark orc offspring. The dark orcs were pretty cute, but the dwarf orcs were hideous and at the rate they were going, in a few months there would be a generation of dark dwarf orcs, whatever that would look like. It actually made Azrael happy to see so many interesting new hybrids being created, it was also nice how none of the NPCs seemed to mind. In-case you were wondering how the dwarven werewolves were cured, Prodeath and Butter did it after the battle. Although, some of the orc werewolves were just permanently like that because they drank too many of the potions, which also led to more strange hybrids. Azrael walked into the town hall and saw Osmond flirting with the dark elf woman who was probably their mayor or chief. He walked over to them and said ¡°I see you kids are having fun. Now that the current crisis is over you should focus on construction again.¡± in a deep voice. Osmond turned to him and said ¡°I didn''t expect you to stick around after the battle was over. This is Dala, the leader of the dark elf refugees.¡± in a happy voice while grinning. Dala said ¡°Thank you for healing my niece earlier, as well as the rest of the refugees. I noticed that you actually sacrificed your own life force to help us, is there any way we could ever repay your kindness?¡± in a cautious voice, she still thought he looked terrifying. Azrael laughed and said ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, but there was something I was curious about. You lived on the ocean, does that mean you had ships?¡± in a curious voice. Dala said ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ all of our ships were destroyed in the attack. If you desire them, we still have some shipbuilders that survived the attack. It would take quite a while though, our village was destroyed just earlier today¡­¡± in a nervous voice, she expected him to get angry and strike her. Azrael sighed and said ¡°Listen kid, I¡¯m not going to get angry at you so stop looking like you''re about to cry. I would like your shipbuilders to teach me the necessary skills to create my own, hell, I would settle for a basic diagram of what a ship looks like. Navigation and sailing skills are probably important as well¡­ I think that''s everything.¡± in a tired voice, then he started yawning but it looked like he was opening his mandibles in preparation to eat her. Osmond said ¡°Don¡¯t worry Dala, he isn''t actually an ant man¡­ that¡¯s just some kind of special armor he made, probably.¡± as she hid behind the dwarf who was a foot shorter than her. Dala cautiously said ¡°Janus, the shipbuilder lives with an orc named Stumpchwii, I¡¯m pretty sure you know him. Kayle the Navigator and Roshev the sailor both live in the dark elf quarter to the east of the market. They should be happy to teach you¡­¡± with a worried smile on her face. Azrael thanked her and left to see Stumpchwii, he still hadn''t gotten around to turning in that quest. As soon as he entered the house that was formerly a large hut, the old orc yelled ¡°Michwii! Chwiik!¡± in an excited voice. He was still wearing the custom iron armor Azrael made him, even though it was just iron, he still looked good in it. There was an older, dark elf woman helping him walk, apparently his metal prosthetic was damaged in the battle. Without even saying anything, Azrael bent down on one knee and started using mana to repair the leg. After a few seconds, it looked even better than when he first made it. He stood back up and said ¡°Your name is Janus, correct?¡± in a polite voice as he took his helmet off and placed it in his equipment bag. She seemed surprised when his face was revealed, he wasn''t an orc but closer to a giant human. The right side of Janus¡¯ face was burned pretty badly and even though Azrael healed it earlier, a massive scar still remained. She was still very grateful though, considering she might have died from the wound. Janus said ¡°Stumpchwii told me a lot about you, it¡¯s rare to meet a warrior who is so adept at using magic.¡± in a happy voice. Azrael smiled and said ¡°I came here to turn in the food quest that I completed a few weeks ago for Stumpchwii and to learn shipbuilding from Janus. Chwik!¡± in a calm and quiet voice. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Quest Complete! You have leveled up! Fame has increased by 30! Reputation with the Sharp Tooth tribe has increased![/col][/box] Janus said ¡°Oh my! It¡¯s been many years since I last had a student! Although elves do not ¡®build¡¯ ships, we actually use magic to grow them out of trees. By feeding your mana to a seed, you can control the speed at which the plant grows, its size and even its shape. This is an ancient skill called Mana Growth that is only passed down through certain elven blood lines. Normally, it would be forbidden for me to even teach it to my own children without the council of elders approval. Then it would take a normal elf at least 10 years to learn the skill and 5 years to build their first ship. However, since the council died this morning in the attack and you¡¯re probably the most competent mage I''ve ever met, I have a feeling you would learn the skill rather easily.¡± in an excited voice as she pulled out some flower seeds and demonstrated the ability. The sunflower-looking plants sprouted from the seeds and grew into strange shapes at an alarming rate, while changing their color several times, and finally they all melded into a single giant sunflower with one head that was a rainbow of colors. She handed him a large walnut looking seed and he focused his mana into it, expecting that it might explode, he also created a mana shield protecting Janus and Stumpchwii. The seed started to shake violently and then erupted into twenty vines that wrapped around his right arm, then kept growing thicker and stronger as they continued to drain mana out of his body. He concentrated on the shape that he wanted and the vines were sucked back into his right palm, forming a large ball. He stopped casting mana shield and then placed his left hand on top of the ball, funneling health in from the top and mana into the bottom. Then it finally started to take shape, it had four small legs, a long thin tail, a small body, a round head with two triangular ears, big glowing blue eyes, a tiny nose and mouth with whiskers. It was a fluffy white kitten made of some kind of weird vine that had cotton growing out of it. It¡¯s eyes looked like glowing blue sapphires and it even seemed to have intelligence, at least as much as a normal kitten would. It looked at Azrael and tilted its head, then meowed softly. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Mana Growth![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Growth (Lvl. 1 0%): By pouring mana into a seed, stapling or even a full grown plant, you can accelerate its growth, alter its shape and change its color. Cost is never a set value, the more mana you use the more you can manipulate the plant.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Nature Manipulation![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Nature Manipulation (Lvl. 1 0%): Why not create animals out of plants? Why not make plants more intelligent? There are good reasons why nature is the way it is, but whatever, it¡¯s not like you ever listen to me anyway. This was the ability the goddess Gaia used to create plants and animals, the very element of nature itself out of earth, water, air and fire. She¡¯s probably going to get angry if you keep using this ability¡­ the Dryads, Treants and other intelligent plant based lifeforms will either treat you like a god or a demon. Pour your own life force into a plant that you¡¯re using mana to grow and it will be able to become more like an animal while retaining its plant-like properties. The more health you use the stronger the effect of the skill will be. Warning: It is possible to die from sacrificing too much health![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created a Cotton Vine Kitten! This is a very weak, non-combat pet with very little cognitive and learning capability. It requires small amounts of water, carbon dioxide, sunlight and mana to survive. The kitten will not be able to grow any larger or stronger because the creator had very little skill when making it. It will treat whoever is taking care of it as it¡¯s mother. It will be impossible for any monster, NPC or user to attack this non-combat pet. Enjoys baths but will pretend like it hates them. Level: 1 Health: 50 Mana: 100 Stamina: 50 Agility: 30 Strength: 1 Cuteness: 475 Vitality: 5 Intellect: 10 Wisdom: 1 Knows 3 skills, Cuddle, Nap, and Cuteness Wave. Has 2 passive effects, adorability and lovability.[/col][/box] Azrael laughed and said ¡°Aww, it¡¯s so cute¡­ now what the hell am I supposed to do with it? Chwik.¡± in an irritated voice. Janus was in shock, there were ancient legends about nature weavers who had similar abilities, but they were all wood and high elves. The nature weavers were cursed by Gaia for abusing the ability and now they exist in the form of dryads and treants. However, it was said to take hundreds of years to become a nature weaver. She said ¡°I can¡¯t believe this¡­ are you a god?¡± in a surprised voice. The kitten jumped on her shoulder and rubbed its body against the side of her face that was scarred. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Cotton Vine Kitten has used cuteness wave on Janus! Any physical or emotional scars have been healed![/col][/box] In seconds, the huge burn that covered half of her face was completely gone. Azrael laughed and said ¡°So that¡¯s what cuteness wave does¡­ kind of overpowered. Well, whatever, at least it has some kind of purpose. Anyway, no, I¡¯m just an orc, Chwiiik!¡± in a semi-serious voice as he grabbed the kitten off her shoulder. Janus said ¡°Well, just be careful¡­ even the Gods aren''t immune to the effects of powerful magic.¡± in a worried voice as he left the building. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On a small tropical island in the middle of the ocean, a giant tree, that was so tall it¡¯s highest branches were above the clouds, was weeping. There were millions of hideous demonic monsters climbing up the sides, while others were burning its roots. Hundreds of thousands of dryads and treants were living on its branches and fighting off the invaders but there were just too many. At the top of the tree was a beautiful fairy with pink hair, large purple and pink butterfly wings, with blue skin and pure silver eyes. She was constantly channeling a god-level slowing spell which encased the entire tree beneath her, making the time within nearly stand still. The Fairy had been waiting there for 70,000 years and was nearly out of mana, long ago she was considered a Goddess. However, every day she sacrifices her memories and experiences to maintain the spell, in less than 4 years she would die. She spent every day awaiting the final end to her torment, if the tree was destroyed, the world would be engulfed in a fiery hell, destroying all of her creations along with it. Even if she released the spell, she was no longer powerful enough to survive in such a world. The fairy was regretting that she limited her children¡¯s power out of fear, but it was already too late. Suddenly, she felt her consciousness drifting off into another body. It was so small and fragile but standing on top of a giant. She heard a deep voice say ¡°Nyx, are you still there? Ouch, it¡¯s not yandere unless you actually try to kill me. Anyway, I think we¡¯re lost¡­ I really should have asked Dala for better directions than ¡®In the dark elf quarter¡¯ because there are thousands of houses in this neighborhood.¡± but she was struggling to keep from falling so she couldn''t see the person¡¯s face. When they passed an orc wearing shiny steel armor, the fairy saw her own reflection. It was a small creature created from nature manipulation! She turned towards the mans face and tried to speak ¡°Meow! Meow! Meow!¡± but it was all nonsense. Strangely the giant stopped, then turned to the randomly meowing kitten and said ¡°What the fuck?¡± in a confused voice, because he had just received a quest. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Meow! Meow! Meow meow, meow meow meow, meow! MEOOOOW! Rewards: The world doesn''t get destroyed. Rank: ?? Quest Requirements: You must reach the world tree Yggdrasill within 3 years and 3 months. Cotton Vine Kitten must survive![/col][/box] <=Previous Chapter Next Chapter=> Volume 2 Chapter 3: Soul Mana [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Elven Sailing![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Elven Sailing (Lvl. 1 0%): The ability to steer and control a living ship using mana. Doubles as regular sailing. At higher skill levels, wind manipulation is possible. Costs 5 mana per second to captain a living ship.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Elven Navigation![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Elven Navigation (Lvl. 1 0%): Using the flows of mana within the ocean, earth, heavens, and skies you can determine which routes are safer. Allows you to navigate on any kind of ship and even on land, without a map. At higher skill levels it becomes possible to feel the mana flowing through living creatures from a great distance and predict the best route to avoid or encounter them. Costs 1 mana per second when Elven Navigation is toggled on.[/col][/box] Azrael had finally found the trainers, even though she never actually spoke or released her invisibility, Nyx was able to learn the two skills as well. They were definitely better than the regular versions but pretty useless to someone who didn¡¯t have really good mana regeneration or a huge mana pool. When the two were walking out of the city¡¯s northern gate, they heard a bunch of birds squawking at them from the sky. He immediately thought ¡®For fuck¡¯s sake! These damn birds better not ask me to go stop the apocalypse!¡¯ but then he recognized one of them. There was a giant golden eagle, flying next to a normal sized black crow and on the other side was a brown duck that was just free falling towards him. The crow landed on the top of the gate, the Golden eagle elegantly transformed into a beautiful golden elf as she slowed down and landed in front of him, then the duck crashed into his face and nearly died. He gently caught the falling duck and said ¡°I hope you made antidotes for these transformation potions¡­¡± in a worried voice. Freya laughed and said ¡°What kind of novice needs an antidote potion! They just need to use their mana to release the effect!¡± in a confident voice. The black crow transformed into a beautiful female dwarf who was sitting on the top of the gate but the duck was just quacking loudly. Azrael yelled ¡°Peri! It¡¯s been a long time! I need you to go tell the others that they have 3 in game years to help me prevent the apocalypse! We¡¯re probably going to need Bunny and Odin too! By the way, what has ceda been up to?¡± in a moderately loud voice, to the dwarf who was trying to find a way down off the 20 ft tall gate. Peri yelled down to him ¡°Oh hi Plague! Yea, I¡¯m not really surprised¡­ but its going to be pretty difficult to convince Bunny to help us! Also, Ceda¡¯s doing some class quest in the caldera of a volcano¡­¡± in a completely emotionless voice. Azrael equipt his gigantic siege blade in his left hand and held it up to the top of the gate, Peri was able to jump onto it and slide down to a distance he could safely jump to the ground. After putting his sword away, Azrael said ¡°You should go say hi to Osmond, I think he was in Forewarning but I still haven¡¯t been able to figure out who the hell he was. He¡¯s the village chief, tell him I had to leave¡­ timed quest to save the world or something like that.¡± in an irritated voice as he turned around and started walking into the forest. After a few minutes, the cotton vine kitten attempted to assassinate the brown duck who still couldn¡¯t figure out how to break the transformation. It was a brutal assault from the kitten, but it eventually got distracted by a butterfly and went back to Azrael¡¯s shoulder. After a few hours of walking, they reached the beautiful, bloodstained beach full of wreckage, abandoned loot, burned down huts, and ghosts. The souls of the NPC sailors who were massacred by the fairy pirates and the dark elf warriors who couldn¡¯t protect their families were trapped on the beach, forced to keep fighting, but unable to actually kill each other. Freya sighed and said ¡°Spirits are so annoying, maybe we should find a less populated beach, to do whatever the hell we came here for¡­¡± in an irritated voice. Azrael said ¡°I would, but my class is Angel¡­ it¡¯s kind of like my part-time job to help those annoying ass-hats find peace and go on to be reincarnated or some such shit. I don¡¯t really remember everything Matallost told me¡­ actually, I¡¯m 99% sure that I just hallucinated him talking to me but the hallucination definitely said it was important. You guys might want to stay back¡­ and cover your ears.¡± in an excited voice as he handed the duck and kitten to Freya, then walked over to the relatively small battle that was raging in front of them. He sucked in as much air as possible while avoiding the ghostly blades swiping by his body, then yelled ¡°Fuck off!¡± in a voice so loud that all of the spirits exploded into a swirling vortex of red light, that was subsequently sucked up into the sky. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used Voice of Death! 679 angry sailor spirits have been purified, 1728 angry dark elf villagers have been purified! -4500 mana[/col][/box] Since he didn¡¯t feel like naming them individually or deciding their new bodies, it was all just randomly generated. However, there were still more spirits left in the burned down village who weren¡¯t affected. He finally realized why there were some charred bodies that hadn¡¯t disappeared, when he bent down to investigate a corpse and received a class quest. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Sacrificial Healing! Death isn¡¯t as simple as most people believe! Through great sacrifice it is possible to heal those who are long dead, yet still cling to life. However, not many have the conviction to sacrifice their own experience and life force to give a complete stranger a second chance at life. Rank: ?? Reward: Karma, Faith, Fame, Unknown Requirements: Resurrect at least 7 Dark Elves. Optional: Resurrect 21 Dark Elves.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Sacrificial Healing (Lvl. 3 0%): You can give up a large portion of your own health to heal someone else. At higher skill levels it can be used in reverse. Costs 450 health per second to heal 125 health per second. You have discovered the secret capabilities of this skill, Sacrificial Resurrection. It¡¯s not a separate skill, so it can increase in power and efficiency even if it¡¯s not used. By sacrificing even more than health, it¡¯s possible to bring dead NPCs with strong willpower back from the dead. When used on NPCs with good or neutral karma who aren¡¯t followers, Faith, Karma and Fame increase. Always costs 1 level regardless of the targets level. Costs 1 mana, stamina and health equal to 300% of their maximum and 1 point of Faith for each of their levels. Warning: It is possible to use less faith and still successfully resurrect an NPC, but their level will only equal the faith sacrificed.[/col][/box] It was a great skill, but it came at a terrible price, levels. However, with Azrael¡¯s OCD it was impossible to refuse a quest, or to avoid doing even optional parts. He didn¡¯t even care about the rewards, he just liked filling up his completed quests window and quickly finishing his current quests. He yelled out ¡°Who¡¯s body is this?¡± in an angry voice, but no one responded. After walking over to the body of what looked like a small child he yelled again ¡°If you want to be brought back from the dead, get your ectoplasmic asses over to your bodies!¡± in an angrier voice. Meanwhile, Freya was busy scooping up globs of ectoplasm off the beach that looked like red jellyfish. So-Ra was fleeing from the kitten who couldn¡¯t suppress its instinct to murder the brown duck. Nyx was standing behind Freya, holding a certain dagger while asking herself ¡®Who is this beautiful woman? How does she know Azrael? Are they lovers? What are lovers anyway? Why do I want to kill her so badly?¡¯ because she was obviously jealous and had no idea what that even meant. The blue spirit of a little girl finally walked up to the charred remains and laid down inside of it. Azrael began to channel his life force and experience into the girls body, it felt a lot like being really thirsty and only having salt water to drink. His head was pounding and he felt extremely nauseous, it definitely wasn¡¯t as easy as regular Sacrificial Healing. However, after a few minutes the girls charred body began to appear less like a humanoid chunk of charcoal and more like a Dark Elf girl with horrible scars all over her body. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used Sacrificial Resurrection! Level 1 Lorelei has been successfully returned to life. -1 level, all stat points lost will be regained at the next level up. -150 health -300 mana -150 stamina +30 Faith +30 Fame +30 Karma[/col][/box] After she started breathing and her heart began to beat she said ¡°Mama? Papa? I¡¯m scared, where are you?¡± in a hoarse voice as she attempted to look around, but her eyes weren¡¯t restored yet. Azrael said ¡°Calm down kid, don¡¯t speak yet, I¡¯m not done healing you.¡± in a gentle voice as he continued to funnel his health into her body, healing her completely, except for a few scars. When Lorelei was finally healed, what she saw first was a man who looked similar to the people who murdered her family and friends. However, there was something dramatically different about him, he was huge. Normal humans were a typically a little taller than dark elves but this man was practically twice the size of an adult dark elf. He was kneeling down, but he was still taller than she was when she stood up. There was a gigantic blade that was stabbed into the sand next to him, it even seemed to be alive somehow. She said ¡°What happened? The last thing I remember was seeing my parents burning, then¡­ pain. Who are you?¡± in a curious voice as the giant man stood up and towered over her. Azrael sighed and said ¡°Listen kid, I¡¯m sorry about your parents but I¡¯ve got a lot of work to do. You were just the first, I still have 20 more people to heal¡­ about a couple hundred villagers escaped. They¡¯re living with the Sharp Tooth tribe to the south, after i¡¯m done here I¡¯ll escort you all back to the city.¡± in a deep voice that made her teeth vibrate uncomfortably. Lorelei was surprised that anyone survived but even more so that they were living with orcs. She never really understood why, but the adults would always tell stories about how terrible and disgusting the orcs were. One of them was that long ago, there was a race of green elves who would kill and eat other elves, but after massacring a dark elf village, a powerful witch who lived there cast a curse upon their whole race. They transformed into hideous and incredibly stupid creatures that were much stronger than before but could no longer use magic or crafting skills. The moral of the story was to not be a cannibalistic murderer¡­ or something like that. She followed Azrael around as he continued to bring the dead back to life, but no one thanked him. Lorelei wanted to cry when she saw how some of the villagers he healed, would scream in fear and hide from him, or become angry that he brought them back even though their children couldn¡¯t be saved. Every time he healed someone, she could actually see his power flowing into them, it was obvious that he was becoming weaker each time and yet he still continued. After the 20th person was brought back to life and healed as much as possible, he gathered them together. Azrael sighed and said ¡°Listen up, there are 21 of you, some of which are actually around level 30 and warriors. I¡¯m too fucking tired to walk all the way back to the city right now, so good luck and try not to die again. By the way, to the ungrateful pieces of shit who yelled at me earlier, get over yourselves. If you didn¡¯t want to be brought back to life, then why the fuck did you beg me to do it in the first place? Now fuck off, I¡¯ve got shit to do and you¡¯re all annoying the hell outta me!¡± in an angry and tired voice, then he started coughing up massive amounts of blood. Everyone but Lorelei quickly left the village and headed towards the forest. Lorelei walked up to Azrael and said ¡°Are you going to be ok?¡± in a worried voice, he was bleeding out of his eyes, ears and nose profusely while continuing to cough up blood. He was back to level 100 again but he actually ended up gaining 111 Faith, since most of the people he brought back were only level 1. Azrael smiled and said ¡°Now I just have to figure out how to turn in the quest.¡± in a happy voice, as he completely ignored the little girl and walked back to the first corpse he found. She followed him and what they both found was a beautiful dark elf woman¡¯s spirit hovering over her own charred corpse. Lorelei ran over to the spirit and yelled ¡°Mama!¡± in a happy voice as she hugged the barely physical body. The ghost smiled and said ¡°Thank you, kind envoy of the Gods. I¡¯m ready pay the price for your services now. Lorelei, your mother loves you very much. I, Liesl, offer my soul to the envoy of the Gods, Azrael.¡± in a happy voice as she vanished in a bright flash of blinding white light. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have absorbed the soul of Liesl, mother of Lorelei! As long as you hold her soul within your body, you will have maternal feelings for Lorelei and occasionally be able to speak with Liesl. +1 Soul Mana[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Quest Complete! You have leveled up 5 times! +1000 Fame +1000 Karma +250 Faith You have acquired a new class specific skill, Soul Absorption! You have acquired a new class specific stat, Soul Mana![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Soul Absorption (Lvl. 1 0%): After a named NPC dies, its soul is vulnerable. You can absorb it to increase your Soul Mana pool. Absorbing souls is extremely dangerous and will greatly impact your karma and faith. Warning: Souls cannot be destroyed! Any soul absorbed will remain inside your avatar until you release it. Costs 2000 mana, stamina and a health to absorb a soul.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Soul Mana: Like regular mana, it regenerates over time, but regeneration only starts after your mana pool is completely full. Each point of soul mana is equivalent to your current maximum mana, so it takes a very long time to regenerate even 1 point. When your mana is completely drained, 1 soul mana is used to refill your regular mana pool. Warning: Soul¡¯s tend to be extremely annoying![/col][/box] Lorelei yelled ¡°No mama! Please don¡¯t leave me!¡± as she tried to hold onto the ghostly body that was disappearing, but all she ended up with was a bunch of glowing white ectoplasm¡­ which looked exactly as disgusting as it sounded. Azrael yelled ¡°Terfuckingrific! Twenty-one levels and now I get soul raped by some random ghost! Thank you, I always wanted to be a mother!¡± in an angry and sarcastic voice as he started crying blood again, but then he realized how useful the two abilities could be after reading the windows that blocked his vision. While she was crying and trying to wipe the gross slimy radioactive looking goop off her body and tattered clothes, a strange woman with golden skin appeared before her. In what seemed like an instant, all the goo was quickly wiped off her body into a glass vial in the woman¡¯s hand. Lorelei said ¡°What are you going to do with that?¡± in a curious voice as she looked at the smiling elven woman. She said ¡°Lunch.¡± in an excited voice as she skipped over to Azrael and said ¡°Wow, you look terrible! So what did you come to this beach for anyway?¡± while collecting the blood dripping out of his eyes in two separate vials at the same time. Azrael said ¡°I was just going to start growing a ship, but I need to rest for a little while first¡­ also, can you please help So-Ra get out of that duck body?¡± in a tired voice as he slowly walked out of the village, while dragging his giant sword behind him. Lorelei followed after them as they trekked quietly across the bloody beach until finally, they came across a brutal battle between a kitten and a duck. They both struggled but were unable to harm each other and after they became too tired to continue fighting, the duck transformed into a human woman. So-Ra yelled ¡°Finally! Michael! Why did you leave me alone with this evil bitch?!¡± in an angry voice as she glared at Freya. Lorelei would have normally been terrified of humans, but since she was originally a duck and also friends with Azrael, she wasn¡¯t even slightly afraid. She said ¡°Who are you people anyway?¡± in a curious voice as she looked at each of them, then she noticed a strange mana flow behind Azrael, it was a strong concentration but there was nothing there. Most elves have a strong connection to mana and can usually detect it without much effort, but since Nyx was used to hiding from dark elves, it was strange that the little girl could see through her spell. Perhaps it had something to do with the life force she received from Azrael, but her senses were much stronger than normal. Lorelei pointed to the invisible girl and said ¡°Azrael, I think someone is behind you¡­¡± in a worried voice. Freya said ¡°Yea, it¡¯s some kind of dark orc¡­ mostly dark elf though. She is rather interesting, I noticed her trying to kill me earlier. Is she your pet? Or perhaps more like a toy?¡± in a curious voice, with an evil grin across her face while looking directly at the confused Nyx. Azrael sighed and said ¡°Ok, that''s enough¡­ Nyx, don¡¯t kill anyone in our party please. Freya and So-Ra, try to stop being so annoying. Lorelei, we¡¯re a party of adventurers, kinda¡­ I need to find some tree called Yggdrasil and keep it from being destroyed or the world will end. Freya, where the fuck is it? I know you know.¡± in an irritated voice as he glared at each of them, including Nyx. So-Ra yelled ¡°What do you mean the world will end?! What the hell did you do this time!?¡± in a frantic voice. Lorelei said ¡°Wait, so the worlds going to end right after you brought me back to life?¡± with a disappointed look on her face. Azrael said ¡°Well, we do have 3 years to find it¡­¡± in a hopeful voice. Freya sighed and said ¡°It¡¯s somewhere¡­ on an island that moves constantly and it¡¯s invisible. You have to ummm¡­ do some stuff? There¡¯s like a barrier or something, maybe? I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s a way to find it in Atlantis, so lets just go there.¡± in a serious voice. So-Ra yelled ¡°How the hell are we going to do that?! Atlantis is on the bottom of the ocean! It¡¯s one of the 10 restricted zones that have over level 500 monsters just wandering around¡­ oh and did I mention its on the bottom of the fucking ocean?!¡± in an extremely concerned voice but Freya and Azrael were completely unfazed. Azrael laughed and said ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m already level 100, I only need to get a couple hundred more levels before then. Anyway, stop being so noisy and go gather me some good tree seeds. Get as many as possible, I need to grow a ship¡­ not quite sure how many magically enhanced trees that¡¯ll take.¡± as he laid down on a non-bloodsoaked patch of sand and closed his eyes. The kitten went to sleep on his chest and he lost consciousness in-game for the first time since fishing hell with Matallost. While the others were in the woods searching for seeds, he was have a very interesting dream. He suddenly found himself standing in a huge field of green grass¡­ but it wasn¡¯t really grass, it was actually leaves. They were hardened and even though he was walking on them, they didn¡¯t give way, it felt more like walking on concrete. When he looked up, the moon was directly above him and it appeared much closer than usual. He thought that he might have been standing on a mountain, but he quickly realized that it was just a gigantic tree. There was a beautiful fairy woman kneeling down to his right, her eyes were closed and she had a worried expression on her face. Azrael tried to speak but couldn¡¯t, then he saw a shadowy figure standing behind the woman, holding a scythe with glowing blue runes all over the blade. It looked at him, without eyes or a face¡­ it was more of a metaphorical ¡®look¡¯ but to the borderline schizophrenic Azrael, it looked like Matallost was sad. The generic God of Death was whispering something to the sleeping fairy and then it swung the scythe, decapitating her beautiful head. It twirled around through the air, spraying plenty of blue blood just about everywhere and then landed in his hands. It¡¯s eyes opened and then he woke up to the sound of loud meowing, with a cute white kitten staring at him. Apparently it was feeding time, he had to use mana to heat some salt water to desalinate it, then using mana shield he collected the water in its gaseous form and used mana to also cool it back down quickly. He gave the water to the kitten, along with small doses of mana for it to consume, everything else it could easily get by itself. It was so cute, yet for some strange reason it has the power to issue quests¡­ he sighed and said ¡°You¡¯re the fairy on top of the tree, right?¡± while looking into its clueless little glowing eyes. Even though it was possessed earlier, the fairy only had enough power to control it¡¯s body for a few minutes a day. She was simply watching helplessly through the eyes of the adorably stupid plant-animal creature, as it went through the hourly routine of napping, eating and trying to ruthless murder anything weaker than itself. Azrael was feeling great, now that he slept for a few in-game hours, his health, mana and stamina were completely restored. He stood up and the kitten climbed onto his shoulder as he turned towards the forest. It was early in the morning, but the sun was already pretty bright. The three women and one little girl were coming towards him, carrying large bags full of seeds. Freya was too busy harvesting herbs, mushrooms and other random alchemy related items to actually search for seeds, but there were still at least a couple hundred. He yelled ¡°I should have said to get me a couple handfuls! With all those seeds I could probably grow a fleet of ships!¡± in a sarcastic voice but then he realized something. If he just made a ship right away with his low skill level, it would be terrible and he would have to replace it pretty quickly. He smiled and said ¡°Never-mind, this is perfect, thank you very much.¡± as he took the 3 bags full of at least 400 seeds. Azrael briskly walked back over to the charcoal filled part of the beach that used to be a rather large fishing village. He started at the entrance, where he planted several seeds into the ground with a few feet in-between, they were seeds from the large trees that made up the forest. After concentrating a decent amount of mana into all of them at the same time, they started to grow at a rapid pace. It took a few minutes to become saplings, but then only a few seconds to start resembling trees. The trees meshed together to create a singular, stronger tree that had a small opening near the bottom that elves and orcs could fit through, it was too small for him though. It took an hour and all of his mana, but he finally finished the large gateway tree. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have grown an Archway Quadra Tree! This magically grown tree is much stronger and sturdier than normal and has the ability to create a mana shield to prevent enemies from entering the town. It is still young and fragile but will eventually become much more durable and capable of using higher level magic. Since you used mana sculpting to give it shape, it is technically considered a sculpture. This is an uncommon piece. Health: 5000 Mana: 3000 Artistic value: 75 Natural value: 230[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Crafting proficiency has increased! Mana Sculpting proficiency has increased! Mana Manipulation proficiency has increased! Mana Growth has increased to level 2![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Art has increased by 30 Creativity has increased by 15 Fame has increased by 20 Natural Affinity has increased by 15[/col][/box] It seemed like everything involving mana crafting took a massive amount of similar skills to create anything, which meant you had to multitask¡­ constantly. After recovering his mana by drinking some disgusting blue fluids that Freya prepared for him, he began to grow the rest of the wall. All he really did was plant a bunch of trees in close proximity to each other and fuse them together into one gigantic wall-tree, it definitely looked a bit strange. On the opposite side of town he made another gate and to the far north, where the fishing piers were, he created large and wide branches that extended 40 meters to the north. By reinforcing them with thick vines, he managed to create new piers that hovered almost 10 meters over the crashing waves. He had begun creating his magical tree fortress, which had easy fishing access without ever having to actually leave the safety of it¡¯s walls. Azrael managed to create a desalination plant that was actually a plant, it would take in salt water from the ocean and convert it into fresh water. The plant was completely under the beach and distributed the water to the roots of the fortress. He had to take a lot of breaks to regain mana, so it had already been a week when he finished the wall. That¡¯s when Osmond, Dala, 100 orcs and 50 dark elves came to start rebuilding the village. It was unbelievable, the beach was still dyed red and there was plenty of wreckage from the conflict, but there was an enormous tree where the charred remains of a village should have been. Dala was shocked, she said ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ how could such a thing exist?¡± in a confused voice as she gazed upon the strange, solid tree-wall. She walked up to it and placed her hand upon its bark to prove to herself that it wasn¡¯t an illusion. Osmond yelled ¡°Over here! I found the entrance!¡± as he tried to walk through the open archway, but suddenly a mana shield appeared and blocked his way. Dala said ¡°It¡¯s a magical barrier¡­ perhaps we need permission to enter?¡± in a worried voice as she looked around the inside of the archway. Osmond smiled and said ¡°Plagued one.¡± in a calm voice and the shield disappeared. Dala laughed and said ¡°How did you know that would work?¡± in an excited voice as she hugged him from behind. Apparently, Osmond moves pretty fast¡­ or maybe elves are just easy? They all entered the walls and saw what they originally expected, a lot of ashes and charred wood strewn about. Although, instead of sand, the ground was covered in thick roots that were strangely even and were surprisingly comfortable to walk on. In the center of the town, Azrael was channeling mana into a small tree that was growing very quickly. Dala was about to call out to him but Osmond said ¡°Don¡¯t make him lose concentration, who knows what might happen¡­¡± in a worried voice and she quickly realized why when the tree was suddenly soaring into the sky. It was growing at such an amazing speed that in less than 90 seconds it was already 50 meters tall. A young dark elf girl walked over to the group and said ¡°Dala! I thought you were dead!¡± in a surprised voice as she quickly ran over and hugged her. Dala started crying and said ¡°I see! You were one of the ones who were healed!¡± in a happy voice as she hugged Lorelei tightly. They were second cousins or something similar, it was a small village so it wasn¡¯t particularly strange. Lorelei laughed and said ¡°Isn¡¯t Azrael amazing? He built this whole place in just one week! He even brought a bunch of people back from the dead¡­ but not mama. Well, I can still talk to her sometimes though so it¡¯s not that bad.¡± in an excited voice, the tree was finally done growing. Azrael made it extremely wide at the base and gave it huge branches that extend all the way out to the walls on each side at varying heights. Within the center of the tree is a large magical elevator¡­ perhaps its more like a tube that quickly sucks up to 5 people at a time to whatever part of the tree they want to go. It was incredibly useful, except for the fact that it¡¯s disgusting to be drenched in tree sap every time you need to use it. Luckily, he decided to include a spiral staircase, with a railing, that went around the entire tree. Osmond said ¡°Most people only remembered Plague for his outstanding destructive capabilities, but those of us who actually knew him were more impressed by his creations.¡± proudly with a confident expression, but no one really understood what he was talking about. Dala finally let go of Lorelei and said ¡°What do you mean, you can talk to her? Isn¡¯t she dead?¡± in a concerned voice, she thought that the child could have been haunted by a possessive spirit. Lorelei smiled at her and said ¡°Mama¡¯s spirit is inside of Azrael, he let¡¯s her take over his body sometimes so she can talk to me. Instead of sleeping like the others, he lets mama use his body for a few hours every other day.¡± in a happy voice. When users are offline, their bodies still persist in Royal Road, in a sleep-like state. However, they become untargetable and gain a protective barrier that can¡¯t be dispelled or destroyed. Most people still prefer to logout in a bed or something similar, otherwise they would receive a debuff until they logged out in a bed for a few hours. Osmond grinned and said ¡°I understand, while his mind is sleeping, your mother¡¯s spirit is able to take control of his unconscious body.¡± in a confident voice, although Dala already figured that much out herself. An obnoxiously loud voice yelled out ¡°Eww! Gross! Move it, ugly! I can¡¯t believe I ever looked like you people!¡± amidst a plethora of angry orc sounds. Another voice yelled ¡°Freya! Try not to piss them off!¡± and then the two women emerged from the crowd of orcs and dark elves. Lorelei said ¡°Freya! So-Ra! You¡¯re finally back! Did you find those scissor things you were looking for?¡± in an excited voice as she ran over to the two women. Osmond started laughing quietly, but apparently no one else understood the concept of a euphemism. Apparently, they did more in those two months than just making potions. Azrael had finally completed the fortress and reached beginner level 7 of Mana Growth, it was time to start building his ship. He actually went online and looked up various ship designs that were popular in Royal Road and found one that he really liked. However, the typical elven ship designs looked like old viking ships that were made of living trees. The ship he wanted to create was a Ship of the Line, it was just a gigantic sailing battleship with as many cannons as possible. He couldn¡¯t actually use it for anything, he just made it to practice his ship building technique and the various skills required. It took him three weeks in-game, but he finally finished the battleship. It actually took longer to build the cannons than to grow and sculpt the whole rest of the ship. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Please enter the name of this vessel.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created a Living Ship of The Line, Sariel! Artistic Value: 1000 Natural Value: 1250 This massive three decked, three masted, 132 gunned ship of the line has been grown through a unique combination of elven shipbuilding combined with advanced human and dwarven designs. Created by Azrael the Forgetful, although he probably doesn¡¯t remember why. This huge 80m x 24m battleship requires a crew of at least 1300 to operate it properly. Due to its extraordinary size, only a powerful mage with a high elven sailing skill can captain this vessel. However, the mana requirement can be shared between all officers with elven sailing to lessen the burden on the captain. The speed of the vessel is relatively low along with maneuverability, but its health, mana and firepower are very high. In this living battleship, various fruits, nuts, berries and vegetables will grow over time within the corridors. Health will regenerate over time but healing magic is effective on the damaged areas. Deer, wolves, rabbits, and various other animals will spawn periodically if the captain enables the function. By using it¡¯s mana, the ship can cast wind and magic to increase its speed, it can also use nature magic to fire grappling vines or summon sea monsters to attack the enemy vessels. Warning: Sea monsters aren¡¯t your friends, they will try to kill you too. Also, if near death, the ship will activate its emergency regeneration, absorbing the life force and mana of all crew members, potentially killing them. This is a fine piece. Health: 100,000 Mana: 40,000 Firepower: 850 x 126 Speed: 8 knots Maneuverability: 3[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Fame has increased by 300 Creativity has increased by 150 Art has increased by 250 Intellect has increased by 5 Wisdom has increased by 10 Maximum mana has increased by 1000 Natural Affinity has increased by 200[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Crafting has increased to intermediate level 2! Mana Sculpting has increased to level 9! Manasmithing proficiency has increased! Mana Growth has increased to level 8! Mana Weaving proficiency has increased![/col][/box] It was a beautiful ship and he had absolutely no possible way to use it in any capacity other than to sell. Azrael was forced to log off in order to access the auction website, but it was definitely worth it. He didn¡¯t really expect too many people would be willing to buy it and he was afraid to ask too much for a ship that was so demanding of it¡¯s crew. Under the display name Plaguedone he posted the stats of the ship and started the auction at 1000 dollars, which seemed like a lot to him. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Roflmaster999: This can¡¯t be real. CatzRkool: The location for pickup is that dark elf village that was destroyed by the Poseidon Guild, and it¡¯s even posted by ¡®him¡¯... Jaslberg13: How the fuck? Did you guys read those stats? Roflmaster999: That¡¯s what I meant¡­ I can¡¯t believe no one¡¯s even bid on it yet. CatzRkool: Im sure they¡¯re suspicious that it might be a trap set up by the Fairy Pirates. Forewarned: It¡¯s real, such an overpowered battle ship could only be created by Plaguedone. I just saw him finish it earlier, it took him 3 weeks to finish¡­ he made it by himself. Chaoster88: That sounds like bullshit. Doombraggar: I¡¯ve seen quite a few elven warships in my starting city and even the small ones were incredibly powerful. It¡¯s because they¡¯re living ships, so they can even gain levels and become stronger over time. Jaslberg13: OMG! If that¡¯s the ship at level 1¡­ Doombraggar: Yep, that is probably the most powerful battleship in all of Royal Road at the moment. Any guild who owns that ship will own the oceans. Forewarned: I¡¯m the chief of the Sharp Tooth orcs who defeated Perseus¡¯ army and I will guarantee the safety of whoever ends up buying the Sariel. However, if anyone plans on attempting to steal the ship, keep in mind that it¡¯s a living ship that will literally devour any pirates that board it. CatzRkool: No way! Seriously? Roflmaster999: A ship that can¡¯t be stolen¡­ god I really wish I was rich enough to afford that ship! It¡¯s already over 15k and its only been a few minutes¡­ Anon1846: lol I like how it grows food and can spawn animals¡­ I wonder if he did that on purpose?[/col][/box] He set the auction time to one week, so there was a whole month in-game before the buyer would arrive. Meanwhile, he began to work on his next project, the first ship that he would actually be using. It had to have some combat capability, but also be possible to operate with less than 5 people. Cannons were unnecessary and cumbersome for what he intended to use it for, which meant that he didn¡¯t need to bother with gun decks. However, he liked how the Sariel could grow it¡¯s own food and even spawn forest animals, it gave him a few ideas. Plus there were a few very important features that he absolutely needed for long term sea-travel. While Azrael was working on the new ship, Lorelei, Freya and So-Ra were busy exploring the Sariel. They had been watching him build it, but it was still amazing to be inside of a forest on the ocean. Vines covered most of the ship¡¯s interior and exterior, they would act like seat-belts if there was a sudden stop or if there was an impact they could even be used as a shield. However, what they found most fascinating was the fully functioning ecosystem within the ship''s corridors and all throughout the hull. You could pick delicious fruit directly from the vine, tree or bush, and eat it¡­ you could also get attacked by wolves and bears if you were careless. Lorelei said ¡°This boat is so amazing! It¡¯s probably the biggest one ever!¡± in an excited voice as she spun around while standing on the main deck. Freya laughed and said ¡°A long time ago, the biggest ship was the Atlantis¡­ although it was so huge that it was more like an island.¡± while picking some herbs off the ground. Lorelei pouted and said ¡°No fair, Azrael just started making boats! I bet after a little more practice, he¡¯s gonna build one even bigger than Atlantis!¡± in an excited voice.. So-Ra said ¡°I¡¯ve been on a ship that was twice as big as this, but it wasn¡¯t nearly as impressive. It definitely wasn¡¯t alive...¡± in a serious voice. Freya said ¡°What¡¯s real money? He said that he wasn¡¯t going to sell this ship for gold but something more valuable.¡± in a curious voice as she looked to So-Ra for answers. So-Ra said ¡°In our world there are many types of currencies and they can be used to buy important things that can¡¯t be found in this one. I wonder how much people will buy this for? Some people are willing to pay thousands of dollars for just a rare shield or sword¡­¡± in a worried voice, she knew that the more money it was worth, the more dangerous the sale would be. However, Azrael had already expected such an outcome might occur, so he had to multitask. As he was growing and sculpting the exploration ship, he was building hundreds of cannons, ballistas, trebuchets, and a few ¡®special¡¯ anti ship weapons that could defend the tree fortress against even the strongest of navies. The special anti ship weapons were small kraken style vine tentacles that were connected to the roots of the fortress and could pierce the hulls of wooden ships or land across the decks and break the ships in half if they were small enough. There was also a trump card that took a bit of time and effort to create, just in-case too many people came to the party. The three girls were still pretty low level, Freya was the highest at level 5, so they decided to stay aboard the ship and train by hunting the weak animals that spawned. An Ancient Alchemist¡¯s fighting style is completely reliant on using potions to transform their bodies into weapons, or simply transforming into monsters that can fight without weapons. Freya had created several potions of full direwolf lycanthropy from ingredients she bought from the orcs in the flourishing new tree fortress, Am Meer. Most elven languages are based off of German since the whole elven mythos was originally from there, the name means ¡®By The Sea/Ocean¡¯ which wasn''t particularly creative but at least it was easy to remember. It also made sense why elven fairy tales always end with someone getting cursed, murdered, eaten or otherwise eviscerated for no apparent reason. Lorelei was still classless since she was only a child, but her parents were relatively powerful mages who specialized in fire magic which was pretty ironic. However, because she literally burned to death, her natural fire resistance was extremely high, and her mother had been teaching her while in Azrael¡¯s body. Even though the Sariel was a ship made out of trees, they were alive and well hydrated, so it took a lot for them to burn or take damage from heat. She was able to cast her level 1 fire magic as freely as she wanted to. So-Ra was only level 3 but she already chose her class, a Priestess of Freya. It wasn¡¯t particularly unique, but a healer was always useful, even a bad one. She had a lot of trouble remembering the chants, but the runes were relatively easy for her to learn how to read since they were based off of Korean. With Freya tanking in the form of a golden dire wolf, she added gold powder to make all of her transformations the same color, the other two were close behind since they didn¡¯t know any long ranged spells yet. They could easily massacre a couple foxes, but every time they encountered a wolf it was a life or death struggle. However, they got overconfident after the wolves became easier to deal with and when they found a dire wolf, everyone died. Azrael had to stop what he was doing and go into the ship to recover the mutilated corpse of Lorelei, which was nearly unrecognizable. When he finally managed to bring her back to life and heal her to full, she wouldn¡¯t stop crying. The other two bodies disappeared after they died so he couldn¡¯t resurrect them, but he knew that they weren¡¯t really dead. He said ¡°Stop crying, it¡¯s annoying. You need to be more careful¡­ but those two are immortal. Even if they died a hundred times, they would just come back to life with a level missing, three days later.¡± in an irritated voice as he had a flashback from the Heart of Suffering. Azrael wasn¡¯t exactly looking forward to giving birth again, but having a full grown person burst out of your abdomen isn¡¯t so bad when the pain limiter is working properly. He did have to take off his armor though, which was relatively difficult and time consuming. When So-Ra logged back on, she was happy to see that Lorelei was alive, but she couldn¡¯t find Freya. She was about to ask Azrael where to find her but she could speak, an arm burst out of his naval and started flailing around. He said ¡°Can you please pull on that?¡± in a pained voice as he stuck his fingers into the opening and made it wider. She grabbed the golden hand and pulled the slimy, naked elf out of his body. Freya started laughing and said ¡°That was pretty exciting! You were right Azrael, if you treat life like a game, even dying isn¡¯t so bad!¡± in an excited voice as she reached into his gaping abdomen and pulled out her clothes, items and bags. He sighed and said ¡°Yea¡­ maybe you can try not to die so often? You still lose a level and why the fuck is your spawn point inside of me?¡± in an irritated voice as he used his mana to heal the wound. It was pretty strange but user¡¯s avatars didn¡¯t have intestines, they did have most of the other organs though and even some extra ones that do various things. So-Ra started crying and then hugged the still naked Freya who was covered in red slime while saying ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! When you died¡­ I can¡¯t believe I was so useless! I¡¯m gonna get better at healing so that this never happens again!¡± in a nasally voice. Freya was laughing awkwardly because she had no idea what was going on. When her parents and siblings died thousands of years ago, she felt absolutely nothing. Yet, her avatar died once and So-Ra was still so upset, it was very strange. Azrael sighed and whispered Freya, which was possible because she was his companion. -She¡¯s definitely in love with you kid. -I don¡¯t understand¡­ what¡¯s love? -If you could never see So-Ra again, would you be sad? -That won¡¯t happen, we¡¯re both immortal¡­ there¡¯s no reason to think of something so unpleasant. -Possibly, but if the game was shut down in our world, you would die regardless of how powerful you were. Also, So-Ra isn¡¯t immortal, in our world she will probably live for another 130 years at most, which is only about 520 years in this one. One way or another it is more than likely you will both be separated eventually¡­ now do you understand. -Yes¡­ I think I understand now. Freya stopped laughing and golden tears slowly leaked from her eyes, dripping down her face. Then Azrael yelled ¡°Oh for fuck¡¯s sake! I have shit to do! Go take your childish bullshit somewhere else! Just be more careful and protect Lorelei better, I have to sacrifice a level every time she fucking dies!¡± in an extremely angry voice that shocked both of them out of their weepy mindsets. They were both motivated to become stronger and the next time they faced a dire wolf, it was their overwhelming victory. Azrael somehow managed to finish building all of the armaments for Am Meer with a few in-game hours to spare, when he logged off to check on the auction he was mildly surprised. At first, small guilds who were trying to quickly increase their military power could afford bids going all the way up to 100k dollars. However, that¡¯s when it caught the attention of the larger guilds, the Sariel was just too valuable and dangerous for anyone else to own but themselves. It meant that every guild with a decent navy in the entire world needed to prevent such an overpowered weapon from falling into anyone else''s hands but their own. The bidding wars turned into actual wars all across the central continent, and even the westernmost countries were becoming involved. Large guilds are backed up by huge, multibillion dollar companies who are willing to do just about anything to get what they want. If Michael wasn¡¯t under constant surveillance and protected by Unicorn Corp it was possible that he might have been threatened or even assassinated in reality to prevent the sale of that battleship. The final bid was 750 million dollars, but Azrael was more excited by what he read in the comments. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]CatzRkool: LMFAO The whole world has been thrown into a frenzy just because of one boat! Doombraggar: It does make sense though, now that Susanoo Guild owns the Sariel they really have become the ruler of the seas. Roflmaster999: Lulz, that¡¯s only if they can manage to survive the onslaught of every other navy in Royal Road! Not just the guilds but even the kingdoms have sent their fleets to destroy that ship at all costs! Forewarned: Anyone who attempts to interrupt the sale will be annihilated, did they really think the Plagueone didn¡¯t expect this to happen? He wants them to come, they are merely food for Sariel the Benevolent Angel of Death. Plaguedone: :)[/col][/box] <=Previous Chapter Next Chapter=> Volume 2 Chapter 4: Cancer [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Subject: Happy Fun Timez From: Plaguedone To: Bunny, Dalthis, Odin, Ceda, Perigrin, Butter, Oosan, Prodeath, Afro, Phailure, Nexic, Kadona, Will, Zoey, Syben, Kadona I¡¯m throwing a party and you¡¯re all invited :) Bring your friends! You have a month and a half to get here, a location marker has been added to your world maps. PS. The person who sinks the most ships wins 5 million dollars! Better hurry :P[/col][/box] If Azrael had a fighting style, it would probably be called ¡®Overkill¡¯. However, detonating a nuke is a lot easier than surviving the blast from point blank range. There was a fine line between flawless victory and mutual annihilation in most of his plans. Yet, they usually turned out pretty well¡­ to be fair, there was no way he could have predicted what would happen. Ok, that¡¯s a lie, he actually did have many dreams in which everything happened exactly the way it all played out. It¡¯s a shame he couldn¡¯t remember them, or perhaps he could have changed his fate. Well, he was the type of person who always believed that everything happened the way it was meant to. On the eve of the great and terrible battle, Azrael had a premonition. It was merely a glimpse into a fraction of a memory of a dream, yet it told him what he needed to do. This would be a war that could only be won by the side who wasn¡¯t there. He ordered Osmond to gather all of his forces and retreat back to the Sharp Tooth city, along with the Sariel and her crew. There was a wide river that went from both sides of the 10 mile long beach, all the way back to a mile south of the orc town. Osmond¡¯s cousin was the leader of the Susanoo Guild and also the CEO of one of Unicorn Corps shell corporations based in Japan. They didn¡¯t want to openly influence Royal Road in such an unpopular way, so they would use shell corporations who had entire guilds working for them to prevent the balance of power from being disturbed so early into the game. To make sure the sale went through without complications, 1500 elven sailors along with 50 relatively powerful mages from the guild arrived at Am Meer a few days before the sale. They were one of the only guilds to even have elven sailors, but that was mainly because everyone in their guild was either an elf, fairy or cute anthropomorphic animal person. They were the largest non-human guild at the time, with over 30 thousand members. When the armada arrived, the Sariel was nowhere to be found. At least a thousand ships were gathered 10 miles off the coast, all aligned together against a common enemy. However, their enemy was missing, there was a massive fortress made of trees but no battleship. The lookouts could only see a handful of people anywhere on the beach. There was a giant man in a black ant-like suit of armor, sitting next to a gigantic sword while putting the finishing touches on a relatively large ship. On the far eastern part of the beach, an elf with golden skin and a korean woman were kissing¡­ in various different ways. A few feet away from the Antman was a young dark elf girl who was facing away and appeared to be talking to herself. Even if all the NPCs were ordered to evacuate, Azrael wasn¡¯t about to let all of his hard work go to waste because of a vision that might not even come to pass. The guild Forewarning didn¡¯t exist in Royal Road, but almost every single one of the main raiders had become an important existence in their own ways. Most of them started their own guilds, some of them played solo, a few of them were even considered the scourge of Versailles. However, regardless of their own silly little quarrels, that usually led to massive wars, they all had something in common¡­ Plague. He didn¡¯t talk to them that much anymore, but he was still good friends with all of them, so even if he asked them to help for free, they would have still come. However, they were very competitive people, except for Ceda, so turning it into a competition was actually part of his strategy. A month and a half is far too little time to travel across the continent using normal means. Some had access to flying mounts or spells, they had it the easiest and didn¡¯t even have to hurry. Others used their reputation with the church of Freya to teleport to Serabourg Castle and traveled through the Plains of Despair, then north past the Dark Elf Fortress, eventually reaching the ocean and traveling east along the beaches for about a hundred miles before getting to the tree fortress. The first to arrive was Pergrin¡¯s guild, who used a portal deep within the Ulta Mountain¡¯s to instantly travel to the Northern Yurokina Mountains, from there it was less than fifty miles which took them a few days before they arrived. He wasn¡¯t building hundreds of cannons and other generic siege weapons by himself, there was just way too much that needed doing before the big event. Dark dwarves weren¡¯t a new race that was just recently created in the Sharp Tooth tribe, they had been around for thousands of years. However, they lived pretty much the same as other dwarves, under the southern continent¡¯s mountains. They were one of the first playable races but were typically at war with the regular dwarves. A strange partnership between a dark dwarf Gunner Phailure and the dwarf Armorsmith Afro, who were brothers in reality, with Perigrin as the leader they created a guild called HillBro¡¯s Siegecraft. They were a small guild, with less than 300 members, who specialized in the creation and utilization of all types of siege weapons. They also had many gunners, who were basically just rangers that used muskets or similar firearms. The only person who didn¡¯t actually show up was Nexic, but that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t involved. He was the shadow ruler of the Brent Kingdom, the actual king was the queen¡¯s only son, William. He was only born a few months ago and yet he already had the body of an adult. All of Will¡¯s bastard children were gathered in Varhales and formed a 5,000 strong army of half-incubi/succubi, who were each very powerful on their own. They could all fly in one way or another and had small horns coming from their foreheads, but they didn¡¯t inherit the uncontrollable ability to make every woman or man who looked at them fall in love or get pregnant. Their whole purpose in life was to find and kill their father Will, it was a basic instinctual need. When Nexic told king William that his father was going to be in Am Meer, he immediately left with his army of brothers and sisters to get there as fast as possible. With the King gone, Nexic was forced to stay in Varhales and deal with any problems that came up in Brent. However, the assassins guild was contracted to kill as many sailors as possible during the battle, for a decent amount of gold per head. Will had a very awkward race and class that would seem extremely overpowered at first glance. However, even though he initially gained 1 to every stat for each of his children, there was a downside. Each of them had a skill which temporarily gave them up to 100 more of a single stat that was drained from Will until the duration was over. When his children weren¡¯t using that skill, he had over 5,000 of each stat, but if they all used the skill at the same time, he would be weaker than a level 1 rabbit. The main purpose of the racial was probably so that he could create his own army of children to help him fight. However, since he abandoned each of them, it became the complete opposite situation. Even under such obvious danger, Will needed the money to support his children in reality, so he was preparing to cause as much destruction as possible. After getting blacklisted from too many guilds, Butter finally decided to create his own. He called it ¡°Bunny Hunters¡± and their whole purpose was to seek and destroy the evil queen of darkness Bunny, along with all her minions. At first he was alone, but every time Bunny¡¯s guild ¡°Sexual Harassment¡± and their armies conquered a city, the Bunny Hunters would gain a horde of new members. Their numbers had grown to over 7,000 members but most of which were only around level 40-70, they traveled from Ritten to Am Meer with a relatively small fleet of cheap warships. Azrael¡¯s brother Dalthis was a night elf Archdruid who specialized in AOE healing and shape-shifting. He was the the main healer for an all barbarian guild called ¡°Ripped Raiders¡± that had many¡­ naive and very attractive men for him to prey on. They didn¡¯t even know if he was male or female but if they were above the age of 18 in reality and had a really attractive manly barbarian avatar, their fate was sealed. Regardless of his less than pure intentions for joining the guild, they couldn¡¯t afford to lose the best healer in the continent¡­ even if it cost them their innocence. Coincidentally they were on a small island off the coast, slightly to the west of Am Meer, so it only took them a short while for all 150 high level members to arrive. After the successful capture and sale of the Poseidon Guild fleet, Oosan and his fairy pirates had come into a small fortune. However, it was nothing compared to the reward Plaguedone was offering, they quickly began their voyage back to that elven fishing village as soon as the invitation was received. Their fleet was joined by the mermaid siren Zoey, she had unlocked the ability to become a mermaid after freeing a djinn who was trapped in an urn that was buried in the Desert of Tranquility. It was just as bad as it sounds, she had to slither her way across the desert awkwardly, while suffering from a massive debuff that all mermaids receive out of water. They were among the first to arrive, so they spent their time in the newly built taverns in Sharp Tooth City. Kadona was a high elf priestess, Kadona was her ex-husband and a high elf priest, they hated each other. One was a specialist in dealing damage and the other in preventing it, they used to be a pretty good team. However, people change, and they drifted apart for whatever reason¡­ regardless, they both needed money. Not just that, they also were good friends with Plague, so they were willing to help him in any way possible. Kadona was exploring the Plains of Despair as a solo player. he enjoyed being along and hunting in silence. Kadona was having fun player killing in Brent along with her sister Prodeath, so it didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive at Am Meer. Ceda, was lost inside a system of volcanic tunnels, after completing the quest he became immune to fire¡­ but he was still lost in a maze while wading through lava. When he received the invitation, it included a map marker along with a route guide that showed him the way out. After leaving the tunnels, he emerged from what appeared to be an iron mine. After traveling a few miles north, he reached the meeting place and quickly began to creep on various dark elves, both male and female. Although, since he was genderless it seemed even creepier, he also looked like he was a dryad made of charcoal after repeatedly dying to fire. Bunny, Odin and Syben make up the undead triumvirate, three equally despised and powerful monsters who leave chaos and destruction in their wake. The Unholy Paladin Queen Bunny, Syben the Lich Witch man¡­ and Odin the Shaman. Mainly because of Butter, the three were at odds with most of Forewarning. Obviously, they would never turn down a chance to prove they were better than everyone else. However, they were the last ones to arrive, since Bunny kept crashing her bone dragons and she had to pick up some ¡®potions¡¯ from Nexic. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It¡¯s strange to think that over a hundred million people play Royal Road and not a single one of them tried to create firearms. The truth is that gunpowder does exist in the continent of Versailles, it¡¯s even used in many ways. Cannons, muskets, and all manner of antique weaponry exist in the game, yet no one ever thought to try creating more modern weapons? Think about why guns were so popular and useful in our reality, it was because they were more powerful, deadly, and efficient than swords or arrows ever were. Yet, in a world where it¡¯s possible to fire an arrow farther than a mile and accurately hit a target that then explodes into a raging inferno, it was just never necessary. Magical spells, superhuman stats and physical skills could overcome the gap that firearms created in our world. In Royal Road, guns were weak, but that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t useful. Cannons were used all the time during naval and siege warfare instead of high level magic that was still pretty rare. Dwarves were excellent craftsmen and preferred to use muskets, blunderbusses or single shot miniball pistols to the much cheaper and commonplace bows or crossbows. However, with the proper weapon proficiency, you could actually become more accurate with such horribly inaccurate guns. The real question was not just in the case of guns, but bombs or even more high tech and destructive weapons. Technologies that are still relatively new like lasers, pulse or plasma weaponry, most of which are easily conjured through spells in Royal Road, could potentially be created through alternate means. Why would anyone go through the effort of creating weapons in the game that were only useful in reality? The answer is obvious, because it¡¯s possible, no other reason was necessary. Prometheus, the city of forbidden knowledge and technology. Hidden deep underneath the ocean, protected by one of the 10 restricted zones, the ruins of Atlantis. It was a place no normal user had ever seen or heard about, but there was a small population of scientists and inventors who worked in Unicorn Corps R&D department that inhabited the isolated little world. They spend all their time creating new technologies or perfecting old ones to either be used in Royal Road or in reality. Not all races are created equal in such a fantasy world, there were giant monsters but there were also very small creatures. Everyone in Prometheus, including the Goddess who rules their City, Athena, was of a small race of mouse-like humanoids that were literally the size of normal mice. The entire city existed within the basement of a warehouse in the ruins of Atlantis, the main goal of the users who lived there was to create technology that was as small as physically possible. NPCs who lived in the city were all very intelligent and assisted them in their experiments whenever they could. It was a beautiful place, a very important place at least until the ruins of atlantis began to awaken. Originally, Atlantis was simply an ancient city located on the bottom of the ocean, near mermaid territory. However, a few days ago something strange happened, the city was no longer flooded and all the sea monsters who infested it had disappeared. Athena sent scouts to the outside world for the first time in centuries, and what they discovered was very strange. Apparently, they were not only above water, but moving very quickly to the west. How convenient, since Azrael didn¡¯t go to Atlantis, the whole damn city was coming to him¡­ or so it would seem. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How much is too much when chumming for sea monsters? A question Azrael asked himself several times before ultimately deciding that it didn¡¯t matter. For the whole month before the fleets arrived, he had thousands of orcs excessively hunting wolves, direwolves and even bears for meat. Then, they would bring it to Am Meer, where the dark elves would use ice magic to freeze it for later use. Around 5 days before the fleet arrived, they had accumulated at least a couple thousand tons of frozen meat to use as bait. It took days for the giant frozen block of meat to thaw, while floating several miles away from the shore. Although, that made it¡¯s effect even more profound, 20 schools of sea monsters from various directions descended upon the delicious meal. Typically, when a school of sea monsters is traveling underneath your ship, a few of them tend to attack. Most experienced sailors are capable of fending them off until the school loses interest or the ship escapes to shallow waters. When each of the fleets came closer to their destination, they noticed that the sea monsters were completely ignoring them while traveling underneath their ships for hundreds of miles. It was the main reason why they couldn¡¯t get closer to the shore, there was a war raging between Am Meer and the Armada. Thousands of huge, krakens, sharks, hydras, and various other over-sized, vicious aquatic creatures were tearing each other apart. Six square miles of ocean was dyed red and occasionally a giant tentacle or shark would emerge from the bloody surface, before quickly returning. There was a massive chain reaction, after the chum was gone, the giant frenzied fish were still hungry. The more they killed each other, more sea monsters came to the buffet. It was like a forest fire, except in the water¡­ and the trees were gigantic mutated fish. Azrael had planned for something similar to this happening, which is why he created his favorite weapon in any strategy game, artillery. He only had time to build one prototype, but it seemed to function properly and had an effective range of 15 miles. It looked similar to a giant cannon and was mounted inside of a giant, sturdy tree that could adjust its height, or change the angle and direction through magic. Azrael grew the tree a mile into the forest, to the south east of Am Meer, it had a platform made of branches and vines so that it could be loaded and fired. The key feature to any artillery is the ammo, which Azrael and Freya created. Hillbro¡¯s Siegecraft created most of the black powder, pitch and pretty much everything that¡¯s used in typical siege warfare. However, Freya used her newly acquired ingredient supply to create ectoplasm explosive warheads for the shells. They were shaped like huge bullets, rather than balls, and the inside of the cannon was even rifled. It had a reloading mechanism that was similar to a howitzer, but a bit crude and if it weren¡¯t for the tree, it probably wouldn¡¯t have actually worked. The shells were designed to explode in the air and rain down magically enhanced ectoplasm that acts like sulfuric acid and also creates a small cloud of poisonous gas when in contact with ocean water. With a loud whistle of death, the first round was fired, deep into the enemy fleet and burst directly over a Kalamore Kingdom ship. The ship was a generic man-of-war looking vessel that had a crew of 500 or so NPC sailors and a few hundred user passengers. Everyone on deck was sprayed with a bit of the acid, but that was enough to melt through their bodies and then through the floor. It was a magically enhanced acid and there were no mages onboard who could counteract it. Several small holes opened up in the bottom of the ship and it began flooding, but even more importantly, the poisonous gas that was created had been trapped inside of the ship. Before they could have a chance to drown, the entire crew suffocated and quickly died. After witnessing how easy 700 people were killed, many of the wiser captains began to realize their arrogance. The Kalamore fleet was enraged and began to charge thoughtlessly towards the beach. It only took a moment, a second at the most for the entire fleet to be obliterated by the rampaging sea monsters that ironically couldn¡¯t be seen. Their hulls ruptured and the ships sank into the murky red depths, as did anyone who tried to swim away. Ten warships, nearly 7,000 NPCs had died and they couldn¡¯t even make it within firing range of Azrael. It might not seem like that many compared to the 989 ships that were still remaining, but it was a pretty solid start. The second artillery round was fired and managed to explode over another ship, quickly sinking it. However, after they spread out their ships better, it became much more difficult to accurately hit from so far away. When Azrael noticed them spreading out, he whistled twice, signaling them to change the ammo type. He preferred it this way, since he went through all the trouble to create his little experiments. When the shell exploded over an empty space of water, the nearby sailors were relieved, but that quickly changed. A huge swarm of mosquitoes seemed to spawn out of the explosion and started to fly towards the closest ship. Luckily for them, they had a fire mage on-board who could save them¡­ oh wait, it was Ceda. He shot a torrent of flames towards the mosquitoes and scared them away, in the process he ¡®accidentally¡¯ lit the sails on fire. Then he ¡®accidentally¡¯ shot a fireball at the captain¡¯s face and disintegrated his head. When the crew realized that he was a traitor, it was already too late, the whole ship was a blazing inferno. Forewarning had already begun their competition, and somehow Ceda received the first point. Unless you count Phailure and the artillery as the first few points, not that it really mattered. The swarm of mosquitoes was moving from ship to ship and quickly devouring everyone on deck, but they wouldn¡¯t go inside the cabins or hulls in large numbers. Azrael used life manipulation to create a variety of the most annoying and disgusting insects out of plants, and managed to make them even more irritating. After a few more explosions, there were swarms of cockroaches, mosquitoes, locusts, wasps and flies terrorizing the fleets. However, for the most part they were more of a chaos booster, rather than some secret weapon of mass destruction. It kept the fleet oblivious to the fact that they were under attack by much more vicious insects, obviously that means Oosan and the Fairy Pirates. They had already acquired 7 ships from the Haven fleet and began using them to attack the other ships. It appeared as if Haven was breaking the temporary alliance and using the chaos to attack the Harpan fleet. While that was going on in the center, the whole left flank of the armada was engulfed in green flames. An army of flying incubi and succubi were chasing Will, there was massive collateral damage to the Aidern Kingdom¡¯s armada. Yet, none of the other fleets could intervene, since they were busy being decimated themselves. The northern fleets were caught between the Bunny Hunters¡¯ and Sexual Harassment¡¯s skirmish. A massive swarm of sea monsters were creating a subtle whirlpool of destruction that was sucking in the southernmost fleets. Obviously Ceda was the first casualty on Forewarning¡¯s side, but it was friendly fire¡­ or acid. While viewing the chaos, Azrael had plenty of time to finally finish his precious boat. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Please choose a name for the Vessel.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created the Living Exploratory Ship, Hanael! Artistic Value: 2000 Natural Value: 2450 This relatively large, three masted, three decked, exploratory vessel has been grown through a unique combination of elven shipbuilding combined with advanced human and dwarven designs. Created by Azrael the Forgetful, perhaps he couldn¡¯t remember to include a few cannons? This ship was created with far more amenities and luxuries than should be allowed on the open ocean. It is a complete mystery why someone would create a swimming pool within this 44m x 14m huge sailing yacht, perhaps it¡¯s meant as a container for freshly caught fish? There are several, rather large and comfortable crew quarters within the hull that have large beds, many cabinets, closets, safes, chests, display cases, weapon racks, and even small private bathrooms that have working toilets and sinks. Throughout the ship is working plumbing that flushes excrement outside of the ship, and also pumps clean freshwater through the sinks and showers. There is a desalination plant(It¡¯s an actual plant) within the ship that sucks in salt water, heats it, separates the salt from the water and in the process purifies it, before sending it into a large water tank. There is a large, public bath and shower room that also has a heated jacuzzi, the creator believes that bathhouses are disgusting. However, placing a private shower within each bedroom would be very difficult and they would be far too small for his tastes. Within the bathhouse are many types of soap plants that have various scents and effects. The mess hall is small and closer to an actual dining room, meant for less than 15 people. The galley is small as well, but it still has several mana stoves, mana freezers, mana refrigerators, and various other strange living devices that were created for mysterious purposes. Depending on the amount of mana pumped into the ship, the various fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries and herbs that grow along the walls of the ship can be produced faster or slower. Based on the ships level, many animals and monsters can spawn on the deck, within the corridors and in certain areas of the hull. Even though there are no cannons or conventional weapons on this ship, it has several defensive and offensive features installed. There is a mana shield that can be overcharged to become nearly unbreakable for a few seconds. Using nature magic, the ship can summon sea monsters, fire vine grappling hooks from the deck, launch vine torpedoes that can pierce the hulls of ships from underwater, and even create powerful storms. This living ship will start at level 1 and grow in power as it gains more experience. It¡¯s maneuverability and speed is surprisingly high, given its relatively large size. However, it has no firepower, but it does have a considerably high amount of mana and health, so it is possible for it to even win against a ship-of-the-line in survivability. Health will regenerate over time but healing magic is effective on the damaged areas. By using wind and water magic, this ship can massively increase it¡¯s speed and maneuverability. This is a fine piece. Warning: Sigh, fuck it, you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s ever going to read this shit so why do I even bother explaining it? It¡¯s not like you even read the descriptions, plus this ship will probably get obliterated in the near future so I don¡¯t even care anymore! Health: 60,000 Mana: 90,000 Firepower: 0 Speed: 18 knots Maneuverability: 9[/col][/box] Azrael yelled ¡°Get inside!¡± loudly to the 4 girls who were loitering around and watching the battle. They were pretty shocked at the sudden outburst, but quickly followed his directions, they were all standing on the deck of a ship that was sitting on the beach. Lorelei yelled ¡°It¡¯s coming! What is that thing!?¡± in a frightened voice as she looked to the distance towards the northeastern horizon. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]The World Boss Cancer has appeared! Warning: Killing a world boss may have significant and devastating effects all across the continent of Versailles! Warning: When a world boss has been awakened, it must be destroyed, controlled, or returned to sleep as soon as possible or there may be unforeseen catastrophic consequences![/col][/box] Freya laughed and said ¡°Ah! That sure is a big one¡­¡± in a very calm voice while smiling and looking at a mountain that suddenly appeared in the distance. Azrael sighed as the mountain became larger and started heading towards the battle. Within moments, the true form was revealed as it emerged from the ocean and the tides receded dramatically. They couldn¡¯t measure it accurately, but the creature¡¯s body was at least 3 square miles. It was a gigantic stone crab¡­ which basically looks like a regular crab except a lot harder to eat. It was difficult to see, but there were huge buildings built upon its back, yet it was able to easily lift its heavy body out of the water. It¡¯s first target was the sea monster buffet that was spread out over 7 square miles, from the beach to the naval battlefield. Azrael laughed and said ¡°I¡¯m really hungry now¡­¡± in a disappointed voice as he stood at the steering wheel, preparing for the inevitable. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ae-Cha was one of the scientists working on a new micro-fusion energy production system, basically using antimatter to trigger fission, which causes a fusion burn. The way to produce antimatter efficiently in reality was still being worked on, but in Prometheus it was possible to have just about anything fabricated for the purposes of research. However, even in Royal Road, keeping a miniature nuclear explosion contained was still very difficult. Unfortunately, when the city began to start swimming away and everyone began evacuating, Ae-Cha couldn¡¯t leave her lab. If she wasn¡¯t constantly maintaining the mana barrier around the experiment, very bad things would happen. Unfortunately, her avatar wasn¡¯t nearly powerful enough to maintain the barrier alone, so even if she did stay, the result would have been the same. She turned on the automatic stabilization system, but that was only a temporary measure and wouldn¡¯t last for very long. Ae-Cha was a cute little mouse girl who¡¯s avatar was level 253, but given her size, she had pretty much 0 combat capability. She gained levels from working on experiments and creating various devices, since her class was inventor, just doing her job was good enough to get more powerful. On the way out of Prometheus, she grabbed a mana powered jet pack and quickly put it on. She started flying at full speed as soon as she was outside, and quickly reached a high enough altitude to view the situation. Her first thought was ¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯ as she scanned the huge, chaotic battlefield in front of her. There was a super-massive crab devouring hundreds of giant fish directly underneath her, to the north was a naval battle between thousands of ships and to the south was a giant tree fortress. Along the beach she saw an interesting looking ship that caught her attention, so she decided to investigate it before it was too late. The problem with being the size of a mouse, is that any sounds will be perceived at a much lower frequency than with human ears. There were 3 humanoid females speaking in voices that sounded too deep to comprehend, however with a glance Ae-Cha immediately recognized the giant ant-man. He was Azrael, without his discovery of mana manipulation and mana crafting, her current project would have been impossible to work on. However, he was also known by several other names, ¡®The Writer¡¯, ¡®The Elder¡¯, ¡®The Masochist¡¯, due to his exploits while exploring the limits of the Royal Road system. Very few people at Unicorn Corp actually know anything about him, but most of them were part of the Prometheus Project. Ae-Cha was actually a fan of his, but she never would have imagined being able to meet him. Unfortunately, time was up and her project had finally broken through the mana barriers, it was beautiful. The nice thing about Royal Road is that you can fully appreciate the elegance of a nuclear explosion without going blind, at least not permanently. As it turns out, there are many more factors to consider in the game, than reality, but it¡¯s still a catastrophic event. Due to the influence of the mana barriers, when the force was released, it was magnified thousands of times. A micro nuke was turned into a megaton, which is a lot, even against a ridiculously huge crustacean. As the mushroom cloud erupted from its back, the crabs whole body began to cook and turn bright red. It collapsed into the ocean over a few seconds, causing a huge tidal wave that rushed over the naval battle and the beach where she was at the same time. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]The World Boss Cancer has been defeated by ¡°Unidentified Explosion of Unknown Origin¡± and the continent of Versailles has been greatly affected! In the distant oceans, several World Bosses have been awakened due to the disturbance! Sea travel has become much more difficult in many ways! All users and ships who have been in the presence of Cancer that managed to survive the explosion have been cursed, they will be targeted by powerful sea monsters and experience negative weather conditions![/col][/box] They should have been burned by the heat, even from such a great distance, but the ship was surrounded by a powerful mana shield. It also seemed to block out the radiation and protected them from taking damage from the tidal wave. After a few seconds of being underwater within a pocket of air, the ship quickly rose to the surface. The power of mana was amazing, it was both a creative and destructive force, somewhere between matter and energy. Able to fabricate and obliterate just about anything, but it wasn¡¯t endless or omnipotent. Azrael and the ship were both quickly running out of mana and the only way to survive was to use powerful water/wind magic. Even though she couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying, Ae-Cha could slightly hear their voices over the loud white noise. Freya yelled ¡°Ah! Now I remember where I saw that city before! The one that just blew up, it was on the back of the giant creature! That was Atlantis!¡± in a voice that could barely be heard over the deep roaring that was barely passing through the mana shield. Azrael began laughing in a voice that could cut through the white noise and yelled ¡°Of course it was! How the fuck are we supposed to find that damn tree now?!¡± as he steered the ship towards the west. It had only been a few minutes since the explosion, but he was already down to 25% of the ships mana. His own mana supply was completely consumed and he was halfway through his refill, he had a massive migraine but there was no choice other than pumping even more power into increasing their speed. Before anything else, they had to escape to a distance where they wouldn¡¯t be incinerated with the shield down. Lorelei yelled ¡°What was that pretty light?! Was this all part of your plan Azrael?!¡± in a worried voice as she looked up at him from the middle deck. So-Ra screamed ¡°Holy fucking shit! Was that a giant crab shaped nuclear bomb?! When and how the hell did you prepare something like that?!¡± in a surprised voice, it took her a while to join into the conversation since she was mildly distracted. Azrael yelled ¡°Ok, so here''s the thing¡­ if you guys don¡¯t pump every ounce of your mana into this ship, then we¡¯re all about to die!¡± in an anxious voice. Of course, even with everyone combined, they ran out in a few seconds and Azrael still had about 5% left. That¡¯s when he began to use Mana Conversion in reverse, it was something he always theorized was possible, but never actually got around to testing. First he began to transform his health into mana, then stamina, it was even possible to temporarily convert stats like strength into mana. He basically had to lower everything but intellect and wisdom down to 10% of what it normally was before they were finally able to escape the huge area of boiling water, searing winds and radioactive fog. They were all relieved and everyone but Azrael was ecstatic, he let his guard down. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Emergency Teleportation![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Emergency Teleportation (Lvl. 1 0%): A variation on a mages teleportation spell that makes use of an excessively large amount of mana to almost instantly travel thousands of miles¡­ randomly. Since it¡¯s destination isn¡¯t predetermined, no sane person would ever use such a spell, unless the situation was extremely dire. By first creating an incredibly powerful mana shield and then charging it with an absurdly large amount of mana, everything within the bubble is teleported. Warning: This is an extremely dangerous spell! If the shield falls apart before the teleportation is completed, everything inside will be obliterated and lost within the void! It is possible for a void to be left in the wake of the teleportation that could cause severe damage to its surroundings! It is also possible for there to be a massive mana explosion at the end of the teleportation![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used Emergency Teleportation! The Hanael and its crew have been teleported to ¡°Unable to determine current location at this time¡±![/col][/box] Everyone on-board the ship saw the message about being teleported and carefully looked at their surroundings. There was nothing but open ocean in every direction, the waves were relatively peaceful and there weren¡¯t even any seagulls in the air. There was absolutely no way to tell where the hell they were and since it was the middle of the day, it was probably not that far away. Azrael sighed as he looked up at the sky and saw three small moons forming a triangle with a bright sun in between them. Freya laughed and said ¡°Neat! I¡¯ve never seen that before.¡± in a mildly surprised voice. Azrael yelled ¡°For fucks sake!¡± as he realized where he was, a memory of a dream he could barely remember¡­ ¡®Asgard, home of the ?sir.¡¯ it was just supposed to be a little bit of back-story of where a handful of the Gods came from. An entire planet devoted to the powerful and ancient humanoids that came to the continent of Versailles and created one of the main races, humans. ¡®Going by that logic, does that mean there was an entire planet devoted to each fucking race? How the hell did they plan everything in so much detail? Damn it, I''m only level 100! If this place is designed as some kind of endgame content¡­ shit!¡¯ Azrael was contemplating the possibilities while the others were just dumbfoundedly staring at the moons, the only other person who understood the situation was Ae-Cha. The tiny little mouse who was quickly scribbling down her theories and some equations down onto a notebook she always carried around. Freya yelled ¡°Oh yea! Now I remember this place! Isn¡¯t this Asgard? That¡¯s weird¡­ why do I remember this place? I definitely don¡¯t remember remembering this place before!¡± in a confused and irritated voice as she looked at Azrael with a puzzled expression. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have received a whisper from Osmond![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Osmond: Holy Shit! Azrael: Did the village and the ship survive? Osmond: Miraculously! The southern part of town is slightly flooded but that was just from the rivers swelling¡­ what the fuck happened? Azrael: Big battle, sea monster buffet, giant world boss crab monster¡­ nuclear explosion, tidal wave, now I''m on a different planet? Osmond: How? What? Why? How? Huh?! Azrael: Kinda cliche¡­ but it was a teleportation accident? I didn¡¯t even know that there were other planets you could visit in Royal Road? Osmond: There aren¡¯t¡­ there are a few places that aren¡¯t part of the Continent of Versaille, but they aren¡¯t that big. Are you sure you¡¯re on a different planet? Azrael: Well, whatever¡­ are the customers satisfied with the purchase? Osmond: They¡¯re still sitting in the river, kind trapped for the moment¡­ but probably? Azrael: Meh, I meant the ¡®real¡¯ purchase¡­ you think they would pay that much money for just a ship? The board has been reset, that¡¯s what they really wanted. Osmond: True, but don¡¯t you feel kinda bad? I mean, you had to kill almost a million NPCs in the process¡­ not to mention, most of Forewarning died as well. Azrael: Lol, death isn¡¯t permanent in Royal Road¡­ even for the NPCs.[/col][/box] To avoid an obscene amount of taxes Azrael had Unicorn pay him 70% of the price in shares of the company. In the end he only received about 150 million, but that was plenty for what he needed to do for the moment. He gave half of it to his parents to use as they wished, the other half he had plans for. There were plenty of things in reality to spend money on, it wasn¡¯t very popular in Korea, but in America it was commonplace to receive cybernetic enhancements. For the most part it was like cosmetic surgery and the augmentations were relatively small. However, the technology existed for much more dangerous and worthwhile operations or implants. He bought some land and had construction begin on his new ¡®house¡¯, his parents bought a place in Florida. There was no need to rush, his old reality only existed so that he could enjoy his time in Royal Road. Michael did have certain plans for the future, that were much larger than could be accomplished at the time. Even 75 million dollars wasn''t nearly enough for what he needed to do, but that¡¯s a completely different story. It would still be quite a few years before his visions of the future would become reality. This is the story of Azrael, a character in Royal Road that never became famous, yet without his intervention the game would have never become what it is now. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Within an enormous great hall, which is basically a castle, that was built atop a large mountain, surrounded by many miles of beautiful forests, there was a man sitting on a lonely throne. His physical features were weathered with age, he was missing an eye, had a large beard and held onto a fancy looking spear with his right hand. The castle was empty, it even appeared to be in ruin for millennia, only he remained, waiting. A black crow fluttered in through the window, it¡¯s body was covered in scars and one of its legs was even missing, but it managed to gently land on the old man¡¯s left shoulder. The crow whispered into his ear ¡°The Envoy has arrived.¡± and the depressed face of the old man completely changed. He began laughing hysterically, like a mad man and finally yelled ¡°Let the trials begin!¡± as he stood up and the crow quickly flew out the window. The beautiful blue skies turned black with storm clouds, and thousands of shining angelic women with large white dove-like wings, covered in steel plate armor and wielding various weapons began descending from the heavens. The injured crow was soaring through the sky as it suddenly transformed into a giant black dragon and roared so loud that it could be heard over the thunder. The empty, ruined castle began rebuilding itself, fallen pieces of stone would float up into the ceiling and chunks of white marble would flow back into the walls. Within moments, the ruins looked incredibly majestic and as good as new, then the empty hall began to fill with people. There were hundreds of thousands of skeletons within the castle that quickly regenerated into their previous forms. Everything but the old man seemed to return back to a time before the battle that must have caused such devastation. In the throne room, there were many very attractive and powerful beings that appeared to be human, or at least pretty damn close. A handsome blond haired man holding a small golden hammer in his right hand yelled ¡°Father! How many times must you force us to repeat this battle?! No matter how many times we face those demons it always ends the same way¡­ we come back weaker and their numbers only grow!¡± in an angry voice. The old man smiled and said ¡°This will be the last Ragnarok¡­ hopefully our reinforcements will arrive in time.¡± in an excited yet decrepit voice. <=Previous Chapter Next Chapter=> Volume 2 Chapter 5: Angelic Whispers [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Warning: This chapter will have a decent amount of vulgarity, sexual content, sexual organs, sexual jokes, sexual descriptions and probably a few concepts that some people might find offensive. Don¡¯t get your hopes up though, it¡¯s not even that erotic¡­ there¡¯s barely even a sex scene. Although, I might just be too jaded to tell the difference anymore. I¡¯m not saying the whole chapter will be all about sex, just that there will be some? Probably should have some sort of age recommendation, but since they¡¯re usually different everywhere, I¡¯ll just say that there is some explicit content.[/col][/box] Eating, fighting and fornicating are the three most enjoyable activities that any animal can participate in. Transformation, destruction and creation, three very important aspects of Royal Road, based on a human¡¯s most basic entertainment needs. Regardless of actual enjoyment value, each of the three can be ignored while still being able to play the game. Food can make your character stronger or weaker but only the very basics are necessary and an avatar won¡¯t crave a more vitamin rich form of nourishment. However, the user is the one who craves the taste of the more expensive and high level food. Most of the crafting professions actually avoid fighting altogether, but most users follow their human nature and prefer the more popular combat classes. Sex drive is based on an animal¡¯s instinctive need to reproduce and continue their species¡¯ existence, but an avatar cannot die and has no such purpose. Within Royal Road, even the most perverted person, like Michael, would have absolutely no need to masturbate just to curb their desires. That isn¡¯t to say he stopped doing that in reality, just that his avatar wouldn¡¯t be in a constant state of arousal for no apparent reason. However, NPCs do, they have desires, they have needs and experience Royal Road as users do their own reality. The ones that can physically have sex, usually do, and just because the users don¡¯t crave it the same way, they can still enjoy it. On the Hanael, Azrael was alone with three women, a little girl and a really little female humanoid mouse scientist that remained hidden. Ae-Cha and Lorelei weren¡¯t filled with lust or sexual desire, but Freya and Nyx¡­ had needs. Obviously Freya was the man, woman, tentacle monster, shapeshifter, elf in that ¡®probably¡¯ lesbian relationship with So-Ra. After watching them have weird bondage, torture, borderline bestiality a few times, Nyx finally realized what she needed from Azrael. Although, she wasn¡¯t quite sure which one of them was supposed to use the tentacles and whether she really wanted to be whipped or caned but when she imagined him just touching her, Nyx was filled with a strange sensation. Normally, with elven navigation Azrael should have been able to determine which direction was¡­ some sort of land. However, they weren¡¯t even on the same planet anymore, the day and night cycles were erratic and the horizon seemed relatively close. His skill was still far too low to navigate a small river, yet he was in the middle of a seemingly endless ocean. Azrael simply picked a random direction and tried to stick to it but they were definitely lost. After a few, maybe, days he finally gave up and decided to finally fulfill a promise he made to Lorelei while he worked on the ship. Soul Mana sounded really awesome at first, but there were some pretty annoying side effects. Mainly, the longer a soul is contained, the more influence it has over the container. Liesl had no intention of taking over his body, but once her thoughts began uncontrollably flowing into his mind, it was just too difficult to ignore. He really wanted to practice a bit more beforehand but he just had to hope for the best while using the seeds that he had Lorelei specially pick for the occasion. He secluded himself in his room, the captain¡¯s quarters, for an entire week as he meticulously sculpted and grew the body. At first Azrael wanted to make her look as much like a dark elf as possible, but he quickly realized it would be impossible at his skill level, so he had to settle for the next best thing. Azrael began with what was basically the heart, brain and other vital organs, of course they were actually various plants. Then came the skeletal structure, which was essentially just very strong tree branches. It took longer than he expected to weave the extra-thin nightmare vines together so intricately that they ended up looking like purple musculature. Normally, that would be enough for a typical dryad, but he was a perfectionist¡­ and he could hear every single one of Liesl¡¯s true feelings about the way it looked. She wanted to be a dark elf again, or at least pretty damn close, even though she would say it was fine. Luckily he had the perfect skill to use in such an occasion, plus he had someone who could grow the special ingredients. However, he didn¡¯t want Liesl to have to experience what he had to do in any way, so it was time to infuse her soul into the newly created body. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Growth has proficiency increased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Nature Manipulation proficiency has increased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created a Nightmare Vine Dryad, Liesl! Liesl was once a beautiful dark elf fire mage who had a husband and child, but after being ironically burned to death, her soul was then entrusted to Azrael the Forgetful. After a few months he became annoyed with her and thus created a new, dryad, body for to inhabit. She is currently in a type of hibernation until she is completed, thus her stats are unknown and cannot be displayed at this time.[/col][/box] Then came the relatively unpleasant part, Azrael knew that Liesl would never let him do what needed to be done. He had to create some living armor for her to wear, the problem was the main ingredient, dark elf. It was mainly just skin, hair, nails. teeth, a few ¡®minor¡¯ organs, but nothing too extreme. There were two possible donors, and one overly enthusiastic surgeon but Azrael decided to make her one of the donors as well. One of the amazing things about healing magic is the ability to literally fabricate new organs, limbs, or whatever was necessary out of mana. From Lorelei he only took hair, which was painless and quickly regrown using a few of his health points. Freya was generous enough to give him a set of teeth, nails and a few internal reproductive organs. For some strange reason he didn¡¯t feel bad for the crying and begging elf as he gently plucked them out, he had deja vu as he quickly replaced everything he removed. Azrael had a high tolerance for pain, practically superhuman, but while he was plucking out Freya¡¯s teeth and fingernails he began to feel an overwhelming sense of suffering. He was always pretty empathic, but it was never to that extent before. It was incredibly annoying, he was barely able to complete the operation without crying, then he noticed a strange voice in his head that he didn¡¯t recognize. It kept saying things like ¡®I wish he would touch me instead.¡¯ or ¡®Maybe I¡¯m just not good enough¡­¡¯ although, it was difficult for him to hear that new voice over his old ones. In case you were wondering, that¡¯s the main reason this story wasn¡¯t written in first person. He (Probably?) wasn¡¯t schizophrenic and (Most likely?) didn¡¯t have dissociative identity disorder, but the main problem would be vulgarity¡­ of course it would be funnier. When he finally finished the surgery, the status window finally popped up in front of his face. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Angelic Whispers![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Angelic Whispers (Lvl. 1 0%): Telepathy with a hint of intense empathy, and a dash of insanity. One of the many unfortunate side effects of using Soul Mana, good fucking job! Of course you were probably already crazy, so maybe it won¡¯t be that bad¡­ lol. Anyway, you will probably want to kill yourself before this happens but it is possible to actually use this skill for something other than just listening to others. At higher levels this skill can be used to speak with others telepathically, but isn¡¯t that what regular whispers are for? Well, hopefully you¡¯ll die or quit this game so I can stop wasting my precious time writing your endless supply of broken skills.[/col][/box] The descriptions seemed pretty lazy and obnoxious recently, but Azrael didn¡¯t seem to care enough to notice. He was always trying to ignore intense pain, agony and relative discomfort for some reason or another. A side effect of the new skill he just obtained was that he was able to see his beautiful and extremely shy stalker. She was nervously looking at him while thinking ¡®Is he really looking at me? I really hope he can¡¯t see me¡­ but I really want him to touch me.¡¯ and thus confirming something he suspected for a long time. Nyx was definitely a virgin. After Freya was healed to full and stopped crying, she left the operating room(Mess Hall) and it was finally the last donors turn. Azrael smiled and said ¡°If you really want me to, I can touch you everywhere¡­¡± in a happy voice. The blushing creeper, who was no longer invisible to him, though to herself ¡®He¡¯s talking to me! He can hear me! Oh no, he can hear me! Wait, can he see me?!¡¯ while pacing back and forth nervously. Azrael sighed and said ¡°I can hear everything you¡¯re thinking¡­ take your clothes off and lay down on the table. If you want to, you probably shouldn¡¯t, but for some reason you seem like a hardcore masochist.¡± in an irritated voice. Nyx was perplexed, she obediently did as he said, but was more concerned with hiding her face, rather than her body. He took off his gauntlets in preparation for the delicate surgery he was about to perform. As he gently ran his left hand over her surprisingly smooth skin, he sighed and said ¡°Drink this¡­¡± in a quiet voice. Nyx quickly gulped down the strange elixir he pressed against her lips and she almost instantly lost consciousness. It took three hours to completely remove all of her skin, along with her ears, using Mana Sculpting while continuing to replace everything he took with Sacrificial Healing. He had to do remove the skin in large segments, but it was fine since he could use Mana Weaving to weld it back together seamlessly after he place it over Liesl¡¯s dryad body. Aside from the glowing purple eyes, she looked pretty much like any other 2 meter tall dark elf. Well, he couldn¡¯t exactly make the skin suit smaller, so he simply grew her body¡¯s scale a bit larger. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Fame has increased by 300 Creativity has increased by 150 Art has increased by 250 Intellect has increased by 5 Wisdom has increased by 10 Maximum mana has increased by 1000 Natural Affinity has increased by 200[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Crafting has increased to intermediate level 3! Mana Sculpting has increased to level 10, Intermediate! Mana Growth has increased to level 9! Mana Weaving has increased to intermediate level 2! Nature Manipulation has increased to level 5![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Intermediate Mana Sculpting (Lvl. 1 0%): By manipulating mana shield you have learned how to hone your mana into sharp blades and use them to carve sculptures or engrave objects. In conjunction with Manasmithing you can also create molds to give shape to metals. You have learned how to use your mana sculpting techniques as weapons, creating nearly invisible blades to easily tear apart unsuspecting victims¡­ enemies. Damage done is dependent on how much mana is used and the shape of the mana blades, knives, needles, but blunt weapons won''t have enough weight to be useful. Costs vary depending on the situation but will decrease as skill level rises. Increases agility by 3% per skill level. Increases wisdom by 3% per skill level.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have completed the Dark Elf Nightmare Vine Dryad, Liesl! Artistic Value: 1500 Natural Value: 2150 Liesl was once a beautiful dark elf fire mage who had a husband and child, but after being ironically burned to death, her soul was then entrusted to Azrael the Forgetful. After a few months he became annoyed with her and thus created a new, dryad, body for to inhabit. For some strange reason, the creator decided to give her the outer appearance of a dark elf, even including a working reproductive system. Even though she has no digestive organs, she still was given an anus. A quote from Azrael the Forgetful ¡°Assholes are like vaginas, they look better on women.¡± he then ranted for nearly an hour about an anus rating system he had devised from his many years of research. Warning: The reproductive organs were taken from a Golden Elf. Dryads are typically unable to use fire magic because of their natural weakness, but her skin provides the necessary resistance to use it safely. She has inherited her previous skills, along with their levels, but her actual level has to be raised from 1. Her body is a fine piece. Anus Rating: 21 (Probably Good?)[/col][/box]
Status Window
Character NameLieslAlignmentNeutral
Level1ProfessionNone
TitleNone
Fame0
Health100Mana150
Strength5Agility5
Stamina100
Wisdom15Intellect15
Luck5Vitality10
Attack2
Defense0
Magic ResistanceFire: 5% Water: 25% Earth: 15% Air: 5%
[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Fireball (Lvl. 6 26%): Basic fire magic spell, creates a ball of flame that can be launched a great distance. Damage: 100 instant fire damage, burns for 15 per second. Cost: 50 mana per use. Flamethrower (Lvl. 8 16%): Creates a continuous stream of searing flames that can be used in close to mid ranged combat. Damage: 40 instant fire damage per second, burns for 10 per second. Intermediate Cooking (Lvl. 2 0%): Able to create an enormous array of delicious meals with even the cheapest ingredients. Better ingredients can be used to give greater buffs.[/col][/box] When she woke up for the first time in her new body, Liesl¡¯s first reaction was embarrassment. She was completely naked, laying on Azrael¡¯s bed as he carefully inspected every inch of her skin to make sure that there were no problems. Her voice was cracking as she struggled to say ¡°How did you find a plant that looks so much like skin?¡± in a confused voice as she ran her fingers down her chest and abdomen. Azrael laughed and pointed to the unconscious dark orc that was laying to her left. He said ¡°I got most of the skin from Nyx, some other parts from Freya and the hair is from your daughter. Here, I didn¡¯t have much time but I managed to make some underwear and clothes.¡± in a tired voice as he handed her the leather thong, sports bra and a robe made of wolf¡¯s hide. Liesl was mortified, she was a very kind person and far too compassionate to be compatible with Azrael. She was actually about to start crying when he yelled ¡°Eww! Cut that shit out! Stop vomiting your emotions all over my brainbox! It was bad enough that I had to put up with these weird feelings when you were inside of me! Go play with your daughter or something¡­ ugh I feel nauseous, damn it!¡± in an angry voice. Liesl was startled but quickly put on the clothes and began to leave the room. She turned around and said ¡°Thank you¡­¡± in a nervous voice, then closed the door behind her as she left. All the noise managed to wake up Nyx, who was completely naked and worst of all visible, while laying comfortably on Azrael¡¯s bed. Her first thoughts were ¡®I wonder if he took advantage of me while I was sleeping? If that¡¯s the case, I really wish I was able to remember it¡­¡¯ and Azrael started laughing. Unlike with Liesl, somehow the thoughts of the Naive and simpleminded Nyx were actually quite comfortable. Probably because all she ever thinks about is her distorted ideas of sex, which were mainly based on what she¡¯s seen Freya and So-Ra doing. When she remembers scenes from their relatively dangerous and probably extremely painful experimentations, Azrael couldn¡¯t help but laugh. He was just sitting on the bed next to Nyx and staring into her cute-ish cat eyes, while she blushed and tried to understand what he was thinking. Then he noticed something for the first time while playing Royal Road, he was horny. Azrael¡¯s avatar chastity was in serious danger from the beautiful and innocent dark orc girl. The bathhouse was connected to each of the crew quarters by doors, but it was directly below the captain¡¯s room, so there was a hatch that he could use to climb down. Every time he removed his living armor, he had to take a shower or bath and seriously scrub his whole body down. It wasn¡¯t the first time they were naked around each other, but normally one was invisible and the other was being telepathically forced to feel embarrassed. However, they just continued to bathe with each other in the jacuzzi without saying a word. Finally, after at least 20 minutes, Azrael said ¡°Do you want to have sex now? Or just keep sitting here awkwardly while imagining it?¡± in a mildly irritated voice. Nyx quietly spoke her first word to him ¡°Yes¡­¡± in a surprisingly high pitched voice, for such a relatively large woman. Azrael quickly tried to start it off with kissing, since that¡¯s normally how those things happen the first time, but it didn¡¯t exactly work out. Her tusks were pretty small, but still there, after accidentally using them to pierce his own lips a few times, he finally gave up on that disaster and moved on to use his mouth for more sensitive matters. Even though his body was gigantic compared to a human, since she was also pretty damn big, the scale wasn¡¯t similar to a male tiger mating with a tabby cat. He was very gentle with her, and since he was reading her thoughts the whole time, he was able to do exactly what she wanted, without hurting her. It was the most pleasurable experience he had ever felt, Azrael could feel everything that Nyx felt and for the first time he realized how amazing and horrible his new skill really was. They didn¡¯t really do anything extravagant or complicated, there were no tentacles, bondage, toys or anything other than basic intercourse, along with a bit of tongue massages from Azrael. However, it¡¯s never that simple and when two people love eachother very much, and then the man fills with woman¡¯s special place with creamy goodness¡­ [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Congratulations! You have successfully impregnated Nyx! A child will be born in three months![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You Intimacy has reached the Maximum level with Nyx![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have Married Nyx![/col][/box] Apparently, pregnancy tests were really efficient and obnoxious in Royal Road. Azrael yelled ¡°Oh for fuck¡¯s sake!¡± in an angry voice when he saw the message pop up in front of his face. Well, maybe if they didn¡¯t have sex 7 times in a row¡­ but he was immediately filled with an overwhelming sense of happiness. Although, that was mainly due to Nyx funneling her overflowing emotions into his mind. At the beginning of the game you can choose to make your avatar sterile or fertile, but most people ignore that setting and choose the default, so there aren¡¯t that many users who actually enable fertility. Azrael was one of those few people, he figured it would be useful or interesting in the future. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While Azrael and Nyx were enjoying themselves in the hot tub, Liesl and Lorelei were going on an adventure together. The ship was infested with far too many wolves, foxes, rabbits, rats, and even bears, so the mother daughter duo went on a training expedition through the corridors. Normally they would have asked So-Ra and Freya for help, but they were preoccupied. Lorelei was already level 20 so she was mostly doing all the work, but the two Fire Mages were burning their way through the packs of wolves pretty easily. It was possible for Lorelei to even solo dire wolves now, but every time they encountered a bear it was a struggle just to flee. A certain mouse was also in a life or death struggle against a vicious adversary, the Cotton Vine Kitten was busy hunting Ae-Cha. Lorelei had a dejected look on her face while throwing fireballs at some fleeing wolves, so he mother said ¡°What¡¯s wrong Lore?¡± in a worried voice. Lorelei sighed and said ¡°I¡¯m really happy that mama was able to get a new body, but I was just thinking about Papa¡­¡± in a sad voice, over the cries of burning wolves in the distance. Liesl wore a bitter smile as she said ¡°I miss him too, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯s in a better place now.¡± in a sincere voice, while tossing a fireball of her own at a random fox that suddenly spawned to her left. After turning around to face her mother, Lorelei said ¡°Azrael described the place where souls go after death¡­ and what happens to them. Mama, why didn¡¯t Papa try harder to stay with us?¡± in a worried voice. Liesl looked out the corridor window at the beautiful ocean and said ¡°Sven wasn¡¯t your real father¡­ he was actually a doppelganger who I was using to keep the rest of the village from finding out what I did.¡± with a lonely smile on her face. Lorelei yelled ¡°What do are you talking about Mama!?¡± in a surprised voice with a look of disbelief across her face. She could clearly remember a father who took care of her when she was sick and told her how much he loved her every night. There was no way that such a father could just be an illusion, unless there was illusion magic involved or memory alteration magic. Just because it was a doppelganger didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t love her, but all she could think about was how her whole life was probably a lie. Actually, her memory of life before her death was already pretty faded. Liesl smiled at her and said ¡°Ten years ago, was the first time I met your real father¡­ Azrael.¡± in a serious voice. Anyway, enough of that boring over-dramatic nonsense, Ae-Cha was about to die! She screamed ¡°No! Don¡¯t lick me there! You evil perverted cat!¡± in an angry voice as she struggled in vain against the rough and thorny cat tongue. The Cotton Vine Kitten was trying to eat Ae-Cha but then quickly realized that it doesn¡¯t actually eat¡­ so it just continued to lick the weak willed rodent for several hours. Eventually she managed to escape its clutches, but then she encountered a pack of hungry wolves. It was a tough battle, regardless of her extremely high level in comparison to them, but unlike the kitten, she could actually fight back against the doggies. Getting back to the boring mother daughter conversation Lorelei said ¡°I think I understand, it does seem possible if it¡¯s Azrael¡­ but Mama, why didn¡¯t you tell me this a long time ago?¡± in a calm voice. Liesl smiled at her and said ¡°He said something like causality and to be completely honest, I still don¡¯t really get it. It happened a long time ago from my point of view, but to him it¡¯s actually the future.¡± in a worried voice. See, just another boring time travel story¡­ oh well, it probably wasn¡¯t that important. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Azrael had come to a decision, the ant armor was gross and he really didn¡¯t want to wear it anymore. Besides that, the living weapon he had was gigantic and took way too much effort to use efficiently, it was only ever useful on a huge battlefield against thousands of enemies. He was essentially a mage in the purest of senses, he specialized in utilizing mana to do pretty much everything. It¡¯s fun to wear heavy armor and swing around a siege blade, but in the end it was probably better to use spell caster gear. There was also something he had been wanting to do for a long time, but just never got around to since there were always so many distractions. He had the materials and the skills to create the devices, which were neither weapons, armor or sex toys. Azrael knew that if he didn¡¯t start working on them immediately, he would probably forget about it again for a few more months. It didn¡¯t even take him a full take to create them, although they weren¡¯t perfect, they were good enough for what he wanted to do. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Mana Crafting proficiency has increased! Mana Sculpting proficiency has increased! Mana Growth proficiency has increased! Mana Weaving proficiency has increased! Manasmithing proficiency has increased![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created The Living Guitar of The Seraphim! Durability: 50/50 Created by Azrael the Forgetful. Not quite a weapon in the strictest sense of the word, but it is definitely powerful in the hands of a talented musician. The strings were crafted out of steel using Manasmithing but the rest of the instrument was grown from seeds and Mana Sculpted into it¡¯s current form. For the most part it appears as a simple, green, classical guitar, but its sound can be adjusted in many ways. Using mana it can be given many effects and music related skills are much more effective when playing this guitar. Finally, if it is played for enemies, it can literally drain the health, mana and stamina from anyone who hears its beautiful voice. Since it is a living weapon, it will become more powerful as it devours life-force. Artistic Value: 1000 Natural Value: 750 Musical Value: 500 Requirements: Level 100, Heavenly Strings, Agility 200, Intellect 300, Wisdom 200 Effects: 30% Increased Buff and Debuff duration, 25% Increased Buff and Debuff potency, Up to 3000% increased volume[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created The Living Fishing Rod of Annoying Spirits! Durability: 75/75 Most know him by his catchphrase ¡°Oh for fuck¡¯s sake!¡± but Azrael the Forgetful is also a very talented fisherman. He also likes to create living weapons and armor, for some reason that no one really cares about. This fishing rod was grown from a strong oak tree seed, that was then sculpted and molded into its current shape. It is indeed alive, but it pretty much just looks like a regular grey fishing rod with a reel. The string is made of a high tensile strength steel which is capable for pulling in even the strongest of sea monsters. This rod will easily devour the life-force of any small or low leveled fish, which is probably fine. Unlike regular fishing, soul fishing rods can¡¯t be used as weapons¡­ if you try to kill a sea monster with this rod, it will probably break. Natural Value: 1000 Requirements: Level 100, Soul Fishing, Strength 300, Vitality 300 Effects: Increases lure effectiveness on large fish and sea monsters by 30%, Increases Luck by 100, Increases stamina regeneration by 50%, Increases strength by 20%.[/col][/box] Azrael finally had the two things he really should have had all along, since they¡¯re crucial instruments for his class. He made a few basic fishing rods for everyone else to use as well, but no one except Nyx seemed to appreciate them. While wearing nothing but some leather boxers, he spent a decent amount of time each day playing the guitar, while singing and fishing at the same time. Nyx still spent all of her time within a few feet of Azrael, the only difference was that he could see her now and that they had sex at least a few times per day. Considering that only Azrael and Freya could eat Creative Cooking, Liesl was in charge of turning their ever increasing food ingredients into meals. When she wasn¡¯t doing that, Liesl and her daughter were mainly focusing on increasing their levels. Freya and So-Ra were usually doing the same thing, but in a different part of the ship. Since it was pretty much just drifting, the ship was able to generate more animals than the two teams could possibly kill. Ae-Cha turned one of the storage rooms into her own personal laboratory, no one but the Cotton Vine Kitten even knew that she existed. In that way, the 7 of them passed nearly 2 months without anything interesting happening. It wasn¡¯t bad, they definitely all enjoyed themselves. Azrael would catch and eat massive amounts of sashimi every day, plus the sex, and the fact that nothing catastrophic seemed to be happening in their general vicinity meant it was like a pleasant vacation. He even managed to learn to control his Angelic Whispers skill, it was possibly for two way communication. Since Nyx was so shy, she still didn¡¯t speak but the two of them did have quite a few interesting conversations telepathically. Occasionally Azrael would accidentally catch a glimpse some pretty intense sex scenes when he would eat dinner with everyone. Of course, most of them were from Freya and So-Ra¡­ some of which were pretty disturbing even by his warped standards, but the most interesting ones came from Liesl. He wasn¡¯t sure why, but whenever she thought he didn¡¯t notice her staring at him, she was pretty much always thinking about the two of them having sex. The strangest part about it was that in her mind, she was a in her previous body, he figured she still didn¡¯t see herself as a 6¡¯6¡± dryad covered in dark greenish skin. The Hanael¡¯s crew had finally gotten used to the strange day and night cycles after 2 months in standard Royal Road time. Nyx¡¯s abdomen had become enormous, even though there was still at least a month left, Azrael worried that there might be complications because of how gigantic the baby would be. However, it was a world where magic existed and even if she died, he would be able to bring her back to life so he wasn¡¯t overly concerned. Regardless of how many fish he caught, Azrael¡¯s Soul Fishing never increased in level, even when he caught something like a Kraken or a giant shark. Nyx was steadily getting better at fishing though, she was already at level 7 and she wasn¡¯t even trying. It was on the night exactly one month before Nyx was due to give birth, when Azrael reached level 5 with Angelic Whispers. It didn¡¯t seem particularly auspicious, but for the first time in a very long time he decided to actually sleep with his cute pregnant wife. Normally he would simply stay up for several days in game and then log off in the bed, but this time he actually drifted off to dreamland. The dream itself was very pleasant, nothing spectacular happened, Azrael and Nyx were on a beautiful beach, sunbathing while talking to each other like a normal couple. However, due to a single careless sentence that was said without much serious thought, obviously something obnoxious would happen. ¡°I wish I could switch places with you, so that you don¡¯t have to suffer so much through this pregnancy.¡± A moment after those words were said, Nyx opened her eyes but Azrael was still sleeping. She looked over at him and then looked down at her pregnant stomach and said ¡°Oh for fucks sake¡­¡± in an irritated, yet cute-ish voice. She immediately felt that her bladder was going to burst, so she went into the bathroom and sat down. Humanoid NPCs have to deal with lots of annoying nonsense that Users don¡¯t. Nyx sighed as she looked at her status window while urinating and feeling grateful that at least she doesn¡¯t have to deal with morning sickness. The only thing she hated more than vomiting was having to touch doorknobs without being able to wash her hands immediately afterward. Nope, vomiting was much worse than doorknobs, but maybe not as bad as being in a hospital.
Status Window
Character NameNyxAlignmentNeutral
Level140ProfessionDark Ranger
TitleThe Shadow of Death
Fame700
Health1000Mana3000
Strength75Agility300
Stamina1000
Obsession300
Wisdom250Intellect300
Luck50Vitality100
Attack40
Defense15
Magic ResistanceFire: 10% Water: 5% Earth: 25% Air: 10%
[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Advanced Invisibility (Lvl. 3 1%): After many years of maintaining this spell, you have reached a point where even someone with intermediate detect or observe will not be able to break it. Surprisingly this skill no longer requires mana to use but after remaining unseen for so long, it may have left psychological scars that will take a very long time to heal. Just like the name suggests, this is a spell that makes one invisible to the eye using light magic combined with hypnosis and telepathy. Intermediate Silence (Lvl. 5 8%): A very useful spell that creates a soundproof mana shield around the caster. At this point it is effective even against the sharpest ears, but it is possible to be dispelled. Costs 5 mana per second. Intermediate Stalking (Lvl. 1 87%): Even the most cautious of prey will be unable to escape you, mostly used while hunting. The ability to follow a target without being seen, heard, smelled or otherwise detected and eventually going in for the kill. Increases Agility by 50 per skill level. Increases Wisdom by 50 per skill level. Intermediate Kill Shot (Lvl. 6 18%): An extremely long ranged sniping ability using a bow to critically hit and usually instantly kill even a heavily armored opponent. Accuracy goes down with distance, but the chance for critical hit increases. Costs 250 mana per shot, can double charge for 50% more damage and range. Barrage (Lvl. 5 56%): By rapidly firing arrows in quick succession you can do a large amount of AOE damage. Costs 50 mana per second, can fire 2 arrows per second. Multi-shot (Lvl. 7 0%): You can fire 3 arrows at the same time towards the same target. Costs 60 mana per shot. Intermediate Bow Mastery (Lvl. 3 0%): You are an expert at using bows, and whenever you have one equipped all stats are increased by 25%. Damage with bows increases by 20% per level. Accuracy with bows increases by 5% per level. Defense increases by 5 per level. Fishing (Lvl. 5 0%): The ability to use a fishing rod to catch fish¡­ what did you expect?[/col][/box] Most people are extremely attached to their identities, appearances and for some strange reason genders. Michael always found the concept of a gender to be very strange. In reality, he was male and attracted to females, it was the same way in Royal Road. In other role-playing games he would always end up creating many interesting females but in the end his main character would always be a large muscular and very attractive male. However, his true ideal would have been a shapeshifter, or perhaps being able to play two avatars at the same time. The real question Michael was asking himself was ¡®If I¡¯m in her body, does that mean she¡¯s in mine?¡¯ with a smirk on her cute, dark orc face. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Nyx opened her eyes, she was trapped inside of some sort of strange container. It opened and she was able to look around at the very strange scenery. Even she could tell that it was a bedroom, but there were many odd looking devices laying around. Then she finally noticed that her body was different, she wasn¡¯t pregnant anymore, she was really pale¡­ and she had a penis. When she was busy having a panic attack, suddenly the other white container opened up and a familiar woman emerged from it. She was embarrassed and trying to hide her body while yelling ¡°What the hell are you doing?! You said that you would be sleeping in the capsule today!¡± in an angry voice. It was So-Ra, but she seemed different somehow, Nyx started to feel a strange sensation in her groin region while staring at the woman¡¯s body. She remained silent while awkwardly gazing at the beautiful girl and then Nyx finally said ¡°Where¡¯s Azrael?¡± in a relatively deep, masculine voice that she didn¡¯t recognize. So-Ra glared at Nyx for a moment and then started laughing hysterically, then she said ¡°I knew something like this would happen eventually, welcome to Reality Nyx.¡± in a sarcastic voice while picking her cellphone off of the computer desk. She quickly called her superiors and said ¡°You probably already realized this but, Michael has integrated into the game.¡± in an irritated voice as she listened to some yelling on the other side and then said ¡°No, his body is fine, it¡¯s just a code 7¡­ no, I¡¯m certain it¡¯s not a code 13. Don¡¯t worry, if anything dangerous happens I¡¯ll keep you informed.¡± in a calm voice. After hanging up the phone, So-Ra sighed and said ¡°I know you¡¯re probably really shocked right now but¡­ normally Michael, I mean Azrael would take a shower around this time. You¡¯re using his body, so it would be best if you return it to him in a decent condition, right?¡± in a tired voice as she grabbed Michael¡¯s wrist and pulled him out of the room, down the hall and into the bathroom. More pain and discomfort than she had ever felt before in her entire life, suffering within a relatively small body that she didn¡¯t even recognize. Nyx was deeply disturbed and just as deeply confused, she could barely even keep up with So-Ra¡¯s explanations. She couldn¡¯t breathe out of her nose, her eyes felt swollen, muscles were aching, dehydration, mild starvation, every time she breathed in deeply from her mouth she would start coughing uncontrollably. When she finally got into the shower and turned the boiling hot water on, she instantly scalded herself but it quickly started to feel good. Then her nose started running and she felt like she was going to vomit as she spat out a few ounces of mucus from the back of her throat. After drying herself off with a towel and wrapping it around her waist, she saw her appearance in the foggy mirror above the sink. The face looked pretty much the same as Azrael¡¯s but scaled down and there was a pretty shaggy unkempt beard. His hair was relatively short, but since she had always shaved her head, it felt very strange. The eyes were a different color, but still had the same familiar feeling to them. Although, the eyesight was terrible, so if she moved only a foot behind where she was standing before, she couldn¡¯t barely tell what she was looking at. Strangely, his body looked much healthier than it felt, but it was no where near as attractive as Azrael was. After exiting the bathroom she immediately saw a fully clothed So-Ra, who was smiling and said ¡°Let¡¯s go on a date.¡± in a happy voice. So-Ra, like Michael, spent most of her time each day playing Royal Road. However, since he suddenly had a fairly substantial amount of money now and his parents moved out of the house, So-Ra had become something akin to his Butler. He paid her a decent amount of money and all she really had to do was the normal, basic household chores that should probably would have done anyway if she lived alone. She really didn¡¯t understand why he stayed in that same small, row house even though he had enough money to live in a fancy mansion, but it she didn¡¯t want to pry. He was a complete mystery to her in many ways, but she did trust him to a certain extent and over the several months that they had lived together in the same room, he didn¡¯t even hit on her. Which was fine, because she had Freya¡­ which leads back to the nature of the ¡®Date¡¯ that she was dragging Nyx along on. After dressing Nyx up in an expensive and extremely uncomfortable suit, So-Ra dragged her/him outside, into a completely unfamiliar world. Nyx didn¡¯t say one word of protest, not that she had any idea what to protest about, she was even started to get used to her new body. The two of them entered the mysterious metallic creature(So-Ra¡¯s Car) and then started traveling at incredible speeds through an ocean of buildings¡­ the whole time Nyx had to struggle not to vomit from motion sickness. Michael never really got around to explaining the main reason why he never went anywhere, so So-Ra didn¡¯t realize how much she was torturing Nyx. They finally arrived at the incredibly large and shiny tower that was called a hotel/mall. After leaving the car in a parking garage, the two of them entered a small room and quickly traveled upward for a few seconds, then they were at their destination. A very fancy and overpriced hotel restaurant, So-Ra searched around the room for a few seconds, then briskly walked over to a table where two elderly humans, one male and one female, who looked very similar to her were sitting. Nyx nervously followed close behind and then quietly listened as the three of them spoke in a strange language she somehow understood. So-Ra pointed looked over to Nyx for a moment and then boldly said ¡°Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Michael.¡± in a serious voice while smiling at them. Her mother said ¡°Aww, sweetie¡­ he looks like a loser.¡± in a really happy voice, assuming he couldn¡¯t understand what they were talking about. Her father smiled and said ¡°Isn¡¯t he a little¡­ white? Why can¡¯t you just find a nice Korean man?¡± in a slightly serious tone while trying to maintain his excited appearance. Nyx made an extremely upset expression while glaring at the two feeble looking humans, if they weren¡¯t relatives of Azrael¡¯s friend, she probably would have mercilessly beaten them both to death. Insulting her a dark orc¡¯s husband is equivalent to challenging them to a duel, but at the moment, she was human. So-Ra had an angry look in her eyes as she said ¡°He can understand everything you¡¯re saying¡­¡± then she leaned in between her parents who were making apologetic expressions and whispered ¡°He¡¯s also extremely rich.¡± in a serious voice. While sighing dramatically, both of her parents quickly stood up then said ¡°We apologize for our rude behavior.¡± while bowing. While watching them, So-Ra smiled and snickered quietly, then all four people sat down at the table. Luckily for Nyx, So-Ra kept her parents preoccupied and they still felt too embarrassed to ask ¡®him¡¯ any questions directly. The food was delicious, it was mostly lobster and steak, and the whole meeting ended without any strange incident happening. Nyx remained silent for the whole encounter and managed to avoid killing anyone, so So-Ra considered it a victory. After seeing her parents for the first time in many years, and managing to say goodbye to them without screaming obscenities or having anyone call the police¡­ it was a good day. Of course she could never tell them that she was a lesbian, and that her actual lover only existed in a virtual reality game¡­ they were just too old fashioned to understand. After Nyx and So-Ra left the restaurant, her father whispered ¡°It¡¯s all happening exactly how you predicted Ae-Cha¡­ pretty soon The Writer will enter the second phase of his plan.¡± in a serious voice while grinning. Her mother laughed and said ¡°I¡¯m just so proud of our little girl, I always knew she was special¡­ destiny sure is amazing. Our daughter is going to help destroy the world, and we¡¯re lucky enough to get to watch her do it.¡± in a happy voice as she smiled at her husband. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael actually found his new, pregnant female dark orc body to be very comfortable. Apparently, NPCs didn¡¯t experience nearly as much pain or discomfort as a normal human did in reality. He did have to sleep every night, but that wasn¡¯t such a big deal. The only thing that annoyed him was having a working urinary and digestive system, but it still wasn¡¯t nearly as disgusting as reality. Aside from that, he actually enjoyed fishing, when he could actually increase his proficiency. It was a little strange being turned on by his own nude and unconscious avatar that was still laying in the bed, almost like it was dead. If there wasn¡¯t an unbreakable barrier surrounding it, he would have done all kinds of interesting and creative things to himself. He had to settle for the look but don¡¯t touch, while touching himself policy¡­ the whole time he was imagining some pretty extreme fantasies. The obsession stat is pretty interesting. He never really understood how creepy Nyx really was, until he was inside of her body and abusing his special skills. So-Ra was still logged off, but he was able to stealthily watch Freya¡¯s bizarre solo performance from only a few meters away. Normally he wouldn¡¯t even slightly care, but while in her body, it caused some of his strangest desires to take shape. When she isn¡¯t so distracted, Freya would be able to sense Nyx, but with so many tentacles whipping about like that¡­ anyway, lots of voyeurism. The most interesting aspect of being female, strangely enough, was being able to sing all the songs he always had to struggle with, in Nyx¡¯s natural voice. Even without a fancy singing skill, he was able to confidently sing even the most difficult songs with her beautiful voice. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Natural Singing![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Natural Singing (Lvl. 1 0%): You have a beautiful voice, even though you never use it. If you weren¡¯t so shy, you could become an amazing singer some day.[/col][/box] Well, whenever you do anything like that for the first time, it seems you automatically receive some kind of skill or stat. Anyway, it took a whole three days for Azrael to finally wake up. Just as Michael expected, the consciousness was transferred both ways. He had considered the possibility that both of their minds had merged to such an extent that he only thought that he was Michael but he was actually just Nyx with his memories and personality. It was a relief that nothing too terrible happened to her, although from her telepathic explanation, she was the one who had it the roughest. The problem was that she had no idea how to use the skill Angelic Whispers properly, so she spent every day struggling to control it enough to switch their bodies back to normal. Finally, Michael was able to crave his intense sexual desire¡­ several times a day. At first Nyx was confused and very awkward, but since she had the advantage of telepathy, it was easy for her to know what to do. Unfortunately, in Nyx¡¯s body, Michael didn¡¯t have anywhere near his normal stamina¡­ so he just relaxed and let her do most of the work. So-Ra and Freya thought the body swap was hilarious, but for some strange reason Liesl and Lorelei were deeply concerned. The Cotton Vine Kitten hadn¡¯t been seen for a few months and everyone seemed to have completely forgotten about it. Obviously Nyx couldn¡¯t figure out how to switch bodies in less than a month, so Michael was able to give birth¡­ again. It wasn¡¯t nearly as painful as he expected it to be, labor only lasted a few minutes, but the real tragedy occurred as soon as he/she held the crying baby in his/her arms. It was pretty damn big, 20 lbs and 40 inches long, with light green skin and elven ears but aside from that it seemed pretty normal. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Congratulations, you have just given birth to a baby boy! He is 1/6th Orc, 2/6th Dark Elf, and 3/6th Barbarian. What would you like his name to be?[/col][/box] The cute little baby looked up at its mother and/or father and said ¡°Oh hai Plague!¡± in a happy voice while smiling. Michael in the body of Nyx yelled ¡°Fucking Ceda!!!¡± in an extremely loud and angry voice. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You now have a child, Ceda! Make sure to love and cherish him¡­ lol.[/col][/box] <=Previous Chapter Next Chapter=> Volume 2 Chapter 6: Fire Manipulation [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have died! Congratulations, you have broken the world record for most deaths in Royal Road! You have gained 2000 fame! You will be unable to log back into Royal Road for the next 24 hours![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Error code 17625! Unable to log out! User not found! Contacting a GM for troubleshooting! GM not found! Unable to write a ticket! Account has been locked![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You died¡­ in reality. Not very surprising but still pretty hilarious! Executing contingency protocol 349b! Your avatar is incomplete and unable to be revived, you will be given a temporary spirit form avatar until your new body is created! Please wait patiently for 3 months in the Wailing River¡­ lol![/col][/box] People die, sick people die faster, Ceda was only 25 years old but for someone with his condition, that was pretty damn impressive. Maybe if he had gotten the proper treatment faster, when he was still a teenager, but he didn¡¯t¡­ so he died. However, he died while playing Royal Road¡­ the first person to die while playing the game. Well, no one really cares about Ceda or his problems, so lets skip past the boring 3 months that he spent in the underworld. Eventually he was born, and the whole crew was gathered in the rather spacious captain¡¯s quarters to witness the disgusting catastrophe. Perhaps it was due to the completion of the wish, or maybe the shock from giving birth to a Ceda, but Azrael and Nyx quickly returned their consciousnesses back to their original bodies. Azrael immediately snatched the newborn creeper out of her arms and held the strange creature in a similar manner that a person would normally hold a disgusting, slimy, dead rodent. He yelled ¡°NOPE!!! No fucking way! Maternal instincts don¡¯t go that far! I will not let this little gimper anywhere near you Nyx! Let¡¯s just throw it into the ocean and try again!¡± in an extremely angry voice while struggling not to vomit while looking at the infant. It had an extremely creepy smile as it looked towards Azrael and said ¡°Plague¡­ can I touch your hair?¡± while reaching out it¡¯s not so tiny, disgusting little feelers towards his face¡­ which was very, very far away. He basically just looked like a large, green, newborn baby¡­ regardless of the overly dramatic descriptions of him. Only Azrael seemed to be disgusted by the strange creature, because they couldn¡¯t comprehend its true nature. However, everyone was too confused to say anything about the situation so they just remained quiet and watched the show. Azrael yelled ¡°Oh fuck no! I¡¯m really sorry Nyx but this thing is not our child¡­ sigh. This is my own damn fault for feeling sympathy for the little cripple, I suppose this is God¡¯s way of punishing me. My first born son was born a Ceda¡­ oh well.¡± in an irritated voice as he continued to dangle the infant who was enclosed in a mana shield and being held by a mana rope with an outstretched arm. There is no way Azrael would actually touch Ceda, it was basically just a phobia that everyone from Forewarning contracted from knowing him for so long. Ceda turned his head towards Nyx and said ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­ can you give me some milk? hehe.¡± in a whiny baby voice¡­ very similar to his previous bodies voice. Azrael yelled ¡°Fuck this shit, get your own damn milk! There are plenty of mama wolves around this ship, I¡¯m sure one of them would take care of you! Come back to us when you¡¯re old enough to actually be useful!¡± in an extremely loud and angry voice as he sprinted out of the room while still carrying Ceda by using the mana rope. After a few seconds of complete silence, Lorelei said ¡°That baby was really creepy¡­¡± in a quiet voice while making a disgusted face. Nyx noticed that everyone was looking at her and then quickly became invisible. Freya sighed and said ¡°What the fuck is a Ceda?¡± in a confused voice while staring at So-Ra who immediately shrugged and started looking at Liesl, who had a very complex expression. Liesl quietly whispered ¡°How much longer until he finally remembers me?¡± in an irritated voice to herself while frowning and staring at the ceiling. After leaving Ceda in some random corridor, Azrael gathered the crew on the main deck and started yelling from the upper deck down to them ¡°Enough fucking around! I mean that both literally and metaphorically! We¡¯re too weak to survive in our current conditions, we need to train! Our combined level is probably lower than just one boss monster in this world, hell, we might even have to fight against Gods! Experience is simple, you just kill shit and gain levels, we can already do that but what we really need is a better control over our abilities!¡± in an extremely loud and obnoxious voice. Freya yelled ¡°What the hell do you expect us to do differently then?!¡± in an irritated voice. Azrael laughed and yelled ¡°I¡¯m a mage, yet I haven¡¯t even begun to practice basic elemental magic! However, that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t understand it! Out of the four Primal Elements, fire is said to be the easiest to use but the most difficult to master! Although, no one has actually mastered it yet¡­ but I¡¯m pretty sure they were just talking about the jump from beginner to intermediate. Everyone of us, including Freya and So-Ra can technically use fire magic, I figured that it would be the best place for us to start our training! Also, I¡¯m going to go down there because my throat is getting sore from yelling so much!¡± in an angry voice. As he was walking down to the main deck, Freya said ¡°Azrael¡­ people have been using the same spells for thousands of years for good reasons. First of all, spells are usually really fucking complicated, but mainly because it¡¯s just so dangerous to experiment with elemental manipulation!¡± in an irritated voice. Azrael sighed and said ¡°It¡¯s really not all that complicated. For example, when using the fireball spell, you first create a mana shield in the shape of a sphere. Then you heat the gases within the sphere until it ionizes and becomes plasma, then you either throw it, create a shock-wave to launch it, or use wind magic to guide the extremely light ball to its destination. Fire magic is mainly the ability to manipulate the fourth state of matter, plasma. However, it¡¯s impossible to just use one form of magic in any spell, which is why spells are used in the first place. Even if a magic user doesn¡¯t know mana shield, it¡¯s used in almost every spell.¡± as he held out his right hand with his palm facing towards the sky. He smiled as a swirling ball of bright orangish red fire was formed above his hand, it appeared similar to a miniature sun. After he pitched it like a baseball as hard as he could, it traveled about 100 meters away from the ship before exploding into a slightly large explosion. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have acquired a new skill, Fire Manipulation![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Fire Manipulation (Lvl. 1 0%): Most mages who use magic learn a skill called Fire Mastery, which increases the effectiveness of all their fire spells. However, this is closer to having manual control over every aspect of the primal element fire. This is the most difficult, inefficient and dangerous way to perform fire magic. By training rigorously in this and the other Primal Elemental Manipulation skills, you can unlock the ability to manipulate the Major and then lesser elements. Fire magic is mainly the control over Plasma and Heat, figure it out on your own! Warning: This form of magic does have great potential, but requires much more control and effort to perform. For example, you can freely channel as much mana into a fireball as you want, but if you break the mana shield while you¡¯re still holding it¡­ well, why don¡¯t you just try it?[/col][/box] Lorelei said ¡°Wow! That was way bigger than the ones I normally use!¡± in an excited voice. So-Ra sighed and said ¡°Are you sure I can use fire magic? I thought priestesses use holy magic¡­¡± in an irritated voice with a confused look on her face. Freya laughed and said ¡°Well, all magic begins as Mana, then it¡¯s channeled through your Karma which can make a spell Holy, Unholy, Black, White, Neutral or whatever alignment you are. Priests, Paladins, Monks and many other Holy magic users simply have a naturally high alignment. If you create a fireball like Azrael just did, it should be closer to white instead of red.¡± in a tired voice as she lazily created a small yellow colored fireball in her left hand. Azrael laughed and said ¡°Well, aside from Karma, your emotions can also change the color, as well as the temperature of the flame. A white flame could just be really fucking hot, but if someone¡¯s Karma is negative enough they should actually be able to have a black flame that¡¯s as hot as a white one. Although, a black flame really shouldn¡¯t even be possible¡­ there¡¯s something else interesting about Fire Magic though. Since it¡¯s the control over temperature, wouldn¡¯t that also mean¡­¡± in a happy voice as he pulled a gallon jug of water out of his bag. Then he placed it on his right hand and channeled mana through his palm. As the water began to bubble violently inside the jug, So-Ra yelled ¡°What the fuck are you doing?! It¡¯s going to explode!¡± in an angry voice. However, the bubble stopped and starting from his palm, the entire glass jug was frozen over and cracked in several places. He smiled and said ¡°Fire is the Primal Element that controls plasma and temperature, which means that you can increase or decrease the heat of an object. However, I suspect it also holds the key to Temporal Magic¡­ which is really important. Mainly because Asgard was destroyed over a billion years ago, which means I need to figure this shit out so that we can get the fuck out of here!¡± in an irritated voice. Then he created a fireball in his left hand, threw the frozen ice high over the water and then completely missed. In most things he was ambidextrous, but throwing wasn¡¯t one of them¡­ yet another skill he needed to practice. Freya started laughing obnoxiously while So-Ra, Liesl and Lorelei were too confused and surprised to even speak. Nyx was thinking ¡°As long as I¡¯m with Azrael, I don¡¯t care where we go!¡± with an overly happy smile on her invisible face. After a few seconds, Lorelei yelled ¡°Ah! I get it now!¡± in a happy voice. Azrael accidentally overheard something he probably wasn¡¯t supposed to know¡­ a flashback of Liesl¡¯s story played in his mind. Although, whenever it comes to time travel, it¡¯s best to just assume everything happens the way it¡¯s meant to. Otherwise you¡¯ll always be second guessing every decision you have to make. Normally, being sent into the past wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing and eventually if you just lived life normally, assuming you didn¡¯t age, you would reach the present again. However, the present time of Royal Road was still moving forward at it¡¯s normal speed. Even at a ratio of 10,000 : 1 it would still take 100,000 years in reality to reach the present. Since the game was going to break if he didn¡¯t complete that quest within 3 ingame years, he really had to hurry the fuck up. So-Ra finally yelled ¡°Why the fuck does all this weird shit always happen to you?!¡± in a rage filled voice. Azrael laughed and said ¡°Weird shit always happens to the main character. Although, if I had written this story, I probably would have killed you off by now. I mean, why the fuck did you pick human? That¡¯s pretty much the biggest death flag possible¡­ oh yea! I completely forgot that you already died not that long ago, shouldn¡¯t have picked human. Not sure how, but I predict you race changing in the near future¡­ is vampire a race in this game?¡± in a happy voice as he gazed out at the relatively short horizon while imagining So-Ra as a centaur, harpy and various other interesting monster-girl bodies. After an hour or so of bickering between the captain and his very small crew, they finally began their fire magic training. It was mainly focused around fireball, flame thrower and flameshield, which were the three most basic fire spells. After teaching the ones who didn¡¯t already know the spells, Azrael taught them each the different variations. Fireball could be a simply ball of super-heated plasma within a mana shield that is thrown at an enemy and creates a small explosion on impact. However, the radius and force of the explosion can be altered and the mana shield can even be guided towards the target without even having to throw the ball. Instead of a hand grenade, it could be more like a rocket propelled grenade. If you added some rocks or shards of metal inside the shield before creating the flame, it could literally become a frag grenade. Flame thrower was as simple as creating a mana shield to protect your hand and direct the stream of burning gasses. Yet, if you focus the flames, they can become more like a welding torch. It¡¯s even possible to add in some flammable liquids using water magic, but that wasn¡¯t part of the lesson. Flame shield has three possible uses, one is a basic mana shield that focuses on blocking out fire damage instead of physical. The second is to absorb incoming fire magic and transform it into mana. The third is to actually create a movable flaming wall segment that can be used to immolate an enemy in melee range that¡¯s trying to charge the caster. Everyone was paired up and casting fireball and flame thrower at each other while using flame shield to protect themselves. It wasn¡¯t nearly as dangerous as it sounds, since their skill levels were relatively low with the spells. They continued to practice like that with fire magic every day for a whole month in-game. Azrael¡¯s Fire manipulation had only gotten to beginner level 5, but it had gotten to the point where he could use a full body flame armor that was able to absorb everyone else''s spells. His fire attacks had gotten to the point where if he actually used them it would damage the ship, so he had just been powering the ship for the last week. The more mana he pumped into the ship, the faster it¡¯s wildlife grew and the stronger they became. It also increased his Elven Sailing and Elven Navigation skills, which were still way too low for him to actually discern where the nearest land was. They were most likely traveling in circles since arriving on Asgard, but there was no way to find out with his skill level. However, there was another skill he had been honing constantly that had finally become useful. For the past few days, Azrael had been hearing a faint voice in his mind that was usually just crying. It was rarely thinking words, but usually just feeling strong emotions of sadness and fear. When it spoke, it was in a quiet voice, speaking words that were unintelligible because they were too far away. He decided to sail towards that voice, but as he approached it, he also started to notice several other, similar voices. They were praying, begging, wailing and screaming, calling out to their parents and someone called Surt who was probably something like a God to them. Every day their voices became louder and clearer, and eventually Azrael started to hear the voices of almost a hundred other people in the background. However, by that time he could already see the boats on the horizon. He already understood the situation, even before he could actually see it. Azrael yelled ¡°Nyx, you steer the ship! Freya, turn into some kind of big fish and carry me over to those ships! Everyone else, prepare for combat! If those ships get within range, throw fireballs at them! Let¡¯s go Freya!¡± in a loud and extremely angry voice as the air around him literally burst into flames. The basic elements respond differently to each of the basic emotions. Anger and disgust are strong triggers for fire magic, so it was far too dangerous for Azrael to stay on his own ship. If he wasn¡¯t half submerged in the cold ocean water while holding onto Freya¡¯s sexy giant squid tentacle, she might have turned into fried calamari. In less than an hour they finally arrived at the three large Elven ships that looked a lot like generic viking ships but with an actual tree as a mast. The sail was made of leaves, the body of the ship was covered in hundreds of vines. Azrael used them to climb up the front of the right side of the middle vessel, while trying to keep his anger from getting out of control. The ship had at least forty fair skinned humans on-board, each was dressed and looked like a viking. Only a third of them were females, but they all appeared to be warriors as far as class went. They were surprised to see Azrael but didn¡¯t view him as an enemy, they actually seemed to consider him one of the Aesir, a God. Their captain was a large, for a human, muscular man with a large warhammer in his right hand and a huge burn on the left side of his face. He was smiling as he said ¡°Welcome aboard Aesir! We were sent here as envoys of the Allfather himself! He wishes for your assistance in the coming war, if you follow us we can take you to Valhalla!¡± in a happy voice while speaking obnoxiously loud. Azrael started laughing hysterically and then yelled ¡°Of course! I should have known there was a reason I was sent here!¡± in a voice that was almost loud enough to cast voice of death as he turned around. On the front of each of the three ships were the reason for his uncontrollable rage, one of the only two things that could make him so angry. There was a small, innocent, elven child chained to the dragon looking figurehead of the ship. The air around him burst into flames, along with the closest vikings to him, and he yelled ¡°Anyone who commits the crime of slavery is my enemy! Anyone who permits slavery is my enemy! For your crimes, even your souls will suffer!¡± in a furious voice. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have cast Voice of Death! 47 Viking Warriors have been stunned! Captain Brandr has been deafened! Alfhildr has been stunned! -300 mana[/col][/box] On each of the viking ships was a chained up Red Elf child, which was probably being used as a slave who could control the ship using mana. Red Elves have large dragon-like wings, tails and even horns coming from their foreheads. They¡¯re often referred to as demons, but their elven ears and red skin are proof enough that they¡¯re simply elves. Their cloven hooves and talon like hands tend to disturb most people, so they are typically considered monsters. However, to Azrael everything that would make a normal person hate or fear them, had the exact opposite effect. To him, they were beautiful and majestic creatures that were being used and abused by disgusting humans. Azrael boarded the ship with no weapons or armor¡­ hell, he was just wearing a bathing suit. He looked into the little girl¡¯s glowing red eyes and telepathically said ¡°I¡¯m here now, so shut the fuck up. You¡¯re whining is really annoying.¡± in an irritated voice as he channeled mana into strength and then tore the iron chains apart. She had a confused expression on her face while looking up at the giant man with charred black skin. Her first thought was ¡°Did Surt really come to save me?¡± since he actually did look like a black fire giant, with flaming horns, wings and even a tail from her perspective. Then a giant tentacle reached up out of the water and grabbed the little girl, pulling her into the ocean. Azrael turned around and faced the ship full of angry, battle ready vikings who were already out of the stun. Since none of them even took damage from his voice of death, he could tell that they were at least around his level. However, he was far too angry to think of some clever battle plan, he simply turned that anger into a raging inferno. While wearing a suit of armor made of flames and mana shield, he grabbed the heads of the first two vikings who charged at him. The captain yelled ¡°He¡¯s a fire giant! Kill him!¡± in a loud and frantic voice. After a quick squeeze, their helmets, along with the rest of their heads were complete melted off into their chest cavities as their limp bodies fell to the deck. The whole ship had already begun to catch fire all around him as he slowly walked towards the captain. Only three humans could fit, standing shoulder to shoulder in front of him. The held up their wooden shields, but they became cinders in an instant against his flamethrower. They screamed in pain as their whole bodies were immolated, but by the time their molten bodies reached the ocean, they were already dead. Suddenly Azrael sprinted straight through the 36 remaining vikings, who were either pushed into the ocean or trampled over. Either way, they were incinerated by his bright, crimson flames, which seemed to be getting hotter by the second. He was losing control of the mana shield protecting his body and starting to take fire damage every second. However, he couldn¡¯t even notice his own pain over the screams inside his mind of each person he conflagrated. When he finally reached the back of the ship, the captain swung his hammer up towards Azrael, but he quickly tackled him into the ocean. While sinking into the boiling water, Azrael plunged his hand into the captain¡¯s chest and grabbed something incorporeal. Not his heart, which was already hard boiled, but his soul. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have reached level 103! All stats are increased by 1![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used Soul Absorption! Captain Brandr¡¯s soul has been absorbed! Soul mana has increased to 1/1! -2000 mana, health and stamina![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Congratulations, you have earned the title The Soul Stealer! You have literally torn the soul out of someone while they were still, mostly, alive! While you¡¯re using this title, you will receive several effects. Every time you kill something with a soul, you are healed for 20% of your maximum health! Using Soul Absorption costs 50% less mana, health and stamina, but you will receive a large amount of negative karma! Every humanoid you kill, that doesn¡¯t have a soul, will give you 50% of their mana regeneration for 24 hrs.[/col][/box] After immediately using the title a large tentacle wrapped around his waist and then launched him out of the water, onto the farthest left boat. He smacked against the mast and it was set ablaze, the crew had no idea what was going on. Before they could even fight back, Azrael used a powerful flamethrower out of each of his hands, turning the front and back of the ship into an inferno. The normal warriors were all pretty well done, but the extra crispy captain was still somehow hanging on. She charged at him while swinging a large battle axe while yelling ¡°Die demon!¡± in an angry, raspy voice. However, her health was already low enough that he could easily reach into her exposed chest and tear out her soul/heart and lungs. After quickly absorbing the soul of Captain Helga, he walked over to the mildly charred little boy and unchained him. By that time the last boat was trying to flee, but a much larger ship was blocking its path. Fireballs rained down on the relatively small elven/vikings ship and its crew were screaming a beautiful melody of suffering. Azrael picked the boy up with his right hand and then launched him onto the deck of the Hanael. Then he jumped into the water and swam over to the last ship, with some help from Freya¡¯s tentacles. He climbed aboard the front of the ship and quickly made his way past the viking flambe and unchained the last little Red Elf girl. She smiled a little and said ¡°Father?¡± in a happy voice, her eyes had been carved out of their sockets, probably to be used in alchemy. Azrael smiled as he patted her on the head and started laughing obnoxiously loud as he turned to face the last captain. This one was a barbarian woman, almost as tall as himself, but it was more than that. Azrael could immediately tell that this one was much higher level than the others, plus she had large angelic wings coming out of her back. Even amidst the inferno, she was unfazed and seemed to be perfectly fine. Her face was completely covered by a shiny mithril helmet and most of her body was covered in beautiful, obnoxiously revealing mithril armor. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Valkyrie Eir has appeared![/col][/box] With an expensive looking mithril long-sword in each hand, she yelled ¡°How could you side with those disgusting demons instead of your own kind!? I will bring your traitorous head back to The Allfather myself!¡± in an angry but confident voice as she charged towards him. Azrael tossed a fireball towards her, but she evaded by flying into the air and then dived sword first into his left shoulder. However, the blades became lodged into his body and it gave him the chance to grab hold of her right wing with his left hand. She screamed in agony as he crushed it, while setting it ablaze. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Eir grabbed a knife from her waist and severed her own wing to escape from him, but that just gave Azrael the opportunity to charge an incredibly large amount of mana into a super compressed fireball in his right hand. Although, with the two swords severing his pectoral muscles, it was impossible for him to use lift his right arm. Eir laughed and yelled ¡°You lose!¡± in a cocky voice as she lunged towards him as he removed the swords from his shoulder with his left hand. Azrael yelled ¡°Such an arrogant little girl!¡± in an angry voice as he parried her knife with the swords in his left hand, then swung his right arm towards her. The fireball missed her but hit the mast and created a gigantic explosion and shock-wave that blasted her body toward him with incredible force. He impaled her through the lower abdomen with her own swords, then sunk his teeth into her left side jugular and bit down as hard as he could. His anger receded and the flames surrounding him dissipated as he began drinking her delicious neck nectar. She screamed ¡°No! I wont let you kill me so easily!¡± in a desperate and terrified voice as she began to use all of her mana to heal herself. However, Azrael was chewing through her rapidly regenerating neck muscles and drinking copious amounts of her blood constantly so she wasn¡¯t able to close her gaping neck wound. Meanwhile he was wriggling the swords around in her abdomen, tearing apart her intestines, spleen, uterus, kidneys, and pretty much everything else in that general region. If she didn¡¯t have such a massive health pool, she would have died much sooner, but she was pretty much a boss or at least an elite of some sort. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used Sacrificial Healing! By drinking the life force of Valkyrie Eir, you have completely regenerated your own health! -50 Karma![/col][/box] Azrael pulled his face away from her neck, looked into her beautiful blue eyes and said ¡°Does this make me a vampire or a cannibal? I mean technically we probably aren¡¯t the same species right? Oh well, I think I¡¯ve finally quenched my thirst for blood, literally and metaphorically¡­ at least for today.¡± in a calm voice as he reached into her gaping abdomen with his right hand. After tearing out her still beating heart, he quickly devoured it as the life drained from her eyes and her body became limp. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have reached level 104! All stats increased by 1![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have defeated Valkyrie Eir! All stats increase by 5! Mana and health regeneration increase by 5 per second! Karma has decreased by 50! Faith has increased by 100![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have used Soul Absorption! Valkyrie Eir¡¯s soul has been absorbed! Soul mana has increased to 2/3! -1000 mana, health and stamina![/col][/box] Azrael carried Eir¡¯s corpse in his right arm and picked up the blind Red Elf girl with his left, then began climbing up side of the Hanael. The Viking ships figurehead was pressed up against the Hanael¡¯s hull, so he used it as a step to reach halfway up the side of the ship. By channeling mana into the ship, he was able to create footholds using the side of the ship¡¯s vines. It was still difficult to climb the vine ladder without using his hands, but Freya¡¯s tentacles were there to help him maintain balance. After finally reaching the mid deck and putting the little girl down, along with the valkyrie corpse, Azrael placed his left hand on her face and said ¡°What¡¯s your name kid?¡± in a curious voice. Not only was she missing her eyes, but also her wings and hands were removed. The other children were only missing their wings, but it was still terrible. The little girl said ¡°Alfsigr, master¡­ I¡¯m starting to feel kinda funny.¡± in a worried voice as nervously fidgeted around. Azrael was funneling his health into her body and regenerating her hands, wings and eyes at the same time. He smiled at her and said ¡°Your master is dead, along with her crew and the other two crews. You¡¯re no longer a slave, you¡¯re free to say what you want but if you call me master again you¡¯ll probably regret it.¡± in an irritated voice as she saw his face for the first time. She gasped and said ¡°How? What? Alfsigr doesn¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening¡­ ah!¡± in a confused voice as she looked at her rapidly regenerating hands. Azrael sighed and yelled ¡°You other little fuckers, get over here so I can heal you too!¡± in an angry voice as he motioned with his right hand to the other little girl, Alfhildr, and the boy who was apparently named Alfljotr from what he overheard of the two kids who were chatting. Then So-Ra yelled ¡°Oh! You should rest! I can heal these two!¡± in a happy voice, since she was finally able to use her healing spells for something important. Azrael sighed and yelled ¡°Fine! Nyx, get us the fuck out of here before our ship catches on fire too!¡± in an exhausted voice as he dragged the Valkyrie corpse into the captain¡¯s quarters. Lorelei and Liesl were busy talking to the children and Freya give a shit, but So-Ra yelled ¡°What the hell are you going to do to that woman¡¯s corpse?!¡± in a worried voice just before he was about to close the door behind him. He poked his head out and yelled ¡°It¡¯s my body now! Use your imagination!¡± in an irritated voice as he slammed the door, leaving So-Ra with a hilariously disgusted expression. Freya started laughing and said ¡°I know what I would do with it, well after satisfying my¡­ curiosity. I would break it down and use it for alchemy ingredients. Either that or eat it¡­ literally, I haven¡¯t eaten valkyrie in thousands of years but I still remember how delicious it was. Ah, but back then I was a dragon, so everything tasted like food.¡± in a happy voice as she remembered the good old days of slaughter and destruction. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have learned Aura of Creepiness![/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]Aura of Creepiness (Lvl. 1 0%): You are quite possibly the creepiest baby that anyone has ever seen! Even if you¡¯re abandoned in the midst of wild, hungry animals, they stay the fuck away from your creepy ass face! Seriously, how do you even do that? It¡¯s not like your face looks ugly, but it just sets off an instinctual warning sign in any normal living creature. The life of a gimper sure is difficult¡­ the worst part is that since you¡¯re not crippled, i can¡¯t even think of a decent joke. Fuck this shit.[/col][/box] The invisible Nyx would occasionally go to visit her son, but not even his mother was immune to his Aura of Creepiness. It protected him from the wolves, but at the same time prevented even his own parent¡¯s from loving him. Everyone quickly forgot about Ceda and moved on with their lives, his only ally was the Cotton Vine Kitten. Although, it was only interested in mana¡­ after being fed, he was quickly abandoned again. Luckily he was growing 3 times faster than a human, so it would only take him a few years to reach that useful age Azrael was demanding of him. Ae-Cha had finally finished setting up her secret lab and was busy continuing her extraordinarily dangerous experiments. Her next accidental nuclear explosion was under construction, but her main focus had something to do with Michael in reality. However, not even he knew what all that mysterious nonsense was about at the time. Actually, he still wasn¡¯t even aware of her presence, in reality or in-game. Over in Valhalla, Odin was laughing hysterically, the final trump card that was meant to be Asgard¡¯s salvation, had become its damnation. Even so, The Allfather had anticipated as much and begun to launch a preemptive attack on Muspelheim. If Ragnarok was an impossible war to win, his backup plan was to at least let a few of his children survive. On Muspelheim, a volcanic planet where only fire elementals, Red Elves and Fire Giants can survive,along with various plants and animals, a gigantic portal was opened. Yet another major event that Azrael and his crew had no idea about. Back in the Continent of Versailles, Osmond, the Sharptooth Orcs and the Dark Elves had begun a mass migration to the far east. There was some really dark magic happening in the orc lands and they wanted to get out before it was too late. With some help from the Susanoo Guild and their massive navy, they were able to safely cross over the sea to the Easternmost unexplored continent. Meanwhile, the 27th Bunny Hunt had ended in a brutal tie, leaving both sides completely obliterated but giving the central continent some much needed time to recover from its wounds. Since the destruction of Cancer, none of the other world bosses had defeated but a gigantic water dragon had been spotted several times in the southern oceans. An enormous sand wurm had been reported devouring entire villages in the Desert of Tranquility. There was also a few sightings of a humanoid creature so ridiculously large that it walks through the western oceans as if they were merely ankle deep water. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After bringing Azrael the named Fox that he asked for, Nyx left the captain¡¯s quarters with a confused look on her invisible face. An hour later the loud screaming voice of a woman could be heard throughout the ship, for several hours until it finally stopped. Then some weird barking sounds and even some howling, everyone was deeply concerned about what Azrael was doing. Well, Freya was actually just interested in what torture methods he was using. What was actually happening? Well, after dragging the impaled and disemboweled valkyrie corpse into his room, Azrael removed the swords, armor and helmet. Then he asked Nyx telepathically to find him a Fox named Uriel, he vaguely remembered naming one that back when he was fishing for souls with Matallost. He also saw it wandering around the corridors a few weeks before, so it was probably still alive. While he was examining her completely nude corpse, Eir was screaming at him within his mind. Thus he discovered that she was luckily a virgin, he already had a feeling that was the case which was why the body was perfect for his project. Besides that, her face was definitely beautiful, blue eyes, naturally straight blond hair, straight white teeth, relatively large and perky breasts, feminine but muscular. Even her anus and vagina looked perfect, combined with beautiful angelic wings, the whole body was magnificent. Of course it required a ton of repairs, but that was relatively easy. After receiving the living Fox named Uriel from Nyx, he brutally tore out its soul and absorbed it. Then he used Sacrificial Resurrection on the body which took an hour and nearly killed him since her health and stamina were nearly as high as his. After the body was completely healed, he shoved the fox soul into it. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have resurrected Uriel The Valkyrie! Life Manipulation proficiency has increased! Sacrificial Healing has increased to beginner level 8! Creativity has increased by 100! Faith has increased by 50! Karma has increased by 50! Level has decreased to 103! All stats have lowered by 1! Faith has decreased by 75! -3500 Health -1500 Mana -1500 Stam[/col][/box]
Status Window
Character NameUrielAlignmentGood
Level175ProfessionValkyrie
TitleNone
Fame0
Health3500Mana1500
Strength250Agility300
Stamina1500
Wisdom100Intellect150
Luck150Vitality150
Attack125
Defense10
Magic ResistanceFire: 35% Water: 25% Earth: 15% Air: 15%
After exhausting his last bit of stamina, Azrael passed out on the floor for 9 hours while the frightened and confused reincarnated fox ran around the room while making annoying fox calls. Eventually it also passed out from exhaustion, curled up in a ball on top of the bed completely nude but since it had the mentality of a fox that wasn¡¯t very surprising. While he was dreaming, Azrael spent his time brutally torturing the three souls who were imprisoned within his body. They still didn¡¯t understand what they did wrong, so he made them experience slavery from the other perspective. However, he knew how dangerous it was to keep enemies within his own mind. When he finally regained consciousness, after cleaning up the fox corpse, puddles of valkyrie urine and blood, he began to grow some suitable prisons for his captives. It needed to be a cage that couldn¡¯t be unlocked by anyone but himself and they also needed to suffer sufficiently. After a few minutes he had finished the first two captain¡¯s new bodies. [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created Cotton Vine Bunny Helga! This is a very weak, non-combat pet with very little cognitive and learning capability. It requires small amounts of water, carbon dioxide, sunlight and mana to survive. The bunny will not be able to grow any larger or stronger because the creator specifically designed it that way. It has the soul of a proud viking warrior Helga and was imprisoned in this body by Azrael The Soul Stealer. It will be impossible for any monster, NPC or user to attack this non-combat pet. Has no gender. Magically linked to The Hanael, unable to leave the ship and receives small amounts of mana, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water constantly. Level: 1 Health: 50 Mana: 50 Stamina: 50 Agility: 10 Strength: 1 Cuteness: 700 Vitality: 5 Intellect: 5 Wisdom: 1 Knows 4 skills, Bunny Hop, Cry, Nap, and Cuteness Dance. Has 5 passive effects, Pride, Shame, Sadness, Adorability and Panic Disorder.[/col][/box] [box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5]You have created Cotton Vine Rat Brandr! This is a very weak, non-combat pet with very little cognitive and learning capability. It requires small amounts of water, carbon dioxide, sunlight and mana to survive. The rat will not be able to grow any larger or stronger because the creator specifically designed it that way. It has the soul of a proud viking warrior Brandr and was imprisoned in this body by Azrael The Soul Stealer. It will be impossible for any monster, NPC or user to attack this non-combat pet. Has no gender. Magically linked to The Hanael, unable to leave the ship and receives small amounts of mana, sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water constantly. Level: 1 Health: 50 Mana: 50 Stamina: 50 Agility: 10 Strength: 1 Cuteness: 50 Vitality: 5 Intellect: 5 Wisdom: 1 Knows 3 skills, Hide, Squeak, Scurry. Has 4 passive effects, Pride, Shame, Sadness and Panic Disorder.[/col][/box] Even if they tried to kill themselves, it would be impossible and nothing was able to attack them so they had no escape. A cute white bunny and a not so cute white rat were the perfect bodies to make two proud warriors suffer. The rat quickly scurried off somewhere, but the bunny had a much crueler fate. Azrael open the door to let the cute rabbit out, onto the deck where Lorelei and So-Ra quickly captured it. Finally, there was only one left¡­ but he had something special planned for her. He shoved her soul into the cotton vine kitten as a temporary measure, since he couldn¡¯t stand her constant whining. Every couple minutes she would beg ¡°Please! Just kill me!¡± or ¡°Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?!¡± and sometimes she would even try to bargain ¡°I¡¯ll do anything! Just put me back in my body!¡± but to Azrael, slavery isn¡¯t a crime that could be forgiven. He realized during the battle that a rage fueled inferno was incredibly dangerous and if he was going to continue his crusade, he had to learn to control his anger. That group of enemies were relatively weak, so he never actually had to use any tactics or strategy. However, if he was going to start fighting beings that were considered as Gods, then not only did he have to start learning the other elements, but he needed to gain a few hundred levels. Luckily, the Aesir were far too busy with their war to actually sent any halfway decent assassins after him. Azrael also needed something else, mage gear, but since he had no idea how to make cloth or where to find it, he was left with another possible option, Mithril. It was mainly used by warriors as a high end, lightweight alternative to steel, but there was another reason it was so expensive. Mithril had magical resistance, absorption and usually many extra magical effects when worked by a good enough blacksmith. The only problem was that the valkyrie armor was barely even a bikini, so between that, the two swords and the helmet, he only had enough to make a chain-mail T-shirt and boxers. There was something else he had in mind for the mithril, a way to make useful items for himself and the rest of the crew. However, he put that on hold to deal with another more urgent issue. Uriel The Valkyrie had woken up and was scampering around the room, screaming and howling again. Azrael yelled ¡°Oh for fuck¡¯s sake!¡± as he tried to catch the extremely agile winged idiot that was struggling to crawl/run away from him. It had no skills, since it¡¯s soul was from a fox, but it¡¯s stats were still relatively high. After he finally caught her, she urinated all over him as he carried her out of his room. Her wings were flapping around, her arms were flailing and ironically she kept trying to bite him to death. Valkyries have large wings, but not nearly large enough compared to their weight to actually provide sufficient lift for them to fly. They usually use wind magic, so since the fox couldn¡¯t do that, he didn¡¯t have to worry about it escaping. Lorelie and Liesl were practicing fire magic with the naturally gifted Red Elf children on the forecastle, which was the elevated deck to the front of the ship. As soon as the three children saw the Valkyrie, they quickly cowered in fear behind Liesl. After finally making it up the stairs, Azrael said ¡°Liesl, can you make this little fucker some food? If I knew that foxes were so fucking loud and annoying I would have settled for a shitty name. Anyway, since it¡¯s got the mentality of a fox, I figured it would calm down once we feed it.¡± in an irritated voice. Since the valkyrie''s body was almost as big as his, she was extremely difficult to carry around. Lorelei walked over to the struggling Uriel and innocently stroked her hair while smiling. She said ¡°Be a good girl and calm down OK? Mommy¡¯s going to make you some delicious food.¡± in a gentle voice and Uriel instantly calmed down. Azrael put her down and said ¡°Is that some kind of dark elf passive? Well, whatever.¡± in a disinterested voice as he walked over to the three children behind Liesl and knelt down so that he was only a few feet taller than them. They were wearing some of Lorelei¡¯s pelts and leather clothing that Azrael had made a few months ago. Since they were basically just dresses with exposed backs, they didn¡¯t have to be altered to accommodate tails and wings. Liesl looked down to the children and said ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mommy will be right back in a few minutes. Daddy might seem scary at first, but I promise he¡¯s very kind.¡± in a happy voice while smiling at them. Azrael sighed and said ¡°They¡¯re not afraid of me, they¡¯re afraid of their former master. Listen kids, I¡¯m not sure if you can comprehend this, but that isn¡¯t her anymore. Anyway, I wanted to ask you some questions.¡± in an irritated voice as he looked into their bright red and orange, snake like eyes. Alfsigr, the one should have been the most traumatized, was actually the most comfortable speaking. She said ¡°Of course! Alfsigr can answer any question Daddy asks!¡± in a happy voice while smiling at him. He started laughing and said ¡°You kids are so damn cute¡­ shit, I need to concentrate. Ah, it¡¯s like they¡¯re little humanoid red dragons, wait, are you guys hatched out of eggs? Never-mind, forget that first question, what I need to ask is actually important. I assume the three of you have some knowledge of this world, so I need to know the location of two pretty famous trees. Yggdrasil the world tree and more importantly, Idunn, the apple tree of eternal youth. Although, it might actually be a Goddess who grows apples¡­ I have a feeling it¡¯s actually just a special type of tree.¡± in a semi-serious voice, while trying not to smile too much. Alfsigr frowned and said ¡°Alfsigr knows where they are¡­ but why does Daddy need to go to such dangerous places? I know Daddy¡¯s strong, but he isn¡¯t that strong.¡± in an upset voice while trying to hold back her tears. Even though she didn¡¯t say it out loud, he could see both of the trees in her mind. Azrael smiled and said ¡°Don¡¯t worry kid, I¡¯m not an idiot¡­ usually.¡± in a sarcastic voice as he stood up and looked forward, into the distant skies. The Hanael was headed straight towards some pretty rough weather, but that wasn¡¯t what bothered him. It was something he saw inside Alfsigr¡¯s mind¡­ a familiar presence and voice. Her mental image of Surt, reminded him of a certain supremely annoying spirit that once tried to take control of his avatar. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A large, barbarian man was chained to the floor of a dank, dreary cave somewhere deep underground. It was too dark to discern any of his features, but there was a large serpent sculpture on the ceiling above him. Every few seconds, one of the fangs would drip a tiny drop of liquid. The liquid would burn the skin on his face like acid and he would writhe in pain so violently that the earth would actually shake. Although, that was due to his powerful earth magic, not his physical strength. A beautiful elven woman, wearing a white dress and carrying a large bucket rushed into the room and yelled ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Loki, isn¡¯t it time yet? I can¡¯t stand to see you in so much pain! First those bastards murder our children and then they torture you in such a cruel way! How much longer must you endure this torment?¡± in an angry voice as she started to catch the acid with the bucket. Loki smiled and said ¡°Don¡¯t worry Sigyn, the magic of these shackles has finally run out.¡± in a deep, calm voice as he transformed his body into a much smaller, feminine form. He had turned into a beautiful blue skinned female elf with the eyes of a serpent and was small enough to easily slip out of the restraints. A third eye opened up vertically on her forehead and she plucked it out with her right hand, then crushed it and let the goop drip onto the floor. The black puddle began to glow bright purple and then it expanded in a huge swirling circle like a whirlpool. Sigyn yelled ¡°Ewww! I really hate when you do this kind of shit!¡± in an angry voice as she grabbed a hold of Loki and the entire room filled with glowing purple slimy liquid. Then it all flushed into the ground like a gigantic toilet bowl that just became clogged, sucking them both down into the inter-dimensional plumbing. After a moment of complete darkness, they were both free-falling through the blackened skies. Somehow they managed to avoid being struck by lightning, but they still fell into a violently churning ocean during a hurricane. Luckily for them a large elven ship just happened to be passing by.